Chapter 81: Shadows

In the dungeon, the food and water were contaminated, causing Xi Hongxuan to fall ill with diarrhea. His vitality had already been compromised during the epidemic, and now his suffering was exacerbated. Lacking energy, he frequently fell into sleep, waking up to a dimly lit cell that made it difficult to tell the time.

The air in this cramped room was foul, with no windows for ventilation, mixed with the damp smell of mold. It was unbearable for anyone to stay there for long.

Xi Hongxuan's illness worsened, and unable to turn his body, he could only lie on the straw mat, growing increasingly delirious from the cold dampness.

The jailer, as usual, removed the partition and pushed in the meal, but today he didn't hear any sound from Xi Hongxuan. Peering through the hole, all he could see was Xi Hongxuan's lifeless arm hanging down. Concerned that Xi might have died, the jailer unlocked the door, holding a lantern close to Xi's face.

With great effort, Xi Hongxuan opened his eyes, his lips parched and throat dry. "M-Master, please... give me some water."

The jailer flipped his hand and poured a bowl of water over Xi's face.

Struggling to open his mouth, Xi Hongxuan caught the water, ignoring the dampness on his collar. Revitalized by the drink, he managed to say, "Thank you... thank you!"

The jailer tossed the bowl aside and started to leave, holding the oil lamp.

With an unexpected surge of strength, Xi Hongxuan grabbed the jailer's clothes, forcing a smile on his plump face. "Brother, let me ask you something... cough! Isn't this place... actually not a prison at all?"

The jailer forcefully shook off Xi Hongxuan's hand, but Xi Hongxuan instead burst into a silent laughter, lying on the mat with intense gasps for air. He tugged at his drenched shirt, rolling his eyes to stare at the dark ceiling, and said, "This isn't a prison... I should've... should've realized it long ago! It's been days; even if Kong Qiu isn't interrogating me, there should be officials from the Ministry of Justice coming to inspect... It's too quiet... Too quiet here..."

As Xi Hongxuan spoke, he suddenly fixated on the jailer.

"I've observed carefully, and you arrive precisely on time every day to deliver meals, not a moment late, and you place the tray in exactly the same spot. Brother, ordinary jailers aren't that strict! No one has come to relieve you of guarding the cell door for several days now... You don't accept any bribes, and your sleeves are always clean, not a speck of grease or dust on them! With your long arms, broad shoulders, and tall stature, cautious speech, and solemn demeanor, you must be a member of the Imperial Guards!"

The jailer remained expressionless, holding the oil lamp as he walked away, shutting the door behind him. Xi Hongxuan listened to the clinking of chains and pounded the straw mat beneath him with his fists.

"Shen Zechuan... Shen Zechuan!" Xi Hongxuan's knuckles turned red from the pounding, and he suddenly yelled out, "To scheme against me... You actually schemed against me! You, call him... Call him here!"

In the darkness, there was no reply.

Xi Hongxuan clawed at the straw mat, his thoughts muddled with resentment. "Does he want money? Tell him to come. Just let me out... As long as they let me out..." He swallowed forcefully, then abruptly tugged at his hair, panting. "I'll give him money! I can't take it anymore!"

The jailer sat outside, illuminated by an oil lamp, enjoying some boiled broad beans with his alcohol. The iron gate behind Xi Hongxuan blocked his sight, leaving only the faint moans that echoed like midnight winds.

* * *

Xi Hongxuan's eyes grew hazy. He dared not sleep, fearing he might never wake up. By the time Shen Zechuan returned, he had managed to regain his composure.

Shen Zechuan stood, observing Xi Hongxuan.

Xi Hongxuan had once sailed the seas and barely survived; since then, he had never been in such a miserable state. Unlike other noble sons, he was not afraid of being cornered or humiliated. He let Shen Zechuan look at him, forcing a dry laugh as he said, "Lan Zhou, you're daring! Four million… I almost fell for your trap."

Shen Zechuan sighed softly. "This place is hard to find, but it can't draw attention, nor can it be too far away. Your meticulous observations caught me off guard."

