The bells stopped another quarter of an hour later.

All sixteen bells fell silent at once, and the room suddenly dropped into utter silence and stillness.[1]

That thing’s finally left.

* * *

After breakfast, with his spirits restored, He Lingchuan lounged with a toothpick in his mouth and said, “Come on. Let’s go have some tea.”

This time, they headed for Xiang Yan’s residence.

Though Xiang Yan had once taken an elixir of youth, he was eighty-four this year in actual years. And the elixir of youth was not truly an elixir of immortality. Like other old men, he slept lightly and rose early.

The whole Xiang household woke with him. Servants were already sweeping and sprinkling the courtyards.

Xiang Yan himself was feeding two red-beaked zebra finches.

Though they were bird monsters, they were actually smaller than ordinary birds of the same kind. They hopped through the branches and leaves, elegant in form and beautiful in plumage.

The morning sun had only just risen, the day’s heat had not yet caught up, and Xiang Yan was in rather a good mood.

At that moment, a servant came to report, “Master, the Crown Prince’s special envoy has come.”

Xiang Yan’s hand jerked. More than a dozen grains of millet scattered to the ground, and sparrows flew down from the treetops to peck at them in a flurry.

Why has the special envoy come again?

Xiang Yan suddenly lost all interest in feeding the birds. He tossed the little scoop aside and stood there blankly for a moment.

“Master?” the servant beside him prompted.

Only then did Xiang Yan straighten his clothes, let out a breath, and head for the main hall.

The servants had already invited the special envoy inside and served him tea.

The tea of the Xiang Residence was excellent. He Lingchuan had already finished one cup and was refilling a second by the time Old Xiang finally came in from the rear.

“I’ve come to trouble you again. I hope that Old Xiang won’t take offense.”

“Your coming honors this humble house, sir. It brightens the place. How could I be anything but delighted?” Xiang Yan had spent decades as an official. He could speak against his own heart as naturally as breathing, all warmth and enthusiasm, without the slightest trace of stiffness. “Have you, have you had breakfast yet?”

He Lingchuan looked at him and smiled. “I just did. I was just at that savory porridge place you recommended; the cooking was done just right. It really deserves its reputation as an old establishment.”

After a few exchanges of pleasantries, He Lingchuan got to the point. “The daylight is lovely. Shall we take a walk in the garden?”

Xiang Yan naturally had no objection.

The two of them strolled into the garden, talking as they walked.

“I heard that Old Xiang is a native of Baishajue himself?”

“That’s right. I’ve lived here for decades. From childhood to old age, this has been home. Even while serving in court, I’d come back a few times every year.”

He Lingchuan smiled and asked the question he was really after. “Has the Cen Family also been in Baishajue for many years?”

“The Cen Family? Which Cen Family?” Xiang Yan’s heart gave a hard thump. So the Special Envoy is turning his attention to the Cen Family next? Surely not?

“Cen Boqing.”

“His, his family is related by marriage to the Minister of Finance in Lingxu City!” The implication was obvious: no official or noble in Baishajue wanted to offend them.

He Lingchuan acted as if he had not heard the underlying meaning. “Right, so does the Cen Family live here year-round too?”

“Baishajue is a place of great beauty, so Cen Boqing comes every year with his family, namely the Minister of Finance’s eldest daughter from Beijia. Every time she comes, people flock to pay their respects, and the Cen Family’s gates become as busy as a market. But this year, she didn’t come.” After saying that, Xiang Yan gave a light cough before adding, “Lord Envoy, I hear there’s been some misunderstanding between you and the Touring Commissioner?”

I heard that the Crown Prince’s special envoy had snatched away a wanted criminal right out of the Touring Commissioner’s hands! When Xiang Yan heard that news the other day, he had not even known what to say.

So after stomping the Touring Commissioner’s dignity into the dirt that day, the envoy had come to see old Xiang.

A singular honor.

He Lingchuan smiled and said, “There has been some misunderstanding. It’ll be cleared up soon enough.”

Once the truth of the case was laid bare, there would be no misunderstanding at all, only a definite outcome.

