Old Tao and Tao Mo drove the carriage to the riverside.
Hao Guozi and Sang Xiaotu were walking dejectedly along the river. When they saw the carriage, they were startled at first, then cheered and rushed toward it.
Old Tao stopped the carriage.
Once they drew near, Tao Mo said apologetically, “You have been waiting a long time.”
Hao Guozi said anxiously, “Young Master! Where did you and Gu She go? We searched everywhere for you! We thought something had happened to you!”
Sang Xiaotu followed behind him. Although he said nothing, his face was also filled with worry.
Old Tao waved his hand. “Something did indeed happen. We will discuss it after we return.”
Seeing the displeased expressions on Tao Mo and Old Tao’s faces, Hao Guozi did not dare ask further. He pulled Sang Xiaotu onto the carriage.
With Hao Guozi and Sang Xiaotu driving, Tao Mo and Old Tao naturally returned to the carriage compartment.
On the way there, Tao Mo had already told Old Tao everything about the attack exactly as it had happened. But they had been in such a hurry then that Old Tao had not had time to consider it carefully. Only now did he have the leisure to reflect on the matter. “How was the assassin dressed?”
Tao Mo thought for a moment. “He wore ordinary clothes and had a cloth covering his face.”
Old Tao said, “In broad daylight, he naturally could not have worn night-traveling clothes.”
Tao Mo said, “Ah, we still do not know who that hero who suddenly appeared halfway through was, or what became of him.”
Old Tao’s eyes flickered. Only after a long while did he say, “That person… may have been one of my subordinates.”
Tao Mo stared at him blankly. Old Tao’s appearance had not changed, yet ever since they arrived in the neighboring county, Tao Mo had found him increasingly unfamiliar—whether it was the martial arts with which he had shattered a bowl with one palm or these subordinates he now spoke of.
Seeing his expression, Old Tao sighed faintly. “To tell you the truth, the master I mentioned before was Radiant Lord of the Demonic Sect.”
“The Demonic Sect?” Tao Mo was shocked. Although he knew very little about the jianghu, the words Demonic Sect were hardly unfamiliar to him. The Demonic Sect was currently at the height of its power. What storyteller in any teahouse or restaurant failed to mention it? Some praised it, some condemned it; some tales were true, others false, and no one could agree. Tao Mo had never paid much attention to any of it. He had never imagined that Old Tao, with whom he had lived for two years, was actually a member of the Demonic Sect. “Then what about Mu Chun?”
Old Tao said, “His original surname is Duanmu, and his given name is Huichun. He is one of the Demonic Sect’s new generation of elders.”
Tao Mo’s breathing quickened slightly, clearly unable to accept everything at once. “Then you…”
Old Tao said, “My original name is Lu Qiyuan, and I am an elder of the Demonic Sect. Had I not later…” He stopped. To him, that period was a past too painful to recall. Although Radiant Lord had been magnanimous and no longer held it against him, what Old Tao had done had ultimately gravely weakened the Demonic Sect and cost the lives of countless disciples. Lamenting and blaming himself would accomplish nothing. He could only devote all his strength to serving the Demonic Sect. Yet now that he thought carefully about it, since returning to the Demonic Sect, he had not done anything for it. Instead, he had continually mobilized its disciples to handle his own affairs.
Seeing Old Tao’s dispirited expression and the gloom knotted across his face, Tao Mo knew he did not wish to recall the past and hurriedly changed the subject. “I wonder whether your subordinate caught the assassin.”
Old Tao returned to himself and shook his head. “I have not yet had time to contact him. We will discuss it after returning to the inn.”
At the mention of the inn, Tao Mo could not help thinking of Gu She. His heart immediately felt as though fifteen buckets were being hauled up and down inside it. He wished he could grow a pair of wings and fly back.
Old Tao said, “One more thing. You must not mention my origins in the Demonic Sect to anyone else.”