Xi Hongxuan swung his arm and said, "Men die for wealth, birds for food. Brother, I'm willing to give you this money! But you can't take my life for it…" His voice wavered, yet hunger and illness hadn't robbed him of his ability to react. He continued, "Lan Zhou… I could have pretended not to know. Only I know where the key to the Xi family is. I could have played games with you and trapped myself, but look, I didn't. I value our brotherly bond… Lan Zhou! We joined forces to get rid of Xi Guan and Ji Lei. Now, you're envied in the Imperial Guards. If you kill me now, you'll lose the Xi family's support! The higher you climb in the Imperial Guards, the narrower the path becomes. You've tasted how difficult it is, haven't you? Which of those hereditary elders would submit to you? Ambitious as you are, why does Han Cheng tolerate you? Isn't it because of me? Kill me, and you'll become the target of everyone's animosity!"

Shen Zechuan crouched down, holding a handkerchief between his fingers, looking at Xi Hongxuan with a serious expression. "So, what do you suggest I should do?"

Xi Hongxuan had seen this look from Shen Zechuan many times. He knew that Shen Zechuan was considering murder. Beads of cold sweat rolled down his forehead as he locked eyes with Shen Zechuan for a moment. "It's not time for us to turn against each other, Shen Zechuan. This time, I admit defeat! Losing in business isn't shameful. I don't need to fight with you over trivial matters. I'm scared of you! It's the truth, but because I'm scared, I want to continue working with you. Think about it. Killing me will only net you four million, but capturing me means gaining the Xi family's fortune. I yield to you! So why risk more bloodshed? We still have days of dominance ahead of us!"

"Reasonable," Shen Zechuan said. "But dismissing me with just the word 'yield' is too simple. I heard that Young Master has sixty-eight keys. How about we split them 40-60, so I can rest easy?"

Xi Hongxuan slowly pushed himself up, his gaze fierce as he looked at Shen Zechuan. "I can give you the keys, but if you take them, you can't have Qi Huilian. What do you say, are you willing?"

Shen Zechuan lifted his finger slowly, then let it fall back idly. "Do you think Qi Huilian is worth that much? Of course, I'll take the keys."

"He's not worth anything, so keeping him serves no purpose. I'll kill him!"

Shen Zechuan suddenly smiled and said, "Do you really think I don't know where he is? At this point, you still dare to test me?"

"It's you who's testing me!" Xi Hongxuan slowly crawled toward Shen Zechuan, finally revealing a menacing expression. "I know you, Lan Zhou. Tricks lose their effectiveness when used too often. You're skilled in deception, and the more you pretend not to care about someone, the more important they are to you. You tried to deceive me in the courtyard that day, but now you're using the same trick again. Though I, Xi Hongxuan, am not the sharpest tool in the shed, I'm not stupid enough to fall for it. You don't know where he is. If you did, ha! You'd kill me after getting your money! So, Shen Zechuan, have you searched all of Qu Du but still can't find him?"

Shen Zechuan slightly clenched his handkerchief.

Xi Hongxuan brushed aside his disheveled hair and said, "No matter how eloquent you are, you've forgotten one thing: hiding someone so carefully has already aroused my suspicion. Even if I trust you to some extent, I have to be on guard against you. Dealing with you is like being afraid of being stabbed in the back."

Shen Zechuan's eyes were devoid of emotion. He looked at Xi Hongxuan and asked, "So what do you want?"

"I want to go out," Xi Hongxuan pointed at the door, "I want to leave unscathed. If I can't get out tonight, Qi Huilian's corpse will be at your doorstep tomorrow morning. Do you believe me? Try me. That traitorous dog, Xi Dan, must have told you that all my people are loyal to me, and my safety concerns the lives of hundreds. Even if I can't escape, I have ways to kill Qi Huilian!"

"You're lying."

Shen Zechuan abruptly stood up, unleashing his gloomy and violent mood in the filthy room. He took a few steps back, allowing the dim light to obscure his face, turning him into a colossal creature of darkness.

"This place is isolated from outsiders. How do you plan to communicate with them? Trying to deceive me at the brink of death? Go ahead and try," Shen Zechuan said with a chilling, half-smile. "Alright, let's try. I'll send you out."

"I've been on guard since the beginning. Don't you think I would have made preparations as well?!" Xi Hongxuan, sensing danger, broke into a cold sweat and raised his voice. "I've already informed the guards that I visit every two weeks. If I don't show up, they'll take action directly! Last time, you asked if I dared to trust you, Shen Zechuan. Now, I ask you, do you dare to trust me? !"

Shen Zechuan remained silent.

