Looking north towards the rivers and mountains

Chapter 62 Long Time No See

When the moon was high in the sky, Zhou Ziliang and his group finally returned.

Wang Wu, observing the situation carefully, said cautiously, "Da She, that woman is so ungrateful, it's really despicable. Tomorrow I'll go and find out who's behind the opera house, daring to be so disrespectful."

Martial arts master Liu Shi glanced at him and sneered inwardly.

What else can Wang Wu do besides flattery? A lousy fisherman, he was lucky enough to gain the favor of a high-ranking official and become his personal follower, but he messed up the ship repair job. Now he's resorting to his old tricks of flattery, trying to salvage the situation. What a scoundrel!

However, Zhou Ziliang fell for it.

His mind was now filled with that woman; her slender figure, melodious voice, and the refined demeanor she had cultivated over a long period of time all made him unable to resist her.

He spent dozens of ingots of silver all night, but couldn't even arrange a private meeting. It's outrageous!

Hearing Wang Wu's words, her expression softened slightly. She said, "Inquire carefully. If all else fails, ask about the price. I know this kind of woman well; she's been groomed since childhood so she can fetch a good price after she becomes famous. I refuse to believe that there isn't a woman in Liujiagang that I can't get."

Wang Wu repeatedly said yes.

Of course, he knew very well that with Zhou She's wealth and status, there were plenty of women he couldn't have; this was just wishful thinking.

The master and two servants walked quietly like this.

As they passed a brothel with its door half-open, a man was about to go in when he saw Zhou Ziliang and immediately greeted him, "Zhou She, I just passed by your place—"

"Get lost! Stop trying to curry favor with me," Zhou Ziliang snapped, clearly in a bad mood.

The man stood there dumbfounded, and only after Zhou Ziliang had gone far away did he angrily curse, "What a piece of trash! I kindly reminded you that there was movement at your house, and you didn't even appreciate it. Fine, fine, it's none of my business."

At this moment, a heavily made-up woman came out of the house and chuckled, "What are you still standing there for? My husband has already warmed the wine. Tonight will be a wonderful night."

With that, she pulled the man inside.

"Hey, wait, don't spill the medicine. Why warm the wine? Boil the medicine first. After I take my medicine, I'll definitely give you a good beating..."

The voices of the adulterous couple gradually faded into the darkness.

Zhou Ziliang, Wang Wu, and Liu Shi quickly arrived outside the courtyard.

Wang Wu, the lackey, walked ahead, deftly taking out his keys to open the courtyard gate.

Zhou Ziliang yawned and kept urging, he really wanted to sleep.

Liu Shi glanced around casually; it was completely dark everywhere.

People who run small businesses go to bed early and get up early; they earn their money through hard work.

There weren't many pedestrians on the road. Apart from the old lecher I had just encountered, the entire Zhanggong Lane was just that quiet—of course, when Da She bought this courtyard to house his mistress, he was drawn to its tranquility.

Wang Wu quickly opened the courtyard gate, and the three of them walked inside in the dim moonlight.

Unexpectedly, after taking only a few steps, a strong gust of wind came.

Liu Shi, who was at the very back, was hit on the head and fell down without uttering a sound.

Zhou Ziliang turned around abruptly, only to see two burly men pounce on him from the left and right, pinning him to the ground.

In an instant, a large, iron-like hand gripped his neck.

He was about to scream when a rag was stuffed into his mouth, silencing all his voice.

On the other side, a rope had been put around Wang Wu's neck. The person strangling him was so strong that Wang Wu's tongue was almost sticking out.

With a creak and a thud, the door was gently closed, and a bar was added.

The area outside the courtyard remained quiet, without a single person in sight.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye, giving people no time to react.

A tiny flame lit up, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.

Liang Tai loosened his grip on her neck, pulled out a rope, and quickly tied her up.

Zhou Ziliang almost rolled his eyes. He felt like he had been granted a pardon. His head was buzzing, and he was greedily breathing in the air through his nose, completely unresponsive to Liang Tai's actions.

Gao Daqiang also released his grip.

Wang Wuruan lay motionless on the ground.

Gao Daqiang's eyes narrowed, and he kicked Wang Wu twice, but there was still no response.

He squatted down in confusion and placed his finger on Wang Wu's nose.

A moment later, he picked up Wang Wu's limp body with some surprise, his eyes filled with astonishment, and said, "I haven't even used my full strength yet, and you're already this weak?"

"He's alive; he was just faking his death." Yang Liu walked over, examined him carefully, and sneered, "This skinny monkey certainly can't withstand your torture."

As he spoke, he glanced at Gao Daqiang with a hint of apprehension; this man was incredibly strong!

Shao Shuyi appeared in the courtyard.

Wearing a cymbal-shaped hat and long boots, with a bow and a ring-handled sword hanging at his waist, he slowly approached Zhou Ziliang, who was kneeling on the ground, and said in a low voice, "Zhou She, how have you been?"

The firelight illuminated his face, making it appear deep and shadowy.

Zhou Ziliang was somewhat shocked and angry, making muffled noises as if he wanted to say something.

"No rush, we still have a lot to talk about later." Shao Shuyi smiled, grabbed Zhou Ziliang's hair and dragged him into the house like a dead pig.

The others in the darkness quickly moved aside.

"Thump!" Zhou Ziliang, with his hair disheveled, was thrown onto the hard ground.

Inside the room, several people were either squatting or standing, each holding a weapon.

There were traces of blood in the corner of the wall, but it was unclear where they came from.

Shao Shuyi squatted down in front of Zhou Ziliang, then pointed to the door of the main room and said, "Close the door."

