After Qin Xiao Xun’s initial panic passed, he gradually calmed down.
Whether Ban Qing Yu and the Spirit Sect truly intended to harm him or not, falling into the Immortal Treasury Palace’s hands had already allowed him to avoid the worst possible situation.
And since the Immortal Treasury Palace had deliberately tried to sow suspicion between him and Mo Xiao Ran, they plainly had no intention of killing him. They would probably even release him at some point. There was no need to worry too much about his safety.
The next question was what they wanted. Most likely, they merely wished to leave Lin’an or Southern Yu. That was not an especially serious problem. Once Qin Xiao Xun reached this conclusion, his expression became even calmer. He even began proactively helping them navigate the tunnel.
Xiao Sang remained somewhat worried that the young emperor had hidden some scheme. He dragged Xiao Zhang over, and the two stared fixedly at the emperor’s personal guards.
The two guards became increasingly uneasy under their gaze. They developed the distinct feeling that once the tunnel ended, they would be killed to silence them. Finally, when they were almost at the exit, they launched a resistance that had never possessed the slightest hope of victory—and were immediately subdued.
Qin Xiao Xun watched the two men each grab one of Xiao Sang and Xiao Zhang, hold on with the determination of men prepared to die, and scream hoarsely, “Your Majesty, run!” It was honestly difficult for him to feel touched. Fu Xi Yan and Pei Yuan Jin were standing right beside him with two perfectly free pairs of hands, watching like predators.
Run? Where exactly was he supposed to run? Straight into the other side’s bowl?
“Enough.” He waved wearily. “Put everything away. We will cooperate.”
“Your Majesty has suffered unjustly!” The two bodyguards, who had believed they were about to die, burst into tears.
Qin Xiao Xun thought he had not actually felt that miserable. He had understood since childhood that winners became kings and losers became bandits; if you lost by one move, you had to accept it. But after his own guards began crying in public, he suddenly looked extraordinarily lonely and helpless. Especially inside the pitch-black tunnel, the whole scene acquired a tragic air of someone driven into absolute desperation…
But he had not reached that point yet. Why were they already mourning him?
Irritated, he snapped, “Stop crying! Once dawn breaks and there are people everywhere, it’ll be harder to leave. Hurry up!”
Fu Xi Yan stared dumbly as the hostage took charge and walked at the front. A tiny thread of emotion rose in his heart. As expected of the Emperor of Southern Yu. He insists on taking the lead in everything. Even as a hostage, he’s so proactive.
The tunnel had several exits. The longest one led directly to the Qiantang River, where generations of emperors had arranged hidden contacts. In the event of a palace coup or military rebellion, the sovereign could reach a waiting boat through those contacts, then travel north or south along the river.
Southern Yu possessed an extensive water system and convenient water transportation. Unfortunately, since they were trying to evade pursuit, a boat would become an obvious target with nowhere to hide. They therefore chose to travel by land. Not only did they choose a land route, the exit they selected was extremely close to the imperial palace itself.
It opened inside the residence of the General of the City Gate Guard.
Qin Xiao Xun looked at the plaque outside and said meaningfully, “You all prepared very carefully.”
Fu Xi Yan accepted the praise without hesitation and smiled. “Now it depends on Your Majesty.”
Their ultimate objective was to leave Lin’an. Compared with high-ranking officials in the Six Ministries, the city gate guard was the real key. Once this gate opened, the world outside would be vast enough for them to roam freely.
Qin Xiao Xun had never intended to secretly warn his subordinate anyway. When he saw Fu Xi Yan call someone who jumped down from the roof “Martial King Shou,” he abandoned even the smallest remaining thought of doing so.
The city gate guard was important, but its general was not especially highly ranked. Within Southern Yu’s military structure, it belonged beneath the Imperial Guard, and there were plenty of major officials above him. Therefore, when the general saw the emperor arrive personally in disguise, he felt terrified, deeply moved, and faintly excited by the possibility that his career might soar tomorrow.
“We need to leave the city secretly. Do not allow anyone else to know.”
The emperor guessed that once his disappearance was discovered, the Imperial Guard would inevitably react.
