Gu Yanxi stepped out from behind his desk. “Who brought you this information?”

“Zhu Ling.” Yu Mu accepted the water Wang Hai offered him again and drank it all in one go, then relayed the important events that had occurred in Jinyang after his master had left, keeping to the essentials.

Listening to his plain and straightforward account, Gu Yanxi imagined what A’Zhi must have looked like issuing orders — she must have been absolutely commanding, the kind of presence that made people forget entirely that she was a woman. “So you’re saying Jinyang is already completely under control?”

“Before this subordinate departed, everything had already been placed under First Young Miss’s command.”

Gu Yanxi seemed to smile slightly. “Set out for Songzhu in half an hour. Wan Qi, bring everyone from Pengkou along with you.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gu Yanxi swiftly wrote another letter, sealed it using the Seven Lodges Bureau’s customary method, and called out, “Wang Hai.”

“This subordinate is here.”

“Have someone deliver this to General Sun’s hands — quickly.” Songzhu wasn’t far from the Shouya Pass. Better to close the gates before going after the dog, as the saying goes.

Songzhu County was famous for its bamboo. The bamboo grown there was straight, long, and remarkably resilient. The bamboo mats, bamboo baskets, and other bamboo goods made from it were highly sought after everywhere. As a result, the county was considered a prosperous one. The moment one entered Songzhu’s borders, the difference from Pengkou was plain to see — in the boats, in the various buildings constructed along the waterfront.

Gu Yanxi stood at the bow of the ship. The wind was strong today, whipping his cloak with a sharp snapping sound, yet he seemed entirely impervious to the cold. His hands clasped behind his back, he surveyed his surroundings. This place was only a transit point for the Chaoli tribe; for their own convenience, they would certainly have chosen a location close to the docks. Any one of the scenes before his eyes could be their silver cache. They would be cautious, no doubt — wary of unfamiliar faces.

“Wang Hai.”

“This subordinate is here.” Wang Hai, who had been attending at his side, stepped forward immediately.

“Once we dock, go ashore and make contact with the people here. I want a full account of every faction operating in this area — and find a few local insiders to bring over.”

“Yes, sir.”

Finding a particular group within a place — especially one that had long since blended in — was no easy task. Gu Yanxi untangled the spider’s web of local power and influence, then pried open the mouths of those local insiders, and only by comparing the two sets of information did he find the faintest traces of a lead.

Those who live near mountains live off the mountains; those who live near water live off the water. Songzhu enjoyed both advantages by virtue of its geography, and so fishing companies were naturally plentiful. From the very beginning, Gu Yanxi had fixed his attention on the fishing companies that operated out at sea. Cross-referencing the timeline with the information the local insiders had provided, he eventually narrowed his list down to two: Lin’s Fishing Company and Zhengxi Fishing Company.

“Dai Chun, you know this area well — go find out which of the two is the more likely candidate. I want an answer before nightfall.”

Dai Chun was the head of the Seven Lodges Bureau’s operations here. He understood the gravity of the matter and left without a word to begin his investigation.

“Notify everyone to make ready. We move tonight.”

“Yes, sir.”

The hand tucked inside his sleeve closed tightly around the silver hairpin that never left his person. Gu Yanxi closed his eyes to rest — tonight would be a fierce battle, and he also needed to use these men to gauge the Chaoli tribe’s current combat strength.

The night was dark, the wind fierce. Layer upon layer of heavy clouds blanketed the moon completely. A column of figures dressed in black, their faces covered, silently surrounded Zhengxi Fishing Company. Gu Yanxi signaled to Shao Yao with a gesture; Shao Yao understood at once, flipping up onto the wall, crouching low as she leaped onto the rooftop, then lay flat and perfectly still. At a glance she melted into the darkness of the night — one would never notice a person lying there without looking carefully.

Right behind her, Wang Hai moved with fifteen men. They flew over the wall, crouched, and reached down — the sixteen already waiting below grabbed their hands and vaulted into the courtyard.

In the darkness, faint silhouettes could still be made out hugging the base of the wall.

Gu Yanxi was the last over the wall. He took up his longbow, drew it to its full extent, and loosed an arrow straight at the main hall.

