After resting until the next day, Chu Yu woke up early in the morning. She and Gu Chusheng discussed the secret signals for their visit to the gambling house. Gu Chusheng intentionally left some traces, and the two headed toward the city. Gu Chusheng moved openly, while Chu Yu remained hidden.
Shortly after entering the city, a group of people caught up with Gu Chusheng. He ran skillfully along the narrow alleys, only taking paths wide enough for one person. His pursuers could only follow in a single file. As he ran, Gu Chusheng threw objects behind him, while Chu Yu secretly helped create obstacles for the pursuers. For quite some time, they managed to avoid capture.
Meanwhile, the Princess had coaxed Emperor Chunde into the gambling house. Clan Wei’s secret guards caught up with Chu Yu and greeted her. As agreed, Chu Yu dropped a tile from the roof beam.
Seeing Chu Yu’s signal, Gu Chusheng used his mediocre lightness skill to climb onto the roof and rushed towards the gambling house.
The pursuers, now red-eyed with anger, disregarded any pretense of secrecy and followed Gu Chusheng across the rooftops.
Chu Yu hung from the eaves, hiding and following behind these men.
The three groups arrived at the gambling house one after another. Gu Chusheng crashed through a window, tumbling into the gambling house.
This sudden commotion startled everyone. The Princess and Emperor Chunde, disguised as ordinary people, were placing bets at a gambling table. Hearing the noise, the Princess immediately stepped forward to shield Emperor Chunde, leading him and the guards towards the exit.
At this moment, the assassins burst in. Since this was Yao family property, they didn’t hold back. Gu Chusheng’s martial arts were poor, and being trapped in such a place was like a fish in a barrel – escape seemed impossible.
After a night of pursuit, these assassins were enraged by Gu Chusheng. Despite the chaos, they continued their relentless chase, slashing at him.
Gu Chusheng rolled and crawled under tables, his movements surprisingly agile.
The Princess, protecting Emperor Chunde, anxiously said, “My Lord, we should first…”
“Wait,” Emperor Chunde stopped her, his gaze falling on Gu Chusheng. After frowning and observing for a moment, he slowly said, “That man… doesn’t he look like the eldest son of the Gu family?”
Emperor Chunde had a deep impression of Gu Chusheng, who had personally entered the palace to expose his father – an act most people wouldn’t dare to do.
Seeing him being chased and slashed at, Emperor Chunde’s frown deepened. A gray-haired servant behind him stepped forward and whispered, “My Lord, it is Gu Chusheng.”
Hearing this, Emperor Chunde’s expression became stern. He tapped a nearby guard with his fan and ordered, “Rescue that man for me.”
By this time, Gu Chusheng had nearly been cut several times. Thanks to his clever use of terrain, he had managed to outmaneuver his pursuers using the tables for so long.
The elite guards around Emperor Chunde entered the fray, instantly turning the tide of the battle.
One of the assassins shouted angrily, “Don’t interfere!”
Chu Yu, listening from the rafters, found this strange. The shout carried a faint Northern Di accent. The people of Huajing probably couldn’t detect it, but Chu Yu, who had fought against the Northern Di for years at the border, immediately noticed the discrepancy.
These were supposed to be Yao Yong’s men, so why was there someone with a Northern Di accent?
Currently, the Great Chu battlefield was locked in a fierce struggle with the Northern Di. If Yao Yong, as the commander-in-chief, was colluding with the Northern Di…
Chu Yu broke out in a cold sweat at the thought. But she quickly calmed herself. It didn’t make sense – if Yao Yong was indeed colluding with the Northern Di, how could he dare to use a Northern Di person as his assassin?
Unable to understand the situation, Chu Yu kept her eyes fixed on that assassin.
After paying attention, Chu Yu slowly noticed inconsistencies in the assassin’s sword techniques. His style appeared to be that of Great Chu, but when retracting his sword, he unconsciously tilted the blade slightly. The Northern Di often used curved moon blades, and tilting the blade slightly increased its cutting power when striking a person. This was a habitual movement for Northern Di people, but in Great Chu’s sword techniques, no school had such a habit.
