Killing Dao Fruit
Chapter 161 - 158: Pit Killing Young Master Xue

Chapter 161: Chapter 158: Pit Killing Young Master Xue

The next morning dawned clear and fresh.

Dengzhou Prefecture’s seat of power, Shanyang City.

Dengzhou Prefecture included nine county cities, such as Shanyang and Yunhe, as well as Ninghai State, a scattered state located by the sea.

The bustling Shanyang City was not only the seat of Dengzhou Prefecture but also the location of King Jing Mansion.

However.

The most imposing residence in the city was not the Prince Mansion built fifteen years ago during Emperor Jianming’s secret residence but the Xue Mansion, which had been gradually expanded and renovated in recent years!

Although the Xue family did not dare to adopt the palace’s regulations, in terms of land area and luxurious decorations, it still surpassed the King Jing Mansion.

Outside the southeastern corner gate of Xue Mansion.

On a luxurious carriage drawn by three white horses, Lin Xiaosi, a young but skilled coachman, was glancing occasionally at the bustling morning market across the street.

"Pancakes!"

"Bean curd for sale!"

"Buns, big buns with mutton filling!"

"..."

The countless servants and minions of Xue Mansion were wealthier than ordinary folk.

The peddlers dared not approach the main gate, yet the street by the corner gate had grown increasingly lively over the years, with no fewer than dozens of breakfast stalls alone.

Yet situated among it all, Lin Xiaosi felt as though he were sitting on pins and needles.

Because from the carriage behind him, unspeakable sounds were emanating.

It was a somewhat cold male voice, and two delicate, seemingly dripping voices of women.

The master inside the carriage was, astoundingly, seeking thrills amid the bustle of the market early in the morning.

Lin Xiaosi even felt the carriage shaft under his buttocks constantly vibrating, somewhat unsteady.

Beside him, passersby would occasionally glance up, then, upon recognizing the owner’s carriage, hurried away in sheer horror, covering their faces.

At that moment.

Lin Xiaosi inadvertently spotted a delicate foot, tender as newly sprouted bamboo, poking out from behind the carriage’s ivory curtain.

It seemed that even this coach, not much smaller than a house, somewhat constrained the actions of the several people within.

Though it showed only fleetingly before retreating like a fish, it was enough to parch the young coachman’s throat, involuntarily making him swallow his saliva.

"Eyes avert from impropriety, eyes avert from impropriety."

Realizing he should not gaze upon such things, Lin Xiaosi quickly composed himself, refocusing his attention on the morning market before him.

He saw a dignified and gentle woman passing by, wearing a dark green satin horse-face skirt with matching paradise flycatcher embroidered shoes.

Her slightly swollen belly indicated she was perhaps five or six months pregnant.

By her attire, she must at least be from a family of moderate background.

And despite somewhat plump cheeks, the smile that occasionally spilled forth revealed a surely well-fed and contented marriage.

Awaiting the arrival of a child, her days gave off an air of utter bliss.

It made Lin Xiaosi sincerely envious.

"The young master has married twenty-seven concubines, each as beautiful as a fairy, with daily music and nightly feasts.

I, Lin Xiaosi, couldn’t attain such fortune even if I lived ten more lifetimes.

Just wish for a wife similar to this sister-in-law, able to carry on the Lin lineage, to live a harmonious life—and I’d be satisfied."

Right then, the clamor inside the carriage finally subsided.

Suddenly, Young Master Xue’s distinctively cold voice came from behind the curtain:

"Lin Xiaosi, how long have you been in the mansion?"

The coachman dared not delay his reply:

"To respond to the young master, I’ve been in the mansion for half a year.

Though this is my first time driving for you, please be assured that many of the older coachmen are not as good as Lin Xiaosi!"

"Mm, serving me, you naturally won’t be mistreated.

Right now, I have a lucrative opportunity for you, it just depends on whether you can seize it."

Young Master Xue’s seemingly affable words seemed to hide a mockery imperceptible to others.

At least the young coachman didn’t sense anything amiss, instead responding with joy:

"I will follow all your commands, young master."

Then came a light laugh from behind the curtain:

"Hehe, do you see that pregnant woman in green, run into her, and I will give you a hundred taels of silver."

Lin Xiaosi thought he had misheard and quickly cleared his ears to confirm:

"Ah? Young master, what... what did you say?"

"You drive into her right now, I will give you a hundred taels of silver, and also speak to the government to absolve you of the crime.

You won’t have any trouble, and you’ll gain a hundred taels just like that!"

This time, fully assured he hadn’t misheard, Lin Xiaosi, gazing at the gentle figure haggling with the peddler, suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

’This woman clearly holds no grudges against the young master, she merely caught his eye by chance, and now she’s about to die an unwarranted death in the Netherworld?

