SBTW 4

Shuttle Between Two Worlds: The Chief Minister’s E-Commerce Minion

Chapter 4: That's Called a High-Voltage Stun Gun, Specially Made for Defiant Ruffians and Creeps

The secret passage steps descended all the way downward, the scent of damp soil seeping through the cracks in the masonry alongside a faint whiff of rotting timber, adding an even more oppressive feel to the already dim corridor.

Tian Qiqi led the way carrying the entrenching tool with the monitor taped to it, her smartphone screen glowing faintly as the black-and-white feed swayed gently with her movements.

Huangfu Ye kept his hand on his sword, guarding her flank.

The small white object nestled against his right earlobe occasionally transmitted the sound of Tian Qiqi’s deliberately lowered breathing.

It was a very soft sound, yet it inexplicably brought a touch of out-of-place vitality into this cold, gloomy tunnel.

"Lord Huangfu, hold on a second." Tian Qiqi suddenly tugged at the hem of his robe.

Huangfu Ye halted his steps, glancing down at the brocade official robe she had grabbed; his brow twitched slightly, but he didn't issue any reprimand.

Staring intently at her phone screen, Tian Qiqi looked far more serious than before.

Through the night-vision lens at the tip of the entrenching tool, she spotted several thin wires faintly tensioned across the floor ahead—so fine they practically melted into the darkness, completely impossible to detect with the naked eye unless the feed was magnified.

Crouching down by the corner to take a closer look, she dropped her voice into a warning whisper: "There are tripwires up ahead, and they're hooked up to crossbow traps."

Following the direction she indicated, Huangfu Ye's gaze instantly turned frosty as his fingers settled onto his sword hilt. "The Du Residence truly has things to hide."

Just as he stepped forward to dismantle the trap, Tian Qiqi reached out to block him. "Hold on, no need to waste your internal energy on heavy labor."

She blinked up at him, a familiar wave of smugness coloring her tone. "I've got this."

Before Huangfu Ye could say anything, he watched her fish a pair of heavy black scissors out of her pajama pocket.

The scissors were hefty, their blades gleaming with a cold edge, while the handles were stamped with several strange characters he couldn't read at all.

Squatting down, Tian Qiqi moved with the practiced efficiency of someone constantly breaking down cardboard boxes in a warehouse.

Snap.

Snap.

Two crisp cracks echoed exceptionally clearly through the tunnel.

The beef-tendon tripwires painstakingly set up by the Du Residence with heavy funds were neatly clipped in two by her scissors.

A dull mechanical clatter immediately echoed from the depths of the passage as the crossbow bolts hidden within the walls jammed halfway, not even given the chance to fire.

Putting away her scissors, Tian Qiqi turned back to look at Huangfu Ye, a smile radiant enough to practically light up half the passageway blooming across her face.

"Done. What do you think? Aren't these scissors great?"

Looking down at the bizarrely sharp, magic-devoid pair of black scissors in her hands, Huangfu Ye fell silent for a moment before finally murmuring, "Truly sharp."

Tian Qiqi was thoroughly satisfied. "Only cost a hundred and fifty. I'll get you a pair next time."

He had originally thought he'd witnessed plenty of rare treasures in his lifetime, but ever since meeting Tian Qiqi, he suddenly felt that the world might hold countless unreasonable things.

Like the scissors in her hand, the glowing iron rod, or even the girl herself.

The two continued moving forward along the secret passage. The closer they got to the end, the heavier the scent of candle oil in the air became.

After rounding a bend ahead, the field of vision suddenly opened up, revealing a secluded underground vault.

The chamber was packed to the brim with iron chests of varying sizes; some of the lids weren't fully closed, catching the faint candlelight within and casting an eye-piercing gleam of silver ingots and jewelry.

Right in the middle of all that treasure, a figure dressed in black with a masked face was bent over, hurriedly tossing letters into a brazier.

The ultraviolet flashlight in Tian Qiqi’s pocket glowed faintly.

As the beam swept past, the glowing green residue clinging to the masked man's trouser legs was blindingly clear.

Huangfu Ye’s gaze turned instantly glacial. "Master Du."

Stepping out of the secret passage, his voice was as cold as a blade scraping against frozen iron. "Not sleeping in the middle of the night, but burning letters in your personal vault—such fine leisure."

The man in black shuddered violently, whipping his head around.

When he ripped off his mask, the panic-stricken, furious face revealed was none other than Du Wansheng, the grand proprietor of the Wansheng Money House. "Huangfu Ye?"

With a ferocious expression, Du Wansheng felt a ruthless flash spike through the bottom of his eyes. "The Court of Judicial Review actually managed to find this place."

The stationery in the brazier wasn't fully incinerated yet; lines of text implicating imperial military provisions and border smuggling flickered in and out of view amidst the flames.

