Sun Puhe had always been a man who did not embezzle or take bribes; he was considerate of his subordinates and cared for the common people. One could say he was a rare, exemplary official.
Who would have thought that when he finally decided to cause trouble, he would go this big?
The entirety of Tianshangjing was shaken. From time to time, the sound of soldiers running echoed through the streets outside. The light of torches came and went, flickering through window paper into the homes of the cowering citizens.
As dawn approached, Ye Zhao and his men located Sun Puhe at the execution grounds in the north of the city and quickly surrounded the area.
Sun Puhe’s group consisted of only about two hundred men. Seeing themselves surrounded, they did not panic. Instead, they formed a defensive circle, confronting the soldiers with wary eyes.
In the center of the execution grounds, Jiang Ziqi and Ye Zhao’s parents were bound with ropes, forced to kneel on the ground.
Eerily, four long strips of white cloth were erected at the four corners of the execution platform. On them, the words "Blood for Blood" were written in large, bloody characters, fluttering in the wind amidst a ground littered with white paper money.
The steps surrounding the platform were covered in spirit tablets, each bearing a name written in bright red blood. Sun Puhe sat calmly on the steps, continuing to write names on the tablets, completely ignoring Ye Zhao and the others.
The atmosphere was bizarre, permeated by an inexplicable, bone-chilling gloom.
The moment they saw Ye Zhao, his parents' anxiety reached its peak.
"What are you doing here?! Go back!"
When they were first captured, they hadn't understood why, but seeing Ye Zhao now, his mother immediately realized the goal of these people.
"Son, listen to your mother. Go back quickly, alright?" Ye Zhao’s father had tears in his eyes. His voice was as kind and gentle as ever; even in this dire situation, he couldn't bring himself to raise his voice at his son.
Ye Zhao felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. If not for being implicated by him, how could his parents have ended up like this?
Only Jiang Ziqi’s opening line was entirely out of sync with the mood, somehow managing to wash away the tragic atmosphere in an instant.
"Ye Zhao! Help! Save me!"
"You’re finally here! If you hadn't come, I was really afraid these people were going to slaughter us."
"Shut up." Ye Zhao cut off his nonsense expressionlessly, thinking to himself: *Why didn't they actually slaughter you...*
"On the way here, I was wondering why you would kidnap Jiang Ziqi and my parents." Ye Zhao scanned the layout of the scene before shifting his focus to Sun Puhe. After a pause, he said, "It’s because your target is me."
He spoke with absolute certainty, his face grave. "You want to kill me."
Sun Puhe’s gaze still didn't move from the tablet he was writing on. He merely made a soft shushing sound and whispered, "I haven't finished writing yet. Don't be in such a hurry."
Since he said not to hurry, Ye Zhao truly stopped speaking and watched Sun Puhe’s movements.
Wei Feng looked at the scene before him, his brow furrowed into a deep frown. They had truly been careless this time!
The Yulin Guards stationed near the Ye couple had been insufficient, allowing Sun Puhe to succeed. As for Jiang Ziqi... sigh, forget it. It wasn't hard for a hundred-odd men to kidnap someone like him.
The fault lay in the fact that no one expected the opponent to launch such a sudden strike.
By the bright light of the surrounding torches, Pei Shian, who had arrived a step later, let his gaze sweep over the names on the spirit tablets. Suddenly, he said in a low voice, "You are a descendant of the Zhang Clan!"
He stared at Sun Puhe, his eyes narrowing as he realized who this performance was aimed at and what the reason was.
He was seeking vengeance.
The Zhang Clan?
Wei Feng and the others were confused, but Sun Puhe abruptly stopped his movements. In the next moment, he tossed aside his brush and ink, turning to look at Ye Zhao and the others with cold eyes.
"I am surprised the Duke of Anguo still remembers the Zhang Clan."
Sun Puhe looked at his hands, which were speckled with blood, and gave a mirthless smile. He looked at the surrounding tablets and sighed. "I won't write anymore. Too many died; I can't finish them all..."
