Messenger of Calamity

Chapter 89: The Way of Heaven Moves with Constancy

Qian Gongyu was still peeling shrimp, her hands covered in oil.

"I don’t have the ability to remember everything at a glance. Even if I were to study from the instruction manual directly, it’d probably take me several months just to get started." She dipped the shrimp into the chili soy sauce and said while eating, "Xinlei, since you exchanged a footwork manual for me, that means I’ll be staying here for a long time."

Shang Xinlei didn’t refute, only nodded in silence.

"Even you can’t prove my innocence…?" Qian Gongyu’s voice sounded a little disheartened.

"The Three Judicial Offices have now confirmed that Lin Yuan is the murderer of Luo Weijin," Shang Xinlei said. "Lin Yuan is the Qian Family’s guard and is still on the run. As the head of the Qian Family, under the law… you cannot shirk responsibility."

"Until Lin Yuan is captured, you’re considered an accomplice. According to the law, you should be detained in the Justice Bureau’s prison."

"How long would I be detained? If Uncle Lin is never caught, does that mean I’ll be imprisoned forever?"

"Of course not. According to legal statutes, if a servant commits murder and flees, the severity of the incident determines the sentence. The master may be sentenced to one to three years of imprisonment. Although the verdict hasn’t been issued yet, Miss Jie and I will do our best to fight for the lightest sentence."

"That’s good." Qian Gongyu let out a breath of relief. "If it’s only a year… that’s acceptable. So, when the verdict is handed down, I’ll be sent to the Justice Bureau’s prison?"

Shang Xinlei tilted her head. "If you want, I can apply for that."

"Of course I don’t want to! Who would want to go to prison!" Qian Gongyu immediately said. "Don’t tell me I can choose where I get locked up?"

Shang Xinlei cleared her throat. "Do you know why you’re being held at Shuiyue Pavilion? Because the Shang Family holds the custodial rights over criminals. When relatives or friends of the Shang Family commit a crime and are imprisoned, the Shang Family can apply to have them detained at Shuiyue Pavilion, saving the court prison space…"

"Xinlei-jie!" Qian Gongyu hugged Shang Xinlei. "As long as you let me live here, I’ll do anything you ask!"

"Then wipe your hands first! Don’t hug me right after peeling shrimp!"

The food Shang Xinlei brought was nearly all eaten up. Even the last bit of rice was scooped up with sauce by Qian Gongyu. The two leaned lazily against the chairs like two happy little pigs. Before long, Shang Xinlei stood up to tidy the bowls, and Qian Gongyu helped while still chattering, "Tomorrow I want roast goose, ginger scallion chicken, crispy roasted pork, tossed fish skin. For breakfast, congee with minced pork and century egg, and fried dough sticks would be best..."

"Stop, stop, what do you think I am? A maid delivering meals?"

"If you like, I can consider you the fourth miss who delivers food..."

After the playful banter, Shang Xinlei picked up four food containers and prepared to leave. At that moment, Qian Gongyu suddenly said, "Actually, Xinlei, you don’t have to come eat with me every time. Just send a servant to deliver the meal."

"But I need to eat too. It’s just that I had time to accompany you these past couple of days. If I’m not free later, it’ll be a servant delivering the meals." Shang Xinlei huffed. "Xiaoyu, be clear about your status. You’re my family’s prisoner now. If I want to eat with you, I’ll eat with you. If I want you to belly dance, you’ll have to belly dance—but before that, you’d better lose weight. I don’t want to see a chubby belly."

"Alright, alright, I’ll exercise." Qian Gongyu scratched her head. "I just think… you seem to be intentionally making it up to me. But my situation isn’t your fault. You don’t need to blame yourself."

Shang Xinlei was slightly stunned and turned her head instinctively. "It’s just… I clearly asked you to trust me, yet in the end, I couldn’t help you."

"You’ve helped me a lot. I can live here, eat all this delicious food, and you even got me an Advanced Footwork Manual…" Qian Gongyu counted on her fingers. "Luckily you often come see me, or I’d have panicked long ago. It’s because of you that I can stay here calmly and read the Messenger Handbook."

