The sky over Jiugao, which had been besieged by wind and thunder all night, remained sullen. The wind had thinned the clouds slightly, allowing a faint glimmer of light to peek through from the east.
Lu Zican continued to report the details of what he had seen upon entering Tingfeng Hall to Qiu Ling in a low voice. To Qin Jiuye, however, his voice seemed to drift in and out. The complete sentences fell upon her ears as fragmented words: *severed fingers, cut ears, interrogation, state of death...*
Her gaze could not pull away from that paper flower. Her eyes, strained from staying awake all night, were dry and gritty, yet she could see every minute detail on the paper. In a daze, the scorched marks seemed to transform into a ball of flame, just like the one she had once held between her pressed palms as she offered a sincere prayer.
Why... why did it have to be Old Tang?
If it had to be him, why did it have to be like this?
"If it was merely to silence him, they could have just taken his life. Why did they have to torture him?"
The woman’s voice was low, and it was unclear whether she was asking a question or talking to herself.
Lu Zican’s expression was complicated, and he seemed unable to find the words to answer for a moment. It was Qiu Ling who spoke up from the side.
"The assassins of the Preeminent Villa take any job. Killing is just one of them. Extracting information through torture or kidnapping a target’s kin to use as hostages—these are commonplace for them."
There was a brief stagnation in the air before Qin Jiuye suddenly looked up.
"Could it be that woman, Ciyizhen? I saw her on the flower boat before. Didn't the Protector send people to investigate her afterward? Were there any results?"
Lu Zican did not understand the urgency in her voice, assuming she was simply anxious to find the true culprit. Seeing that Qiu Ling did not signal him to stop, he spoke his mind freely.
"Judging from the wounds, the killer struck with ruthless precision. It is not the kind of power someone who only knows how to use hidden weapons would possess. Moreover, Ciyizhen broke into Tingfeng Hall before, and she showed no killing intent then. Why would she make such a grand, murderous move this time? It doesn't quite add up..."
"Perhaps she was following orders from the person behind her, returning to silence him." Before Lu Zican could finish, Qin Jiuye spoke up hurriedly. "This person went through the ledgers of Tingfeng Hall before; there's no telling what she might have discovered. If we catch her and interrogate her thoroughly, we will surely know the truth."
The deduction was not entirely without merit, but Ciyizhen was likely already in dire straits, and that path was probably a dead end.
However, Lu Zican did not voice these thoughts, for he had begun to sense something unusual in the woman's reaction. He stole a glance at the young Protector beside him. Qiu Ling, whether he noticed the look or not, asked a question.
"Shouqi Street in the south of the city is an old street, considered half a territory of the martial world. If a stranger comes or goes, someone usually notices. Did you ask the neighbors before you came?"
The most devastating question had finally arrived.
Lu Zican took a deep breath, his beard trembling in the morning breeze.
"It was still early when I left Shouqi Street. I only managed to ask a few wanderers who frequent the back alleys of Tingfeng Hall for news. According to them, Tingfeng Hall did not open yesterday, but a very young man was seen lingering outside. He wasn't exactly a stranger; based on the description... it should be Li Qiao."
His words fell away with the wind. It was a long while before the woman spoke again.
"During the Su Manor case, he lived with me at Tingfeng Hall. He saw Old Tang every day. They had a bit of a friendship; it would be normal for him to visit and chat."
"But, but..."
Lu Zican’s words danced on the tip of his tongue, unable to be spat out. His face behind his beard turned a deep shade of red. He assumed the woman before him only knew part of the story and feared that if he spoke the truth, it would break her heart.
However, the words he could not say were instantly picked up by Qiu Ling.
"But the assassins of the Preeminent Villa recognize no kin and fear neither gods nor demons. As long as there is silver and an order, they would not blink even if they had to kill their own blood or beloved. A teahouse manager who was a mere acquaintance is truly nothing to them."
"Protector..."
Lu Zican looked at Qiu Ling in surprise, seemingly unable to understand why his usually conservative and cautious superior had suddenly become so sharp and direct. But in the next moment, Qin Jiuye’s voice rang out from the other side.
