Chapter 94: The Young Lady’s Bodyguard
“Are you sure Jiao Han, the leader of the Leopard Gate, is dead?” Yue Ya’er asked, hands on her hips, standing on the steps.
Zhao Wencheng and Li Jingya, standing below, exchanged glances, their faces filled with shock.
Shi Hao smiled, “Indeed.”
Yue Ya’er tilted her head, looking at him skeptically, “You killed him?”
Shi Hao shook her head, “No. There was an assassin hiding in the Leopard Palace, carrying a sinister saber, a fierce-looking man. He’s the one who killed Jiao Han.”
Xu Xiaoyan glanced at him sideways… That’s you.
Zhao Wencheng’s expression changed, “With Jiao Han dead, it will trigger further conflict among the gangs in Dàxīng City. The Leopard Gate is finished.”
Yue Ya’er asked, puzzled, “Is it really that serious? Just because their leader died?”
Zhao Wencheng shook his head, “Gangs are different from established families and sects with deep roots. The Leopard Gate’s rise to power was swift, their expansion rapid, their foundation unstable, and their business, the pleasure trade, attracts envy.
“Of the three gangs and six societies in Dàxīng City, only the Heaven and Earth Gang has a history of over a hundred years, weathering many storms. The others, even the Shark Dragon Gang, currently the most powerful, only rose to prominence about ten years ago.
“And although they’re called the ‘three gangs and six societies,’ two of the six societies were replaced just this year. These are turbulent times. Some seek to rise, others to consolidate their power. With Jiao Han dead, internal strife within the Leopard Gate is inevitable. And losing a fifth-rank expert is a devastating blow.
“It’s like a shark bleeding in the ocean. The other sharks will swarm, tearing it apart.”
Yue Ya’er said, “But isn’t the Ghost Extreme Sect behind the Leopard Gate? They have many powerful experts. They won’t just ignore this…”
Xu Xiaoyan giggled, “The Ghost Extreme Sect won’t act openly. The demonic sects prefer to operate in the shadows, especially with the Chongxian Sect’s presence in Dàxīng City. Dao and demon are eternal enemies, and the Chongxian Sect, as the orthodox leader of the Daoist sects, has a duty to oppose them.
“Secretly controlling the Leopard Gate is one thing, but if they act openly, they’ll provoke the Chongxian Sect. I’m guessing one of their Eight Immortal Warriors is stationed here in Dàxīng City.”
Yue Ya’er said casually, “Oh, I know. It’s Lu Jin, the Azure Dragon Immortal Warrior.”
Lu Jin, the Azure Dragon Immortal Warrior? Shi Hao and Xu Xiaoyan exchanged glances.
Yue Ya’er, perceptive as always, noticed, “Why are you two exchanging secret glances?”
Xu Xiaoyan smiled, “We overheard something last night while infiltrating the Leopard Palace. Li Ximing, the Three Extremes Ghost Butcher, and Jiao Han mentioned something…”
Yue Ya’er said, “Li Ximing, the Three Extremes Ghost Butcher? Hmm, I’ve heard of him. He’s the one who stole at least two of the God-Sealing Stones during the last full moon.”
Shi Hao and Xu Xiaoyan, surprised, exchanged glances again.
Yue Ya’er asked, “Why are you doing that again?”
Shi Hao quickly said, “They mentioned Dragon Head Mountain and the night of the full moon. It seemed very important to them. Although I don’t know what the Ghost Extreme Sect is planning, it can’t be good.”
Yue Ya’er snorted, “You’re changing the subject.”
Then she said thoughtfully, “Dragon Head Mountain? The night of the full moon? That’s strange.”
Shi Hao and Xu Xiaoyan resisted the urge to exchange glances again.
This time, however, Yue Ya’er seemed genuinely intrigued. She crossed her arms and muttered, “I have to tell Grandmother about this.”
She looked at the others, “What about you?”
Zhao Wencheng sighed in relief, “I have to inform the leader of our guild. Jiao Han’s death will significantly impact the power balance in Dàxīng City. The Brocade Dragon Gate has to be prepared.”
Yue Ya’er turned to Shi Hao and smiled, “By the way, there’s something else. You’re working as a bodyguard, right? I want to hire you. The price is negotiable.”
Shi Hao said, “Don’t you have guards, Miss?”
Yue Ya’er said, exasperated, “Even with them, I was almost killed yesterday! It’s not that they’re incompetent, but assassins have their ways of infiltrating. I haven’t been able to sleep soundly since that incident.
“I can’t have them staying in my room, watching me sleep, can I?”
