novelSusiti Chapter 8 Jiankang
Chapter 8 Jiankang
Three days later, Shen Bai returned to the Shen residence in Jiankang.
Zhou Lie's funeral arrangements have been completed. His ashes have been buried in the ancestral grave, a tombstone has been erected, and incense has been burned. The Ministry of War has summoned him to report for duty tomorrow, so Shen Bai will wait at home.
He was not idle.
He locked himself in his father's study and went through his father's belongings one by one.
---
Shen Bai stood in the study, holding a piece of paper in his hand.
The paper was yellowed, the edges were torn, and the writing on it was badly blurred, like a rag that had been soaked in water and then dried. He leaned closer to look, squinting, trying hard to make out the words.
Black stone.
Reverse flow.
Not even one in a thousand survived.
Only these few characters are legible. The rest are just black lumps, a dark mess, and I can't make out anything.
He crouched down and pulled out the other sheets of paper. He examined them one by one, and they all had the same problem—damp, blurry, and illegible.
His father's study. A hidden compartment. Concealed in the wall behind the bookshelves; the bricks could be moved.
His father hid these things without telling him.
---
Someone is shouting outside the window.
"Young Master Shen! Is Young Master Shen here?"
Shen Bai stuffed the paper back into the hidden compartment and stood up. He dusted himself off and straightened his collar.
Someone was knocking on the gate of the mansion.
It wasn't a gentle knock—it was a slap. A series of loud slaps, like debt collectors coming to collect a debt.
Shen Bai walked over and opened the door.
There was a person standing at the door.
White robe. Silver spear. Early twenties, decent-looking, but with a smug, punchable smile.
Shen Bai's hand was already on the hilt of the knife.
He recognized the face.
That day, this was the same person who led dozens of riders to capture him. The light in this person's hand collided with his own light, deflecting him.
"you."
Shen Bai narrowed his eyes.
The man in the white robe raised his hands.
"No, no, no, Young Master Shen, please don't make a move—I'm here to deliver a message, not to cause trouble."
"Send a message?"
"Yes, a letter." The man in the white robe smiled. "Someone asked me to pass on a message to you."
"who?"
"Zhou the Scarface."
Shen Bai did not loosen his grip.
Who is Zhou Scarface?
"He's my master." The man in the white robe shrugged. "No, who he is isn't important. What's important is that he knows why your father died. He sent me to deliver this message to you. If you were to kill me, Zhou the Scarface would probably be very upset—although the scar on his face makes it difficult for him to make any expression."
The man in white looked into Shen Bai's eyes.
"You're not really going to cut it, are you?"
---
Shen Bai followed the man in white out of the mansion.
Iron Shield isn't here. He's still at home recovering from his injuries, and Shen Anning is taking care of him.
He didn't want to go at first. But the man in the white robe said something.
"Don't you want to know how your father died?"
With just that one sentence, Shen Bai followed.
After wandering through the streets of Jiankang City, turning and twisting, I finally turned into a dead end. At the end of the alley was an old door, unpainted, revealing the dark wood underneath.
"We've arrived," said the man in the white robe. "Go inside; Elder Zhou is waiting there."
Shen Bai glanced at him.
"And you?"
"I'm keeping watch outside." The man in the white robe leaned against the wall. "You know, this kind of conversation isn't appropriate with a third person present."
Shen Bai stared at him for three breaths.
"You talk too much."
"Really?" The man in the white robe stroked his chin. "Others say that too. My mom says I started being a chatterbox when I was three—"
Shen Bai ignored him and went inside.
---
It was dark in the courtyard.
A withered tree, a well, and a person sitting by the well.
The man was in his early sixties, and his face was covered in scars. Not knife wounds—they were burns. As if something had burned them out from within.
"Here they come," the scarred old man said in a flat voice.
Shen Bai walked over and sat down on the stone bench.
He didn't speak. He waited.
The scarred old man didn't say anything, he just stared at him for a long time.
Finally, the scarred old man spoke.
I was there when your father died.
Shen Bai clenched his fists.
"I was right behind your father when the shield wall collapsed," the scarred old man said in a low voice. "I watched him swing his sword. I watched him fall. I watched the Northern Barbarians charge."
Shen Bai remained silent.
"Your father didn't die at the hands of the Northern Di people."
Shen Bai raised his head.
He died from—
The scarred old man paused for a moment.
"He died in a police station."
---
The courtyard was quiet.
The wind blew in from behind the dead tree, carrying the smell of rotten wood.
Shen Bai clenched his fists.
"What kind of bureau?"
The scarred old man didn't answer. He simply stood up, walked to the well, and drew a bucket of water.
Do you know about Xuan Stone?
"Know."
Do you know where the Mystic Stone comes from?
"have no idea."
The scarred old man scooped up a bowl of water and handed it to Shen Bai.
"The far north of the Northern Barbarians," he said. "There's a mountain there, filled entirely with black stones. The Northern Barbarians consider it their lifeblood, and we in Southern Liang have coveted it for twenty years."
Shen Bai took the water but didn't drink it.
