The “female thief” in dark clothing cautiously glanced around before lowering her head, bending her waist, and slipping into the pitch-black underground passage.
“Phew!” In the darkness, she let out a soft breath. A spark ignited, and a small flame burned quietly.
The tinder cast an orange glow, dispelling the surrounding darkness. She held it up, examining the tunnel walls. The marks of artificial excavation were obvious.
The black-clad woman’s free hand reached for her waist, where a short blade was tucked.
The blade slowly emerged from its sheath without a sound. The firelight illuminated the blade, revealing a pitch-black surface that seemed to devour light.
This weapon was called Moye (Ink Fang). Made primarily from dark iron and the sharp teeth of the Ink Scale Beast, it took a month to forge and was one of Song Qing from the Celestial Observation Bureau’s proudest creations.
Moreover, the great array master Yang Qianhuan personally inscribed arrays on Moye, making it one of the top-tier magical tools just below divine weapons.
Moye had three layers of arrays: the first enhanced the blade’s sharpness, allowing it to cut through iron like mud; the second strengthened the blade’s durability, making it difficult for even Fourth Rank martial artists to damage; the third enabled short-distance teleportation, perfect for stealthy assassinations.
The black-clad woman held the tinder in one hand and gripped Moye in the other as she slowly advanced.
Along the way, she encountered no ambushes. The tunnel wasn’t long, and soon she reached its end, where a stone chamber awaited.
The chamber’s layout was simple. In the center stood a stone disk similar to a millstone, about two zhang in diameter, covered with densely carved, twisted runes. Oil bowls were embedded in the stone walls.
There was nothing else.
The black-clad woman cautiously examined the room for a moment before walking along the walls, inspecting each oil bowl. They were covered in dust, with dry wicks – no one had added oil in a long time.
Each oil bowl could be easily lifted, ruling out any mechanism. Knocking on the walls produced heavy echoes, proving there were no hidden compartments or traps.
After a thorough inspection, the black-clad woman approached the stone disk. She tapped and probed it with extreme caution, remaining highly alert.
A quarter of an hour later, her tinder burned out, and she lit another.
“The Marquis Pingyuan’s mansion was bestowed by the imperial family. The construction of such estates follows strict standards, surely choosing the location with the best feng shui. In the capital, what better place than one situated on a dragon vein? This provides the possibility for earth-element teleportation.
“Li Miaozheng once said that earth-element techniques are difficult to master. It’s unlikely that both Marquis Pingyuan and the Huai Prince’s spies could control such a secret art. Therefore, this stone disk must be a teleportation array for earth-element techniques. It requires a special method to activate and will transport the user to a corresponding location. Where could that be? Somewhere in the imperial palace?
“When Hengyuan stormed into the mansion in anger, Marquis Pingyuan must have considered escaping through this tunnel and teleporting away. But he didn’t succeed, perhaps killed by Hengyuan just as he opened the secret passage…
“Hengyuan knew nothing of the other matters and couldn’t have deduced much from a single secret passage. After all, it’s normal for noble estates to have hidden passages. But in… his eyes, this was a major flaw, so Hengyuan had to die.
“So far, all my deductions have been verified without any discrepancies. I wonder if Xu Qi’an hasn’t thought of this, or if he’s temporarily ignoring it. I always feel he knows more, like why His Majesty regularly collects a group of people and what he does with those innocent souls.”
The black-clad woman fell into deep thought.
After a long while, she sighed, refocused her attention, and carefully studied the stone disk. She memorized every detail accurately for ten minutes, imprinting it all in her mind.
Then, holding the tinder, she quickly left the secret chamber.
…
June 18th, the Beginning of Autumn!
After three sacrificial ceremonies, the day of the army’s departure finally arrived.
That morning, Wei Yuan led a group of generals on horseback, setting out from the main road of the imperial city towards the army camp outside the capital.
“Parading through the streets” was an essential procedure. Throughout history, both the announcement of imperial examination results and troop deployments were major national events that required public display and widespread announcement.
In the procession of several hundred people, Wei Yuan was at the forefront. He still wore his trademark cyan robes, his temples grayed, maintaining his scholarly and handsome appearance.
Just like years ago.
The main road was lined with commoners on both sides. After such prolonged publicity and preparation, the people had accepted the reality of war and silently watched the procession pass.
