Chapter 18

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Half a day later, the government posted a public notice declaring that Doctor Cheng was a spy from Yue, harboring malicious intent. It stated that he had poisoned the First Prince, leaving him on the brink of death. The notice also warned that other spies from Yue were still lurking within the city and urged the people to cooperate with the authorities in rooting them out to avenge the First Prince.

The news spread through the city with astonishing speed.

Jing and Yue were age-old enemies, and upon hearing the news, the townspeople were filled with rage. The atmosphere in the city became tense and heavy. Prefect He officially ordered the city to be sealed off, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving Dan Yang City effective immediately.

Patrols and searches by bailiffs became a frequent sight in the streets and alleys.

Every household in the city was searched, including the Gu family residence. Even though they presented the token from the Marquis of Dingyuan, and even though the Gu family matriarch was present, the bailiffs were relentless and thoroughly searched the Gu residence. Naturally, no one from the household was permitted to leave the city.

Over the next few days, a stifling air of tension hung over the city, with fear and suspicion everywhere.

“Tap, tap, tap…”

In the streets, a squad of bailiffs, carrying torches, thundered past, escorting two prisoner carts. The townspeople pointed and murmured to each other in hushed tones, sighing at the sight of the prisoners. A pair of cold, piercing eyes stared through a small hole in the paper window, watching the street outside. His gaze seemed like an endless abyss.

Once the bailiffs had passed and gone far enough, he withdrew his gaze, closed his eyes, and sat perfectly still in the chair, as if frozen in place.

Suddenly, the wind began to blow. Clouds moved with the wind, thick and dark, turning the dusk sky into a somber, gloomy scene. As the night fell, the sky became pitch-black, not a single star in sight.

“Sixth Master,” a middle-aged man with dark skin appeared in the room, respectfully cupping his hands toward the blue-robed man seated in the chair. “Shopkeeper Huang and the others have also been temporarily imprisoned in the government dungeons. They haven’t revealed your whereabouts.”

“Keep watching them,” Sixth Master opened his eyes, his gaze icy, his voice hoarse, the exhaustion on his face unmistakable.

The past few days had not been easy for him.

Three days ago, he had escaped through the secret passage from Cheng’s medical clinic. He then moved to another safe house, but with the bailiffs conducting a massive search throughout the city, he was forced to keep moving, switching between several hideouts.

In just three short days, most of the Yue Kingdom’s strongholds within Dan Yang City had been gradually shut down by the authorities. Along with that, more than half of the spies stationed in these strongholds had been captured.

It could be said that a decade’s worth of effort had almost been destroyed overnight.

Sixth Master closed his eyes again, a sharp, twisting pain gripping his chest. He finally understood what it felt like for the heart to be cut like a knife. Dan Yang City was only four hundred li from the capital, strategically located to control the sea routes and the north-south Grand Canal. Its advantageous position for both river and sea transport made it the gateway to the capital. For them, Dan Yang City was too important to lose.

“Yes,” the middle-aged man responded respectfully. After a brief pause, he added with caution, “Sixth Master, we still have twelve men available. I’ve carefully checked; none of them have any issues.”

He was certain that the leak to the authorities had not come from their side.

“…” Sixth Master narrowed his eyes, his expression cold and sharp. The bailiffs had been searching the city for three days straight, destroying so many of their Yue Kingdom setups, yet they still showed no signs of stopping. It was clear they had a specific objective.

The answer was obvious—they were targeting him.

This time, he had traveled thousands of miles from the Yue Kingdom to the north on the orders of the Sage to discuss the details of an alliance with Kang Wang of Jing.

Only Kang Wang knew of his arrival in Dan Yang City. Kang Wang intended to use him as a bargaining chip, an offering to Chu Yi, or rather, to Emperor Mingde!

Kang Wang had truly schemed deeply. On the surface, he appeared to be at odds with Emperor Mingde, but in reality, it wasn’t so. These brothers were merely putting on an act, their true goal being to lure the Yue Kingdom into their trap!

