M49S Vol 1 Chapter 20. No Trace

It was late into the night. The wine houses along the street had already closed, leaving only the brothels and pleasure quarters still filled with laughter and cheer.

Meng Qiqi didn’t seem the least bit unfamiliar with this kind of place. He took his time looking around with interest before finally finding a back entrance and pushing the door open.

They passed through a rock garden and covered walkway. Lifting the beaded curtain, Meng Qiqi caught sight of the man dressed flashier than the red lanterns through the swaying lamplight and felt his vision swim.

Jin Man, however, fixed his gaze on Chen Boyan. “Since when did you start bringing kids around? Or has the Gushan Sword finally had enough of you and decided to send someone to keep an eye on you?”

Meng Qiqi tossed a copper coin at him, clearly annoyed. “Here. One coin. Now shut up.”

“So stingy.” Jin Man caught the coin, weighed it in his hand, then casually tucked it into his sleeve. He waved away the two beauties sitting beside him.

Meng Qiqi sat down with Chen Boyan in tow, poured himself a cup of wine, and took in the aroma with some delight. But he didn’t drink. Instead, he asked, “Where’s Wuyan? Did you catch him yet?”

“No.” Jin Man’s expression went cold. “The old bastard’s slippery. He must have another hiding place in the city.”

“You have three days to find him. That was the deal. This part’s your responsibility. I won’t lift a finger.” Meng Qiqi remained perfectly calm.

“I don’t need you reminding me. I have my own plan,” Jin Man said irritably.

At that moment, Yao Guan, seated off to the side, couldn’t help speaking up. “Why not lie low and wait until the day of the competition to catch him in front of everyone? Then reveal his identity on the spot. The Wang clan would have no way to deny it. But now we’ve alerted him, and we’ve created unnecessary complications.”

“Oh, you’re here too?” Meng Qiqi looked genuinely surprised.

Jin Man finally lost it. Meng Qiqi always had a way of provoking his temper. “He’s been sitting there the whole time. Are you blind? I said one word about your Senior Nephew and you’re already like this?”

“It is.” Meng Qiqi smiled, then turned to Yao Guan. “Brother Yao, if you don’t push that old bastard into a corner and separate him from the Wang clan, how are you going to get anything out of his mouth? If you wait until the day of the main competition, it’ll be too late. With so many eyes on you, how can you guarantee that what he says will be ours alone?”

Yao Guan opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Meng Qiqi gently set down his wine cup. “I heard you gave my Senior Nephew some trouble earlier at Chanhua Tower?”

“I meant no offense. Please don’t take it to heart, Brother Meng.”

Yao Guan had not known about Jin Man and Meng Qiqi’s arrangement. He had truly only hoped to use Meng Qiqi to find out more about his second brother, the one who always came and went without a trace.

Meng Qiqi lowered his gaze and toyed with the wine cup, saying nothing. Jin Man, knowing Meng Qiqi’s bad temper was flaring up again. “Guan’er, give your Brother Meng a toast.”

Though young, Yao Guan was one of the Five Lords, ranked fifth. He and Meng Qiqi were of the same generation. He had his own pride, but he wasn’t arrogant or foolish. With Jin Man setting the stage, he immediately poured a cup for Meng Qiqi and even included Chen Boyan.

“Please.” Yao Guan drank first.

Meng Qiqi let the matter drop and drink his wine. Chen Boyan held the cup in his hand, a little dazed. During his years at Gushan, it was usually the younger disciples who got into trouble, and he, the senior, had to step in to handle it. The elders of the sect trusted him, never minded that he came from the Chen family, and even handed many internal affairs over to him.

But being shielded like this, having someone stand up for him, how long had it been since that last happened?

The feeling was unfamiliar, but not unpleasant.

Still, Chen Boyan had always followed the wine prohibition. So he simply took in the scent and did not drink. Fortunately, neither Yao Guan nor Meng Qiqi minded whether he drank or not.

Jin Man set aside his playful mood and said, “That old bastard kidnapped a woman two years ago and kept her hidden outside the city. Just last year, she gave birth to a son for him. He did it quietly, so even the Wang clan doesn’t know. I already had both of them taken away ahead of time. He’ll have no choice but to show himself.”

“Assuming he cares,” Meng Qiqi said, narrowing his eyes. “Have you posted people to watch the Wang clan?”

“Some, but not too many. Too many would tip them off. What, do you think Wuhou Manor has people to spare?”

“Aren’t you the ones who boast about having three thousand retainers?” Meng Qiqi raised an eyebrow.

Jin Man was thoroughly exasperated. “Do you even know what bragging is? If I really had three thousand retainers, I’d march up to Gushan tomorrow and flatten it.”

Meng Qiqi smiled, unbothered, and slowly poured him a cup of wine. “Come now, Lord Jin, is there any need to get worked up over me? I think Beidou’s mountain looks pretty nice. Why don’t you go stomp on that one instead?”

“Get lost.” Jin Man let out a laugh despite himself. Watching Meng Qiqi grinning like that, he really couldn’t think of anyone in the world more shameless. He even brought Chen Boyan with him. Was he not afraid Chen Boyan would go back and report him?

