Rakehells are bound to include a few fools who don’t know how vast the world is, those who act recklessly and wildly, doing as they please without a care.
But the true scions of noble families, like the hostages from the Four Extremes District—these sons and daughters sent to the capital Gaoling to ‘serve time’ because their own households didn’t value them—they understand better than anyone how to avoid trouble and keep themselves safe.
When they can be reckless, they’re wilder than mad dogs.
When they need to be obedient, they’re more docile than a kept son-in-law.
The Imperial Guards stationed in Fengdiao District charged toward the Four Extremes District—this was proof that someone among the high-ranking officials of the Dayin Dynasty was in a panic, furious, and on the edge of hysteria.
So, the once wildly indulgent young masters and young ladies, who had just been acting like madmen, one by one transformed into refined gentlemen and demure ladies.
Clad in heavy armor and fully armed, the Imperial Guards surged forward like a raging torrent, crossing the stone bridges over the open canals surrounding the Four Extremes District, roaring as they broke into the area.
Wherever the guards passed, the young masters and ladies hurriedly slipped into their estates, shutting the courtyard gates tightly behind them.
The silvery laughter gradually faded away.
The subtle fragrance in the air quickly dissipated.
Those who had just been stirring up trouble amidst the chaos were now taking advantage of the disorder to slip away quickly.
On several tall buildings, black-clad archers threw down their bows and arrows cleanly and hastily, abandoning their quivers and equipment without care.
Then, one by one, they leapt off the rooftops and scattered wildly through the streets and alleys.
Among the crowd, these black-clad archers hurried on while shedding their dark clothes.
All around was a chaotic stampede of guards and servants.
The ground was littered with dead bodies and wounded, bloodied and stained, now frozen into bloody ice by the cold wind.
The injured screamed in agony.
The two streets near the Qifang Garden looked like a battlefield, utterly tragic.
Yin Xing collapsed heavily onto the ground, clutching his wounds and cursing hoarsely, “Imperial doctor! Imperial doctor, find me a doctor… Ah, the empire spends so much silver every year keeping you useless lot—what good are you?”
After a few wails of pain, Yin Xing showed the basic dignity expected of a prince of Dayin.
He gestured wildly and shouted loudly, “Catch those damned assassins—catch them alive! I’ll go with that old fish You Changle and negotiate personally. Whoever brings me a live one will earn a great merit for the Palace Guard!”
The steady, heavy footfalls of soldiers sounded as a large group of Imperial Guards hurried toward them.
Leading the charge were over a thousand armored cavalry guards.
These mounted soldiers were all over eight feet tall, burly men clad in heavy armor, with their warhorses also clad in thick barding.
As they galloped, their steel horseshoes struck the stone streets, sparking strike after strike.
‘Thud, thud, thud!’ Several mounted officers leapt down heavily beside Yin Xing.
They pounded their right fists on their chestplates; the clash of steel gauntlets and breastplates sent showers of sparks flying.
The officers bowed their heads and said with booming voices, “Your Highness, your humble servants arrived late. How fares your Highness?”
“Fares well, my ass!” Yin Xing cursed at the officers. “Look at the blood on me, look at these cuts... Ah, damn it! My backside’s been slashed into three pieces. How could I be well?”
“Go! Seize them! Those damn killers and assassins, bring me some alive! I’ll go face Le Wu in a duel. Whoever brings me one alive today will be richly rewarded and receive great merit!”
Yin Xing lifted his head and shouted at the top of his lungs, “All you bastards on every side, listen up! Whoever catches those damned scoundrels who dared to slash me, and whoever finds the mastermind behind this—they’ll be rewarded one hundred… no, two hundred thousand strings of cash!”
Lu Qian stood on the rooftop of a small building.
Slowly, he pulled his spear out from the chest of an archer who refused to die.
He heard Yin Xing’s bounties but remained unmoved.
The chaos just now clearly concealed a sinister hand working behind the scenes.
To dare strike in the Four Extremes District.
To be able to do such a thing here.
The mastermind behind this was brazen and cunning beyond measure.
They had sent so many death squads against the sons and daughters of the Four Extremes District, especially targeting a prince like Yin Xing.
The mastermind’s forces were terrifyingly powerful… and, the more Lu Qian thought about it, the more chilling it became.
Lu Qian wasn’t about to risk his life for a great merit or twenty thousand strings of cash.
“In this life, if you want to live well, live long, and live freely and happily, the first rule is to know your place.” Lu Qian tore a piece of cloth from the dying archer’s garment and carefully wiped the blood off his spearhead.
“Right and wrong all come from sticking your neck out; meddling too much gets you killed quick.”
Lu Qian muttered softly, “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down first, the branch that juts out breaks first, the tall tree in the forest is sure to be blown down by the wind. Ah, so many wise sayings from the ancients—one must learn, ponder, and cultivate them seriously.”
