Xie Yan boarded the carriage, with Wen Jian and Xun He sitting on either side, as it drove out of the side gate of Prince Ding’s mansion.
Su Wantang held her breath, slowing her heartbeat until it was nearly imperceptible. Almost immediately, she sensed several auras approaching from near and far, scattering to guard the carriage from all sides, some in the open and some hidden in the shadows.
She inwardly rejoiced that she had chosen the right method. If she had tried to tail the carriage, she would have been easily detected by those shadow guards if she got too close, or lost if she stayed too far back…
The carriage traveled along the main street. Su Wantang, eyes closed, tracked the direction and realized the carriage was making two very cautious loops before continuing on its way. She remained completely motionless, her breathing steady, as if she were a seamless part of the carriage frame.
Soon, the carriage turned into an inconspicuous alley and stopped in front of a residence. Wen Jian disembarked, walked to the gate, and knocked with a rhythmic pattern. A moment later, the gate creaked open just enough to reveal a sliver of space. Seeing Wen Jian, the gate was fully opened, and the person inside greeted them respectfully: “The Master has arrived?”
Xun He lifted the curtain, and Xie Yan stepped out, walking forward as he asked, “Were they delivered?”
“They were, but two of them sustained heavy injuries…”
Hearing “heavy injuries” made Su Wantang’s heart tighten. As the carriage was led toward the side gate, she silently slipped off and rolled into the shadows of a corner. After lying still for a moment until all sounds faded, she gritted her teeth and pulled out a signal arrow.
The arrow was silent. It lit up for a fleeting moment high in the night sky before extinguishing—but in that same instant, the shadow guards within the courtyard moved in perfect unison.
“Master, a light flickered in the sky just now… I fear there is trouble.”
Xie Yan’s expression darkened instantly. Without hesitation, he commanded, “Call for reinforcements.”
A signal flare suddenly sounded, and Su Wantang realized her silent signal had still exposed her. But she had no choice; it was the fastest way. Knowing Xie Yan would certainly have backup plans, she didn’t hesitate, flying into the courtyard. Almost instantly, several shadows surrounded her.
The moment Xie Yan caught sight of the figure in black, he narrowed his eyes, unfazed, and said calmly, “Young lady, we meet again.”
Wen Jian was struck with shock, realizing this assassin was the same “Red Lotus” from the Juyun Water Pavilion. He immediately blocked his master. Su Wantang said nothing and struck toward Xie Yan…
Moments later, the cry of birds echoed through the night sky outside. Xie Yan’s expression turned cold. Birds in the middle of the night? He knew it was the enemy’s people. Sure enough, in the next instant, several black-clad figures leapt over the walls and surged into the courtyard, scattering the shadow guards who had been tightening the circle around Su Wantang.
“The cultists are numerous.”
“Protect the Master and guard the prisoners. Reinforcements will arrive momentarily.”
But just then, a panicked cry rang out from outside: “Fire… Help! Fire!”
Suddenly, flames erupted from the houses on both sides and from the residential dwellings in the alley across the way. Xie Yan had been exceptionally cautious, choosing this private location instead of taking the prisoners directly to the Ministry of Justice or the Jingzhao Prefecture prison, fearing that the Red Lotus Sect would attempt a rescue. He hadn’t expected the sect to find them regardless… and even less did he expect the Red Lotus Sect, which preached the dogma of “Burning away evil, lighting the Red Lotus, to wash away the grievances of the masses,” to burn civilian homes just to save people.
Xie Yan’s expression was ghastly: “Rescue them.”
Among the cries for help coming from the burning houses, there were the wails of children…
Xun He cursed through gritted teeth and was forced to divert a portion of the shadow guards to fight the fire. However, the moment the guards rushed into the inferno and scooped up a bawling child, they were met with the child’s eerily twisted smile… Suddenly, the child’s fingers, tipped with sharp blades, plunged into the guard’s body.
“Master, the cultists clearly had this planned.”
Wen Jian sensed the dire situation and urged, “The reinforcements are likely being obstructed on the way. Master, you must leave this place.”
