Su Wan was starting to lose her patience. She said she wanted to ask Liu Xiaolou for ideas, but in truth she already had a plan. Seeing that Liu Xiaolou had nothing to suggest, she finally threw it out there:
“Aren’t you from Wulong Mountain? Then think of something. Round up those rowdy people you’ve got in the hills.”
“And then what?” Liu Xiaolou blinked.
“And then…” She gritted her teeth. “Kill that Yin centipede for me! I’ll pay fifty spirit stones!”
That… was bold.
Liu Xiaolou was speechless for a moment. After some thought, he shook his head. “That’s way too reckless.”
“You’re scared?” Su Wan pressed.
“Of course I’m scared,” Liu Xiaolou said. “The Yin family isn’t some petty vassal in the Qingyu Sect. If we go around killing people, the fallout will be enormous. The sect would never let it go. The uproar would be even bigger than when Lord Xingde ran off with Lady Zhou Qiniang. Besides, he’s already at Foundation Establishment, and his father’s a Golden Core. Do you know how many allies that could bring down on us?”
“I’ll lure him out and set an ambush.”
“Ninth Lady, how do you expect to keep yourself from being exposed? And even if you aren’t, they just tried to strong-arm us by cutting off the incense supply. If he suddenly turns up dead right after that, what do you think his father’s going to assume? He’ll be out for blood, and he won’t stop until we’re finished.”
“Weren’t you the one who said to go to war? Then let’s go to war!”
“That’s not the same thing, all right? He threatened you with incense to force you into marriage. If we fight him openly, we’re in the right, and Cai Qiugong can’t just sit back and ignore it. But if you secretly kill him, we lose the moral ground. The Qingyu Sect wouldn’t even need to step in; Cai Qiugong himself would probably hand you over to pay for it.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“Assassination won’t work. If we fight, it has to be in the open. Stir things up, make it big. Jingzhao is still waiting inside the cave-heaven for his trial. Would the Qingyu Sect really dare cut off our incense supply then?”
Su Wan frowned in thought. “I’ve considered that plan. It’s only a stopgap at best. Maybe his family restores the supply for a year or two, but once Jingzhao’s trial is over, they’ll just fall back into their old ways.”
Liu Xiaolou said, “Then there’s no helping it. They’ve got the goods, and the alternatives cost more than you can afford. That means we just have to keep clashing with them. If they try the same trick again, we go to war right away and keep hitting them until they don’t dare cut us off.”
She shook her head. “How could I drag the Su clan into the mire over my own troubles? The clan already has to guard against enemies from outside, and traitors from within.”
“I heard my father-in-law isn’t actually your real father?” Liu Xiaolou asked. “That your birth father is still alive? Shouldn’t you go back to him for a while, lie low until this blows over?”
“Of course I could just walk away, but last night that Yin Centipede made it clear. If I don’t marry into their family, they’ll cut off the supply.”
Liu Xiaolou spat. “Damn, that bastard’s got some real bite. Ruthless. Kind of impressive, actually.”
Su Wan snapped, “And you’re praising him?”
“That’s not what I mean…” Liu Xiaolou explained. “Look, come with me somewhere.”
“Where? Don’t keep me guessing. Out with it!”
“To see Tigerhead Dragon.”
“Tigerhead Dragon?”
“Yeah, Jiao Hu.”
“Why?”
“This has to land on his shoulders.” Right then, Liu Xiaolou told her about the scheme he had already set up with Tigerhead Dragon. “We were planning to have him poke around slowly, but now we’ll need to push him to act.”
Su Jiuniang hesitated. “But… he and I…”
Liu Xiaolou said, “He’s not like that Yin fellow. His feelings for you stay within the bounds of respect. He just follows his heart and doesn’t expect anything back. You don’t need to worry.”
Su Wan still shook her head. “Wouldn’t that just be taking advantage of him?”
Liu Xiaolou grew serious. “From what I’ve heard, you two were close playmates when you were kids, weren’t you? How many years of friendship does that add up to? Stop overthinking it. If he were the one in trouble, wouldn’t you step in to help?”
She finally relented. “I would…”
“Then there you go. Same thing.” Liu Xiaolou smiled. “Come on, let’s catch up to him. He hasn’t gone far.”
The two of them followed the path Tigerhead Dragon had taken and finally caught up with him at the foot of Lion Ridge.
Tigerhead Dragon was stunned to see Su Wan there. His excitement made the tip of his tongue tremble. “Ni… Ninth Lady… you… you came?”
Su Wan felt a little awkward. Not knowing what to say, she only gave a small nod.
Liu Xiaolou pulled Tigerhead Dragon aside and quickly laid out the situation. At once, Tigerhead flew into a rage. “That damned Yin Centipede! I’ll kill him with my own hands!”
Liu Xiaolou cut in, “Whether we kill him or not, we’ll decide later. First tell me this, about that key ingredient in the sacred incense formula. Can you speed things up?”
Tigerhead’s eyes were firm as he pounded his chest, swearing his resolve. “Don’t worry. I’ll get the information for you, even if it costs me my life!”
Liu Xiaolou, worried he was getting too fired up, poured some cold water on him. “Just so we’re clear, we’re helping for Ninth Lady’s sake only. There’s no reward involved. Don’t think that by doing this, Ninth Lady will owe you anything…”
Tigerhead snapped. “What kind of words are those, brother? If I did this for reward, how would I be any different from that Yin Centipede? Don’t insult me! In this life, all I wish is for Ninth Lady’s safety and happiness. I ask for nothing more!”
Liu Xiaolou sighed. “Brother Tigerhead, you truly are a kindred spirit.”
They agreed on a seven-day deadline: Tigerhead Dragon would report back within that time.
When they returned to Shenwu Mountain, Su Zhi spoke with Su Wan. The Yin family had given the Su family a two-week deadline. Of course, Su Zhi wasn’t pushing Su Wan to marry into the Yin family. If anything, he hoped she might, like her fifth sister, marry someone who would come into the Su family, staying with them.
But Su Jiuniang wasn’t Su Xi. She had her own birth father, and her being raised in the Su household was a prior agreement between him and the Su family. She wasn’t someone the Su family had just picked up off the street. So sooner or later, she would return to her birth father. At most, she’d split her time between the two households.
No matter what, the current problem rested with the Su family, and it was giving Su Zhi such a headache that his hair was turning white.
“I plan to make a trip to Weiyu Cave-Heaven,” he told Su Jiuniang.
Su Wan had never felt any affection for her biological father and usually avoided asking him for anything, but she knew that right now, there was no better option. Still, she hoped to buy a little more time. If she could solve the problem herself, she would try to do so.
Seven days later, Tigerhead Dragon returned to Shenwu Mountain to report. He looked dejected. “The Yin family has this locked down too tightly. I just can’t get any information.”
“How exactly did you fail? Where’s the bottleneck?” asked Liu Xiaolou.
Tigerhead Dragon replied, “The secret formula for the sacred incense is passed down only within the Yin family. No one knows it besides father and son.”
“But even so,” Liu Xiaolou said, “they can’t possibly handle everything themselves. Such a large quantity. Someone has to purchase it, someone has to deliver it. There has to be a trace.”
Tigerhead Dragon forced a bitter smile. “It really is just the father and son. I even considered tailing them for six months, maybe a year, watching everyone they meet. But there just isn’t enough time. I even thought about kidnapping one of the Yin manor’s managers, but there are too many people, and which one would you take? We know too little about the manor to make a move.”
Liu Xiaolou nodded. “Brother Tigerhead, though you come from a noble family, your style is very much like the heroes of Wulong Mountain. Not a bad idea. We’ll need to think this through carefully…”