The sound of the staff-wielder’s footsteps had completely faded, and the tailor shop’s proprietor, after some soothing words, had retreated behind his counter. Yet, Lu Zican’s pace as he left the Spring Garment Pavilion was exceptionally sluggish.
His beard was a tangled mess from his frantic pursuit, but he didn't care to find a mirror. He simply walked with his arms crossed, seething in silence. His entire face was bunched up in a scowl, the furrows between his brows deep enough to crush three mosquitoes.
Zheng Peiyu had already led his men away through the back door. Those men had been requisitioned from Fan Tong; after such a chaotic ruckus that yielded not even a single stray hair, there was no telling how they would disparage him before Prefect Fan. The entire Protectorate Office would likely suffer the fallout.
Besides, there was no smoke without fire. He was convinced that today’s incident was no simple misunderstanding. So what if he was a "Mister"? Even the world’s most notorious assassin manor called those who killed hundreds "Mister"—it wasn't necessarily a noble title. Why should they be exempt from questioning just because he invoked the name of the Academy? To Lu Zican, the man looked seventy to eighty percent like the portrait in the intelligence report and just happened to be on a Silkworm Prosperity boat. That was why he had acted so recklessly, yet in the end, it was he who was branded incompetent. There was simply no justice in it.
The more Lu Zican thought about it, the more aggrieved and incensed he became. The small notebook he usually carried was crumpled in his grip, on the verge of becoming a ball of waste paper.
Finally, the young Protector ahead stopped and turned to look at his disgruntled subordinate.
"If you have something to say, say it. Don't bottle it up."
Lu Zican took a deep breath, finally feeling released from the stifling atmosphere of a moment ago. He spoke in a rapid-fire stream:
"Forgive me, Protector. I didn't know that man was an old acquaintance of yours from the Academy. I burst into that shop in a moment of urgency and was perhaps a bit indiscreet. But that man is truly strange. There are hardly any Silkworm Prosperity boats in all of Jiugao; how could he have happened upon one so conveniently? Moreover, I saw someone on that boat wearing a short bamboo hat who didn't look like a scholar. There might be another person who hasn't shown themselves. And when I questioned him, he kept beating around the bush..."
"Aside from these 'strangenesses,' did you find any actual evidence of a crime?"
Lu Zican’s voice faltered. His face flushed with embarrassment as he lowered his head.
"I did not."
Qiu Ling looked toward the crowded, bustling waterway, his voice dropping low.
"Do you know the Academy’s current standing in the imperial court? On the surface, you and I belong to the Capital’s External Affairs Bureau, but everyone knows we carry the name of the General of Peace in the South’s manor. Without absolute certainty, we won't just fail to catch the fish—we'll soak our own shoes. Do you understand?"
As the young Protector spoke, his expression remained open and bright, devoid of the oily cunning typical of those who played at power politics. But seeing this, Lu Zican realized for the first time that while his master came from the military, he was not as inflexible as one might imagine.
Perhaps Lord Duanyu was indeed upright by nature, but after years in the bureaucracy, he had been forced to learn the skills of survival. That was a poignant realization in itself.
Lu Zican looked at his superior with a touch more sentimentality. "The Protector is right; I was too impulsive. It's just that Mr. Ding..."
"I will have someone look into him. Since we are currently in Jiugao, some matters are inconvenient for us to handle directly. I previously asked someone else to gather information; I'll have them check this as well."
Qiu Ling paused. Although that youth might have no direct connection to the current case, he felt an unshakeable sense of unease. He attributed it to the intuition honed over years of investigation; if he didn't uncover the other's background, he could not be at peace.
Lu Zican didn't notice anything unusual in the Protector's words, assuming he was referring to the case. He nodded in agreement.
"True. We're all stretched thin right now. It would be best to have someone well-informed helping us. Besides, that Prefect Fan doesn't seem like a man of action. Even if he's willing to help this time, the boys and I wouldn't feel easy about it..." He stopped mid-sentence, looking down at the apron tied around his waist. "Oh! Miss Qin is still waiting at my stall. I have to hurry..."
