pertwk Chapter 54 Threatening me? Kill!
Chapter 54 Threatening me? Kill!
Over the next few days, Chen Ye lived a very regular life at the Cui residence.
I get up at 5 a.m. every day to practice standing meditation, work diligently during the day, and take medicine and practice hammering exercises to improve my physical condition at night.
Because of his young age and cleverness, in addition to the hard work of drawing water for horses, Cheng Defu also began to trust him to go to nearby villages and towns to run errands, such as delivering letters and getting medicine for Cui Xijun.
As he accomplished one task after another, he gradually gained recognition in the community.
Thus, Chen Ye quickly established himself in the Cui family, day by day.
After his usual small gathering with Su Guang and others that day, Chen Ye returned to the Cui residence under the cover of night.
The next morning, he was about to go out to buy some seasonal pastries and fresh fruit for Cui Xijun when a doorman stopped him.
"Guard Chen, someone just asked me to give you this letter."
Chen Ye was somewhat puzzled.
Who would write to him?
After taking the letter, Chen Ye glanced at it; the sealing wax was intact.
He opened the envelope, pulled out the letter, and saw a few lines of writing hastily on it.
"I know how you got into the Cui family. Let's meet at Zui Fu Lou tonight!"
The other party did not leave a name, and the handwriting was messy, as if it was written in a hurry, but the certainty between the lines indicated that he was not testing them, but rather that he really had something in mind.
After reading the letter, Chen Ye slowly folded it and put it back in the envelope, thinking to himself: 'Not many people know he's in the Cui family, and even fewer know how he got into the Cui family. Zuo Dongxi and Su Guang wouldn't say, and Zuo Dongxi had given money to each of the people who handled his affairs before, sending them away from the capital. So who could it be?'
In any case, I have to meet this person.
We'll only know who he is when we meet him, and we'll see how far things have developed.
Chen Ye put the letter away and casually asked, "What did the person who delivered the letter look like?"
The doorman thought for a moment and said, "Long face, dark complexion, slightly thin. About seven feet one inch tall, around thirty years old."
Chen Ye went through it in his mind and realized that there was no such person around him.
He suppressed his doubts and calmly went out the door.
As usual, I went to buy pastries and fruit first, and then went back to the mansion to finish the remaining chores for the day.
In the evening, Chen Ye returned to his residence, retrieved the newly forged sword, tucked it into his waistband, and wore a dark robe over it to conceal the blade before going out.
Zuifulou is a restaurant that is part of the Cui family's peripheral businesses.
When Chen Ye arrived, it was already dark, and there was a lot of noise from carriages and horses in front of the building.
He asked the innkeeper for the easternmost private room, ordered a pot of wine and two plates of cold dishes, sat down with his back against the wall, and waited silently facing the door.
After about an incense stick's time, the door was pushed open.
The man was in his early thirties, wearing a slightly worn silk robe. He had a long, dark face, was somewhat thin, and had a shrewd look on his face, as if he had seen the world.
However, upon closer inspection, one can still vaguely discern a hint of unease hidden in his eyes.
He came alone, without any attendants.
Chen Ye glanced at his waist without making a sound and found that he was not carrying a knife.
Chen Ye didn't stand up, but simply raised his chin, gesturing for him to sit down.
After the newcomer sat down, he didn't rush to speak. Instead, he looked around the private room and then glanced at the wine pot in front of Chen Ye to confirm that there were only the two of them there.
Chen Ye poured him a glass of wine and pushed it in front of him: "Brother, what's your name?"
"No need for formalities, my surname is Wang and my given name is Gui."
Chen Ye cut to the chase: "You said you know how I got into the Cui family? Tell me."
Wang Zhigui spoke with a smile, his voice tinged with smugness: "On May 15th, Miss Cui was attacked. You knew about it beforehand, and you also stopped Young Master Liu's carriage... Am I right?"
"Hehe... If I tell Miss Cui about this, don't you think she'll believe you schemed to get close to her? Will you still be able to stay in the Cui family after that?"
Chen Ye's face remained expressionless as he calmly asked, "What do you want from me?"
"I didn't expect Brother Chen to be such a straightforward person. You should share some of the incense money from the Cui family with me." Wang Zhigui picked up his wine cup, but didn't drink. He simply swirled the cup around and smiled meaningfully. "Five hundred taels isn't much. You've risen to prominence overnight; you should pay your dues. As long as you give me this amount, I'll keep this matter to myself. How about it?"
"Five hundred taels is too much; I can't afford that much silver."
Wang Zhigui laughed and said, "As far as I know, you will receive more than this, definitely not less. If you can't come up with it, then I'll have to tell Miss Cui what you did that day. Oh dear, what a pity. It was so hard to gain a foothold in the Cui family. What a pity, such a pity."
