Chapter 72: All for the Sake of Profit

"To save a life?"

"Exactly!"

Xu You said, "According to Wan Qi, the only thing Bai Hua sought before heading to the Spring Well was the safe rescue of her family. You have overseen the Spring Well for many years and are well-versed in human nature; surely you can see that she had long ago resigned herself to death, only enduring this miserable existence out of concern for her mother and siblings. If you can give her your word—a promise to save her family at any cost—never mind passing on intelligence or acting as a decoy, she would face death itself without a flicker of fear!"

Shi Shu replied coolly, "We are short-handed everywhere. We can barely manage the defenses against the Celestial Masters Sect as it is; otherwise, the Mistress would not have nearly met with disaster on her way to Fuchun County. Furthermore, we have yet to uncover the background of the opposition. If they possess significant power, acting rashly to save a few people could result in losses far outweighing the gains."

"Moreover, the most critical point: how do you know that the person coercing Bai Hua was not sent by the Celestial Masters Sect?"

Regarding this point, He Ru had already reached a conclusion. Xu You, having full faith in his reasoning, repeated the argument almost verbatim. It left Shi Shu speechless. Xu You pressed on, "One should not give up eating for fear of choking, nor should one turn a blind eye to immediate danger simply out of fear of a powerful enemy. That is the behavior of an ostrich—or rather, self-deception. You are a sharp person; you must know my words are true. Is it not crystal clear which choice serves the Guo family's best interests? If you insist on acting willfully and demand Bai Hua’s death, I fear it will be difficult for you to answer to Master Guo when he returns."

Shi Shu fell silent again, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. Of all that had been said, nothing was as potent or unsettling as the final remark about being unable to account to Guo Mian. Being a woman accustomed to making decisive calls, she nodded after a brief moment. "Very well. As you say, I can spare Bai Hua for now and let her act as bait to lure out the person behind the curtain. But let me state this first: if I detect even the slightest sign of betrayal from her, I will have her executed on the spot, and you are not to interfere!"

"Agreed!"

The three then consulted and unanimously concluded that a quick resolution was better than a prolonged one. Given the dire situation and enemies on all sides, a swift, decisive strike was best.

Zhan Wenjun proposed, "If we are to act, we should lure this person to a secluded spot and use overwhelming force to capture them in one go. We must not let them escape."

Shi Shu said, "The members of the Ship Pavilion have been scattered to gather news of the Master, and the Spring Well has no surplus manpower. Even if we recalled them now, there wouldn't be enough time. Excluding the essential guards, there are fewer than a hundred retainers available in the estate..."

"No," Xu You vetoed. "A large crowd will only cause too much of a stir. We are setting an ambush, not fighting a war. Quality is superior to quantity; we only need to select a few reliable experts."

"We do not know the enemy's numbers or their level of cultivation. If the ambush fails, a small group will find it difficult to surround and capture them, which would cause us to miss our chance. As for experts," Shi Shu frowned, "with the enemy's capabilities unknown, what kind of expert can guarantee a foolproof result?"

Xu You had already calculated this. He turned to Zhan Wenjun and said, "I know one person. As long as he is willing to intervene, it will be absolutely foolproof!"

Zhan Wenjun could not guess what he had in mind and said, "Please speak plainly, sir."

Xu You’s gaze sharpened. "Old Qi!"

"What?"

It was Shi Shu who gasped. She looked at Zhan Wenjun in astonishment, and seeing no change in the Mistress's expression, she realized at once that Xu You was not joking.

That gatekeeper in Qiantang City was actually a formidable expert!

Shi Shu rapidly sifted through the information she had on Old Qi, but it was limited. She only knew he had appeared at the Guo estate one day, and Qian Qin had arranged for him to keep watch at the private residence in Qiantang. There had been nothing else out of the ordinary.

The Spring Well and the Ship Pavilion were independent of each other and held mutual disdain; in any great house, the agency responsible for punishment and discipline is rarely liked. Because Shi Shu looked down on Qian Qin’s character, their relationship was poor—worse even than her relations with Bai Hua or Wan Qi. Thus, unless it was strictly for official business, the Spring Well rarely obtained intelligence from the Ship Pavilion. Furthermore, she usually remained at the Spring Well on Mingyu Mountain and rarely interacted with outsiders. Consequently, the incident that night when Old Qi forced Li Yifeng to retreat had been kept within the very small circle controlled by Qian Qin’s Ship Pavilion and had never reached Shi Shu’s ears.

"Old Qi..." Zhan Wenjun looked troubled and gave a bitter smile. "He may not be willing to intervene..."

"Why? Can the Mistress not command him?"

"Old Qi has a prior agreement with my uncle. If an enemy enters the estate, he can step forward to drive them away, just as he did with Li Yifeng that night. But to take the initiative..."

Zhan Wenjun seemed to have her reasons. Xu You understood: Old Qi was likely not one of Guo Mian’s subordinates, nor a helper invited by him, but someone residing in the Guo estate temporarily for other reasons. That made sense; what kind of status would a Minor Grandmaster have? He would hardly be at the beck and call of a merchant like Guo Mian.

"That is no problem!" Xu You smiled. "Mingyu Mountain is also part of the Guo estate. We can invite Old Qi to stay on the mountain for a few days, and then have Bai Hua lure the target there. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

Zhan Wenjun’s eyes lit up. "This plan is feasible. But how can we ensure the person takes the bait?"

Xu You looked at Shi Shu. "I must trouble you, Lady, to bring Bai Hua here. I have questions for her."

Shi Shu nodded subconsciously, only to realize a moment later that she had been completely led by Xu You’s pace. She felt a jolt of alarm.

It was said that Xu Qilang of Yixing was a crude, boorish warrior. Yet, looking at this man, his speech was elegant and his bearing extraordinary. He resolved one difficult problem after another with ease and poise. How could he be considered crude, and how could he be called a mere warrior?

Once Shi Shu departed on her portable chair, Zhan Wenjun looked at Xu You with a glimmer of intrigue in her eyes. "Shi Shu may seem indifferent, but she is stubborn to the core. Except for my uncle, I have never seen anyone change her mind. Your eloquence, sir, is truly admirable."

Xu You smiled slightly. "The world is full of people chasing profit. It was not my words that moved her, but the choice she made after weighing the pros and cons—the choice most beneficial to herself!"

An incense stick of time later, Bai Hua was brought into the room, supported by several maids. She wore the same clothes as when she had left, with no signs of tearing or wear, and no visible wounds on her body. However, her spirit was severely depleted; her face was deathly pale, and she seemed to have been stripped of all vitality, leaving behind nothing but a hollow shell.

"Mistress..."

Her gait was unsteady, yet she insisted on pushing the maids away. She knelt on the floor, and after uttering only two words, she broke into uncontrollable sobs.

Zhan Wenjun sighed. "Get up! You should be grateful that Master Xu pleaded for you; otherwise, who has ever survived the Bitter Spring? Why don't you thank him?"

Bai Hua raised her head. Her once lively and spirited eyes were now dull and lifeless. She gazed blankly at Xu You and murmured, "Sir, thank you."

Xu You watched Bai Hua quietly for a moment before turning his head to Shi Shu, who had followed her in. "What torture did you use on her?"

Shi Shu replied indifferently, "Water torture."