Turning proudly, Shangguan Qingxun swept his sleeves and stepped onto a precariously balanced boulder at the cliff’s edge. After a moment he said: “You’re not bad.”

Squinting her eyes, Qin Chang Ge thought, when was the last time this old fellow praised someone as “not bad”? It seemed he had praised Xie Ruyi, the martial alliance leader, thirty years ago? At that time, Xie Ruyi wasn’t yet the alliance leader, just a young hothead expelled from his sect. Receiving that one phrase brought him fame throughout the world, maintaining his威名 for thirty years without decline.

To make the proud and aloof Shangguan, who treasured words like gold, say “not bad”—Su Xuan certainly had face.

What Qin Chang Ge didn’t know was that Shangguan’s frequency of praising people as “not bad” wasn’t thirty years but fifteen years. Fifteen years ago, Shangguan had once, in a place on Biluo Divine Mountain that even Qianjue’s disciples didn’t know existed, gazed for a long time at a spiritually beautiful young girl with twin hair buns combing her hair on a broken bridge amid clouds and mist, finally smiling to the person beside him and saying: Not bad.

Only that praise from years past ultimately never spread, failing to create instant sensation and fame—because it wasn’t an evaluation meant for the person in question to hear.

That girl whom Shangguan had praised as “not bad,” after experiencing several rises and falls through the mortal world, life and death, now stood before him again with a changed appearance, earning his disdainful yet slightly puzzled gaze.

Sometimes worldly affairs are truly wondrous.

And there was something even more wondrous.

The person praised by the world-famous Sword Immortal showed absolutely no sign of being flattered. His robes fluttering, he also stepped onto the cliff top with one foot. The place where he stepped looked somewhat strange—looking carefully, one realized he wasn’t standing on solid ground at all, but on the leaf tip of a delicate grass blade struggling to show a bit of fuzzy green from a stone crevice.

The long leaf was thin and weak, trembling and swaying, looking as if it couldn’t even bear a dewdrop, yet Su Xuan’s slender form stood steadily upon it. Aside from his flying hair and robe edges, he appeared stable as Mount Tai.

Treading upon ten thousand li of layered clouds, brushing the clear winds of four seas, lowering his head to smile down at the angry cloud waves, chasing flowing light with a flick of his fingers—a figure of supreme elegance that commanded reverence, whose smile could move mountains and rivers.

The mountain wind rolled horizontally like an iron plate, striking those two men with force sufficient to sweep people off the cliff, yet they acted as if nothing was happening. Su Xuan tossed the wine jar in his hand upward, then suddenly swept his sleeves. The wine jar shrieked like a silver dragon as it flew out, disappearing into the clouds and mist in the blink of an eye.

“Master Uncle!” Su Xuan’s voice rang through the empty mountains, sounding even more clear and powerful, with all directions involuntarily echoing his words, rumbling and stirring hearts. “Today you and I have only compared swordplay and internal energy, but haven’t yet tested lightness skills. How can we stop here? Since you haven’t moved for many years, why not have a satisfying bout with your nephew today? That wine jar just now—this nephew threw it toward the west of Shang Mountain, where I once hid a jar of good wine. Please allow your nephew to go first and fill it, awaiting Master Uncle. How about it?”

“Why should you wait for me?” Shangguan Qingxun smiled proudly. “If I find it, I’ll drink first. If you’re a step late, don’t blame me for not saving any for you!”

Before his words finished, Su Xuan’s form flashed like a snow arrow shooting out, already beyond the layered clouds in an instant. From afar came his laughter: “Master Uncle, your nephew is the junior, so please allow me to go first. Um, if you can’t catch up, should your nephew wait for you?”

“Rascal!” Shangguan Qingxun couldn’t help but smile, yet maintaining his dignified composure, he didn’t rush to pursue. After a slight pause, he rose up, his crane-like figure soaring through the air, already beyond the mountains.

Qin Chang Ge watched him depart, his blue-robed, high-crowned figure quickly fading like thin clouds, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

She wasn’t ungrateful to Su Xuan.

