Cui Cang said to Maiqie, “Barring any change in plans, it’s set for the morning three days from now. And there will be several decoy convoys to mislead anyone watching — all setting out from the Wu Prince’s residence, heading for different city gates.”

Song Xiedi said, “If Brother Maiqie just wants to get out, you can follow any one of those convoys. One word from us and you’re through.”

Gao Jianjia also smiled. “Actually, Brother Maiqie, if all you need is to leave the city, it doesn’t have to be this complicated. I’ll get you an official travel document from the Wu Prince’s residence. With a paper like that, you walk up to the gate and no one would dare stop you. No need to join any convoy at all.”

Maiqie had simply wanted to know their departure date — to report back to Gui Yuanshu. So he saw no need to press the matter further.

He smiled and said, “That would be ideal.”

He was about to take his leave when he thought of something else. “If you brothers find the time and can get me one of those documents from the residence, please have someone bring it over.”

“Small matter.”

The four men agreed, finished their breakfast, and parted ways.

Maiqie returned to the gambling den, told someone to hang a red lantern outside the door — and found himself displeased with the sight of it.

“This is a gambling den. Hanging a red lantern out front makes it look like a butcher’s shop.”

He grumbled, then went inside, thinking to himself that this Gui Yuanshu must be something else — surely he didn’t have people planted all over the city.

As it happened, that very night, Gui Yuanshu actually showed up at the gambling den.

Maiqie was forthright about it, laying out everything he’d learned — telling Gui Yuanshu exactly when the Princess Consort intended to leave Daxing City.

When he finished, he looked at Gui Yuanshu. “This information isn’t that valuable. If all you wanted was to know when the Princess Consort was leaving, you could just have kept a watch on the Wu Prince’s residence. But you came to me instead…”

Gui Yuanshu smiled. “You’re still useful to me. But the Princess Consort doesn’t hold much significance for our side.”

Maiqie frowned. “Then what was the point of having me dig that up? Do you want to recruit me? Because digging out this one piece of information already cost me about a thousand taels.”

Gui Yuanshu said, “That silver — I’m absolutely not paying it.”

Maiqie said, “Then forget it. You know I’m a greedy man.”

Gui Yuanshu said, “Don’t be so quick to refuse. You said just now that the residence could issue you travel documents. As it happens, we need those.”

Maiqie held out his hand. “At the very least give me something — I only just said I’m out a thousand taels.”

Gui Yuanshu said, “Do you know what my moniker is?”

He looked at Maiqie. “They call me the Master of Three Nots. No money. No mercy. No principles.”

Maiqie let out a helpless sigh. “If I hand over these travel documents too — will you leave me alone?”

Gui Yuanshu said, “Let me finish before you decide. No money, no mercy — but here’s what I can offer: from today, tell your people to stop any wrongdoing. Once the King of Ning enters Daxing City, your gambling den will be shut down regardless. Take up legitimate work, and you and your brothers can all walk away with your lives.”

Maiqie said, “How do I know the King of Ning will actually enter the city?”

Gui Yuanshu said, “You’re a gambling man.”

Maiqie was quiet for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll bet on it.”

Gui Yuanshu grinned. “Good. And in that case, I’ll tell you now — what I said before was partly a test. There’s actually something in it for you.”

Maiqie didn’t quite believe him. He felt that Gui Yuanshu was the sort of man craftier than any old fox.

So he asked three questions in quick succession: “What benefit? Why me? Why don’t you just get it yourselves?”

Gui Yuanshu said, “Come with me, and in a little while you can go collect those travel documents yourself. At least five of them. And you’ll get back half of what those thousand taels cost you.”

Maiqie said, “Why only half?”

Gui Yuanshu said, “Still complaining it’s too little?”

Maiqie said, “Fine. Half is half. Where are we going?”

Gui Yuanshu rose. “Follow me.”

Maiqie asked, “Should I bring men?”

Gui Yuanshu said, “Bring as many as you like. But when we get there — don’t move until I say so.”

Gui Yuanshu led Maiqie and his men through the streets, winding through the city’s lanes for roughly three quarters of an hour, until they stopped outside an inn.

Fang Xidao, who had been waiting in the shadows, pointed toward it. “They’re inside. It’s time to move.”

Gui Yuanshu gave a sound of agreement, then turned and lowered his voice to Maiqie: “You and your men watch the perimeter. It should be quiet — if anyone comes, just make a show of it to scare them off. You’ve got enough men. If no one comes, when I call you inside, go in and collect your silver.”

Maiqie murmured back, “Chief Officer Gui, you’d better not be setting me up.”

Gui Yuanshu made a “please go ahead” gesture. “Would you rather be the first one in?”

Maiqie said, “I don’t even know who’s in there or how many. I’m not going.”

Gui Yuanshu smiled and pulled Fang Xidao with him. The two had just begun to move when they both suddenly crouched at the same moment.

In the moonlight, they saw several dark shapes moving rapidly across the rooftops in the distance — heading toward them.

Gui Yuanshu immediately signaled with his hand. Everyone crouched, holding their breath.

