It had to be said — when it came to the art of escape, Yun Zhong Yue stood unchallenged as the undisputed master.

From the An’du Prefecture Office all the way out, they encountered more than a dozen patrols of Jinyu Guards — the standard variety — searching in all directions. Yet Yun Zhong Yue did not even bother with the light footwork of the Lotus Step technique. He simply used his knowledge of the city’s alleyways, large and small, and exploited the gaps between the Jinyu Guards’ patrol rotations, weaving past every search with effortless ease.

There were several moments where a single turn around a corner would have brought them face to face with a Jinyu Guard patrol — genuinely hair-raising, thoroughly exhilarating.

When they passed through Taiping Ward, Lin Sui’an heard Jin Ruo’s booming voice ringing out from the next street over, calling to Tianji and commanding the Jingmen disciples to march on the Prefecture Office and rescue their people. The stone that had been sitting in her chest finally dropped — judging by the man’s energy, everyone at the Hua household was safe and sound.

They then cut through Pingkang Ward, An’yi Ward, and Xinchang Ward before reaching Yanxing Gate, their route running in the opposite direction from Taiping Ward. Lin Sui’an suspected that Yun Zhong Yue had deliberately led her and Hua Yitang on a detour back past Taiping Ward on purpose — just to put their minds at ease.

This greatest thief under heaven had quite a good heart, really.

The gate guards at Yanxing Gate had been knocked unconscious in droves, and three of them were bound to pillars as decor. It was obvious this was the gate Yun Zhong Yue had used to enter the city. He pulled out a grappling hook with practiced familiarity and tossed it up onto the city wall, then secured it to each of the three of them in turn. The grappling hook was a modified design with a mechanical pulley — a single downward pull sent one gliding upward automatically, clearing the wall, and a pull in the opposite direction sent one back down just as smoothly. A truly convenient and elegant device; an essential tool for any self-respecting wall-climber and thief.

Once they were outside the city, the danger level dropped considerably, and the atmosphere grew noticeably lighter. The two men who could never keep quiet for long immediately resumed their verbal sparring.

“Hua the Fourth, I see your legs are trembling and your complexion is ghastly pale,” Yun Zhong Yue remarked. “Could it be that your usual indulgences have hollowed you out entirely? Gone soft, have we? If you can no longer carry the young lady, just say so — unworthy as I am, I would be glad to take over.”

Hua Yitang replied, “Worry about yourself. Your steps are unsteady, and you’re top-heavy — if you’ve taken a wound, then shut your mouth, conserve your breath, and stop making a fool of yourself.”

“Hua the Fourth, it’s a genuine waste that you never became a thief. Those eyes of yours are far too sharp.”

“Your back is soaking through with blood. I’m not blind.”

Lin Sui’an lifted her eyelids and looked. Sure enough, a wide patch of blood had seeped through the back of Yun Zhong Yue’s robe — a fresh wound, and not a shallow one, bound up with slipshod haste. So that was why he had not used the Lotus Step: he simply could not.

After trading a few more barbs, Hua Yitang was visibly short of breath, great beads of sweat rolling down his temples. Even when sweating, this pampered young lord somehow managed to smell faintly fragrant — exactly as Doctor Fang had once said: he had been marinated in perfume so long it had soaked into his very bones.

Lin Sui’an mustered the effort to raise her hand and, pulling at her sleeve, dabbed at the sweat behind Hua Yitang’s ear. Both of his ears instantly flushed crimson. His foot caught mid-step, and he very nearly stumbled. “I — I’m not tired! Don’t — don’t move around like that —”

Yun Zhong Yue rolled his eyes extravagantly.

“Well, ah —” Lin Sui’an said, changing the subject with some awkwardness. “I never would have thought that anyone in this world besides myself could actually wound Yun Zhong Yue. I confess I’m rather curious — just what manner of extraordinary person could manage such a feat?”

