Li Diudiu glanced at Yu Jiuling, and Yu Jiuling was looking back at him. Li Diudiu envied how nimbly Yu Jiuling’s hands moved while chopping and washing vegetables; Yu Jiuling envied the academy uniform Li Diudiu wore.

“The clothes are real.”

Li Diudiu smiled and said, “The person is a fake.”

Yu Jiuling didn’t understand what he meant by this. He asked, “Why is the person a fake? Aren’t you a person… that everyone adores? You look really handsome.”

Li Diudiu laughed and said, “Now I believe it.”

Yu Jiuling asked, “Believe what?”

Li Diudiu said, “I believe what you said before — that a lot of people want to beat you up.”

Yu Jiuling gave an embarrassed laugh. “I really do have trouble keeping my mouth in check. The innkeeper says my mouth runs faster than my brain. Don’t take it to heart.”

Li Diudiu thought carefully about what the classic symptoms of a mouth faster than the brain might be. He was still thinking when Yu Jiuling had already begun a very earnest explanation.

“Let me explain it to you this way.”

Yu Jiuling said, “A person whose brain is faster than their mouth will think three times, then three more times before speaking — that way they won’t offend anyone. I’m a person whose mouth is faster than my brain. I say something and only then do I think about whether it was right. To give you an analogy: I see something that looks like excrement, and before my brain can stop me, I’ve already tasted it…”

Li Diudiu said, “That analogy of yours truly achieves the feat of killing eight hundred enemies while costing yourself over a million.”

Yu Jiuling grinned cheekily. “You were going to explain why you’re a fake, remember.”

Li Diudiu explained, “You think academy disciples are all people of standing — their families either have money or power. I have neither. I’m even poorer than you. When I said the person is a fake, I meant that your assumption that I’m someone of status is false.”

Yu Jiuling asked curiously, “Then how did you get into the Four-Page Academy? I’ve heard it’s not easy to get into — having money alone isn’t enough.”

Li Diudiu said, “Exactly, money alone isn’t enough. The main reason I got into the academy is because of my outstanding appearance and distinguished bearing, my vast learning of five cartloads of books, my towering talent of eight bushels…”

He hadn’t even finished speaking before Yu Jiuling couldn’t help but interrupt. He looked Li Diudiu in the eyes and said seriously, “The way you were talking just now was exactly the same as when you were selling wine to me.”

Li Diudiu burst out laughing.

The innkeeper was busy in the back kitchen, occasionally glancing back to watch Yu Jiuling and Li Diudiu chatting. That little rascal Yu Jiuling was always chatting up the customers too, but there was never a time when he was so completely carefree and lighthearted as when he talked with Li Diudiu.

So having a companion really is an important thing.

The innkeeper thought to himself involuntarily: it’s probably not a mistake for Yu Jiuling to follow these people. If this academy disciple really is someone without money or influence, that makes it all the more precious — because he doesn’t put on airs.

The innkeeper had been in business for many years and had seen all kinds of people. In his experience, the less money and influence a person had, the more they liked to pretend. Under normal circumstances, a person like Li Diudiu who had gotten into the academy would naturally feel that his status had changed — he ought to be putting on as grand a show as possible, walking differently than before.

Then there were those people who had no money and truly couldn’t afford meat; when they finally scraped together enough to buy two ounces of pig skin, they’d carry it ostentatiously so everyone could see.

If you said to them, “Bought some pig skin today, did you?” they’d respond with an air of complete indifference: “I didn’t buy meat because I don’t like eating it. It’s boring. Pig skin is fragrant” — even though you hadn’t asked.

And so the innkeeper felt that Yu Jiuling going off with someone like this was at least safe from being swindled.

Just as they were eating this meal, outside the city, the group of assassins who had pursued Master Yuming the previous night had all gathered in a forest. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to continue the pursuit — this affair had simply exceeded their capabilities.

After a single whistle blast, everyone stood up and simultaneously looked toward the edge of the forest.

