The dark clouds that had long shrouded the northern lands finally dispersed. The rainy season in Hozhou had reached its end, and summer was quietly approaching.
The sky had begun to pale, though sunrise was still half an hour away.
The city of Muerhe remained submerged in the remnants of last night’s revelry. Even the usually boisterous birds were sluggish, and a heavy silence hung over the streets in every direction.
At the back gate of the Wangchen Tower courtyard, a figure emerged from the inner grounds, their form and face concealed beneath a heavy cloak. The old door hinges let out a piercing screech. The figure froze, glancing left and right to ensure they were unobserved, before boarding a carriage that had been waiting in the back alley. The carriage set off toward the northern city gate.
As the rumble of the wheels faded into the distance, there was movement at the back gate once more.
Four or five shadows filed out in quick succession, boarding another carriage parked at the corner of the street and following closely behind the first.
At the northern gate, several guards were rubbing their hands together, preparing for the shift change. Having endured the entire night, they had reached the final stretch before sunrise—the hour when exhaustion weighed heaviest. Every man was eager to finish his duties and return home to rest.
The sound of movement echoed from down the main street. It was a carriage.
Though it was still some time before the gates were officially set to open, the lead guard saw the vehicle and ordered the side gate to be unbarred.
An old servant driving the carriage quickly handed over a heavy silver ingot and hurried the horses through the gate.
The other guards, long accustomed to such dealings, stepped forward to close the gate again.
Unexpectedly, another carriage appeared at the end of the street at that very moment, also heading straight for the gate.
The lead guard, growing impatient, signaled his men to intercept it.
"The hour has not yet come. No one leaves the city."
The groom driving the carriage lifted his veiled hat slightly, revealing a round, youthful face. "Brother, didn't I just see one pass through? Be a friend and let us through as well. It’s less than half an hour until the official opening anyway."
The guard’s tone turned contemptuous. "The one before you? That was Master Zou. He’s heading to his manor outside the city for an inventory check. It’s urgent business, and he sent word ahead of time. Where did you lot spring from? Do you think we keep watch here just for show?"
Another guard, noticing that while the carriage was not ostentatious, its craftsmanship was beyond what an ordinary family could afford, stepped in to smooth things over, fearing they might offend someone important. "It’ll be open soon enough. You lot just wait a while."
"We can afford to wait, but I fear Master Zou cannot."
A voice drifted from within the carriage. The words were light, yet they rang with startling clarity in the cold, quiet air of the dawn.
The guards were taken aback, and even the groom on the carriage seemed momentarily stunned.
Then, the voice spoke again. "I am a steward of the Zou estate. The Master left in such a hurry this morning that he forgot an important seal. The household only just realized and sent us to catch him. If we are late, it will cause a great deal of trouble. The Master prefers to travel discreetly and dislikes making a scene, which is why my groom did not explain clearly. I hope you officers can forgive us."
Zou Sifang was notoriously cautious; would he truly make such a mistake? The guards remained skeptical.
As if sensing their doubt, a corner of the carriage curtain was lifted. A figure leaned out slightly, holding a box. Inside the box lay a square seal, pure white and exquisitely carved.
The lead guard stepped forward to inspect it. He saw characters carved into the side of the seal, but they looked like strange, ghostly talismans. He was barely literate and could make no sense of them.
When he looked up at the person holding the seal, the man gave him a slight smile. That smile... how to describe it? Though the man looked to be only in his twenties, he possessed an aura that was inexplicably benevolent and commanding.
The guard silently stepped back and beckoned the groom over. He whispered a few words into the groom's ear, and the groom quickly pressed a piece of silver into the guard's palm with a practiced, hidden motion. The guard then waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to open the gate.
The groom seemed surprised by the sudden success. He thanked them profusely with a look of delight and hurried the carriage out of the city.
