In the Capital's southern district, in Tonghua Lane, several Grand Court of Revision bailiffs holding sharp blades searched the area, turning the streets and alleys as bright as day.
Yet the dilapidated houses on both sides had their lights turned off; no one was willing to let themselves be searched.
But for the gold, silver, and merits promised by their superiors, the bailiffs cared little about what these lowly commoners thought.
They kicked open the doors, charging straight inside with torches in hand.
"My lord! My lord! We are not harboring any criminals here!"
"This isn't stolen goods! This is just a little money this old man saved up through daily hard work to get by!"
Corrupt officials and petty bureaucrats—especially low-ranking clerks who squeezed people layer by layer—were the most troublesome of all. Finding no results from the search, they instead cast their covetous eyes on the money in the commoners' hands.
"Get lost!"
A bailiff kicked away the clinging old man, weighed the shabby money bag in his hand, and listened to the clinking of copper coins, feeling much more satisfied at the sound.
"Damn it, I'm not sleeping in the middle of the night, and I'm already annoyed enough about not catching anyone. If you come any closer, I'll beat you to death!"
The old man knelt on the ground, not daring to step forward, but wept as he kowtowed and begged for mercy, "My lord! This old man still has to set up his stall tomorrow, this is my capital! My lord, spare this old man, please!"
He cried out loudly, causing the bailiff to panic. He stepped forward, preparing to clamp a hand over the old man's mouth.
"Shut up!"
"Don't let our boss hear you!"
Yet the next moment, a tall, heavily bearded man with a hooked nose stood outside the door, his sharp, merciless eyes locked onto the bailiff.
"Boss!"
The bailiff was startled and hurriedly tried to kick the old man away, but the man said coldly, "Give the money back."
The bailiff gritted his teeth, yet still tossed the money bag back. "Boss, look, I was just joking with the old man."
Gripping the curved saber hanging at his waist, the man said coldly, "If I catch you doing that again, don't even think about wearing that uniform."
The bailiff nodded hastily, and several men quickly gathered around the man.
"Boss, we've searched this alley over and over, and there's no sign of that Azhu person. Could the intelligence be wrong?"
Duan Bowen, however, looked toward the depths of the alley. "These dwellings in the southern district—no matter how they look on the outside, some of them have hidden worlds within."
He walked forward and finally stopped in front of a doorway. A bailiff remarked that this place had already been searched and contained only two elderly people relying on each other for survival.
Duan Bowen let out a cold laugh, then drew his blade and slashed it against the wall. Clods of dirt fell away, revealing a dark cyan interior.
"This wall isn't high, and it's quite dilapidated, but the materials used are sturdy."
"Materials this sturdy are just right for digging out some space downward."
He looked inside the gate. "The rooms aren't very big, but the courtyard is quite sizable. Did you search the cellar?"
The bailiffs were stunned and all shook their heads.
"It's this house! Go in! Search it again!"
Duan Bowen had risen from humble beginnings as a peasant. Relying on his sharp eyes and his brains, he had brutally carved out a path among the petty clerks and secured a minor official post.
He was ruthless and possessed extraordinary case-solving abilities, yet it was precisely this background that had kept him stuck in the same place for ten years. The people who had once worked under him had now risen as high as the seventh rank.
While he was still spinning his wheels at the junior ninth rank.
Those lofty nobles knew they had a useful tool in him; they would toss him some silver when needed and push him aside once he was used up.
As for his superiors, who came and went, none of them had any intention of promoting him.In search of a way out, he had gone to see Grand Secretary Zhang. For many days there had been no news, but the very next day after the tragedy struck the Zhang Family, this Grand Secretary lowered his pride and had his steward bring him into the mansion.
It was truly a magnificent estate, far more luxurious and exquisite than any noble residence he had ever laid eyes on.
Yet he still did not get to see Grand Secretary Zhang; instead, he was granted an audience with the Grand Secretary's wife in the inner courtyard.
How could he not know that Grand Secretary Zhang looked down upon him, deeming him worthy of being received by a mere woman?
That lady was a woman of means. She promised him that if this matter was accomplished, she would make Grand Secretary Zhang secure him a promotion and immense wealth.
Therefore, regardless of the truth, he had to catch the culprit in this case and claim the credit.
After ten years of struggle, he simply had no more time to waste.
"Ah!"
A woman's scream came from the back courtyard. Duan Liuguang's lips curled into a smile as he walked toward the yard...
"If you want to use me to threaten others, it's useless! Kill me! Just kill me!"
