Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
It was pitch black and deserted beside the city gate.
The city gate had long been emptied. The residents of Jingdou had been kept outside the police cordon. With faces full of shock, they watched the group coming in from the South. They saw the blood on the people, the bodies on the horses, and the young man riding straight-backed on a large horse in the lead.
A loud clamor went up.
Sir Fan junior that had been separated from Jingdou for a year and had finally returned to the capital. However, no one expected that coming back with him would be this many bodies and blood, as well as a very broken black Overwatch Council carriage that seemed like it could fall apart at any moment.
The people watching from a distance whispered and discussed it amongst themselves. Seeing the sight before them, they were incomparably shocked. Everyone had guessed that Sir Fan junior must have run into some kind of danger on his return to the capital. However, no one thought that the so-called danger had actually happened very close to the peaceful and prosperous capital.
The soldiers of the Jingdou garrison led the horses silently, walking on either side of the group for protection.
The people watched with fear on their faces. After confirming that it was not the court capturing Sir Fan junior, they all began to guess. They thought of Fan Xian’s shocking past, the rumors from the past year, and of the palace treasury. Even someone as stupid as a common woman knew that it had to be someone inside the court that wanted to harm Sir Fan junior.
Although what Fan Xian had done in Jiangnan had a certain impact on his reputation, in Jingdou, he still had a very good reputation. The spring examination case, independently running the First Bureau, poetry in front of the palace, and going to Northern Qi…In the hearts of the Jingdou people, he was their biggest pride and the court’s last conscience.
…
…
Sir Fan junior!
Sir Fan junior!
The common people looked at the injured Fan Xian and didn’t know how to express their concern and support. They also didn’t know how to greet him. They could only yell across the great distance. Their shouts rose and fell in succession.
Qin Heng turned his face to glance at him. A glimmer of envy showed in his eyes, but he immediately recovered his calm.
Fan Xian glanced at the dark crowd and nodded his head slightly. His expression softened slightly. He couldn’t help but feel moved in the depths of his heart. He knew that in this second life, he had not done anything for these people from the depths of his heart. But, the occasional good he brought would be remembered by these commoners for a lifetime.
Although Jingdou was dark, the hearts of these people were still turned toward the light.
Some of the less courageous commoners suddenly began to yell sharply and pointed at Fan Xian and the group of riders.
Fan Xian didn’t have to turn his head to know what had shocked these commoners.
The horse behind him dragged below it a door board broken from a carriage. On this door board was tied an almost dead bloody person. The wound on this bloody person had already stopped bleeding. The fresh blood that had flowed out earlier had become a black color and glued his clothes to his body. What was more terrifying was that the man’s two arms had been broken at the shoulder, leaving two bloody holes. One eyeball covered in blood had also deflated.
Also, the two arms that had been chopped off had been tied carelessly by someone to the side of the door board.
This was the last surviving member of the killers in the snowy valley. He had been dragged back by the Overwatch Council all the way to Jingdou’s city gates. Along the way, the bouncing had been endless. He appeared wretched.
Fan Xian did not have a glimmer of emotion. Waving the horse whip in his hand, he rode toward the city gates.
Having gone through the dark hole of the city gate, he saw the sight of Jingdou in the depths of winter. Fan Xian took a deep breath. Dozens of Overwatch Council officials wearing black official robes came forward in welcome. One person silently took hold of the reins of Fan Xian’s horse while the rest of them went toward the back to receive their heavily injured colleagues.
The official holding his reins had a slightly dark complexion and said sorrowfully,
I have failed in my duties.
He glanced at Qin Heng beside Fan Xian.
After the flare, the city gates were temporarily shut, so we were unable to leave the city to come to the rescue.
Fan Xian nodded and said slightly tiredly,
There is no need to blame yourself, Mu Tie, this has nothing to do with you.
He continued,
Mu Feng’er!
Mu Feng’er quickly ran forward from the back and stood sincerely beside the horse. Anger and unease rose on his face.
Mu Feng’er is here.
Fan Xian lowered his head slightly and said,
Take a group of people and these brothers back to recover. We’ll talk about the funeral arrangements tomorrow.