Once they were clear of the gates, the stone-paved road gave way to dirt, and the horses began to run more freely. Bailao tossed aside his veiled hat, revealing his thick, dark eyebrows, and began to curse irritably.
"A pack of silver-grubbing fools! If they want money, they should just take it and be done with it. Dithering for so long... now we can't even see the dust from Zou Sifang's wheels!"
Inside the carriage, Xiao Nanhui was also anxious. "Drive faster. If we have to, unhitch the horses and I’ll pursue him on horseback."
Zhonglijing sat nearest the door, idly turning the white jade seal he had used for the performance in his hands. "No need to rush. There is only one road for the next five miles. To avoid drawing attention, he had his carriage wheels modified; they are quieter, but they cannot go fast. We will catch him before the fork in the road."
Xiao Nanhui glanced at him, recalling the scene at the gate. For the first time, she felt that having a handsome face truly did have its uses.
Hao Bai sat at the very back of the carriage, squeezed in next to Ding Weixiang. Hearing this, he couldn't help but offer praise. "Brother Zhongli is truly impressive. To remain so calm regardless of the situation... back at the gate, I truly thought we wouldn't make it through."
It would have been better if he hadn't spoken. The moment he did, Xiao Nanhui was reminded of the previous night's events. To think she had once considered this traveling doctor an honest man—it turned out he was just as full of secrets as the rest.
"Master Qu is too modest," she said. "You managed to turn this into a business deal while settling your family affairs. You are quite formidable yourself."
Hao Bai caught the dissatisfaction in her voice and blinked innocently. "Is Brother Yao still blaming me for not being entirely truthful? You must understand, I did not come here of my own volition. I was entrusted by my family and had no choice."
Everyone had their difficulties, and Xiao Nanhui was no exception. She had no right to judge others, so her tone softened. "Since you were pursuing a traitor, why were you so concerned with the matter of the Imperial Seal?"
"To be honest, confirming whether the rumors of the seal are true was one of the tasks my clan elders entrusted to me. They said it was a matter of great importance and instructed me to report back as soon as I discovered the truth."
Having said this, Hao Bai stole a glance at Zhonglijing. The latter sat with his eyes downcast, seemingly uninterested in anything being said. Seeing this, Hao Bai felt a sudden surge of irritation and added with a pout, "I suppose they fear it falling into the hands of some villain and bringing harm to the common people."
Zhonglijing did indeed look at him then, but he still said nothing.
Xiao Nanhui’s mind was elsewhere. She probed cautiously, "You say it is a matter of great importance. Just how important is it?"
Hao Bai looked at her strangely. "The Imperial Jade Seal—how could it not be important?"
Xiao Nanhui faltered. "Of course. I meant... besides that, is there some other secret hidden within the seal?"
Hao Bai looked away. "I haven't heard of anything else. Perhaps it is because I am a junior in the family; there are things I am not yet permitted to know."
Seeing him start to dodge the question, Xiao Nanhui had to let it drop, but her curiosity remained piqued.
She had always felt that the matter of the Secret Seal could not be so simple. If there was any truth to the legends, why would the Emperor of Niexuan send only a princess to escort this single seal? And why would the princess choose to drown herself in a pool rather than surrender it?
And then there was the tragedy that had wiped out the Xiao family...
"We've caught up!"
Bailao’s voice came from the front, interrupting her thoughts.
The carriage tilted sharply to one side as the jolting began. They had turned off the main road onto a small path at the fork.
Ding Weixiang, who was near the window, lifted the curtain slightly. His expression was grim. "What is Zou Sifang doing in the marshlands?"
Xiao Nanhui stiffened and looked out as well.
Outside the window, the world was a blur of grey. The morning sun had risen nearby, but its light could not pierce the thick mist that clung to the earth.
The wind carried the scent of damp rot—the unmistakable breath of the northern marshes.
****** ****** ******
Thirty miles outside Muerhe lay the edge of the marshes. From this point on, there were no official roads, only the faint ruts left by occasional travelers. Ordinary travelers would see stone markers at the boundary, warning that entering the marshlands without a guide was exceptionally dangerous.
