Jinshan County city lies just beyond the East Pier Warehouse Lane.
Having overseen a day's labor at the pier and whipped quite a few laborers, Qian Qi was somewhat weary as he entered their den at the East Pier and then began to count the money inside a case.
Most of it was Copper Coin, some stained with a mix of sweat and dirt, others still tinged with blood.
There were also pieces of broken Silver.
Yet Qian Qi counted with relish.
The feeling of counting silver was the best, the day he could count until his hand cramped was the most beautiful dream.
It wasn't long before Qian Qi's five brothers arrived one by one, with the last two bringing a large package of food and drink that they laid out on the table.
With both meat and vegetables, wine and dishes, it indeed seemed a splendid spread.
But after only a sip of wine, Qian Qi spat it out and cursed, "Goddamn it, roasted by the sun all day for barely one tael and six maces of Silver, when will these miserably hard days end."
The few rough-looking enforcers glanced at one another but said nothing.
One tael and six maces not enough?
The dockside laborers, after toiling for a whole month, couldn't even earn that much.
"Seventh Master, why not see incense master Deng, try to switch up the work?"
Smack!
The talkative ruffian was immediately struck on the head, "The other places offer good jobs, more Silver too, but do you think I, your Seventh Master, could hold onto them? Without any supernatural skill, I can only rely on my toughness to do their dirty and tough work."
At those words, another ruffian suddenly laughed, "Seventh Master, surely you're not considering pulling that stunt again?"
One-eyed Qian Qi glared threateningly, revealing a chilling sensation,"Then have you found the right target? Opportunities like this are rare.
Without that evil demon showing up and pulling away the county guard, government officials, even the Taoist Institute Disciples, we wouldn't have had the nerve.
Such a chance, if not once in a hundred years, once in ten years would still be good.
Tell me, how many decades does one life have?" Amidst his speech, Qian Qi even began to wax philosophical.
"Indeed... How many decades does a life have..."
Smack!
Another strike on the head, "Did I ask you that? The target? Got a good lead?"
"All set, it's already scoped out; we have two potential targets, just waiting on Seventh Master's choice..."
At these words, Qian Qi began to smile, but his smile abruptly stopped.
Because suddenly, he noticed that at some point, a green-clothed man leaning against the door with arms folded had appeared.
Even eerier was that this green-clothed man seemed blurry, almost invisible, only by tilting their heads and looking hard in the lamplight could one manage to see him.
"Why not include me in your plans tonight?" The green-clothed man spoke up, his voice deep and ominous.
"Who... who are you?"
Qian Qi suddenly stood up, signaling with his hand, his five underlings drew their knives and whips from their waists, and surrounded the green-clothed man who had appeared unexpectedly.
The green-clothed man merely glanced at them coldly. When his five fingers spread apart, five beams of Starlight immediately shot out from the tips of his fingers, exactingly striking the foreheads of the five ruffians.
Bang bang bang bang bang!
Five consecutive sounds erupted as the ruffians' heads burst open like firecrackers.
White and red splattered everywhere, covering Qian Qi completely but not even reaching within a foot of the green-clothed man.
Qian Qi was dumbfounded!
In an instant, his knees gave way, and he fell to the ground with a thud.
"Spare my life!"
"Merciful hero, spare my life!"
Just from that move, Qian Qi realized that this person was a master, several times stronger than the incense master Deng he knew.
So he knelt down promptly.
"I'll ask, you answer!"
"Ask whatever you want, hero, I'll answer!" As he spoke, Qian Qi felt the wetness spread in his trousers, clearly terrified by the ruthless methods of the green-clothed man.
"Those matters at He's Manor outside North City and Lu's Resting Inn ten miles outside the East City, were those your doing?" the green-clothed man interrogated.
Qian Qi almost shook his head in denial, but he immediately realized that since the man had come to him, he must have known it was his doing; to deny it would bring death that much quicker.
"Answering the hero, it was a group effort led by that guy," Qian Qi pointed at one of the dead men.
The green-clothed man gave a cold laugh, "At least you're honest."
"The title 'Shadowless Judge,' was that also your creation?" the green-clothed man continued to inquire.
As he was asked, Qian Qi's pants visibly shook again.
Qian Qi was not a fool; he was beginning to understand that they might have been tracked down by the real victim.
How could he survive?
How could he indeed stay alive?
Qian Qi was frantic with worry yet still had to answer the green-clothed man's questions, not daring to provoke him.
"It was him, he proposed it, and I just agreed," Qian Qi pointed to yet another dead man, careful not to completely disconnect himself from blame, as that would be fooling no one.
The green-clothed man then laughed, causing Qian Qi's heart to knot with fear and panic.
"Want to live?" the green-clothed man suddenly asked.
"Y-yes! Yes!"
"In and around this county city, who else is doing the same thing? The more you tell, the more likely you are to live!" the green-clothed man demanded.
"I know, I'll tell!"
"Viscount Zhao's third son in the county city has already used this name to snatch daughters from two respectable families."
"Iron Head Liu from the cattle market at North City led a raid on a herdsmen's caravan three days ago, and just yesterday, he snuck into his old rival Manager He's house, robbing and annihilating the entire family."
"That sounds quite substantial. Keep going!" the green-clothed man scornfully remarked.
Qian Qi's eyes darted around; dozens of such incidents had occurred in the county city, but he was not a divine detective from the government office—how could he know everything?
But clearly, the number he had provided was still insufficient.
The only option left was... to fabricate!
Anything to save his skin.
"Deng Hu over at City West Pier has done quite a lot too. A few days ago, he badly injured a young laborer at the pier under the pretext of work, then barged into the laborer's house at night, kidnapped him, and took forceful possession of the young laborer's wife.