Lin Sui’an tilted her head and observed Yun Zhong Yue and Qi Yuansheng. Since she had laid out the matter of her golden finger ability in full, the two of them had been sitting there stunned for nearly the time it takes to burn a stick of incense — and by the look of things, they could sit there stunned for another stick of incense yet.

Hua Yitang gave a disdainful sniff. “Truly people of limited experience.”

Lin Sui’an wholeheartedly agreed. When it came to their capacity to absorb the strange and supernatural, these two were nowhere near Hua Yitang’s level. Being forged by the miserable constitution of “wherever I go, people die around me” had produced a remarkably thick-skinned set of nerves — well beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Hua Yitang stroked his chin and summarized rapidly. “In other words, the origins of Pojun, the Jingmen, and the fall of the Taiyuan Qin Family can all be traced to the ambitions of the Taiyuan Jiang Family. Those disgusting vermin, rotten to their very bones!” He paused. “I have always suspected that you, Lin Sui’an, have a blood connection to the Qin Family. As it now appears — you actually don’t.”

Thank heaven for small mercies, Lin Sui’an thought. She genuinely could not bear to accumulate any more special abilities. The more abilities one had, the stronger the unlucky protagonist aura — having a partner who already walked around wrapped in a protagonist’s halo was aggravating enough. The last thing she needed was another complication on top of that.

Hua Yitang continued: “So — your unusual constitution, your extraordinary strength, your astonishing speed, your uncanny aptitude for learning martial arts — all of these derive from your mother. To be more precise, your mother carried the medicinal properties of the Longshen fruit within her body all her life, only kept in check by Qian Jing, which is why she survived. The mother’s blood nourished the fetus, and the placenta filtered out the harmful elements while concentrating the beneficial ones, resulting in the birth of a child who came as close to Pojun as any person could —”

At this point, Hua Yitang drew in a sharp breath and lowered his voice. “This must never be allowed to reach outside ears. If it did, anyone with sinister intentions would surely attempt to use this method to manufacture more…”

Hua Yitang’s throat bobbed. He could not bring himself to finish the thought.

Lin Sui’an, however, did not share this view. “You’re oversimplifying it. To become a true Pojun, one must first cross the threshold of life and death — ‘without breaking, there is no breaking; without breaking, there is no establishing.’ Ordinary people simply cannot survive it.”

Hua Yitang blinked. “Does that mean you…”

Lin Sui’an quietly exhaled.

She had died twice.

The first time, when she crossed into this body.

The second time, last night, in the great battle against the Jinyu Guards — when the Longshen fruit’s poison surged through her, and she faced head-on the most painful memories she had always refused to look at, conquered the deepest fear buried within herself, and clawed her way back to life.

To tell the truth, last night’s situation had been desperately perilous. Had she hesitated for even a fraction of a moment — or had Hua Yitang not thrown himself forward to save her at the cost of his own life — she would certainly have been devoured by the Longshen fruit, lost her mind, and fallen into an abyss with no way back.

“The final step in forging Pojun is the tempering of the heart and soul,” Lin Sui’an said. “Not through the madness of slaughtering others with the so-called Ten Cruel Torments — but through facing the erosion and temptation of the Longshen fruit with one’s mind intact, using a blade meant for killing in the service of saving lives, and conquering the deepest fear and desire within oneself. To possess so unshakeable a will as that — across all of Tang Nation, only the war god Qin Nanyin could have managed it.”

Hua Yitang was having none of it. “You managed it too!”

Lin Sui’an gave a rueful smile. She had only scraped through by luck — because she was not truly the Lin Sui’an of this world, but a soul that had crossed over from elsewhere, one who had already died once and been granted the golden finger ability to witness the final obsessions of the dead. Every time the golden finger activated, it involved hovering at the edge between life and death. Inadvertently, it had tempered her mind. To use an analogy — Qin Nanyin had become Pojun through innate genius and an unbreakable heart from the very start, achieving the breakthrough in a single step. She herself had relied on grinding experience, accumulating small changes until they triggered a transformation.

