The two walked to the edge of the camp. Hu Xiang took out a metal box and pulled out a long, thin cigarette wrapped in brownish-gray paper.
Seeing Su Chen shake his head, he stuck it in his own mouth. A flame sparked from his thumb, and he took a deep drag, the embers glowing brighter.
After blowing out a smoke ring, he said leisurely, "Zhou Zhong's father is Zhou Xian, the Minister of Internal Affairs. We're in for big trouble."
"He should be going after the Cyan Scale Lion," Su Chen said with a frown.
Hu Xiang said helplessly, "He can't find the Cyan Scale Lion, so he'll just come after us."
"He'll blame us for not acting sooner, and for not protecting his son."
"I was fighting the beast leader at the time, so I have a flimsy excuse. But you had a conflict with Zhou Zhong. He won't let you off easily. It doesn't matter if you weren't the one who attacked him in secret. People like them don't care about evidence."
Su Chen's expression wavered, but he didn't dwell on the topic. "Who put you up to it?"
Hu Xiang froze for a moment. The cigarette dangling from his lips smoldered, letting off a thin trail of smoke. He seemed surprised that Su Chen would be so direct.
Su Chen turned his head to look at him. "Silence. Is that your answer?"
"Qi Chuan..." Hu Xiang's lips moved, and he uttered a name.
"Ah... so it was him." Su Chen wasn't particularly surprised. He thought for a moment, then asked, "What was the price on my head?"
"A clue about the Fog Nightmare Pearl..."
"Just a clue?" Su Chen was stunned.
"This clue is very important to me. It might be able to wake up my wife." Hu Xiang snuffed out the cigarette in his hand, a distant look of recollection in his eyes.
"Such a devoted husband?" Su Chen shot him a surprised glance, then asked, "Then why were you looking out for me before?"
Hu Xiang looked a bit uncomfortable. "Guilt, perhaps."
"Guilt?" Su Chen grinned. That answer truly caught him by surprise. "I thought you'd say it was to make me lower my guard or something."
"I never used to do things like this..." Hu Xiang argued. Perhaps because he was certain Qi Chuan's plan had failed, he felt a bit of the burden lift.
"I don't care," Su Chen cut in. "I have no interest in your inner turmoil. You don't need to tell me about it."
Hu Xiang gave a bitter smile. "You're right. No matter how you slice it, I was a part of it. It's only natural for you to resent me."
"Resent you?" Su Chen gave him a strange look. "Who said I resent you?"
"You were paid to do a job. I can understand that," Su Chen explained patiently. "If someone made me an offer I couldn't refuse, I wouldn't hesitate to come after you either."
Hu Xiang was dumbfounded. 'Is the thinking of a refugee always this sharp?'
"But you failed," Su Chen said with a smile. "So now you have to pay your debt."
Hu Xiang's mind was a mess. He said tentatively, "And what if... I refuse to settle this account?"
Su Chen beamed at him. "Then for the rest of my life, as long as I'm alive, I'll be watching your wife."
Hu Xiang's heart trembled, and a cold dread washed over him.
Su Chen chuckled. "Of course, you still have a chance. You could kill me right now."
Hu Xiang instinctively glanced back at the main group not far away. People were still looking over from time to time, and Bai Fengxi, in particular, was staring without blinking.
Hu Xiang shook his head with a bitter smile. "Don't mess with me, kid."
Hu Xiang was completely resigned to his fate. The whole scheme had left him deeply unsettled from the start.
"Let's go. They should be about done..."
The City Patrol Guards were efficient. The bodies were all piled to one side, and the chaotic camp had become orderly again.
When they saw Su Chen and Hu Xiang return, everyone's expressions were still complicated. The pile of bodies, like a small hill, served as a constant reminder that what had just happened was no dream.
"Su Chen... is this your tent...?" Shen Ying'er sidled up, hugging an earth-yellow tent and puffing out her chest. It was anyone's guess where she had been hiding just now.
Her clothes were a bit tattered, her eyes were slightly red, and she looked at Su Chen with a pitiful expression.
"If you want it, it's yours," Su Chen said casually.
"No, I..." Shen Ying'er watched Su Chen walk straight past her, regretting that she hadn't tried to build a better relationship with him earlier.
"What are your plans for these bodies?" Hu Xiang asked from his side. "They're your spoils of war. Under normal circumstances, fifty percent of the sale price is yours."
He quickly explained, "The City Patrol Guards have to handle the processing, packing, and carrying, so we have to take a portion."
This was an unspoken rule, so Su Chen didn't object, just nodded. "You can handle it."
"How about this..." Hu Xiang thought for a moment, then added, "There's a massive number of bodies this time, and we're short on people. Let's consume them as provisions for now, and we'll reimburse you for their value when we get back."
"Alright." The two settled on it, and the students who were bandaging their wounds and resting couldn't help but shoot them envious glances.
Hu Xiang usually berated them at the slightest provocation, his words always harsh. This was the first time they had seen him use such a negotiating tone.
Hu Xiang said a few more words. This time, he didn't reprimand the students for their chaotic performance during the battle. Instead, he offered comfort and encouragement, which made many of them feel a little better.
"The students are excused from night watch tonight. Everyone, go get some rest. We'll shrink the watch perimeter by half. I will be on patrol," Hu Xiang ordered finally.
He was a very capable man. Not more than half an hour after the battle, the camp had more or less recovered. The students all went to rest, but low whimpers could be heard from within many of the tents.
The recent battle had left Su Chen feeling tired as well. He got a tent from logistics, but after setting it up, he found he couldn't fall asleep.
He couldn't completely let his guard down around Hu Xiang.
...
In the latter half of the night, the camp was deathly silent. A figure crept quietly from a tent and moved toward a corner of the camp, where a tightly wrapped body lay.
ZZZIP...
He carefully pulled open the zipper on the Corpse Bag. Zhou Zhong, with only half a head remaining, stared out with his single, wide eye.
He reached out and began searching the body for something, his movements frantic. "Where is it? Where the hell is it..."
"Tang Chen, what are you doing?" a voice suddenly called out from behind him.
The figure searching the corpse on the ground froze instantly. He turned around cautiously. "Cap-Captain, aren't you on patrol?"
"I asked, what are you doing?" Hu Xiang's tone was cold.
"I... I heard a noise over here, so I came to check it out..." Tang Chen's throat bobbed as he explained in a hushed voice.
"What kind of noise can a corpse make?" Hu Xiang's expression was indifferent as he tossed out a pair of iron cuffs. "Put these on."
Tang Chen's expression changed. "Captain, I really was just taking a look," he said hurriedly.
"Don't make me do it myself." Hu Xiang took a step forward, and the surrounding air began to heat up.
Tang Chen had no other choice but to pick up the iron cuffs from the ground and fasten them around his wrists. The surface of the cuffs glowed with an electromagnetic light and, with a SNAP, they forcibly locked together.