Qixia is a very common name.
At the beginning of this year, among all the wealthy families, if they wished to name their villas after a pleasant-sounding yet decent name, "Plucking the stars and looking at the full moon in Qixia" was used most frequently. However, this cannot prove that the owner of the villa lacked literary skills; it could only prove that this villa was nothing unusual. During Spring or Summer, the owner would bring their families to the North of the city where the lands were half the height of mountains to avert the heat.
However, something was strange about this villa.
Its large doors were closed; dust gathered on its steps; a layer of ash atop a few messy footprints like it's been abandoned for many days. Other than that, the eave was clean, devoid of spiderwebs and on it was written perfectly: "Qixia Villa", deterring little thieves and rascals from intruding.
Nowhere around the villa was lit.
The wind howled, brushing past tree leaves and bringing them through the openings of the edge of windows. The sound had turned strange, just like a vengeful spirit that has been wronged for many years, was denied vengeance and was left to wander in the wild in long wails. It made others feel chill seeping into their bones.
The back courtyard looked like it was empty of souls, as if dangers lingered in the shadows and that a terrible beast could leap out at any moment and time, opening its bloody mouth and lunging itself in your direction.
The three of them came uninvited, naturally, these were expected. Guan Shanhai held Cui Buqu's shoulder as they landed gently on the ground, following Cui Buqu as he pointed the way; Qiao Xian went to investigate the wood house and kitchen.
Regardless of what Qixia Villa held, and how Huang Lue and Feng Xiao managed to point into the same direction since they have come tonight, they will have an answer.
Qiao Xian walked forward, and just as she was pushing the door, Guan Shanhai seized her wrist quickly.
Guan Shanhai pointed upwards, hinting that she should enter through the roof.
Qiao Xian refused to accept it; ever since Guan Shanhai came, Cui Buqu's side seems to have been occupied by another person, making her share her worth with him.
However, at this moment, she couldn't do as she pleased. Cui Buqu was still waiting at the side. Qiao Xian flew up onto the roof, bent her back to lift a few tiles and place them aside. Very quickly, she moved out a hole. As she leapt into the hole, a luminous pearl appeared in her hand.
This was the same one Cui Buqu had dug back from Tiannian Mountain. During that time, he brought the dagger Fan Yun left behind that could cut gold, cleave jade and be all-conquering, so he had dug out a few luminous pearls on his way. Since Xiao Lu was so wealthy, it would be a waste if he hadn't taken them. If not for carrying many things on him, he even wanted to give one to every member in the Zuoyue Bureau in sight once he returned.
The faint and rippling glowing light of the luminous pearl allowed Qiao Xian to see most of the things in the woodhouse clearly—the windows were locked from the inside and there was no way to open them. Just as her gaze fell upon the room's door, she couldn't help inhaling sharply.
There was a trap mechanism behind the room's door—the moment someone pushed it open, it would immediately set off the bow and send an arrow to the door, granting the intruder an instant death.
If she hadn't listened to Guan Shanhai's warning just now, even if she could avoid it in time, it would have alerted the people in the villa.
Thus, this villa obviously wasn't as simple as it looked on the surface.
After all, no big families would implement an ambush like this into their own villa that used to avoid the summer heat.
On the other side, Guan Shanhai also discovered a similar trap mechanism in the kitchen. He searched all around him and didn't find anything strange, only that he returned from where he started, returning to the back courtyard to look around in other rooms again.
The trap mechanisms in the woodhouse and kitchen made Qiao Xian and Guan Shanhai feel that something in this place was off, otherwise, they would not have taken this matter so seriously.
He watched Cui Buqu kneel next to the flowerbed with his back bent as if he had discovered something.
"Commander." Guan Shanhai called out.
Cui Buqu didn't turn his head around. He picked up a green brick next to the flower bed.
There was no soil underneath. It was empty.
Guan Shanhai realized that something was off. Without Cui Buqu's orders, he reached out on his own accord and touched under the brick.
