Fu Xi Yan was still screaming inwardly when Lu Rui Chun thoughtfully supplied a motive for him. “Several days ago, a young woman claiming to be the Seventh Princess approached this subordinate. She said she had admired the Young Palace Master for a long time and, upon hearing that he had recently begun considering marriage, had come to offer herself as a prospective bride. The son of Count Yongfeng also serves in the Brocade Guard and is therefore one of the imperial court’s hounds. He must have been acting under the princess’s orders, intending to steal the Harmonized Yang Pills and present them to her so she could secure the marriage and fulfill her wish.”
Fu Xi Yan was stunned.
He knew that martial arts in this world could be extraordinarily powerful. Colossal organizations such as the Heaven-Earth Mirror and the Immortal Treasury Palace had peerless experts backing them, so even the imperial court did not dare confront them directly.
But for a dignified imperial princess—a precious daughter of the Son of Heaven—to personally offer herself to a man was still a little excessive!
Then again, considering Pei Yuan Jin’s face, family background, and style, he was basically this world’s hottest celebrity. It was entirely possible that a young and naïve princess had been deceived by appearances and eloped to Peijie Town to chase her idol. After all, even Chu Shao Yang had come here… But Lu Rui Chun could not accuse Fu Xi Yan of stealing pills and acting as her pimp! That was the greatest possible insult to his ambition. If there were an opportunity to marry a princess, why would he ever hand it over to someone else?
And what exactly were Harmonized Yang Pills? Why would giving them to Pei Yuan Jin make him agree to the marriage?
Fu Xi Yan felt that his intelligence had shattered together with the courtyard gate.
Pei Yuan Jin did not seem surprised by Lu Rui Chun’s explanation. He merely asked, “Is that so? Then where are the pills?”
A chill ran down Lu Rui Chun’s spine. “This subordinate will investigate immediately!”
Pei Yuan Jin pushed aside the tea the woman offered him and rose. “There’s no need.”
The instant he finished speaking, dozens of short, slender figures sprang from the ruins of the courtyard. They uncoiled in midair, revealing themselves as imposing martial artists before pouncing upon everyone present.
Tang Gong cried out in horror, “The Lightning Division!”
The Immortal Treasury Palace’s forces throughout the various prefectures, provinces, and counties were divided into four divisions: Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning.
The Wind Division gathered and transmitted intelligence—coming without a shadow and leaving without a trace.
The Rain Division oversaw business affairs—slipping quietly into the night with the wind, nourishing all things without a sound.
The Thunder Division carried out missions—moving with the speed of thunder before one could cover one’s ears.
The Lightning Division answered directly to headquarters—appearing and disappearing like ghosts. It also monitored the other divisions and possessed the authority to punish, investigate, and execute, which made the other three divisions deeply wary of it.
Realizing the situation had turned against him, Lu Rui Chun frantically threw out a handful of Thunderclap Bombs. Before they could strike the ground, a member of the Lightning Division caught them in a silver-white silk net.
The man chuckled. “Ghostshadow gave you one hundred Thunderclap Bombs. You left sixty at home, gave twenty to your friends, and kept twenty on your person. There are sixteen here, so why not hand over the remaining four as well?”
Lu Rui Chun had believed his dealings with Ghostshadow had gone entirely unnoticed. He never imagined that the Lightning Division knew everything, down to the exact number involved in the transaction. There was no need to wonder whether they knew the rest.
Despair swept through him. With a flick of his right hand, his bracer instantly transformed into a curved saber. He attacked in Tang Gong’s direction, hoping to join forces with him and carve out a path of escape.
Tang Gong no longer concealed his true strength. Gripping a pair of matching halberds—one long and one short—he swung them with tremendous force and drove back each attacker in turn.
The Lightning Division had come prepared, however. More than ten members broke away and formed a circle around the courtyard, flinging a cloud of golden sand into the air.
The grains collided in midair and linked together into an enormous net, blotting out the sky as it spread across the entire courtyard.
…
Not even the Lightning Division’s own people escaped from beneath it, much less Tang Gong and Lu Rui Chun.
Fu Xi Yan, crouching on the ground with his hands over his head while awaiting slaughter, suddenly felt a pang of regret. Had he known this would happen, then when he had been sending out letters at random, he should have sent one home.
At the very least, he could have mailed back the soap formula!
⸻
“Pei Yuan Jin! If you treat me like this today, aren’t you afraid my master will demand an explanation from your father?!”
