The fire at Qifang Garden had finally been extinguished.
Yin Xing tightly gripped the jade lotus flower, originally belonging to Liu Wu, and surrounded by a group of anxious and fearful guards from the prince’s mansion, he walked up to Luo Qingzhou.
“Your Highness,” Luo Qingzhou saluted Yin Xing, her eyes fixed on Liu Wu, who was trailing closely behind him.
Liu Wu instinctively shrank his neck and nervously whispered, “My prince, save me!”
Yin Xing pointed at Liu Wu, then tapped his own nose meaningfully. “I heard that your Palace Guard officers have been looking for him recently? Whatever crime he’s committed, I’ve settled it for him.”
Luo Qingzhou was momentarily stunned, her gaze flicking rapidly between Yin Xing and Liu Wu in confusion.
Lu Xuan stood with his hands tucked in his sleeves, cradling his steel-pointed spear, curiously scanning the surrounding scene.
The hostages who had broken into Qifang Garden had already surrounded a disheveled Qi Shen, shouting at him from all sides.
Some demanded compensation for their ‘precious goods’ that had been burned.
Others insisted on payment for the ‘mental distress’ the fire had caused.
A few grabbed his sleeve and loudly chanted, “A little kindness deserves a fountain of gratitude!”
The heir apparent, who had earlier ordered his men to throw tens of thousands of catties of firewood and thousands of catties of oil fat into Qifang Garden, grabbed Qi Shen’s collar and roared hoarsely, “A lifesaving grace must be repaid!”
Qi Shen, who had just been scared half to death by a group of ghostly women, nearly drained of strength, suddenly found himself encircled by these rabid figures.
His whole body trembled uncontrollably before he rolled his eyes and fainted.
Lu Xuan watched these chaotic people with an amused smile.
A glint of azure flickered in his pupils.
Within the smoke-wrapped Qifang Garden, faint wisps of red mist drifted in the air.
Others couldn’t see this red mist—but Lu Xuan could see it clearly.
Whether it was Yin Xing, Liu Wu, or the surrounded Qi Shen, even some of the guards bore traces of the red mist on their bodies.
This residual red mist was slowly corroding their bodies.
Lu Xuan saw their vital energies weakening bit by bit.
As their blood essence faded, the red mist on them gradually neutralized and dispersed.
On the ground were faint red footprints—disorderly tracks stretching northeast through the Four Extremes District, passing through several courtyard walls, heading toward the Imperial City.
The red mist in the air drifted along with the footprints toward the Imperial City as well.
“What is it in the Imperial City that attracts them?” Lu Xuan wondered curiously.
But such matters were not his concern—he had just joined the Palace Guard and was still a mere novice.
Whatever these ghost women had done or planned was none of his business, nor did he have the motive to interfere.
Holding onto his steel-pointed spear, Lu Xuan shrank close to Luo Qingzhou’s side, tightening his face into a serious expression as his eyes flicked again and again over Yin Xing’s gaunt, shriveled cheek.
These ghost women had been ruthless in their attack.
Yin Xing hurriedly wanted to leave with his guards.
A group of obviously drunk hostages, who were usually unrestrained and reckless, shouted loudly at Yin Xing: “Your Highness, we helped extinguish the fire, essentially saving your life. You owe us some gratitude, at least!”
Yin Xing drooped his face, ignoring their words altogether.
Today had been truly bizarre—truly a brush with death lurked beneath it all.
Not only had he been scared half to death, but Consort Qi had used some terrifying method to drain a large amount of his flesh and blood essence, leaving his face somewhere between human and ghost, with terrible injuries all over his body.
After suffering such harm, they dared demand he ‘show some gratitude’?
If it weren’t for his status, Yin Xing wanted to curse loudly in the streets.
High above, the cries of hawks and falcons echoed.
From a distance came the rhythmic pounding of marching footsteps, armor clashing faintly.
The garrison troops from Fengtiao District finally mobilized after the chaos that erupted in the Four Extremes District.
At the stone bridge entrances to the Four Extremes District, louder disputes arose.
Bold young noblemen and ladies, accompanied by their guards, blocked the advancing troops from entering.
From afar, Lu Xuan and others could hear these young nobles’ jeering voices:
“Officials and dogs, not allowed into the Four Extremes District!”
“Come on, come on, come on! Slash at my neck!”
“My father is the Marquis of Baiyang, the Marquis of Baiyang—know who he is? Come, stab this spearhead into my chest, go on!”
“A general? So what if you’re a general? Huh? You think generals are impressive? Someone, help! He’s assaulting me in public! Assault!”
Yin Xing’s face turned grim as he briskly left with his guards.
Luo Qingzhou and the rest of the plainclothes Palace Guard members held their breaths, slipping through the crowd cautiously like timid little brides, wanting nothing more than to leave this place rife with quarrels.
Yin Xing emerged unharmed.
Moreover, by fortune’s favor, he had found Liu Wu, who was being hunted by the Palace Guard.
No matter what truly happened inside Qifang Garden, whether it had to do with those ghost women or how deeply Liu Wu was involved, the important thing was that the person had been found.
