novelSusiti Chapter 11 Similar
Chapter 11 Similar
Shen Bai stood at the doorway, looking towards the alley entrance.
The footsteps returned. Not the kind that follow—they approached. Step by step, they came toward the courtyard.
It wasn't the cat-and-mouse game of Wang Dechang. It was restrained, gentle, as if afraid of disturbing something.
A figure entered from the alley entrance.
It was completely dark, but by the light from the fire inside the house, Shen Bai could see the face clearly.
He was in his early forties, thin, and had deep-set eyes.
It was that person from the Ministry of War that day. The one who stood in the corner without saying a word.
He felt then that the look in her eyes was off. It was like she was looking at the child of an old friend. Now he understands.
Shen Bai placed his hand on the hilt of the knife.
"take it easy."
The man stopped at the gate of the courtyard, his voice flat. There were no extra words, no small talk.
"I'm here to help."
Shen Bai didn't move. He looked at the man.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Chen Yue."
The man looked at Shen Bai, something shifting in his eyes. It wasn't hostility, nor was it wariness. It was some kind of...complex emotion.
"He was your father's comrade-in-arms. Twenty years ago, they served in the army together."
Shen Bai remained silent.
His hand was still on the hilt of the knife. He didn't let go.
"I'm a step too late."
Chen Yue glanced at the iron shield in the courtyard, then at Shen Bai.
"You solved it yourself."
Shen Bai's hand was still on the hilt of the knife. He didn't let go.
What are you doing here?
"Look at you."
Chen Yue's voice was very flat.
"I couldn't be there to see your father off when he passed away. Now I want to see how his son is doing."
He paused for a moment.
"You're doing well. Better than I expected."
Shen Bai looked at him.
"You know about Wang Dechang's matter?"
"I heard it from outside."
Chen Yue nodded.
How do you know there's something wrong with his accounts?
"I don't know, I'm just guessing."
Chen Yue remained silent for a while.
"You guessed right."
"You're just like your father."
Chen Yue's voice changed and lowered.
"Find leverage first, then negotiate terms. Never confront them head-on."
He looked at Shen Bai.
"You're even more composed than your father."
Shen Bai remained silent.
He didn't know what to say. This person knew his father, this person appeared when he needed him most, this person knew what methods he had used.
But he didn't know who this person was.
Chen Yue turned around and walked towards the door.
"Zhou Bazi didn't finish his sentence."
He paused for a moment, but didn't turn around.
"You'll have to ask for that name yourself."
"who?"
"You'll know once you've asked."
He went out and entered the alley.
The footsteps faded into the distance, disappearing into the darkness.
Shen Bai stood at the door, gazing in that direction for a long time.
The moonlight was faint, shining on the stone slabs at the alley entrance, making them appear as a white expanse.
He knew what the man meant.
But now is not the time to think about these things.
He turned and went back into the courtyard.
---
Iron Shield was still leaning against the wall, his left arm in a sling, and his complexion was a little better than before.
Shen Anning had already gone inside, leaving only the two of them in the courtyard.
The fire was still burning, but the flames had dwindled, leaving only a faint red glow flickering in the ashes.
Shen Bai walked over and sat down on the stone bench.
He was exhausted. From the moment he left home to meet Zhou Bazi until now, most of the day had passed. He hadn't eaten or drunk anything, just kept walking, listening, and thinking.
Iron Shield glanced at him.
Who was that person just now?
"My father's comrade-in-arms."
"What are you doing here?"
Look at me.
Shen Bai's voice was flat, as if he were talking about something unimportant.
"That's all."
Iron Shield didn't speak. He looked at Shen Bai, his eyes changing.
After a long time, Iron Shield spoke.
"I found out about the white robe yesterday."
Shen Bai raised his head and looked at him.
Iron Shield hesitated for a moment. His hand was still in a sling, but his eyes were clear, showing no signs of drowsiness.
"I used my connections to investigate his background."
Iron Shield's voice was very low, so low that only the two of them could hear it.
"He's not some kind of gangster."
Shen Bai didn't speak. He waited.
"He is from the Lin family, a prominent military family."
The courtyard was quiet.
The fire crackled softly in the ashes. A gust of wind swept across the wall, carrying away some of the heat.
Shen Bai looked at the iron shield.
"The Lin family?"
"The Lin family."
Iron Shield repeated it.
"They were wiped out ten years ago. Overnight, the entire family was dead."
He paused for a moment.
"He's the only one left. The survivor."
Shen Bai didn't speak. He looked at the fire, the flames dancing.
"Mountain bandits?"
Nobody believes it.
Iron Shield shook its head.
"The Lin family is a military family on the frontier, guarding the northern border. They have soldiers and generals under their command. How could mountain bandits wipe them out? That's an entire family, wiped out overnight, and then they say it was done by mountain bandits?"
"Then why—"
"No one dares to investigate."
The iron shield interrupted him.
"They said it was done by bandits. But everyone knows it wasn't. The imperial court didn't investigate, and the case was closed. Ten years have passed, and no one has mentioned it again."
He looked at Shen Bai.
Shen Bai remained silent.
He thought of the white robe.
That guy in his early twenties, carrying a silver spear, with a smug grin.
Those eyes—when they looked at Shen Bai, there was always something very strange about them.
It's like looking at one of their own kind.
He didn't think much of it at the time. Now he knows.
It's not because the white-robed man also has "that thing" on him.
"He's with you."
Iron Shield's voice changed.
"It's not a coincidence."
Shen Bai raised his head.
"What do you mean?"
"He's a man seeking revenge."
Iron Shield looked at him with a deep gaze.
"Just like you."
The courtyard was quiet.
A gust of wind blew in from outside the wall, carrying a damp smell. The flame flickered, then stood up again.
Shen Bai clenched his fists.
He remembered what the man in the white robe had said: "Those of the same kind should look after each other."
"Is he trying to use me?"
"have no idea."
Iron Shield shook its head.
"But one thing is certain—he is not your enemy."
Who is my enemy?
"have no idea."
Iron Shield looked at him.
"But the Lin family's enemies and your father's enemies are probably on the same side."
Shen Bai remained silent.
He stood up, walked to the wall, and looked out at the dark doorway.
The moonlight shone on the ground, making it appear as a pure white expanse.
Iron Shield is right.
The white-robed man is not the enemy.
But he wasn't a friend either.
He is one of us.
Both families were wiped out, both possessed "that thing," and both were searching for their enemies.
That's why I stayed by his side.
That's why it's said that "people of the same kind should look after each other."
But what happens after that?
Exploitation? Trade? Or are they really just "of the same kind"?
Shen Bai didn't know.
All he knew was that from now on, there was one more person by his side.
A person like him, burdened with blood debts.
---
Late at night.
Tie Dun went inside to rest. Shen Anning is taking care of him.
Shen Bai remained standing in the courtyard, motionless.
He looked at the moon in the sky; it was crescent-shaped, like a knife.
He thought about the white robe all night.
The Lin family was wiped out. Ten years ago.
Ten years passed between her death and her father's.
But the lines could be the same line.
Mysterious stone. Corrosion. Immortal weapon.
Someone is doing these things. Someone wiped out the Lin family. Someone sold out the father.
Is it the same person?
Are they the same group of people?
Shen Bai clenched his fists.
Tomorrow. He's going to investigate Zhou Bazi's background. That man knows too much, yet he says nothing.
He needs to know who he really is.
---
(End of Chapter Eleven)