Volume One: Carefree Journey Amidst Indistinguishable Paper Leaves Chapter Fifty-One: A Night of Shocks

After Duan Canghai entered the room, he glanced around and saw everyone linked together in a long chain. His expression changed slightly, but he strode forward, drew his blade, and brought it down in one swift motion. The blade flashed, severing the arm that clung to Yang Ning. Blood spurted as Duan Canghai grabbed Yang Ning by the arm and swiftly retreated.

From drawing his weapon to pulling Yang Ning away, it all happened in the blink of an eye—decisive and efficient.

Once the arm was severed, the others fell back, limp and powerless, their bodies weak and unable to rise. Yang Ning was channeling the force he had absorbed, and the energy within him was flowing more smoothly. The meridians from his sea of qi to his dantian had been cleared, but within his dantian, it churned as if set ablaze; each new surge of energy was like tossing fresh fuel onto the fire, making him suffer immensely. Suddenly, the flow of energy to his sea of qi ceased, interrupted just in time. Yang Ning exhaled deeply, his entire body drenched in sweat.

“My lord, my lord, are you all right?” Duan Canghai supported Yang Ning by the shoulders. Seeing Yang Ning’s face flushed red as a monkey’s, he was alarmed and asked anxiously, “Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

Yang Ning exhaled several times, looked at Duan Canghai, gathered his wits, and said, “Someone… someone tried to kill me!”

At that moment, several more people burst in from outside—Qi Feng, leading a number of guards. Upon seeing the scene, they drew their blades without a word and surrounded Yang Ning protectively.

The guards of the villa managed to struggle to their feet, each one pale as death. The servant in green lay motionless on the floor, blood still pouring from his severed wrist.

“What exactly happened here?” Qi Feng, gripping his blade tightly, swept his gaze around the room and fixed on one of the villa guards. “How did this happen? How were you safeguarding the young lord?”

The villa guards looked mortified.

All along, the villa’s purpose was to host funeral processions. According to protocol, only distinguished guests were permitted to rest within; even the guards accompanying the processions could not enter, and the responsibility for the villa’s interior security fell to the assigned villa guards.

Few loyal ministers and valiant generals were ever laid to rest in the Loyal Mausoleum; sometimes years would pass without the villa receiving a single guest. Serving here was a leisurely post.

No one imagined that an assassination attempt would occur within the villa itself. Qi Feng’s cold, sharp interrogation left the villa guards deeply embarrassed.

“Qi Feng, secure the assassin first!” Duan Canghai ordered in a low voice. “We’ll interrogate him later.”

Qi Feng immediately pressed his broadsword to the man’s throat and kicked him over. The man rolled to his back, and someone nearby let out a cry of shock—for the assassin’s face was dark, his eyes staring wide open and lifeless, as if he were already dead.

Footsteps sounded from outside, and the chief steward Qiu burst in, calling, “Young lord, young lord, are you all right?” Seeing Duan Canghai crouched beside Yang Ning, he hurried over. “Brother Duan, what happened to the young lord?”

Duan Canghai’s expression was grim. “Chief Steward Qiu, this is imperial ground, and yet an assassin appeared—our young lord was nearly killed.”

Qiu’s face changed. “Is the young lord unharmed?”

“Heaven protected him; the young lord escaped without injury,” Duan Canghai replied, his gaze shifting to the assassin’s corpse. “It seems the assassin came prepared to die.”

Zhao Wushang paid no attention to the corpse. He took a silver needle, pricked the pastries on the tray, then dipped it into the tea cup. When he pulled the needle out, it had turned black. His eyes flashed coldly as he asked the villa guards, “Is this assassin one of the villa’s servants?”

“No,” replied the only guard who still had his strength. “There are fewer than twenty people in the villa, and we all know each other well. The assassin is definitely not one of us.”

“What happened?” Another man entered, his clothes disheveled. Chief Steward Qiu recognized him as the villa’s steward, a minor official from the Ministry of Rites with whom he’d previously spoken. Stepping forward, he frowned and said, “Steward Wu, an assassin has broken into the villa—our young lord nearly met with disaster. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Though Qiu held no official rank, as chief steward of the Jinyi Marquis estate, his status was in no way inferior to that of a minor functionary of the Ministry of Rites. With Yang Ning’s life nearly lost, his tone was blunt.

Steward Wu’s face went deathly pale. “An assassin?” He rushed over and saw the villa guards standing dejectedly to one side, as limp as wilted eggplants. Seeing Qi Feng examining the assassin’s body, his expression grew even more stricken. In a panic, he shouted at the guards, “How were you defending the villa? How did the assassin get in?”

Qi Feng looked up at Duan Canghai. “Second Brother Duan, your guess was right—the assassin came prepared to die. He just swallowed poison and killed himself; there’s nothing more to question.”

