Chapter Nineteen: The Heart-Control Parasite

In recent days, there was word from Plum Blossom’s family: her mother had passed away. After nightfall, Suyang made a trip to their home and retrieved the remaining thirteen taels of silver. Plum Blossom’s eldest brother, his wound now infected, was also barely clinging to life.

All the refined salt had finally been processed, so Suyang contacted several major merchants within the city and sold it off in its entirety. Tonight, the final ten-dan transaction was completed, thus fulfilling his task. The household involved in this last exchange was none other than the main branch of the Wang family, headed by Wang Shangfu.

The night was dark and the wind fierce.

There were few people on the streets of Yanggu County. The number of strongmen in the city had increased: what had begun as a desperate struggle for food had, with the growth of ambition, become something far less innocent. The army sent to suppress the rebels in Qinghe County had suffered heavy casualties; half of Yanggu’s constables had been drafted to join the fight, and those who remained cared only for their own survival, leaving law and order in shambles.

This was why strongmen now flourished in the city.

For now, these ruffians only dared prey upon ordinary townsfolk. But before long, they would band together, targeting wealthy households, to be either absorbed into gangs or eliminated, all the while raising the “protection” fees.

The transaction was set to take place inside the City God Temple. Pushing open the temple doors, Suyang found a group already waiting; at their head stood Wang Haiwen, the Wang family’s second son, dressed in fine silk, flanked by a ninth-rank martial artist and two hired thugs.

“Where’s the fine salt?” Wang Haiwen demanded impatiently as the masked Suyang entered.

Suyang tossed a small bag of salt at his feet. “Test it first.”

There were more than ten dan of refined salt in total. Suyang had arranged separate deals with several merchants; each was an old fox, composed and discreet, well aware of the profit but giving nothing away, unlike this impulsive Wang Haiwen. If it were anyone else, they would have hiked the price on the spot.

“Indeed, it’s fine salt. Where’s the rest?” Wang Haiwen pressed.

“Where’s my silver?” Suyang countered.

Wang Haiwen glanced at the martial artist behind him, who threw a bag of silver at Suyang’s feet with a bright metallic clink.

Suyang picked it up and said, “The rest is buried beneath the incense burner at the City God’s altar.”

The thugs stepped forward and, sure enough, uncovered a dan and ten jin of fine salt beneath the burner.

“Goods and money have changed hands. Farewell,” Suyang said, turning to leave. With this, he finally had the full thousand taels of silver, enough to repay his mother-in-law’s loan.

Suddenly—a sharp gust tore through the air. Suyang’s eyes grew cold. He spun and struck out, his fist colliding hard with another. There was no finesse, just brute force meeting brute force.

A crisp crack rang out as bones broke. The ninth-rank martial artist Wang Haiwen had brought felt half his body go numb and was sent flying, crashing into a clay idol that shattered to dust. Only then did the agony reach him; gritting his teeth, he gasped, “An eighth-rank martial artist… How can he be eighth rank?!”

“What? Eighth rank?” Wang Haiwen’s eyes widened in utter disbelief as he stared at Suyang. Never could he have imagined that an eighth-rank martial artist would personally handle a smuggling deal worth little more than a hundred taels. How much profit could there be?

With that power, why become a salt smuggler? Why not pursue a better future?

Wang Haiwen had dabbled in such trades before, most of the smugglers being ordinary folk—highly dangerous work, punishable by death. Any martial artist had a promising path ahead; none would stoop to salt smuggling.

He’d hoped to take advantage of the city’s chaos to silence Suyang and claim a dan of salt for free—now, he’d overplayed his hand.

“Courting death!” Suyang roared, his voice like a tiger’s. Wang Haiwen was left dazed, and with a savage blow to the chest, his heart was torn asunder. Blood gushed from his mouth; he died on the spot.

The rest were no match for Suyang’s single hand.

Those who bring ruin upon themselves cannot live.

He’d intended to spare Wang Haiwen tonight and wait until his own strength grew before settling accounts, but since the other made the first move—and with the city in chaos, no constables would interfere—he simply finished the job.

A blazing fire soon engulfed the temple. By morning, the City God Temple would be nothing but ruins and four charred corpses. Throughout, Suyang had never revealed his identity; it should not cause trouble.