Before long, a troop of horsemen rode in from outside. They wore robes of red and black brocade and helmets different from those of the garrison soldiers — garrison soldiers wore iron helmets, while these men wore cloth helmets, with large red cloaks over their shoulders. The moment dozens of them rode in, the assembled assassins all took several steps back, seized by a fear that came from the marrow of their bones.

“My… my lord.”

The leader of the assassins, a man called Lord Liu whose name was Liu Shengzi, immediately bent forward in a bow when he saw the brocade-robed horsemen approach. “Forgive us, my lord. We… failed to kill Guo Songming. He has already headed toward Jizhou.”

The robes these men on horseback wore were called the Auspicious Qilin Robes; the blades at their waists were called the Auspicious Cloud Swords. Ordinary commoners who encountered people dressed this way would have long since fled in terror.

These were men of the Surveillance Bureau.

The Surveillance Bureau’s Director-Superintendent was Liu Chongxin. Below him were a Left and Right Deputy Superintendent, twelve Lieutenant Commanders, and one hundred and six Captain Commanders. Whether in the capital or in the provinces, these men were virtually a law unto themselves.

Standing before Liu Shengzi now was one of the Surveillance Bureau’s Captain Commanders, a man named Yuan Wuxian. Technically, a Surveillance Bureau Captain Commander held only the rank of Senior Sixth Grade official — by the hierarchy of official ranks, he should bow to officials of the prefecture and county yamen. But in practice, when officials of prefecture and county yamen encountered a Surveillance Bureau Captain Commander, they behaved like mice before a cat.

Local magistrate-level officials, upon seeing a Surveillance Bureau Captain Commander, would want to begin sliding to their knees from dozens of feet away, lest they appear insufficiently sincere.

Yuan Wuxian looked at Liu Shengzi. The faint killing intent on his face frightened Liu Shengzi so badly that he nearly wet himself, and within two breaths he had dropped to his knees with a thud.

His voice trembling, he explained, “My lord, we truly never anticipated that Guo Songming would think to hire civilians as escorts. He hired several hundred people and beat gongs and drums all along the way, attracting more onlookers to join and follow. We truly had no good opportunity to strike.”

Yuan Wuxian leaned forward slightly in his saddle and looked down at Liu Shengzi, asking in a soft, insinuating tone, “Do you think, if I were to take your words word-for-word to the Lieutenant Commander for explanation, he would believe them?”

Upon hearing this, Liu Shengzi began kowtowing incessantly. Before long, his forehead was bloodied.

“You people from the jianghu world…”

Yuan Wuxian said with some exasperation, “The Surveillance Bureau gives you handful after handful of silver to keep you, and you’re accomplished in every vice there is — drinking, gambling, whoring — yet when it actually comes time to do a job, you’re useless.”

He pointed his riding crop at Liu Shengzi. “Either you give me a reason right now that I can say to the Lieutenant Commander’s face and have him believe it, or I’ll find one myself.”

Liu Shengzi kowtowed and begged, “I beg the Captain Commander for mercy. I beg the Captain Commander’s guidance.”

Yuan Wuxian sighed. “It seems you can’t think of anything. I’ll have to do it myself…”

He waved his hand. “Kill them all.”

Liu Shengzi jerked his head up. “My lord!”

The Surveillance Bureau guards almost simultaneously unshouldered their repeating crossbows and began firing at the assassins kneeling on the ground. These guards were all highly skilled, and their hands were brutal — before the jianghu men had any chance to resist, more than half had already been cut down.

The remaining men dared not resist either. They leapt up and ran, but how could they outrun warhorses?

The Surveillance Bureau guards on horseback chased through the forest, shooting arrows as they rode. The jianghu men fell one by one, and before long every last one had been slaughtered.

Yuan Wuxian, sitting on his horse, flicked his fingernails and said with mild contempt, “These people — they should never have been used. And yet the Lieutenant Commander insisted on thinking them convenient.”

