The night wind carried the scent of burning paper offerings from some unknown place of worship. Several lotus lanterns drifted slowly along the distant waterway. Not far down the streets, the Ullambana Festival ceremonies hadn’t ended – nearby residents had invited monks from the temple to conduct small ceremonies, and the continuing clamor carried across the streets, making the downstream area of the waterway seem even more desolate.

This place was only three streets away from the Great Xiangguo Temple, but there were few people around. Most households had gone to attend the Ullambana Festival ceremony today, leaving the surroundings in complete silence.

Several shadows flitted past in the darkness without making a sound, like ghosts darting into a nearby house.

When the sounds of fighting and clashing metal erupted, the monks at the distant ceremony were chanting at their loudest, accompanied by chimes, temple bells, and wooden fish drums creating what seemed like celestial music.

Before this Buddhist music ended, the fighting sounds in that house gradually subsided. Suddenly the main door opened, and several men in fitted clothes emerged, surrounding a frightened woman with disheveled hair, protecting her as they quickly fled.

They hadn’t gone far when one of them took out a signal arrow from his waist.

A bright silver arrow shot into the sky with a “whoosh,” then burst open at the horizon with a “pop,” like falling stars.

The seven-story meditation platform was very high and unobstructed on all sides. Lu Chang, sitting atop it, could see all of Bianjing City without even standing up.

The firework in the sky vanished in an instant, too quick for most to even turn their heads, but he had been watching for it. This was the signal he had waited all day for, bringing him good news.

Though the night sky was dark as ink, he felt as if he could see the moon breaking through the clouds. With Zhou Xiuqing found, the Jian Family case would become clearer. Whether the true culprit was Master Gao Shicai or someone else, they would soon have answers.

He had planned for this moment for many days.

Today he had agreed with Tang Li that once the “Third Prince” completed all the rituals on the meditation platform, she would return Zhou Xiuqing to him. Before this, Tang Li had only let him station people outside a small incense shop near the temple’s side gate, saying someone would hand Zhou Xiuqing over to them after everything was done.

He naturally believed Tang Li but had his plans. While Commander Wei Zhuo’s men waited at the incense shop, he had arranged different men for the rescue mission. Ever since he began frequent contact with Tang Li, these men had been secretly monitoring her and her associates’ movements.

No matter how meticulous Tang Li was in passing orders to those guarding Zhou Xiuqing, there would always be traces to follow. For Lu Chang, the earlier he discovered these, the better. This was why he had planned to act with Ming Shu, making Tang Li believe sooner that he was losing his composure due to concern for Ming Shu’s safety. This would make her reveal her goals faster, giving him opportunities to get close. He had used this time to investigate.

In truth, because he was worried about Ming Shu’s safety, he had fallen into a state of seeing threats everywhere. Fortunately, there was Ming Shu…

“Brother…”

A faint call came from below, seemingly very close.

Lu Chang furrowed his brow, looking into the vast darkness, then laughed after a moment – had he gone mad? How could Ming Shu be here?

But after sitting on the meditation platform all day, he had done nothing but let his thoughts wander.

Buddhist music rose from below the platform, the chanting growing louder, and that faint calling disappeared. The monks sitting around the platform stood up holding lotus lanterns, circling the platform. Lu Chang stood as well. According to the ritual procedure, this step was near the end. He needed to walk to all four sides of the platform to bow to the four directions, paying respects to the deities of all directions. After completing the bows, he would descend the platform.

Tang Li’s trap for the “Third Prince” was hidden in this final step.

Lu Chang stood in the center of the platform, focusing all his attention on its surroundings. To strike while the “Third Prince” was on the platform, there were only a few possibilities: First was assassination by bow and arrow, but the platform was about Ten Zhang high, towering above surrounding buildings, leaving no place for snipers to hide. Second was having assassins mix in to strike when he descended, but the area was heavily surrounded by Imperial Guards who would immediately protect him once he stepped down, making success unlikely. That left only the final and most probable method – the platform had been tampered with and might collapse, which could easily be disguised as an accident.

Falling from a seven-story platform would mean death or at least severe injury.

