Oil Basket Street was brightly lit by torches and lanterns.
Over a thousand prison wardens surrounded the two coffin shops, Yilu’an and Fuyin Houren, forming an impenetrable barrier.
Outside the perimeter, thousands of earth spirits sealed off the nearby alleys completely.
In the air, trained hawks flew silently.
On the ground, fierce hunting dogs growled low at the sides of the strongmen.
From the rooftops of towering buildings scattered around, sharp-eyed archers kept vigilant watch in every direction.
With a shout, a group of wardens armed with iron hammers, iron whips, and large shields burst through the shop doors, storming into the two coffin shops without hesitation.
Soon, the gaunt old man who had just been buying coffins inside, along with two men in white clothes, were dragged out by the wardens.
The gaunt old man’s face had a pale blue tint.
He jumped up and down, shouting curses loudly. “I am the steward of the marquis's son, I belong to the marquis’s household! What do you think you’re doing? Why are you arresting me? Why? Someone help! Guard Palace’s eunuch faction is causing havoc among the nobles! Those spineless bastards in the Guard Palace are targeting the nobles now!”
The expression of everyone from the Guard Palace—generals down to captains, strongmen, wardens, and even the earth spirits outside—turned grim.
A general in a red robe immediately approached with a group of subordinates, surrounding the area.
The two men in white rested their hands on the hilts of their swords, coldly looking at the Guard Palace men closing in.
One of them said in a cold voice, “We are the Sword Guards of Haojian Palace.”
Neither of them moved, but the swords in their scabbards rang out sharply.
An intimidating sword intent swept across the area; within thirty feet, everyone felt a chill wash over their faces.
Standing beside Lu Qian was his brother-in-law, Luo Qingzhou, the Guard Palace’s eight-star general.
He waved his hand and snorted coldly.
The red-robed general who was leading the encirclement stopped in his tracks, glaring warily at the two men in white, then coldly said to the gaunt old man, “Shut up. The Guard Palace is handling this matter; it’s none of your concern. Stand aside.”
Hearing this, the gaunt old man’s previously panicked expression transformed into one of arrogance.
He straightened his back and pointed at the red-robed general with pride. “If that’s the case, there are three coffins in the shop that we have already set. You better not... break them.”
His eyes rolled around wildly, clearly scheming something.
Luo Qingzhou glanced at him and snorted again, then looked over at Lu Qian, who was silently circulating the Canghai Force Yuan Gang within his arms to dispel the chilling cold that had invaded him.
“You, Lu Qian?” Luo Qingzhou asked with a pleasant expression.
“Subordinate Lu Qian,” Lu Qian replied with a smile, cupping his hands toward Luo Qingzhou.
“Hmm.” Luo Qingzhou nodded. “I find your features familiar, your tall and sturdy frame especially so. Eighteen years ago—well, now it’s actually nineteen years ago—in the Haojing Imperial Feathered Forest Army, there was a middle-ranking officer named ‘Lu Xiu.’ Is he related?”
Lu Qian immediately straightened up, respectfully cupping his fist to Luo Qingzhou. “That is my grandfather, sir. However...”
Luo Qingzhou laughed heartily and slapped Lu Qian’s shoulder with one hand, speaking cheerfully, “Then you’re truly one of us. I came from the Feathered Forest Army. Back then, I was fortunate to serve as a captain under Lu Xiu.”
“Oh, Lu Xiu back then was full of the Canghai Force. His engraved golden spear was the first spear among the ‘Three Blades,’ ‘Three Axes,’ and ‘Six Flying Spears’ in the Feathered Forest Army. Tsk tsk. In the army’s internal contest, he was unbeatable on horseback and spear, challenging fifty-four generals single-handedly. He was awarded the Flying Tiger Robe and Dragon Scale Armor by the emperor himself—the fame he earned, tsk tsk!”
Luo Qingzhou beamed at Lu Qian. “Since you are the little lord of the Lu family, you’re truly one of us. From now on, if you have anything in the Guard Palace, come find me directly.”
He patted Lu Qian’s shoulder again gently, showing great warmth.
Lu Qian was stunned for a moment, then forced a dry laugh, “I will obey the general’s orders. But I never imagined my grandfather was involved in these affairs. I honestly heard nothing about any of this.”
Luo Qingzhou shook his head with a sigh. “That’s understandable. Whatever happened back then is best left unsaid. Anyway, we should keep in touch and get closer.”
Nearby, the captains, strongmen, and wardens of the Guard Palace glared at Lu Qian with red eyes full of jealousy.
Especially the three brothers from the Three-Tailed Black Scorpion clan, who had only just joined the Guard Palace alongside Lu Qian today; they stared at him without blinking, their gazes like tiny blades, wishing they could carve a chunk of flesh from him.
Everyone else was just regular folks with two hands and a head; why did these brothers have to struggle so hard from the bottom rung while Lu Qian somehow caught the eye of their top commander’s top commander?
“Damned noble son of a bitch!” countless people silently cursed him in their hearts.
Footsteps echoed.
While Luo Qingzhou was deliberately chatting with Lu Qian, the managers of the two coffin shops, along with a dozen or so servers, over a hundred artisans, laborers, and servants, all expressionless, were brought out by the wardens.
