The ancestral estate of the Su Family of Suizhou was located in the West Fifth Ward of the administrative city. Its architectural style stood in stark contrast to the Hua Family residence. As the wealthiest family in the Tang Kingdom, the Hua Family favored the “ostentatiously lavish,” while the Su Family prized “ancient solemnity” — black eaves, black tiles, black pillars, black steps. Viewed from a distance, it resembled an enormous coffin lying across the banks of the Yu River.

Having grown accustomed to living in the gaudy extravagance of the Hua estate, Lin Sui’an felt a sense of ill omen the moment she stepped through the gates of the Su Family ancestral home.

Hua Yitang made no attempt to conceal his disdain. He surveyed the left side and clicked his tongue; he glanced at the right and rolled his eyes; he took a sip of tea and spat out two mouthfuls of tea leaves; he pinched a pastry between two fingers, sniffed it, and tossed it back; he then produced a handkerchief and meticulously wiped his fingers, all the while humming with discontent. No matter how one looked at it, he appeared to be there to pick a fight — which gave the nearby Prefect Chi and Senior Clerk Xia quite a fright, and they quickly pulled Hua Yitang aside to whisper in his ear.

Prefect Chi said, “Master Hua, whatever grievances may exist between the Hua Family and the Su Family, could we not set them aside until after today?”

“Quite right, quite right,” Senior Clerk Xia nodded repeatedly. “The ten great families of Yidu are all one family. Harmony should be our foremost value!”

Hua Yitang waved his small fan. “The two gentlemen worry too much. Since the Su Family has been gracious enough to overlook past grievances and invite me here to witness the ceremony, I am naturally capable of letting bygones be bygones with a smile.”

Lin Sui’an glanced sideways. Where were the ten great families of Yidu now? The most powerful among them, the Su Family, was half-dead; the once-arrogant Wu, Wang, and Ma Families had all perished. Looking around, the families who had actually come to attend the succession ceremony amounted to: the Hua Second Master, who still carried some weight; the Zhou Family of South City — Zhou Gan had somehow managed to wrangle himself an invitation; the Xu Family of South City — their patriarch was chatting merrily with the Hua Second Master; the Qian Family of North City — who were practically invisible in Yidu; and the Sun Family — represented by a child not yet ten years of age.

Liu Qingxi naturally attended on behalf of the Liu Family. She had brought Lin Sui’an a gift of the latest style of rouge, which Lin Sui’an accepted with pleasure and invited her to sit beside her. For some reason, Ling Zhiyan kept stealing glances at the rouge box, and when Lin Sui’an noticed, she saw that the Ling Sixth Master’s face had gone crimson with embarrassment.

Three strikes of the bell rang out, three sticks of incense were lit, and a white-haired elder, bent and trembling with age, made his way to the seat of honor in the main hall. In his hands he carried a tray bearing a scroll and a jade crown.

Liu Qingxi quickly provided background knowledge. “This is Su Hua, the most senior elder of the Su Family. He has been gravely ill and has not left his chambers in many years. That they were able to bring him out means the Su Family is very satisfied with Su Yiyun as their new patriarch.”

Lin Sui’an scratched her forehead. To be honest, the more the Su Family valued Su Yiyun, the stranger she found it.

Su Yiyun had originally been nothing more than a lapdog doing Su Feizhang’s bidding. Yet in the span of just a few months, he had soared to the position of patriarch. Su Yiyun’s own abilities and intelligence were simply not sufficient to accomplish this on his own — there had to be someone guiding him from behind the scenes.

Jin Ruo had said he had once glimpsed Su Yiyun and the Seventh Master meeting secretly at the Su Family’s secondary estate in Taoyuan Village. Yet when the estate was subsequently searched, no trace of either man was found. Then afterward, Su Feizhang’s crimes were exposed, and he died in an instant, leaving the Su Family without a leader —

Lin Sui’an smacked her lips. The timing of Su Feizhang’s death was truly thought-provoking.

Amid universal anticipation, Su Yiyun paced steadily to the dais. Today he wore a heavy, magnificent robe, his hair neatly bound, his head held high, a smile playing at the corners of his eyes. He knelt respectfully.

Elder Su began intoning the long ceremonial address. Lin Sui’an could not understand a single sentence of it; after two lines her attention drifted, and sounds of every variety poured into her ears from the surroundings.

“To think they would let someone from a branch line become patriarch. Alas, the Su Family has truly fallen.”

