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He was a Hu (NT: non Han, Han people being the largest ethnic group in China and in the world) person. Although his face was covered, he could still see the curly, yellow hair and rough, dark skin.

Jumping onto the roof, without the cover of the crowd, Fang Linyuan could immediately see the situation ahead.

The fire was engulfing the vendors' stalls in that area. The fire was spreading rapidly, and in just a moment, three or five houses had already caught fire. As the crowd scattered in all directions, at least twenty or thirty bandits could be seen at a glance, their faces covered, wielding three-foot-long knives, hacking at the crowd.

With just a few leaps, Fang Linyuan closed in on the nearest bandit.

He was a sentinel. When he turned and saw Fang Linyuan, he immediately shouted loudly and charged towards Fang Linyuan with his knife raised.

But in the next moment, Fang Linyuan agilely bent down and swept past him, flying behind him.

Before he could turn around, Fang Linyuan had already grabbed his neck and twisted it forcefully.

With a crisp snap, the man's head hung down in an abnormal position.

Fang Linyuan caught the long knife that fell from his hand and kicked his body off the roof.

It landed squarely on two bandits who were dragging young women, scattering them apart.

The bandits on the street looked up one after another.

They saw a young man with a tall and sturdy figure standing on the eaves, wielding a long knife, and leaping off the roof.

As a bandit approached with a knife, he sliced his neck with a single stroke. As hot blood splattered, he leaped forward again and stabbed another bandit in the chest.

In an instant, three people were killed in succession. Seeing this, the surrounding bandits rushed forward with their knives, shouting incomprehensible foreign words.

Even if they weren't skilled with knives, these few ruffians were nothing to Fang Linyuan.

Three or four bandits approached together. He jumped, and the one in the front had his neck severed in an instant. Before he could fall to the ground, the one coming from the left had his arm severed by the passing blade.

In his screams, Fang Linyuan stabbed the last one to death.

He looked at the remaining bandits.

Suddenly, the surrounding bandits all hesitated, exchanging glances with each other, but their feet moved back timidly.

Fang Linyuan swept his gaze over them, then, in the next moment, he tiptoed forward, gripping the knife and heading straight towards them.

Where the blade passed, a bucket filled with flowers and clear water fell to the ground.

The bucket of fresh flowers and clean water landed perfectly on the old man whose clothes were on fire, extinguishing the flames.

As if awakening from a dream, the group of Hu bandits scattered like birds and beasts.

The leader shouted something in Turkic, and dozens of bandits scattered, fleeing towards the main street.

Fang Linyuan chased after them directly.

He had just killed a few, and now he had to catch one or two alive to find out who was behind it all.

But the market was spacious, and the nearest one to Fang Linyuan was about twenty feet away. He leaped several times in quick succession, but he saw that the group of Hu bandits was already close to the people waiting with horses, about to escape.

They had planned so carefully, and there were still a hundred or so accomplices!

Fang Linyuan gritted his teeth.

But at this moment, a faint sound broke through the air beside him. The Hu bandit in front of him screamed in agony, his legs giving way as he fell onto the roof.

Fang Linyuan hurriedly turned around.

He saw Zhao Chu standing calmly amidst the raging flames and chaos of the street, holding a basket of gardenias in one hand and looking up at him.

Fang Linyuan dared not hesitate for a moment. He quickly turned back and flew forward a few steps, grabbing the collar of the fallen bandit.

But he saw black blood oozing from the man's mouth, his eyes rolling back, devoid of breath.

He had already poisoned himself.

When Fang Linyuan looked up again, he saw the group of bandits hopping into another street and galloping away on horseback. They were less than half a mile from the west city gate. Amidst the neighing of horses, the leader had already broken through the gate.

*

"He's dead."

Fang Linyuan held the knife in one hand and lifted the body of the Hu bandit from the roof, walking over to Zhao Chu.

He tossed the corpse to the ground and then dropped the knife, flexing his wrist a few times.

"Did you stop him just now?" Fang Linyuan asked.

When he lifted the body of the Hu bandit, he saw a embroidery needle into the bend of his leg.

Zhao Chu didn't answer. He lowered his eyes, squatting down and pulling out the silver needle from the corpse's leg.