Pinned down on the bed, Azhu shouted angrily, "Spineless cowards! Villains!"
"You work for that beast who murdered his wife! You have no conscience!"
She had long since cast aside all thought of life and death. She was a clever young girl; from the moment Mother Huang shoved her into the cellar to the moment the intruders broke in without taking her life, choosing instead to trap her, she knew—these people were waiting for the mistress to return!
She must never allow the mistress to be harmed again because of her!
She did not know how the mistress had managed to cheat death, but she knew that the road the mistress had traveled must have been fraught with unimaginable hardship.
To be able to see the mistress one more time was already enough!
"Shut your mouth!"
Duan Bowen frowned, but then seeing the young girl clamp her mouth shut with a pained expression, he realized what she was attempting and rushed forward, instantly dislocating her jaw!
Blood welled from her bright red tongue, and Duan Liuguang started in surprise. "You... you were trying to die?"
Unable to speak, Azhu understood that her chance to seek death had passed; this man would not let her die now.
"So that's how it is. It seems this person is very important to you?"
Duan Bowen sat down nearby, turning the jade thumb ring on his thumb. "Your background is simple, and the only person you care about is that Song Xiyan."
"You could raise a ruckus in the mourning hall for her sake, and now, you are even willing to seek death."
"Therefore, the person who rescued you is Song Xiyan!"
Yet he furrowed his brow again. "And yet, I investigated that small courtyard and saw Song Xiyan's coffin. Given that volume of blood loss, it was impossible for her to survive."
"The person who rescued you and killed the servants in that courtyard possesses formidable martial arts and acts with ruthless cruelty. If it truly were Song Xiyan, it defies all logic."
"After all, over the past dozen years or so, Song Xiyan's reputation may have been poor and her character lacking, but she never displayed any martial arts. If she possessed such skills, she wouldn't have had her heart dug out."
Duan Bowen raised an eyebrow. "Could it be that Song Xiyan really strayed from virtue? Was the person who came her true love?"
Azhu was so angry she wanted to bite Duan Bowen. Stray from virtue, indeed! Her mistress was no such person!
It must be—it surely was Zhang Yuan and the people of the Zhang Mansion, splashing dirty water on the mistress once again just to save face!
"Judging by your reaction, I suppose not."
Azhu froze, and Duan Bowen chuckled. "So, is the person I am going to meet tonight the already dead Song Xiyan, whose heart was cut out?"
He had always possessed the ability of physiognomy; whether a person was speaking the truth or lying was immediately clear to him at a glance.Although Azhu was sharp, she had never encountered someone like him. Even without being able to speak, she knew she had to convey the truth to him.
"Those two old folks outside are really troublesome. Boss, do we really need their help?"
An official from the Grand Court of Revision walked over. He was a youth not yet twenty, looking rakish and dissipated. Even with his delicate features, he was quite unlikable.
"Liuguang, this woman is ferocious. If we don’t have those two old folks to help us, how are we supposed to take her down?" Duan Bowen sighed. "I’ll handle it."
Duan Liuguang curled his lip. "Can she be more formidable than you, Boss?"
Duan Bowen smiled and tapped him on the head. "I’m not the only peerless talent in the world. There are plenty of people out there better than me."
He stepped away. Azhu let out a muffled whimper, her eyes already turning red.
"Keep an eye on her."
With his task assigned, Duan Liuguang pulled up a stool and sat in front of Azhu. He huffed, "Don't even think about running. Let me tell you, no matter what kind of monster or demon shows up before my big brother, they have to behave!"
Azhu wished she could bite these men to death. She only worried—she only worried that Mother Huang and the others were truly being threatened and that this would turn out badly for the Mistress. These officials were under the orders of the Zhang Family; they would certainly not let the Mistress go!
At that very moment, at the entrance to the alley, Lingxiao’s footsteps faltered. She could naturally sense that the presence within Mother Huang’s home had increased significantly. She observed them one by one; their fortunes were unremarkable, save for one whose luck was a mix of black and blood-red—quite different from the ordinary white luck of common folk. But with black energy swirling about, his doom was not far off. He was destined for mediocrity, never to realize his ambitions.
"The Grand Court of Revision..."
She spotted the men hidden in the shadows and saw Mother Huang sitting stiffly at the table, clutching a teapot and staring blankly. Old Father Huang was nowhere to be seen, and three presences were located in the woodshed in the distance. The man with the black and red luck was hiding in the main hall.