"The Protector speaks as if he is already certain that he did it."
Qiu Ling’s gaze toward the woman turned cold, and his voice became strained.
"So, you truly did know his identity."
As the Protector whom General Pingnan relied upon, his perception was naturally peerless. The moment Qin Jiuye spoke, she knew she could no longer hide it from him.
The palms of both her hands were soaked—whether from the water she had wrung from her hem or from the cold sweat of anxiety, she did not know. At this point, even if she continued to play the fool, the boy's identity had already been exposed. She would not waste her energy denying it.
"I only found out in these past few days. I haven't sorted out my thoughts yet, nor have I had the chance to confront him. But even if he wasn't with me last night, he wouldn't have gone into the city to kill someone. Because when I was on the island..."
Qin Jiuye’s voice came to an abrupt halt.
She wanted to say she had encountered Li Qiao on the island.
But she quickly realized that even though she had found many signs and felt it in her heart, she had not actually confirmed with her own eyes that the person was Li Qiao. At this moment, she could not prove it to Qiu Ling or Lu Zican.
Her hesitation appeared suspicious to Lu Zican, who couldn't help but press her.
"May I ask, Miss Qin, did you truly see him on the island? At what time and under what circumstances?"
Qin Jiuye’s heart hammered like a drum, but she tried her best to remain calm when she spoke.
"It was at the Haoran Grotto-Heaven. He was wearing the uniform of a disciple of the Preeminent Villa and was disguised, but I am seventy or eighty percent sure..."
"Which is to say, you cannot be entirely certain that person was Li Qiao." Before she could finish, Qiu Ling interrupted. "Furthermore, there is no definitive conclusion as to when Tang Shenyan was murdered. Even if he killed the man first and then boarded the island, it is not impossible."
Qin Jiuye clenched her fingers, her voice growing more urgent.
"Shouqi Street is in the south of the city. To reach Lixin Lake, one must pass through the East He Gate at night. Not to mention the city gates were already closed—how could one person travel back and forth between the city and the island in a single night, while also committing murder and torture?"
"The killer is highly skilled. To be able to commit a crime in the city and escape proves they have excellent lightness skills and are adept at hiding their tracks. It is not impossible to scale the city walls, then take the nearest pier to the east. With a fast boat and full sails, one could return to Qionghu Island in less than half an hour."
Scaling the city walls... scaling the walls again.
If the boy had not taken her to look out from a high vantage point that night, she might not have felt so shaken now.
The three short days of the Sword Appreciation Assembly had already shown her the treachery of the martial world, and the night-long rush had turned everything that happened on Qionghu Island into a blur of chaotic shadows. She herself was beginning to lose track of whether the servant leading her with a lantern was truly Li Qiao, just as she could not be sure if the Li Qiao she had known for the past three months was the real him.
But she was unwilling—unwilling to be blinded by one lie only to experience another deception.
Qin Jiuye pursed her lips and struggled to speak.
"The wind and waves on Lixin Lake were massive last night. A person like him, who is so afraid of water, how could he..."
"How much do you really know him? If you truly knew him that well, you wouldn't have been kept in the dark for so long, only learning his identity today!"
Qiu Ling suddenly cut off her unfinished defense, his voice carrying a rare trace of fury.
He possessed a natural, imposing dignity; his expression was usually cold and stern when investigating cases. Even when faced with thorny problems or repeated setbacks, he rarely lost his composure like this.
He was like cold jade that could not tolerate a flaw, while the woman was as stubborn as a lead weight. Neither would yield an inch.
Lu Zican’s gaze wandered helplessly between the two. Feeling that something terrible would happen if he didn't speak, he said softly, "Miss Qin, Li Qiao comes from the Preeminent Villa. The people there have many faces. If he truly wanted to hide something from you, you wouldn't know it until the day you died. Since you were unaware before, you aren't considered to be harboring a criminal. I believe in your character, Miss, but now that you know everything, you must make a decision."