“I suppose I’ve used up the entirety of my lifetime’s luck on this,” Lin Sui’an said with a sigh.

Hua Yitang fell silent suddenly. He tilted his head and looked at her with a smile.

“What are you smiling at like that? It’s giving me the shivers.”

“I take back what I said,” Hua Yitang replied. “You and Qin Nanyin are not without a connection. You are steadfast, courageous, and kind-hearted — qualities that make you very much like her. And in over thirty years, you are the only person who has grasped the secret of ‘Breaking Stillness,’ pushed past your limits, and become Pojun. This one thinks — Qin Nanyin is something like your master.”

Lin Sui’an laughed despite herself, half in exasperation. “Don’t go saying that — General Qin’s spirit is probably trying to lift the lid of her coffin right now.”

“On the contrary,” Yun Zhong Yue offered from one side, “if the General had a disciple like Lin Niangzi, she would rest peacefully and with a smile.”

Yun Zhong Yue and Qi Yuansheng had finally come back to themselves. The way they were looking at Lin Sui’an was bright enough to be alarming.

Lin Sui’an broke out in goosebumps all over. She cleared her throat. “After Yi City — what became of Qin Nanyin? I expect only the previous generation’s Yun Zhong Yue would know that.”

Yun Zhong Yue gave a short laugh. “That is the final secret. The time for it to be revealed has not yet come.”

Hua Yitang made a sound of contempt. Lin Sui’an felt a small, tentative flame of hope kindle somewhere in her chest.

The previous generation’s Yun Zhong Yue had commanded the Nine Lotus Phantom Steps and stood at the very peak of martial arts. If it was him — perhaps he could have saved Qin Nanyin. Perhaps they had found some secluded corner of the world to live out their years in peace, and when the quiet grew dull, cultivated a successor to go out and stir up the martial world in their place…

If that were so, how wonderful it would be.

But Qin Nanyin was loyal to the bone, her heart bound to her country and people. She would never have allowed the Qin Family Army to bear the name of traitors and live with it. After the great victory at Yi City, no news of Qin Nanyin was ever heard again. The most likely explanation, then…

Lin Sui’an closed her eyes. She did not want to think further.

“Lin Sui’an,” Yun Zhong Yue said, “you still owe me a favor. Do you remember?”

Lin Sui’an blinked. “Ah?”

Yun Zhong Yue stood and bowed deeply and formally to both Lin Sui’an and Hua Yitang. “Yun Zhong Yue earnestly requests that you both seek to clear the name of the Qin Family Army — to overturn the unjust verdict passed against them!”

Hua Yitang narrowed his eyes. “Yun Zhong Yue, what sort of joke is this?!”

Qi Yuansheng’s expression turned grave. “The two of you now know the full story of the Qin Family Army’s treason case. Can you honestly say you feel nothing?!”

Lin Sui’an and Hua Yitang said in unison: “Hm?”

Qi Yuansheng raised his voice: “Could it be that the master of Qian Jing and Hua the Fourth are the kind of people who shut their eyes and cover their ears — who can look upon a monstrous injustice and do nothing, caring only to keep themselves safe?!”

Lin Sui’an and Hua Yitang exchanged a glance. Both burst out laughing.

“Hahaha — Qi Yuansheng, oh Qi Yuansheng — is provoking people with reverse psychology honestly your only trick? That approach is dreadfully stale! Hahahaha —” Lin Sui’an slapped her knee.

Qi Yuansheng: “…”

Lin Sui’an made an elaborate “allow me to present” gesture at Hua Yitang. Hua Yitang shook out his robes, stood up, threw both arms wide, and struck a commanding and magnificently dramatic pose: “I am Hua the Fourth of Yangdu, a man of wild renown — I have seen the three mountains and the five sacred peaks, traveled the five lakes and the four seas, seen through the six paths of reincarnation and the eight directions of the cosmos. I come like the wind and go like lightning. I am famous for bearing grudges over the smallest slights and holding the pettiest of grudges — those who cross me, I reduce to eight pieces; those who harm my family, I grind their bones to dust and scatter them to the winds!”

