Chapter 44: A Debt of Life, Worthy of Being a Servant for Eternity

Nighttime. At the hotel, Meng Xi basked in the afterglow, languid and unwilling to move.

Seeing Gu Changqing rise to dress, she sat up and asked, “You still have something to take care of this late?”

“Yes, there’s a matter I’ve had on my mind for a long time.” Gu Changqing slipped on his coat, pulled a card from his pocket, and tossed it to Meng Xi.

“There’s a million on it. The password is six ones.”

He had sold off those stocks today and deposited a million into this card, saving himself the trouble of constantly doling out cash.

Meng Xi took the card, her eyes sparkling as she smiled. “I still have some savings too. Let’s put them together and buy a place, shall we? Where would you like to live? Always staying in hotels is too much hassle!”

“With a little home, I could get up in the morning and make breakfast, then wait for you to wake while watching TV!”

“And at night, we could watch movies together at home.”

Her voice carried a girlish hope and excitement.

Gu Changqing glanced at her, then said indifferently, “Up to you.”

Meng Xi was a little disappointed by his answer, but her face betrayed nothing; instead she brightened, “What kind of style do you like?”

“Whatever you want,” Gu Changqing replied, still unconcerned. He had no intention of keeping her by his side for long.

Though Meng Xi was clever enough, and had a good eye for clothes, that was about the extent of it.

He drove home, gathered his things, and changed into a custom-made black robe, similar to the one he’d borrowed last time. He also donned a wig and headpiece, and put on a pair of tiger-head boots, making him look much like a native of that other world. But his height and bearing were hard to hide—he stood out too much.

He packed a bundle with a pistol, two metal boxes, and some food. Then, with a thought, he passed through the bead’s portal.

He appeared soundlessly in a courtyard, glancing around before relaxing slightly. His gaze fell on the loft of a nearby small building, where someone appeared at the window. Gu Changqing moved at once into the shadows.

He saw the person in the loft glance his way a few times, then turn back and say something. They were disciples of the Yu family.

“That demon’s been gone for days—why do they have us guarding here still?”

“Just do as you’re told! Better to stand guard here than sleep out in the open,” another Yu family disciple answered inside.

“I’d rather sleep rough outside—at least I could stretch my legs!” The first man looked out at the unchanging courtyard, bored by the monotony.

Gu Changqing couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying, but he could tell the place was being watched.

When the sentry turned to speak again, Gu Changqing vaulted the wall and landed in a nearby alley.

It was the dead of night, and the streets were empty save for the occasional night watchman, though Yu family disciples were spotted now and then.

The Yu family still hadn’t given up.

In recent days, disciples of Daoist Xu had been stationed atop the city walls, so the demon was likely still in the city, though his whereabouts were unknown.

Seeing the strict defenses, Gu Changqing knew his hopes of visiting a brothel to experience the local customs were dashed once again.

He moved through the alley shadows, pressing an earpiece to his ear. Instantly, sounds from afar filled his ears: insects, snoring, the creaking of beds, and some rather unmentionable noises.

“Isn’t this a bit much?”

“Afraid? She’s just a girl—she’ll marry someday, and then everything our second brother left will belong to someone else! That’s the Li family’s property. Can you really bear to let it go?”

“Why do you think so many have come proposing lately? They’re all after the Li family’s assets!”

“And not everything belonged to our second brother. We helped him get started. We’re only taking what’s ours.”

“With the city in chaos and that demon at large, who can say what’s going on? Grease some palms at the magistrate’s office, blame it all on that demon…”

“All right, let’s do it your way.”

The voices of two men whispering came through to Gu Changqing.

“Damn, they dare try to frame me?” Gu Changqing was furious.

He was already merciful not to frame others himself, but now someone wanted to pin crimes on him.

He didn’t need to guess who they meant by “the demon.”

He followed the voices.

Inside a courtyard room, two men in their thirties or forties were drinking and talking.

“When do we act?”

“No time like the present—let’s do it soon!”

“But she has an old servant and two maids with her…”

“If we’re going to do this, we do it thoroughly!” The other made a throat-cutting gesture.

Just as he finished speaking, the door burst open with a kick. Gu Changqing strode in, grabbed both men by the throat, and sneered, “You’ve got nerve, trying to frame me?”

The men’s eyes bulged in terror as they begged for mercy.

“Spare us, sir!”

Gu Changqing intended to kill them on the spot, but thought better of it. He’d be here some time and could use people to gather information.

He paused, then asked, “So, this woman you spoke of…what does she look like?”

The men, wracking their brains for ways to beg, were stunned by the question. Truly a demonic fiend, they thought. They hurried to answer, “My niece is just eighteen, famed for her beauty and wit. I would gladly offer her to you if only you’ll spare us…”

“Where is she? Show me the way!” A blood snake slithered between Gu Changqing’s fingers, its surface crawling with tormented faces. “Lie to me, and you’ll end up like them—eternally tormented.”

Seeing the agonized faces on the blood snake, the men were scared witless and dared not utter another word.

They led Gu Changqing to a nearby two-courtyard house.

“Sir, my niece is in there. Please let us go—we won’t breathe a word…”

They pointed to a small building in the rear yard.

Gu Changqing squeezed their necks until they could barely speak, their faces draining of color, only relaxing his grip at the brink of death.

He dragged them along, leapt into the building through a window. In the dark room, behind a gauzy curtain, a woman lay fully clothed on the bed.

At the noise, she snatched a short blade from beside her pillow and fixed her gaze, cold and steady, in his direction.

The room was too dark to see clearly, but she spoke calmly, her voice low and steady: “Who is it? Third Uncle or Fourth Uncle?”

“Both your Third and Fourth Uncle…” Gu Changqing mocked, tossing the two men to the ground. He struck a match and lit a candle.

By candlelight, he saw she was indeed beautiful—willow brows, phoenix eyes, a proud nose, fair skin. “As lovely as a flower” was no exaggeration.

Even more impressive was her composure in such a situation.

Her eyes flicked over the two men on the ground, then settled on Gu Changqing. Though the candlelight made it hard to see, she could sense the aura of danger about him, and the hint of mockery in his voice.

She weighed the situation, then rose and bowed slightly, her voice calm yet gentle. “I am Li Youling. Thank you, sir, for saving my life.”

“Thanking me is only right—this is a debt of life and death! You’ll have to repay me with utter devotion, body and soul!” Gu Changqing said with absolute certainty.

A debt this great—mere gratitude was hardly enough.