Qin Jiuye remained standing there stubbornly. The wind dried her hem and the expression on her face. Her eyes remained fixed on the mist-shrouded surface of Lixin Lake, as if she wanted to reach through the fog and question the boy whose whereabouts were unknown.
After a moment, she finally spoke slowly.
"The Protector acts with integrity and has always demanded both evidence and motive when solving cases. I imagine you have discovered more over these past days to be able to speak with such certainty. Since things have reached this point, there is no need for further concealment. If the Protector is willing to tell me everything regarding him, I would be most grateful."
The woman looked toward the center of the lake, while the young Protector beside her looked at her.
He did not like the expression on her face at this moment, but he eventually spoke.
"During the disturbance at Baoshen Tower half a month ago, I arrived at the scene and found two corpses in a nearby alley. They were confirmed to be disciples of the Preeminent Villa. The blade wounds on them were narrow and precise, the work of a master of the saber, and their Qingfeng Powder had been stolen. At the time, I already suspected Baoshen Tower was related to the Qingping Path case, so I took note. Afterward, I sent the bodies to Cheng Yu of the Jinshi Bureau for examination. The results were close to what I expected, but they added a new clue: the Azure Blade technique."
"On the night the Four-Sons Street caught fire and Baoshen Tower was destroyed, the people of the Red Finch Quarter described the culprit as a young saber-wielder. I later led men to track him to the vicinity of Dingweng Village. Your response then was meticulous, but it did not entirely dispel my suspicions. There aren't many households in Dingweng Village or the surrounding area; it isn't difficult to investigate new faces that have recently appeared. Just because I didn't continue the pursuit doesn't mean I was blind to it all."
"The day Li Qiao came to my manor, he exchanged two moves with Zican using an oil-paper umbrella instead of a blade. Although I couldn't force him to strike again, it wasn't hard to judge that he is a saber-wielder, and his technique is singular and sharp, unlike the common styles of the martial world. In this world today, an anonymous saber-wielder who can use the techniques of the deceased can only come from one place: the Preeminent Villa. And as for those who would kill to obtain Qingfeng Powder, there are almost none besides renegade disciples of the Villa."
Qiu Ling spoke up to this point in one breath, then turned to look at Lu Zican, who stood with his head bowed in silence.
"If this is still not enough to convince you that he has committed a string of murders, that his record is stained and his crimes unpardonable, then let Zican tell you everything he learned last night."
In the past, if he could have openly said a few bad words about Li Qiao in front of Qin Jiuye, Lu Zican would have volunteered eagerly. But the current situation was clearly not the satisfying scene he had imagined. He didn't want to speak, but he couldn't withstand his Protector’s terrifying gaze. He could only say in a low voice:
"The night before last, while I was by the shore of Lixin Lake, I happened to encounter Miss Jiang, who serves Xu Qiuchi. Miss Jiang hesitated before telling me that while searching for Ciyizhen, she had gone to the Lotus Market, where martial world assassins gather. According to her, she saw Li Qiao at that dark market. At the time, Li Qiao took a paper flower from the market. When she returned later to verify, she found that the flower was the bounty on Tang Shenyan. I intended to visit Tingfeng Hall personally after this matter to warn Manager Tang to be careful, but who knew... who knew I would miss the chance..."
So, was the failure to warn Old Tang Lu Zican’s fault, or hers?
Qin Jiuye could not speak; she could only lower her head and remain silent. It was as if by not speaking, she could endure this dilemma for a moment longer.
Perhaps she was the one who should be filled with regret, the one who was an inadequate friend to the manager of Tingfeng Hall.
She remembered what she had said to him that day while feeding the ducks at Tingfeng Hall. She said that although Old Tang was a scholar, he was a scholar who mingled in the martial world and knew more than he imagined. He had asked her then if she had inquired about him to Tang Shenyan. And how could she have known what an assassin was thinking back then? She certainly didn't know if her casual words had caught the attention of an assassin who never left loose ends.