However, because he was young and had lived beneath the regent’s shadow, Qin Xiao Xun had deliberately implemented a system of divided authority after taking power. He had appointed no chancellor. Instead, three Participating Councillors normally assisted him with government affairs. Among the Six Ministries, the Ministry of Personnel traditionally held the highest prestige, but Qin Xiao Xun had deliberately elevated the Ministry of Rites to counterbalance it. As a result, there was no single minister capable of seizing all authority.
Normally, this was beneficial. Now, however, it meant that the moment Qin Xiao Xun left, Southern Yu would become a leaderless mess.
He could not help asking Fu Xi Yan, “How long do you intend to keep Us?”
Fu Xi Yan said, “Until we’re certain we’re safe.”
How long would that take?!
Qin Xiao Xun said, “We guarantee that if you release Us now, We will allow all of you to leave Southern Yu safely.”
Fu Xi Yan asked, “What will Your Majesty use to guarantee it?”
Faint anger appeared in Qin Xiao Xun’s voice. “Does Young Master Fu want Us to swear an oath? Or guarantee it with Our head?”
Fu Xi Yan said, “I merely want to know how Your Majesty intends to guarantee that both the Spirit Sect and the Heaven-and-Earth Mirror will obediently listen to you.”
Qin Xiao Xun had no answer.
Indeed, he could order the city gate guard to let Pei Yuan Jin’s party pass, but he had no way to guarantee that the Spirit Sect and Heaven-and-Earth Mirror would not pursue them.
Fu Xi Yan instead began persuading him. “So Your Majesty should come with us. The Spirit Sect is the state religion, after all. As long as Your Majesty is in our hands, they’ll be afraid to act recklessly and won’t get too excited. As for the Heaven-and-Earth Mirror, they’re guests the Spirit Sect invited. Guests should follow the host’s lead. Presumably they’ll show some restraint.”
Qin Xiao Xun raised a brow. “Didn’t you just say Mo Xiao Ran showed you the way? In that case, the Heaven-and-Earth Mirror is hardly following its host. It has clearly turned traitor and joined hands with you. Why worry about it?”
A tiny bug like that could not trap Fu Xi Yan. With complete “sincerity,” he explained, “You know about the grudge between the Puppet Path and Immortal Treasury Palace, right? To us, Mo Xiao Ran counts as a surviving remnant of the Puppet Path. When I said Heaven-and-Earth Mirror, I meant Senior Master Song Qi Yun.”
Pei Yuan Jin, listening nearby, felt secretly pleased when Fu Xi Yan called Mo Xiao Ran a surviving remnant of the Puppet Path. He had been somewhat uneasy after hearing Fu Xi Yan call the man “Martial Grandfather.” Now he was naturally more willing to trust him.
The city gate general moved quickly and immediately prepared two carriages. Shou Nan Shan traveled in one with Tan Bu Ju and the emperor’s two personal guards, while Pei Yuan Jin, Fu Xi Yan, and Qin Xiao Xun shared the other. Aside from those driving the carriages, the members of the Phoenix-Roosting and Hidden Dragon Units all returned to the shadows.
The city gate general personally rode ahead to clear the way.
Summer dawn arrived early. Before the Mao hour had even begun and before the eastern sun showed its face, rosy clouds were already rising, announcing the retreat of darkness. Yet the two carriages rolling through the quiet dawn traveled opposite the light, chasing the remaining night westward.
The city walls were towering and the gate restrictions strict. But when someone inside was cooperating with the people trying to leave, the towering walls became small, and the strict defenses became loose. The gate opened from within. The general personally escorted them to the threshold and lowered his voice. “Respectfully seeing Your Majesty off.”
Qin Xiao Xun could not resist lifting the carriage curtain and looking at him. He had not expected the general to save him, but the man’s observational skills were so dreadful that he had failed to notice anything suspicious whatsoever.
Apparently Qin Xiao Xun’s own judgment of people was not particularly impressive either!
The general smiled ingratiatingly.
Qin Xiao Xun did not want to create unnecessary trouble and merely waved.
The carriage left the city gate. Fu Xi Yan exhaled in relief and began planning their next stage.
Qin Xiao Xun said, “It isn’t over.”
“Aren’t we already outside?”
“We transferred the Divine Martial Army to guard the roads beyond the city. The Divine Martial Vanguard is directly ahead, commanded by Liu Guang Cheng.” Qin Xiao Xun pulled a private seal from his clothes. “Send someone ahead carrying Our personal seal and tell him to let you pass.”
