Chapter 21: A Restless Journey Home

On the other side, after leaving the Tiance Mansion, Lu Xiaofeng felt significantly more at ease. A heavy stone that had been weighing on his heart had finally settled.

"I never imagined this trip would yield such unexpected gains," Lu Xiaofeng said, twirling the golden medallion in his hand, his face filled with deep emotion.

"Don't be too happy just yet," Ximen Chuixue’s cold voice rang out. "The framing of Prince Su for treason and collusion with the enemy involves far too much. It implicates the princely estate, the Six Ministries, the Grand Secretariat, and could even reach the Emperor himself. You have no official rank or title; even with the Prince’s secret guard medallion to protect your life, investigating this will be fraught with peril."

"One wrong step, and you won't even have a corpse left to bury."

"You should be thinking about the consequences if you fail this mission."

Framing a prince of the blood—especially one like Prince Su, Zhu Jinzhen, who holds vast military power in the frontier—is a massive undertaking. The mastermind behind this must have grand ambitions and terrifying influence; even Ximen Chuixue, the God of Swords, felt a sense of wariness.

"I believe I am well aware of that," Lu Xiaofeng said, his heart heavy, though a smile remained on his face. "But before that, I need you both to accompany me to meet someone. He might be able to provide the key clue to breaking this deadlock."

"Who?"

"You'll know when we get there." Lu Xiaofeng teased.

As the group walked further away, merchants and pedestrians on both sides of the street began to slip into alleys or retreat into rooms, quickly passing on the news of Lu Xiaofeng’s movements. Before long, carrier pigeons took flight, heading in different directions.

"As expected of a vital frontier stronghold; it truly is a place where dragons and snakes dwell together."

"To think there are so many pigeons flying toward the borders—the Mongol Yuan? The Great Liao? The Great Song? The Great Sui? Or perhaps all of them?"

Watching the pigeons in the sky, Sikong Zhaixing, who had disguised himself and blended into the crowd before leaving the Tiance Mansion, curled his lips into a mocking smile. Behind him, members of the Twelve Earthly Branches recorded every location from which the pigeons had been released. These eyes and ears from various factions were hidden deep; if not for Lu Xiaofeng acting as bait, they might never have been flushed out.

This also clarified one thing: Lu Xiaofeng’s motives were perhaps no secret to those with ulterior motives. Every move he made was being watched.

"The Prince is truly wise to have foreseen that there would be more than one faction pulling the strings behind Lu Xiaofeng," a solitary figure remarked, shaking his head as he watched the group depart. "He is like a marionette; he thinks these are his own choices, but in reality, he is merely dancing to someone else’s tune."

"The person he is going to see will, in all likelihood, be exactly who the Prince predicted."

"Follow them."

Sikong Zhaixing and the secret guards dispersed like shifting clouds, vanishing from the spot in an instant.

Meanwhile, Lu Xiaofeng and his companions had walked some distance away. Hua Manlou tilted his head to listen to the wind, then shook his head with a wry smile. "Lu Xiaofeng, our trouble seems to be even greater than anticipated."

"They seem to have known you would come to Jiayuguan," Ximen Chuixue said without turning his head, yet he could sense those lingering, ethereal gazes constantly hovering over the three of them.

"I don’t find that strange at all." Lu Xiaofeng shrugged. His movements were never a secret. The news regarding Prince Su’s supposed treason was not held by a single source, but by various intelligence agencies within the imperial court; with so many mouths, leaks were inevitable. It was no surprise he was being watched, but the fact that these people knew his specific purpose for coming to Jiayuguan was what warranted deep thought.

"Lu Xiaofeng, my master invites you to join him."

"Look, trouble arrives right on cue," Lu Xiaofeng shrugged, appearing as though he had expected this. "The Four Gangs of Qinghai, the Six Righteous Men of Mobei—you rats from the gutters, weren't you all wiped out by Prince Su long ago? How have you crawled back out? And you’ve even found yourselves a 'master'?"

The man in the green robe leading them had his expression shift slightly. "Snakes have their paths, and rats have their tunnels. No matter how powerful Prince Su is, he can't dig up every rat in the ground and kill them, can he?"

"Oh, but I’ve just promised to help Prince Su verify a matter, so I really don't have the time to meet this 'master' of yours." Lu Xiaofeng held up a finger with a playful smile. "How about this? Go back and tell your master that if he can convince Prince Su to show mercy, then I will come with you."

"A toast of fine wine you refuse to drink; you shall be forced to drink the forfeit."

*Clang!*

A flash of snow-white sword light, swift as a lightning strike, easily sliced the throats of the men blocking the path. Before the men who had just issued their threats could collapse in disbelief, clutching their bleeding necks, they saw Ximen Chuixue—his face entirely expressionless, his snow-white robes unblemished—calmly blow the blood from his hilt and slowly return his sword to its black scabbard.

Ximen Chuixue spoke, a rarity for him: "Your time is limited, and my time is precious. Let us go."

"Indeed, business comes first." Lu Xiaofeng nodded in agreement.

After they left, figures emerged from the direction behind them to quickly depart.

"As expected of Ximen Chuixue, the God of Swords. Even if he isn't the absolute number one in the realm of 'Pointing at the Mysterious,' he is at least in the top three of the Great Ming. That strike just now was peerlessly sharp and precise to the point of perfection. He killed these wretches so quickly they couldn't even spray blood before dying; even I couldn't fully see how he drew his blade."

"It seems we must be even more cautious if we are to deal with Lu Xiaofeng and his group."

Several figures arrived in unison, examined the cause of death of the blockers, and quickly left. Soon after, another uninvited guest drifted down before the corpses. He poked at them with his foot in disgust, inspecting the nearly invisible sword marks on their wounds with a headache.

"I was wondering why the client was so generous this time, offering 200,000 taels to kill a mere Lu Xiaofeng. So, he has the God of Swords, Ximen Chuixue, by his side."

"Should I ask that kid Wubing for help? Or Brother Bai? Or perhaps that old immortal?"

Ji Wuli sank into contemplation. If he pulled this job off, he would instantly become one of the most expensive assassins in the Great Ming, far higher than the trash from the three major underworld families or Pinggu Yidianhong. But the problem was clear.

"Persuading Wubing wouldn't be hard, but Brother Bai is the tricky one. That guy decided to retire from the underworld instead of living out his life as the Saint of Thieves. Getting him to help me pin down or even kill Lu Xiaofeng or Hua Manlou won't be easy. As for my master, that old immortal Gongsun Wulong..."

"Hm? Someone else is coming?"

Ji Wuli’s figure flickered, and in two leaps, he vanished from the spot.

Several mysterious figures appeared as if they were walking on air. One moment they were dozens of yards away, and the next, they were standing before the corpses. Such mastery of light-body technique revealed a level of skill that was undeniably daunting.

They were Grandmasters!

Upon recognizing the newcomers, those watching from the shadows instantly abandoned their intentions and turned to flee.

"That female devil has come as well?"

"Run, run!"