At last, Xiang Yan could not help but sigh and say, “A misunderstanding with the Touring Commissioner is one thing. But Lord Cen and the Cen household... even if the Crown Prince himself came, he’d still have to show them some measure of courtesy.”

He Lingchuan looked at him and said, “Why wasn’t the Cen household on the list you gave me a few days ago?”

Last time he came to Xiang Yan, he had asked among the households in Baishajue’s northwest quarter, which ones came from Lingxu City and were on good terms with the Zhongsun Family.

Xiang Yan had named five. The Cen household had not been among them.

“Though the Cen Family and the Zhongsun Family both serve in Lingxu City, they’ve never had much to do with one another. In the years I was stationed there, the two families even had some minor unpleasantness.” Xiang Yan stroked his long beard. “But I returned to Chiyan more than twenty years ago, so I don’t know whether their relationship improved after that. No one in this city usually speaks of it.”

He knew there was no point pretending not to understand any longer, so he asked directly, “Lord Envoy, have you really found that the Cen Family is implicated?”

He Lingchuan nodded. “The trail points straight at the Cen Family’s residence.”

“Is the evidence conclusive?”

“It’s still missing the crucial piece.” He Lingchuan sighed. “To be frank, I caught two of their guards. They came to silence someone, and I intercepted them.”

Xiang Yan shook his head. “Two guards aren’t enough to convict the household.”

“You understand the matter clearly, Old Xiang.” He Lingchuan’s expression turned serious. “I’m missing one piece of evidence that can directly tie the case to the Cen Family.”

Jiao Yu, standing to one side, said, “Mr. Mai.”

“Mr. Mai certainly would do, but he’s currently nowhere to be found. And it doesn’t look like he plans to show himself again.” He Lingchuan shook his head. “I don’t know whether it was the Cen household or Zhongsun Mou, but last night they sent a nightmare to kill me.”

That was no ordinary method. Xiang Yan was startled. “And you’re alright, Lord Envoy?”

“More or less. Not dead, at least.” He Lingchuan let out a sigh. “I tracked the matter back, only to find Fan Sheng of the Tongxin Guard waiting there for me. He attacked without a word, and we fought a full battle. The man is a devil to deal with. He also has a giant bear brother called Fan, Fan...”

The instant He Lingchuan mentioned Fan Sheng’s name, Xiang Yan stopped dead in his tracks and sucked in breath through his teeth. “Fan Bao?”

“Right.” He Lingchuan smiled. “So Old Xiang knows them too?”

“Knows them? The Fan brothers of the Tongxin Guard are no simple matter. And you actually came back alive after facing Fan Sheng! This is, this is...” Xiang Yan had been about to say “good luck,” but then thought better of it. This could not possibly be luck alone.

It seemed he had been underestimating this young envoy all along.

“The Tongxin Guard is Lingxu City’s southern garrison, responsible for the security of the southern city and the surrounding region. Its members have always been carefully selected, battle-hardened elites drawn from the Fierce Dragon Army.”

After traveling through Beijia for so long, He Lingchuan had heard of the Fierce Dragon Army.

It was one of Beijia’s elite forces.

“And the three Fan brothers hold the first, second, and third command positions in that corps.”

“Huh? Hold on.” He Lingchuan said curiously, “Three brothers? I only saw Fan Sheng and Fan Bao last night.”

“The Tongxin Guard’s chief commander, who is also the eldest of the Fan brothers, is named Fan Long. His military accomplishments are outstanding, and his cultivation is formidable.” Xiang Yan explained, “He and Fan Sheng are blood brothers. As for the giant bear, Fan Bao, that one is their sworn younger brother, personally named by Fan Long.”

“Well, that makes sense. Fan Sheng certainly looks human.” A human and a bear obviously can’t be blood brothers, right? 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

“Of the three brothers, Fan Long is the strongest. That’s acknowledged throughout the army. Fan Sheng’s martial techniques were taught to him by his elder brother.” Xiang Yan glanced at him. “Not to praise others at your expense, but Fan Long once killed the greater monster Chifeng[2] single-handedly. If Special Envoy He were to face him, I fear the odds would be grim.”

He Lingchuan scratched his head.

