Chapter 4

Chapter 4: What Kind of Shameless Talk Is That? Su Tang answered briskly, “Conscience-less beasts.” Let’s hurry. She couldn’t endure another day of this wretched life. The three Su brothers: “…” Did beasts even have consciences?! The Marquis Anle’s Residence had no carriage, so the group went straight to a carriage-rental shop. Su Haoyu nervously asked Su Hao’an, “Eldest Brother, are we really going?” He was a little scared, but he also didn’t want their little sister to take the risk alone. Su Hao’an nodded firmly. “Of course we are. I still have to help Little Sister dispose of the bodies!” When it came to his sister, he trusted her unconditionally. Su Haoyu stared helplessly at Su Haoqi, signaling with his eyes for him to help persuade their elder brother. Instead, Su Haoqi lowered his voice and said, “It’s fine. We’ll drive the carriage somewhere else afterward. Little Sister won’t know where we went anyway. Once she’s tired of playing, we’ll come back.” Su Tang, whose supernatural ability had strengthened her body and given her exceptionally sharp hearing: “…” Not only did this fellow look gloomy and sinister, he seemed to be a little wicked too. The four of them were hurrying along when a chaotic clatter of hooves suddenly came from behind, followed by a booming shout: “The Jinwu Guard is on official business! Bystanders, clear the way!” The crowd immediately erupted into a commotion and scattered to either side. Su Tang and the other three were forced against the wall, with the whispers of passersby filling their ears. “Commander Gu—that’s Commander Gu!” “Commander Gu has come out personally. Something major must have happened.” “Is Commander Gu the Gu Chen who’s said to be the most handsome man in the Capital?” “Outsiders shouldn’t go spouting nonsense. The lanterns at Commander Gu’s residence are made of human skin. Be careful—the next person to be skinned might be you…” The sound of hooves drew closer and closer. Su Tang craned her neck to look. A group of riders came galloping toward them. At the head rode a man on a tall steed. He was handsome and imposing, with swordlike brows and bright, starry eyes. Clad in golden armor, he sat straight-backed and upright, his appearance extraordinarily striking. Su Tang had seen too many men in the apocalypse with faces gray from grime. The man before her made her eyes light up. He was really good-looking! Su Hao’an also craned his neck for a look, then pulled Su Tang backward. “That’s Commander Gu, Gu Chen, the leader of the Jinwu Guard. He’s the Grand Princess’s only son and His Majesty’s nephew. He holds a position of tremendous power and is a favored minister granted the Nine Bestowals. “Don’t be fooled by his good looks. He’s actually a demon who kills without batting an eye. You must stay far away from him…” As Su Hao’an spoke, Su Haoyu nodded repeatedly in agreement. Even Su Haoqi wore a wary expression. Gu Chen was a close confidant of the Emperor and utterly unmatched in prominence throughout the Capital. He was far beyond the likes of these impoverished sons of a fallen marquis’s household. Su Tang raised a hand and rubbed her chin, seriously watching Gu Chen’s figure draw nearer. When Su Hao’an noticed that Little Sister was staring at Gu Chen without saying a word, he couldn’t help tugging at her sleeve. “Fourth Sister, what are you thinking about?” Su Tang stared at Gu Chen without blinking. “The weather’s getting cold. I’m thinking of finding a man to play with.” Gu Chen was handsome and powerfully built. At a glance, he clearly had vigorous blood and abundant vitality. He could even keep her warm in bed. Su Hao’an sucked in a sharp breath and hurriedly covered Su Tang’s mouth. “My Little Ancestor, close your mouth!” In broad daylight, what kind of wolfish talk was this?! He had a fiery temper and usually loved stirring up trouble, but he also knew that Gu Chen was someone they absolutely could not afford to offend. Not only did Gu Chen possess the authority to execute first and report afterward, he also had the Imperial Prison under his command. Anyone who went in there never came back in one piece. If things went wrong, the entire family might end up lying neatly together in coffins. How could Little Sister possibly harbor such thoughts? Su Haoyu came over with a roguish grin. “Little Sister, Third Brother will