In the deep of night, all was silent. In the cold wind of the twelfth month, Gu Qianxi saw it was already late and had retired to her room to rest. That day she had been severely scolded by her mother and stepmother, and Xiao Hong had also been punished by not being allowed to eat—a small chastisement for the master and servant pair. Though family matters had been settled, Gu Qianxi was still not at ease, for her heart was concerned about Lu Yun. Seeing him rush out hurriedly in the afternoon with no trace of him since, she couldn’t help but feel anxious.

She sat alone by the window, waiting for Lu Yun, when she suddenly heard a soft sound from the window sill. Gu Qianxi’s heart leaped with joy, knowing it was Lu Yun returning. She quickly pushed open the window and looked out, indeed seeing Lu Yun standing in the courtyard, staring at her in a daze.

Cold wind brushed her face and snowflakes flew into the room. Gu Qianxi couldn’t help but shiver and said sweetly: “It’s so cold outside—come in quickly!”

Lu Yun smiled slightly: “I climbed over the wall to get in without alerting Uncle Gu, so it’s not convenient to go inside.”

Gu Qianxi smiled charmingly: “If you won’t come in, then I’ll come out.” She immediately took a fur coat to drape over her shoulders and climbed out through the window.

Lu Yun stood below with arms outstretched, indicating she should jump down. Gu Qianxi closed her eyes tight and leaped, landing right in Lu Yun’s arms. Lu Yun laughed: “Look how you’ve learned to be bad since running away from home.” Gu Qianxi lay in his arms and smiled lightly: “Following you, this rogue, it would be hard not to become bad.”

Lu Yun laughed heartily, holding her legs and gently leaping onto a tree. In a few bounds, they were already sitting on the treetop.

Cold wind attacked and thick clouds covered the sky, obscuring all the stars and moon, leaving everything around in darkness. Gu Qianxi leaned in her lover’s arms—though the court situation was tense, she felt completely peaceful and happy in her heart.

Lu Yun smiled: “Qianxi, with the court in great trouble, are you afraid?” Gu Qianxi shook her head: “As long as I’m with you, nothing matters.” Lu Yun kissed her powdered face: “If I suddenly died, what would you do?”

Gu Qianxi was greatly shocked and said tremblingly: “You… why are you saying such things for no reason?”

Lu Yun gazed into the distance with a bitter expression but didn’t answer.

Gu Qianxi, being naturally intelligent, had already guessed several parts of the truth from his words and said tremblingly: “You… your friend got into trouble, didn’t he?” Lu Yun looked at her and only nodded silently.

Gu Qianxi was frightened and tightly grasped his palm, saying tremblingly: “Lu Lang… you… you’re not going to do something foolish, are you?”

Lu Yun said quietly: “I won’t hide it from you. General Qin has been imprisoned in the heavenly prison and will be executed at noon tomorrow. I’m going to rescue him.”

Gu Qianxi’s whole body trembled: “You want to rescue someone…! You… you’re going to your death!”

Lu Yun gazed far toward the horizon and said indifferently: “Life is what I desire, but righteousness is also what I desire. To sacrifice life for righteousness—can this not approach benevolence?” He sighed: “No matter what, I must take this gamble.”

Gu Qianxi shed tears and sobbed: “Sacrifice life for righteousness? What about me?” Lu Yun gently stroked her temples and said sadly: “You’re intelligent by nature and beautiful in appearance. If I fail and am captured, even without me you can live independently.”

Gu Qianxi cried loudly: “I won’t allow you to do foolish things! The court is now in a state of extreme alarm—if you risk rescuing someone, it’s certain death!” She grabbed Lu Yun’s arm and screamed: “You’re not allowed to go! Not allowed to go!”

Gu Qianxi’s loud screaming alerted everyone in the house, who came out to the courtyard to investigate. Lu Yun, knowing Gu Siyuan would come out soon, quickly said: “We’re meeting in the courtyard—we can’t let the family see us. Let me escort you back to your room!” Gu Qianxi knew that if he left this time, he would go do something life-threatening and foolish. She gripped his arm tightly and wouldn’t let go, crying: “Lu Yun! I won’t let you leave! Stay obediently at my house and don’t go anywhere!”

Lu Yun shook his head, reached out to embrace Gu Qianxi, leaped down from the tree, then gently lowered his hands to set her down on the ground. The servants, hearing the young lady’s shouts, had thought there were criminals, but seeing it was Lu Yun, they all knew he was the future son-in-law and stepped aside, unwilling to disturb their conversation.

The two looked at each other silently. By now Gu Qianxi had regained her composure. She wiped away her tears and stopped crying, only standing prettily in the courtyard gazing at Lu Yun. Lu Yun was unwilling to meet her gaze and turned his head to look at the ground.

Just then, Second Concubine also came out. Seeing Lu Yun’s face, she immediately became angry: “It’s you again, you brat! What are you doing hiding in my family’s courtyard in the middle of the night?” Lu Yun looked at her and, reflecting on past events, suddenly felt a sense of intimacy. In this chaotic world, perhaps only Second Concubine’s fierce nature could protect the entire Gu household. His eyes showed tender affection as he said gently: “Auntie, I entrust the young lady to you from now on.”

Second Concubine, hearing these strange words, was first stunned, then spat and scolded: “What nonsense are you talking? If I don’t take care of the young lady, who will? Don’t tell me you want to entrust her to you, this rogue?” She then began chattering incessantly, cursing how Lu Yun didn’t observe proper upbringing and etiquette, how he had abducted Gu Qianxi south, and so on—truly non-stop nagging.

Lu Yun had always been at odds with Second Concubine. In the past, hearing her scold and mock him would make him angry, but now after listening for a long time, he felt no anger at all, only a faint sorrow of parting. He sighed and said quietly: “Qianxi, I’m leaving now.”

Hearing these words, Gu Qianxi’s body trembled slightly. She walked over and adjusted Lu Yun’s collar, saying softly: “If you remember this affection, meet me at the southern pavilion at noon tomorrow.” She then turned and entered the house without another word of persuasion.

Lu Yun took a deep breath. Tomorrow at noon, Qin Zhonghai would be executed—if he went to meet Gu Qianxi’s appointment, he definitely couldn’t rescue anyone. He looked up at the second floor and saw Gu Qianxi’s boudoir had lit its lamp. In the snowy night, it looked especially warm.

Lu Yun sighed softly and thought: “Between affection and righteousness, I have no choice. Please forgive me.” In an instant, he touched his feet to the ground and flew over the wall.

In the deep of night, Lu Yun pulled a cart along the street. When several guards came to question him, he obediently handed over silver coins each time. Reaching the vicinity of the Ministry of Justice, he parked the cart by the roadside and lifted down a large bundle from the cart. This bundle was extremely heavy—even with his accomplished internal energy, he needed both hands to carry it. No one knew what was inside.