"This Northern Expedition—"
"It's all for that mountain," said the scarred old man. "We seized that mountain and got the mystical stone inside."
"You got it?"
"I got it!"
The old man with the scarred face changed his voice.
"But I didn't bring it back."
Shen Bai clenched his fists.
"During the retreat, they collapsed. The Xuan Stone was lost. The commander died, and the army scattered."
The scarred old man looked at him.
"Your father is on that defensive line."
---
Shen Bai put the bowl down.
"You could say my father's death was both an accident and an accident."
"right."
"What do you mean?"
The scarred old man paused for a moment.
"The defensive line your father was guarding was the main direction of the Northern Di people's attack."
Shen Bai clenched his fists.
Why did the Northern Di primarily attack that line?
"Because of the Mystic Stone," said the scarred old man. "As long as the Mystic Stone is in their hands, they can afford to lose. They must take it back."
"So they're focusing their attack on my father's defenses?"
"right."
"Then my dad—"
"Your father must lose," the scarred old man said in a low voice. "If your father holds that line, the Northern Barbarians will attack desperately. If they take it, the Mysterious Stone can be taken back. If they don't—"
The scarred old man paused for a moment.
"They won't fail to take it."
Shen Bai's hands were trembling. His nails dug into his palms, drawing blood, but he felt nothing.
"You mean, my father was sent to his death?"
The scarred old man looked at him.
"The Northern Di people attacked him because of the Xuan Stone. They made him guard that line because someone needed him to lose."
silence.
The wind blew again, carrying the smell of rotten wood.
---
Who is the mastermind?
Shen Bai's voice was very low, as if it came from underground.
"Who gave the order to send my father to his death?"
The scarred old man did not answer.
"you say."
The scarred old man looked at him with the same gaze he would give a child who hadn't yet grown up.
"Now is not the time."
"When is the right time?"
"When you figure out what the Mystic Stone is," the scarred old man said, "when you figure out what those things your father left behind mean."
Shen Bai clenched his fists.
"The things my father left behind—"
"Those pieces of paper. Did you see them clearly?"
"No. It's damp. The words are illegible."
The scarred old man nodded.
"Go find someone who can see it clearly," said the scarred old man. "There's someone in Jiankang City who can repair that piece of paper."
"who?"
"Go to the Moxianzhai shop in the east of the city and find the manager. Just say, 'Old Zhou sent you.'"
The scarred old man looked at him.
"He can read your father's handwriting."
The scarred old man stood up and walked into the house.
He paused at the doorway.
"There's one more thing."
Shen Bai raised his head.
"Tomorrow, the Ministry of War will summon you for a report."
The scarred old man looked at him.
"Go. Say what you should say. Don't utter a single word about what you shouldn't say."
Shen Bai looked at him.
Why?
The scarred old man did not answer.
Don't trust anyone.
Scarface pushed open the door and went inside. The moment the door closed, Shen Bai heard a cough from inside. It was very light, but very heavy, like a stone hitting cotton.
Then there was no sound at all.
---
Shen Bai stood in the courtyard, his mind a jumbled mess.
Mysterious stone. Flowing backwards. Less than one in a thousand remains.
The paper left by his father.
Northern Expedition. Seizing the Xuan Stone. Retreat. Defeat.
His father's death.
We must lose. We must die.
The mastermind.
Don't trust anyone.
He clenched his fists.
---
Shen Bai pushed open the door and came out.
The man in the white robe was still leaning against the wall, arms crossed, with a smug grin on his face.
"Oh, finished chatting?" The man in the white robe leaned closer. "How was it? What did the old man say? Was it all a bit confusing? I had the same expression when I first heard it—"
"I have a question for you."
The man in the white robe paused for a moment.
"What?"
"Who is Zhou Scarface?"
The white-robed man's gaze changed.
Why are you asking this?
"He knows my dad."
"..."
The man in the white robe fell silent for a moment.
"Your father was one of his former subordinates," said the man in the white robe. "He fought alongside him back then. Later, he grew old and stayed in Jiankang City."
"How did he get the scar on his face?"
"You don't know?"
"have no idea."
The man in white glanced at him, his eyes filled with a look of hesitation—as if he was wondering whether to speak.
"It was burned by that thing."
His voice suddenly lowered.
"It's become like this after being used too much."
He raised his hand and looked at his palm. His hand was trembling slightly.
"I'll become like that too."
He smiled. It was a bitter smile.
"Soon."
Shen Bai looked at him.
The man in the white robe put away his smile.
"I have that thing on you too. We're the same kind. The same kind should look after each other."
Shen Bai didn't say anything, and turned to walk towards the alley entrance.
After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped.
"What's your name?"
The man in the white robe paused for a moment, then smiled.
"My name doesn't matter. Just call me White Robe."
Shen Bai didn't turn around and kept walking.
The alley was dark, with only one lamp in the distance. His shadow stretched long on the ground.
Tomorrow, at the Ministry of War. He needs to get all the questions he needs to know.
---
(End of Chapter 8)