Lu Zican’s voice cut off abruptly. After a moment, his eyes darted around, and he suddenly changed his tune.
"My noodle stall isn't far from here. Has the Protector had lunch? Why don't you come with me..."
Before he could finish, Qiu Ling interrupted him.
"No, I have business at the Su Manor. I'll have the noodles another time."
Lu Zican was unwilling to give up. Finally, he resolved to speak plainly.
"This isn't about the noodles. I'm thinking of you, Protector. Miss Qin took that half-piece of jade back from you that day, and you haven't seen her since. This... this isn't quite right, is it?"
Qiu Ling gave him a strange look. "What isn't right? How so?"
Lu Zican felt he had much to say, but the words felt like a peach pit stuck in his throat, impossible to cough up.
He sputtered for a while before trying a more roundabout approach.
"Miss Qin is sharp and decisive, much like the Protector in her way of doing things. Do you not... like seeing her?"
After a long silence, Qiu Ling slowly nodded.
"I do." However, he immediately shifted his tone, continuing solemnly, "But more than seeing her, I hope for a swift resolution to this matter."
Hearing the words "I do," Lu Zican almost lost control of himself, nearly moved to tears. He didn't even hear the second half of the sentence.
He had followed this man for six or seven years and had never heard him say he liked a certain food, a certain item, or being with a certain person. Heaven had truly opened its eyes; for his Protector to admit to "liking" something was no small feat!
Thinking this, Lu Zican struck while the iron was hot.
"Exactly! I think Miss Qin is quite happy to see you, too. You two should see each other more often. Don't let her spend all day with that cold-blooded, devious little brother of hers. If she stays with him too long, something bad is bound to happen..."
While Lu Zican was pacing in circles with anxiety, the man himself couldn't quite grasp the urgency.
"The case is at a critical juncture. Without urgent business, wouldn't frequent meetings just cause trouble for both of us?" The young Protector explained further, as if fearing his adjutant wouldn't understand. "The day she came to find me alone to ask if I could truly eliminate the secret formula threat, she clearly showed how important this is to her. If I crack this case, capture the culprit, and end the threat of that formula once and for all, she will be pleased."
Lu Zican stared at the Protector’s serious, earnest face, speechless.
He felt that every word the man said was correct, yet every word was also wrong. He couldn't find the words to refute him, nor could he bring himself to try. Finally, he just threw up his hands in resignation.
"Fine, the Protector has his own judgment. Just don't regret it later."
With a huff, Lu Zican untied his apron and strode toward the bridge.
Qiu Ling watched his back, thinking that the adjutant who had followed him all this way had been acting strange lately. But since he was never one for heart-to-heart talks, he could only guess that Lu was upset about not being able to return to his hometown yet.
*Fine, I'll have someone send a few more pigs and sheep to his family's farm in a few days.*
Just as he thought this, Lu Zican, who was already a dozen paces away, suddenly spun around.
"Protector, don't send any more pigs to my house! My parents are old; they can't handle tending to over a dozen pigs!"
With that, Lu Zican’s burly frame vanished across the bridge in a flash. The young Protector stood there in a daze for a moment before mounting his horse and riding off in the opposite direction.
****** ****** ******
Deep in a narrow alley, the figure of the scholar in green moved through the lush summer shadows, appearing and disappearing in the flickering light.
He walked slowly. As he turned into the depths of Willow Mist Alley, he encountered three or four half-grown children running toward him.
The lead child held a half-melted sugar figurine high in the air, running ahead with a sweaty face, leaving his envious companions behind.
He was running in a hurry, glancing back to see if anyone was catching up, and didn't notice the slow-moving scholar.
The child hadn't expected the man to be so slow or to not dodge. He nearly collided with him, swerving at the last second, but his outstretched arm brushed against the scholar’s hem, and the sugar figurine’s head was knocked off.
