Cang Lan Dao - Chapter 29.1

Chapter 29.1
Xie Heng and Li Guiyu’s alliance, kill him —

“Old friend?” Cui Heng pondered, “Had a good relationship with you?”

“Just a subordinate.” Luo Wanqing did not want to mention more, turned her eyes, smiled, and said, “What are you asking these for?”

“Curiosity,” Cui Heng straightforwardly said, “I followed you just now. You are not alert, according to reason; if you are working in the Salt Gang, you should not be like this. I wondered if you were used to being followed. Then I gave you the dishes, and you didn’t even ask me if I wanted to eat with you, so I tried to pass you chopsticks, but you didn’t even thank me. I made some more moves. I saw what you liked to eat and moved the plate, and you weren’t surprised at all. I have spent time with you and know you are grateful. If I do something, you will thank me. How is it that you don’t even notice these small things?”

Cui Heng probed over her head, observed her, and laughed: “Who did you take me for?”

“I once had a servant,” Luo Wanqing did not look at him while explaining, “followed me for many years.”

“A woman?” Cui Heng asked.

Luo Wanqing nodded her head in obedience and answered, “En.”

“Then it’s a maid.” Cui Heng pondered and affirmed, “You come from a good background; how did you end up in the Salt Gang?”

In theory, a young lady who had been served since childhood, even if she entered the jianghu, should have gone to some prestigious sect and studied under a master.

“When my family fell,” Luo Wanqing tells the biography that Liu Xiniang reported to the officials, “I got bought and joined the Salt Gang.”

“And the maid?”

“Died before I got imprisoned.” When Luo Wanqing answered, Cui Heng knew it was inconvenient to say more and only nodded, softly consoling, “Condolences.”

“There’s no need to mourn the past.” Luo Wanqing smiled and raised her eyes to Cui Heng, “I’d like to trouble you to tell me what I should do in the future in the Inspection Department.”

“I came today to tell you about this: you can eat first.” Cui Heng raised his chin towards the desk, “You came from Yangzhou and have been busy for a long time, so you should recuperate first. During these times, I’ll take you around the Inspection Department to understand the situation, and then I’ll start training.”

“Training?” Luo Wanqing was curious; she took a sip of congee and heard Cui Heng laugh at her, “Being an Agent, you have a lot to learn. Mechanical formations, hidden weapons and poisons, secret language and parasites. Which one isn’t something you have to learn?”

Luo Wanqing listened and nodded, “You’re right.”

“And,” Cui Heng lightly laughed, “your three-legged kung fu that only relies on internal strength. The Inspection Department is full of masters; you can choose a master to teach you properly.”

“I can choose?” Luo Wanqing was surprised.

Cui Heng nodded: “Although you start midway (*) and count as half of your master, it’s best if you’re willing to do it.”

T/N :???? switch to a job one was not trained for · start midway. This sentence means that unlike other martial artists who trained from childhood, Luo Wanqing didn’t have the foundation and got inner strength from other person. That’s why she’s ‘start midway.’

Luo Wanqing smiled at his words, unable to help but smile, “Then I’ve come to a good place.”

“Who says you weren’t?” Cui Heng saw that she had eaten almost as much as she wanted, stood up, and shoved a packet of candy into her hands. He shook the fan in his hand and said, “Let’s go; I’ll take you for a stroll.”

With that, Cui Heng led her out of the room.

In the perfect spring light of March, the Inspection Department had people coming and going; Luo Wanqing followed Cui Heng as he walked through the building; the attendants came and went, and when they saw them, they all stepped back and bowed respectfully.

“The Agent is the most important person in the Inspection Department, and everyone in the entire department is cooperating with the Agent’s work.” Cui Heng introduced Luo Wanqing, “The job of the Agent is to handle cases. The Agent can send cases they deem necessary to investigate to the Qing Dragon Ambassador, Qing Ya, who will do the initial screening. Then, he will hand over the doubtful or noteworthy cases to the Master, who will confirm whether or not to handle the case. After confirming it, the case will become a task in the Inspection Department, and the Agent can claim it independently. The unclaimed cases will be delegated by the Xuan Wu Ambassador, Xuan Shan.”

“What about me?” Luo Wanqing was puzzled, “Am I, right now, allowed to look for a case, or do I have to claim a case or wait for the Xuan Wu Ambassador to delegate it?”

“You just came in; your first case, naturally, is to follow someone else.” Cui Heng said, leading her into a quiet, unoccupied room. After entering the room, he walked to the wall and pulled out two books. The bookshelf immediately pulled open towards the side, revealing a dark door.

Cui Heng pushed open the dark door, revealing a pitch-black tunnel. The tunnel only had two lights at the doorway, and the smell of blood and vague howls came from within.

Cui Heng took a light and turned back to greet her, “Come this way.”

Luo Wanqing looked at the dark tunnel. Her heart trembled slightly, but she still went forward and followed Cui Heng inside.

