The King of Black Fog

"Second Master! Second Master!" Liu De shouted urgently towards the bedroom from the living room.

Li Changzhou gave Li Biwei a meaningful glance. Li Biwei could have just stayed where she was and claimed she was there because she was utterly devastated by her elder brother's death and had come to seek comfort from her second brother, but guilty minds always do guilty things, and she hurriedly hid herself in the wardrobe.

Fortunately, she didn't hide under the blankets.

Little Radish was under there.

She curled up next to Li Changzhou, hugging her knees, nearly rolling herself into a ball—the impression she gave off was as if she was continuously muttering 'you can't see me, you can't see me'.

"Come in." Li Changzhou clenched the Gu worm that had crawled out from his chest.

"Second Master," Liu De burst in, his skin seeming impatient for action, "The Eldest Master is dead!"

"Dead? Who's dead?" Li Changzhou was startled.

—Gu worms were something he had never encountered before, and King Cobras must ingest poison before neutralizing the corresponding venom (except for snake venom).

—This woman Li Biwei...

"The Eldest Master, Eldest Master Li Bichang is dead! He died at his residence in Eight Immortals Bridge. Others who died include Beggar Gang's Wan Quan, the foreign-style dress shop's Wu Aifang, Iron Gall Martial Arts School's Sun Kedan, Song City Commercial Bank's Chairman Xie Yushu, the English missionary Dean, Daoist Sect's favored disciples Zhang Yifeng and Xu Maoshu."

—Very threatening, but to kill her—

—Firstly, one cannot be sure if there are any more Gu worms on them.

—Secondly, it's hard for him to do harm to his "sister," as Li Biwei wasn't using Gu out of hatred for him—men do not always take a woman's transformation from love to hate too seriously.

—Actually, killing her wouldn't be a problem. This was just a piece of the past; Li Biwei had died long ago. But most importantly, Yang Qinglan had recently issued a Holy Decree—do not commit evil even if it seems minor.

"Additionally—"

"Additionally what?" Li Changzhou asked.

—But he couldn't just let her off, she was a potential threat.

"Additionally," Liu De hesitated, "the assassin you had hung at the city gate, their body appeared at the crime scene. Some people are saying... it was you..."

Liu De dared only convey the sentiment, not daring to articulate the full thought.

The outsiders were just suspicious, but he knew well that Li Changzhou truly had the capability to kill, and the assassin's body was the best proof.

Li Changzhou lay back on the bed pensively, his hands clasped behind his head.

After a while, he asked: "What about the Commander?"

"He's gone to the scene!" Liu De replied hastily. "Second Master, should we go too?"

Li Changzhou pondered for a moment before saying, "Go prepare the car."

"Yes, sir." Liu De quickly withdrew.

Once he left, Li Biwei emerged from the wardrobe.

"Second brother, aren't you worried about being gossiped about for being so casual? If you're going to feign innocence, at least make it convincing." She complained slightly, but her face was all smiles.

"Trouble cannot be avoided, whether I pretend or not. You'd better go and get ready. Come with me later."

"Alright."

Li Biwei knew now was not the time for romance, so she quickly returned to her own courtyard to dress and put on a sad appearance.

Li Changzhou took his right hand out from behind his head, straightened his wrist, spread the palm open, and the King Cobra emerged out of the void, devouring the Gu worm in his palm before biting down on Li Changzhou's right arm.

Once the King Cobra let go and returned to the void, Li Changzhou sat up and threw off the blankets.

"Let's go!" He grabbed Little Radish, who was still curled up there.

To keep Little Radish close to him, he had deliberately worn a long gown and overcoat today, with Little Radish hiding in the large sleeves.

"Remember, warn me if there's any danger."

"Can't you just hide away!" Little Radish was incredibly dissatisfied and reluctant; she completely failed to reason with Li Changzhou.

'Might as well kill her and transfer the "Avoid Death and Prolong Life" onto myself,' Li Changzhou let the thought flash through his mind.

"I got it, I got it, I know already!" Little Radish trembled in the sleeve.

Li Changzhou smiled slightly; even for the sake of Li Qianxia, he wouldn't kill Little Radish, but he could try depriving a living player of their Skill (of course, he'd experiment on other players first).

