Chapter 18: Which Is Faster—the Blade or the Sword?

Lunch time, eight dishes and one soup.

Primarily, it was considered wasteful to have seven or two dishes, so Xue Yuan instructed Jian Qi to tell the kitchen that from now on, there would be strictly eight dishes and one soup.

Of course, the steward Qian and the princess consort, due to their special status, were exceptions; one dish and one soup sufficed for them.

However, since the princess consort was pregnant, an egg could be added at discretion; if the steward’s egg was broken, two could be added as a courtesy. This new rule truly radiated the warmth of humanity in every detail.

Su Ruowei was also invited to dine with Xue Yuan.

Coming from the family of the wealthiest man in the capital, she seemed especially observant of various formalities — for instance, she would wait until the host, Xue Yuan, began eating before lifting her chopsticks.

She only took small portions from the dishes directly in front of her, clipping just a sliver at a time, placing it on her plate before taking another, chewing slowly and quietly without making a sound.

Unlike Xue Yuan and Jian Qi, who, once they picked up their chopsticks, would dig in vigorously, the clatter of chopsticks, soup spoons, and bowls ringing against each other was so loud it almost sparked flames. Watching this, Su Ruowei couldn’t help but feel a pang of apprehension.

“Jian Qi, you really can eat!” Xue Yuan complained as Jian Qi snatched the last piece of meat.

“I didn’t have breakfast!” Jian Qi stuffed the meat into his mouth and said, “My lord’s appetite is good today too!”

“Hehe, I didn’t eat either.”

“Why not?”

“If you don’t test the food for poison, what if I get poisoned?”

“Fair point!”

Su Ruowei’s clear, phoenix-like eyes were full of confusion.

The guards dining at the same table as the lord, even snatching his food — it was obvious they were treating the lord like a fool.

And the lord himself was so straightforward, openly saying he wanted the guard to test for poison and risk death, clearly seeing him as a tool.

This kind of relationship didn’t look good by any standard, yet the way the two exchanged glances suggested it was far more than a simple master-servant bond.

“This manor really is full of strangeness,” she thought.

At that moment, a commotion erupted outside.

“Hey, you can’t come in! The lord is dining!”

“Get lost! We have the magistrate’s orders to arrest criminals!”

A squad of constables charged to the door of Xue Yuan’s room.

The lead officer stepped inside, offered a perfunctory salute to Xue Yuan, and said, “My lord, we come under Magistrate Li’s orders for two matters.

First, we request your release of our chief constable Zhao San. Although he mistakenly injured you while on duty, it was unintentional.

Second, we have come to arrest Jian Qi! This man is accused of assaulting the manor’s guards, leaving two severely injured—a serious offense!”

Xue Yuan frowned, thinking to himself that Li Yuanwang had indeed made a move.

But to come and arrest someone right in front of me — surely they didn’t take me seriously as the lord?

Fortunately, he had anticipated their move against Jian Qi and had already discussed countermeasures with him, so he remained unruffled.

He said nothing, only grinning foolishly.

Jian Qi stood up and, following Xue Yuan’s instructions, said, “First, if you want to ransom Zhao San, bring me ten thousand taels; otherwise, he will be subject to the punishment of exterminating nine generations.”

Demanding ten thousand taels to ransom Zhao San was indeed a cruel blow.

If Magistrate Li paid it, it would be tantamount to accepting Jian Qi’s extortion, damaging his dignity and authority.

But if he refused, choosing to save money, he would be willing to watch his most loyal subordinate be annihilated, and no one would serve him again — everyone knew Magistrate Li had the means to pay.

The constable stared at Jian Qi in shock. “You demon! Where did you come from, daring to hoodwink the lord and even extort the magistrate?”

Of course, the constable believed all this was Jian Qi’s fabrication.

After all, could a fool harbor such a cunning heart?

In fact, both Magistrate Li and Qian Zhongxian thought the foolish lord had been bewitched by the “demon” Jian Qi, which explained his reckless actions.

Therefore, eliminating Jian Qi was their common goal!

Jian Qi did not respond to the constable but continued, “Second, you may arrest me, but only if you’re not afraid to die!”

The constable immediately exploded with rage and lunged forward.

Unfortunately, he jumped the wrong way, stepping out of the room, down the stairs, and probably would have been out of the manor’s courtyard in a few more hops.

Only when he was over ten meters away did he dare to speak harshly.

“Jian Qi, so you refuse to be arrested?”

“Mm.”

“Good, that’s just what I wanted to hear. We shall meet again someday. Just wait!”

“Get lost!”

“Fine, get lost!”

The constable said this and turned to leave with his men.

Of course, he wasn’t foolish enough to risk his life. He would report that Jian Qi refused arrest and that they couldn’t capture him — problem solved.

Nearby, Qian Zhongxian, standing just outside the door, overheard the constable’s threat and finally revealed a rare smile.

“Heh, refused arrest? Then it’s time to call in the Divine Detective Bureau! When their experts arrive, I want to see if this demon really has three heads and six arms!”

Beside him, Chu Qiuer immediately said, “Brother Xian, you’re truly the gifted strategist! As long as we catch that Jian Qi, I’ll make sure to teach that fool a harsh lesson!”

Qian Zhongxian’s expression darkened. “A lesson? This time I’ll make sure he can neither live nor die, so he’ll regret being born! And I’ll keep him tied to the manor like a dog for life, never allowed to step outside even half a step!”

As he spoke, a shudder ran through his broad frame, but pain soon followed, causing him to gasp sharply and bend over.

...

After the constables left, Xue Yuan said to Su Ruowei, “Stay here. Jian Qi and I will seek justice for you.”

“Ah?” Su Ruowei looked at Xue Yuan in bewilderment and didn’t react until their figures disappeared at the end of the courtyard.

“Who... is he going to find to seek justice?”

“Who would seriously listen to him?”

“He didn’t even file a formal complaint!”

Su Ruowei felt increasingly confused.

Outside the manor, Xue Yuan told Jian Qi, “The Divine Detective Bureau will arrive within three days at most. We must resolve everything within these three days, or even you might be arrested!”

Jian Qi said, “I can run; most people can’t catch me!”

“That’s not certain! Yesterday I heard the bureau’s Jiangnan special detective is Chen Qiluo, a top expert—fast with both blade and foot!”

“That’s right, but I want to see whose blade is faster — hers or my sword!”

“Damn, that sounds like something out of a wuxia novel again!”

“My lord, you don’t understand the martial world!”

“I don’t understand the martial world, but I do understand the authorities! When she arrives, she’ll bring a dozen experts to capture you. Who competes with you with swords? Stop reading those novels, damn it!”

As they spoke, they arrived at a street in the eastern part of the city, less than a hundred meters from the county government office.

The street was lined mostly with taverns and inns, one of which, the Fenglai Inn, had three floors. From a third-floor room, one could see the gate of the county office.

Though not everyone in Ning’an City recognized the foolish lord, Xue Yuan bought a bamboo hat on the street to cover half his face, then sent Jian Qi to rent a room on the top floor of the Fenglai Inn.

Nowadays, no one checked identity cards; as long as you had money, you could rent a room. The clerk noticed two grown men renting a top-floor room and suspected it wasn’t just about saving money, casting them a strange look.

The two entered the room, closed the door, and locked it.

Jian Qi asked, “My lord, are you sure this will work?”