“You don’t know the half of it. Word has it this Su Yiyun is a prodigy of commerce — in just a few months, the Su Family’s business has established a foothold in the capital. They say the next step is to relocate the entire Su clan to the capital as well.”

“The Su Family has been in decline for so many years, and they can still make such a comeback? It seems almost miraculous.”

“Why else do you think those old Su Family men would support a branch-line member? They’re treating Su Yiyun as their last lifeline.”

“No wonder relations between the Su and Hua Families have been so hostile, yet they specifically invited the Hua Fourth Master and the Hua Second Master — clearly they’re using this as a show of strength against the Hua Family.”

“Nonsense. The Hua Family’s holdings are enormous. The Su Family wanting to rival them is nothing but a mantis trying to stop a chariot, a mayfly trying to shake a great tree.”

“That remains to be seen. Compared to the Hua Family upstarts, the Su Family has deeper roots — in a few years they might well supplant the Hua Family and become the Tang Kingdom’s foremost merchant clan.”

Every single person spoke with authority and eloquence, an endless torrent of words. Were the setting more appropriate, these gossips would have happily cracked open two jin of sunflower seeds.

Lin Sui’an glanced at Hua Yitang. It was painfully obvious that Su Yiyun had invited him here to show off, and she did not believe for a moment that Hua Yitang could not see through it — yet this man had actually come skipping along. Nine chances out of ten —

Hua Yitang smoothed the wide sleeves of his robe, which bore the embroidered pattern of “a line of white egrets ascending into the blue sky.” “Am I not beautiful?” he asked.

Lin Sui’an: “……”

This fellow was nine chances out of ten planning to cause trouble!

Elder Su read through the ceremonial address in fits and starts, exhausting himself thoroughly. After resting for quite some time, he lifted the jade crown and placed it upon Su Yiyun’s head, then proclaimed in a loud voice, “From this day forth, Su Yiyun of the Su clan shall succeed as the one hundred and thirty-ninth patriarch of the Su Family of Suizhou. May the legacy of the clan be carried forward, the ancestral home be renewed, and the household flourish greatly — so let it be proclaimed to Heaven and Earth!”

Su Yiyun kowtowed deeply, rose, shook out his robes, and turned to face the assembly. Behind him, bells and ceremonial vessels rang out in unison; his magnificent robes shimmered brilliantly. He did indeed carry the bearing of a clan leader.

His eyes swept the hall below with burning intensity. He raised his voice and announced, “Today I have a momentous declaration to make! One month from now, the Su Family will establish the Su Family Merchant Guild in the capital to oversee all business ventures under the Su name, with myself as its sole administrator.”

The moment these words fell, the entire hall erupted.

Someone called out, “Does the Su patriarch mean to say the Su Family intends to leave Suizhou and relocate to the capital?”

“Would that not be undermining their own foundation?”

“Surely they haven’t gone mad!”

Su Yiyun replied, “The Su Family finds itself in difficult straits. If we continue to cling to one corner and cling stubbornly to the old ways, there is no hope for survival. Only by breaking completely with the past can we be reborn through fire.”

“Can the rumors be true then — that the Su Family’s holdings have already taken root in the capital?” another person asked.

Su Yiyun said, “The matter is already well in hand.”

The Su Family elders broke into satisfied smiles.

At that very moment, Hua Yitang began to laugh. His laughter grew louder and louder; as it swelled, the surrounding hall grew quieter and quieter, until gradually, the only sound that remained above the entire Su estate was Hua Yitang’s unbridled laughter.

Everyone was bewildered. Lin Sui’an hastily pulled Liu Qingxi several steps back, lest they be splattered with blood. Liu Qingxi had not quite understood at first, but turned and saw that Judicial Inspector Ling had also retreated to this side.

Su Yiyun narrowed his eyes. “What is the meaning of this, Master Hua?!”

It was some time before Hua Yitang reined in his laughter. He raised his hand and fanned himself, then the ghost-like Mu Xia appeared, carrying a scroll. Hua Yitang tapped the scroll with his fan. “What is recorded here are the commercial properties the Su Family has acquired in the capital over the past several months — four hundred and sixty-six establishments in total.”

Su Yiyun’s fury erupted. “Do you intend to use the Hua Family’s dominance in the business world to suppress our Su Family’s enterprises?! Hua Fourth Master, do not push us too far!”

