Messenger of Calamity

Chapter 86: Shang Xuanwen

When the rope slid down into the pit, the ‘Rat Monk’ and the middle-aged man had already stabbed dozens of Torch Heads into the sand pile. The process in between was unremarkable; they merely needed to accurately pin down every falling torch as if playing a game of whack-a-mole.

However, once one knew that missing even a single torch could result in being roasted alive, this boring game of whack-a-mole became thrillingly intense.

"Lord Xuanwen! The Prime Minister is here! Keep digging, quickly!"

"Lord Xuanwen, thank heavens for your fortune!"

"Father!"

"Father, are you alright!"

The three surrounding streets had already been cleared by the Silver Spear Guards. Though the sky was dim, the surroundings were as bright as day. All fire torches and Fire Basins had been placed ten paces away from the pit; within ten paces, the area was densely packed with people—officials, martial warriors, and nobles alike—everyone was filthy, covered head to toe in mud. When the middle-aged man grabbed the rope and climbed out of the pit, many people burst into tears of joy. The area echoed with jubilation. Two young men rushed forward to assist him. One of them, whose skin was pallid due to illness, had been seen before by Yan Qing in the Mansu Woodland.

He was Shang Xinlei’s elder brother, Shang Yue.

Faced with such overwhelming concern, the middle-aged man remained expressionless, only calmly asking:

"Hordes of rats fleeing, birds startled into flight, livestock restless—knowing yet not reporting, whose failure is it?"

"The Astronomical Directorate cannot shirk its responsibility," Shang Yue immediately replied.

Someone in the crowd collapsed to the ground. No need to guess; it was clearly one of the officials from the Astronomical Directorate. The middle-aged man glanced at him, and someone promptly hauled the official forward. The latter stammered, "P-Prime Minister, Jiangnan City is a Divinely Sheltered city, there’s never been a case of a dragon-vein upheaval. Besides, animals behaving oddly is not unusual. You really can’t blame us—"

"Jiangnan City may never have experienced a dragon-vein upheaval, but in the Sixth Year of Yongtai during the Kuaiji Earthquake, and the Eleventh Year of Taichu during the Datang Tsunami, there were records of abnormal animal behavior in Jiangnan. Jiangnan is the heart of the southern region. It not only symbolizes that all towns in the south must guard Jiangnan, but it also signifies Jiangnan’s duty to support the entire southern land!"

"Fortunately, this time it was merely a case of thieves digging traps in the city. Had it truly been a sign of an impending upheaval, even exterminating your entire clan would not suffice. Take him to the Court of Judicial Review and await sentencing."

After dealing with the Astronomical Directorate official, the middle-aged man swept his gaze around. "Prefect Zhou, kindly fill in the trap and inspect the surrounding ground. I suspect there may be more than one trap."

"Understood."

"What’s the situation with the wounded? Were any assassins captured alive?"

"No live captures yet. Only six charred corpses were found at the scene. I’ve already sent people to pursue the fleeing assassins."

Even after surviving a near-death experience, the middle-aged man showed no sign of panic. He organized tasks in an orderly manner. Once everything was settled, he finally turned to his two sons. "Shang Qiao, there should be a village woman nearby named An Cuihua. Bring her back to the residence and assign her to the kitchen. Let Chef Li teach her properly."

"Shang Yue, go now to Zhishen Temple in Sweetwater Alley of Jiangnan County. Light an incense stick and pray for the wellbeing of all pregnant women in the world." The middle-aged man looked up at the moon. "Spur your horse. Be back for dinner within half an hour. Can you manage that?"

Both sons were dumbfounded. But due to years of awe toward their father, they could only accept the tasks in a daze, not daring to ask questions. Yet before they left, they both looked several times at the ‘Rat Monk’. Not just because the ‘Rat Monk’ had emerged from the ground with their father, but also because the ‘Rat Monk’ was holding the royal sword bestowed upon their father—Yitian.

