After walking a few dozen more paces, I reached the core district of the Dayou Chamber of Commerce. Not only were members of the Yingzhao Temple present, but officials from the Jingyin Prefecture, the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and two divisions of the Xiang Army—responsible for the security of the city's northeast—were also on-site. Guards stood with spears and sabers in hand, chatting and laughing as usual, showing little sign of tension. Acquainted officials from various departments sat together in conversation, casting only the occasional, nonchalant glance toward that eerie emerald sun.
At the entrance, I was predictably stopped. I was in no hurry to reveal my identity; instead, I gave the black-clad guard a mysterious wink and smiled. "In less than a moment, someone will come to welcome me in."
No sooner had the words left my lips than Hong Lu and Commander Zhou arrived with seven or eight men in tow, their footsteps swift and purposeful, drawing the curious gazes of the high-ranking officials. On the surface, I remained poised and nodded as I stepped through the garden gates, but inside, I was practically dying of laughter. This was quite the spectacle; all that was missing was a synchronized shout of "Mistress." Lord Wei had certainly given me an immense amount of face...
Once inside the inner perimeter, I began to understand why the officials kept such a tight watch. It turned out the Yingzhao Temple had long since established formations and artifacts to lock the miasma-like toxic mist radiating from the demonic light within this area of less than a single *li*. The other departments were merely providing support, evacuating and calming the surrounding crowds.
The mist was no ordinary poison; it was a "withered-death" aura capable of siphoning the vitality of living things. Thus, the honor guard Lord Wei sent for me was not just for show. Hong Lu presented me with a protective artifact to wear, and my personal defensive formation was activated.
In the heart of the area, the miasma was so thick one could barely see their own hand. Without a protective artifact, even a cultivator of the Cloud-Dining realm would find it difficult to endure. Yet, the spot where she stood was a few feet of pure, radiant light. In her palm, she cradled an exquisite red lotus. It looked as though it were carved from translucent gemstones, its layers of petals constantly blooming, withering, gestating, and budding—repeating the cycle of life and death.
The withered, drifting petals moved without wind, spiraling upward and scattering into the thick mist. This was one of the ten prizes she had won as the champion of the Tianshan Meeting: the "Lotus of Unextinguished Ignorance." Its name was derived from the *Heart Sutra*: *"There is no ignorance, and no end to ignorance... even unto no aging and death, and no end to aging and death."* It was a dharma treasure that transcended life and death, indifferent to flourishing or withering, existence or extinction. Lord Wei was using it to repel the extremely dense deathly aura at the very center.
Her face was illuminated by this soft red glow, lending her a rare, vibrant beauty. Seeing me arrive, she turned her head with a faint smile, gesturing for me to join her in that small circle of safety.
I hopped in with a grin and took her arm, looking up at her coquettishly. "Everyone outside is in a sorry state, disheveled and covered in dust. Yet here is Lord Wei, working in the heart of this ultimate evil, looking so leisurely, elegant, and breathtakingly beautiful!"
She knit her brows slightly, as if she intended to reach out and pinch my nose, but she restrained herself. She could only shake her head, whispering with a helpless smile, "A-Zhi, you really are..."
Giggling, I playfully snatched the lotus from her, fiddling with it before balancing it on my head. For as long as I balanced it, I stared up at her expectantly, until I felt my face begin to flush. How strange—we had been apart for barely half a day, yet I felt she had become even more beautiful, as if three autumns had passed in a single glance.
Seeing me stand on my tiptoes with a serious expression to indicate I had something to say, she leaned down and turned her face. I grabbed her shoulder, leaned close to her ear, and let out a long, mysterious sigh before saying, "Truly beautiful. It makes one miss you so."
She couldn't help but let out a soft laugh, replying with composed grace, "Artful words and a fawning countenance."
"I have the artful words, but you have the 'commanding' beauty!"
After her laugh subsided, she pointed ahead. "Xia Ji is quite an interesting fellow. Look where he hid the demonic lute."
When I arrived, I had been so focused on rushing to her and looking at her that I had forgotten to check which building that sun of demonic energy was hovering over. I followed her gaze and burst into laughter. "It's actually the Ten-Fold Treasure Pavilion!"