Li Changzhou and Li Biwei took a car to the scene of the crime.

"Second Master, I'm sorry, the Commander has ordered that no one is allowed to enter," an officer stopped them.

The residence was sealed off so tightly inside and out that no matter how high one's Martial Arts were, against so many guns, there were only two options: death or escape.

"We're not allowed in either?" Li Biwei demanded.

The officer looked troubled: "Third Miss, the Commander specifically ordered that the Second Master and you are not permitted to enter."

Li Biwei's beautiful features darkened slightly as she looked towards Li Changzhou.

"Let's go back," Li Changzhou said expressionlessly.

The two returned to the car, the atmosphere inside heavy as water.

"Second brother, Li Xinghua must really suspect you now," Li Biwei said.

Li Changzhou kept silent.

After a while, Liu De, who was sitting at the front, couldn't help but speak up: "Second Master, you are currently the Commander's only son. The Commander has not come after you in his fury; give it some time, and once he cools down, he will surely forgive you."

Li Biwei scoffed: "As if there was any choice."

"Whether there's a choice or not, the current situation is the best we could have," Li Changzhou suddenly chuckled, displaying no trace of sorrow or concern.

Li Biwei also started to laugh, followed by Liu De's laughter.

With Li Bichang dead, Li Changzhou had become the sole candidate for succession. Everyone in the car—how could they not laugh? Even the driver felt like he was on the road to success.

"By the way, Master," Liu De dropped the 'Second', "is the Peony Ball the day after tomorrow still happening?"

"Of course, it's still on."

"Second brother, maybe we shouldn't," Li Biwei advised. "Aren't you adding fuel to the fire?"

Adding fuel to the fire was precisely what Li Changzhou wanted, to keep the Commander angered for a few more days.

◇

At Eight Immortals Bridge, the crime scene.

Li Xinghua sat at the head, staring at the nine corpses laid out in front of him, his usually expressionless face twitching uncontrollably."An expert." An elderly man in a long robe stood up from beside the body and let down his rolled-up sleeves.

"Can you tell who it was?" Li Xinghua asked in a deep voice.

The elderly man's gaze swept over the neck of the corpse, where a blur marked the twisted neck - a sign of an "Attribute Mask".

"I can only tell it was a man." The elderly man's gaze then scanned over the crown of Old Wan's head and the spot between the eyebrows of the willow tree man, "A strong force was used, and there was also a hidden weapon."

"Do you know of an expert like this?"

The elderly man shook his head.

After a long silence, Commander Li's facial muscles suddenly stopped twitching, and he said coldly, "Tonight, you will test Changzhou."

In the presence of this warlord and commander who had lost his son, the elderly man in the long robe suddenly smiled, "Testing is not a problem, but if it really was him who made the move..."

Commander Li's flesh trembled again and he said in a cold yet helpless tone, "Just teach him a lesson."

"I don't mean that," the elderly man replied, "If it really was him, with his skill, I'm afraid I can't hold back - of course, I will try my best, but you must let me test him, and be prepared for this possibility."

Commander Li's eyes flickered.

He suddenly relaxed completely as if drained of all strength, leaning on the chair and getting up with some difficulty.

"Forget it." His voice was weary, and the man who always appeared lively, making his way up from a bandit, to a soldier, to an officer, and finally to a commander, now seemed like an old man worn out by life.

Commander Li left with his retinue, and all nine bodies were taken away.

"Master," a middle-aged man approached the elderly man in the long robe and whispered, "Who do you think did it?"

"The Song Clan, Zhao Clan, Li Changzhou, and some minor powers, all are possible - who can guess." The elderly man in the robe was unconcerned.

"Could it really have been Li Changzhou?"

"Doesn't seem like it." The elderly man replied, "Otherwise there would be no reason to leave the bodies hanging on the city gate, though it could also be self-sabotage."

"But it's really strange, why did Li Xinghua suddenly give up? His eldest son is dead, and the second son is the most suspicious, yet he isn't even conducting an investigation."

The elderly man in the robe scoffed disdainfully, "He'd rather it was Li Changzhou who did it with his own hands, since the eldest son is already dead, it's better to hope that the surviving second son has truly exceptional skills."