So was it really him? Could the person who killed Old Tang be him? Was it because his identity was exposed, or because he was coerced, or simply because he took a job that could be traded for gold and silver...
Her silence was fully captured by Qiu Ling, who asked heavily, "You said you met him on the island, but did he acknowledge you then? Have you thought about the reason behind all this? Or have you already guessed it but are unwilling to believe?"
The reputation of the "Jade-Breaking Lord," said to solve cases as cleanly as a Kun-knife cutting jade, was indeed well-founded. Every word he spoke was as heavy as a thousand catties, every question as sharp as a needle, leaving the "interrogated" Qin Jiuye with nowhere to hide, defeated in an instant.
So, was that the true reason the boy did not acknowledge her in the Qionghu Island catacombs?
Was the reason he was in such a hurry because he had to return and report his mission? Could the red spots on his Villa disciple robes have been Old Tang’s blood? Was the reason he was willing to retrieve the item from the hot spring and rescue her from Zhu Fuxue at any cost simply because he felt guilty for killing her friend and wanted to compensate her?
"Perhaps the moment he chose to put back on those Preeminent Villa robes, he had already decided to return to the Villa’s service. Perhaps from the very beginning, he was destined to leave you. This has nothing to do with you; it is because he was always that kind of person."
The cold hardness in the young Protector’s eyes finally faded, replaced by a touch of heartache that even he did not notice.
But the person before him could not see it.
Qin Jiuye stared at the remains of a burnt-out beacon on the nearby shoal. She felt as if she had been ignited by a stray spark, the fire consuming her. She slapped desperately at the flames, wanting to break free, but her unstoppable emotions and thoughts swallowed her like a conflagration.
In a daze, she was back at the dark entrance of Dingweng Village on a rainy night, back at the burning cargo ship of the Su family, back in the pitch-black, bottomless waters of Lixin Lake.
She thought that she didn't actually fail to understand the meaning behind those moments; she was simply used to glossing over things, refusing to face them.
For ordinary and impoverished people, life was like rowing a boat through bitter waters, endless and vast, while love was but a momentary flare. Moreover, she was facing such a dangerous boy.
It wasn't that she didn't like that moment of warmth and intensity, but for her, returning to a long-lasting loneliness was the normal state of life.
For a long time, she had believed she could only live that kind of lukewarm life.
Gold meets fire to shed impurities and become pure; water meets fire to boil into clouds; earth enters the kiln to be fired into vessels; even a giant tree can be refined into charcoal.
But she was fragile flora.
Once grass and wood burn, they turn into a handful of ash.
She had only one heart; she did not want to live the rest of her life carrying a handful of ash in her chest.
But why? Why, since she had chosen a mundane life, did she still hand out that oil-paper umbrella and bring him home? Why, knowing he wasn't by her side, did she call out his name in the darkness? Why, after knowing all this, did she still choose to throw herself into the freezing lake?
She told others that the human heart was precious, but in the end, she was unwilling to face her own heart.
And she claimed to know more, to teach him what the human heart was, yet she relied on that sober rationality to procrastinate, never fulfilling her promise.
Perhaps she was far more despicable than he was.
How could she be like this?
She should not be like this.
Qin Jiuye slowly raised her head.
If there was blame, let it be on that moment on Qionghu Island last night when they could not acknowledge each other.
If there was blame, let it be on the fact that even in enemy territory, with the road ahead treacherous and life and death uncertain, he had still gone to great lengths to find her, to take her away from Zhu Fuxue, and to carefully place that bronze mirror into her robes.
"I was anxious just now and lost my composure. I hope the Protector will not take offense." She finally spoke, her voice less hurried and trembling, more of her usual steadiness. "Having heard what Adjutant Lu said, I still have two or three doubts about this matter that I must voice."
Seeing that the woman before him seemed to have regained her reason and was the first to yield, Lu Zican breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't even try to hide, quickly picking up the conversation.
"Please, Miss Qin, speak freely."
Qiu and Lu both looked at her. she felt the pressure of their gazes, but she couldn't help but continue.
