Shu Qing knew the Head Butler wouldn’t dare report him to the King of the Underworld, which is why he dared to be so arrogant. If he couldn’t even get the little bit of silver he wanted, and it really got to the King of the Underworld, it wouldn’t just be a matter of getting whipped.
Wiping the blood off the whip, Shu Qing controlled the fire in his palm and burned the cloth to ashes. Looking at the two guards standing in front of him, he found it amusing. Does this look like the treatment of a fallen male concubine? With guards following him around, and guards shielding him when he hits someone, it all seems like he’s still favored.
The King of the Underworld still doesn’t understand him. If Shu Qing were the honest and straightforward type, having someone watch over him might indeed be a restraint. But Shu Qing has never been straightforward, so this tactic doesn’t work. Not only does it not work, but it seems to aid and abet his behavior. Rules only apply to those who follow them. And someone like him is more suited to act recklessly.
The Head Butler, no matter how angry, didn’t dare retaliate against Shu Qing, but he also didn’t immediately kneel and promise anything, just stood there silently in anger. After whipping the Head Butler until his mouth was full of blood, Shu Qing felt much better. He took a step forward but didn’t cross the guards’ position—if the guards pushed him back, it would be embarrassing for him.
Shu Qing just raised his hand, pointing the whip at the Head Butler’s position. The Head Butler’s face turned pale instantly, and he took two steps back. Shu Qing felt even better. With a mocking smile, he said, “In the future, whatever I want, you give it to me. Remember that.” With that, he turned and left, his luxurious robe trailing behind him. He looked nothing like someone who had fallen out of favor. He seemed proud and in high spirits.
The guards following him felt something was off. Were they really there to watch over Shu Qing? Was this watching over him? Wasn’t it more like escorting his arrogance and willfulness? Shu Qing originally just wanted to teach the Head Butler a lesson, but as he passed a courtyard on his way back, he unexpectedly stumbled upon two minor stewards beating a servant.
This wasn’t uncommon. After all, this was the Underworld, where ghosts ruled, and evil spirits roamed. Sometimes, harsh punishment was necessary to maintain order. Shu Qing stopped not out of sympathy for the beaten servant but because he recognized the two minor stewards—one of them was a confidant of the Head Butler.
Since the Head Butler dared to provoke him, and Shu Qing wasn’t someone with a broad mind, it was only natural to vent his anger on others. Shu Qing turned to head over there, but the guards quickly blocked him. “Little Immortal, please stay.”
It was obvious he was going over to cause trouble. Naturally, they had to step in to stop him. Shu Qing glared at them. “You dare to stop me?”
“……”
Of course, the guards didn’t dare. Even if Shu Qing had truly fallen out of favor, who could guarantee he wouldn’t regain favor one day? If that happened, they’d be the ones in trouble. The guards bowed their heads and clasped their fists. “We are only following the orders of the King of the Underworld to protect the Little Immortal, not to restrain him.”
“Please, Little Immortal, return.”
Using the King of the Underworld to pressure him. Most people would probably compromise, but the word “compromise” wasn’t in Shu Qing’s dictionary. “What, did the King of the Underworld say that protection means confinement, and I’m not allowed to stroll outside?”
“……”
“Since I’m not in any danger, I don’t need your protection for now. Move aside.”
“……”
The guards were in a dilemma, not daring to let him pass, nor daring not to. Shu Qing’s voice turned colder. “What, do you really want to control me?”
“We are only following the orders of the King of the Underworld……”
“Then go report back to the King of the Underworld, ask if I’m not even allowed to take a stroll, and come back after you get a clear answer.”
Shu Qing snorted coldly. “You can’t even figure this out, I really don’t understand why the King of the Underworld sent you here.”
“……”
With that, it seemed like the guards were utterly useless. “Either move aside or go report back to the King of the Underworld, otherwise I don’t mind whipping you a few times.”
The guards believed he would really whip them. And no matter how many times Shu Qing whipped them, they couldn’t fight back. They couldn’t go report back to the King of the Underworld either. After much hesitation, the guards finally stepped aside. “……Little Immortal, please stroll, we will protect you from the side.”
Shu Qing glanced at them, snorted, and strode forward. Not far away, the two minor stewards were still beating the servant. “Beat you, you ungrateful beast, we kindly let you live here, even give you food, and you dare to secretly plot against me?”
“You ugly thing, I think it’s better to beat you to death, once and for all.”