At such close range, the whistle of the arrow through the air was especially sharp. The windows shattered completely — a declaration, its meaning unmistakable.

Yet the other side did not fall into panic at that arrow. The doors of the main hall and the east and west wing rooms swung open simultaneously. One look was enough to see that their clothing was all in perfect order.

Gu Yanxi sensed something was wrong. Thoughts raced through his mind in rapid succession, and they all converged into one: Lin’s and Zhengxi are the same operation — they were exposed during the investigation!

He had to seize the initiative!

Gu Yanxi drew his bow again — and the moment that arrow flew, it was the signal for the assault.

The sixteen men atop the perimeter wall loosed arrows in unison. The sixteen inside the courtyard moved in seamless coordination: after the first volley, they immediately lashed out with their long whips at those who had dodged the shafts — and at that moment, the second volley arrived.

Archery was equally a strength of the Chaoli people. Though they were positioned lower than the Seven Lodges Bureau, their close-quarters skill was by no means inferior. And another portion of them wielded long blades, which significantly blunted the effectiveness of the Seven Lodges Bureau’s whips. The two sides had barely engaged before a stalemate formed.

Neither side uttered a single word. Both knew the other’s identity; these two forces were locked in a fight to the death, and any words would have been superfluous.

Gu Yanxi put away his bow and drew his longsword, launching himself into the fray — his target was the enemy’s commander.

The other man clearly had no intention of retreating either, and as Gu Yanxi moved, he came surging forward with his long blade to meet him. They fell into a furious exchange, and the longer it lasted, the deeper the unease that settled in Gu Yanxi’s heart.

He had always thought his own martial skill was beyond the reach of ordinary men — those in Daqing who could match him at this level could be counted on one hand. If a mere commander of the Chaoli tribe could reach this level of ability, Daqing was in grave danger.

What Gu Yanxi did not know was that his opponent was thinking exactly the same thing. He was a Chaoli warrior, born with tremendous natural strength, rarely meeting a match within his own tribe. He had never imagined that a simple grain transport run would lead him to an opponent like this.

This man cannot be left alive. The thought rose in both their minds simultaneously, and their blows grew several degrees more ruthless.

Up on the rooftop where no one had noticed her, Shao Yao had been reading the direction of the wind all along. Only now did the wind shift in her favor. She hastily pulled the stopper from the vial and scattered an entire portion of medicinal powder into the air. The medicine was the same she had used previously at the Yu family’s residence — she had not dared to make a stronger compound. The Chaoli people could withstand it, but even their own side, despite having taken the antidote beforehand, would not fare the same. That was simply the difference in constitution between the two peoples.

Though the medicine was not enough to incapacitate anyone, the other side’s reactions visibly slowed. When two masters fight, even a moment’s hesitation is fatal. Beyond that, Gu Yanxi’s skill was the sharper of the two to begin with. Seizing the opening, he drove his sword toward the man’s abdomen; the man retreated to avoid it — but when the next thrust came, he could only watch helplessly as that blade pierced into his chest.

Gu Yanxi twisted his wrist, and the sword immediately shredded his heart. The man stepped forward two paces, then his mountain-like frame came crashing down.

Yet this did not cause the Chaoli fighters to falter — if anything, it roused their savagery further. Those closest to Gu Yanxi abandoned their original opponents and turned on him all at once. At precisely that moment, the clash of weapons rang out beyond the courtyard wall.

Gu Yanxi sent one man sprawling and leaped back up onto the perimeter wall. Just as he had suspected — Lin’s and Zhengxi were one operation. This was reinforcements from Lin’s arriving.

He exchanged his sword for the whip, caught a man with it, and hurled him down with brutal force. The sheer ferocity of the blow made even the Chaoli fighters pause for just an instant — before they all converged on him together, intent on eliminating the greatest threat first.

Wang Hai swiftly tapped several men to drop down, swinging their bows around to provide cover from the new angle, coordinating with the action on this side.

The battlefield had split into two fronts. The scales of victory — which had only just begun to tip toward the Seven Lodges Bureau — once again leveled out.