He slowly walked up the execution platform, circling Jiang Ziqi and the others with a blade in hand. Suddenly, he rested the edge of the blade against the elder Ye’s neck and flashed a pleasant smile. Turning to Ye Zhao, he said, "Perhaps it is better to have blood for blood after all."
Ye Zhao’s father suppressed his internal terror and remained motionless.
Ye Zhao’s heart leaped violently. "Weren't you going to kill me? Why have you switched to someone else now?"
His eyes were fixed on the blade at his father's neck, terrified that it might accidentally draw blood.
Sun Puhe observed Ye Zhao’s expression and suddenly asked with a smile, "Are you nervous? Afraid I’ll kill him?"
As he spoke, his blade slid slowly up and down his father's neck—not enough to slit his throat, but enough to break the skin. His father forced a smile. "Son, Dad isn't afraid. Don't worry about me."
How could he not worry?
Ye Zhao twitched his stiff fingertips hidden in his sleeves. Guessing that the other man was testing his reaction, he shifted his gaze away from his father, maintaining a calm facade. He replied, "I just find it strange. Since you claim 'blood for blood,' why did you come for me? And why, after seeing me, do you target others instead of dealing with me?"
He asked the question with apparent sincerity, showing no sign of the tension or worry of being threatened. To his surprise, Sun Puhe laughed loudly, turned his head toward Pei Shian, and said slowly, "Duke of Anguo, what do you say?"
"Tell him why I came for Ye Zhao!" A silent smile pulled at the corners of his mouth, his voice dropping sharply at the end, his eyes filled with hatred he could no longer hide.
"The Zhang Clan," Pei Shian uttered two words helplessly. Some of the names carved on those tablets he had long forgotten, yet at this moment, they came rushing back. He asked, "Who are you to the Zhang Clan?"
Hearing Pei Shian mention the Zhang Clan again, Ye Zhao and the others guessed that the man before them might not actually be named Sun Puhe.
Sun Puhe slowly spat out a name: "I am Zhang Mingxu."
This name, which had brought him infinite glory in the first half of his life, had finally seen the light of day again after being buried for decades.
He looked up at the void and said, almost one word at a time, "The thirty-eighth generation direct descendant of the Zhang Clan, the third son of the first branch, Zhang Mingxu—"
"Well? Does the Duke of Anguo still have an impression?"
He gave a sarcastic smile.
Pei Shian sighed in his heart and replied, "So it was you."
Back then, although he had never met the man, he had heard the name. A young talent.
Immediately after, he frowned and said, "But your grudge should not be settled with Ye Zhao. The one who exterminated your clan was Tianshu."
Ye Zhao was startled by those last words. Exterminated the clan?! No wonder the man was so full of murderous hate!
He was being victimized by another false rumor! Ye Zhao felt both a headache and a genuine surge of anger; this was truly a disaster out of nowhere.
Sun Puhe gave a light scoff, his face filled with mockery. "The Duke of Anguo is truly good at acting. Whether I have the wrong person or not, don't you know it in your heart?"
Pointing his blade at Ye Zhao, he sneered, "Son of Tianshu? Such nonsense can only fool those who don't know the truth! Who is the Ye Zhao standing before you? Can you really not recognize him?"
These words sounded contradictory. Since he called him Ye Zhao, why ask who he was or what should be recognized?
There were words within words; the amount of hidden information seemed quite large. Ye Zhao’s mind couldn't process it for a moment.
Wei Feng and the others all looked at Pei Shian. He remained silent for several long breaths before slowly exhaling, his voice heavy. "So, you recognized him."
"I wouldn't forget him even if he turned to ash!" Sun Puhe declared.
Meanwhile, Ye Zhao was thinking: *? What riddles are you two talking in?*
"You guys...?" He leaned in and whispered into Pei Shian’s ear, "What are you talking about?"
Pei Shian did not answer his question. He only glanced at him before turning back to Sun Puhe. "The matter of the official salt—was that your scheme?"
"Correct."
