IDWBE -Chapter 190 The Secret of the Secret Guards

Wang Xu smiled and said, “Brother, don’t! You’re underestimating Captain Ma and Chief Constable Chen. A meal costs only a few coins; there’s no need to fuss over it.”

“Not at all, not at all,” Wang Xing replied happily. “Just give your brother a chance to show respect to a few elder brothers.”

Without waiting for further words, he barked at the boy standing by the door, “What are you standing there for? Go call your mother over immediately!”

The boy panicked and ran out. Soon, a heavily made-up and flirtatious madam appeared, followed by a long line of young women, all of whom coquettishly winked at Chen Xinluo and Ma Gui seated at the head of the table.

Wang Xing frowned, and the madam quickly reassured him, “Master Wang, don’t worry. Miss Liu Ruyan will come shortly.”

“That’s better,” Wang Xing nodded, then casually gestured to three of the girls, who immediately and willingly took seats beside Wang Xu and Ma Gui at the side, without approaching Chen Xinluo at the main seat.

That was the rule.

Those at the main seat were usually beyond their service.

Wang Xing took several silver coins from his pocket, waved them in front of the three girls, and said, “See this? Your master is not short of money! Serve these elder brothers properly. If there’s even the slightest mistake, this silver won’t go to you. I’d rather toss it into the water for fun! Understand?”

He was a veteran of the pleasure houses, having visited every brothel from Nanzhou to Yuezhou and then to Sanhe. He knew all the tricks.

The money for serving drinks and singing went partly to the waitstaff, partly to the house owner, and the rest fell straight into the madam’s pocket—there was nothing the girls could do about it.

The girls always tried their best to keep customers overnight, hoping for a small tip to buy cosmetics or a new dress.

They weren’t very keen on just pouring drinks or singing.

Even if Wang Xing was wealthy, the girls treated him like any ordinary customer. No matter how attentive they were, he couldn’t take them home as concubines. At most, he could splurge a bit more, but the money always went to the madam.

It didn’t concern the girls.

So Wang Xing spoke bluntly upfront—not embarrassing himself, but showcasing his wealth. Serve them well, and there’d be a reward.

“Thank you, Master Wang!”

The three girls were thrilled.

Wang Xing, proudly seated below Wang Xu, waited for the fair-skinned girl beside him to fill his cup, smiling as he said, “I’m truly grateful that you elder brothers appreciate me!”

Chen Xinluo smiled. “You’re welcome.”

Just then, the door’s curtain was drawn back, and a stunningly beautiful woman walked in. She bowed gracefully. “Detective Chen, Captain Ma, Liu Ruyan pays her respects.”

Chen Xinluo smiled. “We’re all old friends, no need for formalities. Please, Miss Liu Ruyan, have a seat.”

Liu Ruyan moved like a willow in the wind, gracefully approaching the seat next to Chen Xinluo.

Wang Xu’s eyes widened, and he swallowed hard.

The prince was right—this woman was naturally enchanting, making one’s heart race.

Yet even the wealthy Sanhe men, including Wang Xing, only dared to have her accompany them for drinks.

After all, rumor had it she was the prince’s woman.

Who would dare risk their life?

Liu Ruyan sat on Chen Xinluo’s right. Once her maid filled her cup, she raised it and said, “I first toast Detective Chen.”

“Many thanks.”

Chen Xinluo lifted his cup and drank in one go.

After drinking, Liu Ruyan stood again and raised her cup. “Captain Ma, I also toast you.”

She then sequentially toasted Wang Xu and Wang Xing.

Wang Xu laughed. “Eat something too—don’t just drink.”

After a pause, Wang Xing imitated Liu Ruyan and toasted each in turn.

After a few rounds of drinks, Wang Xu casually brought up the recent cases, eventually leading the conversation to Chen Ying.

Liu Ruyan’s expression changed briefly, then returned to normal.

“Chen Ying is just a lowly fifth-rank,” Ma Gui snorted. “Yet the Southern Province Secret Guard Command personally came to hunt her down. No matter what, she’s just an ordinary girl. Something about this is too suspicious.”

Liu Ruyan’s lips twitched involuntarily again.

Fifth-rank?
And just a lowly one?
How dismissive of fifth-rank!
She knew well that a fifth-rank could walk proudly across the world.

But thinking of this being Sanhe, she sighed.

She couldn’t understand why there were so many masters here.

Could this Huiyuan Gong really be that formidable?
Even an old woman could reach Hua Jin?

Wang Xu smiled. “Jiao En overestimated himself, dared to act wild in Sanhe, and in the end, Chief Constable Chen beheaded him in one stroke. His body was thrown into the wild to feed stray dogs.”

Jiao En was dead?

Liu Ruyan was horrified.
He was at peak seventh-rank—how could someone kill him with a single stroke?

