Chapter 36: Shadows Under the Sunlight (End of Prologue)

On the official highway of Luocheng, Yun Yang sat atop his horse waiting. It would take only an hour for the Jiefan Guards to arrive from the Mengjin camp; since Jiaotu held the Royal Command Flag, no one would dare defy her orders.

Behind him, more than ten secret agents stood mounted, silent and motionless.

Clad in black, these agents stood like steadfast reefs in a river; the flow of people on the highway was like a current, parting to the sides whenever they encountered them.

The fearsome reputations of the Secret Intelligence Bureau and the Main Punishment Bureau were not things commoners dared to provoke.

At that moment, the sound of galloping hooves drifted from the distance, growing closer and louder like rolling thunder.

Jiaotu appeared in black attire, leading the charge on horseback, followed closely by five hundred Jiefan Guards, kicking up a vast cloud of dust.

The Jiefan Guards wore straw raincoats and bamboo hats, with long sabers strapped horizontally across their saddles behind their waists. Their faces were masked with black cloth, exuding a murderous, dragon-like aura.

"Good, good, good! You've brought the entire camp!" Yun Yang chuckled as he spurred his horse forward to meet them, his laughter filled with the joy of a man holding a winning hand.

However, once the two sides converged, Yun Yang’s face darkened.

He frowned and looked at Lin Zhaoqing amidst the crowd: "Commander Lin, why are you here as well?"

Lin Zhaoqing said in a heavy voice, "As the Commander of the Main Punishment Bureau, I naturally come to inquire when you mobilize the Jiefan Guards without cause. I need to know what you intend to do with them. The Royal Command Flag is useful, but if misused, the consequences are grave."

Yun Yang rode up to Lin Zhaoqing, the two men facing each other at a distance of barely two feet: "This matter has already been reported to the Grand Secretary. With the Royal Command Flag in hand, there is no need to inform you. Furthermore, I must guard against collusion with foreign enemies among your ranks. If news leaks, you will not be able to bear the responsibility."

Lin Zhaoqing scanned the surroundings, his gaze beneath the bamboo hat cutting through the agents like a knife: "And what of that masked boy? Was this his decision?"

"What do you mean?" Yun Yang frowned. "Why would my Secret Intelligence Bureau need a mere falcon to make decisions?"

Lin Zhaoqing let out a cold snort. "If a catastrophe occurs this time, no one will be there to turn the tide for you. Move on; let me see what you intend to do."

"Haha, Lin Zhaoqing, once Jiaotu and I have achieved this great merit, you will be green with envy!" Yun Yang nudged his horse, leading the five hundred riders straight toward Mount Beimang.

Along the way, Lin Zhaoqing watched their direction of travel, his heart growing more unsettled with every step. It wasn't until he caught a glimpse of the necropolis on the distant mountain that he couldn't help but ask: "Are you going to the Liu family ancestral graves?!"

Yun Yang laughed loudly. "Jiaotu and I have discovered that Old Master Liu's tomb contains nothing but an empty coffin. The Liu family recently petitioned His Majesty to grant Old Master Liu a posthumous title—they have committed the crime of deceiving the Emperor! Now, no one is permitted to leave, or they shall be treated as leakers of state secrets!"

The five hundred riders charged up Mount Beimang. Over a hundred tomb guards from the Liu family blocked the path, with long wooden chevaux de frise placed before the entrance.

Someone shouted at Yun Yang: "This is the Liu family ancestral grave! Generations of Grand Secretaries rest in peace here, and there are twelve imperial-bestowed arches of loyalty and filial piety. How dare you trespass?"

Yun Yang ignored them entirely, letting out a thunderous roar: "Follow me! We trample Mount Beimang! Our merit is earned now! Kill anyone who stands in our way!"

He led the charge, leaping his horse over even the wooden barricades.

Among the Liu family defenders, one man leaped into the air, swinging his blade in a downward strike.

However, behind Yun Yang, Lin Zhaoqing’s long saber left its sheath. With a casual toss of the scabbard, the object flew like a shuttle of lightning, knocking the Liu family martial artist out of the air.

One by one, the Jiefan Guards spurred their horses over the obstacles. The cavalry clashed back and forth, sending the Liu family members tumbling in chaos.

Before the Jiefan Guards, this line of defense was as fragile as a sheet of paper, easily pierced.

In the blink of an eye, Yun Yang had reached Old Master Liu's tomb. He pointed at the stone doors and commanded: "Jiefan Guards, break the tomb, open the coffin, and inspect the corpse!"

