Li Chi and Gao Xining’s resistance was entirely futile. Not that the three elders were truly hardhearted — it was only that, having come this far, with just one final step remaining, they felt they might as well let the villains they’d become hold out just a little longer.

Did Elder Gao and Changemei Daoren not want to see those two precious children wed and have children of their own?

Old Zhang Zhenren’s divination had tied Li Chi and Gao Xining’s marriage and offspring to the future prosperity of the Central Plains — how could the three elders not give it their full devotion?

“Look here.” Changemei Daoren sat beside Li Chi and spoke in a tone that carried a kind of sanctified radiance. “You are already the Prince of Ning, and soon to be Emperor. You must hold a great and impartial heart.”

He pointed at Shendia. “Your… pig, who has followed you for so many years, still has no mate. Why not find one for it first?”

Li Chi: “Shendia has had its fun, and can have its fun whenever it pleases. Can I say the same?”

Changemei Daoren: “That’s not quite right to say — you’re doing Shendia a disservice. It’s not like Ninth Sister.”

Yu Jiuling: “Excuse me?!”

Changemei Daoren glanced at Ninth Sister. “Bear with me — I’m educating the Prince of Ning.”

Yu Jiuling: “If you’re putting it that way, Daoren, then I won’t bear with it either. Can you compare me to Shendia? Shendia has roamed the entire Central Plains and had its fun everywhere it went — and never had to pay!”

Changemei Daoren considered this, then nodded. “Put that way… that is indeed true happiness…”

Yu Jiuling: “And Daoren, think about it — with a build like Shendia’s, if you were to take it out as a stud, people wouldn’t just come for free — you could charge, and they’d still line up.”

He gave Shendia a pat on the back. “Am I right, Diao’zi?”

Shendia let out a sound — one that, somehow, managed to convey supreme disdain.

Li Chi: “Can you two stop talking?”

Yu Jiuling: “Did that hurt you?”

Li Chi: “No!”

Yu Jiuling: “Good. Because if it had, I’d have meant it.”

Li Chi: “Traitor…”

While they were talking, someone entered from outside carrying a letter from Qingzhou. Li Chi opened it and read — then exhaled slowly with relief.

“The remnant forces of Han Feibao in Qingzhou have been wiped out by Master Wu.”

Li Chi continued, “Over a thousand Sanguo pirates who had colluded with the remnants of the Yongzhou Army were also killed. But the one called Yuan Zhen has disappeared — until he’s rooted out, he’ll remain a festering threat.”

Xiahou Zhuo took the letter and read it over.

“Master Wu fought beautifully here. He makes special mention of a young man called Liren — a promising one, by the sound of it. Hmm?”

Xiahou Zhuo read to the end of the letter: Master Wu had noted that Liren was the same mysterious assassin who had killed Pei Qi in Shuzhou.

“So Pei Qi fell at the hands of the Holy Blade Sect. Pei Qi called himself a descendant of the Sage — he probably never imagined it would end this way.”

Xiahou Zhuo looked at Li Chi. “This Yuan Zhen must have gone into hiding. All his plans have collapsed. He’ll be trying every means possible to get back to Black Wu.”

Li Chi murmured in agreement, then turned to Yu Jiuling: “Ninth Sister, send someone to bring Ye Xiaoqian here.”

Before long, Ye Xiaoqian came hurrying in and bowed to everyone. Li Chi handed him the letter, waited for him to finish reading, then said: “I now suspect Yuan Zhen is still in Qingzhou — perhaps hiding on one of those very sea islands. He won’t dare show himself for some time. Choose a team and go to Qingzhou. Find this man.”

He looked steadily at Ye Xiaoqian. “This person has traveled too widely through the Central Plains, seen too much, learned too much. If he returns to Black Wu, he will become a grave threat in the years to come.”

Ye Xiaoqian clasped his fist: “I obey, my lord!”

Li Chi: “You may draw freely from the Censorate. If you need any other assistance, find Gui Yuanshu — he can allocate men to support you.”

Ye Xiaoqian accepted the order and departed. He quickly selected a team, then went to find Gui Yuanshu and requested a token — with it, he could call upon the Qingzhou Military Intelligence Division for assistance.

In addition to the token, Gui Yuanshu assigned a capable young man from his own ranks to accompany Ye Xiaoqian. The young man was only seventeen or eighteen — about the same age as Ye Xiaoqian — and his name was Tao Xiaomi.

Gui Yuanshu told Ye Xiaoqian earnestly that this person was the perfect match for him. At the time, Ye Xiaoqian didn’t give it much thought, assuming only that the reason Tao Xiaomi had been chosen was because he was a Qingzhou native — his family was right there in Fulou County.

When they set out, Ye Xiaoqian asked, “Your name is unusual. Why Xiaomi? What does it refer to?”

Tao Xiaomi said, “Chief Ye, Xiaomi refers to exactly what you’re thinking. The reason I’m called Xiaomi is because I have an older brother.”

Ye Xiaoqian: “And?”

Tao Xiaomi: “My older brother is called Tao Dami. That is — exactly the Dami you’re thinking of.”

Ye Xiaoqian nodded. “Understood.”

Tao Xiaomi: “Chief Ye — your name contains the characters Xiaoqian… does Xiaoqian carry any special meaning?”

Ye Xiaoqian: “I also have an older brother.”