The guard fighting this assassin was a noble youth from the capital. His style was pure, his swordsmanship magnificent. Focused entirely on the battle, he failed to notice the assassin’s peculiarities.
Chu Yu pondered for a moment, feeling that this man shouldn’t die here. She secretly took out a piece of silver and threw it at the guard just as the assassin approached the window.
This brief distraction allowed the assassin to successfully leap out of the window. Chu Yu immediately followed, reasoning that since Gu Chusheng had been discovered by the Emperor and was now safe, she no longer needed to watch over him. Instead, she could follow this assassin and intercept him along the way.
The assassin was clever. With the Emperor lacking extra manpower to pursue them, he managed to escape without much difficulty.
Feeling safe, he leaned against an alley wall, panting. He took out a medicine bottle with one hand, bit off the cork, and swallowed all the pills inside.
After tossing the bottle aside, he skillfully bandaged his wounds with strips of cloth.
When he finished and was about to leave, supporting himself with his sword, he heard a woman’s voice laughing, “Now that you’ve bandaged your wounds, brave warrior, why don’t you come with me?”
Hearing this, the man suddenly drew his sword backward. In that instant, the woman raised her hand to support his elbow. As his sword fell, she swiftly struck his acupoint and, before he could react, deftly dislocated his jaw.
The man froze. Chu Yu looked at him and murmured, “Quite tall, aren’t you?”
Saying this, Chu Yu tucked her sword into her waist and said, “Excuse me.” Then, she hoisted the man over her shoulder with one hand, leaped onto the rooftop, and in a few bounds reached the place where Clan Wei was waiting.
Wei Qiu was waiting there with his men. Seeing Chu Yu carrying someone, he was stunned. Wei Qiu frowned, “Madam, who is this?”
“Oh, I thought he seemed suspicious, so I picked him up,” Chu Yu said, putting the man down and pulling off the cloth covering his face.
A regular, proper face appeared before everyone. The man had deep-set features and a strong jawline, typical of Northern Di appearance. However, compared to true Northern Di people, his eye sockets were shallower, and his skin was much fairer, making it difficult to determine his origin.
The Wei family members present furrowed their brows at this appearance. Wei Qiu turned to Chu Yu and asked, “Do you think he’s a Northern Di spy?”
Hearing this, the man became anxious, trying to say something but only managing to stammer incoherently.
Chu Yu nodded and instructed Wei Qiu, “First, clean out his mouth thoroughly. Remove all the suicide poison, then reset his jaw.”
Wei Qiu nodded and had the man thrown into a carriage. Then, the group returned to the Wei mansion.
Wei Yun was already waiting at home. When Chu Yu rushed back, she gestured to him, saying, “I’ll go change my clothes first. Wei Qiu will fill you in on the details.”
With that, Chu Yu hurried off to bathe and change. Wei Yun turned to Wei Qiu and asked, “Is everything alright?”
Wei Qiu understood what Wei Yun was asking and nodded, “Madam is fine, but she brought back a person.”
Wei Yun frowned, and Wei Qiu continued, “He looks like a Northern Di person. He’s been taken to the dungeon now.”
“I’ll go take a look.”
Hearing the words “Northern Di,” Wei Yun became alert. He went directly to the dungeon, where the man had already been hung on the torture rack.
Wei Yun stood before the man, silently observing him.
Seeing Wei Yun, the man sneered, “So it’s the coward from the Wei family. What, you survived by hiding in the rear, and now you come to show off in front of me?”
No one spoke. Wei Yun just stared at him silently.
“I know you,” he said coldly. “On the third day of the ninth month, we crossed swords. At that time, you were still with the Northern Di.”
Wei Yun remembered him. This man was skilled and cunning. That night, he had led a hundred men to raid the food supplies, coincidentally encountering Wei Yun on guard duty.
