Chapter 36: Shadow Under the Sun

Upon the official road of Lo City, Yun Yang sat astride his horse, patiently awaiting the arrival of the Jie Fan Wei from the great camp at Meng Jin. An hour's ride was all it would take. With Jiao Tu wielding the King's Decree flag and token, none should dare to defy the imperial command.

Behind him, more than a dozen agents of the Secret Service stood mounted, their silence as profound as ancient reefs amidst the ceaseless flow of humanity on the thoroughfare. Dressed in somber black, they were like solid rock against the river of foot traffic, causing people to part and skirt around them. The reputations of the Secret Service and the Ministry of Criminal Affairs were fearsome indeed; ordinary folk would not dare to provoke them.

At that moment, the distant thrumming of hooves reached their ears, growing from a faint murmur to a rushing thunder. And behold, Jiao Tu, clad in black, led the vanguard, followed by five hundred Jie Fan Wei in tight formation, raising a billowing cloud of dust in their wake. The Jie Fan Wei were cloaked in rain capes, their heads sheltered by bamboo hats. Long sabers were slung across their backs, secured behind their saddles, and black cloths obscured their mouths and noses. They advanced with the solemnity of dragons on the move.

"Excellent, excellent, they’ve brought the entire camp!" Yun Yang chuckled softly, urging his horse forward to meet them. His laughter held the confidence of one who held the winning hand.

Yet, as the two groups converged, a shadow fell across Yun Yang's face. He frowned, his gaze fixing on Lin Chao Qing amidst the approaching throng. "Commander Lin," he demanded, "why have you come?"

Lin Chao Qing's voice was low and stern. "This official is the Commander of the Ministry of Criminal Affairs. You have mobilized the Jie Fan Wei without just cause; I must naturally inquire. I demand to know the reason for this mobilization. Though the King's Decree flag and token are potent, their improper use carries grave consequences."

Yun Yang rode his horse until he was but two feet from Lin Chao Qing, their gazes locking in a sharp confrontation. "This matter has already been reported to the Inner Minister. With the King's Decree in hand, there is no need to inform your esteemed office. Furthermore, I must guard against the possibility of collusion with external enemies among your ranks. Should news leak, the responsibility will be yours to bear."

Lin Chao Qing surveyed their surroundings, his gaze beneath the bamboo hat like tempered steel, sweeping across the agents of the Secret Service. "That masked young man? Is this his decision?"

"What is the meaning of this?" Yun Yang's brow furrowed. "Since when does our Secret Service require the counsel of a mere fledgling falcon?"

Lin Chao Qing chuckled softly. "Should this venture invite catastrophe, none shall come to your aid. Let us go; I shall witness precisely what you intend to do."

"Ha ha, Lin Chao Qing! Just wait until Jiao Tu and I have achieved great merit this day; then you shall truly envy us!" With a flick of the reins, Yun Yang spurred his horse forward, leading the five hundred riders straight towards North Mang Mountain.

Along the way, Lin Chao Qing observed their direction of attack, his heart growing increasingly alarmed. It was not until the tomb garden on the distant mountain became vaguely discernible that he finally cried out, "You intend to go to the Liu family's ancestral grave?!"

Yun Yang's laughter rang out. "Jiao Tu and I have investigated, and within the tomb of Elder Liu, there is only an empty coffin! The Liu family, who but days ago petitioned His Majesty for a posthumous honor for the Elder, have now committed the crime of deceiving the monarch! Now, let none leave this place! Any who do shall be treated as leaking secrets!"

The five hundred riders charged up North Mang Mountain. At the Liu family's ancestral grave, more than a hundred tomb guardians blocked their path, with long wooden barricades erected before the entrance.

One of the guardians bellowed at Yun Yang, "This is the ancestral grave of the Liu family, where successive Grand Councilors are laid to rest! There are also twelve imperial-granted arches of loyalty and filial piety! How dare you trespass upon this sacred ground?"

Yun Yang paid them no heed, merely roaring a single command. "Follow me and trample North Mang Mountain! Merit awaits! Those who obstruct shall be killed without mercy!"

He was the first to charge forth, urging his horse to leap, clearing the wooden barricades entirely.

Among the Liu family guards, one sprang into the air, saber raised to strike. However, Lin Chao Qing, positioned behind Yun Yang, drew his long saber. With a casual flick of the scabbard, it flew like a shuttle, swift as lightning, striking the airborne Liu family martial practitioner and sending him tumbling.

The Jie Fan Wei followed suit, urging their horses across the barricades. The cavalry charged back and forth, scattering the Liu family defenders, bodies falling and horses stumbling. This layer of defense, before the might of the Jie Fan Wei, was like paper, easily pierced.

In a blink, Yun Yang had reached the tomb of Elder Liu. He pointed towards the stone door at the entrance. "Jie Fan Wei, break the tomb, open the coffin, and verify the corpse!"