Lu Yun carried the large bundle into a roadside inn and said to the innkeeper: “Give me a room facing the street, and the bed should be as large as possible.”

During these days of chaos in the capital, there were no guests at all. The innkeeper, hearing these instructions, was immediately overjoyed: “Guest, you’ve come at just the right time! We haven’t had half a customer in over a month—empty rooms everywhere! You want a large bed? We’ll give you a large communal bed that could accommodate ten women.”

With a face full of flattering smiles and constant bowing, he gave Lu Yun an upper room according to his wishes.

Lu Yun saw this room was right by the street and the bed was very wide, and was quite pleased. He gave a reward and closed the door. He then unwrapped the bundle and took out various items—a large shovel, a map of the capital, and dozens of wooden stakes. But the bundle seemed to hide other objects, though it was unclear what they were.

Lu Yun pushed open the window and looked out, seeing the Ministry of Justice prison was just across the street not far away. Lu Yun prayed quietly, thinking: “Success or failure depends entirely on heaven’s will.”

Just as he was about to close the window, he suddenly heard a low voice from below: “Brother Lu, count me in too.”

Lu Yun was startled and quickly looked out, seeing a large man sitting below the window looking back at him.

This person had broad shoulders and a dignified square face—who else but Wu Dingyuan?

Near noon, the Ministry of Justice prison opened, and various officials were waiting to escort the prisoner to the Meridian Gate for execution.

The emperor had issued an edict of collective punishment, stating that if Qin Zhonghai were rescued from prison, Liu Angtian would bear the responsibility, to prevent Liu’s faction from taking advantage of the situation. But Jiang Chong was ruthless and calculating. Though he had the edict as protection and was extremely careful, he still invited Liu Angtian to supervise the execution and specifically asked Wu Dingyuan and Yang Suguan to come watch. Whether Yang Suguan came or not didn’t matter to Jiang Chong—he was only worried about Wu Dingyuan. This person was a disciple of the Tianshan sect with extremely high martial arts. If he covered his face and attempted a prison break, probably no one could stop him. For this reason, he wanted Wu Dingyuan to stay at the execution ground for close surveillance.

Jiang Chong guarded the execution ground, watching Liu Angtian sit to the side with Wu Dingyuan, Yang Suguan, and Wei Zizhuang behind him. He mocked: “They say your Liu faction has too many people—now with one eyesore gone, it’s indeed much quieter. What do you think, Marquis?”

Everyone hearing this was furious in their hearts. Liu Angtian’s face turned ashen as he said coldly: “Grand Tutor Jiang, if you want to boast, you might as well go to the Court of Judicial Review on the twentieth of the twelfth month. Iron Head Xu would surely want to chat with you.”

Both sides engaged in verbal sparring with neither yielding. But today’s execution was not of just anyone—it was Qin Zhonghai, a beloved general whom Liu Angtian had valued for ten years. Even if Liu Angtian had a heart of iron and stone, he couldn’t remain unmoved, especially given his heart-to-heart relationship with Qin Zhonghai, as close as father and son. Jiang Chong, seeing his grave expression and noticing his hands trembling slightly as he spoke, was delighted and mocked endlessly.

Everyone waited for a long time, but the prisoner still hadn’t arrived. Yang Suguan coughed: “Why is it so late? Dingyuan, please go check at the street corner.” Wu Dingyuan was about to agree when Jiang Chong sneered: “Yang Suguan, ah Yang Suguan, don’t try to play tricks in front of me, you young upstart. Commander An, you accompany Commissioner Wu.”

At this time, Jiang’s faction generals had also gathered. An’dao Jing, as commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, was naturally present. He agreed and went out with Wu Dingyuan. The two came to the street corner and waited side by side for the Ministry of Justice officials.

After waiting for a while, An’dao Jing became bored. He yawned: “Commissioner Wu, congratulations.”

With a colleague about to die, Wu Dingyuan was feeling upset. Hearing this inexplicable strange remark, he couldn’t help but frown: “Congratulations for what?”

An’dao Jing laughed: “You’re really dense. After Qin Zhonghai dies, you’ll be promoted immediately! Liu’s faction only has so many people—what was ‘Literary Yang, Martial Qin’ will soon become ‘Literary Yang, Martial Wu.’ Don’t you think I should congratulate you?”

Wu Dingyuan was extremely angry and shouted: “Shameless wretch! Stop gloating over others’ misfortune!” He raised his fist as if to strike. An’dao Jing knew Wu Dingyuan’s martial arts were superb—this punch might be too much even for Zhuo Lingzhao, let alone himself, this clown. He was immediately terrified and quickly covered his face, exclaiming: “Oh my! Don’t hit me!”

After shouting twice, Wu Dingyuan, being naturally steady, wouldn’t really hit An’dao Jing. He lowered his hands and laughed awkwardly: “Alright, I’ve made the gesture—everyone knows you’re a good person. Let me tell you, don’t pretend to be a righteous gentleman all day long—it’s so tiring…” He was about to continue his rambling when his heart suddenly jumped—he saw no one beside him. Wu Dingyuan had vanished without a trace!

With a creak, the Ministry of Justice gate opened. Over ten guards filed out with swords at their waists, forming ranks on both sides. Then a large group of officials came out, half-dragging, half-carrying a heavily shackled prisoner. His expression was confused, and though dragged out, he remained unconscious. Looking at this prisoner’s complete lack of awareness, his left leg severed at the knee—who else but Qin Zhonghai?

Qin Zhonghai was thrown at the prison gate. As soon as he was put down, a terrible stench arose. All the officials smelled it and couldn’t help but cover their noses. His leg wound had become infested with maggots, festering and rotting to the bone. The waves of stench were coming from the wound.

The lead official pulled over a prisoner cart and shouted: “Be quick with your hands and feet! Lift this fellow up!” The officials grabbed his limbs to lift him. One official said miserably: “Hey! Why do I have to grab his severed leg? The smell is really unbearable!” Several officials laughed: “If you don’t carry him, you can’t expect him to crawl in by himself!”

The complaining official cursed: “Why not?” He roared and kicked at Qin Zhonghai, shouting: “Crawl! Crawl in yourself!”

How could Qin Zhonghai have any awareness? He just lay on the ground and after taking several kicks, his body didn’t move at all, as if dead.

The lead official cursed: “Stop fooling around! Lord Jiang is waiting to supervise the execution! If we miss the time, who can bear the blame? Lift him up quickly!” One official laughed: “Really, having to send people to the Meridian Gate is such a hassle. Why not execute them at the Ministry of Justice gate? Wouldn’t that be much more convenient?” The lead official shouted: “Damned fool! Are you going to lift him or not?” Everyone didn’t dare say more and reached out to grab Qin Zhonghai’s limbs, working together to lift him up.