Yun Zhong Yue made a grumbling sound. “I encountered only ten Pojun-class Jinyu Guards and was nearly turned into a sieve. Yet Lin Niangzi, alone, cut down several dozen of them and walked away with only light injuries. Truly worthy of the title — the one-against-a-hundred master of Qian Jing.”

Lin Sui’an startled. “You also ran into Pojun-class Jinyu Guards? Where?”

Hua Yitang asked, “Are you investigating this case as well?”

Yun Zhong Yue exhaled a long breath and came to a stop.

Ahead of them rose a rocky cliff face, overgrown with wild grass and dense brush. He pushed aside the tangled vines and weeds to reveal a black, yawning cave mouth.

“Not only I — we.” Yun Zhong Yue ducked inside the cave and struck a flint, kindling a torch, then led Hua Yitang and Lin Sui’an forward. The passage was long, the footing uneven, and it took a full quarter-hour of walking before a faint glow became visible ahead. Yun Zhong Yue’s silhouette turned, and all three emerged into a somewhat larger cavern.

Inside, a square stone table stood surrounded by a few stone stools. Candles burned on the table, and beneath it were stacked several wooden crates.

One person sat on a stone stool, examining a scroll. At the sound of their approach, he looked up and curved his lips in a slight smile. “Lin Niangzi, Hua the Fourth — it has been some time. I trust you are both well.”

The candlelight fell across his gaunt face, pale as paper, faintly touched by a deathly air.

Hua Yitang stared in astonishment. “Qi Yuansheng?! How have you become so thin?!”

Lin Sui’an said, “Does Yun Zhong Yue not feed you?”

Yun Zhong Yue’s expression darkened. Qi Yuansheng burst out laughing.

So Yun Zhong Yue and Qi Yuansheng were indeed on the same side — Lin Sui’an had suspected as much. Now, seeing them seated side by side, their combined cunning amounting to something close to eight hundred schemes between them, they somehow looked quite at ease together.

This cavern appeared to be their base of operations, and it was well stocked — dried provisions, fresh water, tea leaves, firewood, jerked meat, a tea kettle, a soup pot, the four treasures of the scholar’s studio, candles, and even an assortment of famous An’du snacks: candied fruit from the East Market’s Fork Alley, cloud cake slices from the West Market’s Pupu Shop, and the ever-popular peach blossom malt candy that had swept the streets of Pingkang Ward.

Lin Sui’an ate several pieces of cloud cake, washed down two large bowls of Fangke’s specially prepared Longshen fruit antidote with a pot of hundred-flower tea, and with the added benefit of Hua Yitang — a walking, large-scale aromatherapy device radiating his effects at close range — she managed to recover roughly twenty percent of her strength.

Qi Yuansheng drew all the scrolls from the wooden crates beneath his feet, divided them into three stacks, and set them before Hua Yitang. “The stack on the left contains records from thirty years ago documenting the embezzlement of military funds by the Liu’an Xu Family and the Zheng Family. The embezzled funds were concealed behind a front of vacant and derelict properties, then passed through a series of intermediary steps until the silver ultimately flowed into the accounts of the Taiyuan Jiang Family. Unfortunately, too much time has passed — several links in the chain of transfers are missing, and I was unable to trace them.”

Lin Sui’an thought: Well, would you look at that — the most primitive money laundering operation imaginable.

Hua Yitang flipped rapidly through a few scrolls and sneered coldly. “It seems the Taiyuan Jiang Family drew their inspiration from this very scheme and devised the Chantui Shop business from it.”

Qi Yuansheng pointed to the second stack of ledgers. “These are account books from the Chantui Shops that operated twenty years ago within the boundaries of Qingzhou — mostly run under the control of the Liu’an Zheng Family.”

Hua Yitang glanced through them. “Birds of a feather, as expected.”

“The stack on the right,” Qi Yuansheng continued, “contains the Chantui Shop ledgers established in An’du City last year by the Suizhou Su Family. The accounts are the most complete of the three.”

Hua Yitang casually unrolled one scroll, skimmed it briefly, then looked up at Qi Yuansheng. “Brother Qi has quite a gift for commerce.”