This is a blatant threat!
However, Chen Ye did not fly into a rage as he had expected.
Chen Ye picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and said slowly, "I did get some money, but not as much as you think. And it's not a small amount; it will take me time to raise it. You'll need to give me some time."
Seeing that Chen Ye was so easy to talk to, Wang Zhigui was overjoyed, and the anxiety he had been feeling finally subsided.
He calmly poured Chen Ye a cup of wine and said, "I didn't expect Brother Chen to be so sensible. Alright. Then, three days from now, at the dock outside Xuanwu Gate, there's a Wang family warehouse. Just take the silver there."
Chen Ye picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp. He then put the glass down and asked, "But how can I guarantee you won't use this excuse again to extort money from me?"
"Don't worry, I've taken the money, so I won't talk nonsense to you anymore."
Chen Ye looked into Wang Zhigui's eyes and continued to press, "Besides you, who else knows about this?"
Wang Zhigui smiled but didn't say anything, just poured himself a drink.
Chen Ye then asked, "Did you come alone today?"
Wang Zhigui said, "In our line of work, we naturally have some brothers. Don't even think about making a move here. If my brothers see that I haven't come out by now, you won't have a foothold in the capital."
"I hear your surname is Wang, so you must be from Wangjiachong, right?"
Chen Ye's mind raced with thoughts.
The information couldn't have been leaked from them.
This person's surname is Wang, and it's most likely that the information was leaked from Wangjiachong.
A hint of surprise flashed in Wang Zhigui's eyes as he said, "I didn't expect you to be such a smart man, brother, to figure it out so quickly. I am the Third Master, the leader of the Jingbei Green Wolf Gang. I only learned about Brother Chen's matter by chance, just trying to make a living."
Chen Ye poured himself a drink, his gaze falling on the glass as he said, "So you're from the gang, my apologies. But... are you really that sure you can take me down?"
"Haha, of course, otherwise I wouldn't have come." Wang Zhigui laughed confidently, "We have already investigated Brother Chen's background. You are only at the third stage of cultivation. You might be considered someone outside the capital, but in the capital, if I may be so bold, you are nothing more than a grain of rice."
"My gang consists of twenty-one men. The leader and the old master are both genuine martial arts masters who have undergone three transformations, and the rest of the Red Sticks are all at the second transformation level. Right now, we're hiding in the alley outside the restaurant. Today, you have no choice but to agree, whether you like it or not. That's all. I hope Brother Chen won't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."
Chen Ye nodded, picked up the wine pot, and filled both of their cups.
Then Chen Ye raised his glass and toasted Wang Zhigui: "I didn't realize your gang was so powerful. I'm truly a little overwhelmed."
"It's good that you know. Don't worry, as long as you pay the money, we will ensure your safety."
Wang Zhigui thought he was scared, so he smiled, picked up the cup, and tilted his head back to drink it.
The moment he looked up, Chen Ye moved.
He suddenly grabbed Wang Zhigui's throat with his left hand, pressing his thumb down hard below Wang's Adam's apple.
Wang Zhigui's voice was choked in his throat.
Almost simultaneously, he drew a long sword from his waist with his right hand. The sword flashed like a bolt of lightning, stabbing diagonally upwards and silently piercing the opponent's heart.
Wang Zhigui dropped his wine glass, which rolled twice on the table, spilling wine all over it.
"Waaah..."
He stared at Chen Ye with wide eyes, letting out a few very short breaths.
Chen Ye drew his knife, pressed down on his shoulder, and firmly suppressed his struggling movements.
Wang Zhigui never expected that Chen Ye would suddenly make a move.
He discovered that his second rebirth of cultivation was completely useless against Chen Ye, leaving him with no chance of resistance.
I panicked completely.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
Chen Ye said calmly, "I think to be on the safe side, you should die first, and I'll burn some silver for you later! After all, only the dead can't speak, right, Brother Wang?"
Wang Zhigui's struggles grew weaker and weaker, his pupils gradually dilated, and finally he became completely still.
After confirming that the other party was silent, Chen Ye slowly released his grip, then walked to the window and glanced outside.
Sure enough, in the alley in the distance, there were faint figures moving about.
Chen Ye took out some silver coins from his pocket and threw them on the table, then picked up Wang Zhigui's body with both hands.
With a swift movement, he flipped over and nimbly jumped out of the window.
He landed steadily, carrying the body, and strode towards the figure moving in the alley.
A night breeze swept by, and the figures deep in the alley seemed unaware of what had happened.
"Since we're already here, this saves me the trouble of searching for them one by one."