“Anyone?” Tao Mo hesitated. Gu She might ask about that hero. If Tao Mo could not explain, Gu She might make all sorts of wild guesses and follow many false leads.
Old Tao said, “Do not tell Hao Guozi or Gu She.”
The two of them had kept their voices low ever since entering the carriage, so they did not fear those outside overhearing.
Tao Mo was astonished. He had thought Old Tao merely intended to keep it from Gu She, but unexpectedly, even Hao Guozi was to remain unaware.
Old Tao said, “The situation at court is murky and unclear, while the Demonic Sect’s position is delicate. The fewer people who know my identity, the better.”
Thinking of the many rumors surrounding the Demonic Sect, Tao Mo nodded solemnly.
“There is something I will tell you, but you may only keep it hidden in your heart. You must never reveal it, and you absolutely must not question Gu She about it,” Old Tao warned gravely.
Seeing how serious he was, Tao Mo did not dare treat the matter lightly. He hurriedly asked, “Does it concern Gu She?”
“It concerns Gu She’s father.” Seeing Tao Mo’s blank expression, Old Tao suddenly remembered that Tao Mo did not yet know Gu She’s family background. The words reached his throat, but he substituted something else instead. “His father appears to be an old acquaintance of Huang Guangde’s and has some friendship with him.”
Tao Mo’s face went pale.
“Gu She probably knows nothing about this.” After some thought, Old Tao decided to defend Gu She. “However, Gu She’s father is no ordinary person either. You must exercise proper restraint in your association with Gu She.”
Tao Mo steadied himself. “Who is his father?”
“Your friendship with Gu She is still shallow. Why speak of such deep matters? If you knew who his father was, you would inevitably become constrained whenever you met him in the future. It would be better not to know.”
Although Old Tao did not explicitly say who Gu She’s father was, his tone clearly implied that the man’s background was far from insignificant. Thinking of Gu She’s usual clothing, expenses, speech, and bearing, Tao Mo’s heart turned half cold.
When the carriage returned to the inn, Adviser Jin was waiting in the main hall. Seeing them return safely, he could not help breathing a sigh of relief.
Old Tao asked, “Where is Gu She?”
Adviser Jin said, “He returned to his room to sleep. I do not know how serious his injury is.” He looked toward Tao Mo, but Tao Mo appeared distracted.
When Sang Xiaotu heard that Gu She had been injured, his face went white with fright. He hurried upstairs to attend to him.
“Forget it. Everyone is tired, so we should rest. We can discuss everything tomorrow,” Old Tao said.
Adviser Jin had originally waited for Tao Mo to return because he wanted answers to his questions. Hearing Old Tao say this, he felt somewhat unwilling, but there was nothing he could do. He could only put aside his bellyful of doubts for the time being and return to his room with the others.
Hao Guozi had originally wanted to ask Tao Mo what had happened, but seeing him return to the room and immediately collapse facedown on the bed, he did not dare ask.
The night passed without conversation.
By morning, Adviser Jin and the others came downstairs one after another.
Tao Mo and Hao Guozi were once again the last to arrive.
When Tao Mo came downstairs and saw Gu She seated there, he could not help freezing. Although he had turned Old Tao’s words over countless times in his mind the previous night and secretly resolved to draw a clear boundary between himself and Gu She, the instant he saw him, all those promises and resolutions collapsed. His legs involuntarily carried him over, and his mouth opened of its own accord. “How is your injury? Does it hurt?”
Gu She shook his head blandly.
How could it not hurt? In all his life, apart from the anguish of losing his mother, nothing had ever hurt him more. But pain was merely a sensation. It would hurt whether he spoke of it or not, so why mention it?
Although Gu She said nothing, Tao Mo could roughly guess from his unusually pale complexion. “You… you should eat something light.” He did not know how else to comfort him.
Adviser Jin listened to him speak in such a lingering, tender manner without getting to the point and could not help becoming impatient. He interjected, “What audacious scoundrel would dare do such a thing? Why do we not report it to the authorities and have him arrested?”