Yes.
Mu Feng’er took his orders and left.
Fan Xian said to Mu Tie,
Bring some people and follow me.
Mu Tie was confused, thinking, Sir received such a heavy injury. The Palace probably wouldn’t summon him in a hurry, so where was he going in a rush? However, he knew could not ask under the present circumstances. He lowered his head and accepted the order. At the same time, he made a few hand gestures to the communications officials on the side of the street.
Fan Xian glanced at Qin Heng and asked,
After entering the capital, are there still people who dare to kill me?
Qin Heng thought for a bit and said,
No.
Fan Xian said,
Then why are you still following me?
Qin Heng thought for a bit again and then said awkwardly,
I’m afraid you’ll kill people.
Fan Xian was silent for a moment and then said,
Today, I won’t kill anyone because I am not yet sure who I should kill.
…
…
The Overwatch Council officials that had followed Fan Xian back to the capital had been taken away to have their injuries seen to. The person behind him was now a secret agent from the First Bureau. They walked quietly and solemnly deep into Jingdou. In a moment, they had come to Tianhe Avenue.
Behind the group, they were still dragging that almost falling apart carriage, the door board, and the bloody man who was a spectacle too wretched to endure.
As they walked, everything was seen by the commoners in Jingdou. The crowd of people watching from the two sides of the road grew larger and larger. Uncontrollably, they sucked in a few cold breaths. By now, the news had long spread throughout the marketplace. Sir Fan junior was returning to the capital by imperial edict to make his report. Unexpectedly, he was ambushed outside the capital. The Overwatch Council suffered heavy losses, and Sir Fan junior also almost died.
Ever since that night 14 years ago when the streets of Jingdou ran red with blood, Jingdou had long been sunk in peace. It had been many years since such a shocking thing had happened.
Fan Xian sat straight-backed on his horse and walked forward. Behind him was an endless stream of people from the First Bureau joining the group. The group became longer and longer, but it remained silent and somber.
Seeing this sight, the Jingdou people all felt a chill in their hearts. They didn’t know whether or not Jingdou would immediately have blood flowing like rivers. No one dared to underestimate Fan Xian’s drive and ruthlessness.
The majority of the Overwatch Council officials in Jingdou belonged to the First Bureau, and Fan Xian was a senior of the First Bureau. The senior had been attacked, so this was a major matter. Without needing much encouragement, the First Bureau secret agents in Jingdou began to move. Those following Fan Xian joined the group, and those investigating in secret began to notify the other spies hidden in various manors.
Fan Xian suddenly pulled on his reins and stopped his horse. Turning his head, he glanced at his determined-looking subordinates and furrowed his brow slightly. He slowly opened his mouth and said,
There are almost 200 people here. The entirety of the First Bureau is only 310. Are you all not working?
Mu Tie thought to himself that judging from today’s array, it looked like they were going to kill people for revenge. How could they bring fewer people? To attack someone so grandly in Jingdou, no matter how much reason there was, in the end, they would probably be put down. The First Bureau was betting all their lives on Fan Xian. He gritted his teeth and replied,
We will all listen to Sir’s commands.
Fan Xian thought for a bit.
Don’t have anyone more people come. I am not going to kill people.
Qin Heng, who had been following him closely, felt his heart stutter at hearing these words.
The group continued to move. Under the shocked gazes of the people, they went along the usually quiet Tianhe Avenue and flowing water on the two sides of the road. Slowly, they headed toward the Royal Palace in the distance.
…
…
Yan Bingyun stood by the window and looked at the path below the building through the glass. He looked at the full of murderous intent yet incomparably silent group. The watching crowds had already been dispersed by the bailiffs of the Jingdou government, so Tianhe Avenue appeared to be rather lonely.
He looked at the person on the horse at the very front and sighed slightly.
A subordinate knocked and entered. Kneeling on the floor, he reported,
Someone has been sent to inform Chen Garden, and defenses have been raised to the first level. The Sixth Bureau has mobilized completely and already control the alleys near the Bureau of Military Affairs.