Just then, a familiar voice called out from a distance. "Master Yun Yang, are you aware of the consequences of your actions?"

Yun Yang turned to see Liu Ming Xian, still clad in mourning clothes, slowly pushing his way through the crowd. Behind him followed more than ten individuals, their eyes blazing with hostility, ready to kill at a single command.

Jiao Tu murmured in a low voice, "They are officials raised by the Liu family."

"No matter how fierce these officials, a single person cannot breach a military formation, unless those few come forth!" Yun Yang dismissed them with a wave of his hand. "Liu Ming Xian, your family's Elder is clearly not dead; you may remove those mourning clothes! Men, break the tomb!"

Liu Ming Xian roared with fury. "Who dares?!"

"Not you!"

The Jie Fan Wei were the elite of the inner court. They knew only to obey commands, regardless of whether you were the Prefect of Lo City or a Capital Inspector. None of it mattered.

In the next instant, the Jie Fan Wei dismounted, sabers drawn, and charged forth, completely scattering the Liu family's people, pressing forward to the tomb of Elder Liu!

Jiao Tu snatched a long saber from a nearby Secret Service agent and declared coldly, "Make way!"

The Jie Fan Wei team, precise and orderly, cleared a path for her. She strode forward, dragging the saber to the front of the tomb, and brought it down with a single strike!

Boom!

With one strike, the stone-built tomb was rent in two and collapsed, exposing the coffin within.

Yun Yang strode forward, standing before the coffin, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Liu Ming Xian, let us see how you still argue!"

Saying this, he exerted force and lifted the lid of the coffin!

The world fell silent. All who had been fighting stopped their movements, staring blankly... They had actually opened the coffin!

It was said that once one entered the coffin, they could not see the sky or touch the earth, lest their soul wander between heaven and earth, never to be reborn!

But Elder Liu, who had served in the Grand Council for over ten years, had his coffin lid lifted after death!

"Liu Ming Xian," Yun Yang said, "what do you have to say now?"

Jiao Tu, standing beside him, peered into the coffin, her voice laced with surprise. "How can this be?"

Yun Yang turned his head to look, and was instantly stunned. He saw Elder Liu peacefully lying within the coffin.

Liu Ming Xian suddenly burst into tears, falling to his knees on the ground. "Grandfather, your grandson is unfilial! He has allowed the eunuch party to commit such a heinous act! Unfilial grandson, ah, this grandson deserves to die!"

Yun Yang stared blankly at Jiao Tu. "You didn't say..."

Jiao Tu was also stunned. "When I investigated that day, there was indeed no one inside!"

Yun Yang staggered back a step.

How could this be?

The coffin should have been empty, Elder Liu should have been alive. How could he suddenly appear in the coffin?!

How could this be?!

Liu Ming Xian, his eyes red with weeping, glared at Lin Chao Qing, his voice ferocious. "Lin Chao Qing, is this how your Ministry of Criminal Affairs conducts its affairs? Allowing the Secret Service to persecute meritorious officials?!"

Lin Chao Qing's face was ashen as he looked at Yun Yang and Jiao Tu. "Is this what you intended to do? Men, apprehend these two and escort them to the capital to await disposition!"

Yun Yang suddenly raised a hand. "Wait!"

With that, he moved to touch Elder Liu's body, but before his hand could reach, a figure behind Liu Ming Xian suddenly attacked, kicking him away. "Still want to disturb the Elder's peace? You seek death!"

The strength of this person was far greater than had been previously shown!

Jiao Tu saw Yun Yang suffer a loss and charged forward, saber in hand.

Unexpectedly, another person behind Liu Ming Xian stepped forward to meet her. The two clashed before the coffin and then separated. This time, it was Jiao Tu who was sent flying, landing heavily on the ground.

When Jiao Tu struggled to her feet, she angrily raised her hand, ready to unleash her full killing intent by cutting open her forehead.

However, she heard Yun Yang shout, "Jiao Tu, don't! You cannot expose your cultivation path!"

Jiao Tu stared coldly at Yun Yang. "Perhaps we cannot win, but we can kill our way out, conceal our names and identities."

"With five hundred Jie Fan Wei here, we cannot win," Yun Yang shook his head, his voice dispirited. "Even if we hide our names, where would we find refuge? Let us return to the capital and see the Inner Minister."

Lin Chao Qing mounted his horse. "Take them away!"

Liu Ming Xian, his eyes red and teeth clenched, spat out, "Just like this? I want these two to accompany my grandfather in death!"

Lin Chao Qing gave a cold laugh. "Matters within my office are not for you to decide. The Inner Minister will grant you justice, but until he speaks, none shall touch them."

Saying this, Lin Chao Qing escorted Yun Yang and Jiao Tu away.

On the mountain road of North Mang Mountain, Yun Yang stared blankly at Lo City. When they had come, they held the King's Decree and token, glorious agents of the Secret Service, the Twelve Zodiacs. Now, they departed as prisoners.

