Chapter 30: Whoever Brother Tells Me to Kill, I Shall Kill!

In the mid-morning, Su Wu arrived at the county office. He went through the usual motions, checking in for roll call and paying his respects to the magistrate.

He noticed, however, that many people in the office were looking at him with strange, inquisitive expressions. Even Li Cheng, that young lad, acted rather odd. Once the roll call was finished and the bailiffs were assigned their duties, Su Wu asked him, "What is going on?"

Li Cheng made no attempt to hide it. "Brother, do you not know?"

"Know what?" Su Wu was completely bewildered.

"Sigh... Brother, did you really... do something?" Li Cheng asked again.

"Speak! What is it?" Su Wu demanded sharply.

"Brother, the streets are filled with talk about you. They say that you and..."

"Out with it!"

"Sigh! They say that you and Meng Yulou, the widow from the Yang family's cloth shop, are... involved in an illicit affair. The rumor has spread all over Yanggu County." Li Cheng still hadn't put it bluntly, but Su Wu caught the meaning. It was clearly a smear campaign, and given the nature of such rumors, they were undoubtedly malicious and crude.

What the hell was this? Su Wu hadn't even shared a cup of tea with the woman. He didn't need to guess; this was undoubtedly the handiwork of that scoundrel, Ximen Qing.

"Brother, is there any truth to it?" Li Cheng persisted.

Before Su Wu could answer, Wu Song, who was standing nearby, spoke up. "Nonsense! Absolute rubbish! We’ve met her only once and didn't even know her before. With all the trouble these days, how could my brother possibly have the leisure time for such things?"

Li Cheng nodded repeatedly. "That’s true, that’s true. I knew it—someone must be trying to ruin Brother’s reputation behind his back."

It was an awkward situation. Anyone in Yanggu County with half a brain likely wouldn't believe it, as Su Wu and Meng Yulou had never crossed paths before. But one could hardly stop the wagging tongues of the gossiping women in town.

That dog Ximen Qing was truly despicable! For a man like Su Wu, it mattered little, but Meng Yulou was a woman living with her young brother-in-law, already struggling to make ends meet. How would she handle this? On second thought, this move by Ximen Qing was a cunning strike at the root, effectively cutting off Meng Yulou’s options and indirectly forcing her toward the Ximen household. It was no wonder that man was on his way to becoming the wealthiest person in town—he knew exactly how to use women to rise to power.

"Tell them to stop spreading this nonsense in the office," Su Wu instructed.

"Understood. I’ll go tell them right now that Brother has no time for such trivialities," Li Cheng said before turning to leave.

Feeling somewhat glum, Su Wu stepped out of the office. He looked left and right, feeling a sense of helplessness. He had thought about going to see Meng Yulou to offer comfort or an explanation, but decided that might be inappropriate.

He paused in his tracks. A young man was standing nearby, holding a basket of pears and stealing glances at him, as if he had been waiting there for a long time.

Su Wu beckoned him over. "Come here!"

The young man didn't run; he approached and, without waiting for Su Wu to speak, took a letter from his basket. "Chief Su, someone asked me to wait here for you and deliver this."

Su Wu took the letter and looked at the lad. "Are you Yun Ge?"

"Ah? You know my name, Chief?" The young man looked delighted.

Su Wu fished a few coins from his pocket. "Here."

Yun Ge shook his head vigorously. "I’ve already been paid."

"Just take it," Su Wu said, dropping the coins into his basket.

"Thank you, Chief! Thank you!" The young man bowed repeatedly.

"That's enough, go on. Keep hanging around this area; I'll look for you if I have more errands." Su Wu didn't have a bad impression of the boy.

After Yun Ge left, Su Wu examined the envelope. It was blank. He opened it and read the contents. There was no greeting or signature, just one line: "Do not worry, sir. I know the truth; it is the work of villains. The clear will remain clear."

It was clearly from Meng Yulou. Su Wu had been worrying about how to comfort her, yet she had shown greater character by reaching out to comfort him first. This woman... she truly had a magnanimous spirit and a resilient heart to remain so composed under the weight of such slander.

Good! Su Wu smiled, tucked the letter into his tunic, and let out a sigh of relief. He would set this matter aside; there was a bigger task to attend to tonight.

Wu Song came out, exchanged a meaningful glance with Su Wu, and headed out of the city. Su Wu returned to the office to wait. The plan was simple: today, he would have Yu Baosi demand compensation from Yun Liwan. Yun Liwan would inevitably have to respond, and not daring to trust anyone else, he would surely send Ximen Qing. Once Ximen Qing left the city, he would be a turtle in a jar.

Su Wu had originally intended to slowly fleece Ximen Qing, but his mindset had shifted. He would strike first; otherwise, unforeseen complications might arise. In this era, one had to act decisively. Fleecing him was unnecessary—taking what he wanted by force was perfectly acceptable. In this day and age, looting was a viable strategy, provided one did it with enough cunning.

When Wu Song returned, he found Su Wu and said, "Brother, the situation has changed."

"How so?" Su Wu asked.

Wu Song checked that no one was near and whispered, "Yun Liwan and Ximen Qing have also told Yu Baosi to lure you out of the city tonight. It seems they have an ambush waiting for us."

"That’s a coincidence," Su Wu muttered, frowning slightly.

"I’m not sure if Yu Baosi is to be trusted..." Wu Song added.

Su Wu stood up, paced twice, his expression hardening into one of menace. He looked at Wu Song and said, "Tonight, we fight for our lives!"

"I fear nothing! We shall paint the night with blood," Wu Song declared, his eyes wide with unyielding killing intent.

"Then go back to Yu Baosi and tell him to proceed exactly as Yun Liwan and Ximen Qing have ordered," Su Wu said, his heart steady. He had already prepared his countermeasures. In this era, you fought with your life to secure your future! Yun Liwan and Ximen Qing were mere small-time thugs. If he couldn't even clear this hurdle, how could he hope to face the likes of the great outlaws of Liangshan? How could he ever hope to rise to the top?

Wu Song stood up. "Brother, I will go deliver the message." He turned and sprinted away, his speed astonishing.

Su Wu stepped out of the office and called out, "Xiao Cheng!"

Li Cheng immediately stepped forward. "Brother, what is it?"

"Tonight, bring your heavy crossbow and plenty of bolts," Su Wu ordered.

"Understood!" Li Cheng nodded instantly.

Su Wu asked, "Do you have the stomach to kill?"

Li Cheng thumped his chest. "I do! Whoever you tell me to kill, I will kill!"

A few other bailiffs walked by, thinking their chief was just testing Li Cheng with a joke.

"Good!" Su Wu nodded. He headed to the armory to find a sturdy blade—it was time to sharpen his steel.