Suddenly there was a loud “boom”—a cart by the roadside suddenly caught fire with flames shooting skyward, then spreading all around. The fire burned straight toward the Ministry of Justice gate. All the officials, seeing this situation, couldn’t help but be alarmed and shouted: “Everyone go put out the fire!” The lead official was quite experienced and immediately became alert, seeing the situation was wrong. He said sternly: “Everyone be careful—this might be someone attempting a prison break. Quickly take the prisoner back inside!” Several people agreed and were about to drag Qin Zhonghai back to the cell.

Just then, the cart exploded and shot out a fireball—a burning bamboo basket. The basket flew into the air when suddenly a strange wind blew, carrying the basket over to land right beside Qin Zhonghai, covering him. The officials, afraid of the fire, quickly jumped aside. The lead official, seeing the flames burning toward Qin Zhonghai, was alarmed: “Put out the fire quickly! Don’t let the prisoner burn to death!” By now the fire had spread, even burning the Ministry of Justice buildings. Fire erupted everywhere in chaos as officials frantically looked for water buckets and sandbags to throw on the flames.

Before long, the fire gradually died down. A charred corpse with a severed leg appeared in the fire pile.

The officials were terrified and cried: “This is terrible! This person was burned alive—what should we do?” The lead official was also horrified and quickly shouted: “Someone! Block all the surrounding streets and go report to Lord Jiang!” In an instant, all the prison officials rushed out, taking ropes to cordon off the surrounding streets, fearing someone might take advantage of the chaos to attempt a rescue.

Now, An’dao Jing, not seeing Wu Dingyuan, was first greatly shocked, then smiled coldly, thinking: “You damn idiots, go ahead and attempt your prison break—our Lord Jiang has long been waiting to catch you all in one net and make your Liu faction die without a burial place.”

An’dao Jing had followed Jiang Chong for a long time—how could he not know his superior’s thoughts? Earlier, when Jiang Chong memorialized the emperor and worked hard to obtain the collective punishment edict, it wasn’t really because he feared Liu’s faction would send someone to break prison. Instead, he hoped Liu Angtian would lose his composure and really send someone to rescue Qin Zhonghai. Once he caught evidence, Jiang Chong could strike while the iron was hot and bring down Liu Angtian in one blow—this was truly a vicious plan to remove the firewood from under the cauldron.

An’dao Jing waited for a while, knowing Wu Dingyuan had already gone far. He chuckled and ran straight toward the execution ground, shouting: “Terrible! Terrible! Something big has happened!”

At this time, various high ministers had gathered at the execution ground, waiting to supervise the execution. Minister Zhao of the Ministry of Justice was also present due to his duties. Everyone hearing An’dao Jing’s shouting was puzzled and looked up. Jiang Chong opened his eyes wide: “What’s wrong? What happened?” An’dao Jing knelt on the ground and cried: “Your subordinate was careless for a moment and that Wu Dingyuan disappeared—don’t know where he went.”

Jiang Chong was shocked: “Is this true?” An’dao Jing said loudly: “Absolutely true, no mistake—your subordinate was careless for a moment and he just… just…”

He was about to say “slipped away to break prison” when someone walked up behind An’dao Jing: “Just what?”

An’dao Jing turned back and saw the speaker frowning and looking at him—who else but Wu Dingyuan? An’dao Jing laughed dryly: “Just started singing.”

All the ministers couldn’t help but laugh loudly. Yang Suguan said awkwardly: “Commander An, Commissioner Wu went out with you and returned to the execution ground before you did, earlier than you by quite a bit. Where would he have had time to sing?” Jiang Chong, seeing his subordinate make a fool of himself, was extremely angry and shouted: “Someone! An’dao Jing spoke out of turn—slap his mouth!”

Amid slapping sounds, An’dao Jing was struck repeatedly, his cheeks immediately swelling high. The Embroidered Uniform Guard subordinates had long hated him and rarely had such a good opportunity, so they all struck with force, soon working up a sweat and feeling greatly satisfied.

While the beating was going on, a fast horse arrived. An official dismounted and knelt: “Report to my lord—a great fire suddenly broke out at the Ministry of Justice gate and the prisoner has been burned to death.” Jiang Chong was shocked and now knew something was wrong. He immediately stood up and shouted: “Someone! Go to the Ministry of Justice immediately!” He then stared fiercely at Liu Angtian and said grimly: “Marquis Liu, don’t let me find any trace of evidence, or see how you explain to His Majesty.”

Liu Angtian’s expression remained unchanged. He only picked up his tea bowl and sipped lightly without responding.

Gong sounds rang out as Grand Tutor Jiang Chong led a large group to arrive. Large numbers of Embroidered Uniform Guards gathered at the Ministry of Justice gate, packing the street so tightly that not even water could leak through. Since the situation wasn’t yet clear, An’dao Jing ordered the guards to firmly control the nearby streets—any passersby, regardless of status, were to be brought back to the yamen for questioning.

Jiang Chong angrily asked: “What is this about? Where is that prisoner surnamed Qin?” The lead official brought over the charred male corpse and whispered: “The prisoner is here, just burned black.”

Jiang Chong looked down at the corpse and saw it was completely charred with the face completely destroyed, making it difficult to identify. He asked: “How did it become like this? What exactly happened?” The official said: “Just now, something on the roadside suddenly exploded and caught fire. This burned the prisoner into charcoal.” He paused and smiled apologetically: “My lord, execution and burning to death are about the same anyway—why be so tense?” Another official said: “Yes, look at this corpse—it’s missing a leg. Who else could it be?”

Jiang Chong knew they were only trying to escape blame and immediately became furious. He slapped the man and shouted: “Bullshit! This person is extremely important—if I don’t see his head fall with my own eyes, I can’t eat in peace!” He called his subordinates and said loudly: “Search carefully for me! If there’s the slightest suspicion of a prison break, we absolutely won’t let it pass!” Everyone, seeing Jiang Chong’s terrible temper, was frightened and quickly went to work.

Jiang Chong vented his anger for a while, knowing An’dao Jing was careless and lazy while other subordinates were also unperceptive. He immediately ordered Luo Moshi to be summoned to examine the corpse. With the wisdom and talent of the former national teacher, he could surely determine this corpse’s true identity.

Everyone blocked the streets and searched repeatedly. An’dao Jing had people bring a grand tutor’s chair and set up a brazier for Jiang Chong to personally supervise and direct. After a busy period, Luo Moshi finally arrived. Jiang Chong urgently said: “Master, quickly come help me verify this corpse’s identity to see if it’s really Qin Zhonghai himself.”