—

**Inside the inn.**

The former Wu Prince’s Residence steward, Xu Ke, sat there looking thoroughly miserable. He had muttered more than a few unpleasant things under his breath, though none of it seemed to let out what was truly coiling inside him.

Or so it appeared.

Besides him, there were four others in the room — Gao Jianjia and the other three.

“Brother Xu.”

Gao Jianjia said, “Stop brooding. This city is going to see a battle sooner or later. We’re getting out now — why stay angry over a girl?”

Xu Ke said, “What do you lot understand? As long as I stayed with the Princess Consort, my life would have been comfortable. If I leave now, what do I do afterward?”

Cui Cang said, “Brother Xu, the five of us go together. We leave this city of trouble and start a small business somewhere. With your mind and our hands, we won’t go hungry.”

Xu Ke said, “That won’t work. I can’t leave yet. If I leave, I need to take something with me first.”

As he was speaking, he suddenly sniffed the air. “What’s that smell?”

The other four looked around. Only then did they notice a faint haze of smoke drifting through the room.

A moment later, Xu Ke understood. “Weapons — draw your weapons!”

The four men leapt up — but before they made it out of their spots, they dropped, one after another.

The window was pried open from outside. Black-clad figures slipped in — four or five of them.

The moment they entered they acted. The nearest one, Cui Cang, had his throat slit before he could move.

Xu Ke, though his body felt drained of strength, could still speak. He called out to the black-clad figures: “Who sent you? Do you know who I am?”

One of them scoffed. “We know exactly who you are. You’re who we’re here for.”

He strode toward Xu Ke, raising his blade — and in that instant, a flash of silver light flickered briefly in the air.

A soft thud sounded. Something pierced out through that man’s throat, and he staggered.

A shadow swept through the window with uncanny speed. In less than three breaths’ time, this newcomer had cut down all the black-clad figures who had entered before.

The sudden turn of events left Gao Jianjia and the other two pale as ghosts. Xu Ke, oddly, seemed to settle.

The dark-clad newcomer glared at Xu Ke. “You knew you were going to be silenced. So why make yourself so easy to find? I thought you at least had more sense than this.”

Xu Ke said, “If I had sense, would I have been able to meet with you again? I had to see you one more time. I can’t just leave Daxing City like this — if I did, I’d be expendable someday anyway.”

The dark figure said, “I was willing to spare your life out of goodwill, and you can’t even make use of it?”

Xu Ke said, “I’m still useful. If you’re exposed, there’s no opportunity left. You’re the final card. Outside of you, I’m the only one who still knows exactly where the child is hidden. To get the child out, I have to be the one to do it.”

The dark figure’s eyes narrowed slightly, as though grudgingly impressed.

Xu Ke continued: “You’re still positioned inside the residence. We can work from both sides. All you need to do is neutralize the guards at the key positions — I can get the child out quickly.”

The dark figure looked at Gao Jianjia and the other three. “With these useless men of yours?”

Xu Ke stood up. His earlier weakness was completely gone — it had all been an act. “I brought those four as backup for getting the child out of the residence. But… you should trust that I’m not relying on anyone. Only on myself.”

The dark figure was silent for a moment — then with a flick of the wrist, threw several flashes of cold light. The three men — Gao Jianjia among them — had no chance to dodge. They were pierced through the throat where they stood.

After killing them, the dark figure closed the window and walked over to take a seat.

“Men like that as backup are worse than useless.”

As the figure spoke, they reached up and removed the black face covering…

It was Cainan.

Xu Ke said, “You deliberately picked fights with me in front of the Princess Consort. I understood what you meant. So I played along. If I hadn’t — I could simply have said no one had left the residence. Why would I have admitted it otherwise?”

Cainan’s lips curved into a faint smile. “It seems I wasn’t wrong about you. You’re right — Teacher Tailai gave the order: the child must be taken before the Princess Consort leaves the city. So I had to start trouble with you. Neither of us could act openly inside the residence — we’re both too recognizable.”

Xu Ke gestured at the bodies on the floor. “What do we do about these? They failed to report back — Zhaoluan will suspect something.”

Cainan said, “Zhaoluan won’t suspect anything. I was right there when she sent them out. I told them: once it’s done, don’t come back to the residence. Set fire to the inn, disappear from the city for a few days. Zhaoluan agreed.”

Xu Ke nodded. “Good. At the hour of Zi tomorrow night, I’ll return to the residence. No one knows the layout or the escape routes better than I do. Make sure you’re ready to play your part from the inside. If I fail, there won’t be another chance.”

Cainan gave a single nod, then re-tied her black face covering. “I need to get back.”

She pulled the window open and leapt out.

Xu Ke stared at the bodies covering the floor and let out a long, heavy breath.

He bent down and turned out the pockets of each corpse, collecting every travel document he found. Tomorrow he’d need to arrange for a few people to leave the city — otherwise it would look suspicious.

He gathered everything together. Then he turned and picked up the candleholder, pulling the blankets and curtains down from the bed and windows, piling them near anything flammable. He was about to set them alight when he suddenly spun around and flung the candleholder across the room.

—