Using provocation tactics, he had stirred up this old fellow who had cultivated almost to transcendent sainthood, arousing his competitive spirit and drawing him away.

Qin Chang Ge knew her many guards couldn’t escape the old fellow’s notice, knew her martial arts also couldn’t be hidden from him. At this time, someone who looked like a scholar but possessed martial arts, bringing many guards to this remote place, was indeed something that would arouse suspicion.

Fortunately, masters are lonely, and masters who have stood at the peak of martial arts for years without opponents are even lonelier. Someone as proud and aloof as Shangguan, upon encountering the brilliantly talented Su Xuan, after years of rarely meeting worthy opponents, had his pride aroused and competitive spirit ignited.

He abandoned his interest in continuing to investigate her.

Qin Chang Ge made a cross over her chest.

Praying.

Su Xuan, may you not be beaten to death by the old fellow, amen.

The sky was darkening, and birds returned to their nests in the twilight.

Yet Qin Chang Ge was in no hurry to return to the city. Instead, she stood with hands behind her back beneath Fufeng Pavilion, before the vast sea of clouds, silently smiling.

The evening wind grew more violent, stirring her black hair to dance and flutter. She seemed casually to suddenly touch her hanging long hair.

A flash of cold light.

As if magically appearing from the air, something black as hair strands appeared in her slender white palm. Almost the moment it appeared, it immediately whistled out.

Leaping into the air with precision, her graceful form turning with flowing light in mid-air, borrowing that spinning force to swing her arm without reservation, in the violent wind currents the blue-robed youth’s long hair and sleeves flew up together. Black light flashed into a crystal curtain wall, and Qin Chang Ge’s swing seemed about to shatter this iron-barrel realm, sweeping horizontally for several zhang in all directions!

Dust and mist flew up, and fine grass on the ground was swept up in large patches, instantly ground into green powder by the powerful airflow, falling like emerald rain.

“Snap snap” came continuous sounds!

As if uprooted by a hurricane, mountain rocks and giant trees, grass and cliff crevices—all nearby places that could hide people were overturned by tremendous force, rolling out disheveled black shadows.

Forced by the violent airflow to keep their eyes shut and unable to breathe, these people covered their faces and rolled around everywhere, trying to find places to avoid this face-cutting killing qi. Yet they felt that though heaven and earth were vast, they had suddenly shrunk to the size of an iron barrel, seamlessly and tightly binding them. Wherever they went they hit walls, wherever they crashed they ended up bloodied.

Their luck today wasn’t very good—they encountered Qin Chang Ge, who was slightly depressed by what had just happened, and she immediately used the killing move “Furious God Whirlwind” that she had newly created after her martial arts greatly advanced.

Like divine fury, startling wind and thunder—once this move was unleashed, heaven and earth were helpless.

With a faint smile, Qin Chang Ge dragged backward with one hand, and those people were immediately pulled involuntarily to her feet, helplessly stacking on top of each other with no power to resist.

With a finger gesture, wind dispersed and clouds scattered. The black light was once again hidden within her black hair, and no one could distinguish from her full head of black hair which strand was the weapon capable of killing. Qin Chang Ge glanced coldly and stepped on the chest of the nearest person.

Supporting her knee with her arm, smiling as she looked down, though her eyes held no smile, Qin Chang Ge said softly: “How is Duke Li?”

Staring in shock, the assassin never expected that instead of the routine “Who sent you?” her first words would directly inquire about the mastermind.

His expression gave Qin Chang Ge the answer she wanted.

Coldly tugging the corner of her mouth, Qin Chang Ge said: “Boring.”

Standing straight.

Snap snap snap snap—several kicks.

Without even cries of surprise, without time to say their prepared pleas for mercy, the four assassins were kicked cleanly and efficiently into the abyss by Qin Chang Ge without even blinking!

Not even glancing once, as if what she had just kicked into the abyss weren’t lives, Qin Chang Ge turned back indifferently.

Upon turning, she saw a tall, handsome man in black brocade robes standing at a corner of the mountain path, watching her.

His long robes scattered in the wind, the silver dragons on his clothes lifelike, seeming ready to break free and dance through the nine heavens.

