Volume 1, Chapter 46: Entering the City to Make Arrests.

The sun was three poles high.

Outside the city of Yun'an, along the imperial highway, the earth was trembling violently.

Three thousand torrents of black armor kicked up dust that filled the sky, like an unsheathed, sharp sword tearing through the quiet veil of night.

The lead knight held high a dark banner that snapped fiercely in the night wind. Embroidered with gold thread, the character for "Imperial Guard" emitted a chilling, heart-stopping glint under the flickering torchlight.

The Imperial Palace Vanguard!

This thunderous force, representing the pinnacle of martial might in the Great Qian Dynasty, exuded an aura of iron and blood honed from mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Wherever their hooves passed, absolute silence reigned.

The guards stationed at the city gates caught sight of that banner from afar and were scared out of their wits. Scrambling and tumbling, they opened the city gates, not even daring to step forward to question the intruders.

Rumble!

Three thousand iron cavalry drove straight through, their heavy hooves striking the bluestone pavement like the drums of death. The entire city of Yun'an seemed to tremble beneath this murderous aura.

Their objective was clear and unwavering. Without a moment's pause, they galloped straight toward the mansion of Wang Defa, the Deputy Commander of the City Garrison.

A storm that had long been destined to arrive had finally descended.

...

Meanwhile, within the Liu residence, song and dance continued unabated.

The sounds of flutes and strings echoed endlessly, while dancers moved with graceful postures, their long sleeves fluttering like drifting snow.

Guests raised their cups to one another, chatting and laughing freely in a scene of auspicious celebration.

However, this house full of prosperity and revelry stood in stark contrast to Wang Defa sitting alone at a table in the corner.

He held a wine cup; the wine inside had grown cold, yet he remained entirely unaware.

His gaze was locked relentlessly onto a table not far away, watching Ye Xuan converse in low tones with Su Qingxue and Liu Yuexue, watching wealthy merchants and gentry step up one after another to offer toasts, unable to even get within three feet of them.

Every word of flattery from the others felt like a resounding slap, fiercely striking his face.

His humble apology from moments before—an apology lowered to the very dust—had been met only with Su Qingxue's casual yet thoroughly distancing remark: "It is inconvenient to interfere."

That was not a rejection; that was disregard.

A profound, bone-deep contempt for a person of his stature.

Wang Defa's heart plunged into an icy abyss.

He knew he was finished. That letter from the capital, with those four words—"whereabouts unknown"—now appeared to be nothing less than a death warrant!

What should he do?

What on earth should he do?

Was he really just going to sit here and wait for death?

His mind was a chaotic mess. The wine cup in his hand creaked under his grip, his knuckles turning pale from excessive force.

Just as his heart was in turmoil and he felt as though he were sitting on pins and needles:

"Bang!"

The side door of the banquet hall was violently thrown open. A figure stumbled and crawled inward, overturning several tables along the way and producing a harsh clatter.

The clamor filling the hall came to an abrupt halt.

Everyone turned toward the sound to see a man dressed as a noble estate servant, covered in dirt, his hair disheveled, and his face written with utter terror.

"M-Master!!"

The servant spotted Wang Defa and, as if clutching the last straw of hope, cried out in a hoarse, desperate shriek.

Wang Defa's heart skipped a beat. An ominous premonition instantly engulfed his entire body. He abruptly stood up and shouted sternly, "What are you panicking about! What kind of behavior is this?!"

"Master! It's bad! A catastrophe has happened!"

The servant lunged to the floor at Wang Defa's feet, crying with a trembling, broken voice, "A m-military force! A huge military force! They charged right into the city and s-surrounded our estate!"

Military?

Wang Defa's mind buzzed into a blank void.

"Nonsense! All the troops in the city are under my command, where did any other army come from?!"

"They aren't our soldiers!" the servant stammered, terrified out of his wits. "They're... they're from the capital! The banner... the banner has a golden 'Imperial' character embroidered on it! They said... they said they have an imperial decree to make arrests!!"

Boom!

The "Imperial" character!

An imperial decree to make arrests!

These eight words exploded in Wang Defa's mind like thunder crashing down from the highest heavens!

The color drained entirely from his face, turning as pale as a sheet of paper.

The Imperial Palace Vanguard!

They were here for him!

Why?

He could not figure it out, nor did he have time to figure it out. The terror carved deep into his bones had completely devoured all his reason.

