That thunderous strike was like a signal. Every black-clad man who had been lying helpless on the ground tore free of his ropes at once and rushed the gray-robed cultists. The Ten Aspects Sect was caught completely off guard. Every one of the black-clad men moved with astonishing agility, their attacks clean, fast, and decisive, with not the slightest trace of poisoning in any of them.
The cultists guarding the courtyard saw the situation reverse and turned to flee. A shrill whistle cut through the air behind them, and poisoned darts rained down like a celestial maiden scattering flowers. The dying sunlight coated the blades in a dull, blood-red sheen, and within moments, the fleeing cultists were sprawled across the courtyard gate.
The balance of attack and defense reversed in an instant.
Gu Pingchuan seemed to be a man with an endless supply of opinions and words, but now he displayed a surprisingly unyielding backbone. All four limbs were broken, yet he endured the agony without making a sound, cold sweat soaking the hair at his temples. The scarred man removed Gu Pingchuan’s mask, revealing a face bearing unmistakable Yanyuan features, then used his blade to pull open the man’s robe. His chest was bare and unmarked. The scarred man lifted an eyebrow, rolled Gu Pingchuan over, and gave a meaningful “Oh?”
“When I saw the thunderfire bombs, I knew something wasn’t right. The Ten Aspects Sect has really spared no expense. You actually sent an Elder to personally plan the whole operation.” He examined Gu Pingchuan’s features. “And judging from your face… don’t tell me you’re even a member of Yanyuan’s royal clan?”
Across Gu Pingchuan’s back spread a brilliantly colored Dharma-Form Mandala of the Three-World-Conquering Wisdom King. The Ten Aspects Sect had eight Elders, corresponding to the Eight Great Wisdom Kings. Anyone familiar with its hierarchy could identify Gu Pingchuan’s status immediately. Gu Pingchuan refused to acknowledge it and instead gritted his teeth against the pain. “How did you break free of Bright Mirror Stand? It is our sect’s secret drug. Without the corresponding antidote, there is absolutely no way—”
“We’ve been dealing with the Ten Aspects Sect for years. We’ve suffered more than enough losses along the way, so I have a fair idea what tricks you keep hidden in your sleeves. As for an antidote, don’t we have one now?”
His subordinates had already searched the gray-robed cultists, found the antidote, and were distributing the pills. The scarred man accepted one and swallowed it. Seeing that Gu Pingchuan still looked bewildered, he casually added, “We don’t have your antidote, but we do have a homemade Invincible Vajra Pill. Take one, and you’re immune to a hundred poisons for three ke—about forty-five minutes.”
A faint trace of embarrassment appeared on his face as he said Invincible Vajra Pill. Clearly, even he had objections to that ridiculous name. Gu Pingchuan, however, was shaken. The ingredients used in Bright Mirror Stand were exceedingly rare, and its formula was a closely guarded secret. It had never once failed, yet today its effects had been suppressed by some obscure pill he had never even heard of. Compared with Bihua’s meticulous preparations, the Ten Aspects Sect still knew far too little about its enemy.
The scarred man picked up a jug of cold water from the table and splashed it over Li Jin’s face. Li Jin woke with a startled cry, blinking frantically in terror. The moment he saw Gu Pingchuan lying on the ground nearby, he nearly lost his soul from fright. Like a convulsing caterpillar, he desperately wriggled backward. “Y-you… what do you want… Don’t kill me! Please! Don’t kill me!”
The scarred man ignored him. “I answered your question,” he told Gu Pingchuan. “Now it’s your turn. What exactly have you arranged?”
Gu Pingchuan turned his face away without hesitation.
“Not talking? Fine. You have so many subordinates. Someone will want to talk.” The scarred man raised his voice. “Gentlemen of the Ten Aspects Sect, your distinguished Elder Gu is still useful, so I can’t kill him yet. If he refuses to speak, there’s nothing I can do about it. But your lives are in my hands. Talk, and everyone lives. I won’t touch you; I’ll leave you for Xiling to deal with. Say nothing, and everyone dies. We’ll try to finish before the authorities arrive. Let’s begin.”
He did not even forget Li Jin. “Young Master Li, don’t sit idle. Think carefully too.”
Li Jin: “…”
Being handed over to Xiling did not necessarily mean survival, but some people were already thinking several steps ahead. If they helped prevent the attack before it happened, perhaps Xiling might show mercy because the scheme had never succeeded. Gu Pingchuan did not need to worry about his own life, nor, apparently, did he care much about theirs.
Betraying the sect to preserve one’s own life was shameful. Doing it for the safety of one’s fellow believers, on the other hand—why, that sounded almost noble.
Still, taking the first step was always hardest. Several cultists exchanged uneasy glances, none willing to be the first to speak. The scarred man suddenly spoke again. “Don’t know where to start? Here. I’ll help. What have you arranged at Wanhong Tower?”
The air went dead. Even Gu Pingchuan seemed to stop breathing. Only the idiot Li Jin blurted out in astonishment, “Wanhong Tower?”
“He wants to kill you because you know too much, certainly,” the scarred man said mildly. “But I suspect another reason is that he found himself a new partner. That younger brother of yours who became an apprentice at Wanhong Tower—my guess is that he made contact with them not long after you did.”
Li Jin looked ready to faint again beneath the successive blows. He even forgot to fear Gu Pingchuan and swung toward him in fury. “You approached A’Song? What did you offer him?!”
The question almost made the scarred man laugh. The person who had harmed others knew better than anyone exactly where to stab to cause the greatest pain. This betrayal by his own brother truly surpassed its predecessor, tearing straight through the thin painted mask of Li Jin’s self-pity.
