Chapter 17: Kill the Childe through Scheme
Proofread by Yin Jing
With anger in his heart, Heaven glares at Qian Xiaocang, as if he were a dead person. So do Guo Jing and the Bears.
Qian Xiaocang is startled by their looks. Except for Heaven, all the other men went through countless fights, and their expressions are too intimidating for the childes in the capital!
“What, what are you doing? This is the capital! Do you want to do violence in broad daylight?” Qian Xiaocang’s voice shakes with fear. All at once, four guards stand in front of him.
He is right. If he is killed in broad daylight, Heaven and his followers will surely get into trouble. After all, this is the capital.
“Hey, Mr. Qian, kowtowing is too humiliating for decent men like you and me. Why not choose another solution? I’m Li, not a local businessman lodging in Tonglin Inn. I’ll not only give you 10000 taels of silver but also treat you to a feast tonight as an apology. In return, you’ll let bygones be bygones, OK?”
As soon as Heaven finishes, Bears all blurt out in surprise: “Your…”
“Your? Your? Don’t you listen to your brother? Shut up.” Heaven doesn’t want to let these simple-minded Bears spoil his plan!
Bears are confused, but they shut their mouths obediently. Guo Jing glances at Heaven, as if he has perceived Heaven’s idea.
“10000 taels of silver? Ha-ha, all right! It’s a deal. Give me the silver first.” Qian Xiaocang takes it for granted that he can take advantage of a nonlocal businessman. 10000 taels of silver is not a small sum— it is more favorable than a kowtow!
“Sir, none of us brings notes. What do you think we give you the notes tonight?” Blackmail me? Go to hell and blackmail Hades!
“I suppose you dare not escape. See you tonight. Let’s go.” Qian says and leaves along with his followers. Before leaving, the Ironhand (He Bishi) glances at Guo Jing.
There appears an insidious smile on Heaven’s face. He doesn’t make any explanation to his followers. When the meal is over they hurry back to the inn.
“How is it going? Does anyone tail after us?” Heaven asks Guo Jing.
“Two men keep tracking us. Your Grace, shall we…” Guo Jing makes a slicing gesture with his hand by his neck.
Heaven smiles. “No. Make an arrangement for me, tonight we will take action. Besides, send for His Eminence secretly.” Heaven really shows respect for the tricker in the presence of others.
Everything is ready. The tricker also secretly arrives at the inn— he reaches here by sedan chair instead of his own coach.
“Scum, what do you want me for? I’m busy preparing a congratulatory speech for the ceremony! Shit, my brain aches for this passage!” complains the tricker.
“Well, I’d like to send the Crown Prince a present, but I’m dithering over what to give. Finally, I decide to send this.” Says Heaven, taking out a big diamond. That’s a treasure unearthed by Dwarfs. Heaven names it “The Last Night Star”.
“O God! My Lord! How can such a treasure fall to a scum like you! This is a gift of God, which should be given back to God!” The tricker is green-eyed.
“Fuck you, don’t do that before me. Threaten others with God! I don’t buy your story. By no means will I give you.”
“Hey, bro! You see, I’m planning to craft a holy crown, on which the diamond can just be mounted. As for the Crown Prince, send him any gift you like. Leave me, your brother, with the diamond please!” The tricker’s mouth almost waters. He even turns to call Heaven “bro”.
“Well, if a man is shameless, even ghosts and gods will fear! All right, I can give it to you, but!”
“But what? Just tell me. With me, nothing is impossible!” To get the diamond, the tricker really goes all out.
“OK. Tonight I invite several guests, you come and accompany them. But don’t show your identity, for fear that they would get scared.”
“Bah! Is that all? Give me the diamond, you can let me do anything.”
“Great, deal. So long as you treat the guests well, I will give it to you on the spot; but remember not to reveal your identity, otherwise, you will never see it again.”
“Don’t worry, I, a great Messenger always keep my word. Whoever draws back is the son of a bitch. I will conceal my identity all night long. I won’t tell anybody I am the Messenger. And who is the Messenger? I don’t know!”
Alas, is that the God’s Messenger adored by tens of thousands of people? He’s more like a rascal!
Qian Xiaocang arrives on time. His 20 retinues seem to be martial masters, the Ironhand He Bishi is among them.
“Mr. Qian, please sit down. It is a great honor to make friends with you.” Says Heaven, whose cheesy grin makes the tricker feel sick.
When Qian’s men have taken their seats, Heaven shouts: “Serve our dishes!”