"The Protector often says that evidence and motive are both indispensable in solving a case. If the killer truly was Li Qiao and his motive was to silence a witness, he only needed to find an opportunity to strike. Why would he go to the Lotus Market and do something so redundant, exposing his tracks for no reason? If he only accidentally discovered the bounty on Old Tang at that dark market and his motive was merely the reward, why did he have to strike last night? Wouldn't it be more secure to find a more hidden opportunity later?"
"And there is one most important point. Since the assassins of the Preeminent Villa are so cunning and cautious, why would he enter and leave Tingfeng Hall so brazenly as to be seen? And why would he leave a paper lotus that could expose his identity at the crime scene? Unless the killer is someone else—for instance, the person behind the bounty on Old Tang at the Lotus Market—and their true intention is yet unknown."
As she organized her thoughts, they became clearer. After Qin Jiuye finished, Lu Zican had clearly taken much of it in, nodding immediately.
"I've heard that to collect a bounty at the Lotus Market, one must hand over the paper flower. If it were for the reward, the paper flower with Manager Tang’s name on it shouldn't have been left behind."
Qiu Ling’s voice then rang out coldly, as if responding to Lu Zican, yet also speaking to the woman.
"The current evidence is not enough to convict Li Qiao, but given his identity and the fact that he frequented the Lotus Market and Tingfeng Hall, the suspicion on him cannot be cleared."
Qin Jiuye did not intend to deny this.
"All current deductions are based on our respective impressions of his usual behavior. I believe he didn't do it, while the Protector and Adjutant Lu have many doubts. Perhaps the most direct and fastest way is to confront him face-to-face."
Qiu Ling gave her a deep look, as if confirming her intentions. Only after a moment did he say heavily:
"If he is guilty, I will personally bring him to justice. The clues found on the Fangwaiguan ship have not yet been cleared. This matter and the case in the city last night must be handled simultaneously. We must not only search for the culprit but also strictly inspect ships entering the city. Any suspicious vessels must be towed to the shipyards outside the city immediately; remember, do not let the ships into the city. After returning, Zican, go quickly to the Qiu Manor to obtain a warrant from the Commandant to deploy the waterway guards throughout the city. Have them patrol the main river channels. If they find anything unusual, report it immediately and evacuate the nearby crowds. They are not to board the ships without authorization. If they encounter a culprit who resists... kill them on sight."
A cold wind rose again over the lake, and Qin Jiuye couldn't help but shiver. She instinctively took a step forward and spoke earnestly.
"I have spent three months with him, after all. Even if I can't say I know him perfectly, I am more familiar with him than most. I implore the Protector to give me this chance; I will surely bring him back to accept questioning." Fearing he would doubt the feasibility of her plan, she hurriedly detailed her thoughts. "I truly do not know his past, but a person's habits cannot be changed overnight. He does not like water, nor does he like riding in boats. Even if he wants to leave Jiugao, he won't choose the water route. Once he leaves Qionghu Island, he will surely find the nearest pier or ferry to go ashore, then wait for a chance to hide in the crowds. I know something of the piers and ferries around Jiugao; I can cover these places in the shortest time..."
Her throat was dry from speaking, but Qiu Ling did not look at her again.
He seemed to have reverted to the stranger—the Protector who had presided over the court and confined her to Tingfeng Hall. When he spoke, his voice had a familiar cold hardness.
"If he wants to flee, you alone will likely be powerless."
The air became stagnant once more.
Their Protector was clearly not himself today, but Lu Zican still couldn't figure out exactly what was wrong. He only felt that his earnest advice from the other day had been in vain. He stepped forward, sweating profusely, to explain.
"Miss Qin, it's not that the Protector doesn't trust you, but investigating a case has always required following rules. You and that Li Qiao are old acquaintances, and he is a martial world assassin. We cannot, under any circumstances, push you out to do this."
Qin Jiuye saw Qiu Ling’s reaction. Thinking of everything that had happened between them on the island, she couldn't help but feel hurt. But as soon as she thought of the boy—thought of how his life was currently uncertain and that he had no one else to rely on—the unyielding streak in her bones instantly suppressed all other emotions.