It wasn’t a coincidence that Wei Yun was on guard. That day, his father had specifically instructed him to guard the granary well.
At the time, he didn’t think much of it. He never thought too deeply about things; his father told him to guard, so he guarded. As it turned out, his watch did encounter an incident.
This man had exchanged several moves with him, displaying martial arts worthy of being called “not bad.” Thus, Wei Yun had a deep impression of him.
Now, seeing him imprisoned here, Wei Yun frowned and asked, “What are you doing in Huajing?”
“Madam says he came to assassinate Gu Chusheng,” someone reported.
Hearing this, Wei Yun’s frown deepened. He looked up at the man and asked, “Who sent you?”
“None of your damn business!” the man spat.
Wei Yun sneered, “Fine, you’re tough. Let’s see how long you can keep it up! A proud son of Great Chu serving the Northern Di, you must be a good dog for them.”
“You’re talking nonsense!” the man roared, provoked. “Spewing thousand-year-old bullshit! Wei, you little bastard, let me tell you, you can insult me, but you can’t say I’m a Northern Di dog. I’ve endured humiliation for so many years in Northern Di, wasn’t it all for Great Chu? If I hadn’t held back, do you think I couldn’t have burned your damn granary that day?!”
“If you’re not sent by the Northern Di, who else could have sent you? Don’t think you can fool me with a few righteous-sounding words,” Wei Yun said calmly, his gaze falling on a branding iron. “Give him one night. If he doesn’t tell the truth tonight, tomorrow we’ll brand ‘Northern Di dog’ on his face.”
“Wei Yun, damn your ancestors!” the man roared in anger.
Wei Yun smirked, “Go ahead if you can.”
The young man fell silent.
Wei Yun couldn’t be bothered to argue further. After instructing Wei Qiu on what to ask, he turned and left. Once outside, Wei Xia whispered, “My Lord, this man seems too simple-minded to be a spy.”
“He’s not one,” Wei Yun said confidently. The man was right; he did have the opportunity to burn the granary that day, but he deliberately held back.
Moreover, looking at the man’s features…
Wei Yun pressed his lips together.
The northern border had been at war with the Northern Di for years. One year, Clan Wei suffered a defeat and lost a city. The civilians couldn’t be fully evacuated, and some people were left behind. The women who remained there…
Judging by the man’s appearance, he should be of mixed Northern Di and Great Chu blood. Such children weren’t common, and their origins were usually easy to guess. If such a person could still be a Northern Di spy, they would truly be without any conscience.
Although this man had been cursing and swearing all along, his demeanor was still quite open and honest. He probably couldn’t stoop to that level.
Wei Yun pondered as he left the dungeon. Reaching the ground level, he instructed Wei Xia, “Tell them not to torture him. First, starve him for a few meals. If he still doesn’t talk, then beat him.”
“Alright,” Wei Xia nodded, about to say something more, but saw Wei Yun striding swiftly towards the main hall.
In the main hall, Wei Yun sat at the desk and waited for a while before Chu Yu arrived.
This time, Chu Yu was dressed properly and formally, quite different from her usual casual manner. He glanced at her, feeling somewhat puzzled, but didn’t ask. Instead, he said, “Before you came, I received news that His Majesty had arranged for Gu Chusheng to stay at the Princess’s mansion.”
Hearing this, Chu Yu was stunned for a moment, then lowered her head, suppressing a smile without speaking.
Wei Yun was confused and frowned, asking, “What are you smiling about?”
“Nothing,” Chu Yu pressed her lips together, unable to hide her amusement. “I just feel that the Princess has finally gotten what she wished for this time.”
Mini-Scene
Mo Shubai: Please tell me what you’re best at.
Wei Yun: With my long spear, I can stir up the world!
Chu Yu: With my lightness skill, I can pluck the moon with a single leap!
Gu Chusheng: I’m extremely skilled in ground techniques.
Mo Shubai: Speak plainly.
Gu Chusheng: I run fast, roll nimbly, weave under tables, and come and go like the wind.
Everyone: …