How To Polish A Pearl

Chapter 22 - Sentencing

A/N: This chapter contains mild gore and violence. Please don't continue reading if this is something that makes you uncomfortable.

⊂ (▀▿▀) つ

Changing Ghost clears his throat. He knows that he has to say something or he will be culled as others before him.

"Guzhu, two of my underlings had too much to drink and made some unacceptable comments. Happy Ghosts underlings overheard it and they started arguing. It got out of control and the two Happy Ghosts underlings were killed."

Without responding, Wen Ke Xing raises one eyebrow in gest for Changing Ghost to continue.

"Knowing you would not accept the behavior, I had them both executed and all four were thrown off the cliff. This is why we were late. Please punish me as you see fit."

Blinking slowly, he fixates on Changing Ghost, boring into his eyes. "You know, I don't mind the strong praying on the weak. If they died, the were not strong enough to survive. This is the law and order of Ghost Valley, is it not?"

"Yes, Guzhu, you are absolutely right, I..."

"What were the comments?"

"..." Getting cut off, he stares at the floor. The sweat streaming from his forehead has started to wash away the thick, tacky, white paint that is covering most of his face and neck. His appearance now looking like a white and tan colored zebra. 

Pathetic. "Is it a difficult question?"

"Ah, Oh, I don't know."

"You don't know? You had them killed, yet you don't know why you killed them?"

Sweat practically flowing down his face, Changing Ghost shifts his eyes between his Guzhu and his Nu Zhuren, "Guzhu...", swallowing hard and under obvious stress he stutters, "... he said some things about Nu Zhuren Zhou... that I would prefer not to repeat."

"Ah. I see." Standing up, he walks over to Changing Ghost, his face as frosty as the night of winter solstice. "Let me summarize", a brilliant smile showing all of his teeth spreads across his face, "Your underlings probably called my Ah-Xu something horrid, Happy Ghosts underlings tried to defend my husband and got killed in the process. Then you killed your own."

"Yes."

"So not only did your underlings spill blood, thus staining our wedding with bad luck. You then decided, without reporting to me first, to spill even more blood during the final day of our wedding celebration?"

"..."

"Do you not want me to have a happy marriage?"

Realizing what just happened, Changing Ghost continues to bow, "Guzhu, please forgive me. I did not think. I just acted to avenge your husband. Please punish me."

"You think I need you to do anything that has to do with my Ah-Xu?" Turning around, he watches his husband sitting on the sofa, leaning against the back rest, not showing any of the discomfort of sitting on stone that he must be feeling.

Zhou Xu's eyes are focused on the scene ahead, his mind clear from any effects of alcohol. So this is what he wanted me here for.

Turning back to face the devils, he slices so quickly with the fan, that no one reacts at first. Still standing, Changing Ghosts body starts to wobble before slumping forward with a thud on the floor.

"No one but me or under my orders spills blood under my roof. Do you understand?"

All with eyes wide open, as none of them has anticipated that someone would get executed during tea, the respond in disunity, "Yes, Guzhu."

"And one more thing", turning towards Zhou Xu he sighs and flicks his bloody fan closed, pointing at the dead ghost at his feet, "Anyone who dares to say anything about my Ah-Xu will meet the same fate."

"..."

Not bothering to look back at them, he continues, "Great. Now that we have established that - get out."

Soundlessly, they all turn and flees whilst throwing glances at each other, scattering in groups when they exit. The dead ghost is left without a second though, where he had slumped, blood starting to seep through the cut.

"Ah-Xiang." Looking towards the side, where she has been standing unnoticed.

"Zhuren."

"You know what to do."

"Sure thing."

Turning around, she heads towards the exit. "You two, get rid of the body. You four, follow me."

Zhou Xu stares at Wen Ke Xing behind thick eyelashes, his eyes not disclosing any of his thoughts. "Had you already decided to kill that specific devil or were you just playing it by ear?"

Smiling, Wen Ke Xing approaches Zhou Xu and takes a seat on his left and looks fondly at his profile, "The winds of the hell shift suddenly; so does the fate of devils." (1)

Turning to face Wen Ke Xing, Zhou Xu retorts, "Think thrice before you act, look before you leap, examine oneself before action." (2)

Laughing out loud, as sound that sounds so foreign from his own lips, Wen Ke Xing asks, "Ah-Xu, you are very observant, what do you think happened today?"

Trying to ignore the feeling of being stared at so intently, like he was a snack, Zhou Xu sighs as he puffs his cheeks, "I think the incident last night was an assassination attempt on your life but Happy Ghost's underlings got in between. Unfortunately for Changing Ghost, when they killed the underlings, it drew too much attention to their plans and they called it off. Then he disposed both of Happy Ghosts underlings and the assassins so that there would be no trace back to him."

Nodding, his eyes glimmering as he watches those puffer fish cheeks, "You got one thing wrong though."

"Which part?"

"The assassination attempt wasn't on me."

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Author's Notes:

(1) I changed around the proverb 'The winds of the heavens shift suddenly; so does human fate.' to work with the Ghost Valley. Basically saying that he went with the flow.

(2)'think thrice before you act, look before you leap, examine oneself beforeaction' is a self-explanatory Chinese proverb. Zhou Xu is basically saying toWen Ke Xing to stop being so impulsive.