Jiang Chong stood beside Luo Moshi and saw him examining the corpse repeatedly. He urged: “How is it? Is this person Qin Zhonghai?” Luo Moshi shook his head: “This person’s entire body is burned—it’s very difficult to determine identity.” Qin Zhonghai had the character “Crime” carved on his forehead and a tiger tattooed on his back—two tattoos that should be easy to identify, but with the entire body charred, it was truly difficult to find identifying marks.

Jiang Chong grunted. First, he deeply hated the Nu Cang bandits and had to identify the true body; second, he was determined to frame Liu Angtian and only wanted to find evidence to bring down this political enemy in one stroke. He instructed: “Master, look more carefully until you verify the true identity.”

Luo Moshi thought and already had a method of identification: “My lord, don’t worry. This Qin Zhonghai had his collarbone pierced—his shoulder blades must have holes. We can use this to identify him.” Jiang Chong was overjoyed: “Exactly! The master’s thinking is thorough.”

Luo Moshi said nothing more and examined the corpse’s shoulders. After careful examination, he suddenly saw holes in the shoulder blades. He immediately stood up: “Report to my lord—this corpse has pierced shoulder blades. It’s definitely Qin Zhonghai himself without doubt.” Jiang Chong made a sound and personally bent down to examine. He saw the corpse had a severed left leg, holes through the collarbones, and iron chains and debris scattered on the ground, all burned black and damaged. This statement seemed true—this corpse was definitely Qin Zhonghai. Seeing his death was so miserable, he must have suffered greatly before dying. Jiang Chong thought of Qin Baxian and Liu Jing’s fierceness and felt slightly pleased, sneering: “It seems it really is this brat. Hehe, Liu Angtian escaped disaster this time.”

An’dao Jing, standing to the side, saw Luo Moshi showing off and felt jealous. He immediately made cold, sarcastic remarks: “Master! You say this corpse is Qin Zhonghai, but why did that cart catch fire for no reason? Isn’t this too strange?” As he spoke, he looked at Jiang Chong with a flattering expression, hoping this questioning could stump Luo Moshi and gain some prestige.

Luo Moshi, hearing the question, examined the cart. He looked around and picked up an object from the ground, presenting it to Jiang Chong: “My lord is well-informed—do you know what this is?” Jiang Chong took the object and examined it closely. He heard Luo Moshi ask: “Forgive this old monk’s poor eyesight! I haven’t seen such a thing before. Do you know this object’s origin, my lord?”

Jiang Chong sighed: “This is a firecracker. Master, having been abroad for so long, naturally hasn’t seen such things.”

The object was wrapped in thick paper outside with gunpowder inside—definitely a firecracker. The case was now clear. With the New Year approaching, the cart contained firecrackers that just happened to explode when the prisoner was being brought out, also burning down buildings. It seemed the prisoner was truly burned to death—purely accidental.

Jiang Chong threw the firecracker on the ground and shook his head: “I’ve repeatedly ordered that civilians not set off firecrackers, yet someone still dared to act recklessly and caused trouble. An’dao Jing, tell me who should we question about this?”

An’dao Jing, having failed to challenge Luo Moshi and instead being outmaneuvered, quickly shifted responsibility with a smile: “My lord, don’t be angry. Tomorrow we’ll bring the Banner Guard commander and give him thirty heavy strokes as an example to others, how about that?”

Jiang Chong nodded slightly but said nothing. The weather was bitterly cold and everyone had been outdoors for a long time—their lips were already cracked from the cold. Jiang Chong accepted hot tea brought by subordinates and sipped lightly: “Regardless, killing Qin Zhonghai today is cause for celebration. This brat should have died thirty years ago—dragging it out till today was letting him off easy.” He stretched and instructed An’dao Jing: “Since there’s nothing else, I’m returning to my residence. Watch carefully and investigate other clues. If there’s anything suspicious, just report to the residence.”

Heavy snow was falling from the sky. An’dao Jing was already frozen and aching all over, wanting only to return home and burrow into warm blankets. Seeing Jiang Chong lead his entourage away, he didn’t care about the earlier instructions and immediately delegated: “Alright! Everyone listen—you search the scene carefully. This official has some business to attend to. If you find any clues, just send them to my residence.”

As soon as Jiang Chong left, An’dao Jing slipped away too. The others cursed in their hearts, but seeing all the officers gone, they didn’t care about carts, firecrackers, corpses, or charred bodies. Following the example from above, they all scattered. The huge street was left with only a few officials cleaning up equipment and organizing the scene. One person dragged the charred corpse over, cut off the head, and sent it to the Meridian Gate for public display.

Night had fallen deep. The long street was cold and desolate except for a few officials on guard—no one else. The weather was bitterly cold with heavy snow falling. Everyone carried wine gourds, taking turns drinking to keep warm.

With a soft “crack,” the inn room’s floorboard was pushed open, revealing a deep hole below. A man emerged from the hole and dragged out a large bundle. He wiped the mud from his face and breathed a long sigh, looking quite tired.

This person had a rectangular face with furrowed brows—it was Lu Yun. He placed the bundle at his feet and reached out to push open the bed board, revealing dirt piled underneath—enough to fill two large carts. Lu Yun wiped away dirty water and used his shovel to fill the hole. With his deep internal energy and quick hands and feet, he soon filled in the deep hole.

Lu Yun shouldered the large bundle and left the inn to settle his bill. The innkeeper said urgently: “Guest, many officials came to search during the day. Seeing you weren’t in your room and those officer gentlemen being fierce, I had to let them search. You didn’t lose anything, did you?” Lu Yun shook his head without answering, quickly paid the bill, and walked out of the inn.

An official on guard at the Ministry of Justice saw Lu Yun’s suspicious behavior and immediately rushed over. Before he could speak, Lu Yun had already touched his feet to the ground and flew toward the rooftops, instantly disappearing into the darkness. The official stared dumbfounded and rubbed his eyes: “Damn, am I seeing ghosts?”

Lu Yun reached Wangfu Hutong and leaped down into the sewage drainage channel. That year he and Wu Dingyuan had fled for their lives along this route—who would have thought he’d revisit this old place today, reliving the fugitive life? Lu Yun soaked in the ditch, holding the bundle over his head and slowly swimming forward.

Swimming out of the drainage channel, it was already the second watch. Lu Yun quickly shouldered the bundle and hurried to Tu’er Mountain in the suburbs. In less than half an hour, he reached a mountain cave.

Lu Yun unwrapped the bundle and lifted out a person—covered in dust with eyes tightly closed, it was Qin Zhonghai.