They had played them like fools. He had fallen right into it!

Sixth Master’s heart was filled with hatred, and he slammed his fist heavily against the window frame, the blow leaving his hand numb from the pain. This mission had been hard-won. He had wrestled the task away from Xiahou Qing, and had even made a military pledge before the Sage.

If he failed to accomplish this, Xiahou Qing would surely seize the opportunity to strike him while he was down. What’s more, the military power in the southwest would fall into Xiahou Qing’s hands, making him even more formidable.

He could not allow things to reach that point!

A storm of emotions surged in Sixth Master’s eyes—rage, resentment, and an unstoppable ambition churning within him. After a moment, he calmed his tumultuous emotions and asked in a steady voice, “What about the fire oil?”

“The fire oil is ready,” the middle-aged man lowered his upper body slightly, his expression solemn as he responded.

Sixth Master flexed his fingers, the joints cracking audibly, and in a deep voice, he commanded, “Have them proceed according to the plan.”

It was a simple sentence, yet it carried a tone of finality, as if he were prepared to gamble everything.

The middle-aged man solemnly accepted the order and quietly withdrew.

By now, it was the dead of night. The candles in every household had been extinguished, and the citizens were sound asleep. The streets were desolate and silent, with only the occasional sound of birds echoing in the night breeze. A dozen men dressed in black slipped out from the back door of a lacquer shop. They moved swiftly, avoiding the patrolling bailiffs and night watchmen, darting through the empty alleys like phantoms, their movements swift and silent.

Half an hour later, the group, led by Sixth Master, arrived in a dark alley behind the Dan Yang Prefecture office. The surroundings were pitch-black and eerily quiet.

Without needing further instructions from Sixth Master, the men in black began opening the containers they carried. Moving quickly and efficiently, they circled the perimeter of the government office, splashing the liquid from the jars at the base of the walls, on the trees, and across the vine-covered sections of the wall.

“Swish, swish—”

The sound of the liquid pouring out echoed faintly in the still night. As the sound of splashing liquid continued, a slightly pungent odor began to spread through the night air, carried on the wind.

The night deepened, and a fierce wind howled through the trees, causing them to creak and groan, as if a host of demons were dancing in the dark. Sixth Master, holding a fire starter, slowly approached an ancient, towering tree. One of its gnarled branches extended over the wall, reaching into the prefecture grounds.

The flame from the fire starter flickered and swayed in the wind, casting an eerie light on Sixth Master’s rugged yet handsome face, making him appear even more sinister. He wanted to see if, should Chu Yi perish in Dan Yang City, Kang Wang and Emperor Mingde could continue pretending to be brothers united in harmony!

Suddenly, Sixth Master released his grip, and the fire starter fell straight down…

Boom!

The moment the flame touched the fire oil, it spread rapidly in all directions. In mere moments, the area became an inferno, the fire raging hungrily and greedily, consuming everything in its path. The flames danced wildly, climbing up the trees, vines, and walls. Thick smoke began to rise in swirling columns.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of the watchman’s drum rang out in alarm, piercing through the chaos as the fire roared. The distant sound of the night watch’s third drum echoed through the air, signaling the deep of night. The common folk were fast asleep, unaware of the fire that had broken out at the government office. As Chu Yi and his two companions stepped out from the side gate, they immediately spotted the blaze.

“Young Master, there’s a fire!” Xiao Shi exclaimed in a low voice, looking toward the rear of the Dan Yang government office.

Chu Yi, draped in a white cloak, stood beside him, his chin slightly raised as he gazed in the same direction. In the blink of an eye, the flames grew more intense, painting the night sky in a deep red hue.

Si Hai furrowed his brows, hesitating before saying, “Your Highness, judging by the location, it seems the fire started near the back gate of the Dan Yang government office… Could it be the Yue people?”

“Who else could it be?” Chu Yi replied calmly, his gaze deep and contemplative.