"And the people who tried to assassinate Ye Zhao were also sent by you?" Pei Shian asked again.
Sun Puhe gave a cold smile and admitted to that as well. "My only regret is that I failed to kill him sooner!"
Fine. At this point, everything was out in the open.
Who could have imagined that Sun Puhe had hidden in the court with the rank of a mere Commandant for so long, secretly plotting so much?
"Are you... perhaps misunderstanding something?" Ye Zhao stated weakly. Listening to these two talk about things only they knew made his head spin; he was lost in a fog, completely bewildered.
"Misunderstanding?" Sun Puhe’s face was full of sarcasm. Seeing Ye Zhao’s confused and puzzled expression, he found it amusing. He didn't mind explaining a thing or two. "I suppose you still don't know why the Duke of Anguo and the others are so good to you?"
On the platform, Sun Puhe slowly toyed with the blade in his hand, pacing among the three hostages. He said in a measured tone, "Duke of Zhenguo Wei Xiyang, Duke of Anguo Pei Shian, Duke of Mingde Xie Mingyuan... oh, and the two Ministers, Song and Qian. Why don't you ask them who you... really are in their eyes?"
"Are you the dandy of Tianshangjing, Ye Zhao? Or are you Tianshu, who once shook the world?" His gaze sharpened, his murderous eyes locking onto Ye Zhao. "You forgot them, you forgot everything. But even if you forget some things, others cannot!"
Wha... What?!
Who did you say I am???
Ye Zhao’s eyes suddenly widened, a look of shock appearing on his face.
He wasn't the only one shocked. Almost instinctively, everyone’s gazes darted back and forth between Sun Puhe and Ye Zhao.
Ye Zhao’s father couldn't hold back and blurted out, "Bullshit! Are you blind or is your brain broken?"
His mother, usually the calm one, frowned in silence.
Regarding the insult, Sun Puhe only gave a faint backward glance at the elder Ye, clearly having no intention of paying him any mind.
It took a good while for Ye Zhao to find his voice, dryly uttering, "...You must be joking, right?"
*Big brother, is there something wrong with your head?*
Ye Zhao really wanted to ask that, but seeing the other man’s sinister, bizarre, and slightly neurotic smile, he silently shut his mouth.
Fine, no need to ask anything. This was a patient whose severely twisted soul had affected his brain; there was no reasoning with him.
Sun Puhe was in no mood to explain further. He gave a light scoff and suddenly flicked his fingers. Three soldiers in armor stepped forward, their blades resting on the necks of Jiang Ziqi and the Ye couple.
Ye Zhao’s eyes twitched; he sensed the man was about to get to the point.
"Twenty-seven years ago, over a hundred members of my Zhang Clan died here," he turned to look at Ye Zhao. "Today, it is time for a final settlement."
"Settlement my foot! If you want a settlement, don't look for my son! How has my son hindered or offended you? You lunatic!!" Ye Zhao’s father was so angry he wanted to jump up and hit Sun Puhe.
"Can you say a little less?" His mother’s heart was heavy. She chose to speak little to avoid causing trouble for Ye Zhao, and she was also afraid her husband would provoke the man.
Seeing that Sun Puhe’s expression was becoming displeased as he looked at his father, Ye Zhao quickly suppressed his father's emotions. "Dad! Don't talk for a moment! Calm down."
He was afraid that if his father continued to be so explosive, the man might actually draw some blood.
Then, shifting the man's attention back to himself, Ye Zhao said firmly, "I am absolutely not Tianshu!"
At this moment, he felt an unprecedented level of annoyance, and he couldn't help but curse in his heart: *These people with broken brains!*
The 'broken-brained' Sun Puhe ignored Ye Zhao’s words. Instead, he seemed very satisfied with Ye Zhao’s current expression. He threw the blade in his hand directly at Ye Zhao’s feet. "Come. Today, either you die, or I do!"
Having said that, he shouted, "Back off!"
The soldiers beside him followed the order, clearing a space in front.
On the platform, Ye Zhao’s mother looked at him and suddenly spoke. "Ye Zhao, you are not allowed to agree."