The disaster they had stirred was too great, likely beyond even the Inner Minister's ability to cover up.

Yun Yang looked at the Jie Fan Wei beside him, impatiently saying, "You needn't always grab me; I cannot run. Stand aside and let us two talk."

The Jie Fan Wei glanced at him, ultimately still in awe of the other party's fearsome reputation, and silently retreated several steps, only surrounding them from front and back as they headed down the mountain.

Jiao Tu saw the situation and moved closer to Yun Yang, asking in a low voice, "Exactly how did this happen? Did the Liu family receive news in advance, knowing we would open the coffin to verify the corpse? But this Elder Liu couldn't have died just like that. Could it be that I saw wrongly that day... wait, could it be Chen Ji who passed the message to the Liu family?"

Yun Yang suddenly frowned. He subconsciously looked around, wanting to see if Chen Ji was there.

He had always felt that the little apprentice was watching him from the shadows.

Yun Yang knew he would not die; the Inner Minister still needed him to kill people. But if this matter was truly Chen Ji's doing, when he returned to the Secret Service, he would likely be completely dominated.

He hesitated for a moment. "Chen Ji does not know that we intended to open the coffin and verify the corpse today. If he could even guess this, then he is truly too formidable."

"He is indeed very formidable," Jiao Tu stated frankly.

Yun Yang was unwilling to admit that he had not only failed to use others to achieve his goals but had also been trapped by the other party and cast into prison. "He should be preoccupied at this time. After losing her son, Quiet Consort has also lost the nephew she watched grow up. She has become somewhat irrational and will surely retaliate against him."

Jiao Tu, though being escorted, her tone relaxed once more. She lowered her voice. "Regardless of who leaked the message, we must find someone to seek out Chen Ji and have him find a way to save us! We'll give him money!"

Yun Yang was silent for a moment. "But we are being watched by Lin Chao Qing. Where are we to find someone to go?"

"Also..."

Yun Yang suddenly said, "I have an inside line within the Liu family. Perhaps I will soon know who passed the message."

After the two were escorted down the mountain by the Jie Fan Wei, Liu Ming Xian stopped crying. He stood up calmly from beside the coffin, wiped away his tears, and said in a calm tone, "Investigate immediately. Who among us passed the message?"

"It is said that a letter suddenly appeared inside the residence. The guards did not notice who placed it there."

Liu Ming Xian frowned. "Someone can quietly enter the inner residence? What are the experts I have nurtured doing? When can you recruit some true experts for me?"

Silence surrounded them; no one dared to respond.

Liu Ming Xian took a deep breath. "There are truly powerful figures hidden in the shadows we are unaware of, yet they can still sneak into my inner residence. Even if it is difficult, we must investigate!"

……

……

Chen Ji walked slowly along the long street, keeping to the shadows beneath the eaves. People flowed endlessly beside him, yet he seemed detached from this world.

Autumn leaves covered the streets, a picture of desolation.

This was not the Lo City Chen Ji had imagined. It was far more cruel than he had envisioned. If you did not kill others, others would kill you.

When he had first arrived, he had to be meticulous in everything he did, afraid of doing something wrong or saying something incorrect.

And now, he had learned how to navigate this world.

Though there was no grand life, it did not matter.

Wu Yun poked a furry head from his embrace. "Chen Ji, there's roast chicken over there. Buy me a roast chicken."

Chen Ji chuckled. "Alright, you have again achieved great merit today. You can eat whatever you like, and sleeping on my head is also perfectly reasonable."

At this moment, playful voices came from behind them. Chen Ji turned his head and saw several dozen people riding tall horses, entering from the sunlight with joyful expressions.

Someone called out loudly, "It is the Prince returning! The Prince and the two County Lords have returned from East Forest Academy!"

And behold, a young man wearing white mink fur sat upon a horse. Liang Dog Er, who had once chopped Lin Chao Qing's bamboo hat that night, was now fawningly leading the reins for him, while Liang Mao Er, holding that long saber, followed with a bitter expression.

Five or six women rode white horses behind, whispering and occasionally bursting into laughter.

As this equestrian team approached, Chen Ji suddenly saw two figures urging their horses forward from behind the crowd. They were his two direct brothers from the Chen family.

The two rode their horses parallel to the Prince, one of them laughing and teasing. "Prince, my younger brother and I returned to Lo City a few days ago. You left the academy earlier than us, yet you are only returning today. Where have you been playing?"

The Prince laughed. "Returning to Lo City means being watched by the old master, of course it's better to return a little later!"

Wu Yun quietly asked in his embrace, "Chen Ji, who are they?"

"It's not important."

As he spoke, the crowd passed by where he stood beneath the eaves. No one spared him a second glance.

The brilliant noon light shone upon their white horses and brocade robes. They were full of youthful spirit, and the sunlight was just right.

While Chen Ji stood in the shadows beneath the eaves, within those shadows were only the teenager and the cat.

……

……

First Volume, Prologue (Complete)