Fu Xi Yan had not expected the young emperor to have another layer of preparation outside the city. He secretly congratulated himself. Fortunately, they had chosen the strategy of capturing the king. If they had relied purely on martial force, there would have been far too many variables.
He handed the private seal to Pei Yuan Jin. The Hidden Dragon and Phoenix-Roosting Units were ultimately people belonging to the Immortal Treasury Palace. It would be inappropriate for Fu Xi Yan to overstep and issue orders directly.
Pei Yuan Jin passed the seal to Xiao Sang. Of everyone in the two units, Xiao Sang possessed the quickest mind and best tongue. Xiao Sang clearly understood that this reflected his Young Master’s trust in him and happily accepted the seal before leaving.
The carriage continued forward at an unhurried pace.
Fu Xi Yan had been exhausted all night and was preparing to take a brief nap when Pei Yuan Jin abruptly shot out of the carriage.
The faint light in the western sky had been blotted out by a dense rain of arrows. Thousands upon thousands of shafts were already descending toward them.
Holding the Crimson Dragon King, Pei Yuan Jin sent several sword qi slashes upward and tore an enormous hole through the overwhelming arrow rain. The remaining arrows fell around them, stabbing densely into the earth only a short distance from the carriage. The sight was chilling.
Viewed from above, the two carriages would have appeared completely surrounded by arrows embedded in the ground.
Yet that had only been the first volley. The endless rain of arrows continued falling from the sky, eerily resembling the torrential storm that had greeted their first meeting with Qin Xiao Xun. The difference was that this time, they had no idea where the end of the “rain” lay.
Fu Xi Yan jumped from the carriage and turned toward the emperor, who had followed him out.
Qin Xiao Xun was the Emperor of Southern Yu. His life was far too valuable for him to gamble recklessly. The arrow attack had also come too suddenly. It looked less like a rescue and more like an attempt to kill everyone present.
Qin Xiao Xun was plainly shocked as well. The shock immediately transformed into fury. “Liu Guang Cheng.”
He had ascended the throne too recently to properly reorganize the military, but the troops transferred back to Lin’an this time all belonged to men his father had left behind. Their loyalty should originally have been unquestionable.
Yet that “should have been” had evidently failed.
Xiao Sang had brought Qin Xiao Xun’s personal seal and ordered Liu Guang Cheng to clear the road, only to receive a full-scale attack in response.
The intention behind it was obvious.
Liu Guang Cheng was only a Grand General of the Divine Martial Vanguard. Within Southern Yu’s overall military hierarchy, he occupied merely an upper-middle position and absolutely lacked the courage to rebel by himself. Someone had to be standing behind him.
Was it Qin Zhao in Rongcheng, or Ban Qing Yu in Jinling?
Qin Xiao Xun could not immediately tell. Liu Guang Cheng might have been a hidden piece the regent had planted while his authority was at its height, or he might have been a traitor Ban Qing Yu had turned. Either way, Qin Xiao Xun’s death would benefit both sides.
The arrow rain briefly weakened, like a pause between thunderstorm bursts. The oppressive darkness overhead had not cleared. Everyone waited for the next, even more violent assault.
Amid that heavy atmosphere, Xiao Sang suddenly appeared.
Two arrows protruded from his back, having passed straight through his chest. Blood dripped steadily from their tips. The lively face that normally overflowed with energy now carried only the gray exhaustion of someone approaching death.
Fu Xi Yan rushed forward and caught him. He rapidly struck acupoints to stop the bleeding, then stretched a trembling hand toward Pei Yuan Jin. “Medicine, medicine, medicine.”
Under normal circumstances, he might have automatically followed that with check it out! as part of the old catchphrase, but feeling Xiao Sang’s life force slowly draining away left his mind completely blank. There was no room for jokes or anything else. He only wanted to hold Xiao Sang tightly enough to keep him here, in this world.
Members of the Hidden Dragon Unit reacted faster than Pei Yuan Jin. They spent long periods on the front lines and possessed far more experience treating injuries.
Xiao Sang’s survival was still uncertain when the sound of an advancing army—running footsteps and battle cries—came from ahead. At the same time, the city gate behind them opened. The city gate guards, hurried along by their general, rushed out with weapons in hand.