His eyes were profound, gazing at the woman before him in silent contemplation.

After a moment of shock, then smiling carelessly, Qin Chang Ge said: “Why has Your Majesty returned? How unfortunate—you’ve seen me kill people without cause again.”

Xiao Jue remained silent. After a long pause, he stepped forward and said hoarsely: “Chang Ge… I’m sorry.”

Qin Chang Ge, who had already started walking and was prepared to brush past him, silently stopped, thought for a moment, smiled, and said: “When have you ever wronged me?”

“You never kill without cause,” Xiao Jue stood straight, not turning to look at Qin Chang Ge, only gazing at the cliff that had just claimed four lives, saying quietly: “For example, those four people just now were assassins arranged by Li Han, right? You couldn’t let Li Han know you have martial arts, couldn’t let Li Han know you have guards. You could only silence them. Moreover, since these four were assassins, their fate for failing their mission would mostly be death anyway. You were just protecting what you should protect. You did nothing wrong.”

“Your Majesty is very reasonable—truly a blessing for our Xiliang people.” Qin Chang Ge’s tone held no trace of sarcasm, smiling faintly. “Since Your Majesty doesn’t demand that I pay with my life for killing, I’ll take my leave.”

She smiled and clapped her hands, brushing past Xiao Jue.

Suddenly Xiao Jue reached out and grasped her shoulder.

Frowning, Qin Chang Ge slowly looked at her shoulder, then at his hand, saying calmly but clearly: “Your Majesty, there are many people here watching you and me.”

“Don’t call me Your Majesty, don’t mind those people,” Xiao Jue’s voice rang firm, his brows raised like swords. “Chang Ge, I know you’re angry. You should be angry with me—I was confused.”

Qin Chang Ge looked at him with calm eyes.

Under such peaceful yet vast and somewhat chilling gaze, Xiao Jue showed no discouragement, only persisting in saying what he wanted to say. “Halfway down the mountain I regretted it. There must be hidden circumstances in this. You’re not that kind of person—Chang Ge, actually, in all these years, sitting high in the nine layers of heaven, I’ve seen various dark and sinister schemes. If it were someone else, I might pity Li Han, but I wouldn’t feel such chill in my heart. Just now I was thinking, why would I react this way? My abnormal chill, irritation, impatience, vague worry—I’m not an ignorant child, I shouldn’t be like this! Almost at the foot of the mountain I finally understood—it was because the person doing this was you. I wasn’t feeling chill for Li Han at all. I was feeling it for you. In the deepest part of my heart, I was more afraid that the woman I love had truly sunk into hatred, truly frozen her entire heart, truly no longer knew what human joy and sorrow were but was only tortured and troubled by hatred—Chang Ge, I think that would be a terrible thing. People whose souls are shackled by hatred will never have any happiness in this life. I was afraid you would become like that.”

He gripped Qin Chang Ge’s shoulder firmly, turning her toward him, staring into her eyes with burning gaze. “Chang Ge, I will avenge your grievances. Whether or not you’re still willing to return to my side, at least when Ruiyi died, she was still my wife, my empress. I failed as a nation’s ruler—unable to protect her in life, unable to avenge her in death. What face do I have to survive between heaven and earth? What face do I have to call myself emperor, enjoying the realm we built together?”

“If,” Qin Chang Ge raised her gaze, finally looking directly at Xiao Jue, “you feel I wouldn’t treat Li Han that way, you feel you misunderstood me, so you turned back, but if I really did treat Li Han that way, if you didn’t misunderstand me at all, if I am indeed sunk in hatred with a twisted nature, truly become a bad woman, would you someday mock yourself for misjudging people and regret again?”

“No!” Xiao Jue’s words were like cutting metal, resolute and decisive without hesitation. “I won’t misjudge you. You’re not that kind of person. In the past, I didn’t trust you enough, but those mistakes I made—the great fire of Changle already taught me sufficient lessons. These years alone in the lonely deep palace, I’ve thought much and understood many things, and therefore sworn many times that if given another chance, I would never repeat those errors. Chang Ge, I know now—without trust, how can there be deep love? I’m just afraid you might sink into vicious methods and damage your nature, but I won’t distrust you again.”