“Ahem,” Lin Sui’an said. “That’s not the right part.”

“This one was not finished.” Hua Yitang switched to a hands-on-hips posture, every inch the showy provocateur: “As the saying goes — the great bird soars ninety thousand li on a single gust. A man of the Hua Family must harbor ambitions that reach the clouds — he must be a pillar of the nation. In this lifetime, Hua Yitang will right every wrong in this land! The case of the Qin Family Army — this one is taking it on!” He swung one robe panel aside and planted a foot on the stone stool. “Those blasted Taiyuan Jiang Family vermin — how dare they target my Lin Niangzi?! Hua the Fourth will destroy them — and not just destroy them, but uproot them entirely!”

That booming voice filled the cave with its own echo, ringing through the air for what felt like three days, enough to rattle one’s teeth.

Qi Yuansheng stared with his mouth hanging open. On Yun Zhong Yue’s silver mask, the word “bewildered” may as well have been written in large characters.

Lin Sui’an clapped enthusiastically. “Well said! That’s the spirit we need!”

Qi Yuansheng blinked slowly, looked down, and laughed despite himself. “With the two of you reacting like this, all the arguments I prepared have absolutely nowhere to go. I confess this is somewhat deflating.”

“Managing to catch you off-guard even once — this one considers that a triumph,” Hua Yitang said, insufferably pleased with himself.

Yun Zhong Yue pressed a hand to his forehead. “Two very clever people — do stop congratulating each other for a moment. Right now the Taiyuan Jiang Family has An’du City sealed up tighter than a steel drum. Walking out that door means death. Let’s focus on figuring out how to break this situation first.”

Lin Sui’an rubbed her chin. “Based on this one’s many years of experience in group brawls — when one’s side is few in number and the enemy’s forces are overwhelming, the simplest solution is to call in reinforcements!”

Qi Yuansheng blinked. “Call — call what?”

“Ah — I mean, summon people to come to our aid.”

Yun Zhong Yue said, “We can’t even get out of here. How are we to get a message out?”

Lin Sui’an said, “Don’t worry — with Jin Ruo and the Jingmen on the outside, word of something as momentous as this has almost certainly already spread across the entirety of Tang Nation.”

Qi Yuansheng and Yun Zhong Yue froze for a moment, then both lit up. “Could it be —!”

Hua Yitang crossed his arms with a smug little laugh. “Hua the Fourth, most provoking man in Yangdu, has accumulated enemies beyond counting — monumentally irritating, insufferably aggravating — and just like that, this extraordinarily annoying person has suddenly, dramatically dropped dead. I daresay every family of consequence in Tang Nation will be sending someone to see the spectacle and attend the banquet. The Yangdu Hua Family goes without saying. The Longxi Bai Family, the Qingzhou Bai Family, the Ganzhou Jiang Family, the Yingyang Ling Family — all of them will certainly claim the main table. And if Ling the Sixth is smart enough, he’ll call the Qingzhou Wan Family in as well.”

Lin Sui’an counted on her fingers. “I’m at least nominally a covert censor — the Censorate will surely send a couple of people for the funeral rites, at the very least. The Emperor will almost certainly dispatch a trusted aide to offer his condolences. Add it all up, and I think the numbers should be just about right.”

Qi Yuansheng: “…”

Yun Zhong Yue shook his head, laughing through his dismay. “You two speak of your own deaths so casually — are you not worried about bringing misfortune on yourselves?”

Lin Sui’an and Hua Yitang exchanged a glance and grinned in unison, showing all their teeth.

“Those who accomplish great things need not fuss over small details!”

An’du Prefecture Office — The Mortuary.

