The moment Shen Xitang’s fingertips touched the bronze key, the masts of Zheng He’s Treasure Ship shattered the eaves of the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. Seawater, laden with star sand, poured into the hall. Hundreds of ghosts of the Brocade Guard on the deck knelt in unison; their Flying Fish Garments were embroidered with the Big Dipper at the hem, yet Western-style flintlocks soaked in Dragon-Binding Blood were plunged into their chests.
"Does Miss Shen recognize this?" Xiao Heng’s Xiuchun Saber pried open the ghost’s tunic, revealing a charred, wolf-head tattoo. "The Thirteen Guardians of the Zhengde era, yet they bear the branded faces of the Northern Yuan royal court."
The New Emperor’s dragon-bone whip coiled around the ship’s mast at that moment. He stood atop the waves, his face beneath the crown’s beaded curtain gradually twisting into the likeness of Yao Guangxiao. "The net cast four hundred years ago has finally caught its fish."
Chapter 122