Among the crowd, an old man with graying hair stared fixedly at that cyan robe. Suddenly, tears streamed down his face as he began to weep loudly.
“Father, why are you crying?” The young man beside the old man asked in confusion.
“Lord Wei, Lord Wei is finally leading troops again…” The old man gripped his son’s hand tightly, a mix of joy and sorrow in his voice. “When your father joined the army, it was under Lord Wei that we went to Shanhai Pass, and it was with him that we returned. Twenty-one years have passed in the blink of an eye, yet Lord Wei remains as he was then, only his temples have grayed. I remember back then, it was His Majesty who stood atop the city wall, personally beating the drum to send off Lord Wei.”
His Majesty beating the drum… The young son’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Many older people, upon seeing the scene of the cyan-robed scholar leading the troops, recalled the Battle of Shanhai Pass from years ago.
They remembered that Great Liang still had a God of War, recalling this cyan-robed scholar who had once overshadowed the Northern Border King.
Especially those who had served in the military before, seeing Wei Yuan lead troops again brought tears to their eyes, filled them with excitement, or left them with mixed emotions of joy and sorrow.
“Lord Wei, it’s Lord Wei…”
“Twenty years, a full twenty years, we finally see Lord Wei leading troops again.”
“All these years, I had almost forgotten the glory of Lord Wei leading thousands of troops west. Lord Wei, why did you hide in the imperial court after the Battle of Shanhai Pass? Do you know how heartbroken your brothers-in-arms were…”
It was difficult for young people to understand the sentiments of the older generation, and to comprehend how dazzling that cyan robe once was.
At the street corner, Xu Pingzhi, responsible for maintaining order, wore a long saber at his waist and stared in a daze, as if in a dream.
“Captain, you fought in the Battle of Shanhai Pass, didn’t you? Is Lord Wei really that incredible?” a young imperial guard asked softly.
“For our generation, as long as Lord Wei was there, morale was high. He’s the kind of person you’d willingly die for.” Xu Pingzhi sighed and continued, “It’s hard for your generation to understand what it was like for us back then. But you’ll experience it soon enough. Well, after we defeat the Witchcraft Cult.”
“I heard that during the Battle of Shanhai Pass, His Majesty personally beat the drum on the city wall?” another imperial guard inquired.
“The Battle of Shanhai Pass was a matter of national survival, naturally different. This time, we won’t see that.” Xu Pingzhi said with regret.
Behind Wei Yuan, Jiang Lüzhong and other old-timers who had followed Wei Yuan into battle before overheard the discussions of the street-side citizens and couldn’t help but recall those days.
During the Battle of Shanhai Pass, Great Liang had committed all its military might to the war. That dragon robe standing atop the city wall, personally beating the drum to send off the troops – how glorious it had been.
If only His Majesty could beat the drum again to send them off, how wonderful that would be!
This was the heartfelt wish of that generation of old-timers.
But His Majesty was no longer the wise ruler of those days. The Emperor Yuanjing of that time had been brilliant and diligent in state affairs, sweeping away the long-standing ills of his predecessor’s reign.
The current Emperor, however, was obsessed with Daoist cultivation and had neglected state affairs for years.
Times had indeed changed.
Atop the city wall, led by Wang Zhenwen, the civil officials, along with several dukes leading the military officials, and the royal clan headed by the Crown Prince, stood in a line, silently watching the slowly approaching procession on the wide main road below.
“I remember years ago when Wei Yuan set out, His Majesty personally ascended the city wall to beat the drum and send them off. That united the entire capital in one heart and mind,” Wang Zhenwen sighed.
The old ministers who had experienced the Battle of Shanhai Pass were momentarily lost in thought.
“I was wondering why no one was beating the drum on the city wall. It turns out no one is worthy of the task anymore,” the Minister of War suddenly realized.
Twenty years ago, he wasn’t yet an official in the capital, serving in another region.
Hearing this, the Crown Prince, Fourth Prince, and others felt a spark of excitement in their eyes. If they could emulate their father’s actions from years ago and beat the drum to send off the troops, it would be a grand gesture.
However, most of the royal clan members only entertained the thought briefly, not daring to actually do it.
In the present company, only two people could potentially do this: the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace and the Fourth Prince, the legitimate son of the Empress.