The looks people directed at Hua Yitang immediately shifted.

Prefect Chi repeatedly mopped his brow. “As the saying goes, always leave yourself a way out so you may meet again in the future. Master Hua, do not carry things to extremes!”

Hua Yitang sighed and rose to his feet. He let his sleeves drift as he strolled to the center of the main hall, where he stood facing Su Yiyun. His smile was pure and guileless. “The Su patriarch has misunderstood. The Su and Hua Families are both among the Five Surnames and Seven Lineages — we are branches of the same tree. Having heard that the Su Family intended to make inroads into the capital’s commercial world, I have been thinking of them day and night, worrying incessantly. Fortunately, the Hua Family happens to have a few modest establishments in the capital, so I made some rough inquiries, thinking that if the Su Family encountered difficulties in their business ventures, the Hua Family might be of some assistance, honoring the friendship between our two clans across the generations. I never expected that this inquiry would turn up something extraordinary.”

With that, Hua Yitang snapped his fan open with a crack, held it before his mouth, and struck an expression of exaggerated shock. “The commercial properties the Su Family has acquired in the capital — nine out of ten of them are ‘cicada shell shops.'”

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

Senior Clerk Xia stammered, “Wh-what? ‘Cicada shell shops’?”

“Cicada shell shops have no land deeds, no premises, no employees — they buy and sell nothing, conduct no business whatsoever. The only thing proving these shops exist is a pile of forged, empty accounts,” Hua Yitang explained. “To put it plainly, it is a form of commercial fraud. It appeared in Qingzhou over twenty years ago. These swindlers claimed to have connections in the capital, Yangdu, and other major cities, promising hugely profitable ventures that required almost no effort on the investor’s part — they would handle everything from acquiring premises, hiring staff, purchasing and selling goods, to managing the accounts; the proprietor need only sit at home and collect money.”

Hua Yitang sighed. “Human greed knows no bounds — a serpent will try to swallow an elephant. Lured by the promise of great profit, merchant after merchant in Qingzhou took the bait. Naturally, at first they were skeptical. They would try investing in a single shop to test the waters. They found that a handsome profit arrived each month, the account books were detailed and clearly kept, and the managers overseeing the shops were attentive — making daily reports, fulfilling every request, unfailingly loyal.”

“Gradually, the merchants of Qingzhou came to trust these managers more and more. They invested in more and more shops, and their ventures grew larger and larger. Then one day, without warning, the managers vanished — evaporating like steam. Only then did the merchants of Qingzhou realize something was wrong. They sent people to investigate and discovered that the shops they had purchased simply did not exist — there were only empty account books, like the hollow shell of a cicada whose inhabitant had long since taken wing and flown away.”

“The merchants of Qingzhou rushed to report it to the authorities, only to discover how many had been deceived. The officials pursued the case for months and found nothing. Many had wagered their entire fortunes and were utterly ruined; those who took their own lives were numerous beyond count, and over a hundred bodies floated in the rivers. The Qingzhou merchant world was devastated and never recovered. Truly — alas and alack!”

The entire main hall went deathly silent.

This case had occurred over twenty years ago and was a secret scandal of the merchant world. Those present were either too young or too far removed from commerce to have heard of it; everyone turned pale with shock.

Lin Sui’an thought to herself: Good heavens — this is nothing but shell companies and illegal fundraising.

The complexions of the Su Family elders changed. Su Yiyun almost screamed, “Utter nonsense! Every property the Su Family has acquired comes with a land deed, as well as commercial contracts issued by the authorities. I personally sent people to the capital to inspect them — every shop was bustling with business, thriving!”

“Land deeds and commercial contracts can be forged. And as I said, of the properties you purchased, nine are false and one is real — what they allowed you to see was that one-tenth of genuine establishments.” Hua Yitang shook his head. “That is how they muddied the waters and deceived the world.”

The Su Family elders leapt to their feet in a blaze of agitation. “Su Yiyun, quickly dispatch men to the capital to investigate!”

Su Yiyun’s complexion had turned from green to gray. His entire body was trembling uncontrollably. “Impossible! Impossible! He would not deceive me!” His bloodshot eyes bore into Hua Yitang. “You must have concocted this story out of jealousy at my succession as Su patriarch — isn’t that so?!”

Hua Yitang’s expression was one of pity. “Why on earth would I be so bored as to deceive you?”