Seeing Jin Man so worked up made Meng Qiqi all the more pleased. But at the end, he sobered slightly and said, “You’d better put more people around the Wang clan. Wuyan Daoist stayed with them for years. There’s no way he didn’t cultivate at least a few trusted allies. Now that he’s isolated, he’ll be looking for help. Unless he’s become so wary of the Wang clan that he no longer trusts any of them, he’s going to make a move. Also, since you’ve got people watching, have them keep an eye on Wang Ziling for me. If the Wang clan tosses him aside, let me know.”

“You’re really not shy about asking,” Jin Man said, leaning back lazily and casting a sidelong glance at him. But he didn’t refuse, which meant he agreed.

Meng Qiqi picked up an aniseed bean and tossed it into his mouth.“With Lord Jin on the job, who would bother being polite?”

Jin Man waved a hand. “Enough. Are you seriously trying to help Wang Ziling take power?”

“Wang Ziling’s not bad,” Meng Qiqi said as he idly picked through the aniseed beans. “He’s a bit useless and too soft-hearted, but there’s something to be said for that. At least he won’t turn on me one day.”

Jin Man fell silent for a moment before saying, “As long as you know what you’re doing. If this ends with Wuyan dead, I’ll owe you a favor.”

“Good.” Meng Qiqi was straightforward. A few favors never weighed a person down.

Jin Man waved his hand again. “Go on, get out. Don’t disturb my rest. Guan’er, see them out.”

Meng Qiqi didn’t linger and rose to leave.

Chen Boyan lifted the beaded curtain for him. Just as Meng Qiqi stepped outside, he turned back and glanced at Jin Man once more.

At this moment, Jin Man had slouched deep into the wide chair, a white jade wine flask dangling from one hand. His bright red robes flared like flowers beneath the blazing sun. The wine had only made his appearance more radiant.

That kind of beauty had always been enough to mask his age and sorrow.

On the way back, Chen Boyan couldn’t help asking, “What grudge does Lord Jin Man have against Wuyan Daoist?”

“Wuyan killed a little maid of his. That was more than ten years ago. Back then, Jin Man had just been named one of the Five Lords. He was only twenty. But by the time he set out to take revenge, Wuyan had already vanished without a trace. No one knew where he had gone. Not until I told Jin Man that Wuyan was actually the Wang clan’s Third Elder.” As he spoke, Meng Qiqi looked at Chen Boyan, eyes deep and unreadable, though there was a faint smile at the corner of his lips. “From then on, he started hating the Wang clan. I pulled him in to move against them with me. Tell me, Senior Nephew, am I not terrible?”

Chen Boyan was silent. Just as Meng Qiqi was about to take his silence as confirmation, he suddenly said, “That doesn’t follow. Jin Man wants to kill Wuyan because that man killed his maid. He wants to act against the Wang clan because they harbored Wuyan and made him wait over a decade for revenge. What does any of that have to do with Little Martial Uncle?”

Meng Qiqi froze for a moment, then laughed. The fist he had been clenching behind his back slowly loosened. His whole body felt clear and light.

“Come on. Let’s go get some rest.” His steps were light.

---

Wang Ziling couldn’t shake his worry and hurried back to the Wang estate. Though the household was now firmly under the control of Wang Changlin and Wang Jing, Wang Ziling’s father had once served as clan head as well. Because of that, a few people in the household still looked out for him in secret, shielding him from outright harm.

But Wang Ziling knew very well that in a family as large as the Wang clan, the only reason he was still alive was because both Wang Changlin and Wang Jing needed a puppet young master like him.

Wang Jing had supported Wang Changlin’s rise to power, but what he wanted was an obedient figurehead. Yet Wang Changlin had been growing more and more defiant. Friction had already started to show between them. In such a situation, the position of young clan head might very well become the breaking point.

Wang Ziling had seen this for what it was. He understood that he was temporarily safe, which was why he had dared to conspire with Meng Qiqi in the first place.

When he returned home, Wang Ziling ignored everyone. He didn’t stop to exchange greetings or make formal visits. He walked straight back to his cold, quiet courtyard in search of Uncle Chai.

But to his surprise, Uncle Chai wasn’t there. When he asked the servants, they told him that Uncle Chai had gone out two days ago and had yet to return.

A cold sweat broke out across Wang Ziling’s back. The evening breeze hit him and chilled him to the bone. Though master and servant in name, Wang Ziling had long considered Uncle Chai his only true family. For years, Uncle Chai had never left his side. Today was the day Wang Ziling was due to return from the secret realm, so why was he suddenly gone?

And again, it had happened two days ago. Could it be connected to Miss Yun?

Wang Ziling took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. After a moment of thought, he turned and ran. He had to find Meng Qiqi. Maybe Meng Qiqi knew something about Miss Yun’s background.

But just as he rushed out of his little courtyard and hadn’t yet reached the front gate, he ran straight into a large group, headed by none other than Wang Ziqian. With such a crowd around him, even someone as big as Wang Ziling couldn’t hope to slip past unnoticed. He found himself wishing the night were darker, just enough to cover him up and spare him from this encounter.

But no such luck. The moonlight tonight was far too lovely. It lit him up completely.

Wang Ziqian stared at him, his eyes free of either resentment or warmth. He simply looked at him, silently, in a way that made one’s scalp prickle.

Someone from the group behind him spoke up. “Well, if it isn’t our young master. Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

Wang Ziling recognized him. He was one of the people who had entered the secret realm with them.

This was bad. Very bad. The grudge between them ran deep.