Gu Pingchuan pressed his lips tightly together and refused to answer. Li Jin stared at him in disbelief, then abruptly looked back at the scarred man. “How did you know?”
“I guessed.”
Everyone: “…”
And?
The scarred man beckoned one subordinate over and whispered several instructions into his ear. The man accepted the order and left. When the scarred man looked up again, everyone was still craning their necks toward him, waiting. He paused. “If he already planned to kill you, why did he give only you the antidote when none of us could move? Wouldn’t it have been easier to send you straight to the King of Hell? Why bother?”
“I thought it through. It was a test. He was afraid I might have left backup outside, so he kept you around as a temporary shield. If I had immediately turned on you, then all suspicion would have stopped with you, while whatever plan they had hidden underneath remained undiscovered.”
“After all, the Ten Aspects Sect is in foreign territory, just as we are. Their manpower is limited, and part of it is already under surveillance by Xiling’s Egret Guard. So naturally they must squeeze every possible use out of whatever resources happen to be nearby. A family like yours is exactly the kind of target the Ten Aspects Sect prefers, and after Young Master Li showed everyone how heartless he could be, anyone who saw your behavior would find it difficult to suspect the rest of your family.”
“Even an outsider like me has heard of Wanhong Tower. It’s the most prosperous establishment in all Fengdu. You said earlier that Bihua killed someone it shouldn’t have. You came all the way to Xiling; you certainly wouldn’t bring only two thunderfire bombs. My guess is that your people have already used an inside man to set a trap there, and you intend to blow Wanhong Tower into the sky.”
His tone remained perfectly calm, polite even, yet somehow every word was maddening. “Well? Does this shallow little guess of mine happen to suit Your Excellency’s intentions?”
Gu Pingchuan clenched his teeth, whether from pain or fury at seeing his plan collapse impossible to tell.
Suddenly, one of the gray-robed cultists kneeling on the floor called out loudly, “Hero, your deductions are divine! You’ve guessed everything!”
It was a remarkably crafty maneuver. Once the other side had already stated the conclusions, agreeing with them and supplying details felt far less burdensome than making a confession from nothing. Once the key points were already exposed, stubbornly protecting the rest no longer seemed worthwhile.
“Really?” The scarred man looked at him. “Then explain. Who were you going to assassinate? When? How many people were involved?”
The cultist poured everything out in one breath. “Today is the Hanhua Gathering at Wanhong Tower. We received word that Prince Yidu had reserved the whole tower to entertain guests. Elder Gu ordered Li Song to plant thunderfire bombs in the main hall. Near the end of the You hour, once darkness fell, we were to act. The explosions would cause chaos. Then the assassins would rush in to kill Prince Yidu and the other guests, pretend to be defeated, and lure the pursuing forces here…”
Prince Yidu was the emperor’s own uncle. This time they really had chosen someone they absolutely should not have touched. The cultist’s voice gradually dwindled, and the scarred man abruptly rose and looked through the window. The last trace of sunset was already retreating beyond the horizon.
“Too late.”
Gu Pingchuan wanted to spit those words directly into his face. He stared at that stern, iron-cold expression with hatred and mockery. “You have no chance.”
“Just wait. You’re about to witness Fengdu’s grandest spectacle tonight—”
Bang—!
A distant, rolling series of explosions sounded from far away. Gu Pingchuan’s mouth twisted into a grin. One of his lookouts slipped through the doorway and reported softly, “Boss, Xiling’s Egret Guard is coming this way. They’ll be here any moment.”
They had to leave immediately. Gu Pingchuan had been right about one thing: Bihua was a demonic blade that should not exist in this world. If its members met the Egret Guard head-on, there would be no explaining their presence afterward.
The scarred man silently nodded and led his people toward the exit. Gu Pingchuan suddenly called after him. “What’s your name?”
The man turned around, his eyes plainly saying, What kind of question is that? Gu Pingchuan lay flat on his back and sighed. “I lost to you. I admit my skills were inferior. At least let me die knowing who defeated me. Surely that isn’t too much to ask?”
“Extremely excessive.” The scarred man turned away. “Forget it. If your skills are inferior, practice more. Try being a better person in your next life.”
Then he walked away without another glance. The black-clad men followed like wildcats on the hunt, melting into the dim evening and disappearing soundlessly over the western wall.
Gu Pingchuan: “…”
The Ten Aspects Sect members strewn across the ground fell into collective silence. The approaching footsteps were already audible outside. In that final brief moment of quiet, someone suddenly whispered, “Did we really plant that many thunderfire bombs? Why are they still exploding?”
Gu Pingchuan jolted. His lingering frustration instantly transformed into confusion, and a tiny coil of unease wound around his heart like a venomous snake.
A squad of heavily armored Egret Guard officers smashed through the door and dragged him outside like a dead dog. Gu Pingchuan struggled desperately, twisting around to look toward Wanhong Tower. Brilliant fire illuminated the horizon, bright enough to rival the clear moon and the river of stars.
“…Fireworks.”
“…They’re fireworks.”
Yugong Zhaoye had galloped all the way to Wanhong Tower. He looked up at the magnificent building blazing with lights. Fireworks blossomed one after another beyond the red tiles and sweeping eaves. On the terraces, finely dressed guests sat or leaned against the rails, all looking skyward. Laughter, conversation, and song poured into the prosperous night like a rain of gold.
Everyone was watching the fireworks. Everyone except the most striking person there. Wei Fu leaned lazily against the railing with his back to the display, his robes filled by the night wind. Across the distance, he raised his cup toward Yugong Zhaoye and smiled, gentle yet sly.