Su Yiyun cried, “It can’t be — it can’t be! He helped me become patriarch of the Su Family — how could he turn around and deceive me?! Someone — quickly, go and fetch the Seventh Master!”

Several household servants rushed out at once. A short time later, they returned in a sweat.

“R-r-r-report, patriarch — the Seventh Master is gone, and Man Qi is gone as well!”

Su Yiyun reeled as though struck by lightning, his body swaying. “That cannot be right! You simply haven’t searched carefully enough! Go back and look again!”

“Alas — there’s no need to look. The man fled long ago.”

A voice drifted down from above — clear as morning dew. Everyone looked toward the source and discovered, on the roof of the main hall where there had been no one before, a figure sitting cross-legged on the ridge: black clothes, black boots, black hair bound with a silver ribbon. On the figure’s face was a silver-bright mask, leaving only fine slits for the eyes, nose, and mouth to breathe. Beneath the left eye was a faint scar.

It was Yun Zhong Yue.

“The Seventh Master left you a letter.” Yun Zhong Yue gave a flick of his wrist, and an envelope flew into Su Yiyun’s arms. Despite being a light and airy envelope, it struck Su Yiyun with enough force to stagger him. Su Yiyun held the envelope in both hands, the flesh of his face twitching uncontrollably. He did not dare open it.

Hua Yitang fanned himself as he padded over, plucked the envelope from Su Yiyun’s hands, tore it open, shook out a sheet of paper, and read aloud in a clear voice: “The Su Family is corrupt and has committed many evils. Root and branch shall be severed, and the world made clean. Signed — respectfully, the Seventh Master.”

Su Yiyun’s eyes traveled frame by frame to the paper. His pupils contracted violently. He vomited a mouthful of blood and collapsed stiff as a board. His fainting seemed to act as a signal; the Su Family elders, great and small, toppled one after another like dominoes. Su Family members, servants, and guards shouted and screamed, plunging into complete chaos.

Prefect Chi erupted with fury, pointing at Yun Zhong Yue and roaring, “This is absolute lawlessness! Seize —”

Before he could finish, a gust of force grazed past the top of his head — Prefect Chi frantically clutched his skull; he had nearly been left bald as an egg — a bolt of emerald lightning lit up half the sky: Qian Jing had been drawn.

Lin Sui’an was enveloped in a whirlwind. Her saber light wove so dense and seamless it formed layer upon layer of saber nets that swept through the air toward Yun Zhong Yue. Yun Zhong Yue trod on lotus flower steps, sometimes manifesting as three figures at once, sometimes becoming six overlapping shadows, dancing in the truest sense upon the tip of a blade. Truly: murderous intent and ghostly apparitions soared together; lotus flowers and the emerald saber blazed as one.

Everyone was stunned stupid. Senior Clerk Xia stamped his feet. “What are you all standing there for — why aren’t you helping Lin Niangzi apprehend the culprit?!”

Wu Da and the accompanying agents exchanged glances. Were they joking? In a battle of this caliber, wouldn’t throwing themselves in amount to suicide?

Ling Zhiyan and Hua Yitang stood with arms folded, watching the fight side by side, offering live commentary as they observed.

Hua Yitang said, “Am I imagining things, or has Yun Zhong Yue’s speed increased?”

Ling Zhiyan replied, “Yun Zhong Yue has indeed gotten faster. But faster still is Lin Niangzi.”

“My Lin Sui’an is naturally the most formidable of all. If she were not holding back, would Yun Zhong Yue still have his life to prance about with?”

“It seems Yun Zhong Yue hasn’t used his full strength either…”

The two looked at each other. “Could it be —”

Could it be that Yun Zhong Yue had come specifically to find her? Lin Sui’an wondered inwardly.

She and Yun Zhong Yue traded fifteen moves — well-matched opponents, neither gaining the upper hand; neither could do anything to the other. Moreover, Yun Zhong Yue seemed somewhat distracted — few offensive strikes, mostly defensive. Lin Sui’an’s heart stirred. She deliberately left an opening. Sure enough, Yun Zhong Yue immediately greased his heels and bolted. Lin Sui’an hesitated for a moment, then gave chase.

Both were masters who traveled through the air rather than on the ground, neither following the ordinary path. Yun Zhong Yue ran ahead, leaping between treetops like lightning; Lin Sui’an gave chase behind, shattering roof tiles as she went with a great clatter and crash. The townspeople craned their necks as the two figures sped away on the wind, their jaws dropping to the ground in astonishment.