Luo Qingzhou now had an explanation to report to the higher-ups.
Whether to investigate further, or how to proceed, Luo Qingzhou dared not provoke Yin Xing.
Let Yu Changle deal with that headache!
The most urgent matter now was how to safely withdraw from the Four Extremes District.
Lu Xuan held the steel-pointed spear tightly, following Luo Qingzhou step by step toward the exit.
All around, the streets were packed with people.
Rooftops and balconies swarmed with onlookers.
Everywhere was uproar—shouts and curses echoed through the vast district, making the Four Extremes District look like a disturbed hornet’s nest, messy and chaotic.
What was worse, seeing the spectacle at Qifang Garden come to an end, some young noblemen and ladies who harbored grudges suddenly spotted their rivals in the crowd.
Lu Xuan, with his sharp senses, already caught the brewing tension from overheard conversations:
“What’re you staring at?”
“What’s it to you?”
“You just touched me just now!”
“Which dog’s eye of yours saw me touch you!”
“You looked at my girl just now, didn’t you?”
“Is your girl afraid of being seen? Then why’d you bring her here?”
Lu Xuan felt his teeth grow sour with unease.
He had a bad feeling this night in the Four Extremes District was about to get even louder.
These hostages were usually bored out of their minds, each with an arrogant temperament.
The fire had just ignited a cruel bloodthirst stirring in their hearts.
Qi Shen hadn’t burned to death yet, so this violent frenzy hadn’t fully released.
It was likely they’d seize this chance to cause a huge disturbance.
Suddenly, a hand shot out from the crowd, grabbing the red fox fur cloak wrapped around Lu Xuan, pulling hard.
Lu Xuan tried to dodge.
With his martial skills, evading such a grasp would normally be easy.
But surrounded on all sides, he dared not leap openly and draw attention.
He could only watch helplessly as a frail, short middle-aged man in the crowd roughly tore off his cloak.
Then two other men grabbed at the silk robe under the cloak.
This robe had once been borrowed by Old He—though no one knew from where—before they went to check those two coffin shops.
Lu Xuan was tall and robust, his figure far sturdier than ordinary men.
The robe fit tight, completely concealed only by the outer fur cloak.
The two men tugged mightily, and with a sharp ripping sound, Lu Xuan’s robe was torn apart, revealing the white embroidered Palace Guard robes beneath.
A sharp scream rang out in the crowd:
“Ah! Palace Guard lackey! How dare you tread inside the Four Extremes District?”
Not just Lu Xuan—other Palace Guard captains and strongmen standing nearby were also forcefully stripped of their outer robes by people in the crowd.
Their inner official robes came into view, in shades of blue and green.
Compared with Lu Xuan’s white embroidered robe, these officers’ garments were even more brilliant, their Palace Guard insignias vivid and ornate, making them stand out glaringly under fires and torchlight.
Suddenly, an eerie silence fell.
Countless young noblemen and ladies, with their guards and servants, turned their gazes toward this group.
Luo Qingzhou’s face went pale as she looked around helplessly.
Yin Xing suddenly turned sharply and caught sight of the exposed Palace Guard robes!
A chill ran down his spine.
He shouted hoarsely, “This has nothing to do with me! I came here on business... Who dares lay a finger on me, I’ll sacrifice my life to ruin their family’s property in Haojing!”
The crowd surged as one.
Yin Xing and his mansion guards were quickly pushed far away by the throng.
His shouted protests still echoed.
Blood splattered in the crowd as several of his guards cried out in pain—someone had brazenly attacked amid the pressing swarm, and several guards received sword strikes to vital points, collapsing immediately.
The sounds of stabbing continued incessantly.
Yin Xing’s guards were torn apart by the crowd, and constantly, someone struck from within the flowing mass, cutting down one royal guard after another before they could even react.
“Save me! Save me!” Yin Xing shouted, watching his guards fall one by one.
He strained his voice, “Promotion by three ranks guaranteed for whoever saves me!”
Luo Qingzhou’s face darkened, and she sprang forward immediately, treading upon heads and pressing swiftly toward Yin Xing’s position.
Lu Xuan just prepared to leap when, from the crowd, several flashes of cold light sliced straight toward his ribs, lower back, liver, and other vital spots.
In the distance, the tinkling laughter of a silver bell floated faintly.
Many in the crowd suddenly had a thin veil of crimson covering their eyes.
“You dared to stare at me!”
One hostage suddenly pulled a blade and dealt a heavy wound to a young nobleman ahead.
“What’re you staring at, huh?”
Another nobleman laughed wildly, drawing his sword and severing his female companion’s arm at the shoulder.
From all directions, at least a thousand people rose up at once.
They drew weapons without any reason, wildly striking at those around them like seeing the murderer of their father.
Amidst the chaos, several cold blades scraped dangerously close against Lu Xuan’s skin.
Nearby, Huang Qing and others stared wide-eyed—those who had stripped the outer robes from Lu Xuan and the other Palace Guards weren’t their people at all.
The situation was slipping out of control.
(End of Chapter)