Sweeping his gaze across them, Huangfu Ye’s murderous intent grew even colder. "Du Wansheng, come back to the Court of Judicial Review with this official."

Du Wansheng suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Since you've come, don't even think about leaving alive." Before his words fully faded, his figure surged forward abruptly, the soft sword hidden in his sleeve lunging straight for Huangfu Ye's heart like a striking viper.

Huangfu Ye’s longsword was already half out of its scabbard, but Tian Qiqi moved even faster. "My lord, watch out!" The moment the words left her mouth, she had already darted past Huangfu Ye's side, moving with a speed that left a blurry afterimage.

With a slight shift in his obsidian gaze, Huangfu Ye moved to pull her back, only to see Tian Qiqi pulling the black stun gun right out of her backpack's side pocket.

Bzzzt—

A harsh, grating electrical hum burst into life inside the vault, the blue-and-white arc of lightning illuminating Du Wansheng's horrified, distorted face.

"What kind of sorcery—" Before he could finish, Tian Qiqi side-stepped his lunging soft sword, flipped her wrist, and pressed the stun gun squarely against his abdomen.

A violent surge of electricity tore through his entire frame.

Du Wansheng shuddered violently, his soft sword clattering to the floor as his vicious expression dissolved into absolute blankness.

Without rushing to let up, Tian Qiqi waited until he was completely neutralized before retracting the stun gun and casually kicking his dropped blade aside.

Staggering a couple of steps, Du Wansheng crashed heavily into a chest of gold bars behind him, jarring the lid open and sending gold bars spilling across the floor.

He collapsed entirely, foaming at the mouth and passing out cold on the spot.

The vault quieted down, leaving only the crackling sound of stationery burning in the brazier and a faint trace of scorched air.

Standing frozen with his sword still undrawn, Huangfu Ye looked down at the unconscious Du Wansheng, then back at Tian Qiqi as she clicked off the stun gun's switch; a rare, indescribable complexity flashed through his eyes.

"Is this also one of your magical treasures?"

Spinning the stun gun around in her palm, Tian Qiqi gave an entirely casual smile. "For self-defense, specially made for bad guys who refuse to listen."

With that, she glanced down at the passed-out Du Wansheng to ensure he was genuinely immobile before letting out a breath of relief.

"Good thing I brought it. Otherwise, you guys in ancient times just go around fighting with swords—it looks way too dangerous."

Silently watching her, Huangfu Ye realized that from the morgue to the Du Residence tunnel, this girl had always remained like a bright, rule-defying fire.

Seemingly chaotic, she always managed to latch onto clues at the most critical moments; she was bold, yet far from reckless.

Even her strikes were far more decisive than many Court of Judicial Review constables.

The cold, taut lines of his brow unconsciously softened beneath the reflection of the flames.

Completely oblivious to his shift in demeanor, Tian Qiqi looked out over the sea of gold bars, her eyes sparkling.

"Lord Huangfu." She inched a little closer, wearing an expression of utmost seriousness.

"Does my temporary consultant gig tonight count as an achievement?"

Lowering his gaze to look at her, Huangfu Ye could still hear the rapid, lingering rhythm of her breathing from when she had sprinted earlier echoing through the strange little gadget by his ear.

A faint, wispy trace of a smile flickered across the bottom of his eyes. "It does."

A beaming grin broke across Tian Qiqi's face. "Then is there a hazard allowance?"

Finally sliding his sword back into its scabbard, Huangfu Ye let the low, metallic click ring softly through the vault like an unspoken promise.

"Your pay won't be shorted."

Highly satisfied, Tian Qiqi bent down to retrieve her entrenching tool and monitor, making sure to shove her hundred-and-fifty-yuan scissors back into her pocket.

Stepping up beside her, Huangfu Ye swept his gaze across the unburned secret letters, his voice returning to the calm composure expected of the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

"Take the prisoner back to the Court of Judicial Review. I shall review these letters personally."

Nodding along, Tian Qiqi smiled up at him, a trace of dust still smudged across her cheek while her eyes brimmed with triumph. "Sure thing. But once you're done with work, you're treating me to tea."

Looking down at her, the normally stern and unapproachable Chief Minister softened just a fraction. "Very well. This official shall treat you to the finest brew."

Happily hoisting her entrenching tool, Tian Qiqi walked shoulder-to-shoulder with him out of the secret chamber.

Behind them, the fire flickered and gold and silver gleamed coldly across the floor, while their intertwined black-and-pink silhouettes stretched long along the secret corridor under the faint glow of the smartphone screen.

The first joint venture between the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the modern e-commerce shop owner thus officially drew to a close amidst chaotic, bizarre, yet unexpectedly synchronized night shadows.

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