Lin Sui’an chased out through the Wanli Bridge gate, swept past the New South Market, cut through the Xuanzhong Temple, vaulted over the mortuary, and before her appeared a vast field of unmounded graves.

Withered trees, crows in the dusk, paper streamers and spirit money — a lone figure stood beneath a round-topped weeping willow, wearing a large, black gauze veil hat. The black gauze fell heavily to the ankles, perfectly still, like a stone figure standing watch over the graves.

Yun Zhong Yue drifted into the willow’s branches and disappeared.

Lin Sui’an felt a fleeting sense of unreality. The scene before her bore an uncanny resemblance to the time at Yumeiyan Mountain in Yangdu. Something stirred within her, and she called out softly, “Qi Yuansheng.”

A slender, stick-thin arm reached out from the black gauze and removed the veil hat, revealing a pale face.

Lin Sui’an was somewhat taken aback. “How have you grown so thin? Have you not been eating properly?”

Qi Yuansheng paused, then smiled. His features were clear and bright, beautiful as a painting.

“Lin Sui’an, you always say the most unexpected things.”

Lin Sui’an: “……”

She had only meant it as a routine greeting — what was so unexpected about that?

And how had he survived?

Was it because in historical drama scripts, those who leap from cliffs are destined not to die — or was it because he possessed the invincibility of a villain boss?

All manner of strange and peculiar questions circled through her mind, and in the end, Lin Sui’an asked only one. “Did you bring down the Su Family to avenge your younger sister Xiu’er?”

Qi Yuansheng’s eyelashes fluttered softly. “In this world, apart from me, I imagine only you still remember Xiu’er’s name —”

The wind rose. All around them drifted the pungent, earthy stench of grave soil — the breath of death, desolate and lonely. Whether it was Lin Sui’an’s imagination or not, she always felt that scent was emanating from Qi Yuansheng himself.

“Hey, hey, hey — you two, stop making eyes at each other over here. The people from the Pure Gate are about to catch up!” Yun Zhong Yue hollered from inside the willow tree.

Lin Sui’an sighed. “Are you working for the Third Master?”

Qi Yuansheng said, “I came to advise you — stop pursuing the Third Master. It is dangerous.”

“Alright!”

“As they say, take good advice and you’ll be well-fed.” Lin Sui’an blinked. “I have a soft ear — I always take people’s advice.”

“Hahahahahaha!” Yun Zhong Yue laughed so hard he fell out of the tree. “Lin Sui’an, she’s not a little child anymore — how could she possibly fall for your reverse-psychology ploy? You’ve boxed yourself in now and can’t reply, hahahahaha —”

Qi Yuansheng’s eyes went wide as saucers, and the corner of his eye twitched beyond his control.

Lin Sui’an couldn’t suppress a laugh. “I never go looking for trouble on my own. It’s always trouble that comes looking for me.”

Qi Yuansheng cleared his throat twice, rearranged his expression, and said, “Like how disaster follows wherever Hua Fourth Master goes?”

Lin Sui’an replied, “In life, there are always times when one cannot help oneself.”

Qi Yuansheng smiled again, his eyes bright and gleaming. The aura of death around him seemed to have faded somewhat.

“I genuinely cannot stand people like you two — is it so hard to have a proper conversation? You always say half and keep half back.” Yun Zhong Yue scrambled up from the ground in a huff. “That dissolute young master is catching up.” In an instant he had swept in front of Qi Yuansheng, tucked him under his armpit like a bundle, and sprinted away. His speed was such that Lin Sui’an had to tip her hat.

Behind her, hoofbeats shook the earth. Hua Yitang came charging ahead on a tall horse, riding in the lead; Ling Zhiyan followed close behind; Jin Ruo rode an old, long-eared donkey, shouting the whole way, “Where is that rogue Yun Zhong Yue?!”

Hua Yitang was the first to spot Lin Sui’an. He vaulted from his horse, gathered his robes, and dashed over. He seized Lin Sui’an and scrutinized her up and down several times, found no external injuries, and let out a breath of relief. He then examined her expression. His own face darkened. “Did you meet the Seventh Master?”

Lin Sui’an said, “It was Qi Yuansheng.”

Hua Yitang asked, “What did he want?”

“He said to stop investigating the Third Master. It’s dangerous.”