With a slight furrow of his eyebrows and a cold gaze, Fang Linyuan could tell the clear disdain in his expression.

Once the needle was removed, Zhao Chu tossed it aside as if it were something filthy, then took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands clean.

"They came prepared; they wouldn't leave anyone alive for you," Zhao Chu said, eyes still lowered.

"How could the city defenses be so lax?" Fang Linyuan frowned. "With so many armed Hu people, how did they go unnoticed?"

"The city gates are heavily guarded, patrolled by the Sixteen Guards of the Capital. There are plenty of idle imperial family members among them," Zhao Chu said, looking towards the west city gate.

"But just now was the moment when the guards were changing shifts at the west city gate."

"They had already planned their escape route in advance," Fang Linyuan said.

Zhao Chu nodded, lifting the hem of his robe and walking over to a corpse.

"What are you doing?" Fang Linyuan asked.

But he saw Zhao Chu raise his leg and lightly step on the cloth covering the person's face, adorned with pearls.

"They might still have poison in their mouths," Zhao Chu said. "It could be a clue."

With that, he impatiently furrowed his brows, wrapped his fingers layer by layer with the handkerchief, and then leaned down to the Turkic man's face.

Well, this prince seemed to be very afraid of getting dirty.

"Let me do it," Fang Linyuan couldn't bear to watch any longer, pushing him aside and stepping forward.

Just then, the sound of horses’ hooves faintly echoed from afar.

Fang Linyuan raised his head and saw at the head was an official dressed in indigo, followed by dozens of guards.

"The Sixteen Guards," Zhao Chu said calmly.

"They've only come after everyone's gone?" Fang Linyuan focused his gaze and saw that the leader's face was flushed, his gaze wandering, obviously intoxicated.

If they were his soldiers, Fang Linyuan would have turned his name upside down and written it backwards if he didn't punish them with thirty strokes today.

"No need for us to take action." Fang Linyuan turned around and looked at the approaching Sixteen Guards.

"Let this drunkard handle this dirty work."

*

The person on the horse was Li Cheng'an, the deputy commander of the Sixteen Guards. During the chaos in Rongchang Street earlier, he was leading his subordinates drinking at Taixing Tower on a street nearby.

When he received the news, he hastily mounted his horse and rushed over. Clearly, he was still not sober from the alcohol, and the cold wind made his headache worse.

It was the festival, how did they end up with this mess?

When his father forced him into the Garrison of the Sixteen Guards, he said he didn't want to come, but his father forced him to find something to do. He also said something about the capital's defences being tight, with both the Imperial Guard and the Jinyiwei (NT: Brocade guard) guarding it. The Sixteen Guards usually only dealt with minor matters like street fights, nothing substantial.

But what happened now? Hu people dared to come into the capital and set fire!

Li Cheng'an cursed his father, the Minister of War, in his heart, and cursed the garrison soldiers responsible for the city defence one by one.

Rongchang Street was already desolate, with debris everywhere. When the Hu people caused a commotion, everyone fled the street. As he rode past, he saw only one shop in the middle of the street with a few stalls still on fire, with several bodies lying on the ground, dirty and disgusting to look at.

Then, he saw the two people standing in the centre of the street.

One was a tall young beauty with a woman's hairstyle and dressed in a satin dress, dazzlingly beautiful from afar. The other was a very handsome young man covered in blood, looking strange and frightening.

His horse had just stopped, and before he could catch his breath, the young man covered in blood strode over.

"Who are you?" Li Cheng'an looked down at him.

In the next moment, the young man grabbed his reins and pulled hard. He stumbled, then the young man grabbed him by the back of his neck and lifted him off the horse.

"Hey hey hey! How dare you, let go of me!"

"Go and put out the fire quickly." Fang Linyuan yanked off the commanding officer who was squealing and turned to command the guards behind him.

Seeing his audacity, the guards, presuming him to be of noble birth, dared not delay and hurriedly stepped forward to fetch water to extinguish the fire.

Meanwhile, the drunken commanding officer, dragged askew by Fang Linyuan, wore an angry expression on his face.

"Who are you?" he struggled. "Release me at once!"

"Are you on duty today?" Fang Linyuan asked, holding his hand but not moving a muscle.

