Chapter 76 – Standoff

“My imperial grandfather said that the hardest thing to understand in this world is the human heart, and yet it is also the easiest thing to control. So he walked the path of winning hearts — just as he did with me and Li Chonghua. He chose us both, and yet chose neither. He merely prepared the stage and waited to see which of us would kill the other, and who would ultimately rise to the top. And yet, we both believed he had chosen us.”

The old Emperor had given Li Chonghua an imperial edict, given her the Son of Heaven’s Sword, and in his final words made it seem as though she was the future of the Yi Family.

It could not be denied — that kind of weighty entrustment truly could make a person devote an entire lifetime to it without regret.

“What a pity,” Zhan Changfeng said, lowering her eyes, “winning hearts is too troublesome. I have no patience to learn it. So all I know how to do is set up the situation. Once the circumstances are in place, the human heart becomes nothing more than a puppet swayed at will by its environment.”

Cui Gu had left in a hurry, and she calmly turned back to brew tea, because everything was proceeding as expected.

But the message delivered by a soldier moments later sparked a flicker of curiosity in her, prompting the remarks above.

The message said that Yue Lanshan, who had been taken away by He Yuntian, had returned on her own to surrender herself.

“Although I do not calculate for the human heart, I cannot help but acknowledge its wonder — it has no logic, and sometimes it even defies probability,” Zhan Changfeng mused. “If I ever fail someday, it will perhaps be because I overlooked some particular aspect of the human heart.”

After a long silence, Zhan Changfeng gazed at the slumbering figure before her, and a trace of helplessness crept into her voice. “Yi Changsheng, I will wait another ten years for you. If you still have not woken by then… I will let you go.”

When the tea grew cold, Zhan Changfeng opened her eyes. On a whim, she drew her sword and began to dance with it — within the flashing arc of the blade, the light of dawn burst forth and a thunder dragon roared.

There were only two things in her life she could never set aside: one was that mountain which did not exist, and the other was Yi Changsheng’s endless slumber.

Both had come so suddenly, without cause, without warning, and she could only passively accept them.

Yu Zhen walked in along the small bamboo path. Amid the flurry of falling bamboo leaves, sword light sliced through the air. When he made out her technique, his eyelid gave a slight twitch.

Zhan Changfeng naturally noticed him as well. To enter the back hills of a military camp unannounced was, in a sense, a warning from the Bureau of Patrol. They could come and go like shadows, and could destroy her army’s cannons without anyone knowing.

She sheathed her momentum and casually set the sword aside, sitting cross-legged on the mat. The floor furnace heated the water to a boil. “Seating is limited — everyone, make yourselves comfortable.”

She was so relaxed, as though it was not they who had intruded abruptly, but rather old friends long overdue for a visit. The Overseers said nothing, looking toward Yu Zhen. Yu Zhen lifted his robe and sat down across from her, then opened his mouth and said, “Swordsmen revere the creed of sword and life as one — if the sword perishes, so does the person. They would never casually set down the sword in their hand.”

Zhan Changfeng poured tea and pushed a cup across to her guest. “I am not a swordsman. I simply happen to be skilled with a sword.”

Yu Zhen laughed heartily, with a somewhat cryptic air. “Might I ask — who was the Crown Prince’s teacher in swordsmanship?”

“A wandering traveler, nothing more.”

Seeing that Zhan Changfeng had no desire to elaborate, Yu Zhen left it at that and moved to the matter at hand. “Our Bureau of Patrol has existed for three thousand years in service of the Heavenward Path. We have never bent the law for personal gain, nor have we ever meddled in the affairs of the mortal world. In the matter of Zou Tingwei, there may be a misunderstanding. Crown Prince, if you would allow us to examine the evidence and testimony, and if the matter is indeed as alleged, the Bureau of Patrol will give the Crown Prince a satisfactory answer.”

“You came without announcing your name — how can I trust you?”

Yu Zhen stroked his long beard. “Bureau of Patrol Deputy Hall Master, Yu Zhen. I oversee the serving Overseers and manage all internal affairs of the Bureau.”

He raised an open palm. “These gentlemen are all Overseers of the Bureau of Patrol, each in overall command of specific assignments.”

Cui Gu, Lin Zhao, and the others each introduced themselves in turn.

Zhan Changfeng listened to each name carefully. “It is quite a journey you have all made. There is one point I must regretfully inform you of — Zou Tingwei was assassinated last night.”

Assassinated?

This was vastly different from simply having died. Not only did the Overseers begin murmuring among themselves, but Yu Zhen’s brow also furrowed.

