Ending – Where the Wind Blows is Where the Clouds Go

　　Su Xiao performed an inch-by-inch sweep of the residential area after he chased Rabbit Fiend into the underground s.p.a.ce. By some stroke of luck, he ran into Kong Duan, who was on his way out. Su Xiao bent over and sn.i.g.g.e.red: "I was running around randomly to see if anyone slipped away. Lucky me, I scored the biggest catch!"

　　Kong Duan responded, "Y-You can tell who I am?"

　　"Yeah. Your face is just swollen," replied Su Xiao, smiling. "Careful. I'm going to arrest you now."

　　Su Xiao swung his scabbard, knocking Kong Duan onto the ground. Su Xiao was ruthless unlike his usual forgiving self. He ignored Kong Duan's cry and gave him another kick, sending Kong Duan rolling across the ground. He said, "Kong Duan, you've harmed civilians, colluded with villains from the pugilistic world and plotted to a.s.sa.s.sinate government officials. I shall now arrest you for questioning. If you resist, I will not hesitate to cut you down, so please don't force my hand."

　　Su Xiao pulled out a rope from his s.h.i.+rt and restrained Kong Duan. Kong Duan's chances of escaping were practically zero. At the end of the day, despite Su Xiao's rather poor combat skills, he was superior to a scholar getting on with age.

　　"This old one controls the imperial court effortlessly, yet a kid wet behind the ears is going to end me?!" Kong Duan thought. Faced with an emergency, he shouted, "I-I know a huge secret. I'll share it with you as an exchange, deal?"

　　"What exchange? No deal," said Su Xiao, face straight. "I have enough money. I have enough to eat and wear. The imperial court is nice enough to me. I also have a legitimate job that allows me to help civilians and apprehend criminals. I don't need a life of luxury. I only desire an honest and secure life. I don't accept bribes."

　　"This is not about money; this is hundreds and thousands of times more serious," proclaimed Kong Duan, panting. "Do you know Lord San Shen's true ident.i.ty?"

　　"Who? What, you know?"

　　"Of course. Spare me, and I'll tell you. You will be rewarded for it! Deal?"

　　"Spare you?" Su Xiao shook his head: "You're a criminal His Majesty wants apprehended. By what logic would I spare you?"

　　"You don't have to actually spare me. You just need to not stop me from escaping this place; give me five hundred metres. You have martial arts skills; I have nothing. I just can't accept this result; I want to find an opportunity to make it right."

　　Admittedly, Su Xiao wasn't eager for credit; however, finding out Lord San Shen's true ident.i.ty would be beneficial to Liu Shan Men. Hence, he couldn't resist contemplating the suggestion.

　　"Su Xiao, don't listen to him!" exclaimed Bai Lian, coming across the place. "He's a slippery one. If you give him five hundred metres, he'll return to the underground s.p.a.ce and escape another exit. The secret room is consists of countless twists and turns. You'll never be able to catch him again."

　　Bai Lian was the only one who thought something was bizarre about the person who left, so she tailed him. He didn't regroup with Dark Wind Hall and escaped on his own. Thus, she was more confident she was right to suspect he was Kong Duan.

　　Bai Lian: "Kong Duan, you can forget about wiggling your way out."

　　Kong Duan tried to come up with another plan, but he hardly had any bargaining chips. His only hope was to gamble: "General Manager Bai, you are a true adept. Do you think I have a chance of escaping with you here? If you don't give me the chance, I'd rather take Lord San Shen's ident.i.ty to the grave than tell you for free."

　　Bai Lian pulled her eyebrows together: "How am I supposed to know if you're lying or not? If you genuinely know, we'll pry it out of you at the Ministry of Justice."

　　Bai Lian strictly adhered to the law, since she lacked any personal desire. If she did have a weakness, it would be difficult to find. Kong Duan couldn't help fretting; he was aware his chances of escaping with her present were extremely slim.

　　Getting compet.i.tive with Bai Lian again for some incomprehensible reason, Su Xiao decided to defy her and said, "Old Kong, tell me, and I'll let you go."

　　Bai Lian: "Su Xiao, do you not understand priorities? If Kong Duan escapes, who is going to take the fall?"

　　"That's rich coming from you. Would you have caught up to him if I didn't stop him here? Moreover, it's only five hundred metres. He's going to need wings to escape me."

　　Kong Duan was perceptive enough to discern the discord between the two, so he added oil to the fire. He said, "In that case, this old one doesn't mind waiting for you to decide if you want to hear it. With that said, this old one will only share it with one person. If you grant this old one five hundred metres, he promises to go only five hundred metres."

　　Bai Lian was privy of Kong Duan's character. Su Xiao, however, lacked the same degree of perception and was more emotionally driven. He grumbled, "Liu Shan Men shall accept the deal. General Manager Bai, you came after me, so please step aside."

　　"Why do you always insist on opposing me?" fumed Bai Lian. "I don't have any grudge with you; you're also a man. Can't you be more generous?"

　　"You're a man, too. You're even older than me. Why don't you be generous?"

　　One had to question if they had to argue even in that situation. Kong Duan's chances of escaping grew as they argued. He was overjoyed as he watched the quarrel.