‘Whoosh!’
The low sound of something slicing through the air came.
A chill swept straight into Lu Qian’s back.
He shuddered sharply and spun around.
His spear flipped like a strange serpent, and with a humming roar, it created a swirling flash as big as a water jar, striking fiercely just six feet behind him.
A fist-sized steel core struck heavily against the spear.
‘Clang, clang!’ rang the strange noise.
Lu Qian’s wrists trembled violently; a sharp wave of soreness and numbness spread through them.
The small steel core carried immense force, bending the spear as if it were a bow.
Lu Qian lost his footing, took a sharp step back, shattering a large section of rooftop tiles.
‘Bang!’
The steel core fell to the ground with a heavy thud, smashing into the icy courtyard floor, breaking a bowl-sized hole over a foot deep.
Lu Qian looked in the direction the steel core had come from.
Across a courtyard nearly twenty zhang wide below, in the shadow where the courtyard wall met a small female wall, a tall, lean man dressed in black was peering around carefully.
Seeing Lu Qian’s spear knock down the steel core, the man cursed softly, “You bastard mongrel!”
He pointed toward Lu Qian fiercely, then vaulted silently off the wall like a wildcat, slipping into a dimly lit street corner behind the wall.
Lu Qian froze briefly.
With a flick of his wrists, he raised his spear and leapt into the air, covering the courtyard in a single stride to land on the wall where the black-clothed man had just been.
He jumped down from the wall and chased after the fleeing black-clad figure.
Only he himself knew—that man’s steel core sneak attack was not connected to those archers or assassins—they were just random killers indulging in chaos.
But this black-clothed man was clearly targeting Lu Qian alone.
The strike was meant specifically for him.
And that whispered curse, full of intense personal hatred, made it clear.
Lu Qian wouldn’t risk entangling himself with those archers and killers just for fame or a reward, but he certainly wouldn’t let go of someone so hostile toward him.
He could tell the other man was trying to lure him into a trap… Lu Qian didn’t know what he had done to offend him.
But precisely because he didn’t know, he wanted to find out.
Regarding possible risks.
A subtle ripple of spiritual energy stirred in Lu Qian’s mind.
His intuition told him this trip held little danger.
Invisible winds curled beneath his feet, and Lu Qian had confidence in his own skills for survival and escape.
Especially now, with so many official forces scattered throughout the Four Extremes District, as long as his opponent couldn’t kill him in one stroke, what was there to fear?
Once on the ground and out of the sight of the surrounding tall buildings, Lu Qian’s speed suddenly doubled.
Taking several great strides forward, he soon saw the black-clothed man ahead at a street corner.
The man had found some pale blue robe somewhere to throw on, the sleeves billowing as he strode briskly.
Ahead, torches blazed as a group of Imperial Guards charged in yelling.
The black-clad man spun on the spot and slipped into a narrow alley beside the road.
Lu Qian broke into a run after him, nearly keeping pace.
Ahead, a group of guards shouted in unison, “Who goes there?” An officer barked sharply, “Are you blind? That’s a Palace Guard’s uniform! Don’t provoke those mad dogs—they’re bad luck!”
Lu Qian heard it clearly and couldn’t help but smirk.
He quickened his pace, flying forward almost without touching the ground, his toes just briefly grazing the pavement as he sped ahead for over ten zhang like a whirlwind.
The black-clad man seemed intimately familiar with the alleys of the Four Extremes District, leading Lu Qian in a desperate sprint through twists and turns.
After half a cup of tea’s time, they arrived at a back alley between two large courtyards.
Here was lonely and desolate.
The alley was about twelve feet wide, with two back gates opening opposite each other.
Each gate had a pair of red lanterns hanging on the walls.
The black-clothed man stopped and slowly turned around, chuckling coldly, “A newborn calf isn’t afraid of the tiger—you really have guts chasing all the way here.”
“I’m a bit nervous,” Lu Qian smiled and shook his spear, “but I’m also cautious. For those who want to harm me, I always want to find out who they are. Otherwise, I can’t sleep at night.”
The gate to Lu Qian’s left creaked open harshly.
A towering man, about nine feet tall and as mighty as a bear, strode out.
“I’m the one who wanted to kill you. Now, do you know who I am?”
The burly man’s face was covered in dense black hair, like he was cast in iron.
Despite the bitter cold, he wore a black centipede-buttoned jacket with sleeves rolled back, lantern pants below, and a six-inch wide leather belt around his waist.
The man deliberately loosened the top few buttons of his jacket, exposing a broad swath of dark skin.
The four red lanterns on the two gate pillars cast a glow on his exposed chest, where muscle mounds bulged fiercely.
Veins snaked prominently beneath taut skin, twisting as he moved, terrifying to behold.
Lu Qian took a sharp breath through his nose.
(End of chapter)