Qi Yuansheng smiled faintly. “You flatter me.”

Hua Yitang said, “So — you have been working for His Third Lordship all along in order to get your hands on these ledgers?”

Qi Yuansheng placed the account books back one by one, then closed the crate lid. “Had I not helped His Third Lordship swallow the Suizhou Su Family whole and earned a great merit in doing so, a minor figure such as myself would never have been permitted access to these core account books.”

Lin Sui’an asked curiously, “How did you manage to get these ledgers out?”

Qi Yuansheng replied, “Naturally, with the wholehearted assistance of Yun Zhong Yue, the greatest thief under heaven.”

Since entering the cave, Yun Zhong Yue had removed the clumsy disguise from his face and switched back to his silver mask. Perhaps concerned that people would miss his expressions, he compensated with a richly animated voice and expressive body language — he spoke and shook his head back and forth as he went. “The Jinyu Guards at the Jiang Family ancestral residence were uncommonly difficult to deal with. I went without sleep, burning through lamp oil, for half a month hauling things out — nearly worked myself to death. And then, of all the rotten luck, on my very last run stealing from this one here —” he jabbed a finger at Qi Yuansheng “— I got caught dead to rights and very nearly didn’t make it. Qi Yuansheng, you owe me another favor!”

Qi Yuansheng said wearily, “This is your own case. By any reasonable accounting, you owe me.”

Lin Sui’an and Hua Yitang exchanged a glance, somewhat taken aback.

“Are you also investigating the old case of the Qin Family Army’s treason?” Hua Yitang asked.

Qi Yuansheng nodded.

Lin Sui’an asked, “Yun Zhong Yue — what is your connection to Qin Nanyin?”

“It’s a long story. Difficult to summarize.” Yun Zhong Yue scratched the side of his silver mask, then stood and made an inviting gesture. “Why don’t we first have a look around this auspicious little hideout of ours?”

The cavern proved far more extensive than Lin Sui’an had imagined. It appeared to be a natural formation that had been further carved and fitted by human hands — several broad stone chambers, each roughly the size of a martial arts training hall, all connected by long passages. It was unexpectedly warm, with good air circulation, and between the echoes of their footsteps she could catch the faint sound of running water, suggesting an underground river somewhere below.

Beyond four stone chambers stretched a row of stone cells, each sealed with an iron grating. The iron was heavily rusted, decayed with age, and clearly abandoned for many years. There were a great number of them — the remnants of what looked to have been an underground prison.

The further they walked, the more uneasy Lin Sui’an became. The hair on the back of her neck rose strand by strand, and her hands and feet went cold. She sensed an aura unlike anything ordinary, and Qian Jing seemed to have picked up on something as well — the blade murmured softly within its sheath, like a garrulous old man muttering to himself.

Hua Yitang gripped Lin Sui’an’s hand tightly, his palm damp with sweat. He was clearly terrified, yet stubbornly insisted on walking ahead of her, citing his noble duty as her personal escort — and since Lin Sui’an currently found even walking an effort, she could not be bothered to argue with him and simply let him do as he pleased.

After another full half-hour of walking, they arrived at a somewhat more spacious stone chamber. Only a single cell stood here, the largest of all. On the stone wall directly facing the cell, a faint, eerie green glow pulsed — some kind of mineral deposit embedded within. At the very base of that wall was a stone casket, hand-carved, its surface black and rough-hewn, bearing a certain resemblance to Qian Jing’s own scabbard.

Qian Jing, which had been humming ceaselessly, went suddenly and completely silent. Lin Sui’an’s heartbeat quickened.

She had never been to this place before. Yet it felt inexplicably familiar.

Yun Zhong Yue stood at the center of the chamber. He pointed first to the stone casket: “This is where Qian Jing lay dormant.” Then he pointed to the stone cell across the way: “And that is where Pojun was born —”

Before the words had fully left his mouth, Qian Jing let out a shriek like the wail of a spirit, and a blinding, uncanny green blade-light erupted from the scabbard, instantly enveloping Lin Sui’an.