"Meeting you, Yuanshao, and Jiang Ten in Mansu Woodland is the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to me." She giggled, but right after she spoke, she burped and instinctively covered her mouth, her face turning red as fire.

Shang Xinlei stared at her blankly for a moment. For some reason, she didn’t dare meet her eyes and fled the room: "See you tomorrow."

"Xinlei, see you tomorrow!"

The moment she stepped out the door, Shang Xinlei reverted to her cold, expressionless demeanor, as if she had left all her warmth, joy, and sincerity behind in that room.

She quickly exited Shuiyue Pavilion, but suddenly stopped at the entrance to the courtyard and looked toward a shadowed area the fire basin couldn’t reach.

"I had assumed the monk my father brought would be a high and virtuous one, but I didn’t expect he’d be a flower monk eavesdropping on a young lady’s private words."

From the shadows emerged a tall, sturdy monk with a dignified appearance and a shaved head. Though they hadn’t introduced themselves, word spread faster than the wind within the Shang Family. Shang Xinlei had long known he was the guard her father brought back today, named Rat Monk.

Why was he here? Could it be that Father sent him to monitor them? Even after seizing the token, Father still feared Xiaoyu would escape?

"Why was she framed?"

Unexpectedly, Rat Monk asked about Qian Gongyu: "If you truly are her friend, with your identity as the Shang Family’s Fourth Miss, can’t you even protect her?"

"Master, you’re quite nosy." Shang Xinlei said calmly, "In the Shang Family, knowing too much and saying too much never ends well."

Hearing these words, Yan Qing thought she wouldn’t answer, but Shang Xinlei didn’t leave. Instead, she stepped into the shadows as well, hiding herself in the darkness.

"Because of the Legendary Token."

Perhaps it was the sense of security brought by the darkness, or perhaps it was because she had long wanted to speak, but Shang Xinlei revealed the truth without any concealment: "Xiaoyu obtained a Marvel-Class Token from Mansu Woodland, which later upgraded into a Legendary Token. That in itself wasn’t too bad, but since reporting detailed Token information to the court earns family points, she directly reported the general effects of the Legendary Token to the court."

It was obvious that Shang Xinlei harbored some resentment here—it seemed Qian Gongyu hadn’t discussed this decision with her beforehand. "What’s worse, her Token was a pair of boots—Legendary Boots that significantly increased speed. In a Secret Realm... Master, do you know what speed means in a Secret Realm?"

This wasn’t a real question, and Shang Xinlei didn’t wait for Rat Monk to answer before continuing on her own, "In a Secret Realm, speed is life. With these Legendary Boots, the court could conquer Third-Stage Secret Realms more safely, even implement kiting tactics against the Demon Lord, potentially reducing Secret Realm conquests to zero casualties—if that were truly possible, the conquest frequency of Third-Stage Secret Realms could increase to once every seven days or even once every three days!"

Yan Qing wasn’t surprised upon hearing this. He had long realized that, unlike players who valued offensive affix entries, Messengers in this world prioritized survival-related entries. Staying alive was above all else, and they were willing to spend days conquering a Secret Realm for safety. Compared to ‘Defense’ which only activated after being hit, ‘Speed,’ which allowed one to escape danger altogether, was naturally favored by Messengers.

"In order to appropriate Xiaoyu’s Token, they used the murder case in Mansu Woodland to implicate her." Shang Xinlei’s voice was dripping with irony. "Using one murder case to take down two people... truly a case of maximizing utility."

"Your father doesn’t intervene?" Yan Qing asked. "He’s the Prime Minister. You’re his daughter—"

"Who do you think is the mastermind behind all this?" Shang Xinlei’s voice suddenly rose. She stared straight at Rat Monk, her eyes gleaming with venomous light. "It’s my father!"

"He’s the one who found the legal clause to drag Xiaoyu down, the one who proposed detaining Xiaoyu at the Shang Family, the one who appropriated her Token, and the one who... sent me to console Xiaoyu."

Yan Qing blinked.

"You didn’t resist him?"

"My father is very good at quelling rebellion." Shang Xinlei calmed down. "Before I could say anything, he said two things. First, the Token would only be used for one year; second, the second Secret Technique Book from the next half-yearly output would be delivered by me to Xiaoyu."