Tao Xiaomi paused, then nodded. “I understand, sir.”

Ye Xiaoqian: “He’s called Ye Xiaobai.”

Tao Xiaomi clearly froze for a moment, then let out a sigh, suddenly at a complete loss for how to respond.

After walking a few more paces, Tao Xiaomi said, as if to himself, “Then Chief Ye must have more than one older brother…”

Ye Xiaoqian smiled. “Wrong. Just the one.”

Tao Xiaomi: “Oh…”

Ye Xiaoqian: “But I do have two older sisters. My eldest sister is Ye Xiaoyi. My second sister is Ye Xiaoshi.”

Tao Xiaomi: “…”

He suddenly smiled and said, “I have a younger sister — just one year younger than me. Chief Ye, can you guess her name?”

Ye Xiaoqian thought: this person is Xiaomi, his brother is Dami, his sister is… truly hard to guess.

So Ye Xiaoqian shook his head: “Hard to say.”

Tao Xiaomi: “Her name is Tao Shuangmi.”

Ye Xiaoqian blinked — then burst out laughing.

Tao Xiaomi: “We’ve only just met, Chief Ye, and yet I already find you very familiar. And I see in you a kind of hope.”

Ye Xiaoqian: “What do you mean?”

Tao Xiaomi: “I was thinking — a dull person like me probably has little chance of rising through the ranks. But seeing you, Chief Ye, that hope has returned.”

Ye Xiaoqian: “…”

He walked a few more paces, then muttered, half to himself: “Truly very dull. There aren’t many in the Censorate as dull as me.”

Tao Xiaomi: “Same at the Military Intelligence Division…”

The two exchanged a glance — then burst into loud laughter.

Ye Xiaoqian brought a unit of Black Cavalry, along with the full complement of equipment the Censorate had prepared for them. Watching the process, Tao Xiaomi was dazzled. He had always known the Censorate had a dedicated supply division, but this was his first time truly witnessing it.

Whatever you thought might be useful for an investigation — and whatever could actually be made — this division would spare no effort to provide it. To call it a treasure trove was not the least bit of an exaggeration.

After leaving Jizhou, they rode hard for Qingzhou’s Fulou County. With the Prince of Ning’s orders in hand, they were able to change horses at military relay stations along the way. A journey that would normally take over two months was completed in one.

And at this time, Yuan Zhen had not yet left Cloud Isle.

Though the Ning Army’s main force had withdrawn after suppressing the island’s rebellion, Master Wu had ordered a thorough investigation after failing to find Yuan Zhen. Searches of the islands had continued without interruption throughout this period.

Especially at every departure point from the islands, people were stationed day and night.

Yuan Zhen had been slipping out each night to look for an opportunity — but never daring to take too great a risk. The good news for him was that after months of fruitless searching, the Ning Army had been forced to reduce the number of sentries. With so many men tied up here for so long and nothing to show for it, there was reason to wonder whether Yuan Zhen had already escaped — and the manpower couldn’t be spared indefinitely.

At last, an opportunity presented itself. Yuan Zhen was supremely skilled in martial arts, with fluid and accomplished lightness techniques. He seized the rare moment when the night watch changed shifts and the guards exchanged a few words, and slipped away.

Yuan Zhen was the kind of person who, when set on achieving something, would begin preparing far in advance — and never feel he had prepared enough, only that there was still something he hadn’t thought of.

He had foreseen that Cloud Isle might fall to the Ning Army. He had foreseen that he might need to hide on the island for months.

And so he had also foreseen that when the time came to leave, he would have no boat.

During his days on the island, he had set aside a fixed amount of time each day to practice swimming. He had spent many days observing the tides, studying their patterns.

After slipping away from Cloud Isle in the night, he drifted on a wooden plank through the open sea, then timed the incoming tide to carry him to shore.

He made landfall before dawn and wasted not a single moment. He could not afford to.

To make his escape back to Black Wu, he had deliberately spent time on Cloud Isle tanning his skin. He had also studied the local dialect relentlessly, until there wasn’t a trace of an outsider’s accent.

Once ashore, he crept quietly into a town and slipped into the home of a wealthy household to steal some silver and clothing. He chose wealthy households deliberately — a missing garment in a common home would be noticed immediately. But in a large estate, as long as he was careful — not taking too much silver, and choosing older clothes — the theft was unlikely to be discovered for quite some time.

Yuan Zhen’s audacity then showed itself fully. Wearing the stolen clothes, carrying the stolen silver, he walked up to the gates of Fulou County in broad daylight.

He carried forged identity documents — convincing enough to pass scrutiny. His beard had gone unshaved for months; after coming ashore he had found a place to trim it into a different shape. He looked nothing like the portrait posted on the city walls.

A supremely confident man, he strolled through the gates in plain sight, intending to buy provisions for the road and then make for Black Wu.

But not long after entering the city, he heard hoofbeats behind him. He glanced back — then quickly looked away and stepped into the nearest shop.

Behind him, the Censorate’s Black Cavalry had ridden through.

The townspeople stopped to watch, many of them seeing so many Black Cavalry at once for the first time, murmuring to each other in hushed voices.

The column looked truly formidable — powerful, imposing, carrying a distinctive presence that made your heart clench just looking at them. As though it were not a cavalry unit at all, but a vast dark thundercloud rolling in.

The townspeople felt this. So did Yuan Zhen.

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