“If someday that hatred reaches its end and faces an incomparably powerful enemy—a nation, even the whole world,” Xiao Jue’s pupils were profound, fire burning in his gaze, surging as if it could blaze across the land in an instant, “then I’ll go kill people, I’ll challenge that country, I’ll flatten the world. If you want to personally take revenge, then you kill people and I’ll help you dispose of the bodies; you destroy nations and I’ll help you command troops and deploy generals; you flatten the world and I’ll help you mobilize great armies, accompany you galloping across battlefields together, wielding swords against the world’s heroes—Chang Ge, all right?”

Chang Ge, all right?

In memory, many years ago, that bright-browed youth holding a newly bloomed rose, circling around a girl bent over her desk writing furiously and ignoring him, asking again and again: “You never wear flowers. Wear one for me to see, all right? All right?”

He had always been like this—frank and bright, like clear wind and bright moon, persisting so regardless of consequences.

Under the vast sky, atop the mountain cliff, the man opposite silently poured out his heart with quiet and persistent bearing.

His grip pressed deeply into her shoulder, as if wanting to wedge each word he spoke deep into her heart through that force.

His surging waves and her calm depths—never harmonizing yet mysteriously compatible.

The evening wind rose.

Blowing apart the flourishing flowers by Fufeng Pavilion.

Among the flying scattered flowers, Qin Chang Ge gently picked up a withered bloom, flicking it with her fingertip. The petals moved forward slowly through the air as if pulled by strings, until slowly falling into the abyss.

Xiao Jue watched the flower’s trajectory toward eternal annihilation, his gaze flickering. After a long time he said: “Have you—rejected me?”

“All things live and die according to fate; love, hate, and resentment are like tides.”

Qin Chang Ge said lightly: “How fickle is destiny? Before we reach the other shore, anything we say is too early.”

She smiled slightly.

“Let’s wait for time.”

Being emperor is certainly happier than being a fifth-rank minor official—at least the emperor can sleep soundly after returning to the palace, while poor Assistant Director Zhao still had to return to the Ministry of Justice, as tonight was her turn for night duty.

After finishing the backlog of official business, Qin Chang Ge took a lantern to inspect the Ministry of Justice prison.

The several jailers guarding the gates saw Qin Chang Ge coming and quickly rushed to ingratiate themselves by opening doors. Since Qin Chang Ge had solved the Li Li case, she was now famous throughout the world—clearly someone destined for rapid advancement, so naturally no one dared slight her.

Carrying the lantern, slowly walking a circuit around the dark prison cells, Qin Chang Ge’s gaze casually swept past the last cell, where a man with his back to her was moaning. He looked like he was ill. Qin Chang Ge frowned, stopped, and asked the accompanying jailer: “Which case is this prisoner from? If he’s sick, why isn’t he being treated?”

“Oh, it’s a murder case. This man is called Cao Qianquan, a rich family’s son. A month ago he killed someone in a street argument. Because his methods were brutal, he’s already been sentenced to death and will be executed soon. Since he’s going to die anyway, treating him doesn’t matter much.” The jailer smiled obsequiously, lighting the way for Qin Chang Ge. “Your Excellency works hard. We have wine and food outside—would you honor us with a cup?”

“Mm…” Qin Chang Ge responded faintly, but was thinking that judging by this man’s back, he was skin and bones—nothing like a rich family’s son. Moreover, if he was from a wealthy family, how could no one be looking after him, with no family or servants caring for him even when sick?

She slowly walked around to the side of the cell, raised the lantern higher, and said: “You, raise your head.”

The man seemed not to hear. The jailer cursed once more before he trembled all over and raised his head.

A very distinctive face shape—sharp, knife-carved thin cheeks with an obvious scar running across his forehead, and a pair of dull triangular eyes.

Qin Chang Ge’s hand holding the lantern trembled.