It was over!

Everything was over!

That young man... those two young men... they hadn't been joking!

With a dull thud, Wang Defa's legs went weak, and his entire body collapsed onto the floor. The wine cup slipped from his hand, shattering into pieces as the wine splashed across the ground.

The guests throughout the hall plunged into a dead silence.

Everyone was struck dumb with astonishment by this sudden turn of events. Then, a chilling wave rushed from the soles of their feet straight to their crowns.

The Imperial Palace Vanguard had personally arrived in Yun'an with an imperial decree to make arrests—and their target was the Deputy Commander of the City Garrison!

This was a calamity of heaven-shaking proportions!

Who would dare linger here for even a moment longer?

"L-Lord Liu, I still have urgent matters at home, I must take my leave!"

"Brother Liu, let us converse another day, farewell!"

"Farewell, farewell!"

Following a brief silence, the entire banquet hall erupted into chaos.

The guests, who had just been smiling and conversing moments ago, now felt themselves in mortal peril. They scrambled to their feet, tripping over their parting pleasantries as they rushed toward the exit, terrified of being dragged into this monstrous tempest.

The Liu residence, so lively just a moment before, was emptied of people in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only utter disorder.

Amidst this chaos, Ye Xuan calmly set down his teacup.

He exchanged a glance with Su Qingxue beside him.

In each other's eyes, they saw a calm sense of relief, alongside an imperceptible edge of sharpness.

The time had come.

Su Changqing's movements were even faster and more thunderous than they had anticipated.

"We should be going as well," Ye Xuan said softly.

Su Qingxue nodded slightly, her cold, clear eyes devoid of the slightest ripple.

All of this had already been factored into her calculations.

"Master Ye, Niece Qingxue."

Liu Chengye hurried over. He had already dismissed the panicked servants. Though his face still bore shock, it was dominated by a steady composure.

He looked at Ye Xuan with a complex gaze and said, "Outside... I'm afraid it's no longer safe."

Although he did not know the whole story, a moment's thought told him this matter was unequivocally tied to Ye Xuan.

To be able to mobilize the Imperial Palace Vanguard—this Master Ye's background was simply unfathomable!

"Rest assured, Lord Liu," Ye Xuan smiled faintly. "This storm will not sweep toward the Liu family. Thank you for your hospitality these past days; Qingxue and I will take our leave."

His words were polite, yet carried an undeniable sense of detachment.

Liu Chengye was a smart man. He knew what should be asked and what should not.

He heaved a heavy sigh and bowed deeply to Ye Xuan. "Liu will never forget Master Ye's great kindness! The road ahead is long, please take utmost care!"

With that, he personally led the two of them away through a secluded side door in the back courtyard.

Meanwhile, Wang Defa, collapsed on the floor, finally recovered a shred of sanity amidst his endless terror. He violently scrambled up from the ground like a maddened beast and charged desperately toward the front gates.

He had to go home!

He had to see what on earth had happened!

A shred of desperate hope still lingered in his heart—perhaps... perhaps there had been some terrible mistake?

However, when he rushed out the front gates of the Liu residence and saw the oppressive murderous aura hanging over his own estate in the distance, his last remaining glimmer of hope was thoroughly shattered into nothingness.

Inside the chaotic banquet hall, behind a beaded curtain, a slender figure stood quietly.

Liu Yuexue watched the retreating figures of Ye Xuan and Su Qingxue, watching her father personally escort them away.

Brilliantly intelligent, how could she fail to guess that the tempest sweeping through the city of Yun'an had been triggered precisely by them?

They were leaving.

Not just leaving the Liu estate, but leaving Yun'an entirely.

For reasons unknown, an inexplicable sense of loss and melancholy welled up in her heart, as if some vital piece of her was quietly slipping away along with those two departing figures.

She did not follow them.

She knew that she and they belonged to fundamentally different worlds.

All she could do was stand here and quietly watch them off.

"Master Ye, Sister Su... please take care."

Liu Yuexue murmured softly in her heart, her clear eyes reflecting the turbulent night sky outside the window.

At that very moment, the figures of Ye Xuan and Su Qingxue had already vanished into the cover of night.

Behind them lay the Wang residence, soon to be consumed by blood and fire, and the precarious city of Yun'an teetering in the storm.

Ahead of them lay Yanmen Pass, a thousand miles away—another battlefield, far broader and far more perilous.