act15side

I'll give all of you an explanation.

I'll settle the score with Zheng Qingyue.

I still can't tell you, Brother Shang!

Liu! Who pulled you out of the fire all those years ago?!

I can't say.

It has to do with the goblet, doesn't it? The cup from ten years ago?

You—

Bingo, then...

So that's the 'goblet' the kids have been talking about...

Hey, you didn't interrogate any of the young disciples, did you—

This must be fate...

—Hey, Shang Zhong! Don't just leave after you got that answer from me! Our years of friendship mean nothing to you, huh?! Hey!

Hah, looks like you're a better drinker than you used to be.

The Liang Xun of the good old days would probably be curling up into a ball under the table right about now.

I drink by myself every now and then.

Well, that's our Magistrate Liang. You find the time to drink even as a government official—Hold on, you drink by yourself every now and then. That doesn't mean what I think it means, does it?

I drown my sorrows. It's human nature.

They say that it takes a personality change to build your tolerance for alcohol. Wise words, don't you think?

It's a fair point.

*Sigh*... When we drown our sorrows, it's a whole myriad of relationship we're trying to drown.

To tell you the truth, I was actually pretty surprised when I saw you again.

Hm? Why is that?

The Liang Xun I know is a methodical, taciturn fellow.

I remember that time in school, outside the Chamber of Teachers Emeriti, when you said you were going to bless all under heaven. You said the world's a harsh, cold place, so you'd build a fire to warm everyone up, and they would never know darkness again.

I was just spouting words. We were young. Perhaps those were the exact words that led me to reflect on myself now.

It was years ago.

Many years ago.

You aren't the refined young master you used to be either.

Time flies, and I frittered all mine away.

It's been a long time since you left home. Have you spoken to your family?

It hasn't been that long since I left home.

You're saying that detective agency in Lungmen is your home now?

Of course.

What about back in Jiangdong?

Jiangdong, or Kong Tung as we call it, is just a place with a house, some lanterns, and a few old friends.

We've both changed.

I hope that when we clink our glasses together, it's not the sound of our past ambitions crumbling away that we hear.

No, no, no, that's not quite right. You're a mandarin of some standing and the magistrate responsible for a city. If the masses are happy with you, perhaps you've already achieved your dreams?

We still have a long road ahead of us. Shangshu has always been a bustling place. What I'm trying to accomplish is just gilding the lily.

I hope that you won't forget who we once were, then. Gon bui.

Gan bei.

Seems like Yan's research into occult mysticism is the greatest secret across this whole world.

You make it sound like we don't want to share.

They may take different forms, but all nations approach the same problem in their own way. Everyone faces this issue.

Though, because of certain... historical reasons, Great Yan's Sui Regulator happens to be at the forefront of 'Feranmutology.' Always has been. Always will be.

Kjerag still worships them as gods and Sami attempts to coexist with them, but the Sui Regulator's research has advanced to unparalleled heights.

So, the 'Sui' in Sui Regulator is the same 'Sui' that Nian talked about?

Did Nian tell you about those legends? The old emperor, the wild hunt, and what they uncovered?

(That's the stuff Lava talked about...)

In ancient times, the people thought of certain creatures as 'gods,' and with civilization's advancement, they gradually began to go into hiding.

The 'Sui' is one such creature.

'Certain creatures...?'

Whether they actually meet the definition of a living being is up for debate, and I don't suppose we need to go there.

All you need to know is that when at last they come to bring destruction to the world, Yan has the power to annihilate them. That's all.

Fair enough...

This is not exactly confidential Sui Regulator information, but it's not exactly common knowledge either.

I'm telling you all this not because I want a scholarly discussion.

Nian, Dusk, and the one who's in hiding somewhere in Shangshu. All of them are under the Sui Regulator's surveillance.

Normally, these things would not happen at such a pace. But then one day, the clouds all dissipated from that mountain. By the time the Sui Regulator Candleholders arrived, Dusk was nowhere to be found.

That happened just a few days ago.

It took only a few days for the Candleholders to brief the court on this matter too.

That's something... There's quite a bit of distance between Mount Hui-ch'i and the capital, isn't there?

Rhodes Island is getting itself involved without knowing the whole picture. The ignorant are blameless. On the contrary, it's unimaginable that you would work with those two without knowing anything.

And now, we would like Rhodes Island to follow the Sui Regulator's arrangement and persuade the Lungmenite to surrender the goblet himself.

I knew it... Liang Xun was under your thumb the whole time.

Correct.

He had Mr. Lee deliver the cup all the way from Lungmen to be stolen, and it's all a show, huh?

You call the magistrate by name, but gave the Lungmenite a courtesy title. That shows you are a good person.

Does being a good person mean anything else in Yan?

Please don't get the wrong idea. I'm not trying to beat around the bush. All I'm saying is that you aren't hiding your trust in the Lungmenite anymore. Is it because of his partnership with Rhodes Island?

It's actually more than that... He's a friend too.

There aren't many people we can truly call friends. It seems Nian and Dusk are your friends too.

It sounds like the Sui Regulator has some high standing in Yan. So why the ruse? Who are you trying to fool?

I'm afraid that's more than what Rhodes Island needs to know.

And you straight up admit that?

There's nothing to hide. It's just a more elegant way to go about this to save our mandarins some face.

Now that I've told Rhodes Island so much, can we set aside our differences and negotiate?

You want our help?

We'd like Mr. Lee's too.

What do you need help with?

The elimination of the Sui.

I'm not drunk. No need to hold me like this.

You're my guest.

I'm just a grunt you summoned from Lungmen.

I actually considered the possibility that the Messenger might not be able to find you in Lungmen.

And I actually registered my agency in Lungmen hoping that you would find me.

'Lee's Detective Agency.' Why did you choose to build your business in Lungmen, though?

It's the farthest away I could get from Yan.

Any farther than that... I have no place to go.

You could come back.

I don't want to.

Liang Xun.

Hm...

I know, actually.

You always knew.

Lungmen is not your home, yet you spent half your life holding out hope for Lungmen.

I thought, there, I could finally find what it was that I wanted to do.

Did you?

I did, but I also found that I could find it just about anywhere.

All those years ago, Huai Tianpei said he'd study kung fu and make a name for himself.