Jin Ruo clamped a hand over his nose, on the verge of vomiting from the smell of scorched corpses blanketing the floor. “Doctor Fang, have you really verified all of this?”

Fang Ke had wrapped a thick face covering around his nose and mouth, tied a cloth around his head, put on gloves and an apron, and exposed only two black-rimmed eyes. He had been examining charred remains without rest for a day and a night, and was thoroughly exhausted. His tone was decidedly impatient. “The charred remains recovered from the ruins of the prison totaled seventy-nine pieces. When assembled, they constituted forty-eight individuals. Based on femur length and bodily proportions, all were adult males of robust build — nothing like Hua Yitang’s scrawny frame.”

“Although the bodies have been burned, the cut surfaces still allow for determination that all were severed by an exceptionally sharp blade. The points of severance are predominantly the neck, the spine, and the thighs. One stroke, clean finish, one stroke, one death — indicating that the person responsible had superb blade technique, immense strength, and executed each strike with clean precision and not the slightest hesitation.”

Jin Ruo drew in a sharp breath. “It really was Master.”

“After death, these individuals were doused in lamp oil and burned into charred pieces — the purpose being to obscure the identities of the deceased.” Fang Ke said. “Following that, Lin Sui’an and Hua Yitang disappeared. I believe this was their plan to fake their deaths and slip away.”

Jin Ruo nodded. “I’ve released news of the two of them being dead — but is it alright to be doing this?”

Fang Ke said, “That man Hua Yitang has nothing else in abundance, only scheming — layers upon layers of it. He wouldn’t go to the trouble of constructing such an elaborate deception just to fake his death and escape. He definitely has a follow-up move planned.”

“Going by his personality,” Jin Ruo added, “having been dealt such a terrible loss, he’ll certainly stir this An’du City into complete and utter chaos. Day and night, without respite. So —” Jin Ruo’s eyes sharpened, “he must want to use his own reported death to blow everything wide open — and the bigger the explosion, the better!”

The look Fang Ke gave Jin Ruo was one of profound approval: the child had finally developed a little sense.

“What do we do next?” Jin Ruo asked.

“Simple.” Fang Ke circled the pile of scorched remains a couple of times, selected a few body parts that were at least somewhat intact in shape, and arranged them on the examination table in two separate heaps. “These are now the remains of Lin Sui’an and Hua Yitang.”

Jin Ruo said, “Isn’t that a little… rough?”

Fang Ke clicked his tongue, added a few more pieces, rearranged everything into two rough human outlines, draped white cloth over both, thought for a moment, then added two soul-settling talismans with names written on them. “Well?”

Jin Ruo: “Given the circumstances, it’ll do.”

Fang Ke removed his face covering, apron, gloves, and head wrap, carefully washed his hands with soap and rinsed them in vinegar, then dug a tiny glass bottle from a large wooden crate, held it up before his eyes and tilted it — and immediately burst into tears.

Jin Ruo stared at him blankly. Fang Ke wept steadily while looking back at Jin Ruo. “Do you want some?”

“I am the Sect Master of the Jingmen!” Jin Ruo said, deeply offended. “Don’t look down on my professional abilities!”

With that, he raked his hair into a disheveled, despairing style, pinched his own thigh hard, and instantly — eyes and nose blazing red, tears streaming in floods — he shoved open the great door and sprinted out wailing, “Master! Oh, Fourth Young Master! You died such a terrible, terrible death —!!”

Outside, Prefect Jia, Deputy Administrator Liu, and five military adjutants of the An’du Prefecture Office had been waiting. The moment they took in the scene, every one of them was horrified.

Deputy Administrator Liu stammered, “Did — did the examination finish? Were the bodies truly those of Colonel Hua and Lin Niangzi?!”