He touched an even smaller brick. It was loose and could be pushed further down.
Guan Shanhai turned around to look at Cui Buqu, wanting to obtain his approval.
Cui Buqu patted twice on his shoulder, indicating that he allows it.
All of this was done in the darkness, there was no need for speech.
Although Guan Shanhai joined the Zuoyue Bureau midway, the army's camp before this had beaten discipline into him, so he was able to resist himself more than any trained Zuoyue guard. Cui Buqu brought him out to honour the Empress, but it had also been a test to put the capable to good use. Even though Guan Shanhai performed well and synchronized with Cui Buqu even more than Qiao Xian, who had been with him for years, it was natural that it displeased Qiao Xian to see it.
Guan Shanhai who obtained Cui Buqu's approval pressed on the brick again.
Hong long-long!
Although it's not loud, something big shifted inside.
Three of them were taken aback.
After that, they watched the back courtyard split suddenly from the centre, spreading apart into two sides, revealing a pitch-black underground world.
Guan Shanhai's reflexes were extremely quick. He flew over, looking down using the luminous pearl and discovered that everything in the cellar was linen sacks. He reached out to stab one of them open, something like white sand poured from it into the heart of his palms, before pouring further downwards.
These are grains!
Fresh, new, fat and white grains!
Guangqian Prefecture met a calamity this year; the farms have not been harvested before they were washed clean, so it cannot be grains manufactured locally, and neither could it be stale grains, so it can only be the new grains that were delivered from the Imperial Court's storage this season!
At the same time, a loud uproar rose from the front courtyard, footfalls pouring about from far to near.
The shadows of the lights wavered, followed by voices, shaken and anxious.
Should we leave or remain? Guan Shanhai couldn't tell.
Now they have already alerted the enemy, so if they left, the rations here would be moved away on the second day, and there would be no evidence left here; however, if they do not leave, unless Qiao Xian and he had the confidence to suppress the guards here before informing Rong Qing to mobilize Zuoyue guards from the nearest area to theirs and catch them red-handed, there would surely be nothing left of their corpses if they were caught, so there's no hope for any further investigation.
Guan Shanhai realized that he has never encountered a time when decisions were so hard to make back in the Imperial Guards. He suddenly understood why Cui Buqu insisted to come in person in the first place. Other than Cui Buqu, neither he or Qiao Xian could bear such responsibility.
"Leave!"
Cui Buqu's orders came quick and brief, placing an order at the very moment Guan Shanhai was thinking.
Guan Shanhai exhaled a breath. At that moment, he was a step closer to understanding Cui Buqu's decisions.
Ever since leaving the capital with his heart carrying unwillingness, Guan Shanhai now would obey without a second thought. Even Guan Shanhai himself did not notice this change in himself.
This chronically ill Zuoyue Commander seemed to have a calming effect on others.
As soon as Cui Buqu's words landed, Guan Shanhai immediately pulled him up and leapt without delay.
Qiao Xian followed closely behind.
However, once the three of them landed, from the forest outside a few black shadows emerged and attacked them.
Swords and blades clanked, and death was in the air!
It's a trap!
These three words surfaced in Guan Shanhai's heart and mind.
The enemy might have already been waiting for them, before finding the opportunity to catch them all in a single draft.
It was no wonder their journey here had been unusually smooth, without anyone hindering them.
"Bring him and leave, I will stay behind!"
Qiao Xian spat out these words, not even looking back before lunging herself at the incoming people.
The sword in her hands moved so closely the wind cannot slip through it, creating a heavy sword screen and blocking those seven to eight people outside, forbidding them to come closer.
Guan Shanhai showed no hesitance, grabbing Cui Buqu and leaving!
With Qiao Xian withholding those people, Guan Shanhai pulled Cui Buqu and put a distance behind them in a single breath. That area was not far from the foothills, but Guan Shanhai didn't dare to let his guard down.