Xi Hongxuan softened his voice in a soothing manner once more: "Since you were able to bribe Xi Dan, it's clear that you've already learned that only I know where Qi Huilian is. I have long understood that no one in this world can be trusted, and I've prepared countless contingency plans for myself. Orchid Boat, why must we inflict mutual harm? You provoke me, I provoke you; it benefits neither of us. Aren't you motivated by gain? This transaction is so unprofitable that you surely wouldn't pursue it. Whatever you lack, I possess. I'll give it to you. All you need do is lend me your courage and wit, and together we can flourish in Qu City like fish in water. Consider Li Jianheng— he's a rare and excellent emperor, the likes of which appear only once in a century. He represents a swifter path to success for people like you and me, an instant rise to greatness! If you kill me, offend the aristocratic families, will Xiao Er accept you? How much longer can the invincible reputation of the Xiao clan endure? Xiao Fangxu is already aged, and should Xiao Jiming also fall, what good would Xiao Er alone be? They are destined to fail!"

Xi Hongxuan seemed to be expressing a deep sentiment, yet also offering encouragement.

"Orchid Boat, you and I have both endured the bitter days of being controlled by others. Now, do you still choose to submit beneath Xiao Er, serving him at his whim? In this world, only power and wealth remain steadfastly by one's side without abandonment! If you join forces with me, I shall grant you mountains of gold and silver. All you need do is ensure that the reputation of the Xi family remains untarnished, and our business will soar to even greater heights. At that time, no scheming or intrigue will be able to shake your position or mine! You once wished for me to annex other houses and establish myself as king; yet now, how have you become confined within such limitations yourself? And what of the Six Prefectures of Zhongbo? Do you not yearn to rebuild Zhongbo and wash away this humiliation? Though Shen Wei may not be cleansed, you can certainly use silver to pry open the gates of the Six Prefectures. They are now so destitute that they resort to exchanging their children for food. You would be a god descending from the heavens to them; then, who would dare defy you? Who would dare curse you? These are all things that money can grant you—can the Empress Dowager provide them? Can Xiao Er? Orchid Boat, why hesitate any longer? We can continue to climb upward together, just as we did in the past."

Shen Zechuan was moved. The aggression in his demeanor softened, and his tone became more conciliatory as he said, "If only we had been honest from the start, we wouldn't have ended up in this confrontation. You're right, working together would alleviate many troubles for both of us."

"I'm a merchant, and in business, it's all about the profit. If there isn't significant gain from our alliance, why would I bother to persuade you so persistently?" Xi Hongxuan felt an itch on his back; the scar from the collapse he suffered earlier had been bothering him with its persistent sting. After a momentary pause, he continued, "Then there's no time to waste. Let's leave now. Once we're out, we can sit down and discuss things properly."

In Xi's residence in Qui City, he had over a dozen skilled martial artists, hired at great expense to intimidate Shen Zechuan previously. They had been kept on payroll ever since. Xi was, in fact, anxious, unable to read Shen Zechuan's intentions and thus harboring thoughts of killing him. He decided to take a desperate gamble, determined to escape this place by any means necessary – for only outside could there be unpredictability!

He wanted to kill Shen Zechuan, impatient even for another day, let alone prolonging the conflict. Lengthy negotiations often indicated a balance of power between the parties, allowing room for verbal sparring. Xi Hongxuan felt that the balance between him and Shen Zechuan had shifted. As Shen's position rose, Xi seemed trapped in a pocket controlled by Shen, unable to manipulate events as he once did.

Xi wasn't yet aware of where things had gone wrong, but relying on his merchant's intuition, he sensed that his current predicament of going around in circles was somehow connected to Shen Zechuan.

Since their alliance began, besides gaining control of the Xi family through the death of Xi Guan, the benefits Xi Hongxuan reaped were fleeting. Only Shen Zechuan's power and influence continued to grow steadily.

Xi Hongxuan was certain that he had been outwitted, but his expression remained genuine, as if he admired Shen Zechuan with utmost devotion while also fearing him to the point of immobility.

Qiao Tianya pushed open the door crack, casting the light from the oil lamp inside. Shen Zechuan's exposed wrist was pristine; illuminated by the lamplight, he appeared no different from how he looked in daylight, politely saying, "Please proceed."

Xi Hongxuan secretly let out a sigh of relief.