Tang Gong’s barking, like that of a beaten cur, echoed through Willowwood Manor’s dungeon. Even he had never imagined that the prison he had personally supervised the construction of more than ten years ago would one day be used by the Immortal Treasury Palace to imprison him.
The dungeon had been built beneath Wukui Pavilion, separated from the cellar under the waterside pavilion by only a single wall. It contained private cells, communal cells, and other rooms. Tang Gong had been placed in a private cell, with no other “guests” nearby. The surroundings were silent, save for the occasional footsteps of someone passing through the corridor.
Qi Zhong, head of the Shaanxi Lightning Division, ignored him as he passed his cell. He compiled the confessions submitted by his subordinates into a single report, then respectfully handed it to the woman in pink waiting at the dungeon entrance.
Although the woman possessed no martial arts and looked utterly harmless, Qi Zhong did not dare show her the slightest disrespect. Her close relationship with the palace’s future master was reason enough, but even without that, her status as one of the Four Chief Stewards inspired fear and respect.
With Palace Master Pei Xiong Ji and the Six Elders all secluded behind closed doors, the Four Chief Stewards were the central authorities second only to the Young Palace Master. Moreover, the Young Palace Master had only recently assumed control of the palace’s affairs and had not yet fully mastered such a vast organization, making the Chief Stewards all the more influential.
Qi Zhong said respectfully, “Chief Steward Yu, please put in a good word for me.”
When the Harmonized Yang Pills had been stolen, the Thunder Division had investigated openly while the Lightning Division worked from the shadows. Qi Zhong had arrived in Peijie Town several days earlier, but false clues had misled him and left him one step behind. Although the traitorous Lu Rui Chun could shoulder most of the blame, Qi Zhong could hardly escape responsibility and was understandably uneasy.
Yu Su Huan smiled faintly, revealing nothing about whether she was satisfied with his performance. She merely offered him a small hint. “Tang Gong is nothing more than an abandoned disciple of the Heaven-Earth Mirror. How did he obtain the Harmonized Yang Pills?”
Tang Gong’s expulsion from the Heaven-Earth Mirror had once caused a great uproar. But many years had passed, and people feared the organization’s power, so the matter was seldom mentioned openly. Few people in recent years still knew about it.
Within the Immortal Treasury Palace, however, it was no secret.
Qi Zhong hesitated. “The King of Thieves…”
Yu Su Huan smiled. “The King of Thieves rose to prominence less than a year ago. Since his debut, rumors have claimed that he has never failed, never shown his face, and comes and goes without leaving a trace. Supposedly, he can even enter and leave the Immortal Treasury Palace as though no one were guarding it… Do you believe such a person truly exists?”
Qi Zhong froze, then instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
He suddenly realized that he had made an elementary mistake. Because stories about the King of Thieves had spread so widely, he had instinctively regarded the man as a supreme expert on the same level as the masters of the Heaven-Earth Mirror and the Immortal Treasury Palace. But an expert of that caliber would necessarily have advanced step by step. Pei Xiong Ji, for example, had already been renowned throughout the world before establishing the Immortal Treasury Palace. How could anyone leave no trace before suddenly becoming famous, then remain completely mysterious afterward while engaging solely in theft?
“This subordinate understands.” He turned and left.
In that brief instant, many things became clear to him. If the King of Thieves was fictional, then the person who had stolen the Harmonized Yang Pills had to be a traitor within the Immortal Treasury Palace.
Was the King of Thieves truly fictional?
Qi Zhong could not be certain.
But Yu Su Huan was clearly hinting that the theft was connected to someone inside the palace. If he uncovered the traitor and redeemed himself through meritorious service, he might still make up for his previous failure.
Yu Su Huan carried the report up the stairs and returned aboveground.
The dungeon entrance was hidden within an artificial hill, and stepping outside brought her directly into the garden.
They had arrived in such haste and launched such a swift operation immediately upon entering the manor that, while Tang Gong and Lu Rui Chun were searching Fu Xi Yan’s courtyard, the Lightning Division had rapidly seized control of everyone else in Willowwood Manor. As a result, no one had tended the garden that day, and Yu Su Huan occasionally stepped on fallen leaves.
After crossing the garden, she reached the water’s edge.
Pei Yuan Jin was eating in Wukui Pavilion.
He had been waited upon since childhood and required someone to attend him whenever he ate or drank tea. Before going to the dungeon, Yu Su Huan had therefore released one of the kitchen cooks and assigned her to pour tea and serve him.