"I have self-awareness and never intended to overstep my bounds. It's just that the things on that Fangwaiguan ship might be extremely dangerous, and Adjutant Lu also said manpower is limited. Even if the Protector had three heads and six arms, handling matters inside and outside the city alone would be overwhelming. Since the Protector has long suspected Li Qiao and still sought me out to help, wasn't it so I could be of use at a moment like this?"
The woman spoke her mind without reservation. Lu Zican was stunned for a moment, then began to whisper an explanation.
But at this moment, Qiu Ling could not hear those words. His hand, hidden in his sleeve, was clenched so tightly it almost bled. Only the woman's words echoed in his mind.
She was right. When he had allowed her into the game, besides valuing her ability and conviction, there was a hidden motive: her relationship with the boy.
His instinct as an investigator told him that Li Qiao was inextricably linked to this string of martial world mysteries. He believed the boy was guilty. If the day came when he had to personally arrest him, Qin Jiuye might be an important pawn to restrain him, easily making up for his lack of the boy's cunning and guile.
He had always been an honest man and firmly believed that his actions were his duty and that he had a clear conscience. Thus, he never expected that when someone spoke his intentions to his face, he would feel such agonizing distress.
Perhaps it was because those words had come from her mouth.
Her expression when she bared everything was so frank; she didn't even show a hint of resentment for what he had done. This frankness stung him inexplicably, causing a searing emotion to flare up within his distress.
He had never experienced such an emotion, and his reason was swallowed by it in an instant.
"Let her go."
Lu Zican, who was still trying to persuade her, turned back in shock. In the moment he was dazed, the woman had already taken the jar from her person and solemnly handed it to him.
"This is likely wine mixed with a secret recipe. I'll trouble Adjutant Lu to keep it safe." Having said that, she walked straight past him toward his little white horse. "My two legs aren't enough. I wonder if I might borrow Adjutant Lu’s horse?"
Lu Zican looked at Qin Jiuye in disbelief, then turned to look at Qiu Ling, who had turned his back. For a moment, he didn't know what to do, only instinctively asking:
"You... don't you not know how to ride?"
"Once is strange, twice is familiar. It's no matter."
With her answering like that, Lu Zican couldn't find any words to object.
He knew that since she could say such a thing, she must have the determination and courage. But he soon shifted from worrying about Qin Jiuye to worrying about his horse.
"This horse has been with me for many years. I'm afraid it won't be easy for others to handle..."
Before his words could land, Qin Jiuye had already taken the reins.
The little white horse, like its master, had a thick coat of hair, its long mane almost covering its eyes. Qin Jiuye reached out, pulled a strand of red tassel, and briskly tied a small braid for it. The little white horse immediately gave a cheerful snort, tossing its head and nuzzling Qin Jiuye, looking ready to depart at any moment.
Qin Jiuye walked straight past Lu Zican, whose expression looked a bit hurt, and came before Qiu Ling.
"I promise the Protector: if I can find him, I will surely bring him back to accept investigation and questioning." At this point, Qin Jiuye pulled out a warm object from her person and pressed it into Qiu Ling’s hand. "This is the private seal of my shop, Guoranju. I'll leave it with the Protector as collateral. I know I am of little consequence and this guarantee doesn't carry much weight, but it is truly all I have now. Half a day, at most a day—I will definitely be back."
The young Protector’s fingers twitched. It was a long while before he said heavily:
"You really needn't do this."
Needn't what? Needn't use the seal of Guoranju as collateral? Or needn't risk her life to find a murder suspect? Or...
The thin woman had already struggled onto the horse's back by grabbing the side of the saddle, and his words could no longer be made clear.
Although Qin Jiuye had never ridden a horse alone, she had ridden donkeys, oxen, and even pigs and sheep when she was a child. All riding techniques came from the same source. She couldn't imagine any mount more difficult to deal with than the old water buffalo belonging to Old Lady Zhang in the village. If she couldn't even tame Lu Zican’s mount, she might as well stop mingling in the martial world altogether.
