The fine rain still drizzled on, and scattered points of firelight flickered through the camp. Though quite a few people were gathered on this hillside, the guards and sentries on duty kept everything orderly, each attending to his own business, without much noise or disturbance — a clear sign of how strict Tie Tianying’s camp discipline was.

Inside the shelter, lamplight flickered as the young scholar named Cheng Zhouhai walked in; Tie Tianying struck the pose of a man in the midst of handling official business. Toward people from the Secret Investigation Bureau, Tie Tianying wouldn’t go so far as to ignore them, but he wouldn’t take them too seriously either — receiving the man in person was already gesture enough. As for whatever the man had to say, he could listen, but there was no need to act on it. Best if the visitor, once he’d said his piece, would leave of his own accord, satisfied, without either side harming their relations.

Looking closely, the man, though not old, carried himself with notable composure. His long robe was damp on one side, suggesting he’d hurried to get here, with the bearing of someone come on serious business. Tie Tianying rather appreciated this kind of demeanor in a person, but disliked that the man had come here to “handle business” of his own. On the surface, of course, he greeted him amicably enough. He hadn’t expected, though, that this young man would leave him somewhat disappointed within just a few exchanges.

After the formal greetings, the conversation itself was, in fact, fairly simple — because though the young man maintained proper courtesy, his unhurried words carried a rather direct edge.

“…The Ministry of Justice’s business, escorting the bandit Fang north — by rights, the Secret Investigation Bureau shouldn’t be involving itself.” The young man clasped his hands together with an apologetic smile. “But this time, on my way south, Cheng heard word of certain matters. Ah… I felt I had no choice but to come and confer with Lord Tie.”

Tie Tianying’s expression remained calm. “Oh? And what matter would that be?”

Cheng Zhouhai lowered his head, weighing his words for a moment before speaking. “This pursuit of Fang Baihua that you and Lord Zong are conducting is, in itself, no issue at all — indeed, Cheng can’t help but applaud the arrangements involved. It’s only that… certain individuals of special status have turned up in the process, and the Bureau has looked into it. Some of the names involved, if brought north, might cause Chancellor Qin and Mister Ning some concern — and so Cheng rushed here through the night, hoping to see where the Ministry of Justice stands on this matter.”

Tie Tianying frowned. “…And who, exactly, are these individuals of dubious status you speak of?”

“The matter hasn’t been settled yet — Cheng doesn’t wish to say outright that these people’s status is in question…”

“Then I’m afraid I don’t quite follow, Master Cheng.”

The room was rather dimly lit, and aside from the initial exchange of greetings, which had gone fairly quickly, the rest of their conversation proceeded at an unhurried pace. The young man’s smile remained easy as he weighed his words further.

“These matters… the Bureau has no wish to involve itself directly. In truth, Chief Constable Tie, having held this post for so many years, surely understands already. Cheng has come with sincere intentions.”

“Please, do enlighten me, Master Cheng.”

Cheng Zhouhai glanced at him, then quickened his pace of speech, his tone turning serious. “Over the past two years, the bandit unrest under the Fang clan has shaken the entire south — the roots and causes of it, I imagine, are quite clear to you, Chief Constable. Forgive my bluntness, but the Manichaean sect spread rapidly through Jiangnan; though it always incited great numbers of ignorant commoners at the lower levels, what truly allowed it to spread was that it also seduced no small number of wealthy Jiangnan households at the same time — such as the Tang family of Jiangnan, who exhausted their entire fortune to launch the Manichaean uprising, and the Overlord Blade Liu family, who contributed greatly to the rebellion. Beyond that, the Chen, Lü, Fang, He families… Though it was the generals of the Ministry of War who ultimately crushed the Fang bandits, it fell to the Ministry of Justice to handle the subsequent investigation. Chief Constable Tie surely understands full well how many were killed in that process.”

Tie Tianying gazed at him with a smile but said nothing. In his heart, though, anger was gradually gathering. This young man, composed as he appeared, was in fact quite arrogant and self-important at heart. It wasn’t that anything he’d said was wrong exactly, but taken together, it seemed every sentence carried an undertone of condescension.