All of this chaos was entirely from Lu Yun’s planning. Last night after leaving the Gu residence, he went to the mass graves at Tu’er Mountain to search for corpses. With the recent chaos in the capital and thugs killing everywhere, corpses piled up like mountains—it didn’t take much effort to find a suitable body. Seeing that corpse was similar in build to Qin Zhonghai, he first burned it with fierce fire, then chopped off the foot and broke bones to make it perfect, thus enabling him to calmly switch bodies and rescue Qin Zhonghai. Though he knew desecrating civilian corpses was wrong, with Qin Zhonghai dying before his eyes, even if he were ten times more pedantic, he could only steel himself to do it.

Relying on Lu Yun’s all-night digging and tunneling, plus Wu Dingyuan’s assistance from the sidelines, they created the scene of fire and burning chaos. Without this, under countless watching eyes, even if Lu Yun had ten times more divine powers, it would have been difficult to open the tunnel and switch heaven with earth. Though he had planned for a long time beforehand, the dangerous process took less than the time of one incense stick. It was for this reason that Wu Dingyuan could come and go freely, relying on his swift body technique to travel between the Meridian Gate and Ministry of Justice in an instant—the process was seamless and made people applaud in amazement.

Lu Yun wiped away dirty water and saw the cave was furnished with many things—wine, food, everything complete. It seemed Wu Dingyuan had prepared everything according to their agreement. The rest was up to him, Lu Yun.

Lu Yun held Qin Zhonghai and, seeing him unconscious, quickly patted his cheeks and called loudly: “Zhonghai, wake up! I’m Lu Yun!” He called several times, but Qin Zhonghai remained motionless. Lu Yun, seeing his breathing was slow and fearing his life was in danger, quickly found a platform and spread blankets on it, placing Qin Zhonghai down. Knowing Qin Zhonghai loved wine like life itself, he took a bottle of wine from the cave and poured it into his mouth.

As the wine entered his throat, Qin Zhonghai’s dry, cracked lips immediately bled, but he still showed no signs of awakening. Lu Yun thought: “This won’t do—I must treat his wounds immediately.” He lit a candle and heated a sharp knife over the fire, then cut away the rotted flesh from Qin Zhonghai’s knee wound. The cutting should have been extremely painful, but Qin Zhonghai still had no awareness, like a corpse. Lu Yun shook his head and sighed, silently cleaning the wound, picking out all the rotted flesh and maggots, then taking out bandages to wrap the wound properly.

From beginning to end, Qin Zhonghai kept his eyes tightly closed, never crying out or moving even a finger.

Seeing Qin Zhonghai’s fever wouldn’t break and his breathing grew slower, Lu Yun seemed to hear Qin Zhonghai’s wild, unrestrained laughter in his ears. Thinking of the kindness between them, he immediately grasped Qin Zhonghai’s hands and shouted: “General Qin! You absolutely cannot die here! There are so many great things waiting for you to do! Wake up quickly!”

When they first met, Lu Yun was just an unsuccessful noodle vendor. At that time, Qin Zhonghai didn’t hesitate to search the capital all night just to find him to be his military advisor. Later, clearing his name and passing the imperial examination were all due to this person’s efforts. But the person before him now had a prominent “Crime” character carved on his forehead, with severed leg and pierced bones—already like a dead man. Lu Yun knew his chances were slim and couldn’t help but shed tears.

Though they had known each other only two years and weren’t called brothers, they were already close friends.

Just as he was shedding tears, he suddenly heard a groan—Qin Zhonghai seemed to be awakening. Lu Yun was overjoyed and quickly grasped Qin Zhonghai’s hands, calling: “General Qin! I’m Lu Yun!” Qin Zhonghai slowly opened his eyes. After gasping for a while, he said confusedly: “I… where am I?”

Lu Yun quickly said: “You’re at Tu’er Mountain recovering from injuries—you’re safe.” Qin Zhonghai gasped a few times and finally saw Lu Yun. He forced a bitter smile and said quietly: “Brother Lu… was it… was it you who rescued me?”

Lu Yun nodded and said gently: “Don’t ask anything—just recover from your injuries!”

Qin Zhonghai smiled slightly and gasped: “This… this old man was caught by that surnamed Jiang… thought I was dead for sure… hehe… thanks to you…” He tried to move his body but suddenly felt his leg burning with intense pain. He groaned and slowly looked down, suddenly seeing the horrible sight of his left leg severed at the knee. Qin Zhonghai cried out and wailed: “My leg! My leg!”

Lu Yun, fearing he would be heartbroken, quickly said: “Don’t think about anything—lie down quickly!” Qin Zhonghai, remembering the torture before losing consciousness, said hatefully: “Jiang Chong… you bastard… so cruel… really cut off my leg…”

He tried to raise his hand but pulled the iron chain on his shoulder, immediately crying out “Ah!” in agony—the pain piercing his heart and lungs.

Lu Yun, seeing his unbearable pain, quickly grasped his palm and said quietly: “Your fever won’t break—lie down for a while.”

Qin Zhonghai gasped for a while and steadied himself: “Wine… give me wine first…” Lu Yun took a wine bowl and handed it to him, but Qin Zhonghai had no strength and couldn’t even hold the bowl steady. His hand trembled and the bowl overturned, spilling wine all over him.

Qin Zhonghai was stunned, not knowing why he had no strength, and just stared blankly. Lu Yun didn’t dare reveal the truth and only coughed twice, pouring another bowl of wine to feed Qin Zhonghai.

When had Qin Zhonghai ever been fed by others from childhood to adulthood? He snorted and reached for the wine bowl angrily: “You… don’t treat me like a sick person… I… I’m not dead yet! Let me drink it myself!” Lu Yun didn’t dare disobey and handed the wine bowl to Qin Zhonghai.

Qin Zhonghai reached for the wine bowl and brought it to his lips when suddenly his hand lost strength and the bowl immediately overturned, spilling wine all over the ground. Qin Zhonghai was greatly shocked and said tremblingly: “What’s wrong with this?” He looked down at his shoulders and suddenly saw his collarbone had been pierced. He looked at Lu Yun in confusion and said sadly: “Collarbone… my collarbone has been pierced?”

Lu Yun’s eyes filled with tears, knowing he couldn’t hide this matter, so he could only nod. Qin Zhonghai cried out “Ah!” and shouted: “Dear God, I’ve become a cripple?”

Lu Yun sighed deeply and collapsed in despair.

Since ancient times, all sects and schools, when wanting to destroy a criminal’s martial arts, would pierce the collarbone with iron chains. Once the collarbone was pierced, no matter how great one’s internal power, it could no longer be channeled. Lu Yun understood that in the future, Qin Zhonghai would not only be unable to wield a sword, but would probably have difficulty even holding a bowl.