Have the Second Bureau drop everything that is not urgent and put all their effort into investigating the mountain valley attack.
Yan Bingyun did not turn his head, he only looked at Fan Xian on the road.
The subordinate accepted his orders and raised his head to ask,
The Commissioner is heading that way. Should we go to provide support?
Yan Bingyun thought for a moment and said,
Make preparations. If Sir really makes a move…
His expression changed slightly and immediately forced a smile.
Relax, he won’t make a move. He can endure even better than us.
The subordinate suddenly raised his head and looked at Yan Bingyun, thinking, The Commissioner has been attacked. How could young master Yan be so calm and composed? Why was he not rushing out of the Council to welcome the Commissioner or to stop him?
…
…
Between the Royal Palace and the Overwatch Council, there was still another building. With dragons curled on top and stone lions guarding the door, the yamen was grand and below the stone steps. It appeared very mighty and ineffable.
Fan Xian silently rode his horse toward that building.
Behind him dragged the door board. It bounced at the end of the Tianhe Avenue. It finally could endure no more and broke apart. That bloody man’s feet were still bound to the horse’s tail. It bounced on the ground and continued to be pulled. However, that pair of broken arms landed on the ground. An Overwatch Council official picked up the arms.
The bloody man was jolted awake and made some uncomfortable groaning sounds. However, half of his jaw had shattered and he was in a half-dazed condition, so he couldn’t say anything at all.
The man pulled along by Fan Xian’s horse and his blood once again began to flow. It left a long line on the snowy ground.
A bloody line.
The end of the bloody line was that building.
Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and looked at the yamen on the stone steps. He looked at the two mighty and ineffable lions to the sides of the stone steps and sighed in his heart. When he had been in Jingdou in the past, because of the Emperor’s pressure and his own self-awareness, he had purposely drawn out his distance to this place. Up until today, this was his first time coming here.
This was the center of Qing Kingdom’s military. Back in the day, it was the Ministry of War. Later, under the new policy, it was renamed the Department for Army Affairs. Now, it had recovered its ancient title and was known as the Bureau of Military affairs.
By imperial edict of the Emperor, the Bureau of Military affairs controlled the movements of Qing Kingdom’s military power. It was responsible for all affairs concerning expeditions against foreign powers. In the past dozen years of battles, countless generals and commanders had emerged from here and earned innumerable amounts of land and wealth for Qing Kingdom.
The Qing army was the most powerful army in the world. The Bureau of Military affairs in the Qing Kingdom was the head of this most powerful army.
…
…
Long before Fan Xian had entered the city, the people of the Bureau of Military affairs knew of the news that had shocked Jingdou. By the time Fan Xian and his group had headed toward the Bureau of Military Affairs, all of the generals were feeling a glimmer of strangeness and unease. A number of officials from the military had already run out of the Bureau of Military Affairs and were standing on the steps to watch Fan Xian and this group of people.
Fan Xian sat calmly on his horse. He didn’t dismount. He just looked at the tightly closed main door on the stone steps.
The main door was slowly pulled open. Five or six major officials of the Bureau of Military Affairs rushed out and behind them. The soldiers of the Bureau were holding their weapons tightly and staring warily at the group of black-clothed Overwatch Council people at the yamen’s door.
The situation was somewhat tense.
However, Fan Xian was not nervous. He recognized that the people who had come out to greet him were the two deputies of the Bureau and three deputy Chengzhis. With the old master of the Qin family staying home because of illness, these officials were running the Bureau.
He waved his horse whip and stopped the Right Deputy of the Bureau of Military Affairs from opening his mouth. He didn’t give the other party a chance to express concern, anger, nervousness, pity, or any other emotion.
Fan Xian slowly opened his mouth.
I know that there many amongst you who do not want to me to return to Jingdou, at least, not alive,
Fan Xian said coldly.
But…I still returned.
The Right Deputy of the Bureau of Military Affairs began to speak then stopped. His eyes were looking at the bloody man dragged behind Fan Xian. He looked at this tragic sight. The official who had climbed through fire and blood only slightly furrowed his brows.
Fan Xian lowered his head slightly and said,
I was attacked on the outskirts of Jingdou. I trust that you all know of this matter already.