“…Wang Laosan from under the stone bridge in the west city, the poorest of the poor, suddenly became wealthy and moved to the north city, buying a small courtyard.”

“…Wang Laosan has been missing recently. Today someone eating at the restaurant mentioned it, suspecting the money came from improper sources. He said with Wang Laosan’s scarred face and triangular eyes, how could he deserve to get rich?”

Scarred face, triangular eyes.

So he had ended up in the Ministry of Justice prison.

Qin Chang Ge smiled imperceptibly in the shadows, first saying to the jailer: “I like peanuts. Prepare some for me.”

“Right away!” The jailer had only invited boldly, never imagining this noble and distinguished official would actually accept. Overjoyed, he hurried off. Qin Chang Ge set the lantern aside, crouched down by the cell door, and said softly: “Wang Laosan, how did you end up here?”

The sick man turned sharply, staring at Qin Chang Ge with wide eyes. After a moment he said: “How could you…” Seeming to suddenly think of something, he quickly changed his words: “Who’s Wang Laosan? You’ve got the wrong person.”

“Mm,” Qin Chang Ge looked at him with a half-smile, nodding. “Perhaps I have the wrong person. Then naturally I needn’t tell you about Wang Laosan’s family being driven out of their newly bought courtyard. You just wait nicely for your beheading. I’m leaving.”

She turned to leave without hesitation. Behind her came clanging sounds—the man had already rushed forward with his chains and shackles, grabbing the iron bars and shaking them frantically, crying out in grief and anger: “How could they be driven out? How could this happen!”

Turning around, Qin Chang Ge laughed coldly: “Isn’t it unrelated to you?”

“Tell me, tell me,” the feverish man’s cheeks flushed with two patches of unhealthy red as he frantically shook the cell door. “I can’t lose my life and be deceived too!”

“Mm, I also think you’re really getting a bad deal,” Qin Chang Ge smiled as she crouched down, saying softly: “Then you tell me too—how should I save you?”

On the eleventh day of the sixth month in the fourth year of Qianyuan, the case of Minister of Justice Long Qi accepting bribes and substituting innocent commoners for condemned prisoners broke out.

The Ministry of Justice was immediately sealed and all case files frozen, all personnel suspended pending investigation. The Yingdu Prefecture was ordered to inventory the great prison and investigate the Ministry of Justice’s prisoner substitution case.

This inventory revealed that similar cases over the years numbered nearly ten, mostly involving wealthy sons who killed and injured people. To escape punishment, they used threats and bribes to find destitute, desperate people or their own tenants to enter prison in their place, then used gold and silver to buy off Long Qi and related Ministry of Justice officials, escaping justice.

This was the biggest scandal in officialdom since the founding of the nation—a shocking new major case.

The Yingdu citizens, who had been repeatedly stunned by the continuous series of shocking incidents this year, this time very tacitly no longer doubted anything, maintaining strong confidence—just wait for miracles.

Once this case emerged, the emperor was furious and immediately issued a clear edict: Anyone involved shall definitely be executed without mercy!

This case implicated many—over ten officials were involved. After the case broke, they were all imprisoned, the jailers becoming the jailed. When the memorial requesting punishment was submitted, the emperor didn’t even hesitate—all were sentenced to death.

The Hundred Dragons Square in the center of Tianqu Avenue was the aristocrats’ execution ground. For years, no fresh blood had washed the white stone bricks of the square, but now it could be said to drink its fill of corrupt officials’ blood.

The day of execution was again packed with crowds. When over ten heads fell, everyone gasped in unison.

The psychologically prepared citizens remained excited but no longer frenzied, their gazes both admiring yet somewhat awed as they stared at the solemn and magnificent gates of the Ministry of Justice in the distance.

There, the master had changed—swift and decisive, every move resulting in noble heads falling, wherever he went, blood would flow like rivers.

Assistant Director of Justice Zhao Moyan, for merit in first reporting Long Qi’s corruption and murder, was promoted to Vice Minister. Because of Long Qi’s crimes, the trusted eighteen-year-old Vice Minister of Justice temporarily held the Minister’s position, presiding over all Ministry of Justice affairs.