Chapter 17: The Office of the Chief Punisher

The galloping steeds and men in black through the night were like characters from a storyteller's tale—wanderers of the martial world who never return home.

At that moment, a crow flapped its wings and landed on the roof of a tavern ahead of them. It stood motionless on the eaves, watching Chen Ji and Yun Yang gallop past, as if it were itself a roof beast carved into the corner of the building.

Under the moonlight, the crow's feathers shimmered with a luster like a veil of silver, tranquil and mysterious.

*Huh, a crow?*

Chen Ji looked back at the eaves, only to find the crow had already taken flight, disappearing into the unknown.

He was certain he had seen this crow before in the backyard of the medical clinic; the way it had scrutinized him felt like the gaze of a superior being.

When he first saw it, he had dismissed it as a hallucination brought on by extreme tension. But seeing it again now, Chen Ji felt differently. The mysteries of this world far exceeded his imagination.

After a moment of thought, he asked Yun Yang, "Lord Yun Yang, your Secret Intelligence Division must be well-traveled. Have you ever seen anyone capable of controlling animals?"

"Never," Yun Yang replied casually.

"What about cultivators? I've heard storytellers tell tales of gods and demons—is it true?" Chen Ji asked.

"No."

Chen Ji fell into deep thought. He was already walking the path of cultivation and was certain that other practitioners existed in this world, yet why had he never heard of them?

What reason would cause such cultivators to hide amidst the common folk and the imperial court?

*Rip.*

Yun Yang turned to look and saw Chen Ji tearing a strip from the hem of his robe and tying it over his face.

"What are you doing? Working for my Secret Intelligence Division is an honorable task; there is no need to hide your face like a thief," Yun Yang said disdainfully.

Chen Ji replied nonchalantly, "Lord Yun Yang, I am but a small character. It never hurts to be cautious. Besides, you must protect my identity. If the Liu family takes revenge on me, no one will be left to help you earn merits in the future."

Yun Yang thought it over and found it reasonable. "Then cover your face more thoroughly... Whoa!"

He suddenly yanked the reins, bringing the horse to a sudden halt on the dim street.

Chen Ji scanned the area. Opposite them, dozens of riders stood waiting on horseback.

These men were clad in straw raincoats and bamboo hats, with long sabers strapped to their waists. A palpable killing intent washed over them.

The leader looked up at Chen Ji. Beneath the shadow of his bamboo hat, Chen Ji saw a middle-aged man whose gaze was as sharp as a blade, making his cheeks sting.

"Who are these people?" Chen Ji whispered from atop his horse.

"Men from the 'Main Punishment Division,'" Yun Yang replied, while simultaneously tightening his reins and raising his voice. "Commander Lin looks travel-worn; he must have rushed all the way from Jinling with the Dragon Guard, working day and night."

The middle-aged man spoke calmly, "You and Jiao Tu have caused a massive disturbance. I am here to escort you both back to the capital to await the Grand Chancellor's judgment."

"A disturbance?" Yun Yang sneered. "Jiao Tu and I came to Luocheng to capture spies from the Jing Dynasty. What wrong have we done?"

The man said solemnly, "You arrested members of the Liu family but failed to provide sufficient evidence to convict them. Now, the Old Master of the Liu family is on the brink of death. You cannot wash your hands of this."

Yun Yang remained unruffled. "Jiao Tu and I have already found the evidence. We haven't produced it because we are fishing with a long line, not wanting to startle the fish. Lin Chaoqing, you rush to arrest us at the slightest rumor to obstruct our investigation. Are you a spy planted in the Main Punishment Division by the Jing Dynasty?"

"Nonsense," Lin Chaoqing dismissed him. "My Division is responsible for supervising the officials; your Secret Intelligence Division falls under our jurisdiction. I advise you to stop your futile struggles and return to the capital with me!"

Yun Yang said sternly, "Lin Chaoqing, if you want to arrest me, wait until Old Master Liu is dead."