"Resistance or escape would only lead to Xiaoyu losing her family name and becoming an Unregistered Citizen on the run. But if she could achieve three Job Changes within a year, the Token would be returned to her, and she would be promoted to Guardian General of a Secret Realm. The Qian Family would then leap into the ranks of the Noble Families in Grass Colors, just one step away from the Great Clans."

"And that favor would be entirely granted by me. Whether it’s the instruction manuals, the Secret Technique Book, or the promotion, all would come from me, while someone else would take the role of the villain."

"As long as I was willing to cooperate, Xiaoyu would become my best friend, my best subordinate. She wouldn’t lose anything—only gain more."

The firewood in the fire basin seemed to crackle and burst, the flames flaring up to illuminate half of Shang Xinlei’s face.

Cold and sorrowful.

"And if I refused, Xiaoyu’s fate would no longer be mine to decide."

A chilly wind blew, stirring the fallen leaves on the ground. For some reason, Yan Qing turned his gaze away from the screen, focusing on the fire basin ahead, as if unwilling to disturb Shang Xinlei’s mood.

After a long silence, he asked, "Why not just borrow it? Why resort to this kind of method?"

Shang Xinlei let out a bitter laugh.

"Even without the murder case in Mansu Woodland, my father could still find faults with Xiaoyu or the Qian Family, still plunge her into the abyss." Her tone carried deeper meaning. "Better to exploit a misdeed than a merit."

"Under the Nine-Rank System, prominent clans tend to be arrogant. Even when they embezzle or act unjustly, local officials often turn a blind eye. Most of the time, their offenses aren’t even worth a couple of ounces. But if the Ministry of Appointments needs it, their crimes could be stacked up to weigh a thousand catties."

"Master, I suspect you’ve made a mistake too, and my father caught you in it—so you’re here as a guard, aren’t you?"

Yan Qing froze.

He fiddled with the buttons on his handheld console, thinking to himself that he was lucky not to have involved himself directly. With eight hundred schemes outside, someone like him who had only ever played galgames couldn’t possibly handle it.

"And what about you? Fourth Miss, what do you think?"

Shang Xinlei stayed silent for a long time. Just when Yan Qing thought she wouldn’t answer, a bitter voice came from the darkness: "I... actually agree with my father’s approach."

"After Xiaoyu reported the intelligence of the Legendary Token, she was destined to become prey for the major Great Clans. Putting her in prison at this time, using the Token for a year, giving her the Secret Technique Book to rush through three Job Changes—this was both protection and cultivation. When the Token is returned to her a year later, she’ll have the strength to protect herself... This really is the best way to care for her."

"Right now, Xiaoyu isn’t qualified to possess a Legendary Token. Great Liang isn’t merciful enough to let the weak hold great treasures."

"And I am a child of the Shang Family, born into wealth and privilege. Now, as long as my father doesn’t harm my interests, and asks me to bring a future Third-Stage Messenger, a Legendary Token holder, under the Shang Family, what right do I have to refuse?"

"Besides, as the emperor grows older, and the time for his direct governance draws nearer, the Shang Family may appear at its peak, but it is already at the brink like oil over a roaring fire. If we can bind Qian Gongyu tightly to the Shang Family’s war chariot, we’ll gain one more bargaining chip in our struggle against the other Great Clans."

"For both the Shang Family and Qian Gongyu, my father has made the best arrangements."

"Only..."

Yan Qing waited for a long time, but never heard the rest of Shang Xinlei’s ‘only.’ He only heard her picking up the food containers and walking out.

But after a few steps, she turned her head and said, "My father is that kind of person—always making decisions for others. Those being arranged, no matter how full of resentment, always end up walking the path he laid out, even thinking it’s the path most suited for them... Master, if you don’t want your fate dictated by anyone other than the Buddha, you’d best leave the Shang Family soon."

"The way of Heaven moves with constancy, each has its role to fulfill." She seemed to be speaking to Rat Monk, or perhaps murmuring to herself. "But what suits you most... may not be what you can accept."