Qin Zhonghai was unwilling to accept this and suddenly roared, trying to stand up. Lu Yun quickly said: “You… don’t get up…” Qin Zhonghai shouted: “I’m not crippled! I’m not crippled! I, Qin Zhonghai, can still fight!” He wanted to prove he wasn’t crippled and tried to stand up. Instantly his body rolled and actually fell from the platform, crashing heavily to the ground.

Lu Yun was shocked and quickly came over: “Did… did you hurt yourself in the fall?” Qin Zhonghai roared: “Don’t come over! I… I want to get up by myself!” Lu Yun, having deep friendship with Qin Zhonghai, knew his naturally stubborn character—he was someone who would never admit defeat even if beaten to death. Hearing his shouts now, he could only step back two paces to avoid hurting his friend’s pride.

He saw Qin Zhonghai’s hands pressed against the ground, his forehead covered with sweat. He roared and tried to lift his body, but after shouting several times, his body wouldn’t move at all. Qin Zhonghai refused to give in. He shouted loudly and cried out with head raised: “I want to get up!” He screamed himself hoarse, but his body still wouldn’t move a fraction. The iron chains on his shoulders were already seeping blood, staining his clothes red. Lu Yun, seeing this tragic sight, could only turn his head away, unable to bear watching.

After a long sigh, Qin Zhonghai had collapsed to the ground, unable to get up again. He knew his martial arts were completely gone and he had become a cripple. Thinking that he would live with half his body paralyzed from now on, his face turned ashen and he couldn’t speak a word.

Lu Yun sighed: “Recovery can’t be rushed—rest for a while first!” He walked forward to lift Qin Zhonghai up.

Seeing Lu Yun approaching, Qin Zhonghai’s eyes showed a strange light. He suddenly roared and reached forward, grabbing the steel sword from Lu Yun’s waist and drawing it across his own neck. Lu Yun exclaimed: “You… don’t do this!” Fearing Qin Zhonghai would commit suicide, he quickly moved to stop him, but before his fingers even touched Qin Zhonghai’s body, there was a “clang” and the blade had already fallen to the ground.

Qin Zhonghai’s face was full of grief as he looked down at his trembling hands. Those arms that had once been like iron and steel now shook uncontrollably—he couldn’t even hold a blade steady. Lu Yun didn’t need to intervene at all; the steel sword in his hand had already fallen.

In the past, “Fire Greed One Blade” could slay dragons and tigers—who dared take its reputation lightly? Who knew it would fall to such a state today?

Qin Zhonghai’s tiger eyes filled with tears as he looked up and cried sadly: “Oh Heaven! I can’t even die… what… what am I to do in the future? Must I live my whole life like this?” His heart was grieved and he couldn’t help but burst into tears.

Lu Yun embraced him and said quietly: “Zhonghai, when mountains don’t turn, roads turn—there will eventually be a way to cure you.” These were merely words of comfort that couldn’t even deceive himself. Though he wanted to say more, his throat choked and tears fell like rain.

Outside the cave, heavy snow continued falling. Thinking of future hardships, the two embraced and wept together.

After crying for a while, Lu Yun quickly wiped away his tears and thought: “At this moment, Zhonghai has lost his senses—everything depends on me. I must pull myself together.” He stood up to lift Qin Zhonghai, but seeing his lifeless gaze and wooden expression, Lu Yun sighed quietly, not knowing how to comfort him. He didn’t dare lift him up and said softly: “Zhonghai, rest first—I’ll go cook something. After you eat, we’ll make plans.”

Watching Lu Yun leave, Qin Zhonghai’s body went limp and he collapsed on the ground like a corpse.

His cheek touched the ground and felt the icy cold. The bitter cold seemed to pierce his heart, making it hard for him to close his eyes. He wanted to get up but after struggling for a long time, his body just wouldn’t move a fraction. He wanted to call Lu Yun to help him up but couldn’t bring himself to lose face.

Qin Zhonghai stared blankly and thought: “What should I do in the future? Must I really rely on others for everything and become a cripple who can’t even walk?” He then thought of Liu Jing, Xue Nu’er and others—the Eastern Depot people had failed in this coup attempt, with some dead and others scattered. He too had been implicated and reduced to this state. Thinking of Liu Jing’s dying words, he felt even more sorrowful, and tears streamed down.

Qin Zhonghai suppressed his voice and cried quietly for a long time, thinking: “What to do… what should I do? In this condition, I couldn’t even beat a three-year-old child. Where can I go? Though the world is vast, who would dare take me in?”

He looked at Lu Yun’s distant figure, knowing he had risked his life and would surely do his utmost to care for him. Thinking of past events, Qin Zhonghai felt even more distressed and pondered: “Brother Lu is so righteous, not afraid of losing his position or his life, actually rescuing me—such a brother is impossible to find even with a lantern… But Qin Zhonghai, will you just keep dragging him down like this? Can he really take care of you for life? He’s wandering the martial world for you, not even wanting his future prospects—how can you face him? Qin Zhonghai, Qin Zhonghai, quickly think of a solution!”

With these thoughts, he couldn’t help struggling desperately, trying to make his body move even a little, but his shoulders seemed not to belong to him—no matter how passionate and grief-stricken his heart was, his body had no strength at all.

Qin Zhonghai felt desolate, knowing he had become a cripple beyond any cure. Even an ordinary person with no martial arts could beat him to death now. From today forward, there was no longer a figure called “Fire Greed One Blade” in the martial world—what remained was just a cripple.

Qin Zhonghai sighed sadly, and thinking of his tragic life story, his heart felt like it was being cut by knives. He bit his teeth and roared silently in his heart: “Damn thief Heaven! Why do you treat me like this? My parents’ hatred is unresolved, and I’m covered in blood debts. Either… don’t let me know my origins… or… let me take revenge intact. But why do you cripple my hands and feet, making me depressed for life? How cruel and unfair you are to me!”

Instantly tears fell like rain. In the haze, he seemed to see his parents whom he had never met. His heart was filled with grief and anger, and he cried out loudly: “Damn your ancestors!”

At this desperate moment, his heroic spirit was suddenly aroused. Qin Zhonghai roared wildly and pushed down hard with both hands. From somewhere, a strange strength arose and he slowly propped up his upper body.

At this moment, the pain in his shoulders kept coming, making Qin Zhonghai’s eyes roll back and nearly faint. But there was a passionate hatred in his heart, as if he wanted to vent all the grievances of these days. He immediately stretched out his head and hit the rock wall hard, then pressed against it with force, relying on the strength of his head to slowly arch his body.

Under severe pain, Qin Zhonghai drooled from the corners of his mouth, and tears mixed with fresh blood fell on his clothes. One thought roared in his mind: “Kill! I want to kill! Kill!” He reached out to grab the rock wall and gripped it tightly. Instantly he roared to the sky, fresh blood spurting from both shoulders, and finally managed to straighten his body with great difficulty.