The guards sent to rescue the civilians were ambushed and pinned down, and the fires from all sides were closing in on the courtyard. Xie Yan closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. In this moment, he realized that the “Red Lotus” who had attacked first was nowhere to be seen.
The transport had been safe until he personally arrived, and then a leak occurred… The defense on the road couldn’t have failed, unless…
Xie Yan’s eyes snapped open as he realized something terrifying.
Unless someone had been hiding in his proximity from the very beginning. That way, there would be no need to risk searching; they only needed to follow him. If there was a flaw, the only possibility was that the person had been hiding near him since he was at Prince Ding’s mansion.
To organize such a large-scale cultist raid in such a short time, and with such disciplined obedience… the mastermind behind tonight was likely more significant than all the people held in this courtyard combined.
Forgetting the carriage, Xie Yan threw off his cloak and ordered Wen Jian: “Release the signal… Seal Prince Ding’s mansion.”
Another signal flare sounded. In the distance, countless shadows, like demons of the night, surged from all directions to seal Prince Ding’s mansion shut. Soon, Prince Ding, Zhao Cheng, was alarmed… and the entire estate became brightly lit in a matter of moments.
Xie Yan did not take the carriage, flying back toward the mansion. Wen Jian tried to dissuade him: “Master, you cannot…” His master was in the midst of his annual period of internal recuperation and had been taking medicine; he was not supposed to exert his internal energy. But before Wen Jian could finish, a cool, chilling glance from his master made him shut his mouth, and he could only exert his own energy to keep up with his master’s blistering pace.
Inside the besieged mansion, Prince Ding, Zhao Cheng, though unaware of what had happened, cautiously ordered his house guards to cooperate. He knew his nephew would not cause such a commotion without good reason…
Zhao Xuanzhen was also alarmed and immediately headed to the Langyue Courtyard to see his father.
Just as the lights throughout the mansion were being lit one by one, a figure slid like a fish out of the pond in the Cuiwei Pavilion. Su Wantang had long since noted this pond, which connected to the outside, and dove into the water the moment the mansion was sealed.
Almost the moment she slipped into the waterway, a loud clang sounded behind her—even the outlet had been blocked by an iron gate. Her heart skipped a beat… She knew Xie Yan had grown suspicious.
Tonight had been a gamble. To save the prisoners, she had ordered her followers to go all out… such radical means had clearly infuriated Xie Yan.
Su Wantang dared not be careless. Like a cat, she snuck into the Cuiwei Pavilion and headed straight for the bathroom in the main room. Xiaotao followed her trail, wiping away the water droplets before quickly retreating into the room. Su Wantang had already stripped off her clothes and submerged herself in the bathing tub, letting her hair hang loose and wet.
Xiaotao grabbed her night-black outfit, intending to hide it, but Su Wantang gestured to keep it for a moment. She bundled it into a tight ball and placed it directly into the tub, sitting on top of it.
Hardly a few breaths later, a loud bang sounded, and the bedroom door was kicked open…
Xiaotao let out a startled cry, rushing to grab a robe to messily wrap around her mistress in the tub, turning around to shout: “Who goes there?!”
Su Wantang also clutched her arms, eyes filled with terror.
In the next moment, the esteemed Grand Tutor, known for his refined and immortal-like temperament, walked in from behind the screen with an expressionless face…
If there were any outsiders in Prince Ding’s mansion, it was only this newly arrived Second Miss Su. Recalling that Su Wantang had happened to fall into the water during the Juyun Water Pavilion incident, Xie Yan had come straight to the Cuiwei Pavilion…
What he saw was this Second Miss Su, who, coincidentally, happened to be bathing again.
The mansion had already been sealed; the water exit had been sealed just a step too late. If there was a possibility, the intruder could only have entered the mansion through the water. It was just such a coincidence that she happened to be bathing in the dead of night.
Xie Yan remained expressionless. Ignoring the cries and shouts of the mistress and her servant, he walked straight forward…