During our very first encounter, I had tricked my Fourth Martial Uncle into striking this very pavilion, using its defensive formations to force him away. Xia Ji was indeed audacious and exceptionally brilliant; no one would have expected him to hide the demonic lute in the very place where he had met his 'Waterloo.' Nor would anyone have expected him to have the god-like ability to bypass the capital's most stringent protective formations and hide a bizarre demonic artifact among a collection of imperial treasures for over five days...
I mused, "Did he suffer a setback here, reflect on it, and specifically research a way to crack the formation just to hide the lute inside?" I looked up and down at the pavilion's formation again, puzzled. "But the level of this formation far exceeds the Star-Plucking realm. It's said to have been created by Zuo Zangming, the only Moon-Cradling realm Master in Great Jing for over a thousand years. Because he specialized in formations and could create ones that transcended his own level, the Ten-Fold Treasure Pavilion is known as the most impregnable place in the mortal world... Could Xia Ji really break it?" (Technically, the imperial residence was not considered the 'mortal world,' which was a different matter, and this pavilion was indeed related to the royal family...)
"He couldn't break it," Wei Qingming said. "And he didn't need to. He only needed an insider within the Dayou Chamber of Commerce, specifically..."
"The Li family!" I exclaimed.
"Correct," she said. "In fact, I intercepted intelligence during my journey south stating that a demonic lute was entering the capital. At that time, the artifact was not intended for Li Zizhuo. It was disguised as an ordinary ancient zither and listed among the tribute gifts from Leitian to the Great Jing imperial family. It was the President's youngest son, pampered since childhood..."
She smiled faintly, reaching out to take the red lotus off my head. She continued, "...who forcibly demanded the demonic lute for himself, substituting it with another precious ancient zither."
I was horrified by the revelation. "So, these demons originally intended to bewitch and harm the imperial family, but Li Zizhuo unexpectedly intercepted it! The Xixi Tower incident was just an unforeseen complication, a desperate improvisation!"
"Yes. These people could have stolen the lute silently, but they chose to commit such an arrogant crime in front of over a hundred children of officials to show their mockery and contempt for the government." Her smile held a hint of amusement, but more so disdain. "According to the original plan, a lethal object would have been mixed into the treasures of the Ten-Fold Pavilion. Once the demonic lute entered the palace, not to mention the danger the Emperor would face, the Dayou Chamber of Commerce would surely have been destroyed and wiped from the martial world. With war looming, such a shock to the merchant class would have led to immense suffering for the common people. Chaos was their ultimate goal."
"And it was to be done under the guise of diplomacy, a gift from Leitian..." I couldn't help but shiver; the thought was truly hair-raising. "This would have incited hatred between all three nations..."
Wei Qingming gently stroked my head, her voice softening. "Fortunately, there is still time."
After I stuck out my tongue and relaxed slightly, she continued explaining how the lute entered the Ten-Fold Pavilion. "The true killer of Li Zizhuo has been captured. He was a page boy who served the zither. When the Dayou Chamber's branch for Leitian trade collaborated with the Governor of Northern Leitian to procure the tribute, he was purchased along with the demonic lute. After Li Zizhuo seized the lute, this person followed him into the Li household. He and Li Zizhuo's childhood attendant, Li Pei, were on very bad terms. After their master died, Li Pei immediately drove him away, and he happened to return to work at the Ten-Fold Pavilion."
"I'm guessing the capture of the culprit only happened in the last day or two?"
"Mhm." Wei Qingming nodded, her eyes narrowing with an approving smile. "The moment he was interrogated, the secret would be out. Xia Ji's people had no choice but to rush here to retrieve this vital object."
When Chu Jiangheng first came to the Orange Garden to ask for her help, Lord Wei had only asked about the progress of the Li Zizhuo case, saying it was also important. So that was why! As long as everyone who had contact with the demonic lute was screened and this 'ghost' was dragged out, the masterminds would have no choice but to panic!
This was truly a magnificent battle of wits; even as a bystander, I felt a sense of exhilaration. Today would be the end. A battle of wits still inevitably leads to a battle of strength; it remained to be seen whether the massive demonic sun would scorch this world, or if Hou Yi would prove the superior archer, shooting down and destroying this fake, sinister Golden Crow.