However, for Zou Sifang, such warnings were of no concern.
He had traveled the paths of the northern marshes for many years; it was as familiar to him as his own front door.
In the past, he would enter the marshes several times a month to see what kind of goods the Xiong family had harvested. Now that he was older, he left such tasks to his stewards, visiting only once every few months. Even then, he would only stay for two or three days; any longer, and the dampness would seep into his body, making his joints ache unbearably.
At the thought, he pulled his hand warmer closer.
After his recent severe illness, he felt his health was not what it used to be. Furthermore, he still had no children to inherit his legacy. If he could not keep a firm grip on this business, it would eventually fall into the hands of the Xiong family. After much deliberation, he had decided there was only one way: to buy the Xiong family's land outright.
But the gold and silver required to buy that land was no small sum, and the Xiongs were not fools; they would not let go easily.
Fortunately, he would soon have the money.
Zou Sifang lifted the carriage curtain to check the sky and asked casually, "Are we almost there?"
The driver was an old servant who had followed Zou Sifang for nearly twenty years. Knowing his master had important business today, he did not dare be careless. "Less than a mile to go. We took the old shortcut today, but the recent rains flooded some parts badly, which slowed us down a bit."
Zou Sifang gave a low grunt of acknowledgement. He looked at the box in his hands, and the anxiety he had just suppressed began to rise again.
He had intentionally chosen the Xiong family's territory to meet the third party and negotiate this deal—a calculated move. For the sake of the gold and silver, the Xiong family would surely back him up today.
This was their territory. Who could possibly be more familiar with this place than them?
With that thought, Zou Sifang’s heart settled back into his chest.
In the midst of the somber marshes lay a patch of flat ground spanning nearly a hundred acres. Upon it sat a manor built of rammed earth with a pine foundation. It had high walls and small windows, and the sound of human voices was rarely heard there. This was the Xiong family’s ancestral home.
Any lost traveler who stumbled upon it would surely take it for a haunted house in the wilderness.
Zou Sifang’s carriage entered the main gate, but no other horses or carriages were in sight.
The courtyard was empty; not a soul could be seen. Through the morning mist, he could only see a white lantern hanging beneath the central window of the manor, seemingly lit last night and not yet extinguished.
Zou Sifang instructed the old servant to wait outside the gate while he, clutching the box, walked slowly toward the house.
The ground was paved with pebbles, which crunched loudly under his feet.
Muerhe did not produce such pebbles; Zou Sifang had spent a fortune to have them transported from elsewhere. They were laid here to guard against thieves who might try to steal medicinal herbs. After all, the Xiong family’s storehouse was inside the manor, and such a place in the middle of nowhere was bound to attract unwanted attention.
Zou Sifang stopped about a dozen paces from the house.
He could already see the paintings of the door gods on the wooden doors. The Xiong family should have heard him by now, yet no one had come out to greet him.
Could it be...
Zou Sifang’s heart began to race. Just as he was about to turn and leave, the wooden door creaked open halfway, and a balding old man poked his head out.
It was the Xiong family steward.
Zou Sifang breathed a sigh of relief, though he was still annoyed. "The buyer will be here any moment. Why haven't you sent anyone out?"
The steward’s eyes were vacant. After a long pause, he stammered, "The person... is already inside."
Zou Sifang was stunned. He hadn't expected the other party to arrive earlier than the appointed time.
Anxious, he took several quick steps to the door, brushed past the old man, and prepared to enter.
His left leg had only moved half a step forward when it froze in mid-air.
His gaze was fixed on the floor beneath his left foot, unable to move. There, a pool of dark, viscous liquid was slowly spreading outward.
It was blood.
Zou Sifang looked up stiffly. The steward was also staring at him with a rigid expression, a few drops of blood still clinging to his trembling beard.
***