The cook was skilled at preparing food but had absolutely no instinct for waiting upon others. She could only compensate by playing to her strengths. Whenever Pei Yuan Jin ate a dish, she stood beside him and endlessly explained its ingredients and preparation. His appetite plummeted with every word. After all, hearing someone describe scraping off scales and removing intestines while one was eating fish severely tested the balance between imagination and endurance.
When Pei Yuan Jin saw Yu Su Huan approaching, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He put down his chopsticks and dismissed the cook with a wave.
As oblivious as ever, the cook simply walked off, leaving behind a table full of dirty dishes and leftovers.
Seeing the displeasure Pei Yuan Jin was suppressing, Yu Su Huan hurriedly made a gesture. Several members of the Lightning Division dropped from the pavilion roof and swiftly cleared away the bowls and chopsticks.
Satisfaction appeared on Pei Yuan Jin’s face. “Aunt Yu understands me best.”
Yu Su Huan smiled. She had intended to say that once he had a wife, there would naturally be someone attentive by his side. Then she remembered that the Harmonized Yang Pills were still missing and his marriage was now even further out of reach. Her smile faded, and she sighed inwardly.
She handed him the confessions.
“Madam Tang and Head Constable Tang both identified Tang Gong as the culprit. He intended to arrange a marriage alliance with the Immortal Treasury Palace, borrow its power to oppose Mo Xiao Ran, and plot his return to the Heaven-Earth Mirror. At the very least, he hoped to raise Willowwood Manor to a higher position. Neither of them has ever seen the King of Thieves. Tang Gong was the one who brought back the pills.
“After obtaining the Harmonized Yang Pills, Tang Gong immediately gave one to his daughter, Tang Bao Yun. Tang Bao Yun studied under Master Qing Deng of Miaoshan Temple and cultivates the Solitary Heart Sutra. Her true qi is cold and yin in nature. Had she cultivated the eighth or ninth level, she might have been able to bring out the Harmonized Yang Pill’s effects.”
Pei Yuan Jin sneered. “She naturally hadn’t reached the eighth level.”
Yu Su Huan sighed. “She is nineteen this year and has only reached the third level. After swallowing one pill, her true qi changed from yin to yang, placing her true origin at risk of being scorched away. Had they stopped in time, her life could still have been saved. But her parents chose to gamble and fed her a second pill. Each Harmonized Yang Pill is stronger than the one before it. Even someone who had reached the ninth level of the Solitary Heart Sutra could only consume three. After taking the second, her true origin was completely destroyed. Fierce yang true qi, entirely contrary to her cultivation technique, now runs rampant through her body. She feels as though she is being burned alive every moment. Her suffering is so great that death would be preferable.”
As another woman, Yu Su Huan could not help feeling sympathy for a young woman whose parents had ruined her entire life.
Pei Yuan Jin’s concern lay elsewhere. “The person who stole the pills possesses only a superficial understanding of their use.”
They knew what the pills were intended for, or they would never have selected Tang Gong’s daughter. But they did not understand their true potency, or they would never have selected Tang Gong’s daughter.
Yu Su Huan said, “Only Tang Gong himself knows where the pills actually came from.”
Pei Yuan Jin sneered. “There are only a handful of people with this much power, such intentions, and such breathtaking stupidity.”
Yu Su Huan felt like sighing again.
Years ago, she had grown tired of conflict and joined the Immortal Treasury Palace with a vast fortune, believing she had found a peaceful refuge. She never expected that once the Palace Master and the Six Elders partially withdrew from worldly affairs, the organization would be left without firm leadership, and every manner of shady creature would crawl out of hiding. When Pei Yuan Jin reached adulthood and began reclaiming authority, those who held power refused to surrender it. They placed obstacles in his path both openly and secretly, and the struggle between the two sides had grown increasingly public. Trapped in the middle, she could only let the current carry her along.
Pei Yuan Jin asked, “What about Lu Rui Chun?”
“Lu Rui Chun has dealings with the Ghostshadow Organization.”
When she mentioned Ghostshadow, Pei Yuan Jin visibly frowned.
The Ghostshadow Organization had risen more than a decade earlier. Theft, robbery, kidnapping, assassination—there was no crime it would not commit. It had an infamous reputation throughout the jianghu and would do absolutely anything for money.
Pei Yuan Jin asked, “What did he have Ghostshadow do?”
An odd expression appeared on Yu Su Huan’s face. “Ghostshadow supplied him with money and weapons in exchange for his protection of Tang Gong.”
Pei Yuan Jin nearly laughed from sheer anger.
He had assumed Lu Rui Chun was out there stirring up storms and engineering conspiracies like some important figure. But after all that, he was merely someone else’s recruited underling?
