160 Debts (2/2)

”Does Zhou Huan know any swordcraft?” From Gu Shenwei's memory, the teenager did not carry any weapons.

”Yes.” Shopkeeper Mi became spirited as soon as he saw that the other party was interested. ”And he's not bad at it, even if he seldom shows off his skill. After all, he doesn't rely on kungfu to make a living, and that's why not many people know. I knew it was him the instant I heard that Marquis Gao died of a sword wound. They recently had some differences and their relationship wasn't in a good state.”

”You should have spoken up earlier.”

”I... didn't want to cause trouble.”

Gu Shenwei humphed callously to express his skepticism towards this explanation. If Zhou Huan had truly killed Marquis Gao, it would only be appropriate for Shopkeeper Mi to hate him to the core - it was because of this sword that the money he lent out turned to ashes.

Shopkeeper Mi's face turned red. ”Actually, it was only when you brought up the rice grain issue yesterday that I began to suspect him. Zhou Huan loves to eat uncooked rice and would always carry some wherever he went. Aye, this is all meaningless to me now. Even if the true murderer is caught, those silvers cannot be brought back.”

”Who have you mentioned Tenth Young Master to?”

”Nobody. After the two of you left, I was busy packing my things and didn't see anyone else.” An expression of shock appeared on his face.

”Where does Zhou Huan live?”

”At Heng Sheng Riceshop on the corner of the street. He was an associate there and is now its owner.”

Gu Shenwei swept a glance at his companions and raised his saber.

Shopkeeper Mi waved his hands non-stop in front of his body, as if this was sufficient to block a sharp blade. ”Master Yang, Master Yang, please spare my life. I've told you everything I know. I'll hand in the silvers at the end of the month with not a single cent less.”

”It would have been better if you spoke up earlier.”

One of Shopkeeper Mi's fingers fell on to the ground as Gu Shenwei flicked his blade.

There was no need to kill a Protector who owed money; it was the more appropriate choice to keep him alive and make him continue to pay up - or at least this was what Gu Shenwei thought, and how he would explain things to Tenth Young Master when he got back.

Shangguan Ru was much more interested in Zhou Huan than she was about the money issue. ”What's a 'male prostitute'?”

”A male who's the pet of another male.” Gu Shenwei explained frankly. He had reasoned to himself that since this young lady was willing to be treated as a male, there was no need for him to be indirect about the matter.

”How's that possible? Can a female be the pet of another female?” Shangguan Ru enquired without end.

”Yes, that's possible... anything is possible.” Gu Shenwei suddenly felt a jolt in his heart and recalled what he had eavesdropped in the garden of the Meng family. Suspecting that there was a hidden meaning to the question, he acted even more unperturbed.

”Oh my, the two of you! One's asking audacious questions while the other isn't even embarrassed. Instead of talking drivel, why don't you go arrest that Zhou Huan fella?” Shangguan Yushi could not go on listening to them.

”The person who should be red-faced is you,” Gu Shenwei thought. However, he was happy that she changed the subject. ”In a while, I shall go keep an eye on him, to see if anyone is giving him instructions.”

Shangguan Ru wanted to join in the fun until Gu Shenwei explained to her the monotony of a surveillance task; one could not move about or speak a word for at least half a day. With Shangguan Yushi echoing the same sentiments, Tenth Young Master's enthusiasm was finally dispelled.

This was no longer the first time Gu Shenwei thought the same way as Master Yu. The former reckoned that this was because they had similar objectives; while ”climbing the big tree” provided by Tenth Young Master, they were enemies but also two of a kind.

Gu Shenwei wanted to monitor the suspect because he still had an inner doubt. ”If Zhou Huan is truly a male prostitute and the real murderer, why did Ye Silang find trouble with me? Given the relationship between Ye Silang and Marquis Gao, the former should have understood Zhou Huan's situation and suspected him first.”

Having spoken unfavorably about surveillance tasks, Gu Shenwei, in fact, did not want to spend an entire day observing a rice shop. He planned to cut straight to the point and walk right into the enemy's camp.

But he was still a step late. By late morning, the shops on the street were all already open for business, save for Heng Sheng Riceshop, which doors were tightly shut. When Gu Shenwei broke the doors down and entered, he discovered that there was nobody inside. The shelves were neatly stacked while the barrels of rice were filled to the brim - Zhou Huan had run away in a hurry.

A macheteman went to the nearby shops to make enquiries, and learned that the rice shop had not been open for three days.

The investigation was carried out way too late. Gu Shenwei had already wasted the precious time in the days following Marquis Gao's death.

After searching carefully through the shop, a few machetemen were finally able to find an important ”clue” in a rice barrel: there was a corpse of a young man inside, covered up by the rice.

One of the machetemen confidently claimed that the man had been dead for at least three days.

Gu Shenwei took a look at the corpse and could vaguely tell it was Zhou Huan. There was a sword in its hand, while its neck was half snapped and its head was tilted to one side. The neck wound was shaped like a laughing mouth, and the bloodstains from it turned the rice grains red as well.

It appeared that Zhou Huan had slit his own throat. Gu Shenwei had gotten into trouble once again.