He thought for a moment, then stepped toward the eastern position.

But before he could reach the eastern side, that calling voice rose again, growing more urgent. Lu Chang stopped and looked toward the wooden stairs leading up the platform.

“Brother, you need… need to move outward!”

Having run up urgently, after seven flights of wooden stairs, Ming Shu was too out of breath to continue. She had to stop and hold the railing every two or three steps before climbing further.

The wooden stairs wound around the platform, very narrow with space on one side and only wooden railings for protection. One end of the prayer flags was tied to the railings, so from outside the ascending stairs were covered by the flags, making it impossible to see clearly. At nightfall, no one had noticed Ming Shu climbing up the stairs.

The ceremony was at its final moment. Ming Shu couldn’t wait for the Third Prince to arrange for people to ascend the platform. Moreover, someone switching identities to ascend the platform bordered on deceiving the emperor – they couldn’t let more people know, so she had requested to climb up herself.

The platform had been built under the Ministry of Works’ supervision, and Liu Wan’er had infiltrated Minister Lu’s household. There was a high possibility the platform had been tampered with. Ming Shu deeply feared Lu Chang might make one wrong step…

Lu Chang stood still listening for a moment, confirming it wasn’t his imagination as Ming Shu’s voice grew closer to the platform.

She had climbed up?

His heart jumped, and he walked to the stairs entrance, leaning down to look. Sure enough, he saw Ming Shu had already climbed to about the fifth floor.

“Brother!” Ming Shu looked up, saw him, and sighed in relief. Standing still holding the railing, she waved to him: “The platform is dangerous, come down quickly!”

“I know!” Lu Chang was somewhat angry at her risky climb up, feigning rage as he said, “Who told you to come up?!”

“Third Prince sent me! Don’t just stand there, hurry down. Tang Li… Tang Li is dead…”

Ming Shu said between breaths, truly exhausted from climbing.

Lu Chang was extremely surprised, but before he could respond, Ming Shu continued: “Come down and I’ll tell you…”

Before she could finish, sudden cries of alarm came from below the platform.

The circle of monks walking around the platform had somehow tripped and fallen, crashing into the inner circle of monks. As they fell, their lotus lanterns complete with fire and oil crashed onto the prayer flags hanging on the platform.

The fire quickly spread up the prayer flags, right on Ming Shu’s side, rapidly advancing.

“Ming Shu, come up!” Lu Chang looked down carefully, his expression changing instantly.

The platform was entirely wooden – if it caught fire, those on top would have no escape.

Ming Shu looked back, saw the flames climbing up, and was terrified. She found strength from somewhere and ran upward.

“Brother!” Still panicked, Ming Shu had barely stepped onto the high platform when Lu Chang pulled her into his embrace.

The prayer flags on one side of the high platform were completely aflame, with fire licking at the wooden stairs. Their escape route was blocked. Lu Chang held Ming Shu while backing toward the other side, looking for a way out.

The fire rose gradually, like ravaging fangs in the vast darkness. The night wind blew, making the surroundings desolate as if they stood in an abyss. Ming Shu’s mind was in chaos – for an instant she felt as if she stood on a cliff, with fire pursuing from afar… Fragmented images flashed by like shards, too quick to examine clearly, as she and Lu Chang retreated to the edge on the other side.

Just as they stepped onto the southern edge of the high platform, where Lu Chang was supposed to perform his four directional bows, before he could think of a strategy, there came a sharp crack of breaking wood from beneath their feet.

The edge of the platform along with the railing suddenly broke away. Lu Chang and Ming Shu’s footing gave way, and they fell from the high platform.

The wind whistled past their ears, the sensation of falling seeming to awaken something. Ming Shu’s mind was in chaos.

“Hold tight to me!” Lu Chang remained calm. With one arm around Ming Shu’s waist, his other hand gripped tightly onto an unburned prayer flag hanging from this side of the platform, using the flag’s rope to guide their descent.

Acting on survival instinct, Ming Shu wrapped her arms around Lu Chang’s neck. Before she could even feel fear, she followed him down the rope until, at about one Zhang height, the flames finally reached this rope too.