Fan Sheng had already been hard enough to handle, and now it turns out there’s an even more ferocious elder brother above him.

I’ve already fought the younger one. Is the older brother going to show up next?

Then again, “Who exactly was Chifeng?”

“A greater monster that attacked Mount Xu. They say it carried the bloodline of an ancient monster immortal. Some monsters have always refused to submit to Beijia, and that was one of them. Lingxu City sent quite a number of people after it at the time, but none of them could bring it down.” Xiang Yan shook his head. “Fan Long is nothing like his two brothers. He’s shrewd, ruthless, and worldly. People don’t dare offend that sort lightly.”

“Well, he didn’t come.” He Lingchuan was broad-minded about it. “Looks like his status is too high, seeing as Zhongsun Mou couldn’t even invite him.”

Xiang Yan did not know what he meant by status[3], and had no intention of asking. “Fan Long has official duties. He doesn’t leave Lingxu City lightly.”

“Then that’s fine.” He Lingchuan gave a long sigh and changed the subject. “These clues are hard to chase down. They’ve cleaned up all the filth too well.”

“So today you came here to...?”

“Oh, I want to follow another line of inquiry and see whether Old Xiang can help.”

Xiang Yan folded his hands into his sleeves. “Please, go on.”

This matter was becoming more troublesome by the moment.

He Lingchuan’s face turned grave. “The progress of the case has always been reported to the Crown Prince by Jiao Yu. The Crown Prince has also written to me, saying that this matter is to be investigated thoroughly to the end, no matter the background or status of the people involved.”

As he spoke, he handed over Fushan Yue’s personal letter.

Xiang Yan took it respectfully and read it line by line.

The contents stated Chiyan’s position on the case in unmistakable terms: “Those who sow chaos on the front lines and harm our state’s subjects, whether monster or human, are to be investigated to the end, with absolutely no leniency.”

The wording was blunt and direct, without the usual ambiguity and hedging common in official documents.

At the end, the Crown Prince’s bright red seal stood out sharply.

After reading it, Xiang Yan handed it back and said in a low voice, “This old man understands. I will do everything in my power to cooperate, and hope I will not fail the Special Envoy’s trust.”

Having spent decades as a seasoned old hand in officialdom, Xiang Yan understood perfectly why He Lingchuan had shown him the letter: it was to tell him not to keep playing slippery games.

Still, he was long retired now. He was now just an old man in his eighties with neither power nor influence.

He Lingchuan smiled. “Do your best, Old Xiang. I’m only asking you to handle a small matter.”

Xiang Yan relaxed slightly. “Please instruct me. I won’t let a third person hear of it.”

That was exactly the promise He Lingchuan wanted.

“The difficulty now is that we need to find a second piece of physical evidence or a second witness that can directly connect the case to the Cen Family.”

“That curse master Cheng Yu who released the nightmare?” Jiao Yu happened to pass a large tree and could not resist dragging its claws down the bark. It was a valuable red sandalwood tree, but Xiang Yan did not mind. “Even if we catch him, even if he’s willing to testify, it still won’t be enough on words alone. Without physical evidence, it won’t stand.”

That was exactly why they had sent Cheng Yu to attack He Lingchuan in the first place. They wanted to murder him in dreams, leaving no trace to prove.

“At most, he counts as corroborating evidence,” He Lingchuan said slowly. “I think there’s one person who would be very suitable.”

Xiang Yan, however, looked worried. “The killing intent around you is heavy, Lord Envoy. Please be very careful.”

He Lingchuan smiled. The old man clearly knew the situation in the city quite well, yet he had played dumb earlier.

Xiang Yan sighed again. “It’s fortunate that Cen Boqing’s wife, the eldest daughter of Ling Xu City’s Minister of Finance, is not in Baishajue. Otherwise, this case would be even harder to handle.”

1. Yes, it was explicitly stated in the previous chapter that there were eighteen bells inside the room, but I’m guessing the author just forgot? I don’t know either. It’s possible that she meant sixteen in the previous chapter rather than eighteen. ☜

2. This might just be related to Chaofeng, which is one of the nine sons of the dragon. ☜

3. He Lingchuan used a modern term that refers to celebrity status/standing. ☜