Zhan Changfeng continued, “Fortunately, before his death he had already given a verbal confession, pressed his seal upon it, and the signed confession was delivered to me early on. Otherwise, there would truly be no evidence left with the dead.”

“A verbal confession?” Lin Zhao said with some skepticism. “Recorded rather than written in his own hand — how credible this confession is remains to be investigated. After all, a seal can be pressed by a dead man too.”

Yu Zhen said plainly, “Perhaps let us examine Zou Tingwei’s body before making any decisions.”

“Of course.” Zhan Changfeng raised her hand. “Bring it up.”

The Xuanwu Guards moved swiftly. In the time it took to drink a few mouthfuls of tea, the body had been brought up.

In this season, the heat was such that a body left for a single day had already begun to reek. When the white cloth was lifted, corpse marks were vividly present.

Fortunately, everyone present had long grown accustomed to the sight of death, and no one showed much surprise.

“Wu Yong, come forward.” Yu Zhen explained to Zhan Changfeng, “This Overseer is most skilled in corpse examination. He can determine not only the cause and manner of death, but even what technique or weapon was used.”

Wu Yong wore an expression of strict gravity. He put on thin leather gloves, picked up his case of tools, and stepped forward. Upon seeing the torture wounds on Zou Tingwei’s body, he drew a sharp breath, then, with an expressionless face, began analyzing each wound’s depth and origin one by one.

Whip marks, branding irons, saltwater — fractured bones, torn tendons — as he listed them, the Overseers’ sharp, cutting gazes stabbed toward Zhan Changfeng.

Zou Tingwei had been their colleague, and many had been on good terms with him. Imagining the torment and humiliation he had endured before his death, how could they not be furious? Were it not for their remaining reason, they would have come to blows with Zhan Changfeng right then and there.

Even as it stood, someone spoke up with a cutting jab: “For Overseer Zou to have held out through so many tortures — that is no small feat.”

There was a pointed implication of forced confession in those words.

Zhan Changfeng treated it as though she had not heard it, and instead grew interested in Wu Yong. He truly was a professional — he could even specify the exact time, minute, and force applied.

She suddenly recalled a saying that had been passed down among coroners over the ages: the corpse is evidence that speaks. Thinking on it now, the body left behind in the world was the final testament of a life. To be able to hear what it said was indeed a profoundly deep art.

Zhan Changfeng’s thoughts drifted momentarily — if she had learned soul-binding arts earlier, she would not have needed to go through all this trouble turning over corpses with them. She could have bound Zou Tingwei’s soul before it dispersed, which would have been far more convenient.

But the first three soul arts she had learned were only surface-level, and her soul power was limited — it could not sustain a fourth soul art.

While her mind had wandered, Wu Yong had already arrived at the fatal wound.

Wu Yong pointed to the dark purple palm print on the corpse’s chest. “This palm strike shattered the heart meridians, killing with a single blow. Based on my knowledge of the martial arts of Shenzhou, this is the Crimson Tiger White Cloud Palm of the Huayang Sect from the Western Man Commandery. Its hallmark is fierce power and sharp swiftness — it seeks the might of a fierce tiger and the mind of a white cloud. Judging by the force of the palm, the practitioner is at least in the Prenatal realm.”

Lin Zhao’s expression turned severe, his gaze sharp as a blade, staring directly at Zhan Changfeng. “To my knowledge, the Crown Prince has at his side none other than the former sect master of the Huayang Sect — Jing Chu!”

The bamboo leaves rustled. A killing intent rose sharply beneath the clean, sweet air. Swords were drawn and bows were taut.

“Crown Prince, perhaps you should offer an explanation.” Yu Zhen said in a low, heavy voice.

Zhan Changfeng shook her head. “There is nothing to explain. Jing Chu disappeared last night. I can only blame myself for misjudging a person.”

“You say that far too lightly — you think a single word like ‘disappeared’ is enough to brush this aside?” Cui Gu said with disdain. “Who is to say you did not orchestrate all of this yourself, to cover up the mistake of wrongfully killing a member of the Bureau of Patrol, or even…”

He struck at the heart of the matter: “That this is a conspiracy targeting Xiaohan Town — targeting the Bureau of Patrol.”

Zhan Changfeng lazily lifted an eyelid. “Is your head still asleep at home? Shenzhou is in turmoil, the Yin Dynasty teeters on the brink — what benefit would I gain from picking a fight at this moment with an obscure faction that has nothing to do with me?”

Cui Gu and the Overseers who had shared that suspicion found themselves collectively mocked and ridiculed, and felt both furious and uncertain. But damn it all — when they actually thought about it, there was a certain logic to what she said.