Not only dies a tragic death, pregnant no less, but also ruins an originally blissful household?’

"My lifelong dream has just been to have a home like this!"

The voice of Young Master Xue, devilish as it seemed, continued to echo in his ear:

"Lin Xiaosi, have you thought it through? With the way things are now, even if you were to not eat or drink for three years, you might not be able to save up a hundred taels of silver."

"You’re a bit greedy, aren’t you? What if this young master gave you two hundred taels?"

"Three hundred taels!"

Thump, thump, thump...

Lin Xiaosi’s heart pounded violently, not just because of the ever-increasing amount being offered, but also because of the potential consequences of defying Young Master Xue.

In a grand household like this, if you weren’t a bit clever and capable of listening to the wind, you certainly wouldn’t last long.

Young Master Xue Donglou’s father was a Great Scholar in the Wuying Hall, entering the cabinet and serving as the prime of the four Prime Ministers, wielding power across the court and the political scene.

During the holidays, the magistrates of Dengzhou Prefecture were the first to pay a visit to the Xue Mansion.

In Dengzhou Prefecture, Elder Xue was the greatest scholar and landlord.

With his backing, Young Master Xue even dared to meddle with the fields of the King Jing family.

It’s true, there were rumors that King Jing wasn’t favored, but unfavored as he might be, he was still the emperor’s own son!

At that moment.

A sentence drifted from behind him once again:

"Five hundred taels!"

Young Master Xue was clearly taking pleasure in the manipulation of humanity.

I was born superior, naturally able to control the life, death, and fate of you lowly commoners as I please.

Watching them struggle and gradually sink into the abyss.

All you can do is to make me happy, or even happier.

If you disappoint me, heh heh...

Lin Xiaosi clenched one hand around the reins and the other around the whip, his entire body shaking violently.

Bean-sized beads of sweat dripped down from his forehead.

It seemed his nerves were about to completely snap.

Clip-clop, clip-clop...

A fast horse suddenly galloped from the end of the alley and stopped abruptly next to the carriage, its front hooves in the air.

The Water Patrol General Zheng Wan, who appeared completely normal on the outside but had internally changed entirely, suddenly knelt beside the carriage with a thud.

"Young Master Xue, this official has an urgent matter to report!"

Young Master Xue Donglou, who had planned to visit early in the morning to inspect the "results of the battle," immediately changed his expression upon seeing Zheng Wan and ordered those around him:

"All of you, leave for now!"

Two lightly-dressed concubines, two beautiful maids who attended to him, and Lin Xiaosi, the coachman who looked as if he had been granted a reprieve, quickly got off the carriage and retreated far away.

The lady from the morning market, however, unknowingly escaped a sudden misfortune due to this.

A short while later.

After listening to Zheng Wan’s report, Young Master Xue erupted in anger:

"Yunhe County has barely flooded? And the affected farmland in the other eight counties is a full third less than expected?

What is going on here? Is this how you handle affairs?!"

Zheng Wan kept kowtowing frantically and explained:

"Young Master, I have verified it.

This is the doing of a group of spirit monsters on the Turbid River. They accepted the ’Talisman Order’ from No-Life Dao, impersonating ’Dragon Lord’ to enjoy the offerings.

As this official investigated all the way, from a Dragon King Temple, here is what I found, please take a look, Young Master."

Saying so, he lifted an ordinary-looking wooden box.

Inside was not just anything, but a Rashamon Bone.

Clearly, all of this was Wang Yuan’s doing.

If Xue Donglou, the root of so much evil, was not killed now, what was he waiting for, the new year?

Since he held no official position, he would naturally not be protected by the Dragon Energy; at most, he had some family shelter.

Whether he could resist this Deceit Object depended entirely on his own abilities.

With the Rashamon Bone in possession, even a Magician of the True Qi level like Master Ge would inevitably succumb to a slow death.

A Deceit Object with the ability to bewilder the heart could kill silently in the dark and naturally wouldn’t lead back to Wang Yuan.

Perhaps, in the end, this case might even be handed over to the Imperial Dragon Guard.

It would allow Wang Yuan to observe his corpse up close and potentially enjoy a feast in the Xue Mansion.

Before Xue Donglou died, if Wang Yuan could divert disaster eastward and cause conflict between the "No-Life Dao" laid out on the Turbid River, that would be even better.

If he could cause these two forces to clash, why would Wang Yuan care about the lives of a few ’Dragon Lords’?

However.

Zheng Wan failed to notice.

The moment he spoke the words "No-Life Dao," a strange glint suddenly flashed in Young Master Xue’s eyes.

...

At about the same time.

Wang Yuan, the orchestrator of all this, stepped into Shanyang City as if nothing had happened, carefree and at ease.