Xu Ge picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and began writing slowly on the rice paper.
After finishing, he took a deep look at the jade pendant in his hand before uttering his final words, “Back then, the Emperor preserved the last bloodline of my Xu family and granted me the authority I hold today. To repay his kindness, I will personally take your head, and your daughter…”
Xu Ge paused, raising his eyes to meet Yan Kaiji’s bloodshot gaze, filled with disbelief. A faint smile curled at the corner of his lips, “I will send her to the chieftain of the Western Barbarians to maintain peaceful relations between our lands.”
The sky was neither fully dark nor light, casting a shadow over Xu Ge’s stern face.
With that faint smile, he resembled the King of Hell come to claim a life, chilling to the bone.
Yan Kaiji shook his head in despair, slamming his hands heavily on the ground as he crawled frantically toward Xu Ge. His mouth gaped wide as he roared with all his might,
“Xu Ge!!! May you die a wretched death! One day, you will descend into the eighteenth layer of hell!!”
He tried to grab the hem of Xu Ge’s robe, but before he could get close, Ashu’s swift blade severed his hand.
“Ah!!”
A cry of agony echoed. Xu Ge wearily rubbed his temples and ordered Ashu, “Leave, and close the door behind you.”
Within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Xu Ge’s words carried more weight than even the Emperor’s.
Upon hearing his command, Ashu asked no questions. He sheathed his blade, bowed deeply, and replied, “Yes.”
The door closed, leaving only Xu Ge and Yan Kaiji in the room.
On the brink of death, Yan Kaiji had no strength left to fight back. His eyes were wide open, fixed unwaveringly on Xu Ge, as cold sweat dripped down his face, accompanied by ragged, hissing breaths.
Xu Ge seemed to have no intention of killing Yan Kaiji on the spot. Instead, he picked up the paper he had written on, folded it neatly, and placed it on the jade pendant.
His dark eyes flickered with curiosity and inquiry.
A few seconds later, just as Xu Ge had anticipated, the strange phenomenon occurred again!
The folded paper slowly vanished, as if absorbed into the jade pendant.
Following the curiosity came an inexplicable restlessness.
He deeply disliked things beyond his control, things that defied expectation!
In an instant, the figure at the forefront moved. Accompanied by the sound of a blade being drawn and the piercing of flesh, the Grand Councilor of Wei, who had served two generations of monarchs, met his end.
After meticulously wiping the blood from the Severed String Blade with a handkerchief, Xu Ge heard a familiar vibration.
Turning slowly, he saw that another piece of paper had appeared on the jade pendant, now emitting a faint white mist.
He walked over, picked up the paper, and unfolded it.
On it was the same familiar handwriting as before.
Tie Jun Sister: [I am your father, ever-changing and unpredictable]
Father, the male parent.
After pondering for a few seconds, Xu Ge concluded one thing.
The spirit within the jade pendant was insulting him.
Xu Ge frowned, glanced at the paper in his hand, then looked back at Yan Kaiji’s gruesome corpse lying on the floor. He took both the jade pendant and the paper and left the main hall of the Yan residence.
“Ashu.”
Xu Ge called softly to Ashu, who was guarding the entrance. His gaze swept over the group of women huddled fearfully in the corner of the courtyard, finally settling on Yan Kaiji’s daughter.
The girl was about sixteen years old, her pale yellow dress stained with dust. With delicate features and a soft, fragile appearance, she was cradled in her mother’s arms.
Her face was streaked with tears, and she glanced at him fearfully out of the corner of her eye.
When she noticed Xu Ge looking her way, she buried her face even deeper into the old woman’s embrace.
A smile reappeared on Xu Ge’s face—distant and cold. He raised his hand and pointed at Yan Kaiji’s daughter, Yan Mingjiao. “Send her to the Chunlou Brothel to serve as the lowest-ranking courtesan. Nobles and royals are forbidden from visiting her; she is only fit to entertain the lowest-ranking military officers.”
With just a few calm words, he had condemned this once-celebrated young lady of the imperial city to a living hell.
Xu Ge’s hand remained raised as he then pointed at the group of women around them. “As for the others, execute them on the spot.”
His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for the women huddled in the corner to hear.
As the verdict fell, a chorus of wails and sobs erupted.
Screams, cries, and whimpers intertwined into a cacophony.
Unwilling to stay and listen to the women’s shrieks, Xu Ge expressionlessly prepared to leave, holding the jade pendant.
Ashu, gripping the hilt of his sword, watched Xu Ge’s departing figure with unease. After a moment of internal struggle, he spoke up to remind him, “Sir, Assistant Minister Duan’s orders made no mention of executing them. If we kill everyone… wouldn’t that be inappropriate?”
The black boots came to an abrupt halt, and Xu Ge’s dark robe swirled gracefully in the air.
Ashu felt as though a sharp blade were slicing through his flesh. He forced himself to meet Xu Ge’s piercing gaze.
“Ashu, whose man are you?”
Without hesitation, Ashu, his face filled with terror, dropped to one knee, bowed his head, and shouted,
“I am the Commander of the Imperial Guards, your man, sir.”
Xu Ge lowered his gaze, his proud and stern jaw tilting slightly downward as he examined the kneeling Ashu with the detached air of a superior. His voice was calm, betraying neither anger nor joy.
“Good that you understand. If you dare question my decisions again, you may leave the Embroidered Uniform Guard and seek out Duan Qianren at the Dali Temple.”
“Yes, sir!” Ashu’s heart tightened with regret, and he closed his eyes briefly.
No further cold or arrogant words followed—only the sound of footsteps gradually fading until they vanished entirely.
Knowing Xu Ge had left, Ashu used his sword to steady himself as he slowly rose to his feet.
He glanced sideways at the trembling women and gestured to the other Embroidered Uniform Guards standing in the courtyard. “Carry out the Commander’s orders.”
Ashu watched as the other women were forcibly dragged away. He then reached into the old woman’s arms and seized Yan Kaiji’s daughter, Yan Mingjiao.
“Mother!!! Mother! Save me!!”
“Jiaojiao! Remember what I told you! Remember!!”
As the two clung to each other, Ashu grew impatient. With a sharp tug, he nearly sent the young girl stumbling to the ground.
A cry of pain escaped her lips. After struggling briefly, she trembled and fell silent under Ashu’s warning gaze, desperate to survive.
The pearl hairpins in her bun scattered across the ground, and her pale yellow dress was now smeared with mud and bloodstains.
Yan Mingjiao, once the esteemed daughter of a high-ranking official, now appeared utterly disheveled, stripped of all her former dignity.
Leaving the courtyard, she heard even more sorrowful screams and the sound of weapons piercing flesh. Yan Mingjiao could only cover her ears, her mother’s words echoing in her mind:
“Jiaojiao, you must survive, kill Xu Ge, and avenge your father, me, and all the restless souls of the Yan family who met tragic ends!!”