The child stamped his feet in frustration, but seeing his friends catching up, he had no choice but to keep running. The four figures disappeared around the corner of another street in an instant.
The melted sugar had stuck to the green gauze, leaving a sticky stain. The scholar looked at it for a moment, then slightly rolled up his sleeve to hide the mark. He reached into his robe and pulled out a small mugwort bun wrapped in a handkerchief, checking it carefully.
The half-bun had been kept close to his body; though slightly flattened, it hadn't crumbled.
Leaning on his goosefoot staff, Ding Miao spoke softly to the empty alley.
"Come out."
Before his voice faded, a shadow leaped down from the roof tiles.
It was a young man wearing a short bamboo hat and coarse cloth clothes. From a distance, he looked no different from a common farmer. Upon closer inspection, his round face held almond-shaped eyes, and a small mouth sat beneath a broad nose. There was a feminine cast to his rugged, simple features—a man with the face of a woman.
He shot a quick glance at Ding Miao and said defensively, "I only came out because Mister called me."
Ding Miao studied his expression for a while before reaching out to pluck a piece of dried grass from the man's hat.
"If Lord Duanyu hadn't arrived just now, would you have jumped down from the roof?"
The man in the hat, his thoughts exposed, let out a snort of indignation.
"They came with such momentum, and Mister was alone. I wasn't at ease."
Ding Miao frowned slightly, his voice remaining gentle.
"If you have such concerns, you should have been more careful earlier. Didn't I tell you to change boats? If you continue to be so disobedient and reckless, you will put us both in danger."
The man lowered his head. His dark, somewhat dull almond eyes stared unblinkingly at his straw sandals, though it was unclear what he was looking at.
"I wanted to test the swordsmanship of Kunxu. And... and..."
And he had just started to get the hang of rowing with those double sculls. Then this man made him change boats again. If he had to wrestle with those broken planks every day, he wouldn't have the energy for anything else—even the fun of watching the commotion would be halved.
Seeing his expression, Ding Miao’s voice grew even softer, yet his tone carried a chill.
"Ren Xiaohan, do you remember what you promised me when I took you away from the Manor? If there is a next time, I will throw you back."
Ren Xiaohan blinked. After a moment, he clumsily took off his hat and squeezed it in his hands.
"Xiaohan remembers. Xiaohan... Xiaohan won't dare do it again..."
Ding Miao didn't respond immediately, so Ren Xiaohan kept twisting the hat. The longer the silence stretched, the more restless his hands became. A moment later, a sharp crack sounded—the short hat woven from thin bamboo strips was instantly torn to shreds, its debris scattering across the ground.
Ding Miao sighed and finally spoke.
"It's still early. Accompany me for a walk around the city."
He began to walk forward with his staff. Ren Xiaohan looked up, his round face returning to its dull expression, and hurried forward to support him.
As they walked close together, Ren Xiaohan’s gaze flickered over the torn gauze on the other's collar. He remembered something and asked:
"Mister only ever wears the Lotus Robes of the Academy. You haven't had new clothes made outside for many years, have you?"
Ding Miao’s gaze drifted for a moment before returning to normal.
"Do you remember that person I mentioned to you? I think I have finally found her. After so many years apart, this unexpected reunion... I naturally cannot be dressed too casually."
Ren Xiaohan tilted his head, seemingly unable to grasp the concept.
"Didn't Mister come to see that boy? And... and how does Mister know that the woman you met this time is the one you're looking for? So much time has passed, and you never saw her with your own eyes..."
"This time is different. I just know." Ding Miao gripped his staff tightly, his eyes fixed on the sliver of sky visible between the rooftops. "Just as insects know when thunder and rain are coming, just as the autumn cicada knows that winter is near. If I say it is her, it is her. I need no other reason."
The man’s voice lost its usual gentleness. A stubborn, unshakeable hardness entered his flat tone. An ordinary person would not have dared to question him further, but the round-faced youth was unmoved, fixated on the problem that worried him.