Shi Hao said, “Well…”
Yue Ya’er smiled, “You wouldn’t have to do anything during the day, just protect me at night. If that Blood Shadow Undying Child comes back, I’ll be dead. I can’t think of anyone more suitable than you.”
“I’ll pay you fifty taels of silver per day, until after the next full moon.”
Shi Hao quickly calculated. Fifty taels a day, until after the full moon, that was over seven hundred taels. As expected of a wealthy young lady.
He was tempted.
Yue Ya’er snorted and added, “And I also have to keep an eye on you for Sister Yuejiao. Hmph, you’re hiding from her even though you know she’s in Dàxīng City. Who knows what you’re up to? I have to make sure you don’t stray.” She glanced at Xu Xiaoyan.
Shi Hao said, “But I’ve already agreed to protect Mr. and Mrs. Zhao…”
Yue Ya’er looked at them, “I’ll pay you double what they’re paying. Just find another bodyguard. Any objections?”
Zhao Wencheng and Li Jingya quickly said, “No objections! None at all!” This was a woman who could order people kidnapped in broad daylight without consequences. Zhao Wencheng, remembering his terrifying experience, wouldn’t dare refuse.
Shi Hao looked at Xu Xiaoyan. She smiled, “Let’s discuss this.”
She pulled Shi Hao aside. Yue Ya’er muttered, “Why does she have to agree?”
Zhao Wencheng and Li Jingya looked at her—
Outside, Shi Hao whispered, “What is it?”
Xu Xiaoyan whispered back, “Don’t you think it’s strange? We overheard Xuandu mentioning the God-Sealing Stones at Jing’an Monastery. And Li Ximing also mentioned them last night. So, at Civilian Martial Ridge, Dark Thunder, the Ghost Extreme Sect, and the Chongxian Sect should each have one stone.
“But it seems the Yue Ke Tai family believes all three stones were lost.”
Shi Hao nodded slowly, “So, the Chongxian Sect didn’t hand over their stone to the barbarian court.”
Xu Xiaoyan nodded, then said, “Dragon Head Mountain, the night of the full moon… Didn’t you think that Yue Ke Tai girl’s reaction was strange when we mentioned it? She clearly knows something.
“And Li Ximing said Grandmother Ba of the Ancestral Altar is their biggest threat. I’ve been investigating, and this Ancestral Altar is quite unusual.”
Shi Hao said, “How so?” He was also curious about the Ancestral Altar.
Xu Xiaoyan asked, “Do you know what religion the Jin clan follows?”
Shi Hao hesitated.
Although the Chongxian Sect held a prominent position under the barbarian court’s rule, it was merely a tool to control the populace. It was unlikely the Jin clan followed Daoism.
Xu Xiaoyan said, “The Jin clan follows a shamanistic religion that worships ‘Mother Sky, Abukahehe.’ This religion is represented by the Ancestral Altar. They worship stone idols and only answer to the Supreme Emperor. They’re very secretive.”
“Many talented young ladies from prominent Jin families are recruited by the Ancestral Altar, trained, and then married off to other powerful families, forming a network of connections within the royal clan… Do you understand now why the Ancestral Altar is so determined to eliminate the ‘female ghosts’?”
Shi Hao realized, “The Ghost Extreme Sect’s ‘female ghosts’ are encroaching on the Ancestral Altar’s territory, so they have to be eliminated.”
The Ancestral Altar was composed of young ladies from the Jin clan’s elite, their shared religion binding them together. These women would become the “madams” of powerful families, strengthening the connections within the clan and also controlling and influencing them.
And these “female ghosts,” infiltrating the Jin families, becoming concubines and courtesans, skilled in the art of seduction, posed a threat to the Ancestral Altar’s influence, like termites infesting a tree.
In that sense, Yue Ya’er, tasked with eliminating these “female ghosts,” must hold a high position within the Ancestral Altar.
No wonder the Ghost Extreme Sect had sent Blood Shadow Undying Child, such a formidable assassin, to kill her.
Xu Xiaoyan said, “I think working for Yue Ya’er is a good move. The Ghost Extreme Sect’s infiltration of the Ancestral Altar is a direct challenge. There’s no room for compromise between them.
“And you killed Jiao Han. The Ghost Extreme Sect won’t let that go. And the Ancestral Altar is clearly important to the barbarian court. Dragon Head Mountain, the night of the full moon… what are they planning?”
“Li Ximing also said last night that the Emerald Beauty first appeared on Dragon Head Mountain. And it’s now the beginning of July. Mid-July, the night of the full moon… does that mean anything to you?”
Shi Hao’s face paled, “The Ghost Festival?”
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