His men gathered back around him, and one bowed from the saddle. “My lord, all has been dealt with.”

Yuan Wuxian said, “Good. Do you know how to file the report?”

His subordinate immediately replied, “Yes, my lord. Captain Commander Yuan personally led us in pursuing mountain bandits for two days and two nights without sleep, and finally caught up with them outside Tang County city, where after a fierce battle, all bandits were annihilated.”

Yuan Wuxian nodded with satisfaction. “Very well, let’s handle it that way for now… Send two men to inform the Tang County magistrate and have him clean this up. Everyone else, follow me to Jizhou.”

He spurred his horse forward. “Nothing but trouble. If Guo Songming enters Jizhou, the eyes of those bastards at the Recordkeeping Bureau will go straight… If this reaches the Director-Superintendent’s ears, we’ll all be in serious trouble. So before the Recordkeeping Bureau people can interfere, Guo Songming must be eliminated.”

“Yes, sir!”

A group of guards responded in unison.

“Move out.”

Yuan Wuxian urged his horse, and it broke into a gallop.

At the same time, roughly ten or more li from Tang County city, a column of garrison soldiers numbering at least a thousand marched in orderly formation along the official road, their armor and equipment gleaming.

In the midst of the column was a carriage with its doors shut tight. Sounds that made the heart stir drifted out from inside at intervals — something like weeping, something like singing. Whatever it was, it left the guards outside the carriage feeling unsettled and distracted, yet not one of them dared glance inside.

Shortly after, a middle-aged man put on his outer robe and stepped out of the carriage. He looked around and asked, “How much farther to Tang County city?”

A garrison Fifth-Rank General bowed his head and said, “Lieutenant Commander, we are no more than ten-odd li from Tang County city. It won’t be long.”

Lieutenant Commander Yan Jiuji made a sound of acknowledgment, then glanced back at the several women from the pleasure quarter he had brought along from Laihu County. He waved his hand and said, “All of you, go back. I can’t have people seeing me arrive in Tang County with you. I’m going to attend to serious matters.”

The women looked at one another, and one begged, “My lord, how are we supposed to get back now? We’ve already traveled nearly a hundred li. We…”

Yan Jiuji frowned. “What did you say?”

A Captain Commander beside the carriage immediately bellowed, “Are you not going to get out of here?!”

The women immediately climbed down from the carriage. They looked rather pitiful with their disheveled clothing. If they had had any choice in the matter, they would never have been here in the first place — they truly were unfortunate souls.

“Give them some money for the road.”

Yan Jiuji gave the order, then pointed at a horseman beside him. “Give me your horse.”

The horseman said nothing and immediately dismounted. Yan Jiuji jumped straight from the carriage onto the warhorse and pulled the reins. “Too slow. Have the column keep up!”

As he galloped ahead, the cavalry began to accelerate. Of the thousand-odd in the column, roughly two hundred were cavalry; the rest were infantry. But they too dared not continue walking and broke into a run.

“That Yuan Wuxian doesn’t inspire confidence.”

Yan Jiuji said to the Captain Commander riding alongside him, “Don’t enter the city. Take some men, catch up with Yuan Wuxian, and have him return to Tang County. Whatever the situation is, he must come back — even if Guo Songming has already fled, he still comes back.”

Captain Commander Zhang Chang immediately acknowledged the order and peeled away from the main column with his men.

And at this very moment, Li Diudiu and the others in the Zhiyinjiu tavern had just sat down to eat.

The table was covered with an array of exquisite dishes. One had to say, the innkeeper’s culinary skills were truly extraordinary — Li Diudiu had never even seen many of the dishes before.

“It seems staying a little longer was the right call.”

Li Diudiu’s eyes were full of stars as he gazed at the dishes.

A sudden wind rose, banging the door panels open with a loud thud. The innkeeper turned his head to look. At some point the sky outside had grown overcast — looking further off, heavy dark clouds were moving in this direction.

—