Thinking of this, I looked toward the top of the towering Ten-Fold Pavilion. The deathly aura that destroyed vitality was, ironically, as white as milk. From a distance, it looked like the mist of a warm winter dawn or clouds mixed with snow. Only because of the radiance of that emerald sun was it stained with a green that should have represented life, but was now chillingly sinister.
Perhaps because of the frequent flourishing and withering of the Lotus of Unextinguished Ignorance beside me, my spirit was captivated by the mutual penetration of these colors of life and death. A few scattered realizations flickered in my mind, only to vanish in an instant...
Until a figure tumbled out of the thick mist, staggering through the air and barely stopping halfway, nearly having an eye pierced by a subsequent spell.
He clutched his bleeding temple and gave a ghastly, pale smile. Thick, dark blood slid down from his forehead, dripping onto the demonic lute in his arms. The equally bone-white body of the lute was traced with twisted red patterns; like rain soaking into the soil, the blood quickly vanished, but the lute began to glow with a bloodthirsty light, clearly not yet satiated.
Immediately after, another figure drifted out of the mist, her voice cold but laced with hidden fury. "You have nowhere left to run. There is no need to struggle!"
I smiled the moment I saw her, tugging at Wei Qingming's sleeve and winking. "Did Lord Wei arrange for Senior Yu of the Tianjun Sect to fight her old acquaintance?"
"Not quite," she smiled back. "Senior Yu was incensed upon hearing that Wang Guangqi had broken out of prison. She volunteered and has been pursuing him for a day and a night."
Wang Guangqi, of course, was making a final, desperate struggle. He moved his bloody hand from the wound on his face and threw forward a long string of high-grade Cloud-Dining realm talismans. Contrary to his usual devious and sinister style, these were all highly destructive Blazing Flame Talismans. The medium used was talisman paper made from thousand-year-old demon wood; the wood energy fueled the fire, making it even more explosive.
Under the shroud of the sky-swallowing flames, Yu Jingrou's expression remained unchanged. Without even blinking, she swung her longsword through the air, easily extinguishing the dozens of roaring fire talismans. Wang Guangqi seemed to have expected this; without a moment's pause, he swept another string of Metal-element talismans toward her.
In the blink of an eye, the two exchanged over a dozen moves, making it impossible to keep up with the progress. My eyes grew tired, so I turned to look at Lord Wei for a moment to relax. Wei Qingming responded with a leisurely, faint smile, her posture relaxed. We could both see that Wang Guangqi had not recovered his strength after being tortured in the Judicial Prison, and since he was already a minor realm below Yu Jingrou, the outcome was not in doubt.
Yu Jingrou clearly thought the same. She stopped bothering with the dense talismans and used her movement techniques to close in on Wang Guangqi. Her sword energy was sharp and every strike was ruthless, aiming for a swift resolution. When I looked up again to see the battle, Yu Jingrou's sword had already pierced through her opponent's chest.
A sliver of a smile appeared on Senior Yu's habitually frost-cold face. She reached out her left hand—the one not holding the sword—to take the demonic lute from Wang Guangqi's arms. In that instant, a brilliant white light erupted, so piercing it was painful. I instinctively lowered my head and closed my eyes. I heard Yu Jingrou let out a muffled cry of agony. I hurriedly opened my eyes to see her left arm a bloody mess, empty below the elbow. A large hole had also been pierced through her chest; besides the gushing bright red blood, it was also laced with a bizarre black-purple energy. She had been heavily poisoned!
Only then did the smile fade from Wei Qingming's face as she narrowed her eyes. Wang Guangqi and Yu Jingrou both fell from the sky. Above the clouds, the demonic lute hovered unsteadily, caught and cradled by a pair of pure white, delicate jade hands.
"There was an illusion attached to the lute..." I grew tense, gripping Lord Wei's sleeve. "And it was mixed with poison. Could it be..."
She turned her palm to hold my hand, stroking it gently to signal there was no need for panic. But when our eyes met, both she and I knew in our hearts that today's events were likely to drag out some truly formidable figure.