The enormous arrow volley had naturally been visible from the walls and frightened the general so badly his legs nearly gave out beneath him. The emperor had passed through his gate. If His Majesty suffered any mishap, the general knew his own life would end shortly afterward.
Fortunately, His Majesty’s guards were reliable.
The general charged forward on trembling legs, urging his men to run faster while viciously thinking that if he survived this, he would personally kill that bastard Liu Guang Cheng.
With troops charging from both front and rear, the two carriages caught in the middle looked like tiny leaves swept into raging waves—small, fragile, and utterly innocent.
Suddenly, Shou Nan Shan leapt from the carriage and landed on its roof. He stared coldly at the aggressively advancing Divine Martial Vanguard and spread both arms.
The ground before him immediately began shaking like an earthquake.
A whole layer of earth lifted upward and rolled forward like a wave. When it passed beneath the soldiers of the Divine Martial Vanguard, men toppled over one after another in complete chaos.
Qin Xiao Xun finally lost patience and shouted, “We are the Emperor of Southern Yu! Are you rebelling?”
Unfortunately, his voice disappeared beneath the overwhelming battle cries without raising so much as a ripple.
Xiao Sang’s breathing had stabilized. Fu Xi Yan handed him over to the Hidden Dragon Unit and stood. “Capture the leader first! Which one is Liu Guang Cheng?”
Qin Xiao Xun searched for the command banner, but whether Liu Guang Cheng had anticipated this possibility or not, none of his personal soldiers were raising a general’s standard. Shou Nan Shan lifted the young emperor onto the carriage roof so he could see more clearly.
Qin Xiao Xun still could not pick him out and therefore supplied a clue. “Liu Guang Cheng has a square face.”
What kind of damned clue was that? Plenty of people had square faces. Shou Nan Shan snapped, “What, are all the others perfect melon-seed faces and oval faces?”
Even a Martial King possessed limits to his abilities.
For example: selecting the man who looked most like a general from a crowd full of square faces.
During this brief delay, the city gate general had already arrived with his men. They had come in such a rush that he had brought relatively few troops, but for the young emperor who had just experienced betrayal, their appearance provided genuine emotional comfort.
At least he still possessed loyal ministers willing to risk their lives for him.
Even if their brains were not especially impressive.
The appearance of the city gate guards clearly startled the attacking soldiers of the Divine Martial Vanguard. The order they had received was to capture imperial criminals, which matched the information they had been given before deployment. Yet the city gate guard emerging to oppose them immediately introduced something strange into the situation.
Armies were often described as machines of war, but they were still composed of living people with thoughts of their own. Whenever events exceeded what they understood, their movements inevitably slowed.
The city gate general first knelt before the emperor. “This subject arrived late to rescue Your Majesty. Please forgive me.”
He said this with a certain amount of guilt. After all, he had not rushed out the instant the arrows began falling. He had waited until the volley ended. In this era, such concern for preserving one’s own life was considered evidence of insufficient loyalty.
Fortunately, Qin Xiao Xun was consumed by fury and fear over the Divine Martial Vanguard’s betrayal and did not bother examining that detail. He reached into his clothes, then remembered that his private seal had been taken by Xiao Sang.
Seeing the gesture, Fu Xi Yan immediately handed over the seal he had recovered from Xiao Sang.
Qin Xiao Xun exhaled in relief. The private seal did not possess much actual authority and could not be used like a military tally, but if it fell into rebel hands, it could still produce unnecessary trouble.
He handed it to the city gate general. “Convey Our verbal decree. Strip Liu Guang Cheng of his—”
Before he could finish, drums suddenly thundered behind the Divine Martial Vanguard.
An order to attack.
The soldiers hesitated briefly, then nevertheless began advancing in large strides toward their original target.
Qin Xiao Xun trembled with fury. “His heart deserves execution!”
The city gate general was equally frightened. He had suddenly realized that he had been dragged unwillingly into what now resembled an outright rebellion. “This subject will send someone to request reinforcements immediately.”
Those words abruptly caused Fu Xi Yan to become suspicious of Qin Xiao Xun again.