“Felt I had no choice but to come confer with you” — one veiled implication after another, sentences left half-said. Though there was certainly a particular art to speech in official circles, they weren’t well acquainted, and to speak this way while claiming “mutual understanding” — an eighty-percent chance, at least, that this was all fishing for information. Cheng Zhouhai’s words were well-placed, not clumsy — an ordinary person might well be deceived, but Tie Tianying, seasoned through years of experience, was not one to be taken in by such tactics.

He said nothing, and the young man, looking at him, smiled again. “The Bureau and the Ministry of Justice both serve the court, but each has its own duties, as Chief Constable Tie surely understands. The northern campaign now is truly a matter of great import, opening an undertaking unseen in centuries. The chancellor’s household is currently responsible for coordination and logistics — the rear cannot be allowed to fall into chaos… When troops were first raised against the Fang bandits, the Bureau expended enormous effort in the matter as well. What becomes of Fang Qifo, what becomes of Fang Baihua — these are all small matters to our Bureau now. But the Manichaean sect — it cannot be allowed to rise again.”

As Cheng Zhouhai spoke, he had already moved to stand by the table, tapping his finger on its surface, staring into Tie Tianying’s eyes. Just as his pupils contracted slightly, he said, one word at a time: “Sikong Nan. Must not rise again!”

Tie Tianying’s expression darkened, and he slowly rose from his seat. By now he understood clearly that the man had indeed gotten wind of something. After a moment, the corner of his mouth curled into a cold smile. “This one… isn’t quite sure what exactly Master Cheng means, nor who this Sikong Nan might be. This operation to encircle Fang Baihua’s faction does indeed involve more than just the Ministry of Justice, it’s true — but as for who else is involved, exactly what their status might be, has Master Cheng perhaps…”

“I don’t care who it is!” The flame flickered as Cheng Zhouhai slapped his palm on the table. Tie Tianying’s eyes narrowed slightly, and the young man stepped back, waving his hand. “Of course I know exactly who that person is! But this matter — no one is exempt, whoever they are. How many great households once supported the Manichaean sect and were implicated for it back then? How few of them lost their heads? How many of them were truly determined to rebel, and how many were simply led astray by the sect’s deception? Those households above… are they somehow immune to being led astray? If the Manichaean sect rises from the dead, who will bear the responsibility!”

Certainly not me who’ll bear it… Tie Tianying thought to himself with contempt. The young man on the other side clasped his hands together.

“Cheng spoke rashly in a moment of passion — my apologies if I’ve offended Lord Tie. As I said, this is precisely the domain the Bureau now oversees. This matter could be big or small, and Cheng felt compelled to come see Lord Tie first…”

Tie Tianying smiled. “This one still doesn’t quite grasp Master Cheng’s meaning. I fear Master Cheng may have gotten something wrong.”

“Whether I’m right or wrong, Cheng too hopes it’s the latter. In any case, the words have been said.” Cheng Zhouhai’s expression had settled back into composure; he clasped his hands together again. “Of course, right or wrong, this has little bearing on the Ministry of Justice for now. I only hope that, should Lord Tie discover any further clues later, you might, for the sake of all under heaven, weigh carefully the stakes involved.”

He paused. “As for the Bureau, we don’t have much manpower to spare in this area — but should we come across any useful information, we will of course share it with Chief Constable Tie in turn. To be honest, we… hope this matter can be resolved as quickly as possible, without further complications.”

Tie Tianying smiled and nodded. By now he had grown thoroughly displeased with this young man who’d come to lecture him on how to run things, but in official circles, a polite refusal — offering the other party nothing of substance — was often precisely how a person of standing expressed displeasure.

So, a moment later, when the man spoke again: “Cheng has read the chancellor’s household records regarding Fang Qifo — for all that he’s a rebel bandit, he was, indeed, no ordinary figure in his time. Keeping him held here for so long seems ill-advised; I do hope Chief Constable Tie can see him sent north as soon as possible… And might Cheng be permitted to see the man himself, just to satisfy some curiosity as to his appearance? If Chief Constable Tie could grant this, I need only glimpse him from afar.”

Tie Tianying declined most cordially. “The Ministry of Justice has its own rules. Fang Qifo, being one of the bandit leaders, is not a matter that allows for such accommodation, I’m afraid. Please forgive me, Master Cheng.”

These bookish types, ordinarily so fond of holding forth on grand affairs, were often quite curious about famous figures — after all, having actually seen one in person made for good bragging material later. After Tie Tianying’s refusal, clear disappointment showed on the man’s face. But he soon suppressed his displeasure and moved on to other matters.