The Right Deputy of the Bureau began to open his mouth and said,
It is truly shocking…
Without waiting for him to finish speaking, Fan Xian said,
I don’t care about who wanted to kill me. I just know…it was one of your people.
Your people.
This set the tone for the conversation.
The Right Deputy was greatly shocked. He furrowed his brows and refuted,
Myself and my colleagues all sympathize with your attack, however, the case is not yet clear. Please don’t be overly…
Fan Xian didn’t pay attention to him. He only gently stroked the smooth horse whip and said from his horse with a lowered head,
Why bother explaining?
Do you recognize this person I’m dragging?
Fan Xian glanced at the bloody person behind him and smiled slightly.
Of course, you are sure to not recognize him. Even if he is certainly a close general to some major figure in the military, you still wouldn’t recognize him.
This person is the only survivor left from those who attacked me today.
He sighed.
A very good soldier. What a pity.
Fan Xian turned his hand and flicked the whip. The point of the whip was very long. With a slap, it landed on the face of the bloody person in the snow behind him. However, the person had long been on his last breath and had no reaction at all.
Soldiers had their own sources while the people in the Bureau of Military Affairs had long learned from the Jingdou garrison that among the group that attacked Fan Xian this time, they had used the city-guarding crossbows. With this, it was impossible for the military to not be implicated.
The people of the Bureau were only thinking about how to face the rage of the Overwatch Council, Chen Pingping’s retaliation, and the Emperor’s anger. Their expressions only changed slightly in the face of Fan Xian’s humiliating strike toward the military. Anger burned in their hearts, but they did not show it directly on their faces.
From the Bureau’s main door, another person slowly walked out. He was not very large but appeared especially valiant, in particular, the reserved gaze in his eyes was very imposing. His expression was stern, and he wore a longbow on his back.
Looking at the purple clothing he wore, it was clear he was a major official.
Such an outfit. If it was not Yan Xiaoyi, the Governor of the North, who had returned to the capital to make his report? Who else could it be?
Fan Xian did not even glance at Yan Xiaoyi. He only turned his hand and the whip once again landed on the bloody man behind him, leaving another terrifying mark on the already wretchedly injured face.
Immediately after, the tip of the whip flew up and wrapped around the person. A knife light flashed, and the rope tied behind the horse’s tail was broken.
The bloody man flew straight up. He flew over the heads of the soldiers below the steps and landed heavily on the snowy ground in front of the yamen of the Bureau of Military Affairs, sending up a flurry of snowflakes and bloody snow.
He happened to land right in front of Yan Xiaoyi.
Yan Xiaoyi lowered his head and glanced down. No one knew whether or not there was a glimmer of change in his eyes.
Fan Xian raised his right hand.
Mu Tie pulled out the knife at his side and walked over to the side of the wreck that was the last surviving carriage. Holding the hilt with both hands, he chopped down heavily.
The knife flashed and came down. The last remaining hold in the carriage could no longer stay together and half of the carriage collapsed with a crash.
Countless round objects rolled out from the carriage. They rolled past the splintered wooden boards and clean white snow, and stopped below the stone lions outside the Bureau. Their momentum was difficult to stop. They gradually piled higher and higher, covering half the height of one side of the stone lions that were next to the road.
They were human heads.
Countless human heads piled between the carriage and the stone lions.
They heads were potted with blood, had countless open or closed bloody covered eyes, and threads of flesh hanging from them. Just like this, they buried the mighty stone lions outside the Bureau doors to their chests.
The 200 warriors who ambushed me are all here,
Fan Xian said lightly. With a wave of his horse whip, he pointed at the Qing Kingdom’s military elders on the steps.
Live people, I’ve given you. Dead people, I’ve also given you. I hope you will be able to give me something.
Then he said to the indifferent looking Yan Xiaoyi,
How is your son?
Lastly, Fan Xian lowered his head. Facing the 200 heads around the stone lions, he tugged on his lip and mockingly said,
Great heads, ah…
Yan Xiaoyi raised his head. A bright light suddenly appeared in his eyes.