With both shoulders pierced and his left leg severed—three of his four limbs gone—he should have been unable to move his body at all. But relying on an unyielding spirit, he endured what others couldn’t endure, and depending on the hatred deep in his heart, he finally stood up.

Lu Yun had been cooking when he heard the cry and quickly rushed in. Seeing Qin Zhonghai actually standing up, he couldn’t help but be both shocked and delighted, shouting loudly: “Zhonghai! You got up!”

Qin Zhonghai had just been critically injured and near death, but in just a short while, he could actually stand up—this couldn’t help but make Lu Yun feel mixed emotions of sorrow and joy. He quickly rushed over and supported Qin Zhonghai, his eyes full of admiration.

Qin Zhonghai leaned on Lu Yun’s shoulder and gasped: “Brother Lu, help me cut off the iron chains.”

Lu Yun said: “Your body is too weak now—you might not be able to bear it. Wait until your injuries improve.” Qin Zhonghai felt his whole body burning and his chest stuffy and nauseous. His ability to stand now depended entirely on a stubborn spirit in his chest. If he fell down now, he didn’t know if he’d have the courage to stand up again. He gritted his teeth: “My injuries are severe—how long I can live is uncertain. Do… do you want me to still be wearing this thing when I die?”

Lu Yun sighed: “Alright! Bear with it.” He took out his steel sword and struck the iron chain with all his might.

With a loud “clang,” the iron chain shook and pulled at the shoulder wound, causing Qin Zhonghai to cry out in pain, but the chain was cut in two by Lu Yun’s profound internal power. Lu Yun said with reluctance: “Zhonghai, bear with it a little longer.”

Seeing Qin Zhonghai nod, he immediately grabbed one end of the chain and pulled hard. Amid splattering fresh blood and Qin Zhonghai’s screams, he had pulled out the chain.

Qin Zhonghai’s face was covered with cold sweat and he had bitten through his teeth. He embraced Lu Yun and gasped: “Wine! Bring wine!”

Lu Yun raised a wine bowl and poured it by Qin Zhonghai’s lips. Qin Zhonghai let him feed him and swallowed the wine in large gulps.

Lu Yun, seeing he could eat and drink, was very pleased: “I’ve prepared a horse nearby. First eat something and rest a while, then I’ll take you to the countryside to recover.” Qin Zhonghai gasped: “No need to eat—time is of the essence. Let’s go now.” Lu Yun, seeing his insistence, didn’t dare oppose him and could only support Qin Zhonghai’s shoulder as they walked out of the cave.

By now there was faint light outside the cave—it was dawn. The two reached the horse and Qin Zhonghai gasped: “Help me mount.” Lu Yun reached under his foot and lifted him onto the horse’s back.

Qin Zhonghai lay on the horse and gazed into the distance. He had fought for ten years and riding was like child’s play to him, but now mounting required others’ help. Thinking of his beloved horse “Cloud Colt” whose whereabouts were unknown, he felt even more sorrowful. Qin Zhonghai sighed: “Brother Lu, hang the sword at my waist.”

Lu Yun knew Qin Zhonghai’s shoulders were crippled and he could never use a sword again, but how could he say such words? So he could only take the steel sword and tie it to Qin Zhonghai’s belt as requested. Then he took down the bundle from his back and stuffed it into the hidden bag beside the saddle, preparing to mount the horse.

Qin Zhonghai saw a corner of a bank note showing from his bundle—it was a hundred-tael note. He chuckled and said quietly: “I didn’t realize you were quite wealthy…” Lu Yun, hearing him joke, knew he had somewhat recovered his former spirit and was very happy. He immediately smiled: “I’m Prefect Lu now—how could I not have possessions?” Qin Zhonghai laughed dryly: “Just don’t let it be the people’s fat and blood.”

As they spoke, Lu Yun had straightened Qin Zhonghai and was about to mount the horse to ride together and flee. Qin Zhonghai suddenly remembered something: “Has the cave been cleaned up?” Lu Yun exclaimed in realization—there were still prisoner clothes and iron chains in the cave. If discovered, the prison break and body switching would be exposed to the world, and Liu Angtian would surely face great disaster. Lu Yun was alarmed and quickly said: “Thanks to your careful thinking—the cave still needs to be cleaned up. Wait for me a moment—I’ll go and come back.” Seeing heavy snow falling and fearing Qin Zhonghai would catch cold, he quickly took off his outer robe and put it on his shoulders.

Qin Zhonghai smiled slightly: “Brother Lu, you treat me so well.” Lu Yun laughed heartily: “Such words are too formal—if not for you, I’d still be a noodle vendor today!”

Qin Zhonghai tremblingly reached out to grasp Lu Yun’s palm: “Brother Lu, thank you.”

Lu Yun smiled slightly: “Don’t be like this. I’m so happy to have rescued you. I’ll first take you back to Shandong and we’ll plan for the future.” Qin Zhonghai nodded: “Go into the cave and clean up quickly! We need to leave at dawn.” Lu Yun said no more and immediately turned back to quickly clean up the cave.

Qin Zhonghai watched his retreating figure. He could no longer hold back his tears as they poured out. He thought: “Brother Lu, farewell. May you have smooth official fortune and success in all your wishes in the future.” Instantly he lightly pulled the reins and rode away.

Lu Yun was in the cave carefully cleaning up. He dug a pit in the ground and buried all the iron chains and prisoner clothes from Qin Zhonghai’s body, then covered it with earth. Seeing there was still considerable dry food and wine in the cave that could be taken along the road, he packed it all up. Seeing everything was clean and proper, he finally came out of the cave.

Coming out of the cave, Lu Yun was stunned and dropped everything in his hands. He saw faint hoof prints left in the snow—Qin Zhonghai had long since gone far away.

Qin Zhonghai, unwilling to burden him, had actually left on his own.

Heavy snow fell, slowly covering the hoof prints on the ground. Lu Yun, thinking of the difficulties Qin Zhonghai would face on this journey, quickly chased after him. But seeing wind and snow everywhere in white vastness, where could he find anyone? Lu Yun never gave up and only cried out in the wilderness. Many past events flew into his mind, and while running and calling, he was already weeping.

Lu Yun, full of sorrow, searched everywhere but couldn’t find any trace of Qin Zhonghai. He could only silently return to the capital.

Passing through the south of the city, it was already afternoon. Lu Yun found an inn to sit down and only then remembered Gu Qianxi’s appointment with him the night before. He sighed and thought: “Qianxi arranged to meet me at the southern pavilion the night before, but I broke the appointment. Sigh… she must be furious. Maybe we’re finished. The appointment was set for yesterday at noon—by now it’s been a day and night. Qianxi must have left long ago.” Seeing the pavilion was not far away, Lu Yun finished his lunch and went to take a look on his way.