"What if Mister has mistaken the person again? What then?"
Ding Miao fell silent.
After a moment, he spoke again, but he was talking about something else.
"On the boat, you were too busy complaining that the sesame candy was gone. What about the matter I asked you to investigate?"
Ren Xiaohan scratched his head and spoke deliberately.
"He is currently living in Dingweng Village, west of the city. He works in a medium-sized pharmacy. Aside from that Shopkeeper Qin and a shop hand, there is only an old man who stops by occasionally."
Ding Miao nodded, his expression neutral.
"Poor folk doing small business usually have no mind for other matters. Plus, the location is remote, which helps avoid the eyes of the martial world. That must be why he grew lax and stayed in one place for nearly three months."
"However..." Ren Xiaohan paused as if remembering something. "The villagers say he is actually Shopkeeper Qin's distant younger brother. For over two months, they have called each other sister and brother. They live like a family..."
Before Ren Xiaohan could finish, the man cut him off.
"Brother? Family?" Ding Miao’s voice dripped with unmasked, sharp irony, entirely different from his usual warm tone. "He is nothing but a blade forged from scrap iron. Even his name is stolen. Where would he get an older sister? Where would he get a family?"
No, that man had stolen far more than that.
Jia Shisan, your entire life after the age of sixteen has been pilfered—snatched from the clenched hands of a man who had nothing.
The teachers at the Academy taught their disciples that a person is robbed because the thief’s heart is crooked. But this world had given him a different answer: he was plundered because he himself lacked strength.
In the past, he was too useless, lacking even the strength to struggle or cry out under the crushing weight of fate. But now, everything was different. He would slowly, bit by bit, take back everything that was rightfully his.
And he had endured for so, so long, waiting for this day to come.
Ding Miao rewrapped the half-bun in his handkerchief, stroking the pale green grass embroidered upon it. He spoke gently.
"It matters not. His current identity is unimportant, as are the other people in that village. If the day comes when they truly become an obstacle, we shall simply kill them all. Considering what is to come, death might be a mercy for those commoners."
Ren Xiaohan blinked, sounding dissatisfied. "Killing those people is a bit boring."
Ding Miao looked at the round face, then reached out and patted the youth’s head.
"There are many boring things in this world. Most of the time, we must live through the boredom." Seeing the other still sulking, Ding Miao changed the subject. "Haven't you always wanted to test him? I will arrange it for tonight. How does that sound?"
"Truly?" Ren Xiaohan’s eyes widened, though those dark pupils remained misty and devoid of light. "Mister must keep his word. What if he hides again like last time?"
"With the city so lively tonight, he won't be absent. Besides, don't forget—we have a bait that will make him anxious. Once the bait is cast, he will naturally come running from his hiding place."
Ren Xiaohan nodded vigorously, his excitement hard to hide. He kept repeating the man's promise.
"Mister is right. We have the bait. Mister promised me. Mister promised, so he won't forget..."
The scholar in green said no more, continuing down the narrow alley. The round-faced man followed in silent accord. As they walked away together, they looked like nothing more than a teacher and his slightly dim-witted page. There was no glint of blades to be seen, nor the slightest scent of blood in the air.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 壬小寒 | Ren Xiaohan | A young man following Ding Miao; described as having feminine features. |
| 丁翁村 | Dingweng Village | The village where the male lead (Jia Shisan) is hiding. |
| 甲十三 | Jia Shisan | Literal: "A-13" or "First-Thirteen." The true name/designation of the male lead. |
| 荷衣 | Lotus Robes | The specific scholarly attire associated with the Academy. |
| 昆墟 | Kunxu | Likely a sect or a specific style of swordsmanship (Kunxu Swordsmanship). |
| 柳烟巷 | Willow Mist Alley | A location in Jiugao. |
| 艾草馍馍 | Mugwort bun | A type of steamed bun made with mugwort. |
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