First came a vast, silent darkness.

Then, low and soft, the calling of a child’s voice.

From somewhere within the darkness, light began to filter down, gradually growing clearer. Around her stood a ring of children — the oldest perhaps seven or eight, the youngest only three or four. Dirty little faces, hollow cheeks — yet their eyes were clear and bright, the whites and irises sharply defined, clean as water.

“She’s awake, she’s awake, she’s awake! Big sister’s awake!”

“Big sister, are you feeling any better?”

“Does your head still hurt?”

[Big sister? Are they calling to me? Where is this place?]

Her vision gradually sharpened. She could make out her surroundings: black stone walls, rough iron bars, moldy straw, a damp floor. Torches flickered in their brackets along the walls. Beyond the iron grating, she could see the deep, dim stone chamber beyond — and on the wall directly opposite, that faint green glow pulsed quietly.

[This is that stone cell — the one from just now! No, wait — the iron bars here are brand new. Not a trace of rust.]

From above came a clear, cool female voice: “This is… what? A green blade?”

The children erupted with delight, their eyes sparkling as they clamored over one another:

“I knew it would work! The Sect Master always said Qian Jing is the sect’s most prized treasure — it can ward off every evil and cure every illness!”

“See? As soon as big sister took hold of Qian Jing, she woke right up!”

“Big sister, please hold Qian Jing tight — it took us ten days of digging to get it out of the sword casket!”

“Big sister, big sister — aren’t we amazing?”

The children tugged at the woman’s sleeves from all sides. Their thin little fingers were mottled blue and purple, nails torn away, flesh raw and bleeding — a shocking sight — yet their expressions suggested they felt no pain at all, too busy waving their arms in triumph and calling for praise.

“You…” The woman’s voice was weak, threaded through with emotion. “You are all — amazing!”

The children dissolved into peals of giggling laughter.

A little girl of four or five years pushed her way forward and dug something out from inside her jacket — a blackened lump of dried flatbread. “Big sister, eat this. The Sect Master snuck it in from outside. You can’t eat the food they give you here — it makes people sick.”

“That’s right, that’s right — the Sect Master said they’ve been putting Jing Fruit in big sister’s meals.”

“You can’t eat Jing Fruit! If you eat it, you turn into a blue-eyed demon!”

“Demons eat human flesh!”

“And in the end you dissolve into a puddle of blood — it’s so frightening!”

[Jing Fruit? Ah — the scroll found in Cheng County mentioned it, under a different name. It’s another term for Longshen Fruit.]

“Qian Jing —” The vantage point shifted suddenly upward, as if viewing everything from a great height, and the woman’s voice drew closer. “A thousand evils, all cleansed — truly a fine blade.”

[This must be a vision from my golden finger ability. How strange — this is the first time I’ve experienced one that lasts this long. Whose memory and obsession is this?]

The sound of footsteps approached from beyond the cell. A column of black-clad figures, torches in hand, advanced rapidly, and the children scattered in every direction, vanishing into small crevices in the cell walls like mice, so silent that not even their breathing could be heard.

The perspective plunged downward, swallowed by the thick layer of straw. Through the gaps in the straw, the scene outside was just barely visible.

The black-clad figures entered the cell. The one at the lead lifted his hood, revealing a face — Jiang Wende!

No — to be precise, a younger version of Jiang Wende, thirty years younger, as a young man.

Jiang Wende’s brow was drawn tight as he studied the figure before him carefully. “Why is she still conscious?”

Behind him, a black-clad figure dropped to his knees and knocked his head on the ground in rapid, desperate succession. “In answer to His Third Lordship — we have administered the medication continuously for seventeen days. An ordinary person would have lost their mind by now, but this person… this person’s will is iron. One in ten thousand. It may be that the Jing Fruit has no effect on her whatsoever…”

“Oh?” Jiang Wende raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly, his expression one of genuine admiration. “Worthy of the title — Tang Nation’s first war god. Qin Nanyin!”