She was very calm now, knowing the danger of a duel.
"If you dare to accept, see if I don't beat you to death."
"Right, right! You can't... huh?" His father was halfway through agreeing when he suddenly realized something was wrong. He turned to look at his wife. "My lady, we're in this state, and you're still thinking about beating our son..."
His mother suggested with a wooden face, "If I die, I won't be able to beat him. Why don't you tell them to hurry up and kill me?"
"No, no, no... I wouldn't dare." His father was startled and quickly denied it, his head shaking like a rattle.
"If you don't dare, then shut up!"
It had to be said that at a time like this, the family hierarchy of the Ye family was fully on display.
Ye Zhao: "..."
To have the leisure to say such things at a time like this—his parents were truly formidable.
Ye Zhao stood in place, frowning in thought. He didn't take his mother's threat literally. Pei Shian had already inconspicuously gripped his arm, staring at the three hostages. Wei Feng was secretly looking for an opportunity to strike.
If he didn't agree to the duel, the other party would use the hostages to threaten him, and he would eventually have to agree anyway.
The initiative was not in his hands. Ye Zhao was very clear about how things would proceed. He sighed in his heart. Just as he was about to step forward, Pei Shian gripped him tightly, his disapproval obvious.
Ye Zhao slowly but firmly pulled his hand away. Wei Feng saw his intent and suddenly said, "You are not his match."
This was obvious. One was a Commandant with real martial skills, and the other was a weakling who didn't know a lick of martial arts. Anyone could see who would win.
"How will I know if I don't try?" Ye Zhao walked forward slowly, his face expressionless. Once he actually took this step, his heart surprisingly calmed down.
From his past experiences, he always felt that his ability to perform under pressure was decent. But this time was the most difficult situation Ye Zhao had ever encountered.
If he had known this day would come, Ye Zhao would have wanted to travel back several months and follow Old Man Wei to practice martial arts properly. It would have been great if he could have learned even half of his skills; then he wouldn't be struggling even to dodge now.
Although Ye Zhao never thought he could win from the start, the fact that he could barely manage a single exchange once they crossed blades was very... life-threatening.
*Clang! Clang!* The sound of blades clashing rose and fell.
If Sun Puhe had been serious at the start, his attitude shifted to that of a cat playing with a mouse once he began suppressing Ye Zhao. His moves felt more like he was mocking his opponent.
"Hmph, is this all?"
"Where is your bloodlust from the early years? Where is your arrogance, your high-and-mighty attitude!" Sun Puhe swung his blade, his face filled with pleasure and ruthlessness. "Tianshu, you're finished!"
"The you of today is nothing more than a useless coward!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Sun Puhe spun around and delivered a kick. Ye Zhao was startled and quickly held his blade horizontally to block.
Lacking the strength, Ye Zhao was shaken and forced back several steps.
To the side, Pei Shian and Wei Feng were focusing all their attention on the two in the center. If things took a turn for the worse, Wei Feng was prepared to launch a forced assault.
Ye Zhao saw Wei Feng’s gaze and subtle movements. He shook his head slightly, his eyes filled with determination.
He understood the other man's plan, but if they did that, Jiang Ziqi and his parents would be in danger.
Wei Feng frowned and inconspicuously loosened his grip on his sword hilt.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 刑场 | Execution grounds | A place for public executions. |
| 牌位 | Spirit tablets | Also known as ancestral tablets; used to designate the seat of a deity or past ancestor. |
| 章氏 | Zhang Clan | The clan Sun Puhe (Zhang Mingxu) belongs to. |
| 章明旭 | Zhang Mingxu | Sun Puhe's true identity. |
| 天枢 | Tianshu | A name/title referring to a legendary figure; also the name of the star Dubhe. |
| 安国公 | Duke of Anguo | Pei Shian's title. |
| 镇国公 | Duke of Zhenguo | Wei Xiyang's title. |
| 明德公 | Duke of Mingde | Xie Mingyuan's title. |
