Chapter 11: An Accidental Encounter with the Riddler
The sudden turn of events truly caught Chu Qing off guard.
Even with his usual courage, his heart still went cold for a moment. But soon he realized—this person wasn't dead yet!
It wasn't surprising that Chu Qing hadn't noticed him earlier. The man's legs had been severed, and his upper garments were soaked in blood that had long since dried. Judging from the state of the wounds, who knew how long he had been suffering?
His breath was faint, so weak it was barely perceptible.
Anyone seeing him would have assumed he had already taken his last breath.
Yet when the man saw Chu Qing, he reached out, trying to grab Chu Qing's ankle.
There was no way Chu Qing would let him. With a quick motion, he dodged aside, and the man didn't seem to mind.
He only managed, with extreme difficulty, to utter a few words: "Tell… Qing Ye… sword… hilt… heaven… heaven… heaven…"
Once those few words left his lips, his body went limp, collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
"...Tell Qing Ye sword hilt? What does that even mean?"
Chu Qing was confused.
"Hey, make yourself clear! What Qing Ye sword hilt? Tell who? How? And what's with the 'heaven heaven heaven'? Riddlers should stay out of Gotham City!"
The message was incomplete and nonsensical. From every angle, "Qing Ye sword hilt" didn't sound like a person's name.
Or perhaps… "Qing Ye Sword" was a nickname? Tell Qing Ye Sword—hilt? What was that supposed to mean? Did he mishear it?
Was it "hilt" or "cake"? Or maybe another word entirely?
Or could it mean that there was a sword called "Qing Ye," and something mysterious was hidden in its hilt? But what did that have to do with "heaven"?
A dozen possibilities flashed through Chu Qing's mind, and he couldn't help but feel exasperated.
A dying stranger says a few vague words, and here he was overanalyzing them—what was the point?
"Judging from his uniform, he must be one of the Tianwu Guards.
"Could this have something to do with the City Lord's Mansion?"
Chu Qing examined the corpse closely, his expression changing slightly after a moment.
The man's legs had been severed, and there were drag marks on the ground, with crushed grass showing signs of a struggle.
Looking at his hands, there were numerous injuries, with dirt and grass lodged beneath his nails.
This suggested that, after having his legs cut off, the man had desperately crawled all the way here. "To struggle that much just to deliver a message? This matter must be extraordinary."
Chu Qing pondered briefly, then shook his head. "But this is far too vague, completely incomprehensible."
He shook his head again and decided not to move the body.
This was still within Tianwu City's territory. If the matter was linked to the City Lord's Mansion, their people would surely come searching.
If he rashly handled the corpse, it would cause unnecessary trouble, whether they found it or not.
With that in mind, he erased the traces of his own footprints nearby before continuing on his way.
Along the road, he remained vigilant but noticed nothing unusual.
By noon the next day, Chu Qing stole a few sets of clothing from a farmhouse outside the city, disguised himself as a country youth entering town, and successfully slipped into Tianwu City.
The streets of Tianwu City bustled with people. Carriages rumbled by, merchants lined the roads, and cries of vendors filled the air in waves.
For Chu Qing, it was his first time stepping into Tianwu City—yet memories he didn't expect began to surface unbidden.
This was South Street. Tianwu City had a total of four main streets, its entire layout shaped like the character "field."
At the very center stood the City Lord's Mansion, while the Chu family resided along North Street.
Although many sights appeared just as he remembered, certain details had changed.
The sugar figures he loved as a child were still being sold, but the sugar blower was a different man now.
The narrow alley where he once played with his friends was still there too, only a different group of children now laughed and chased each other through it.
The old man who sold buns had more gray in his hair.
And the mischievous boy who once played pranks around the stalls now had a cloth draped over his shoulder, shouting hard to sell his goods by the roadside.
As Chu Qing walked along the street, he unconsciously looked up and saw a familiar mansion.
It was a grand household, with a golden plaque hanging over the gate bearing two bold characters: Chu Residence.
"How did I end up walking here without realizing it?"
Chu Qing exhaled softly. He wasn't ready to enter just yet.
His purpose this time was simple—to warn Chu Yunfei to be wary of the Mirror Platform.
To accomplish that, he didn't need to meet him directly.
If he could simply find a way to sneak into the Chu family and leave behind a message, that would be enough. Of course, getting inside wasn't easy, but Chu Qing believed he had his methods.
He turned to leave, but just then, a familiar word reached his ears from nearby. Looking toward the sound, he saw it came from a teahouse.
The establishment was called the "Red Leaf Teahouse," standing directly opposite the Chu Residence. Judging from its appearance, it must have been newly opened in recent years.
There had been no teahouse there before. Opposite the Chu family used to stand a security bureau.
That bureau had once been famous—the finest in all of Tianwu City.
But after the chief escort died tragically on the martial roads, the young successor proved incompetent—his skills mediocre and his heart lost in pleasure houses.
Now it seemed he had squandered everything; even the bureau had been sold.
Beside the teahouse now stood a tavern, and on the other side, a pawnshop—clearly converted from the same property.
After a brief pause, Chu Qing stepped inside the teahouse. Before he could even sit down, he heard someone raise his voice:
"Who exactly is this Night Emperor?"
"Yeah, the Iron Horse Seven Bandits weren't weak, yet that Night Emperor cut down three of them with a single sword! Is that even true?"
The familiar words Chu Qing had heard were indeed "Night Emperor." He hadn't expected the rumor to spread to Tianwu City so quickly.
He casually found a seat. Not far away, a burly man was speaking loudly:
"Of course it's true! The second young master of the Chu family, Chu Fan, said it himself—how could it be false?"
Chu Qing was speechless. So that was how the news spread so fast.
As expected, that loudmouth Chu Fan was behind it.
He and that junior sister Wen had fast horses; it was only natural they reached Tianwu City before him.
While the waiter served tea, the crowd continued their noisy discussion.
Chu Qing realized most of them knew little. Nearly everything they said was pure speculation about the Night Emperor.
Their guesses varied wildly.
Some claimed the Night Emperor was an old master who had long retired from the martial world, living in seclusion until the Iron Horse Seven Bandits' cruelty forced him to act.
Others said he was an arrogant braggart seeking attention, daring to call himself "Emperor." If the Great Qian Dynasty still stood, they said, he would have been executed along with nine generations of his kin.
Still others believed he was a wandering swordsman, newly entering the martial world and using the event to make a name for himself.
The conversation was lively and chaotic.
Chu Qing had no interest in it. He was just about to finish his tea and leave when his gaze suddenly fell on a wandering physician passing by outside, carrying a medicine banner.
At a glance, Chu Qing's pupils tightened sharply.
He knew that man.
But that man should not be here.
Because in his memory, that person had already died a month ago.
(End of Chapter)