“Them?” Luo Qingzhou quietly asked Lu Qian.
“I can guarantee they are connected to that ghost sedan chair,” Lu Qian quietly reported.
The two managers were already hoarse, weakly wailing spitefully:
“Masters, what crime have we committed?”
“We’ve always followed the rules, abiding by laws.”
“Our monthly taxes have never missed a single coin.”
“We’ve given all the agreed benefits to you.”
A few strongmen lunged forward, slapping both of them wildly, ‘smack smap’—the two managers were beaten black and blue, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths.
Inside the two coffin shops, a loud clatter broke out as the wardens ransacked the place inch by inch.
Nearby, a captain hurried over with a group of subordinates.
He dashed to Luo Qingzhou, his face pale, shouting hoarsely, “General, the entire Rongsheng Shop—from managers to servers, including jewelers and servants—are all dead. Their bodies are dry and shriveled.”
Rongsheng was the goldsmith shop involved when the Phoenix Sedan attacked Lu Qian and Old He.
Lu Qian had ordered Luo Qingzhou to surround the two coffin shops and left a team to investigate the goldsmith’s scene.
Upon hearing the captain’s report, Luo Qingzhou folded his hands behind his back and approached the two staggering, swollen-faced managers.
After a casual glance, Luo Qingzhou quietly said, “You are possessed!”
The managers protested in unison, “Sir, we’re innocent! We did nothing wrong!”
Luo Qingzhou shook his head and said sternly, “No, you have ghosts. All the honest and decent citizens of Haojing fear our Guard Palace brothers as if seeing spirits.”
“You don’t show any fear in your eyes.”
“If it were just you two managers, I might suspect that powerful court officials protect you, or that you’ve seen so many high courtiers that you dismiss a mere Guard Palace general.”
“But even if you ignore me, your staff—the servers, artisans, laborers, even petty servants and maidens—act so calmly and indifferent. That’s suspicious.”
The managers ceased trembling.
Their expressions calmed.
Their eyes locked on Luo Qingzhou.
An’an, the manager of Yilu’an, dryly smiled, “So what? Not fearing you means we’re guilty? Ha! Why should we be afraid?”
Luo Qingzhou suddenly clapped his hands and laughed loudly, “Ah, that just gave you away, didn’t it? Tianxing, you’d better work diligently from now on. Look—Lu Qian just joined the Guard Palace and has already uncovered these people’s secrets. You’ve guarded this neighborhood for several years—how did you never notice these two managers were such formidable figures?”
Lu Tianxing looked awkward, glancing at his brother-in-law.
He then cast a dry smile toward Lu Qian, “General, these two coffin shops have over two centuries of history in Fengdiao Ward. Who would have thought they’d be involved with ghosts?”
Luo Qingzhou laughed heartily and pointed sharply at the staffs of the two coffin shops, saying coldly, “Arrest them and send them to the secret prison. Let’s see...”
The manager of Fuyin Houren chuckled bitterly, “You spineless eunuchs of the Guard Palace have sharp noses. Since we slaughtered several of your lackeys years ago, we figured you’d eventually discover us.”
“But to actually catch us...”
“What a pity. We’ve carefully run these two shops for so many years. Ha—how many big things have we done?”
Luo Qingzhou’s gaze sharpened. “Big things? What big things? You run coffin shops; what kind of big deal could you possibly be involved in?”
An’an from Yilu’an laughed uproariously, “You’ll never find out. Ha ha ha!”
Luo Qingzhou’s face turned stern, and he shouted, “Seize them! Take them to the secret prison for harsh interrogation! I want—”
From above, an archer clutching a strong bow patrolling the area suddenly shouted out, voice tearing and heart-rending: “General! There’s firelight in the direction of Siji Ward, multiple fires burning! The wind is strong; the flames are spreading!”
Luo Qingzhou and his subordinates’ expressions changed drastically.
They leapt onto the rooftops by the roadside, looking toward Siji Ward.
Siji Ward bordered the two streets and alleys Lu Tianxing was in charge of, less than three li away.
Flames roared there now, painting half the sky crimson with their glow.
The cold wind swirled snow, pushing the blaze further and further.
Distant shouts, the whistles of patrolling warriors, and the clanging of night watchmen’s gongs sounded in unending succession.
Luo Qingzhou immediately lost his composure.
Lu Tianxing, with just three-star strongman strength, was only responsible for a small patch of land.
But Luo Qingzhou, an eight-star general, had jurisdiction over Fengdiao Ward and several surrounding wards.
Fengdiao Ward was a first-rank ward market, and nearby wards were all second-rank, packed with nobles, celebrities, and sages.
Take Siji Ward, for instance.
If something happened to the noble hostages inside, Luo Qingzhou would be lucky to have a hundred heads to pay with!
“Go! Put out the fire! Rescue the people!” Luo Qingzhou yelled hoarsely. “Send someone to petition the Grand Commander. Request the main Guard Palace to dispatch reinforcements to assist in quelling this!”
Before he finished, the staffs of both coffin shops—from managers down to servers—simultaneously drew thumb-sized pellets from their waists, firing them wildly into the air around them.
(End of chapter)