"Let's not talk about this anymore." He changed the subject, "I've done things for Li Xinghua for so long, and he has finally agreed to dispatch the fleet to help me kill the sea demon. That's the important matter, go get ready."

"Yes!"

◇

"Commander Li Bichang assassinated!"

"Tycoons, tavern owners, gang leaders buried with him!"

"Extra, extra!"

A group of newsboys, barefoot and wearing tattered clothes, carried still-warm newspapers, hawking them on the streets.

"Give me a copy!"

"Coming right up!"

"I'll take one too!"

Each newsboy was steadied by many people who then dispersed and were surrounded by others.

News spread like currents of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, branching off and swiftly reaching every corner of Song City, and soon it would pervade the entirety of Xia Country.

Amid a whirlwind of reports, two pieces of news stood out—

One, Li Bichang was dead, and Li Changzhou had become the sole successor to the Li Clan Warlords.

Two, Commander Li was fully investigating the matter, had killed many people, and issued even more arrest warrants, yet he did not question Li Changzhou at all, nor did he grant him an audience, not even allowing him to enter the crime scene.

That very night, something else happened that shocked the entire city.

Li Biwei, the third young lady of the Li Family, was attacked by a venomous snake in the garden and has been unconscious ever since.

The Peony Charity Ball that had not been cancelled even after Li Bichang's death was finally called off by Li Changzhou, and Commander Li dispatched three hundred soldiers to guard the Commander Mansion.

Amid the tumult outside, everyone in the Commander Mansion was watching their own back, but Li Changzhou was lounging contentedly in his own room.

After a prolonged struggle with Li Biwei, the King Cobra, which was stuffed with Gu Worms, bit Li Changzhou once again.

First his head itched, then a bump rose on his forehead, which moved down his cheek, his neck, his shoulder, and along his arm until it finally emerged from the palm of his hand.

A small octopus-like creature.

Under Xiao Luobo's gaze, as if she were looking at a monster, Li Changzhou scratched his head which still felt itchy.

Li Qianxia also looked on with a face full of disgust and revulsion.

"I knew you and your sister had a close relationship, but I never imagined it was this close," she said, holding back her expression and teasing him.

"What nonsense," Li Changzhou glanced at her, "The Li Clan's second son was never called Li Changzhou, and this is my own body now. The only sister I have is you. What, do you want our relationship to become 'closer than expected'?"

"Gag—"

"Besides, brother, can't you worry about the poison from the King Cobra that hasn't been eaten yet?"

"When the time comes, we can just wake up Li Biwei, can't we? After all, sister loves her brother so much."

"Gag—"

The King Cobra itself contained all sorts of snake venom, and in Italy, it had consumed all the poisons Yafeiluna could procure, making rendering someone unconscious far too easy; even the King Cobra itself would hesitate at the array of choices.

Li Changzhou, unconcerned by his sister's vomiting, picked up Yang Qinglan's letter—the one from yesterday that only listed clothing sizes.

'When in Rome, do as the Romans do—Dear Mister Li:'

'I received the clothes, they're lovely, simple and to my taste, deduct the cost from what you owe me—clothes from the year 1928 are worth at most 5 cents.'

'I agree with your conjecture about the train, but dwelling on such matters is pointless.'

'Ask Xiao Luobo for me if she is willing to enter the world of the honey pot to take charge of milking; we will ensure her safety. In the instance, she can also come along. (Waiting rooms allow the purchase of team tickets for money, changing a party from three to four, five, or even six people, but the price is expensive.)'

'Additionally, on the night Li Bichang died, two people came to see the Chun Emperor. I asked Qian Xia, and it seems they were very similar to the two who fled. After you receive this letter, come over with Qian Xia, I'll be waiting behind the banana tree.'

'I've been studying "The White Snake" lately, and I love a line from it—Even though you, virtuous sister, remain true-hearted, that Xu Xian is no longer the Xu Xian of old. May all the unfaithful in the world eat my sword!'

'Yang'

Li Changzhou felt restless and a chill went down his spine.

What had he done? Was he being summoned tonight to confront the Chun Emperor, or to face her sword?