Then he points to the tricker and says to Qian Xiaocang: “This is a relative of my own clan, a countryman, who knows little of the world. You can just call him Doggie.”
The tricker actually frequents Qian Gui’s house. Since they usually talk in the hall, he never meets Qian Gui’s son. Qian Xiaocang has seen the tricker before, when he was in his holy robe, assuming a sacred appearance. Tonight, the tricker puts on a little hat and wears a motley coat. With a false beard on his chin, he looks like a landlord!
Hearing that he was called Doggie, the tricker tends to get mad at once. Heaven gesticulates a circle, saying in a low voice, ”Come on, if you don’t want to have the diamond, just tell me.” Hearing this, the tricker is discouraged immediately.
After a few drinks and dishes, all other people are busy with flattery and blandishment. The tricker whispers to Heaven: “I know your heart is blacker than coal. Do you want to gain something from this idiot?”
“Damn, am I so shameless?”
“Aren’t you?”
It is about the time. Heaven stands up and says to the tricker. “Cousin, it’s unsafe for me to keep your treasure. I’d better return it to you!” Saying so, he takes “The Last Night Star” out and hands it to the tricker on the spot.
Even though the tricker senses there is something insinuating in Heaven’s words, when he sees the diamond, his eyes light up. He takes it over without hesitation—that’s why he has been reconciled to be called Doggie!
“Wait! Gosh, what is that?! I have never seen such a big diamond!” says Qian Xiaocang. Then he grabs the diamond from the tricker — Heaven has deliberately made them sit close to each other.
Qian Xiaocang’s eyes also light up. Unwilling to let the diamond out of his hands, he turns to Heaven. “Mr. Li, I don’t want the money. I just want to take this diamond.”
“Sorry, I’m not the owner; this is my cousin’s.” With a smile, Heaven looks at the tricker.
“Oh, Doggie! Present the diamond to me, and I will give you more benefits in the future.”
Focusing on the diamond, Qian Xiaocang doesn’t notice that Doggie has already been shivering with fury.
The tricker has been purple with rage since Qian Xiaocang snatched the diamond. Except for Heaven, no one dares to treat him in that way, and in the capital, even the emperor will take care of his feeling! But now he is called Doggie (what a vulgar name!); what’s worse, his possession is snatched!
“Doggie! The hell Doggie! Get your dirty hands off me. I am the God’s Messenger!” Damn, the tricker is too mad to maintain his image.
“How dare you yell at me! The God’s Messenger? If you were the God’s Messenger, then I should be the Sun God! Shit.” Qian Xiaocang raises his feet, kicks the tricker to the ground. As a man who knows a little Kung Fu, he kicks him with strength.
“Mess, what a mess! Come, beat him as hard as possible!” The tricker knows that Heaven brings more than 300 martial masters.
“Assassination! Kill him!” Heaven also gives an order.
What the tricker said is to beat the childe, but what Heaven said is to kill him. With ten swooshes, Qian Xiaocang’s 10 guards are killed instantly. Heaven’s 10 Centaurs are all sharp shooters. With a surprise attack, they kill their enemies with arrows through their throats.
“Damn! Young Master, we are tricked. Go away fast!” As a veteran, He Bishi quickly realizes what has happened.
Qian Xiaocang’s face goes pale with fear. With the protection of his guards, he fights and retreats from the inn. In the darkness, with a few silhouettes flashing by, a few more people fall down beside Qian Xiaocang. The Lizards’ skill of changing color is formidable.
Another wave of arrows falls. This time, Qian Xiaocang is killed by an arrow. Except for He Bishi who escapes with an injury, all the others lose their lives.
At this moment, Guo Jing comes with ten Bears. “Your Grace, all the spies outside have been killed. To my surprise, some of them are notorious bandit leaders. If I were not there, it would have been hard to defeat them.”
“Good job. You’ve been so hardworking ! Now please step out—one more play is about to begin.”
After handling the people outside, Heaven returns to the hall of the inn. The tricker is still clutching his stomach and groaning. Heaven raises him up. “Put on your robe quickly! Those officers are coming.”
“So what? Shit, I am not afraid of them! How dare he kick me? No, that is an assassination! An absolute assassination! Monstrous crime! He will be punished by God!”
“Well, well, whoever needs to be punished has been punished. They all died.”
Sure enough, a few moments later, the inn is besieged by a crowd of officers and soldiers. A commander with a saber in hand shouts to the inn: “Listen! People inside, how dare you commit murder in the capital?! Come out and surrender, or you will all be killed!”