Lin Chaoqing, naturally a man of few words, had no desire for further banter. "Capture them."

As the command fell, the dozens of Dragon Guard riders behind him spurred their horses forward.

The sound of horseshoes striking the bluestone road was bone-chilling.

At this moment, the sky was obscured by dark clouds, and the long street was as black as ink.

The faces of the Dragon Guard were hidden beneath bamboo hats, their eyes buried in terrifying shadows. Just as they were about to reach Yun Yang, they all, in perfect unison, drew their long sabers from their waists!

Yun Yang said deeply to Chen Ji, "Hold on tight!"

With that, he leaped from his horse and struck the horse's flank with a silver needle like a bolt of lightning. The steed let out a startled neigh and bolted in the opposite direction, carrying Chen Ji away!

Lacking horsemanship, Chen Ji could only crouch low and cling tightly to the horse's neck. He looked back to see Yun Yang, clad in black, not retreating but charging forward, meeting the dozens of Dragon Guard riders head-on!

*Boom!*

The moment he met the first Dragon Guard, the rider swung his blade. But before the sword could even descend, Yun Yang dropped his center of gravity, twisted his hips, and slammed a fist into the horse's head!

With a pained cry from the steed, the massive warhorse was shaken by that slender fist and collapsed onto the street like a falling mountain.

"Resisting arrest and defying orders—your crime is compounded!" Lin Chaoqing's figure suddenly surged with power. He stepped onto his saddle and swung his blade downward mid-air. His blade was longer and heavier than all the others!

When he exerted force from the saddle, even the mighty warhorse could not withstand the pressure, its knees buckling.

On the other side, seeing this, Yun Yang also leaped into the air. The collision between the two in mid-air stirred up a violent gust of wind. Before anyone could see what happened, they had already parted.

Lin Chaoqing descended, landing steadily on his horse's back. On the bluestone road where the two had collided, a sword scar several meters long was left behind!

Conversely, Yun Yang used the momentum of the collision to leap onto a roof. With the agility of a phantom, he caught up to the fleeing horse and leaped onto its back to escape.

On the long street, Lin Chaoqing was in no hurry to pursue. He sat back on his horse, adjusted his bamboo hat, and asked calmly, "Who is the person sitting behind him?"

"This subordinate has never seen him before. He is likely not from the Secret Intelligence Division."

Lin Chaoqing's voice was as forceful as clashing metal: "Investigate."

...

...

Chen Ji said, still shaken, "You said before that you had never seen a cultivator...?"

Just as Yun Yang was about to answer, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "How can the matters of cultivators be announced to the world? What you practice and what realm you have reached are things you cannot tell others."

"Why?"

Yun Yang said meaningfully, "Seeking longevity through cultivation is indeed beautiful, but that is merely a story in a book. On this path, there is only life and death. I think you have potential, kid; perhaps one day you truly will be promoted by a great figure. But remember, if you truly step onto this path, never tell anyone what you practice."

Chen Ji felt a chill. There was a deep warning hidden in Yun Yang's words; it was undoubtedly life experience distilled from something the man had endured.

As he was thinking, Yun Yang coughed up more blood. "Kid, if you don't find evidence to convict the Liu family tonight, I'm afraid we'll both die."

Chen Ji said, "So the reason you insisted on finding evidence tonight was because you were worried about being held accountable by the 'Main Punishment Division.' I thought your Secret Intelligence Division was the most powerful."

"Stop the sarcasm. The Main Punishment Division controls the Imperial Guard; those warriors are certainly formidable," Yun Yang said coldly. "However, we all serve under the Grand Chancellor. We in the Secret Intelligence Division risk our heads every day fighting the Military Intelligence Division, while they spend their days investigating their own people—what kind of skill is that?"

The two had arrived at the gates of the Zhou Manor. Yun Yang was the first to leap from his horse and forcefully push open the vermilion doors. The creaking sound echoed through the night, grating on the ears.

The Zhou Manor had already been tidied. Tables were straightened and chairs were upright, as if a dozen people had never died here.