This tunnel was long, and Cui Heng’s wide sleeves flowed without wind. The whole person was like a demonic phantom walking in the night’s darkness, uncharacteristically relaxed in this oppressive smell of blood and darkness.

“This is the dungeon of the Inspection Department. The dungeon you saw during that day’s examination is a part of it.”

Light came from the front; Luo Wanqing followed Cui Heng out of the tunnel. She heard hissing and roaring sounds coming from the periphery. The smell of blood was so strong that it was sickening. Even though she had seen the scene of Zhao Yuyan’s murder, Luo Wanqing still wasn’t accustomed to the state of this place.

People here seemed as if they were not human; they were either suspended or hanging, some were still on the torture devices, some were in the cells; and such a scene made Luo Wanqing instantly return to Yangzhou Prison.

No, it’s far too gruesome than Yangzhou Prison.

It was like the eighteen layers of hell depicted in the storybooks, the place where the wicked return to after death.

“Here is the Imperial Prison widely rumored in the outside world.” Cui Heng held a lamp and looked at the blood all over the ground, his voice much colder.

When the people in the torture room saw Cui Heng, they all got up and respectfully said to Cui Heng, “Mr. Guanlan.”

“This is the new Agent I brought, Liu Xiniang, who will be your fellow officer in the future.” Cui Heng glanced at Luo Wanqing behind him and said with the crowd, “You guys continue.”

Cui Heng turned on the lamp and led Luo Wanqing to the cell, introducing on one side, “These are the means you need to know; otherwise, you won’t be able to find anything even if you catch someone. Look at this,” Cui Heng raised his hand, pointing to a complete human skin, “This is a skin that Master Xie personally pulled off. To peel such a complete human skin, you have to open on his head first, open from the scalp, and then fill the inside with mercury, which enters the skin and will separate the muscle skin ……” Cui Heng remembered something and paused, then with an apologetic smile: “I forgot this is your first time; you will learn later.”

Luo Wanqing didn’t say much. She glanced at the human skin, followed behind Cui Heng, and couldn’t help but purse her lips, “Is the Inspection Department torture all so cruel?”

“Of course.” Cui Heng smiled, but his eyes were all cold, “Do you think that the ones who can enter the Inspection Department are the ones whose mouths you can pry open with ordinary means?”

“Will there be good people?” Luo Wanqing raised her eyes. She couldn’t help but remember when she was in Yangzhou prison. If her father, her brother, and even her and her family were in the Imperial Prison, wouldn’t it be a life worse than death?

When Cui Heng heard this, his movements paused. After a moment of silence, he only said, “The Inspection Department will not casually carry out an execution, nor will they drag anyone into the Imperial Prison. The final trial is based on evidence, and they provide nothing but clues. There are times when extraordinary people perform extraordinary deeds.”

“Is that what Master Xie thought as well?” Luo Wanqing pursued.

Cui Heng thought for a moment and said softly, “Yes. Master Xie customizes the process performed by the Inspection Department.”

Luo Wanqing did not make a sound. She turned her eyes to look around.

Cui Heng looked at her expression and calmly said, “If you have participated in the death row examination of the Inspection Department, you should know that when dealing with evil spirits, the evil spirits will devour you if you do not transform into one. If you don’t kill Zhao Yuyan, Zhao Yuyan will kill you.”

“Then why did Master Xie create the Inspection Department?” Luo Wanqing needed help understanding. She looked at Cui Heng before her and wondered, “He is the first eldest son of the Xie Clan, the future destined head of the Xie Clan, born from a high family. He doesn’t need to do anything and is already in a position that is hard for many people in this world to reach, so why would he still want to create the Inspection Department?”

“Have you ever heard of a saying?” Cui Heng held the lamp before him, his tone light: “People without roots cannot stand. The world without killing is not good. If everyone wants to be good in this world, who will care about these evildoers?”

These words caused Luo Wanqing to freeze. Her father had also said these words when she was young. At that time, he was teaching her that no matter how good a person’s temper is, there should still be blood and that one cannot stand without roots. And the people in this world cannot judge him as good or bad by whether he is a murderer or not. Some people kill because of evil, but some people kill to protect the good. She hadn’t heard this phrase in many years and couldn’t help but say, “Where did you hear this phrase?”

“It is one of Cui’s family mottos.” Cui Heng remembered something and turned his head to look at her. He reminded her, “Also, don’t tell others that he is the Xie Clan’s firstborn son in the future.”

“Why?” Luo Wanqing was puzzled.

Cui Heng led her around the corner of the tunnel. The screams behind her gradually faded away, and he calmly explained, “Five years ago, when he founded the Inspection Department, he was removed from the Xie Clan.”

Luo Wanqing raised her eyes in surprise.

“You used to be in the Jiangnan Salt Gang and not clear about the matter of the Dongdu lineage,” Cui Heng’s back was like a lone soul. “He was the Xie Clan’s first son many years ago. Now, he only retains a family name, a loner. If you talk to the people about this, it will make people laugh.”

When he said that, a small building appeared in front of them.