She had handled the situation with Azhu too crudely, but for the Grand Court of Revision to track her down this quickly still exceeded her expectations.
Lingxiao’s figure appeared at the door. She walked in step by step, her black veil fluttering slightly in the breeze, faintly revealing her delicate chin.
Duan Bowen looked up, his eyebrows arching. It was truly strange; Song Xiyan was such a frail woman, yet she could stir up such a commotion. He felt no internal energy coming from her. Her footsteps were not exactly light, but she was certainly not a martial artist. She had no inner qi.
"Lingxiao?"
Mother Huang heard the footsteps and started, looking up in fear. When she saw Lingxiao, she gripped the teapot tighter.
"Yes, Mother." Lingxiao walked in and smiled. "Thank you for your trouble. How is Azhu?"
Mother Huang took a shallow breath. "The little girl is a bit more spirited. You... you must be tired, right? Are you thirsty? Would you like some water?"
Lingxiao looked at her trembling hands and said softly, "Yes, I am thirsty."
Mother Huang froze, then took a tea bowl and placed it in front of Lingxiao. *Splosh, splosh...*
As she poured, she asked, "Lingxiao, you were out for so long—what were you doing?"
Lingxiao stared at the tea bowl. "I went to check on some things."
The tea was poured. Mother Huang gripped the handle of the pot tightly. "Lingxiao, you are a good child..."
Lingxiao nodded, picked up the bowl, and prepared to drink it in one gulp.
"No!"
At that instant, Mother Huang grabbed Lingxiao’s hand. "You cannot drink it!"
Lingxiao laughed. She smiled at Mother Huang, "I am terribly thirsty. Why won't you let me drink the water, Mother?"
She forced the bowl to her lips and drank. "Mmm, sweet."
Mother Huang was stunned. Then, Lingxiao rubbed her forehead. "Why... am I feeling a bit dizzy..."
*Thump!*
She collapsed onto the table. The next moment, two figures rushed in from outside. "Brothers! Seize this woman!"
But faster than them was Duan Bowen. He only had time to shout, "Don't act rashly!"
In the next moment, a pair of chopsticks turned into lethal blades. They flew from Lingxiao’s hand, piercing the legs of the two men and pinning them firmly to the floor.
Lingxiao appeared instantly at Duan Bowen’s side, and the next second, two flashes of steel crossed as they locked into combat. The two men who had just been pinned were the guards watching over Father Huang. Lingxiao shouted to Mother Huang, "Mother! Take Father and leave first!"
With red eyes, Mother Huang nodded hurriedly. Following the old man who had emerged from the woodshed, they ran out the door before the officials in the dungeon could react. Some tried to pursue, but Lingxiao sent another two pairs of chopsticks flying.
*Swish! Swish! Swish!* After the sounds settled, a few more men were pinned to the ground.
"Lingxiao!" Duan Bowen frowned, sensing her immense strength. He gritted his teeth. "Do you not care about Azhu’s life anymore?"
Just then, Liuguang emerged from the cellar, holding Azhu hostage. Lingxiao’s hand paused, and her eyes narrowed.
"You are a smart man. I am giving you a chance for you and everyone present to live." Lingxiao said coldly, "If anything happens to Azhu, all of you will die!"
Even if it meant enduring a backlash, she would kill him, despite his higher fortune!
Duan Bowen took a hit from her and felt his breath catch in his chest; he nearly coughed up blood. He had underestimated Lingxiao’s strength. No matter how keen his senses were or how well he could track clues, he could not catch her once she stood before him.
"You care about that child?"
Lingxiao noticed the youth holding Azhu captive. In a flash, she moved toward them.
Duan Bowen was shocked. "Don't touch him!"
A short blade was already pressed against Liuguang. Lingxiao narrowed her eyes, grabbing Liuguang by the shoulder. "You have talent, yet you should know who the real victim is."
"At your age, to be in such a position, and to act against your conscience for their sake..." Lingxiao sneered, "You are destined for mediocrity!"
Duan Liuguang shouted in anger, "My brother is the best! You..."
"Quiet!"
Lingxiao slapped Duan Liuguang unconscious. Then, with one hand on Liuguang and the other on Azhu, she said, "Though I do not know your name, I can see you are not a heartless person."
"I will keep your brother for now. I believe you know what justice is, and you know what I want."
"If you want him back, you should know what to do."
With that, Lingxiao grabbed the two of them and left the courtyard.
Duan Bowen struck himself in the face, roaring in fury, "Wretch!"