The rope burned through instantly. Lu Chang used both arms to hold Ming Shu close, shielding her with his body as they fell heavily onto the offering table set below the platform. The wooden table split in half from the impact. Lu Chang’s arms ached, his grip loosened, and Ming Shu rolled from his embrace.

“Ming Shu…”

Fortunately, the remaining height wasn’t too great and shouldn’t be fatal. Lu Chang was already standing unsteadily, walking toward Ming Shu.

But Ming Shu made no sound.

She felt the world spinning, everything before her blurry. Looking at Lu Chang, she heard only chaotic noise, and the ring of blade edges…

Yes, blades.

Blood-stained, emerging from deep in her memory.

The Ullambana Festival was nearing its end but wasn’t quite over. People were burning paper clothes outside their doors, with paper ash floating everywhere in the sky…

At the end of the street, several horses from somewhere were tied under a large tree, lazily swishing their tails. After some unknown time, several night-clothed figures in black brought a woman hurrying to this spot.

“We should be safe now, return quickly,” the apparent leader in black said, then spoke gravely to the woman, “Let me help you onto the horse first.”

Zhou Xiuqing had no say in the matter, having gone from the hands of one group of unknown men to another. She nodded nervously – as long as she could keep her life, she was willing to do anything.

The man first helped Zhou Xiuqing onto the tall horse, then turned to give instructions to his subordinates in a low voice.

In just that moment of speech, an arrow shot through the deep night with a “whoosh,” striking unerringly into Zhou Xiuqing’s heart.

Zhou Xiuqing’s eyes suddenly widened as she stared into the pitch darkness, her hand slowly moving to her chest.

“Chief, there are assassins!” someone cried out.

“Save her first!” the leader shouted.

A great commotion arose around them, but Zhou Xiuqing’s pupils gradually dilated, and soon she heard no more.

This became just another quiet night.

Ming Shu walked in the darkness, feeling dazed and confused about where she was going. Somewhat afraid, she looked around searching for Lu Chang.

“Brother…” Still call him brother.

What had happened?

She clearly remembered climbing the high platform to find Lu Chang, but why was she here now?

It seemed someone had deliberately set fire to the prayer flags, burning the platform. She ran and ran, escaping to Lu Chang’s side, and then…

Then she and Lu Chang had fallen from the platform.

The wind whistled past, and below was a pitch-black abyss. She felt she hadn’t fallen from the platform but from an endless cliff… Vegetation rustled, and all the surrounding voices turned into hurried footsteps.

“Search everywhere, kill without question.”

A man’s deep voice rang out in the darkness. As if split by this voice, the darkness parted. Torchlight wound its way behind her, the scenery instantly changed to a deep mountain with flickering tree shadows. Ahead was a cliff, behind were blood-stained blades. With nowhere to escape, she leaped down…

The mountain scene changed again, everything was suddenly bright. A man wearing gold and jade stood in a luxurious room coaxing, still willingly turning his face away, saying: “Father, I’m telling you, about Lu Chang and me, you shouldn’t interfere!”

“I only saw that you liked him… alright, alright, I’ll interfere if I want to…” The man patted his round belly, his entire bearing full of helpless indulgence.

Father…

Father?

Who was he?

“I just can’t stand Lu Chang!” Though the man had compromised, he couldn’t help but complain: “To think that my daughter, Jian Jinhai’s daughter, the Young Lady of the Jian Family, whom so many fight to marry, he truly doesn’t know his good fortune.”

Young Lady of the Jian Family?

Was her surname Lu?

Who exactly was she?

The luxurious room suddenly vanished, as if just a fragment.

She became a child with two small buns in her hair, peering out from behind her mother, giggling at the boy standing in front.

That was… nine-year-old Lu Chang. He was very thin, and very shy, standing silently watching.

She just wanted to say hello.

“Little Brother, I am Jian Ming Shu. Ming Shu means bright moon. Mother says I’m her little moon.”

Yes, Jian Ming Shu…

Surname Jian, not Lu.

She was the only Young Lady in the Jian Family, Jian Ming Shu.

Ming Shu’s eyes suddenly opened, all scenes vanishing, leaving only the canopy above.