With her mind made up and her legs full of strength, Qin Jiuye gave a squeeze. The little white horse flicked its tail and finally started its trot.
Watching his beloved horse carry the girl away, Lu Zican could no longer hold back. He approached Qiu Ling and said urgently:
"The Protector is just going to let Miss Qin go after that Li kid? What if he really is the killer? What if he turns on her? Miss Qin is all alone; if she gets caught up in a martial world struggle, she might not even be able to save herself..."
His anxiety met with no response.
After a long while, Qiu Ling finally turned around. However, the woman's figure was no longer visible in the distance. On the shoal where the morning light had risen, there was only a line of shallow hoofprints, rapidly blurring under the soaking of the lake water.
He knew, deep down, that the boy would not hurt her. It was just that, given his former personality, he would never have allowed such a thing to happen.
But in a certain moment just now, he seemed to have become a completely different person.
The moment she led the horse toward him, he almost didn't dare look up, fearing he would see her returning the piece of water-blue jade to him.
He had become the version of himself from last night on Qionghu Island; the night rain and wild wind had nourished his private feelings, and her repeated defense of the boy had even made him feel murderous. He neither wanted her to be hurt, nor did he desperately want her to see the boy's unworthiness with her own eyes, so she would lose heart completely and make a choice.
Qiu Ling finally withdrew his distant gaze, his thin lips softly uttering a single sentence.
"Do you think she will come back?"
Would she still return to his side, like the day they boarded the island, holding his scabbard and softly calling him "San-lang"?
Silence reigned all around, but even the adjutant and friend standing close by could not hear the young Protector’s inner voice. Lu Zican only assumed he was weighing whether the suspected young assassin could be brought to justice. He spoke up to comfort him:
"That Li Qiao is ruthless and extremely cunning; he is indeed difficult to deal with. But I feel that if there is one person who can bring him back without losing a single soldier or general, it might just be Miss Qin."
Lu Zican turned his head halfway through his sentence, only to find that the young Protector had already mounted another horse and left in silence.
He looked around in panic, wanting to call for his mount, only to realize his beloved horse had already been borrowed. He could only shout as he jogged to keep up with the figure riding away into the distance.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 果然居 | Guoranju | Qin Jiuye's shop/business name. |
| 守器街 | Shouqi Street | A street in Jiugao known for martial world activity. |
| 浩然洞天 | Haoran Grotto-Heaven | A location on Qionghu Island. |
| 东阖门 | East He Gate | One of the city gates of Jiugao. |
| 丁翁村 | Dingweng Village | A village near Jiugao. |
| 昆刀切玉 | Kun-knife cutting jade | An idiom describing someone who solves problems or cases with extreme precision and ease. |
| 断玉君 | Jade-Breaking Lord | A title or nickname for Qiu Ling, referring to his investigative skills. |
| 水苍玉 | Water-blue jade | The jade pendant Qiu Ling gave to Qin Jiuye. |
| 三郎 | San-lang | "Third Brother," an intimate way Qin Jiuye addressed Qiu Ling. |
| 参将 | Adjutant | Lu Zican's military rank/role. |
| 督护 | Protector | Qiu Ling's official title/rank. |
| 胥蚕之丝 | Xucan Silk | The material used in Zhu Fuxue's weapon, the Chiwei. |
| 藏婴香 | Zangying Fragrance | A strong scent associated with Zhu Fuxue. |
| 晴风散 | Qingfeng Powder | A specific medicinal or alchemical powder mentioned in the investigation. |
| 金石司 | Jinshi Bureau | An official department, likely involved in forensics or metallurgy. |
| 呈羽 | Cheng Yu | A person working at the Jinshi Bureau. |
| 红雉坊 | Red Finch Quarter | A location in the city, likely an entertainment or red-light district. |
| 荷花市集 | Lotus Market | A dark market for martial world transactions and bounties. |