“He feared we might find out his employer,” Duan Canghai sneered. “If I’m not mistaken, the one who sent him is someone we know—or at least, not from Beihan.”

Zhao Wushang said, “At first, the assassin likely intended only to poison the young lord, but for some reason decided to act directly.”

Qi Feng glanced at Steward Wu and sneered, “Steward Wu, you’re in charge here. Not only did the assassin enter the villa, he changed into a servant’s livery and brought refreshments to the young lord’s room—yet none of you noticed. If word of this reaches the court, I truly fear for you all.”

Wu’s face was drained of blood. He knew well that such a grave incident could not be concealed. The young lord of the Jinyi Marquis was a person of high status—had he died here, everyone in the villa would have been implicated. Even though disaster had been averted, there was no way this affair would simply be overlooked, and he, a minor official, would not be spared. Punishment was inevitable; he could only hope it would be light. Now, he had to appear fully cooperative with the Jinyi Marquis estate. “The kitchen—quick, check the kitchen!” he ordered.

The guards, aware of the gravity of the matter, immediately rushed toward the kitchen.

“This… this assassin was incredibly dangerous,” one villa guard said, still shaken. “He used some sinister technique—when we touched him, our strength was drained away.”

The guards only knew that contact with the assassin sapped their energy, not realizing he was merely a conduit and that the energy ultimately flowed into Yang Ning.

“Yes, this man’s skill is uncanny. We’ve never heard of such a technique…” another guard quickly added.

Duan Canghai turned to Zhao Wushang. “Can you tell where this assassin came from?”

Zhao Wushang circled the corpse, prodding it with his blade before shaking his head. “Such people make their living by assassination, taking money for kills. The martial world has many assassins of this kind—clean, practiced, and leaving no trace. If they succeed, they vanish without a clue; if they fail, they often take their own lives, leaving nothing behind.”

Duan Canghai nodded grimly. “To attempt an assassination on the young lord of the Jinyi Marquis—no matter how far or deep we must search, we’ll find the mastermind.” He ordered, “The young lord has been frightened; no one is to remain here. Take the corpse away and clean the place up!” He turned to Yang Ning. “Would you like to move elsewhere?”

Yang Ning shook his head. “I… I’m fine.”

Just then, a guard who’d gone to check the kitchen returned and reported, “Old Qiu from the kitchen has been murdered; his clothes were stripped from him.”

Steward Wu said to Chief Steward Qiu, “It seems the assassin snuck in, killed one of the kitchen staff, and took his place.”

Chief Steward Qiu retorted, “How did the assassin infiltrate the villa? It’s not large, and both the front and back gates are always guarded—how did he get in?”

Zhao Wushang interjected, “The assassin first killed a kitchen worker, then disguised himself as a servant. To move through the villa unnoticed and reach the young lord’s room so easily, he must have known the villa’s layout intimately.” He paused. “Even we cannot enter the villa easily; ordinarily, no outsider could wander in. How, then, was the assassin so familiar with the place?”

At this, Steward Wu’s face grew even more ashen, and the villa guards exchanged uneasy glances.

“No one here colluded with the assassin,” Wu protested, sensing the implication. “If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to question us all.”

“My point is that whoever orchestrated this must be very familiar with the villa’s layout,” Zhao Wushang replied, his face as hard as stone. “It’s not just you who know the villa—anyone who’s ever entered could have a connection to the assassin.”

Chief Steward Qiu nodded. “Indeed. This matter cannot be easily dismissed. To attempt an assassination on the young lord—such audacity must be thoroughly investigated.”

The corpse was carried out and the room tidied up. Because of the incident, Qi Feng and Zhao Wushang refused to leave the villa again and instead took up guard outside Yang Ning’s door. Though this broke with the villa’s usual protocol, circumstances were exceptional, and Steward Wu dared not utter a word of protest.

Chief Steward Qiu and Duan Canghai helped Yang Ning to sit. Seeing that his face was still flushed, they exchanged a glance. Chief Steward Qiu asked cautiously, “Young lord, do you still feel unwell? Shall I send for a physician?”

Yang Ning shook his head. “Chief Steward Qiu, you go about your business. I’m fine, don’t worry.”

Chief Steward Qiu nodded slightly and withdrew. Once he had left, Duan Canghai asked softly, “My lord, do you feel very uncomfortable inside?”

“Ah?” Yang Ning looked at Duan Canghai. His dantian was still churning; the burning sensation, though lessened, was still intense, his entire abdomen aching, and even his heart was pounding faster than usual.

“Your qi is unsettled,” Duan Canghai said quietly. “If I’m not mistaken, your dantian must be in considerable pain.”