Old Tao said, “I fear they will be unable to catch him.” As he spoke, he glanced at Tao Mo.
Tao Mo understood. Old Tao was signaling that his subordinate had failed to capture the assassin.
Adviser Jin sighed. “True enough. We should thank Heaven if the county magistrate here does not arrest us. How could we expect him to arrest someone else?”
Tao Mo sat in the empty seat beside Gu She. His hands automatically began placing food in Gu She’s bowl, while his eyes remained on Adviser Jin. “Did you not say yesterday that you were going to meet Adviser Hou? How did it go?”
Adviser Jin said, “I told him that Master had sent me to inquire about the case. Although he was somewhat displeased, he did not become suspicious.”
Old Tao said, “That is good. Did he reveal anything?”
“His lips were sealed very tightly.” Adviser Jin slowly took a sip of porridge before continuing, “But no matter how tightly someone seals his lips, it is useless. So long as there is the slightest breeze, I can smell what it carries. He told me not to worry about the case, saying there were no doubts whatsoever at any level and that the judgment would certainly be finalized.”
Hao Guozi sneered. “Nonsense. And he calls this a case without any doubts?”
“What does that tell us?” Adviser Jin asked, winking at him.
Old Tao answered, “The part about having no doubts is false. The part about every level is true.”
“What does that mean?” Sang Xiaotu quietly asked Hao Guozi.
Adviser Jin said, “Every level above and below has already been taken care of.”
Old Tao frowned. “Could they even have settled matters with the Ministry of Justice?”
Adviser Jin said, “Why would they need to deal directly with the Ministry of Justice? As long as they have secured connections that reach the Ministry, that can be considered taking care of every level. Besides, the woodcutter voluntarily confessed. The case could hardly appear more straightforward. Even without anyone greasing palms, given the Ministry of Justice’s preference for avoiding unnecessary trouble, they would probably turn a blind eye.”
Tao Mo’s expression darkened. “This is a human life! How can they turn a blind eye merely to avoid trouble?”
Adviser Jin said, “Master is a newly appointed official and has seen few cases. What sort of place is the Ministry of Justice? Every day, they hear and see major cases. They handle countless massacres of entire families. Compared with hundreds of lives from one household, what is a single life?”
Tao Mo instinctively argued, “You cannot put it that way. A single life is still precious.” After saying it, however, he felt that his rebuttal lacked strength.
“Every person has only one life,” Gu She suddenly said.
Tao Mo’s eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously.
Adviser Jin sighed deeply. “Unfortunately, there are too few officials beneath Heaven who think that way.”
Hao Guozi said, “Few does not mean none. It is enough that we have our young master.”
Adviser Jin suddenly smiled. “I suddenly hope that one day Master might become the Minister of Justice or the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.”
Tao Mo repeatedly waved his hands. “I—I can barely manage as a county magistrate. How could I dare entertain such extravagant hopes?”
Adviser Jin laughed heartily. He had merely spoken casually and had not truly meant it. Tao Mo could not read. Becoming a county magistrate was already a stretch for him; imagining that he might one day rise among the highest ministers of state was indeed a fanciful dream.
Gu She watched Tao Mo’s profile as he peeled an egg for him, and his gaze softened. “Officials in the capital face too many restrictions. It is not as satisfying as serving as a local official and bringing prosperity to the people of one region.”
Hearing this, Tao Mo raised his head. When he saw the tenderness in Gu She’s eyes, he became entranced for a moment.
“Ahem.” Old Tao coughed dryly. “Adviser Jin and the others still do not know what happened yesterday. Young Master should tell them.”
Tao Mo hurriedly came back to himself, waves of red spreading across his face. He stammered for quite some time before finally steadying himself and recounting everything that had happened the previous day.