Hua Yitang immediately erupted, stamping his foot. “He tells me to stop investigating and I just stop? Who does he think he is? A sniveling rat who hides his head and shows his tail — if he has the spine, come and fight me face to face! First he feigns death, then he plays mysterious — is it not because he fears the peerless magnificence of my Hua Family’s Fourth Master? He tells me not to investigate — I will investigate all the more! I’ll investigate until everything is crystal clear and transparent, investigate him right down to his very roots!”

Lin Sui’an watched Hua Yitang with an expression of bewildered helplessness. That reverse-psychology of Qi Yuansheng’s — had he not practically tailored it for this man?

Ling Zhiyan took one look at the situation and immediately pulled Jin Ruo aside to watch the entertainment. Hua Yitang ranted for a quarter of an hour, then felt something was off. “He went to all that trouble to lure you out here just to say that?”

Lin Sui’an shook her head. In terms of the sheer number of schemes rattling around in his head, Qi Yuansheng might well be the only one who could rival Hua Yitang. The thoughts of someone that calculating — she had no hope of guessing them.

Hua Yitang folded his arms into his sleeves and pondered for a moment, then puffed out his cheeks irritably, humming and hawing. “He… most likely… only wanted to see you for a moment…”

Lin Sui’an rolled her eyes. I’ll believe that when pigs fly!

Ten days later, Lin Sui’an came face to face with Su Yiyun’s corpse in the mortuary of the prefectural offices.

Wu Da reported in with dark circles under both eyes. “At the beginning of the double-hour of Chen this morning, it was the time when Su Yiyun was meant to convene with the elders for their meeting, but everyone waited for half an hour and Su Yiyun did not appear. A servant was sent to fetch him. The servant could not get the door open, so he went to summon the elders. The elders brought guards and broke the door down, only to find Su Yiyun hanging from the roof beam. The body had already gone stiff. I examined the scene carefully. There were no signs of forced entry. In all likelihood, it was suicide.”

Fangke removed his examination gloves, washed his hands with soapberry, and drooped his eyelids as he completed the post-mortem record. “Both eyes closed; lips and mouth blackened; ligature mark below the throat; mouth open with teeth exposed; both feet pointed straight downward; both hands clenching the thumbs; fingernails clean with no other residue; no signs of poisoning; no external injuries — death by self-suspension. Time of death between the Zi hour and the Chou hour.” He added a personal remark at the end: “Truly an uninteresting corpse.”

Ling Zhiyan leafed through the dossier. “On Su Yiyun’s desk were letters from the capital containing the results of the Su Family’s investigation there. It matches exactly what Yitang said — more than nine-tenths of the Su Family’s holdings had been defrauded away.”

Wu Da added, “After news of Su Yiyun’s death spread, the eight branch lines of the Su Family demanded to govern themselves separately. It descended into chaos… alas, the once-great Su Family of Suizhou has splintered and collapsed. The name remains, but the substance is gone.”

Hua Yitang tucked his hands into his sleeves and clicked his tongue twice.

Lin Sui’an was somewhat hesitant. Su Yiyun was dead; by his narrative rank, he was at least a minor boss figure. Perhaps using her golden-finger ability on him might yield quite a few clues. But then she recalled his conduct in life, and what if his dying obsession was like Su Chengxian’s — some manner of explicit scene replayed in vivid detail? She would get a sty in her eye for certain.

Hua Yitang sensed her hesitation. “A person like him — his memories aren’t worth looking at.”

“Since we’re already here, let’s just go with the flow.” Lin Sui’an pried Su Yiyun’s eyelid open after all.

A white flash filled her vision, and the vast expanse of the Eastern Capital appeared before her eyes. The night was immense; ten thousand lights filled every home; the palace lanterns of Yingtian Tower swayed in the night breeze like stars.

Only for an instant — and then the vision was gone.

So Su Yiyun’s final obsession had been his memory of attending the imperial night banquet at Yingtian Tower — the one and only moment in his life when he had held the power to turn everything around, only to have it destroyed by his own ambition.

Hua Yitang asked, “What did you see?”

Lin Sui’an replied, “Yingtian Tower.”

Hua Yitang was silent for a long while. “Perhaps at the moment he was dragged down from Yingtian Tower, he was already dead.”

Leaving the mortuary, Senior Clerk Xia had already been waiting outside the door, his face arranged in an unusually fawning smile. He invited everyone to the flower reception hall. “Master Hua, an imperial edict has arrived.”