Even facing Chen Xinluo, he might lose, but he shouldn’t have been unable to escape.

Unless… the dead eunuch from the prince’s household intervened!

Chen Xinluo casually glanced at Liu Ruyan, pretending to know nothing.

As the wine flowed, Liu Ruyan glanced at Wang Xing, Wang Xu, and Ma Gui, then spoke suddenly, “I have something to say, though I don’t know if I should.”

Wang Xu stood, draping his arm over Wang Xing’s shoulder, tongue tied and stammering, “Brother… I, uh… need to, uh… show the way, uh…”

Wang Xing staggered to his feet, “I’ll accompany you, brother. No big deal.”

After they left, the young woman beside them also went out.

Without such vigilance, she would’ve been killed long ago.

The large private room now held only Liu Ruyan, Ma Gui, and Chen Xinluo.

Chen Xinluo smiled. “Miss Liu, speak freely. We’re old friends now; there’s nothing to hide. Don’t you agree?”

Liu Ruyan drank the rest of her wine, gritting her teeth. “Actually, you all know my identity, and I know you know it.”

Ma Gui frowned. “Why say this?”

“When I first came to Sanhe and saw the prince’s attitude toward me, I was puzzled. He has always been gentle with women, yet his behavior in Ankang City was suddenly different,” Liu Ruyan said calmly. “When I realized someone was watching me, I knew my identity had already been exposed.”

Chen Xinluo applauded. “You are indeed perceptive. Your identity is no longer a secret to us.”

He had to admire Qi Peng.

Without Qi Peng, they would never have guessed that such a delicate woman was part of the Secret Guards.

Ma Gui continued, “Knowing is one thing, but for you to openly say it is another. Aren’t you afraid?”

“Afraid? Of course I am,” Liu Ruyan said bitterly. “But it’s far better to die at your hands than at the Secret Guards’.”

Chen Xinluo and Ma Gui exchanged glances. Ma Gui asked, “Miss, what do you mean?”

“Not hiding anything, Chen Ying came to Sanhe seeking me,” Liu Ruyan suddenly wept, “I never imagined in the end it was I who caused her death. She perished in Sanhe, and I couldn’t even see her off one last time.”

“Condolences,” Chen Xinluo handed her a handkerchief calmly. “By beheading Jiao En, I’ve avenged her.”

“Thank you, Detective Chen,” Liu Ruyan wiped her tears and forced a bitter smile. “Can you imagine what it feels like to find out your benefactor is actually your enemy?”

Chen Xinluo and Ma Gui remained silent.

Liu Ruyan continued, “When Chen Ying learned her parents were killed by Jiang Chong, she was devastated. Fortunately, the training in the Secret Guards taught her to stay calm and not rush for revenge. We were like sisters since childhood, and she quietly left Ankang City to come to Sanhe. When I heard about this, I was furious. I, too, am an orphan. Jiang Chong told me my father fell off a cliff while gathering herbs, and my mother fell into depression and passed away. I had my suspicions. We discovered a shocking secret of the Secret Guards.”

Chen Xinluo asked gravely, “What secret?”

“Have you ever wondered why the Secret Guards have so many masters?” Liu Ruyan countered.

Ma Gui said, “I’ve heard they rarely recruit from outside. Like prominent sects, they start training children early, ensuring complete loyalty.”

Liu Ruyan asked, “In martial arts, which is more important—talent or effort?”

“Talent, naturally,” Ma Gui answered without hesitation.

He thought of Chief Hong, the blind man, Little Xi, and Ye Qiu—no matter how hard they worked, they couldn’t catch up.

“Do you know the most mysterious part of the Secret Guards?” Liu Ruyan continued.

Chen Xinluo replied, “Of course, it’s their dungeons. People who enter seldom come out alive.”

“No,” Liu Ruyan said. “The most important and secret part is the nursery. They collect the most talented children, teach them martial arts, and ultimately use them for the Secret Guards’ purposes. These children are ostensibly orphans, but their families were killed by the Secret Guards.”

“What!”

Ma Gui and Chen Xinluo were dumbfounded.

“Unthinkable, isn’t it?” Liu Ruyan said bitterly. “When I learned this, I nearly went mad.”

Chen Xinluo said angrily, “With their strength, if they wanted children to join, wouldn’t their parents consent? Why use such methods?”

“Because they need killing tools—no attachments, no emotions,” Liu Ruyan said through tears. “Even the Secret Guards’ couriers are orphans.”

The couriers delivered messages and funerals.

Ma Gui sighed. “No wonder they had to kill Chen Ying. If the secret got out, loyal subordinates would turn into enemies. The Secret Guards would cease to exist.”

“Then aren’t you in great danger?” Chen Xinluo asked Liu Ruyan.