The two punched and kicked, while the servant on the ground curled up into a ball, his faded, old clothes already stained with blood. “Stop.”
Shu Qing walked over and stopped them. “What are you doing, beating someone like this?”
The two minor stewards stopped and turned to see Shu Qing, their eyes flashing with disdain, reluctantly saluting. “Greetings, Little Immortal.”
They were in cahoots with the Head Butler. The Head Butler had already dared to openly target Shu Qing, so naturally, his underlings were even more arrogant, not taking Shu Qing seriously. That’s how bullies are. Shu Qing understood because he was the same. Although the King of the Underworld’s methods were rough and strict, he was fair and just. But Shu Qing, relying on the King of the Underworld’s power, always acted on a whim, offending whoever he wanted.
Shu Qing had been displeased with these two for a long time. They had spread rumors about him behind his back. He hadn’t been able to catch them in the act before, but today he finally had the chance. “To answer the Little Immortal, it’s nothing serious, just punishing a servant who did something wrong.”
Their response was respectful enough, but the tone carried a hint of impatience, changing the meaning, as if mocking Shu Qing for meddling. Shu Qing heard it and sneered inwardly. Wasn’t this the opportunity he was waiting for? He couldn’t leave now.
The servant on the ground was still curled up, only slightly opening up, but Shu Qing saw his face, a huge scar running across it, looking terrifying and ugly. “Who is this?” Shu Qing asked. “Why have I never seen him before?”
One of the minor stewards replied, “This is a servant who came a few days ago, not originally from the Underworld, just a wandering ghost from outside. We took pity on him and let him stay here to do some work.”
Stopping there would have been fine. But when you really want to annoy someone, that impulse is hard to suppress, and the minor steward had to continue. “It’s normal for the Little Immortal not to recognize him. He came after the Little Immortal was promoted… Besides, with so many servants in the palace, does the Little Immortal intend to recognize each one?”
“……”
That was quite an attack. It implied Shu Qing was originally a servant and mocked him for meddling too much. The guards were startled, recalling the Head Butler’s bloody mouth after being whipped, thinking it was only a matter of time before these two minor stewards got whipped too.
But Shu Qing didn’t get angry. His expression unchanged, his tone calm, he asked, “What crime did he commit to deserve such a beating?”
“This guy has sticky fingers, stole a lot from us, and when caught red-handed, he refused to admit it, so we punished him here and gave him a beating.”
Shu Qing said, “He’s already been beaten like this, consider it punishment enough, just kick him out.”
The minor stewards dared to mock him to his face, seeing Shu Qing not retaliating, they were even less likely to comply with his arrangement. “Dealing with such a wicked servant is our duty, no need for the Little Immortal to worry.”
Shu Qing remained calm. “I’m not worried, I just think this should be enough. He seems to have learned his lesson, just kick him out.”
But coming from Shu Qing, it sounded like a joke. One of the minor stewards immediately replied, “Compared to the Little Immortal’s methods, ours are nothing. This beating is what he deserves.”
Shu Qing paused. “……What do you mean by that?”
The minor stewards had dealt with Shu Qing before. Previously so arrogant, just a lowly male concubine warming the King of the Underworld’s bed, acting like he was the master of the back courtyard. But these days, he seemed to have fallen out of favor, looking noticeably weaker, even pretending to be kind and magnanimous?
Was he trying to use this method to restore his reputation and regain the King of the Underworld’s favor? Pfft. Such petty tricks, truly contemptible. The minor steward, from subtle probing to outright provocation, found that Shu Qing had truly lost his previous arrogance, not daring to talk back, and responded with even more disdain.
“Everyone in the Underworld knows how cruel the Little Immortal’s methods were before. Our little punishment is nothing but a display of incompetence in front of the Little Immortal.”
Shu Qing frowned. “……How dare you talk to me like that?!”
He seemed angry. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll have the King of the Underworld punish you?”
Only the guards were on edge, not understanding what this little butterfly was plotting. Just now, he had whipped the Head Butler without hesitation, showing no fear. How could he possibly tolerate a minor steward mocking and ridiculing him now? There must be another purpose. It was definitely not a good thing.
The guards carefully observed every detail of Shu Qing’s movements, determined to stop him when he drew his whip. “We’re just doing our duty, what crime is there?”