The content of the edict was simple — to sum it up in one sentence: on account of his meritorious service in investigating cases in Yidu, Hua Yitang was once again promoted in spectacular fashion. This time he had gone directly to Judicial Advisor of Andu Prefecture, sixth rank upper grade, putting him on equal footing with Ling Zhiyan. In other words, in less than half a year, Hua Yitang had been promoted three ranks in succession. The speed of this advancement could only be described as rocket-propelled.

Prefect Chi and Senior Clerk Xia were thrilled, clamoring about how they absolutely must throw a grand farewell banquet for Hua Yitang. Lin Sui’an felt their joy had less to do with his promotion and more to do with the fact that they were finally sending off this “walking disaster detector.”

In addition to the edict, the imperial envoy also conveyed a verbal message from His Majesty:

【Ling Family’s Sixth Master — are you having fun? Once you’ve had your fill, hurry back to the Eastern Capital. If you don’t come back soon, Chen Fanfan is going to turn into Chen Baldhead — it is truly unsightly and undignified for the court.】

After hearing the verbal message, Hua Yitang was quite unhappy. He pursed his lips and circled Ling Zhiyan several times.

Ling Zhiyan laughed despite himself. “Fourth Master, there is no need to be sad. The green mountains endure; the clear waters flow long. We will surely meet again someday —”

“Little Jin Ruo,” Hua Yitang interrupted Ling Zhiyan. “How many jin does Ling Sixth Master weigh right now?”

Jin Ruo made a startled sound and scratched his head. “Around a hundred and twenty jin or so, I’d guess.”

“And before he came to Yidu?”

“About a hundred and twenty-five jin, give or take.”

Hua Yitang was greatly displeased. “Ling Sixth Master, how is it that you haven’t put on weight — you’ve actually lost weight? Could it be the food at our Hua estate was not good enough?!”

Ling Zhiyan said, “……”

Hua Yitang declared, “This will not do! If you go back looking like this, the Ling clan and Chen Fanfan will certainly make a great deal of it — saying our Hua Family is petty and vindictive and has been starving you!”

Ling Zhiyan laughed and shook his head. “Fourth Master, you’re overthinking it —”

“Mu Xia!” Without further argument, Hua Yitang seized Ling Zhiyan’s arm and began hauling him toward the door. “Return to the estate at once and put on a running banquet for ten straight days! Even if we have to stuff him, we will stuff Ling Sixth Master into a proper rotund shape!”

Prefect Chi and Senior Clerk Xia joined in cheerfully. Mu Xia emerged and began reciting the menu items aloud. Jin Ruo listened until he was drooling. “Is there a portion for me? Can disciples of the Pure Gate come cadge a meal? Does cadging cost money? Can you take the leftovers away in your pockets?”

Lin Sui’an ambled along behind the group as they left the flower hall. The sky above was a boundless expanse of blue; the autumn sun was mild and warm. Sunlight glanced off the saber’s scabbard — and suddenly, Qian Jing rang out with a clear note.

A withered leaf floated down from a rooftop.

It was a leaf from a begonia tree. Yet there were only pagoda trees in the vicinity.

In the wind, there was the scent of clouds.

This arc is finally written to its conclusion! Confetti and flowers all around! (It has not been easy — dabbing tears with a small handkerchief)

Those of you who have read to the end have probably already noticed — the true protagonists of this arc were, led by Lian Xiaoshuang, all those lovely and resilient women.

May all the women of the world bloom like flowers — radiant and magnificent in every way.

The arc’s title poem — “Tune of Damozhi,” Tang Dynasty, Wen Tingyun

Musk ground to dust, yet the fragrance will not die; Lotus roots bent to pieces, yet the threads hold on. Red tears of Lady Cai — spring waters of the Luo; White-haired Su Wu — snow of the Tianshan peaks. Do you not see untroubled Gao Wei, flowers blooming on and on, The Zhangpu feast ends, clear dew falls cold at dawn. One day lords and vassals, all of them prisoners — Before the reed pipe sounds, tears already fill the air. Old ministers, hair and temples frosted early — Such pity that heroic hearts grew old drunk in the mire. Through all eternity, spring returns — yet the dream does not. In Ye City, wind and rain — grass stretches to the sky.

The next arc is the very last arc! I’ll be taking two days off to map out the outline — muah!