All around them were dense forests, swaying in the wind like flickering black shadows that veiled the sky as if there were dozens of ambushes hiding within.
There was killing intent!
A killing intent that seemed like it existed and yet not.
From the front, back, left and right, the air hauled; Guan Shanhai looked back abruptly!
Dark clouds caught the leaves in a whirl, dragging the long shadows on the ground.
There was no light, so how were there shadows?
Guan Shanhai felt an alarm ringing in his chest, and at this moment, a long sword had soundlessly reached behind him.
Yet, he was not its target, but it was Cui Buqu who stood next to him!
Guan Shanhai's expression paled, and using the quickest movements of his life, he turned around, the long knife in his hand shooting out at the incoming intruder!
However, he was still half a step too late, and the long sword that shot out like an arrow did not turn back. Cui Buqu quickly took a few steps backwards, however, a few steps backwards for a person with no martial arts was nothing to a flying sword. The sword pierced his robes but did not penetrate his chest.
Cui Buqu only felt a striking pain in his chest as the new wounds dragged the old ones back out, and pain brimmed up like rising water. He lets out a groan, his footsteps wobbly.
The long sword pierced his skin, but couldn't advance any further, because Guan Shanhai's knife was blocking it.
Guan Shanhai leapt up and advanced forward, engaging into a fight with the enemy, their sword glares and shadows so quick that one wouldn't afford to turn away.
Cui Buqu covered where he was injured, before taking a few more steps back.
Other than the groan he emitted before, he didn't utter another word, so quiet as if he was a dead person.
But because of this, Guan Shanhai could entirely focus on fighting the enemy without distractions.
The light in the villa was not far away, yet it wasn't enough to reveal the intruder's face, because his face was covered, and one could only tell from his figure that he was a man.
However, unless one were a god-given talent that had learned all the martial art techniques that exist in the world, it would be challenging for them to conceal the origin of their martial arts. Especially in front of someone like Cui Buqu, who was strongly informed.
So, it's him.
At that moment, a lot of details connected themselves, allowing Cui Buqu to realize many things.
However, they were useless to this current situation at the moment.
If they could not escape from this hell tonight, and both of them ended up dead, then even if more things were discovered, nothing could be done.
The masked person's martial arts were very strong, at least on par with Guan Shanhai's.
Guan Shanhai's martial arts were those of one who has won a thousand battles; in fact, his movements were an example of murdering techniques from the Jianghu. The former fought at a large scale when it was one-to-one combat with the opponent, unwaveringly rigid. However, when fighting the masked person, he couldn't demonstrate his skills to the fullest. Since the beginning, he was suppressed on all sides and even bled quite seriously from his wounds. However, Guan Shanhai adapted to it very quickly. He turned from the offensive stance to the defensive, accumulating his strength; his long knife defending Cui Buqu who stood behind him, waiting for the chance so he may turn on the offensive again.
Qiao Xian was still in the villa, unknown whether she was dead or alive.
With her martial arts, unless she encounters someone whose martial arts are a lot better than hers, escaping completely unscathed is entirely possible. However, she feared that they would successfully catch up to Cui Buqu, so she would have to forcibly withstand it.
The light in the villas was bright, no longer dark.
But in the end, was there a trap to begin with? Had the enemy known about their movements prior, and were quietly waiting for their arrival so they could abandon the darkness and come into the light, or did they only alert them after opening the underground cellar?
As Cui Buqu watched Guan Shanhai fighting with that person, his heart gave an answer.
Nevertheless, regardless of how much danger they were in, Feng Xiao, who had left him a note, or Li Shisi, had never shown up throughout the event.
Li Shisi is Feng Xiao.
Then, as the protagonist of tonight's event, where was Feng Xiao?
...
Rong Qing looked at the secret letter in front of him as turbulent waves rolled in his chest.