Standing in the courtyard, Yun Yang turned to look at Chen Ji and said sternly, "Time is short. I am betting on you. I hope you don't disappoint me. Tell me, what did you find in the Zhou Manor earlier?"

Chen Ji walked straight toward the main hall. "Where have all of Zhou Chengyi's books been gathered?"

"Not a single one is missing; they are all here."

Standing before the bookshelf, Chen Ji quickly began taking the books down one by one to flip through them.

Seeing his focus, Yun Yang walked out of the main hall. In a secluded spot, he pulled out a shadow puppet. He bit his index finger and used his blood to dot its eyes.

The shadow puppet came to life, a grotesque smile appearing on its face. It wobbled its way up the courtyard wall and ran toward the east.

He returned to the main hall to find Chen Ji had finally selected two books. "The clue should be in these two books."

Yun Yang took the books to look through them, only to find the contents were identical: "Both are the eighth chapter, 'The Way of Governance,' from the *Annotated Classics of the Four Books*. One of these must be a copy made by Zhou Chengyi himself; I have seen his handwriting before."

In this era, the common ways books circulated were through buying, borrowing, copying, as well as looting and theft.

Printed books were monopolized by great families and were expensive, so borrowing and copying were very common practices.

But that was precisely the problem: Zhou Chengyi was not short of money.

Chen Ji pointed to the wall of hundreds of books. "Zhou Chengyi, as a county magistrate, appears incorruptible on the surface, but he secretly keeps women in his outer residence and even has over ten servants. Why would he copy books himself? I suspect that every time Zhou Chengyi borrowed or returned a book, it was his way of passing intelligence. This book, which was just copied and hasn't been returned yet, should contain the secret he intended to pass on."

Yun Yang looked at Chen Ji with a strange expression. "The first thing you checked last time was these books. You discovered this clue then, so why didn't you speak up immediately to save your life? Why did you continue searching for other clues instead?"

Chen Ji replied, "It never hurts to have more information that can save a life. Furthermore, I only had fifteen minutes. Although I knew there was a problem, I couldn't guarantee I could crack the Military Intelligence Division's code within that time."

That night, though Chen Ji was afraid, he had never panicked. His trump card was like the broken porcelain shard he always held in his hand—he had never let go.

Yun Yang sat tiredly in a chair. "Do you feel confident now?"

"If I have two hours, I should be able to," Chen Ji said with certainty.

Before he could finish, the sound of galloping horses echoed outside the Zhou Manor. They looked up to see Jiao Tu leading over ten spies as she dismounted. She handed the reins to a subordinate and hurried toward the manor. "Close the gates! On my way back, I saw the Liu family rushing here in full force—there are many of them!"

Yun Yang was surprised. "What are they after?"

Jiao Tu said heavily, "The Old Master of the Liu family is dead."

Yun Yang looked at Jiao Tu in shock. "The Old Master is dead?! Chen Ji, didn't your master go there? His medical skills aren't that great!"

Inside the room, Jiao Tu said solemnly, "He died an hour ago. The Liu family is incensed."

"Damn it," Yun Yang rubbed his face with both hands. "We are too damn unlucky. It was clearly his own failing health, how can they blame us? How did this massive pile of shit end up being thrown on my head?!"

Jiao Tu added, "Two of my spies are missing; they may have been killed in the chaos. There are 'Enforcers' raised by the Liu family hidden among this crowd."

As soon as she spoke, the sound of dense hoofbeats and footsteps rose again from outside. The Liu family had arrived quickly, and they were urgent!

Someone shouted loudly, "They arrested a young scholar of my Liu family without evidence and sent him to the imperial prison, causing the Old Master to die of rage! Today, they must give us an explanation!"

"Yes, they must give us an explanation!"

Amidst the clamor of voices and the restless flickering of torchlight, Yun Yang looked at Chen Ji with a strange expression. "Now, I'm afraid you only have fifteen minutes left."