He walked to the vicinity of the pavilion and saw thick snow had accumulated on the ground, with withered trees now white-headed. Not seeing any trace of Gu Qianxi, he sat in the pavilion to admire the snow. At this moment, most of the rebels had been executed and the capital’s defenses had relaxed slightly. In the distance, many visitors were already appearing. Lu Yun saw them in pairs skating freely on the frozen lake, with laughter constantly carrying over. Thinking of last night’s dangers compared to today’s scene, he felt as if it were another lifetime.

Lu Yun thought that his risky actions this time must have broken Gu Qianxi’s heart, but with the situation as it was, he couldn’t just watch someone die without helping. Actually, his ability to safely rescue Qin Zhonghai last night was half due to his own planning and half due to Wu Dingyuan’s assistance. Without Wu Dingyuan’s sense of righteousness and trust in him, and without the agile skills of a Tianshan disciple, this rescue would have had no chance at all. Then there was luck—if those officials had placed Qin Zhonghai far from the tunnel entrance he had dug, there would have been nothing he could do. All in all, timing, location, and people all came together, which is how he successfully rescued the person.

Lu Yun thought of Qin Zhonghai’s completely ruined martial arts and half-dead wandering in the martial world, truly not knowing if he could see this person again in this lifetime. His heart was again filled with sorrow and he couldn’t help but shed tears.

Just then, someone placed a hand on his shoulder and said gently: “Lu Lang, why are you so sad?” Lu Yun turned back and saw a young woman staring at him—it was Gu Qianxi. She wore a fur coat, her face was pale, and her lips were cracked from cold. From her appearance, she had actually been waiting in the snow for a day and night.

Lu Yun said tremblingly: “Qianxi, you… you’ve been waiting for me all this time?” Seeing Gu Qianxi slowly nod, Lu Yun was moved and embraced her, crying loudly: “Qianxi… I… I’m sorry!”

Gu Qianxi leaned against his chest and said softly: “If you wanted to do something foolish, I couldn’t dissuade you, nor should I have. But if you didn’t come back, I… I could only keep waiting.” Having waited in the harsh winter for a day and night, her spirit was already exhausted. After saying these words, she fainted in Lu Yun’s arms.

Lu Yun wept like rain, holding her tightly and thinking: “Lu Yun, oh Lu Yun, the kindness you owe her is truly countless!” In the winter ice and snow, with so much heartbreak and helplessness, Lu Yun carried Gu Qianxi back to the residence, his heart as if possessed.

At the Ministry of Justice gate in the deep of night at the fourth watch, two officials yawned. One made an “ah” sound as tears squeezed out from the corners of his eyes. He grumbled: “What the hell are they doing, making us take shifts and guard in the middle of the night? It’s completely inexplicable.”

Standing beside him was another official who looked quite young. He said: “Old Cai, say less and drink more wine.” He handed over a wine gourd and let the Cai-surnamed official take a drink.

The Cai-surnamed official wiped the wine from the corners of his mouth and cursed: “Really inexplicable. Just because a prisoner was burned to death, they make such a big fuss and even set up shift guards. It’s worse than dogs… Little Liao, tell me, can we still live decent lives in the future?” The young official didn’t pay attention to him and just hummed a response while jumping up and down to exercise his muscles.

Old Cai complained bitterly: “What are you jumping for? Go home and jump on your girl—don’t annoy people here!”

The young official laughed: “It’s so cold—I don’t want to get frostbite.” He moved his hands and feet and jumped even more vigorously. The Cai-surnamed official spat and raised his wine gourd to drink by himself without saying more.

Suddenly the young official stopped as if he had seen something strange, his expression very peculiar. The Cai-surnamed official laughed: “Finally stopped? Did you twist your foot?” The young official looked down at his feet as if pondering something, then jumped forcefully again. The Cai-surnamed official, seeing his strange behavior, immediately cursed: “Living corpse! Guarding with you in the middle of the night—damn my bad luck.”

Suddenly the young official crouched down to examine the ground carefully. After looking for a while, he said tremblingly: “Old Cai, the floorboard is bouncing.” The Cai-surnamed official was too lazy to pay attention and just cursed faintly: “Bounce your mother’s big head.”

But the young official didn’t give up. He brushed away the accumulated snow and dirt and started digging down. In an instant, a wooden board was revealed underground. The young official, seeing this strange thing, said tremblingly: “What is this? How can there be a wooden board?”

The Cai-surnamed official looked down and immediately gasped. He pushed the young official aside and lay on the ground, gently tapping the wooden board. He tapped and listened, then suddenly laughed heartily: “We’ve made it! We’ve made it! Now we’ve really made it!” The young official was startled: “Made what? What’s happening?”

The Cai-surnamed official ignored him and lifted the wooden board himself. Instantly he saw a tunnel below. He laughed so hard he fell backward as if he had seen the most delightful thing in the world. The young official, not understanding, frowned: “It’s just a passage—what are you laughing about?”

The Cai-surnamed official laughed: “You idiot, wasn’t there a major criminal burned to death a couple days ago? Don’t you remember?” The young official was both shocked and delighted, finally understanding the situation. He said tremblingly: “You mean… someone took the person away from here?”

The Cai-surnamed official laughed: “You’re stupid but not completely dumb. If we report this matter upward, Lord Jiang has been paying attention to this matter these days. See if we don’t get promoted and rich immediately!” He laughed heartily. The young official was also beside himself with joy, rubbing his hands and giggling, truly delighted to his core.

Just as the two were rejoicing, they suddenly heard a voice sigh: “Sigh… I really don’t want to kill people during New Year…”

The Cai-surnamed official, hearing this voice appear suddenly with no prior trace, couldn’t help but be alarmed. Just as he was about to turn and question, his throat went cold and he could no longer make a sound. His hands and feet convulsed briefly and he died.

The young official, seeing his companion suddenly killed, was immediately filled with terror. He barely turned his head and saw a handsome young man standing behind him. He wore a pale yellow shirt with a token hanging at his waist—a noble young master had arrived.

The young official knew he was about to die. His hands waved repeatedly as he knelt on the ground crying: “I beg you not to kill me… don’t kill me… I don’t know anything…”

The noble young master sighed to the heavens and shook his head: “I’m sorry. I’ll take care of your family and children.” Instantly his long sword flashed out and dispatched the man.

The noble young master sheathed his sword and kicked both corpses into the tunnel, then covered it with the wooden board and dirt to conceal the appearance. From beginning to end, his movements were extremely efficient without the slightest hesitation.

Stars twinkled across the sky. The noble young master gazed up at the vast Milky Way and said softly: “In this world, only you and I are true heroes… Zhonghai, oh Zhonghai, you must make a comeback—don’t disappoint my intentions…”