And an underling of the Ghostshadow Organization at that!
Yu Su Huan continued, “Several days ago, the Lightning Division followed Qi Zhong’s investigation to Peijie Town. They had only just seized a local tyrant and an information broker for questioning when Lu Rui Chun learned of their arrival. He deliberately captured Willowwood Manor’s purchaser, wet nurse, and guards, alerting Tang Gong by beating the grass and startling the snake.”
Elio’s Notes: 打草惊蛇, literally “beating the grass and startling the snake,” means taking an action that alerts the target before one is ready to strike.
Pei Yuan Jin did not understand. “Wouldn’t that have pointed the Lightning Division straight toward him?”
Yu Su Huan sighed yet again. “Qi Zhong already knew that Lu Rui Chun had betrayed the palace. He assumed this was a diversion—making noise in the east while attacking in the west—and therefore ignored the lead.”
Elio’s Notes: 声东击西, literally “make noise in the east and attack in the west,” refers to using a feint to misdirect an opponent.
Pei Yuan Jin pressed his lips together and tried to suppress his anger, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
These were his subordinates.
One was evil. The other was stupid.
And somehow, they were both his subordinates!
After some thought, Yu Su Huan ultimately put in a good word for Qi Zhong. “The Golden-Sand Heavenly Net used today to capture Tang Gong and Lu Rui Chun is an Earth-grade artifact. Qi Zhong purchased it with his own private funds. That can be considered atonement through merit.”
A mere Earth-grade artifact was nowhere near enough to impress the Young Palace Master of the Immortal Treasury Palace.
Pei Yuan Jin raised his eyes and glanced at her.
Yu Su Huan had no choice but to add “impartially,” “Lu Rui Chun created many false trails and obstacles during Qi Zhong’s investigation. Had we not arrived in time, the two of them might still be leading each other in circles.”
Pei Yuan Jin no longer wished to hear how his stupid subordinate had acted stupidly or how his treacherous subordinate had committed treachery. He changed the subject. “Why did Lu Rui Chun betray us?”
Yu Su Huan replied, “When Lu Rui Chun was young, he earned the title of xiucai and thereafter regarded himself as a charming and romantic literary talent. He later married Qiu Wan, a female shopkeeper of the Rain Division. She possessed considerable wealth and indulged his habit of spending money like water. Eventually, he began spending every night among flowers and willows. Qiu Wan could tolerate no more, and the two divorced by mutual agreement. But Lu Rui Chun refused to change. He continued spending lavishly and soon could no longer make ends meet. Members of Ghostshadow seized the opportunity to approach him as friends and provide him with financial assistance. In the end, he fell into their trap.”
Elio’s Notes: A xiucai was a person who passed the entry-level imperial examination and obtained the lowest formal scholarly degree. “Sleeping among flowers and willows” is a euphemism for frequenting brothels.
Lu Rui Chun was an expert who had entered the Dao and the head of the Shaanxi Thunder Division. In the terminology of the imperial court, he was equivalent to a major regional official. Yu Su Huan found his fall genuinely regrettable.
Pei Yuan Jin held a different opinion.
It was bad enough for a man to live off a woman. Lu Rui Chun had somehow managed to eat soft rice the hard way. Then, when he could no longer keep eating it, he had sold out his own organization for profit. He was worse than a pig or dog and thoroughly deserved to die.
Elio’s Notes: 吃软饭, literally “to eat soft rice,” describes a man who depends financially upon a woman. The narration jokes that Lu Rui Chun managed to do even that in an aggressive and shameless way.
Pei Yuan Jin had already sentenced Lu Rui Chun to death in his heart, so he no longer wasted thought on him. “Then what is the situation with Count Yongfeng’s Estate?”
Yu Su Huan said, “They claim that they came to seek treatment. However, the Brocade Guard left Haojing half a month ago to escort the Third Prince to Luoyang. Along the way, they suddenly made camp, then dispatched several teams north toward Pingyang Prefecture and other areas. Young Master Fu belonged to one of those teams. Lu Rui Chun encountered the princess at roughly the same time they began searching throughout the region. In addition, Young Master Fu repeatedly mentioned while seeking treatment that he had a younger sister who had run away from home. Therefore, they are most likely searching for the princess.”
Pei Yuan Jin frowned.
Too many competing forces had become entangled in the search for the pills, leaving the heir to one of the jianghu’s greatest powers deeply irritated. He possessed an exceptionally strong desire for control, and events had repeatedly veered away from his expectations. His patience had already been exhausted.