Jin Ruo collapsed on the ground, beating his chest and howling to the sky. “Master! Sob sob sob! Fourth Young Master! Wail wail wail! O heaven! Sob sob sob! O earth! Wail wail wail! —”

Prefect Jia’s expression darkened. He strode into the mortuary to find two bodies laid out on the examination table, covered in white cloth, with a coroner’s soul-settling talisman placed on each — the names “Hua Yitang” and “Lin Sui’an” written plainly on them.

Prefect Jia said, “Coroner Fang, these are —”

Fang Ke cast a mournful look at the Prefect. Tears continued to stream unchecked, and with his dark-circled eyes and pallid complexion, he looked like a man who might be blown over by a stiff breeze.

Inside Prefect Jia’s chest, a great weight dropped away. A flash of barely concealed satisfaction crossed his face. He sighed. “Colonel Hua was a man of extraordinary genius, and Lin Niangzi was a true heroine — to die so young is truly a pity!”

Fang Ke turned away and quietly wiped his eyes. This man is genuinely nauseating.

Outside, Jin Ruo howled as if all of heaven and earth mourned with him. “Master! Just who is the vile, heartless wretch who took your life?! Your disciple swears to avenge you — to mince the culprit’s intestines and feed them to the dogs! Fourth Young Master, what a wrongful death was yours! I swear I will snap that villain’s bones one by one, drain the marrow, and mix it with his brain matter as a relish to drink beside your grave in your memory! Sob sob sob —”

Prefect Jia’s complexion was not particularly healthy-looking anymore. Outside, Deputy Administrator Liu and the others were nearly sick.

“Impossible!”

At this moment, a sharp shout rang out from the courtyard. Ling Zhiyan, travel-worn, came striding in at a rapid clip, grabbed Jin Ruo by the arm. “What did you just say?!”

Jin Ruo nearly choked on a mouthful of snot. Ling Zhiyan’s eyes were webbed with burst blood vessels, his lips cracked and peeling, his breath coming in ragged heaves as though he had swallowed fire.

Jin Ruo squeezed out two more tears. “Coroner Fang just confirmed — Master’s and Fourth Young Master’s bodies…”

Ling Zhiyan’s eyes bulged. He shoved Jin Ruo aside, walked rapidly into the mortuary, and the moment his gaze fell on the white-draped shapes on the examination table, his step faltered. “No… no… no!”

Jin Ruo tiptoed in behind him and exchanged a rapid glance with Fang Ke.

Jin Ruo: Never expected it to be Ling the Sixth first. What now?

Fang Ke: Ling the Judicial Inspector is a single-minded, straightforward sort — no capacity for dissembling whatsoever. If he finds out the truth, odds are about eighty to twenty he gives it away on the spot. And besides, Prefect Jia is still in the room — let’s get through this moment first and figure out the rest later.

Jin Ruo understood. He took a deep breath and flung himself across the body labeled “Lin Sui’an,” wailing with abandon.

Ling Zhiyan stood shaking his head in disbelief. Then, abruptly, he seized Fang Ke by the shoulder. “Brother Fang, are you certain they are —”

Ling Zhiyan’s grip was extraordinarily strong. Fang Ke nearly gasped with pain — which sent tears streaming down his face at an even more impressive rate.

The clear light in Ling Zhiyan’s eyes dimmed gradually, washed over by a tide of red. Step by step he walked, with great difficulty, toward the examination table. Several times he reached out as if to lift the white covering cloth, and each time his hand drew back, trembling. His whole body convulsed violently, and he dropped to his knees — and began to retch. Nothing came up for a long time, only thin acid.

Jin Ruo was frightened into stopping his own wailing. “Judicial Inspector Ling, are you —”

Ling Zhiyan’s throat let out a strangled sound. Then — he vomited a mouthful of blood, and his body went sideways. He collapsed to the floor.

Jin Ruo and Fang Ke: Oh no, oh no, oh no — this has gone completely off the rails!

Side Story

Jin Ruo: It’s all over. We went too far!

Fang Ke: What is Ling the Sixth made of — paper?! How does he keep vomiting blood at the slightest provocation?!