Yang Liu, Gao Daqiang, Liang Tai, Wang Huadu, Wu Heizi and the others went inside and closed the door.

Several people remained in the courtyard, hidden in the darkness.

Shao Shuyi took a dagger from Wang Huadu, patted Zhou Ziliang's face, and said, "Zhou She, let's get straight to the point and stop wasting time."

As he spoke, he gave a knowing look.

Kong Tie walked over and ripped the rag out of Zhou Ziliang's mouth.

"Zhou She, could you write a letter and call Sun Chuan out?" Shao Shuyi asked.

Zhou Ziliang was stunned for a moment, then laughed, his whole body trembling.

His smile was ugly, as if he were crying, while his whole body trembled, as if he were terrified of his fate.

"Shao...Shao Shuyi...Shao the traitor!" Zhou Ziliang raised his head, looked at Shao Shuyi, and said, "You've all shown your faces in front of me, how could I possibly survive? Haha, you're dreaming."

"Indeed, it's easier to talk to smart people." Shao Shuyi nodded and said, "I can only guarantee that you won't suffer when you leave."

"Pah!" Zhou Ziliang spat, the spittle landing on Shao Shuyi's collar. "I admit defeat now that I'm in your hands! Go ahead and do it. I'd be a coward if I even flinched."

Shao Shuyi plunged the dagger into Zhou Ziliang's thigh with a forceful thud, and blood gushed out instantly.

Zhou Ziliang's scream was immediately muffled by Wang Huadu, and he could only swallow it back down.

A moment later, Wang Huadu withdrew his hand and looked at Zhou Ziliang, whose face was deathly pale.

"He's quite the tough guy," Shao Shuyi sneered. "Changed his mind now?"

"Pah!" Zhou Ziliang spat weakly, saying, "Shao thief...you will surely...die a terrible death. No wonder your parents died young, they must have been...enraged to death by giving birth to you...you wicked beast. You...will surely have no descendants, no one...to offer...offer incense, and even if you have children, they will be...male thieves and female prostitutes, forever—"

"Bang!" Wang Huadu punched Zhou Ziliang in the face, knocking out two teeth.

Shao Shuyi calmly took out a dagger, leaned closer, and said, "Zhou She, I don't know if I'll be childless, but you're probably going to be. You know better than I what kind of corrupt officials the Great Yuan Dynasty are. How can we divide the inheritance if the Zhou family isn't wiped out, is that right?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ziliang's pale face turned even more ashen.

"Furthermore, it's fine if you insult me, but you just insulted my parents—" As Shao Shuyi spoke, he roughly shoved the dagger into Zhou Ziliang's mouth and stirred it around forcefully.

Zhou Ziliang could not bear it and screamed in agony.

As it screamed, its teeth and tongue, mixed with blood, flowed out and fell to the ground.

"Let's send Zhou She on his way," Shao Shuyi said, wiping his dagger on the other man's clothes before standing up.

Commander Wang Hua turned Zhou Ziliang over so he was face down, then stretched out his hand and said, "Bring me the knife."

The Qi brothers, who were closest to him, finally realized what was happening and turned their gaze away from Shao Shuyi.

Qi Laoda swallowed hard, pulled a dagger from his waist, and handed it over.

"Remove the sheath," Wang Huadu cursed.

"Huh? Oh!" Boss Qi realized what was happening, pulled out the dagger, and handed it to Wang Huadu.

Wang Huadu grabbed Zhou Ziliang's hair with one hand and held a dagger in the other, slashing it across Zhou Ziliang's neck.

Blood gushed out like a spring.

Shao Shuyi walked up to Wang Wu, kicked him, and said, "Stop pretending, you've been awake for a while, haven't you?"

Wang Wu lay on the ground, trembling slightly.

His usual ruthlessness and courage vanished at this moment, making him even less capable than Zhou Ziliang.

"Will you confess or not?" Shao Shuyi asked, stepping on Wang Wu's hand with his boot.

Wang Wu screamed in agony, "Confess! Confess!"

As he spoke, a strong smell of urine emanated from his crotch, causing all the thugs in the room to burst into laughter.

"Dog slave, you ask," Shao Shuyi ordered. "After you've asked—"

Wang Wu trembled again.

Shao Shuyi paused for a moment, then said, "Find a place to lock him up first, and keep a close watch on him."

"Alright." Wang Huadu grabbed Wang Wu's hair, flipped him over, smiled cruelly, and said, "I'll ask, you answer."

Shao Shuyi slowly walked towards the chair.

A seafarer saw him coming and immediately gave up his seat.

Qi Lao Er was standing in front of the chair, and hurriedly moved aside, even accidentally knocking the chair over.

Shao Shuyi gently helped him up and calmly sat down.

Yang Liu and Gao Daqiang exchanged a glance, both abandoning their contempt.

"Da She helped Sun Chuan transport pirate loot to Jiangning, and they agreed to meet at the Xia Shachang..." Wang Wu's voice rang out intermittently.

Yu Yuan, pale-faced, picked up a brush and began to write.

Wang Huadu plunged a dagger into Wang Wu's palm and angrily said, "Are you trying to trick me?"

"I dare not, I dare not!" Wang Wu cried out in despair.

When will we meet?

Around the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.

"What are you transporting?"

"That's unknown."

"Still not behaving yourself!" Wang Huadu cut off a piece of Wang Wu's little finger and cursed.

Another scream erupted...

After a long time, everything finally settled down.

"Have him put his fingerprint on it," Shao Shuyi said after reading the confession. "Then send it to the antique shop and give it to Master Zheng."