Earlier, he had assumed the emperor could not possibly have orchestrated this because it was both dangerous and apparently pointless. But now the army had blocked their road. The city gate general had naturally rushed to the rescue, and after discovering that he could not win, he would naturally call for reinforcements. That created more than enough time for Song Qi Yun and the others stationed in Lin’an to arrive, giving the young emperor an opportunity to escape.
The benefits suddenly looked obvious.
As for the danger, their side contained one Martial King and the Young Master of the Immortal Treasury Palace. If ordinary arrows managed to kill them all, the young emperor could only go to the underworld and lament that they had ventured outside with inadequate skill.
Seen from that angle, Liu Guang Cheng’s actions might not constitute rebellion at all.
They could even be interpreted as a rescue attempt.
Qin Xiao Xun naturally saw the same possibility in Fu Xi Yan’s suddenly changing expression and began doubting himself. Could We genuinely have misunderstood Liu Guang Cheng? Did he somehow infer Our predicament merely from a completely ordinary private seal that contained no hint whatsoever?
Pei Yuan Jin suddenly said, “To prevent further complications, finish this quickly.”
Fu Xi Yan’s heart tightened. He knew they were about to force their way through.
He pulled out the Cloudsilk Gauntlets and was just about to put them on when sand and gravel suddenly rose from the ground and began spinning violently.
Yellow dust rolled everywhere like a sandstorm.
Fu Xi Yan instinctively reached for the person beside him, but Pei Yuan Jin was already one step faster and dragged him into his arms.
Sand had gotten into Fu Xi Yan’s mouth. He wanted to speak but did not dare open it, so he could only turn his head and bury his face in the hollow of Pei Yuan Jin’s shoulder. A moment later, he realized he had been lifted into the air.
He secretly opened his eyes.
Yellow sand filled the surroundings, but he could vaguely make out several silhouettes. Judging from their shapes, Qin Xiao Xun was being carried by Shou Nan Shan, who followed firmly behind them.
Fu Xi Yan vaguely heard someone shouting “Your Majesty!” but the voice quickly disappeared.
Then came scattered sounds of weapons colliding. Fu Xi Yan turned his head, narrowed his eyes, and activated the Spirit-Sight Art. Spiritual energy flashed through the blowing sand. Beneath them, countless human souls spun around like headless flies while the group flew directly above their heads.
After an unknown length of time, the yellow dust finally began settling behind them. Fu Xi Yan turned his head and started counting.
Xiao Zhang carrying Xiao Sang. Xiao Shan carrying Tan Bu Ju. Shou Nan Shan carrying Qin Xiao Xun. The Hidden Dragon Unit…
No matter how many times he counted, there seemed to be one extra person.
Fu Xi Yan’s eyes widened as he stared at the handsome man wearing what looked like an iron barrel around his body.
The man smiled pleasantly and waved at him.
Pei Yuan Jin introduced him beside Fu Xi Yan’s ear. “Elder Yi Jue of the Immortal Treasury Palace.”
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
He really was one of a kind.
Elio’s Notes: Yi Jue’s name contains jue, while the Chinese phrase Fu Xi Yan uses here, yi jue, means “a marvel” or “something exceptional,” creating a small name pun.
＊
Because so many troops had been sent outside to rescue the emperor, the defenses on top of the city wall had become sparse.
Mo Xiao Ran stood in a concealed corner and silently watched the scene beyond the gate.
The great performance had ended much faster than he expected, leaving him somewhat disappointed. But now that Martial God Yi Jue had acted, even Mo Xiao Ran found it inconvenient to add anything more.
Still, although this particular performance had ended, its consequences would continue fermenting. After today, Qin Xiao Xun and Ban Qing Yu would inevitably fight one another in the future.
Mo Xiao Ran looked forward to it.
He did not mind allowing the Spirit Sect to produce the first successful ascendant. Someone had to explore the path for everyone else, after all. Naturally, Mo Xiao Ran ought to maintain his dignity and show support.
But if that ascended expert also continued possessing an enormous worldly organization, that was rather harder to accept.
All beneath Heaven is the sovereign’s land.
Mo Xiao Ran hoped the emperor would make proper use of the authority in his hands in the future and stop allowing his own soil to nourish the Spirit Sect’s growth.
If matters truly developed in the direction Mo Xiao Ran hoped, then it would not have been wasted effort for him to make an exception today after avoiding the Soul-Control Art for so long.
He narrowed his eyes and issued a command.