“…Chief Constable Tie’s operation against Fang Baihua’s faction has certainly been effective. Still, the Fang bandits do have some depth to them — dying hard, as it were. Some of these bandits are ferociously skilled; I’ve heard of a pair of brothers named He who fight with bronze hammers, still alive as far as I know…”

“And from this afternoon’s reports, it seems a group has headed toward Yu Town… Also, the search at Qi Village appears to have some gaps…”

“That Overlord Blade camp crowd is also troublesome — Sky-Piercing Blade Du Sha and the others have reached a nearly transcendent level of skill. That woman, Liu Xigua… I hear her blade is now in your possession, but she herself isn’t dead — still quite difficult to deal with…”

“There’s also…”

As if trying to demonstrate his sincerity to the fullest, the young man’s subsequent words did carry some genuine value. Of course, since the Bureau’s intelligence gathering had its limits, Tie Tianying didn’t think much of some of what he said, occasionally responding with a perfunctory answer that was, in fact, the opposite of the truth.

“Yu Town’s probably clean by now, I’d think… that one, we did overlook…”

“Sky-Piercing Blade Du Sha… yes, he’s formidable indeed…”

“Liu Xigua’s blade is here with us — of course, she must be dead already.”

The man across from him smiled. “Don’t joke with me, Chief Constable. Though she’s lost her blade, she did escape with her life…”

Tie Tianying gave a slight smile, neither denying nor confirming. The matter itself wasn’t important, and there was no need to say more. The man studied him a moment longer, then waved a hand. “Never mind, then.” A few more remarks on other matters followed, and only then did he clasp his hands and take his leave.

…

Amid the flickering firelight, a swift pace crossed the camp. Mud splashed up, staining the hem of a long robe, as Zhu Biao followed close behind from the rear.

Because of Ning Yi’s arrangements, the only one accompanying him here today was Zhu Biao. This afternoon, once the situation had become clear, Ning Yi had rushed over; he hadn’t stayed inside for very long, and now hurried back out again, only stopping once he’d passed through the camp’s entrance, letting out a sigh. Zhu Biao asked from behind, brow furrowed, “That Xigua…”

“She’s not dead yet.” Ning Yi stood there leaning on his umbrella, exhaling. “Also — it really is Sikong Nan behind this.”

Zhu Biao nodded, though for a moment he couldn’t quite understand why, if things were fine, Ning Yi still wore such an expression.

Ning Yi held his umbrella, standing there in the darkness outside the camp, head lowered in thought for a while. When he looked toward the distance, his gaze carried a certain heaviness.

Given the current situation, this had already become, beyond doubt, a life-and-death struggle. Confirming that Xigua hadn’t been killed despite losing her blade didn’t prove she was still alive either. Since childhood he’d had something of a gambler’s nature, but as he’d seen more of the world and experienced more, he had gradually learned to grasp the course of many unfolding situations, gaining a foundation for calculating outcomes. But faced with circumstances like these now, in the end all he could do was sigh.

He had no real grasp on the situation, and didn’t even know where to look for a stroke of luck. Even if all he hoped for was simply that Xigua and Chen Fan might survive — and, of course, perhaps a few of the Overlord Blade group along with them — that, in the end, amounted to the same wish. And right now he couldn’t even see the full picture of how things stood. Just as he was thinking this, as Chen Fan went to fetch the carriage, someone suddenly came riding up on a galloping horse — a subordinate from the Secret Investigation Bureau, clearly bringing important intelligence, come to find him.

“…We’ve just learned that among the remaining Fang bandits, the group carrying the ledger is heading north, and has now entered within roughly two hundred li of this area. The Ministry of Justice and the other side may be conducting an all-out search, with some casualties already… it seems this group has come to try to save Fang Baihua and the others…”

Ning Yi thought it over, then nodded. “Let’s head back.”

Meanwhile, in the shelter back at camp, Tie Tianying paced back and forth, hands clasped behind his back, for some time. After a while, a subordinate entered.

“Get in touch with the capital… look into someone for me.” He frowned. “A retainer of the Right Chancellor’s household — Cheng Fang, courtesy name Zhouhai. I want to know exactly who this person is.”