"Do you know who my father is?" Li Cheng'an yelled, ashamed and angry.

Fang Linyuan sneered and dragged him over to the corpse of the Hu person.

But when he saw this commanding officer, clearly armed with a long knife and dressed in official attire, he vomited at the sight of the corpse.

"Your father? I am your father." Fang Linyuan said expressionlessly, pressing him towards the corpse. "Dig out whatever is in his mouth. If you damage it, I'll take you to meet your ancestors right now."

The pill hidden in the Hu’s teeth was tremblingly dug out by him.

Fang Linyuan took it with one hand and threw him aside with the other.

"One pill is enough, right?" He held the pill with a handkerchief and walked over to Zhao Chu.

Zhao Chu glanced at the pill, nodded, and said, "Any more would be useless."

Fang Linyuan nodded, wrapped the pill in layers, and put it into his sleeve.

"Just now, you mentioned your father?" Fang Linyuan turned his gaze to Li Cheng'an again. "Let me hear it. Is it enough to buy your neglect of duty and incompetence?"

Li Cheng'an was still retching beside him, and when he saw Fang Linyuan coming to trouble him again, he wiped his mouth and stood up angrily. "Neglect of duty? Did I let those Turkic people into the city?"

"When the Hu bandits were setting fires and killing people, where were your Sixteen Guards? And where were you?" Fang Linyuan asked.

Li Cheng'an's face turned red, and after a moment of silence, he blurted out, "Who do you think you are?"

Fang Linyuan coldly withdrew his gaze.

Just then, the sound of horse hooves came from afar. They looked up and saw a eunuch in brocade clothing, holding the reins in one hand and leading a tall horse with the other, galloping towards them.

Li Cheng'an swallowed hard.

He recognized the eunuch's attire; only those who served by the Emperor's side dressed like that.

"Someone from the palace?" Fang Linyuan asked quietly beside him.

Zhao Chu looked at the eunuch and nodded.

Then, the eunuch stopped hurriedly in front of them, dismounted, and knelt down before Fang Linyuan.

"My lord, the Emperor has learned of the incident at Rongchang Street and urgently summons you to the palace."

Fang Linyuan and Zhao Chu exchanged a glance, then he walked forward.

The eunuch quickly brought the horse to Fang Linyuan and handed him the reins. "My lord, please."

Fang Linyuan mounted the horse, and with a tug of the reins, he glanced coldly at Li Cheng'an.

"You'd better not know who I am," he said. "By then, it'll be your turn when you fall into my hands."

Li Cheng'an's face turned pale as he watched Fang Linyuan lightly spur his horse and ride into the night.

"He... he..."

Then he saw the eunuch bow respectfully to the beautiful woman and said, "I take my leave, Your Highness."

...Higness?

Li Cheng'an looked at the person in surprise.

But she seemed indifferent, her brows furrowed, reminiscent of the aloofness of Guanyin atop a high peak.

The eunuch bowed to her, but she remained unmoved. With one hand holding the basket of cheap gardenias and the other tucking his sleeves, she floated past him, heading straight towards the street corner.

Not even a glance was spared for Li Cheng'an.

The street ahead of them was a mess, blood-stained and lanterns fallen to the ground. Bouquets of flowers lay trampled in the mud, their once splendid colours appearing eerie and strange in the smoky haze of burning lanterns.

Just then, the night wind blew, gently swaying the disheveled lanterns and causing the crisp sound of copper bells to echo in the silent night.

The woman halted her steps.

Amidst the flickering and damaged light and shadow cast by the flames and the night breeze, she stopped and looked up at the swaying bell.

Then, she walked forward and gently took one down from above.

Li Cheng'an felt as if he had seen a beautiful female ghost stepping out of a painting, reaching out to take the liver and gall of a living person.

He didn't dare to breathe.

When he came to his senses again, the desolate street was empty, littered with debris stirred by the night wind.

And beneath the swaying and tinkling bell shop, a silver ingot lay quietly atop a chest.

 

--

The author has something to say:

Zhao Chu: It seems like Fang Linyuan likes it? Let’s buy it and give it to him.

Fang Linyuan: Darling Flowing Fire, if Uncle Zhao gives it to you, then keep it. 😊

Zhao Chu: ???

 

Translator : DarNan