Kill yourself.
Then he frowned slightly.
Using the Soul-Control Art too often truly did produce backlash.
He wondered whether that “dear grand-disciple” of his would diligently practice after receiving Intermediate Puppet Arts.
＊
The yellow dust gradually dispersed.
Liu Guang Cheng, who moments earlier had been overflowing with killing intent, suddenly drew his sword and shouted at full volume, “This subject has wronged Your Majesty!”
Then he slashed the blade across his own throat.
Blood sprayed three chi.
Several personal guards stood beside him and watched their commander kill himself in front of them without reacting in time. By the time they rushed forward, Liu Guang Cheng no longer had a pulse.
One of them stared in shock. “What did the general mean by that?”
Had the general not insisted moments ago that the private seal was fake?
Remembering the last attack order Liu Guang Cheng had issued before his death, the guards all caught the scent of conspiracy.
One suddenly began searching Liu Guang Cheng’s body.
From inside his clothes, he pulled out a token.
One side read “Spirit Sect Headquarters.”
The other read “Acting Sect Leader’s Authority.”
“The Spirit Sect’s Acting Sect Leader… Ban Qing Yu?”
They looked at one another in horror.
From only these scattered clues, they could already imagine how terrifying the truth might be—and what kind of consequences awaited everyone who had followed Liu Guang Cheng into attacking the emperor.
Looking at Liu Guang Cheng’s corpse after his clean, decisive suicide, enormous anger suddenly welled inside them.
Why should the chief culprit kill himself to escape punishment and leave every piece of trouble behind for them?
A soldier reported that the city gate general was shouting angrily at them from the front.
The guard who had searched the body gritted his teeth. “We cannot say General Liu killed himself. Say that we discovered his conspiracy and dealt with him. At least that gives us a chance to redeem ourselves through service.”
The others hesitated, then nodded.
They placed the token back inside Liu Guang Cheng’s clothes, lifted his corpse, and carried it toward the city gate general to negotiate, hoping he could contact the emperor and convey their absolute loyalty.
The city gate general was so anxious that sores were practically forming around his mouth. “You have the nerve to ask me? I’m trying to ask you where His Majesty went!”
His Majesty…
Was missing?
The personal guards stared at one another, horror filling every face.
＊
It was not only the people outside the city who discovered the emperor had vanished.
Those inside the palace had also discovered it.
After searching everywhere without finding Qin Xiao Xun, they noticed that the small chamber Fu Xi Yan and Pei Yuan Jin had entered remained completely silent. Finally unable to endure the uncertainty, the Imperial Guard rushed inside—
“Contact Senior Master Song immediately!”
Compared with Mo Xiao Ran, the Commander of the Imperial Guard obviously trusted the Heaven-and-Earth Mirror’s foremost disciple more.
At that moment, Senior Master Song was sitting beside West Lake watching the sunrise.
The sun rose in the east.
Morning marked the beginning of a new day.
Much like the beginning of every person’s life, it possessed a beauty that inspired nostalgia.
Song Qi Yun was no exception.
He began remembering the days shortly after he first became a disciple. Back then, the Master of the Heaven-and-Earth Mirror had still been in his prime, his second junior brother had been an obedient little boy, and his third junior sister had still been an infant crying in swaddling clothes.
Unfortunately, the anxious arrival of the Imperial Guard interrupted his memories.
The cheerful “chubby child” mask somehow looked displeased. “What is it?”
The Commander lowered his voice. “His Majesty is missing.”
Song Qi Yun abruptly rose and charged into the residence Pei Yuan Jin’s group had previously occupied.
There were people lying on beds inside.
They were not asleep.
They were unconscious.
Song Qi Yun rushed all the way into the room where Martial King Shou should have been staying. There was no person inside. Only a strange metal sphere lay on the bed.
The Commander hurried in after him, nearly frantic. “Everyone from the Immortal Treasury Palace is gone! The people inside are all Imperial Guards! They’re guards who lost consciousness while responding to the fires!”
Song Qi Yun held the metal sphere and felt Shou Nan Shan’s soul power contained within it. Remembering the city wall Shou Nan Shan had destroyed with one palm, he guessed that the man had used that interval to pull off a shell game.
This was Song Qi Yun’s second failure in recent days.
He said coldly, “They cannot have gone far.”