Volume One, Chapter 10: Child of Destiny?

Shen Ji soon led a large group toward the most famous brothel in Qingzhou. Judging by their aggressive formation, anyone unaware of the situation would have thought they were there to smash the place to pieces.

On the way, Chichi seized an opportunity to ask Shen Ji about Ning Shu’s identity. Shen Ji, naturally, would not keep anything from his Chichi; he whispered her background, cautioning her not to let it slip to others. In truth, given who Ning Shu was, it made little difference whether it was kept secret or not. Anyone could see she possessed an extraordinary background, especially since she had the young marquis—who was also serving as a temporary imperial envoy—completely wrapped around her finger.

They arrived at the Wanhua Pavilion shortly after. Just as Shen Ji and his entourage entered, a dark figure suddenly bolted out of the building, fleeing in a blind panic. This sudden turn of events left everyone momentarily stunned. Could it be? Had Shen Ji’s incredible luck actually led them to stumble upon a cultist from the Fire Worship Sect?

"Catch him!" Shen Ji and Ning Shu shouted almost simultaneously.

Qiu Yi immediately led several guards in pursuit, and the rest of the group quickly followed suit. Ning Shu looked at Shen Ji, harboring secret doubts. Was it possible he had really stumbled upon a Fire Worshipper by pure, blind luck? If that were true, his fortune was simply too heaven-defying!

"Let’s find a place to sit and wait for news," Shen Ji suggested, rubbing his nose while secretly thinking: Could it really be this easy to catch a fugitive?

Ning Shu did not say much, merely nodding gently. At this hour, business at the Wanhua Pavilion was slow. Shen Ji led Ning Shu and Chichi to a private room in the deepest corner of the upper floor, while Ning Shu’s guards took up positions at the door. Shen Ji did not summon any courtesans, opting instead to have two pots of fine tea brought up.

As they sipped their tea, Qiu Yi and Chen Liuqi returned with quick strides.

"Did you catch him?" Ning Shu asked, setting down her cup.

"The rogue put up a desperate fight, so my subordinate unfortunately killed him in the process..." Qiu Yi replied.

"Oh?" Ning Shu looked at Qiu Yi with surprise. Killed? They didn't think to capture him for interrogation? Meeting Ning Shu’s questioning gaze, Qiu Yi only offered an apologetic smile without elaborating.

"I know who that scoundrel was!" Chen Liuqi said, looking at Shen Ji with a strange expression. "The young marquis's luck... it’s invincible!"

"It wasn't a member of the Fire Worship Sect, was it?" Ning Shu asked, stunned.

"Not at all," Chen Liuqi replied. "That rogue was Zhou Tong, the notorious serial rapist who committed a string of heinous crimes three years ago..."

Three years ago, Zhou Tong had terrorized Qingzhou, raping and murdering over a dozen women within a single month. Originally, Qingzhou was famous for its "Four Beauties," but after Zhou Tong raped and murdered one of them, the number dropped to three. Although the authorities had issued a warrant, the lecherous bandit was both skilled and cunning. Chen Liuqi had once confronted him, only for the man to escape. Since then, Zhou Tong had vanished from Qingzhou. No one expected him to resurface, and certainly not that such an irredeemable villain would meet his end in this manner.

Hearing this, Ning Shu clenched her fists tightly. Although she hadn't seen the body, Qiu Yi’s actions told her everything. This lecherous villain must have been the same scoundrel who used an aphrodisiac to target her! He must have seen the soldiers and, assuming they were hunting him, fled in panic. Qiu Yi had killed him to ensure the secret of that night remained buried.

"Where is the body?" Shen Ji asked immediately.

"Still outside," Chen Liuqi replied. "I didn't bring it in, fearing it would offend the... the young lady's eyes." He nearly slipped up, quickly correcting himself.

Shen Ji’s eyes lit up. "Would you like to take a look, Miss Ning?"

Ning Shu struggled to control her emotions and shook her head. "He’s just a lecherous criminal; there’s nothing worth seeing."

"Then you rest, Miss Ning. I’ll go take a look!" Shen Ji stood up, overjoyed. It was as if he had been wishing for a pillow and someone had just handed him one! A lecherous criminal? Perfect! Couldn't he pin the murder of Song Qingluan on Zhou Tong? And a dead man tells no tales. It would be perfectly reasonable for him to "find" half of a jade pendant on this rogue, wouldn't it? He wouldn't even need to find a thug to take the fall anymore! Perfect!

Watching Shen Ji walk away, Qiu Yi was filled with profound emotion. This young man’s luck was truly invincible. He had survived falling from a mountain cliff without a scratch, accidentally gained the favor of a princess, and now, while trying to cause trouble in a brothel, he had stumbled upon a notorious criminal. This was no longer just good luck; it was as if his ancestors' graves were smoking with divine favor!

"Princess, are you... all right?" Qiu Yi asked in a low voice, watching Ning Shu with concern.

"I'm fine." Ning Shu slowly relaxed her fists and gave Qiu Yi an approving look. "Well done."

"It is my duty." Qiu Yi glanced outside and lowered her voice further. "Princess, perhaps we should have kept him alive? His luck is so absurd that if we sent him to the battlefield, he might accidentally win a major victory..."

Ning Shu’s face twitched slightly, and she remained silent for a long time. The bastard’s luck was indeed unreasonably good! Perhaps taking him to the site where the disaster-relief funds were stolen might actually lead them to the silver! Yes! She had to take him there! If she could borrow his fortune to recover the funds, it would be ideal. Ning Shu quickly made up her mind.

As they walked out of the brothel, Shen Ji asked Chen Liuqi, "What was the bounty on this Zhou Tong again?"

"The government offered two thousand taels of silver, and after he harmed Pang Ying, the Pang family added another two thousand," Chen Liuqi replied, looking at Shen Ji with undisguised envy. Truly, he was a child of fortune, a man of destiny! How could he stumble upon such a windfall?

"So, we’ve just made a clean profit of four thousand taels?" Shen Ji rubbed his chin and looked at Chen Liuqi with a grin. "Do you believe me now? If we search every brothel in Qingzhou, we’ll likely catch the Fire Worship cultists!"

*I don't believe a word you say! You’re just damn lucky!* Chen Liuqi thought, though he felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of unease. *Damn it, if Shen Ji can survive even this, I’d better never offend him. A man with this much luck is someone ordinary people cannot afford to cross.*

By then, they had reached the street. Zhou Tong’s body was guarded by county soldiers, and a crowd had gathered to watch. Upon learning the identity of the deceased, the onlookers erupted in cheers.

"Have you searched the body yet?" Shen Ji asked Chen Liuqi, having already secretly palmed the half-pendant.

"Not yet," Chen Liuqi replied.

"Then I shall search him myself!" Shen Ji said with a flourish. "Who knows? I might even find clues regarding the missing disaster-relief funds on this lecherous dog!"

Chen Liuqi’s face twitched. *If you manage to find that, too, I’ll bow down to you next time I see you!*

Shen Ji knelt and began rummaging through the corpse. He was quite thorough, though he only turned up a few dozen taels of silver and two women's bodices.

"I wonder whose daughter this lecherous dog ruined," Shen Ji sighed while holding up the bodices. As he shook them, half of a jade pendant fell out.

"Huh? What is this?" Shen Ji picked up the piece of jade and held it up to the sunlight for all to see...