There was only a short line of words on the letter, asking him to go to the room in the back courtyard of the bureau tonight. There was no name of the sender, but there was a cluster of leaves with the same style of drawing as the other paintings.
If Rong Qing could not recognize whether this handwriting belonged to Huang Lue, it seemed like Huang Lue knew this concern of his, thus he added a fragment of the drawing so it would be convenient for Rong Qing to compare in detail and earn his full trust.
Whether he should go or not, Rong Qing pondered over it for a long time and could not make a decision.
He had already analysed it with Cui Buqu during the day; Huang Lue continuously used paintings to hint them about the many hidden trickeries behind the calamity. Cui Buqu has also already brought people and advance forward to investigate Qixia Villa.
He had instead remained in the posthouse, waiting for Huang Lue's forth painting.
However, the painting hasn't arrived but it was a letter instead.
Huang Lue didn't want to let others push him forward to his death, so his only option was to bring order out of this chaos, following in the Imperial Censor's footsteps and expose all of this, atoning for his own crimes with a contribution. However, he was also worried that Rong Qing's capabilities would not suffice.
Rong Qing knew now why the Empress wanted Cui Buqu to go on this expedition with him, because the affairs that go on around here reached in far too deep, even to the extent of involving the Emperor's relatives. It was impossible to accomplish it with just him alone.
Thankfully, there was Cui Buqu.
As he thought until this point, his heart calmed down a bit, but shortly after, it became stricken with panic again.
Before Cui Buqu left, he warned him to never leave the posthouse.
However, this time, Huang Lue had delivered a message he wrote himself.
Perhaps he had been discovered for "living off them1", so Huang Lue was forced to seize the moment, he could no longer be concerned over whether his identity was exposed.
Huang Lue surely held evidence of those who pocketed the rations in Guangqian County, Rong Qing felt, so he if missed the chance, there would surely not be a next time.
He finally made a decision, stuffing the strip of paper into his chest before rising to his feet and heading outside.
The night is dense.
Rong Qing was in a hurry.
He hadn't alerted anyone, keeping off the main road as he travelled to the little gate of the bureau usually used to transport vegetables and grains.
Just as he pondered over whether to knock, someone from the inside opened the gate.
A servant in azure-coloured robe lowered their head as they waved at him.
Rong Qing took two steps forward, heard the other say: "The Lord has given orders to bring you to his study. Keep your voice low, don't alert the others. Governor Yang's eyes are everywhere in this manor."
It really was Huang Lue.
Rong Qing's heart calmed, nervously and excitedly nodding his head.
He realized that the words spoken by this person had even let slip one particular message: That this matter truly did concern, Governor Yang Yun.
Perhaps this is ultimately the biggest fish.
Rong Qing followed after the servant in azure-coloured robe, passing through the alley and arriving outside a study.
Inside were candlelight lit faintly, vaguely lining out the silhouette of a person sitting before a desk.
Huang Lue is truly present.
No one was guarding the entrance, so Huang Lue should have already moved them away earlier.
That azure-robed servant said in a low voice: "Your Lordship may enter on your own. I will stand guard outside."
Rong Qing pushed the door open.
The azure-robed servant immediately closed the doors behind him after he entered like he was afraid someone would discover them. Rong Qing didn't pay it any attention. He walked towards the room.
Lifting the curtains, Huang Lue's back was faced to him, bent over his desk on his elbow, writing furiously.
"Huang Lue, I have come. What do you have to say to me?"
Huang Lue didn't move and even his shoulders did not raise; it was not the response of someone having heard a voice.
Moreover, it had been him who invited Rong Qing over deep in the night.
Rong Qing felt something was wrong.
"Huang Lue?"
He walked forward slowly, reaching out to hold the other.
Huang Lue was wobbling, didn't put up a fight before he fell sideways.
Rong Qing was taken aback.
He saw a dagger had stabbed itself into Huang Lue's neck, claiming his life in a single shot!
What in the world happened?!