Hearing Shu Qing still daring to bring up the King of the Underworld, the minor steward was even more disdainful. “The Little Immortal should recognize reality sooner. Perhaps it’s because the Little Immortal was too cruel before that the King of the Underworld abandoned him.”
Shu Qing seemed furious. “……Who said the King of the Underworld abandoned me?!”
The minor steward didn’t hide his malice. “Who doesn’t know by now, the Little Immortal has already been—”
Crash—
Before he could finish, the minor steward’s mouth was still open, his eyes wide, but in the next second, his head separated from his body, falling to the ground. There was no blood splatter, no gruesome scene, just clean and tidy, as the head hit the ground, the body turned to ashes.
“Ahhhhh—”
The other minor steward, stunned for a few seconds, screamed in terror. Crash— In the next second, his head also fell, turning into a second pile of ashes. A very clean vanishing act.
Shu Qing twirled his wrist, playing with the long sword skillfully, and tossed it back to the guard. “Didn’t want to dirty my whip, so I borrowed your sword. Here, take it back.”
“…………”
The guard stood frozen, unable to believe the long sword tossed back to him. They had already guessed Shu Qing would take action, and he had been prepared, constantly on edge. Despite all precautions, he couldn’t prevent it. This time, Shu Qing didn’t suddenly draw his whip but suddenly drew his own sword, so fast and abrupt that no one could react in time.
By the time the guard reacted, one minor steward had already turned to ashes. Before he could say a word, the other minor steward also turned to ashes. How could anyone stop that? No one could stop it in time, right?
The guard was completely dumbfounded. Was it not serious? Shu Qing had just ended two lives with a flick of his wrist, utterly ruthless, disregarding everything. But was it serious? They had seen and heard with their own eyes and ears, these two minor stewards had spoken disrespectfully to Shu Qing and discussed the King of the Underworld’s private matters. If punished severely, they wouldn’t have survived either.
Only now did the guard finally understand what Shu Qing’s earlier abnormal behavior was for. It was a deliberate act to prove his actions were justified, that the two minor stewards had provoked and disrespected him first. And they, the two guards, were witnesses.
“But you two as guards, really aren’t doing a good job.”
Shu Qing said coldly, “Even your personal sword can be so easily drawn by someone else. If there were real danger, how could I rely on you to protect me?”
“……”
“Heh, and you say you’re protecting me. Just now, I was mocked and ridiculed, and you did nothing. Is this how you protect me?”
“I really don’t understand why the King of the Underworld sent you two useless people here.”
The guards had no words to refute. After being played and scolded by Shu Qing, they had to admit, “……It was our negligence, please forgive us, Little Immortal.”
“Hmph.”
Shu Qing clapped his hands, brushed off the ashes from his clothes, and turned to leave. The Head Butler dared to target and mistreat him, so he not only retaliated in person but also eliminated his confidants as a warning. They could only blame themselves for not hiding their thoughts and not controlling their mouths. Otherwise, how could Shu Qing have caught them with something to hold against them?
After venting his anger, Shu Qing felt better and even ate more when he got back. For the past two days, he had found everything nauseating and didn’t want to eat anything, but today he ate two bowls of sweet rice wine dumplings and several pieces of overly sweet pastries.
But just as he lay down at night, the door was suddenly kicked open, and the King of the Underworld, who hadn’t been seen for days, appeared with an angry face. “Do you really think you can disregard even me?!”
The King of the Underworld walked in with a gust of wind. “I just warned you a few days ago not to abuse your power, and now you’ve gone and killed people to silence them!”
His voice was so loud it made Shu Qing’s heart tremble. Shu Qing clutched his chest, sat up, and looked at the King of the Underworld without saying a word. Tonight, he wasn’t wearing those brightly colored clothes, just a pearly white inner garment. But up close, the material was smooth and silky, light and translucent, with exquisite floral patterns.
A fair-skinned, delicate beauty, with black hair like a waterfall, moist eyes, and a slender figure. Just sitting there quietly. Looking innocent and pitiful, as if he had suffered some injustice. “……Don’t look at me with that aggrieved expression, don’t you know what you’ve done?”
Shu Qing knew very well. He knew so well, that’s why he had to do this. “……They insulted and mocked me first, I was just too angry, that’s why I did it.”
Shu Qing said aggrievedly, “The guards can testify for me, I was just passing by, they were the ones who provoked me.”
[Author’s Note]
Little Butterfly: Yeah, I killed them, so what?