With the city in turmoil, the value of martial strength now mattered more than ever. Soon, martial artists would begin to turn on their own masters, for with the government all but gone, the common people’s greatest protection was about to vanish.

If he were to cast aside all pretense, Suyang, with his eighth-rank power, could seize control of the Wang family outright.

Yet he wished not to reveal his true strength so soon. Always leave something in reserve. With a thriving line, he would be, in effect, immortal—what did it matter to wait a hundred years and defile his enemies’ graves afterward? Let time do its work.

The Wang family’s grain stores were burned, their wealth greatly diminished, and their servants dismissed, making them a less tempting target for prying eyes.

Still, the Wang family would not be safe once city order collapsed. At that time, Suyang would reveal ninth-rank strength; that should suffice for safety. If he then broke through to seventh rank, he could consider revealing his eighth-rank power. In that case, the Wang family would become unassailable, and he would truly become the house’s master, protector and ruler—because the entire family’s safety would depend on him.

Of course, if ninth-rank power was enough, he wouldn’t foolishly reveal eighth-rank ability after breaking through to seventh.

When he arrived home, Peach Blossom had not yet slept, waiting for him alone.

A faint candle still flickered in the room.

A trace of comfort and warmth welled in Suyang’s heart. In two lifetimes, he finally had a light burning for him in the night.

“Did all go well?” Peach Blossom hurried over, dressed in a white inner robe that traced her graceful curves, her hair loose, her manner enchanting.

Unfortunately, Peach Blossom was now with child. As for Li Doukou, Suyang would not touch her either, for she felt no love for him. He did not consider himself a good man, but neither was he a villain—just an ordinary soul in between.

In these troubled times, to survive, killing, harming, scheming—none of that was off limits.

But to inflict pain on others purely for desire—how was that any different from a beast?

“Don’t worry. Everything went smoothly.” He drew Peach Blossom into the room, her soft body pressed against his, her fragrance intoxicating.

“When our child is born, I will devote myself to you,” she whispered.

“I’ll be waiting,” Suyang replied warmly, stroking her hair. “Go to bed. I’ll put away the silver and salt.”

She nodded obediently and slipped into the inner room to wait for him.

A few days before, to keep Li Doukou from escaping, she’d been confined to the inner chamber. Lately, she’d behaved herself and was allowed the outer room, but with the door locked, she couldn’t get out.

Peach Blossom, now his recognized concubine, could rightfully share his bed. Soon, faint sounds of breath came from the inner room.

Since her pregnancy, with Suyang’s guidance, Peach Blossom had come up with many new ideas.

Hearing the sounds from within, Li Doukou curled under her blanket, her cheeks flushed, full of curiosity and excitement.

…

When Peach Blossom was asleep, Suyang opened his panel once more.

Name: Suyang (Quasi-Immortal)
Incense Merit: 25+30
Realm: Eighth-Rank Tempered Skin
Techniques: [Incense Merit Division], [Qi Perception], [Heart-Control Bug]
Lifespan: 102+
Family Progress: The family is flourishing. You have sufficient resources to ensure the birth of heirs. But the prosperity of a family depends on more than one or two people. With two wives, you gain 30 incense merit (completed).
Family Progress: The family is flourishing. With two wives, you need more resources to provide for your heirs and spouses. In troubled times, only the ruthless survive. Your hands are already stained with blood, but that is not enough. Kill ten people with malicious intent toward you, including at least one ninth-rank martial artist, to gain 40 incense merit.
Daily Tip: The Heart-Control Bug is very useful. Continue cultivating it.

The panel had changed: the two thousand taels family progress was complete, and so was the next requirement—having two wives, namely Wang Chunxiao and Peach Blossom.

The new goal appeared: kill ten people with malicious intent toward him, including a ninth-rank martial artist. The main branch of the Wang family should fit the bill.

Wang Shangfu, Wang Haiwen, their hired thugs, and the ninth-rank bodyguard—all of them, if eliminated, would complete this goal.

The main branch was certainly hostile to the second branch; as the second branch’s son-in-law, Suyang too was a target. But what if the system only recognized harm toward himself, not his branch? Would the killings be in vain?