Side Story

At sunrise, Prefect Jia led his men to surround the eight Hua Family residences without a single gap.

Prefect Jia stood in the main hall of the Hua Family compound, his round belly jutting forward, his manner overbearing and smug.

“Last night, mountain bandits and violent outlaws entered the city — they burned the Prefecture Office, freed dangerous criminals, and slaughtered yamen clerks. Colonel Hua went missing during the pursuit of the criminals. Fearing that remnants of the criminal force may pose a threat to the Hua Family members, this Prefect has specifically requested the Taiyuan Jiang Family to dispatch their finest Jinyu Guards to protect the Hua household. I ask that all members of the household please cooperate.”

Jin Ruo’s eyes blazed red. “I call complete nonsense on that!”

The Four Saints were furious and very nearly lunged forward, but Mu Xia pulled them back.

Fang Ke stepped forward with a deadpan face and cupped his hands. “This humble one thanks the Prefect for his concern.”

Prefect Jia was quite satisfied. “Coroner Fang is truly an elite of the Court of Judicial Review — a man who knows which way the wind blows. Now then — this Prefect would like the Jinyu Guards to conduct a patrol of every corner of the Hua compound. I wonder what Coroner Fang thinks of that arrangement?”

Jin Ruo: “I’ll fight you to the —” Mmph mmph mmph!

Mu Xia and Yita clamped their hands over Jin Ruo’s mouth and dragged him off to one side.

Fang Ke’s expression did not so much as twitch. “The Prefect is welcome to proceed.”

A sharp glint flashed through Prefect Jia’s eyes. He waved a hand, and the Jinyu Guards filed out, fanning swiftly across every corner of the Hua compound — the main hall, six side halls, eighty-nine wing rooms, ninety-four small parlors, six kitchens large and small, twelve storehouses (three of which were devoted exclusively to clothing), eight main courtyards (each with seven to eight side rooms), six secondary courtyards (each with four to five side rooms), one interior lake, three heated chambers, two viewing pavilions, and then a further assortment of servants’ quarters, guest rooms, gatehouse rooms, stables, pickle cellars, and woodsheds…

From dawn until dusk — a full five hours — the Jinyu Guards searched until their eyes swam and their legs turned to jelly. At long last, in a remote courtyard on the northwest side, they discovered a very strange side room, kicked down the door, and found — inside — rows upon rows of gleaming white porcelain jars, arrayed in perfect order on the shelves.

The Jinyu Guards were elated. Something hidden this well in so obscure a location must surely be what the Prefect was looking for! They rushed in and pried open the jars for a look —

Retch, retch, retch, retch!!

The lead guard discovered, on the innermost shelf, a rectangular object draped tightly in cloth — shaped, by all appearances, like a box. Trembling with anticipation, he whipped off the white cloth covering to find — a glass vat packed to the brim with organs —

RETCH RETCH RETCH RETCH RETCH RETCH!!!

As the sun sank in the west, a pale-faced Prefect Jia led his shame-covered Jinyu Guards back out, having turned the entire residence inside out and found absolutely nothing of value.

Mu Xia ordered the gates of the Hua compound shut. Everyone gathered around Fang Ke, baffled.

“Doctor Fang, where on earth did you hide Xu Baishui’s confession?”

Fang Ke said: “Secret.”

Yita looked a bit deflated. “Pig-person. Fourth Young Master — gone. Very worried!”

Jin Ruo ran his thumb along the edge of his blade “Ruojing,” his gaze resolute. “Master always said — where the blade is, the person is. None of the charred remains in the prison were Qian Jing. Master definitely wasn’t among them either!”

Fang Ke said, “Looking across the entirety of Tang Nation, no one wreaks havoc quite like Hua Yitang.”

The Four Saints said: “Trouble lives a thousand years!”

Mu Xia balled her fists: “That’s right — Lin Niangzi and Fourth Young Master are definitely going to live to a ripe old age!”