But at that moment, a familiar voice drifted from the distance: "Lord Yun Yang, do you know what the consequences will be after doing this?"

Yun Yang looked over to see Liu Mingxian, still dressed in mourning white, slowly parting the crowd.

Behind him, a dozen men stood watchfully, waiting only for a single command to strike.

Jiaotu whispered, "They are the professional enforcers raised by the Liu family."

"No matter how skilled an enforcer is, one man cannot break a military formation unless those few arrive!" Yun Yang dismissed the concern. "Liu Mingxian, your old master is clearly not dead. You can take off those mourning clothes! Men, break the tomb!"

Liu Mingxian roared, "I'd like to see who dares!"

"It is not up to you!"

The Jiefan Guards were the elite of the Inner Court; they only knew how to follow orders. Whether you were a Luocheng Prefect or a Capital Prefect was irrelevant.

In the next instant, the Jiefan Guards leaped from their horses, charging forward with blades drawn. They completely scattered the Liu family members and reached Old Master Liu's tomb!

Jiaotu snatched a long saber from a nearby agent and said coldly, "Move!"

The Jiefan Guard formation parted in perfect unison to create a path for her, allowing her to advance to the tomb with her blade trailing behind, before bringing it down in a heavy strike!

*Boom!*

With a single blow, the stone tomb split in two and collapsed, revealing the coffin inside.

Yun Yang strode forward, standing before the coffin with a sneer: "Liu Mingxian, let's see how stubborn you remain!"

With that, he lunged to heave open the lid!

The world went silent. Everyone engaged in the slaughter stopped their movements, staring blankly... the coffin had truly been opened!

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

Yet Old Master Liu, who had served as a Grand Secretary for over a decade, had had his coffin lid ripped open after death!

Yun Yang demanded, "Liu Mingxian, what more do you have to say?"

Beside him, Jiaotu looked into the coffin and cried out in shock, "What is happening?!"

Yun Yang turned to look and froze. He saw, with startling clarity, that Old Master Liu was lying there, resting peacefully within the coffin.

Liu Mingxian immediately burst into tears, collapsing to the ground: "Grandfather, your grandson is unfilial! To let the eunuch faction commit such a disaster! I am unfilial! I deserve to die!"

Yun Yang stared blankly at Jiaotu: "Didn't you say..."

Jiaotu was also stunned: "When we scouted that day, there was indeed no one inside!"

Yun Yang took a step back.

How could this be?

The coffin should have been empty; Old Master Liu should have been alive. How could he be inside the coffin!

How could this be?!

With bloodshot eyes, Liu Mingxian looked at Lin Zhaoqing and snarled, "Lin Zhaoqing, is this how your Main Punishment Bureau operates? Allowing the Secret Intelligence Bureau to persecute meritorious officials!?"

Lin Zhaoqing looked at Yun Yang and Jiaotu with a face of iron: "Is this what you intended to do? Men, seize them both and escort them to the capital to await judgment!"

Yun Yang suddenly raised a hand: "Wait!"

He moved to touch Old Master Liu's body, but before he could, a man behind Liu Mingxian lunged forward, kicking him away: "You dare disturb the Old Master's peace? You seek death!"

This man's strength was far greater than he had previously displayed!

Seeing Yun Yang being overpowered, Jiaotu charged with her blade.

Another man rose from behind Liu Mingxian to meet her. They clashed briefly in front of the coffin, and this time, Jiaotu was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground.

When Jiaotu scrambled back up, she raised her hand in fury, intending to slit her own brow and begin a massacre.

However, she heard Yun Yang shout: "Jiaotu, don't! Do not expose your cultivation path!"

Jiaotu looked coldly at Yun Yang: "It's not that we can't win. We break out and go into hiding."

"We have five hundred Jiefan Guards here; we can't win," Yun Yang shook his head dejectedly. "Even if we go into hiding, where would we find a place to live? Let's return to the capital and see the Grand Secretary."

Lin Zhaoqing mounted his horse: "Escort them away!"

Liu Mingxian, eyes red with rage, hissed through gritted teeth: "You're just leaving like this? I want these two to be buried with my grandfather!"

Lin Zhaoqing let out a cold snort. "Since when does the Ritual Bureau take orders from you? The Grand Secretary will give you justice, but until he speaks, no one can touch them."

With that, Lin Zhaoqing escorted Yun Yang and Jiaotu away.

On the mountain paths of Mount Beimang, Yun Yang gazed blankly toward Luocheng. When they arrived, they held the Royal Command Flag, the glorious Zodiacs of the Secret Intelligence Bureau; now, they were prisoners.