The day after tomorrow was Wang Shangfu’s birthday feast. If Suyang revealed some of his strength, Wang Shangfu, eager to swallow the second branch’s assets, would surely see him as an obstacle and turn hostile—then eliminating them would be a sure thing.

At this thought, Suyang was in excellent spirits.

He now had 65 incense merit, enough to exchange for nearly two years of life. With a hundred days of lifespan left, there was no rush—best to save up for now.

Heart-Control Bug.

This was a kind of Gu technique, with records only for searching, raising, and using the bug.

A person who dies in sleep, their heart emitting a strange fragrance, attracts an ant-sized golden beetle—the Heart-Eating Bug. It burrows into the heart and feeds for two days.

By using the proper techniques, it could be refined into a Heart-Control Bug Gu. Ingested with food or drink, it would hide in the heart, allowing the master to control life and death.

The Heart-Eating Bug: ant-sized, golden throughout, with a silver line on its shell and seven legs.

As his family’s power grew, loyal servants would be needed, and the Heart-Control Bug would be a powerful tool. But acquiring it was difficult—the easiest way was to harvest it from corpses.

People died every day in Yanggu County, but not always in their sleep, and even then, the bug might not appear. For now, it was all luck—but soon, with famine and hardship, many would die in their sleep, making it easier to obtain. The records also described drawing the bug out with a lamb’s heart and special herbs, boiled to a paste, and luring it by scent—saving the bloody business of cutting open chests to search for bugs.

The Wang family’s days would only improve, and Suyang’s strength was more than enough to secure their place. As dynasties rose and fell, the Wang family would remain strong…

No, before long, it would be the Su family.

It might seem heartless, but without him, if rebels took Yanggu County, the three main women of the household would surely end up in rebel beds the first night.

Except for Wang Chunxiao—her twisted, spiteful nature was likely to disgust even the most desperate rebel.

Glancing at Peach Blossom, Suyang’s mood brightened again.

Dawn arrived in a blink.

News came that Plum Blossom’s brother was gone, likely from his infected wound. Suyang went to find her. Plum Blossom simply let out a long sigh and said, “You saved Little Plum’s life, and from the moment we signed ourselves over, our home was gone. From now on, wherever you are, that is our home.”

“Plum Blossom, take last night’s clothes and wash them,” came Wang Chunxiao’s dissatisfied voice from within the room.

“I must get to work,” Plum Blossom said quickly, picking up the wooden basin. She turned as Suyang tried to stop her and added, “Don’t quarrel with the young mistress on my account.”

Suyang sighed as he watched her go. The girl was thoughtful to a fault.

If she had clung to him, or forced the issue, he would have found a way to make Wang Chunxiao and the others accept her. But instead, Plum Blossom had kept her distance in recent days.

He could tell she had feelings for him.

No matter. Soon, with the fall of the authorities and the need for his protection, everything would fall into place.

“And what are you doing here? Trying to seduce my maid?” Wang Chunxiao emerged from her room, her tone laced with jealousy.

“Breakfast,” Suyang replied, and left for Liu Wenxiang’s chamber, where the household’s ladies always took their morning meal.

…

Inside the elegant room, a faint fragrance lingered in the air, identical to the scent Liu Wenxiang wore herself—it calmed the mind.

“According to the latest news from the merchants’ association, the government troops failed disastrously against the rebels and have retreated to Yanggu County. They plan to defend the gates to the last. Now, they’re conscripting local militia right on the streets,” Liu Wenxiang reported.

Yanggu County had a merchants’ association that collected annual dues, offered news, shelter, and connections, and delivered updates to Liu Wenxiang.

“That fast? Does that mean our city is about to fall?” Wang Xiahe’s face turned pale with fear.

If the city fell, none could say what horrors awaited the people. Massacres and pillaging were commonplace, and the fate of women was even worse—those country brutes had never seen such delicate beauties.

“It depends on how the defenders hold out. If enough government troops remain, the city may not fall so easily. If it does, they’re all dead men, as are the yamen runners—none of them want the city to fall,” Suyang analyzed. “In Qinghe, the rebellion was planned in advance. Key figures were assassinated, the grain stores burned, panic spread, and the rebels inside opened the gates. But our city walls are far stronger. Perhaps we can hold out for reinforcements.”

“What should our family do next?” Liu Wenxiang looked to Suyang with hope in her eyes.