"With this arrangement, is the Big Monk satisfied?" asked the middle-aged man.

"Satisfied, even better than I had imagined," came the reply.

"Then return the sword," the middle-aged man held out his hand. "You seem quite fond of it, but you don’t have a third request."

Yan Qing looked at the Yitian sword on the screen and once again attempted to store it in the Public Storage.

However, a message popped up on the screen: "This special item has been locked. It cannot currently be stored in the warehouse or any storage space."

As if life were mocking him. The target of the next theft mission had landed in his hands so easily. But that was merely an illusion. Only if it was obtained during the theft mission would it count as a successful task. Before then, the target would be locked and no one could store it away.

Yan Qing couldn’t even blame anyone else, because it was he himself who had suddenly thought of players possibly interacting with mission items ahead of time while half-asleep one night. He had immediately gotten out of bed and added the 'mission item lock' feature to the planning document.

Helplessly, he returned Yitian to the middle-aged man. Only then did Yan Qing realize that this middle-aged man was indeed of noble bearing. Even after rolling through the dirt in the pit, he remained elegant, his clothes discreetly luxurious. Standing at eight feet tall, with a dignified face, it was puzzling why Yan Qing had always seen him as plain and unremarkable before—never once noticing his appearance, not even through the screen.

"Big Monk, I haven’t asked your Dharma Name," the middle-aged man said. "Or is it that you have neither a temple nor even a Dharma Name?"

"Just call me Rat Monk," Yan Qing replied. "How did you know I had no temple?"

"The Household Band marks one’s place of residence. Yours is a blank Guard Household Band," the middle-aged man pointed to the ‘Rat Monk’s’ wrist. "No matter where you found it, you are currently impersonating an identity. Do you know who I am?"

"Prime Minister of Great Liang," Yan Qing replied. "Shang Xuanwen."

Still Shang Xinlei’s father, he thought.

From the moment he received the Yitian sword, Yan Qing knew whom he had encountered.

Shang Xuanwen!

Who the hell would have thought—a national Prime Minister, head of the Shang Family, a Third-Stage Messenger, a man whose mere step could shake all of Great Liang—would be strolling alone through Jiangnan City? Even debating with Yan Qing like some meddlesome, self-righteous middle-aged man.

"An unregistered citizen impersonating an identity—I, as a State Minister, cannot turn a blind eye," Shang Xuanwen said blandly. "I fulfilled your two requests. Our grudge is cleared. Do not resent me for acting justly."

"This monk won’t surrender without a fight," Yan Qing was already prepared to flee. After all, this was the main city, and even a Third-Stage Messenger couldn’t harm him here.

"For an unregistered citizen to obtain legal status, either someone must vouch for you and register you at the government office, or you must serve under government supervision for three years. If your performance during service is commendable, you may be granted lawful registration."

Yan Qing thought this old man wasn’t so bad after all.

"So you’ll vouch for me?"

"My family can supervise your service," Shang Xuanwen said. "Your skills are decent, and your Household Band is for a Guard. Then come serve as a Guard for my family—count it as military service."

"Do you want to escape as a fugitive or serve three years?"

…

…

As he stepped through the Vermillion Gate of the Shang Family, Yan Qing still hadn’t recovered.

What just happened? How had he suddenly gotten involved with Shang Xuanwen? Even managed to openly infiltrate the Shang Family—as if that wasn’t suspicious enough. Shang Xuanwen had likely been resting at the family estate since midnight, and now the ‘Rat Monk’ could roam inside as a guard. Soon, it would be a classic case of collusion from within and without, treachery from the inside, disaster brewing behind closed doors…

Yet one question lingered in Yan Qing’s heart: Why did Shang Xuanwen treat the ‘Rat Monk’ so specially? Just because of a life-saving favor? Was Shang Xuanwen the kind of person who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside—one who remembered kindness for life but never showed it on his face?

No way… could he be… tsundere!?