make a bet with you. You won’t even be able to get close to Gu Chen.” He had quite the gambling habit and could turn anything into a wager. He hadn’t opened a bet all day, and his hands were itching badly. Su Hao’an glared furiously at him. “You shut up too.” Knowing that Fourth Sister’s mind still wasn’t clear, this fellow was actually adding fuel to the fire. What if she took him seriously? A contemplative look appeared on Su Haoqi’s delicate, feminine face. “Actually, it’s not impossible. Second Brother knows a few dealers in medicine. They have quite a few secret drugs.” Su Hao’an: “…” Why had he developed such a fiery temper? Naturally, it was because there wasn’t a single reliable person in the family. Including himself! Perhaps Su Tang’s gaze was too intense. Gu Chen’s sharp eyes swept over, meeting hers perfectly. After confirming that there was no hidden danger lurking on Su Tang’s side, Gu Chen quickly shifted his gaze away and continued riding forward. At that very moment, something unexpected happened. The crowd began shoving one another, and a woman carrying a child was pushed into the street. The woman fell facedown, scraping a large patch of skin off her hand. The vegetables in her basket spilled all over the ground, while the child landed right in the middle of the street and began wailing. The woman seemed stunned by the sudden turn of events. Seeing Gu Chen’s horse about to trample her child’s head, she could only widen her eyes and scream with all her strength: “Don’t…” It had happened too suddenly. The crowd had no time to react and could only watch helplessly as the tragedy unfolded. At the critical moment, a figure shot out. One hand scooped up the child from the ground, while the other caught hold of the woman. Like a bolt of lightning, the figure carried them both to safety. Su Tang set down the woman, who had yet to recover her senses, and turned to inspect the child. In the apocalypse, every young life was Kindling—the hope of humanity—and had to be protected properly. But when she saw the child’s little face smeared everywhere with tears and mucus from fear, Su Tang unhappily grabbed the child by the back of the collar and delivered him into the woman’s arms. “This one’s yours.” This hope was so dirty! Gu Chen had spotted the child earlier, but by the time he tried to stop his horse, it was already too late. In his desperation, he yanked hard on the reins. The tall chestnut horse was forcibly brought to a halt, but it still ran forward several more steps before its front hooves rose into the air and it let out a shrill whinny. The same thing happened with the dozens of horses behind Gu Chen. All of the riders were skilled horsemen. After seeing Gu Chen’s hand signal, they reacted in time and avoided crashing into one another. The horses stopped where they were, stamping their hooves restlessly and snorting loudly. They seemed deeply dissatisfied with what had just happened. The woman had already recovered from her shock. Holding her wailing child, she repeatedly kowtowed to Su Tang. This was her only son, the very root of her life. If anything had happened to him, she would surely have followed him in death. Everyone present also turned to look at Su Tang. Though they didn’t dare speak loudly with the Jinwu Guard there, their whispers were filled with admiration for her. Deputy Commander He Bin rode over to Gu Chen’s side. “Commander, shall we continue on our way?” But Gu Chen’s gaze remained fixed on Su Tang. He had been riding at the very front and had personally witnessed how the young girl had saved the pair. That girl had moved far too quickly, and her eyes were filled with killing intent. Something was wrong with her. Following Gu Chen’s line of sight, He Bin looked over, only to see that the three Su brothers had already crowded around Su Tang and were pulling her into the crowd. There had to be limits even to kindness. Drawing attention in front of the Jinwu Guard was no good thing. Their Fourth Sister had acted far too impulsively. Just as He Bin was about to call out and stop them, a young woman with her hair arranged in twin-ring buns suddenly rushed out of the crowd. She glared angrily at Gu Chen. “How dare you ride horses through the Capital! With the streets so crowded, if you trample someone to death, would that not violate the laws of Heaven?”