“Why did he appear at Willowwood Manor?”
Yu Su Huan said, “The Brocade Guard also suffers from factional conflict. He is at odds with a Company Commander named Chu Shao Yang. The note exposing his identity was written by Company Commander Chu.”
Pei Yuan Jin repeated with interest, “It also suffers from factional conflict?”
Yu Su Huan’s expression tightened, and she hurriedly changed the subject. “Fu Xi Yan had prior ties to a doctor in town named Guo Ping. Guo Ping knew Liang Jing, a guest retainer of Willowwood Manor, which allowed Fu Xi Yan to enter under the pretext of seeking treatment. Yesterday, Guo Ping sold his house for a pittance and disappeared. I have already sent people to find him. Liang Jing’s body has been examined. He was killed by a single stab from behind, most likely by someone he knew.”
Based on all the available information, Fu Xi Yan’s side appeared unrelated to the theft. However, the remaining seven Harmonized Yang Pills had yet to be located, so Yu Su Huan did not dare reach a firm conclusion.
The general sequence of events had become clear. The mastermind had taken advantage of Tang Gong’s ambition and given him the pills.
Lu Rui Chun had merely provided cover.
Only one section remained missing: what had happened to the pills in between.
And what role did the Ghostshadow Organization play? Was it merely a broker paid to arrange matters, or an unwelcome intruder trying to seize a share for itself?
Pei Yuan Jin asked, “Who has yet to be questioned?”
“Tang Gong, Fu Xi Yan, and the other two members of the Brocade Guard.”
Count Yongfeng’s Estate stood behind Fu Xi Yan, and behind it, on a larger scale, stood the Northern Zhou court. The Immortal Treasury Palace had always kept out of the affairs of both the northern and southern courts, like well water that did not interfere with river water. Yu Su Huan did not dare make the decision herself.
Elio’s Notes: 井水不犯河水, literally “well water does not interfere with river water,” means that two parties remain separate and do not meddle in each other’s affairs.
Pei Yuan Jin had no such reservations. He had personally witnessed a Martial God in action. The power to overturn mountains and seas and turn heaven and earth upside down approached the legendary might of a deity. Not even an earthly emperor who ruled an entire realm could hope to withstand it.
His goal had always been to become a Martial God and then take another step beyond. Tang Gong’s judgment had therefore been accurate: Pei Yuan Jin truly did not take the son of an official such as Fu Xi Yan seriously.
After receiving Pei Yuan Jin’s permission, Yu Su Huan returned to the dungeon.
Unlike Tang Gong, who had an entire section to himself, Fu Xi Yan’s cell was directly beside those of Zhong Xin and Geng Geng—close enough for them to tap Morse code through the walls.
Yu Su Huan had expected that, being young and inexperienced, they would inevitably panic and privately reveal a few secrets. But when she arrived, she found the members of the Lightning Division wearing expressions too complicated to describe. As she drew closer, she heard Fu Xi Yan indignantly denouncing Tang Gong.
“Tang Gong spouted a pile of nonsense, tried to get something for nothing, and even picked up a hundred taels! And he still dares claim he’s generous and righteous? He clearly forgets all honor the moment he sees profit! I was wondering how being generous and righteous could possibly make money. So apparently, the money comes from picking up what other people drop!”
Yu Su Huan fell silent for a moment, then could not help laughing.
Fu Xi Yan’s hearing was now keen enough to detect the movements of someone without martial arts. He immediately looked over warily.
She stepped out of the shadows and smiled at him. “Young Master Fu seems remarkably carefree.”
Was she mocking him for still obsessing over filthy lucre while sitting in prison?
Fu Xi Yan answered casually, “There isn’t much else to do.”
Yu Su Huan said, “Then shall we have a chat?”
…That did sound considerably more respectable than calling it an interrogation.
Fu Xi Yan smiled bitterly. “Then let us discuss whatever the lady wishes to hear.”
His tact made Yu Su Huan laugh again. “When I overheard your conversation with Manor Lord Tang, I already wanted to say this: Young Master Fu truly is an entertaining person.”
Fu Xi Yan said, “There are very few people in this world as capable of finding joy amid suffering as I am. Since rare things are precious—and precious people are rarely found—I hope the lady will show mercy.”
“Whether I show mercy is not entirely up to me. You will have to make an effort yourself. Honest people are always more likable than cunning ones.” She moved closer to the bars and examined Fu Xi Yan’s face carefully in the firelight from either side. “Young Master Fu, did you truly receive no pills from Willowwood Manor?”
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