By the Crown Prince’s side, Lin’an, dressed in a fiery red palace gown, bit her lip as she imagined the scene, momentarily entranced:
“Father must have been incomparably majestic back then.”
How she wished to see her father beat the drum to send off the troops again.
Huai Qing also showed a hint of anticipation. What truly captures the attention of all and shines with brilliant glory?
A newly crowned scholar riding through the streets is one example, as is composing an immortal piece at a poetry gathering. Wei Yuan at this moment is another, and their father wearing the dragon robe and ascending the city wall to beat the drum for tens of thousands of troops was yet another.
The Crown Prince and Fourth Prince seemed somewhat moved.
“Since Father isn’t coming, I shall personally beat the drum. How can the army set out without someone beating the drum?” the Crown Prince said excitedly.
He knew this action would be somewhat presumptuous, but it wasn’t a taboo in terms of etiquette. Even if his father found out, he would be displeased at most. Yet, he could gain enormous prestige from this.
After weighing the pros and cons, the Crown Prince became eager to try.
The Fourth Prince frowned, about to object, when he heard Huai Qing’s voice in his mind: “Fourth Brother, you lack the qualifications.”
The Fourth Prince angrily responded mentally: “Then who else is qualified?”
It’s worth noting that among the princes, the Fourth Prince was quite outstanding, being a Seventh Rank martial artist.
Huai Qing shook her head without answering.
“Your Highness!” Wang Zhenwen intercepted the Crown Prince, blocking his path to the great drum. He spoke gently, “In terms of status, it’s inappropriate for you to do this. It would displease His Majesty. In terms of reputation, you lack some qualifications. And regarding Wei Yuan, you still fall short in qualification.”
The Crown Prince frowned: “Then in the Prime Minister’s opinion, who is qualified?”
Wang Zhenwen’s gaze passed over his shoulder, looking towards the steps, and he smiled: “The qualified person has arrived.”
Everyone turned abruptly to see a young man approaching, a long saber at his waist. He walked slowly, while the guards on both sides trembled in fear, desperately trying to draw their swords but failing.
Huai Qing and Lin’an’s beautiful eyes simultaneously flashed with light.
“Xu Qi’an!” someone among the nobles growled through gritted teeth.
Xu Qi’an ignored them, merely nodding to Wang Zhenwen before walking straight toward the great drum.
The Fourth Prince’s gaze flickered slightly, but he remained silent.
The Crown Prince stared at him sharply, standing in front to block his way.
“Brother Crown Prince, move aside quickly,” Lin’an pushed him, clearly taking the outsider’s side.
In terms of status, he could act without concern for his father’s reaction. In terms of reputation, the capital’s citizens cheered and praised him. And regarding Wei Yuan, he was more than qualified… The Crown Prince snorted lightly and stepped aside.
Xu Qi’an pulled out the drumsticks and struck the drum forcefully.
…
“Boom!”
“Boom boom!”
“Boom boom boom…”
The sound of drums came from the top of the city wall, first a single muffled beat, then two in quick succession, followed by a rain-like density of drumbeats echoing across the sky.
Everyone, including Wei Yuan, either looked up or turned to gaze at the city wall.
Someone was beating the drum atop the wall!
“Look, it’s Sir Xu!”
An excited shout came from the crowd.
“It’s Sir Xu beating the drum.”
“Sir Xu is drumming to send off the army.”
The emotions of the common people suddenly surged, their shouts loud and enthusiastic.
Lin’an alternated between looking at the commoners below and Xu Qi’an’s silhouette. She smiled brightly and innocently.
Huai Qing’s lips curled slightly upward.
Jiang Lüzhong and others squinted at the young, upright figure on the city wall, listening to the passionate cheers of the people, feeling strangely dazed.
Years ago, that dragon robe had beaten the drum atop the city wall, and the city’s people had cheered fervently.
Twenty years passed in the blink of an eye. The drummer had changed, but the people’s cheers remained the same.
They were silent for a moment, then suddenly broke into heartfelt smiles.
Wei Yuan raised his head, gazing at the young man atop the city wall. In his eyes, filled with the weight of years, flashed a hint of satisfaction.
Twenty years ago, there was Wei Yuan; twenty years later, there was Xu Qi’an.
Very good!
At this moment, a poem would make it even better.
So, Wei Yuan laughed aloud and called out: “Xu Qi’an, do you have a farewell poem?”