The trouble they had caused was too great; even the Grand Secretary might not be able to cover for them.

Yun Yang looked at the Jiefan Guards beside him and said impatiently, "No need to keep clutching me, I'm not running. Step aside and let us talk."

The Jiefan Guards glanced at him, but ultimately intimidated by their fearsome reputation, they silently stepped back, merely flanking him and Jiaotu as they descended the mountain.

Seeing this, Jiaotu leaned toward Yun Yang and whispered, "What exactly happened? Did the Liu family get word in advance that we would open the coffin? But Old Master Liu couldn't have just died... wait, could Chen Ji have passed the message to the Liu family?"

Yun Yang suddenly frowned, instinctively scanning the surroundings to see if Chen Ji was there.

He always felt as though that young apprentice was watching him from the shadows.

Yun Yang knew he wouldn't die—the Grand Secretary still needed him to kill—but if this truly was Chen Ji's doing, he would likely be walking on eggshells once he returned to the Bureau.

He hesitated slightly: "Chen Ji didn't know we were opening the coffin today. If he could even guess that, he is far too formidable."

"He is indeed very formidable," Jiaotu said candidly.

Yun Yang was unwilling to admit that instead of using a knife to kill someone else, he had been tricked into prison: "He should be preoccupied with his own troubles right now. After losing her son, Consort Jing has lost her nephew whom she raised since childhood; she is losing her mind and will surely seek revenge on him."

Being escorted, Jiaotu's tone became lighter. She lowered her voice: "Setting aside who leaked the news, we need to find someone to seek out Chen Ji and have him find a way to save us! Give him money!"

Yun Yang fell silent for a moment: "But we are being watched by Lin Zhaoqing. Where are we going to find someone!"

"True..."

Yun Yang suddenly said, "I have an informant planted in the Liu family. Perhaps I will soon know who passed the message."

Once the two were escorted down the mountain by the Jiefan Guards, Liu Mingxian stopped his weeping. He stood up calmly from beside the coffin, wiped his tears, and said in a steady voice, "Investigate. Who passed the message to us?"

"They said a letter suddenly appeared in the room; the guards didn't even notice who put it there."

Liu Mingxian frowned. "Someone can enter the inner residence without a sound? What are those experts I raised even for? When will you finally recruit some truly capable masters for me?"

The surroundings were deathly silent; no one dared to answer.

Liu Mingxian took a deep breath. "To think a Great Enforcer is hiding in the shadows, capable of infiltrating my inner residence... whether it is difficult or not, we must investigate!"

...

...

Chen Ji walked slowly along the long street, moving through the shadows beneath the eaves. The flow of people surged past him, yet he seemed entirely disconnected from the world.

Autumn leaves fell, carpeting the streets in a desolate layer.

This was not the Luocheng he had imagined; it was more cruel than he had expected. If you do not kill, people will kill you.

When he first arrived, he had been cautious in everything he did, fearing he might say or do something wrong.

But now, he had learned how to deal with this world.

Though his life was not glamorous, it didn't matter.

A furry head poked out from his robes. "Chen Ji, there is roasted chicken over there. Buy me a roasted chicken."

Chen Ji smiled. "Fine. You've done a great job again today, so you can eat whatever you want. It's only reasonable for you to sleep on my head, too."

Just then, the sound of merriment came from behind them. Chen Ji turned to see dozens of people riding tall horses, approaching joyfully from the sunlight.

Someone shouted, "The Heir is back! The Heir and the two Princesses have returned from the Donglin Academy!"

A young man in a white sable cloak sat atop a horse. Liang Gou'er, who had once struck Lin Zhaoqing's bamboo hat in the night, was now leading the horse with a fawning expression, while Liang Mao'er followed behind, clutching a long saber with a look of misery.

Five or six women followed on white horses, whispering and occasionally breaking into laughter.

As the procession drew near, Chen Ji suddenly saw two more riders approaching from the back of the crowd—they were his two legitimate elder brothers from the Chen family.

The two rode alongside the Heir. One of them teased with a smile, "Heir, my brother and I returned to Luocheng several days ago. You left the academy even earlier than us; why are you only returning today? Where have you been playing?"

The Heir laughed loudly. "Returning to Luocheng means being watched by the Old Man. Of course, it's better to return late!"

Wuyun whispered from his arms, "Chen Ji, who are they?"

"It doesn't matter."

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

The brilliant midday light shone upon their white horses and brocade robes; they were high-spirited, and the sun was perfect.

But Chen Ji stood in the shadows beneath the eaves, where there was only a boy and a cat.

...

...

Volume One, Prologue (End)