Rong Qing's mind was in a mess. He stopped pondering over it, consciously making a decision as he turned around to the door.
It cannot be opened. It was locked!
What about the window?
He quickly went to open it but realized that something had already fastened it shut from the outside and it could not be opened.
Rong Qing had no martial arts, so he cannot leap up into the beams and exit through the roof. He could only be trapped in this room.
At this moment, the outside lit up.
Lights were lit one by one, accompanied by the sound of shoutings.
"This is terrible! Murder! Imperial Censor Rong killed the Sire! Help!"
Rong Qing finally admitted that he has completely fallen for it.
However, he suddenly thought of a key question.
How did the enemy know that no one was with him and that he could only come to the meeting alone?
Could it be that Cui Buqu has also encountered danger where he was?
Rong Qing's heart sank.
He stood next to Huang Lue's corpse and heard the commotion outside. It was unknown whether someone of importance came. A stream of killing intent surged through and a leg kicked the door open.
Governor Yang Yun, bringing a group of people, coming in the name of catching a "murderer", with Li Yan, Wu Yi, and the others following behind him.
"Rong Qing, how daring you are! So you truly think that as an Imperial Censor, you may do as you please? Even killing an official of the Imperial Court?!"
"It really is you. It really is you!" Rong Qing starts laughing coldly.
Yang Yun gave a look that says: Have you really gone mad? He furrowed his eyebrows and waved a hand: "People, arrest him!"
"Don't touch me!" Rong Qing pointed at Yang Yun, "He is obviously murdered by you; after you murdered him, you called me over, so the crime of Huang Lue's death can be pinned on me. You are the true murderer!"
Yang Yun sighed a breath: "Why has the Imperial Court sent a lunatic as the Imperial Envoy?"
He turned towards Li Yan, Wu Yi, and everyone else: "I should not have interfered with matters occurring in your county, however, now that such a huge matter had happened, an edict should be written to the Imperial Court. Do you people have any opinions to first arrest him?"
Yang Yun is the superior official, while Li Yan and Wu Yi are inferior, so they immediately said: "Everything will be carried out as the Governor orders!"
Rong Qing said angrily: "I am still an envoy sent by His Majesty; who dares to lay a finger on me?! Huang Lue gave me three pieces of paintings, told me that something is going on with the rations of Guangqian County. I answered him and came here for an inquiry. Who could have guessed that he was murdered by the lot of you! I want to submit a memorial to His Majesty! Yang Yun, since you came to arrest me today, this proves that you are guilty at heart. You are the one that executed the murder!"
Yang Yun was driven into a furious laugh: "Good, good. It seems like Imperial Censor Rong refuses to relent before he meets the tether's end. You said Huang Lue gave you three paintings; where are they?"
Rong Qing raised his head: "In my room at the posthouse!"
Yang Yun spoke in a low voice: "I will go there with you in person. If you cannot find them, then don't cast the blame on me for being cruel!"
Rong Qing saw the look of confidence he carried on his chest, and out of nowhere, he felt his hope sinking.
However, as things progressed, he was left with no choice, and could only bring people as they travelled to the posthouse, silently praying that Cui Buqu could return as quickly as possible.
He had naturally forgotten how he could not bear the sight of Cui Buqu in the beginning, yet at this moment he had already taken the other for his last saving grace.
However, whether Cui Buqu would show up in time or not, even he wouldn't be able to tell.
A stream of people came to the posthouse; Rong Qing went into his own room first, sprawled onto his bed and fumbled under his blanket.
Rong Qing's expression changed abruptly.
He immediately raised his blanket; there were originally three paintings there, but now—
There. Is. Nothing!
====
Author's Notes: Although Feng-er did not appear in these two chapters, his shadow is everywhere. He will officially show up in the next chapter. In fact, he remains a key character in this arc as usual. Good night lovelies ~
[1] 吃里扒外: describing someone who plays a double agent, benefiting off one person while actually helping another side.