His storytelling was ordinary and far from exciting, but the moment Hao Guozi and Sang Xiaotu saw Gu She’s bandaged wound, the dangerous scene from yesterday seemed to appear before their eyes, and both were horrified.
As Tao Mo continued speaking and remembered Gu She’s expression when he pushed him away, cold sweat belatedly broke out all over his body.
Had Gu She failed to notice that arrow—or noticed it but failed to push Tao Mo aside in time—Tao Mo would not be sitting here today.
When Old Tao heard Tao Mo recount the event yesterday, he had merely listened to it as something that had happened and felt nothing in particular. Now, hearing it again and watching the others’ expressions continually change, he suddenly realized that Gu She had risked his life to save Tao Mo. After all, no matter how intelligent Gu She was, he was still a frail scholar without the strength to restrain a chicken. In those circumstances, there was no possibility of talking the attacker into retreating. Pushing Tao Mo aside must have been Gu She’s instinctive reaction.
In other words, Gu She’s first instinct had been to protect Tao Mo?
Old Tao quickly rejected that thought. Perhaps saving someone had simply been Gu She’s natural instinct.
Seeing that everyone had fallen silent, Tao Mo knew the events of yesterday had frightened them and comforted them, “It is already over. That person may merely have been a bandit from the area.”
Gu She said, “He was not a bandit.”
Everyone turned to look at him.
“Why would a bandit of such skill need to lie in wait for chance victims in the wilderness?” Gu She asked.
Old Tao said, “Then in your opinion?”
Gu She calmly replied, “He was a hired killer.”
Hao Guozi and Sang Xiaotu both felt chills rise along the backs of their necks.
Adviser Jin could not help picking up his bowl of porridge and holding it between both hands.
Old Tao said, “You mean that man specifically came for you and Young Master?”
Gu She said meaningfully, “Compared with the assassin, I am more curious about the identity of the person who appeared to stop him.”
Old Tao uncomfortably turned his face aside.
The corner of Gu She’s mouth moved in a smile that was not quite a smile.
Hao Guozi blurted out, “Who would want to kill Young Master? Could it be Huang Guangde?”
Old Tao frowned.
Realizing he had misspoken, Hao Guozi immediately lowered his head in repentance.
Adviser Jin asked, “Is this Huang Guangde you speak of the prefect of Luo City?”
From the moment Huang Guangde’s name was mentioned, Tao Mo’s complexion had looked poor. At the words prefect of Luo City, it became dreadful.
Seeing his expression, Adviser Jin knew there was another hidden story behind it, but tactfully refrained from asking.
Gu She suddenly said, “It may also have been the person who truly killed Wan Feng.”
Adviser Jin said, “That is possible. Someone capable of buying off the county magistrate and clearing every level must possess extraordinary reach. His informants must be spread throughout the area. Perhaps we are already being watched.”
Despite the broad daylight, his words made the surroundings feel sinister.
Seeing Hao Guozi and Sang Xiaotu continually glance around, Old Tao sighed. “Why do we not return to Tanyang County first and consider our next move there?”
His suggestion immediately received the unanimous agreement of Adviser Jin and the others. Tanyang County was their territory, after all.
Everyone immediately returned to pack their luggage.
Gu She remembered that Gu Xiaojia had returned alone to Tanyang County to find a litigation master and frowned faintly.
“What are you worried about?” Tao Mo asked, having watched him closely the entire time.
Gu She said, “My wound hurts.”
Tao Mo immediately became extremely nervous. “Should I take you to see a doctor?”
Gu She shook his head. “I merely need some rest.”
Tao Mo had originally intended to personally escort Gu She back to his room, but when his gaze swept over Sang Xiaotu and Old Tao nearby, he drew back the step he had begun to take.
“Come with me.” Giving him no opportunity to refuse, Gu She left those words for Tao Mo and headed upstairs.
Tao Mo did not dare look at Old Tao’s expression. He lifted his feet and followed.
Futile Devices Scans 
Leave a comment