After resting until the next day, Chu Yu rose early in the morning. She and Gu Chusheng agreed on the signals for their plan to infiltrate the gambling den. Gu Chusheng deliberately left some traces behind, and the two of them headed into the city—Gu Chusheng in the open, Chu Yu in the shadows.
Not long after they entered the city, a group of men caught up with Gu Chusheng. He sprinted along narrow alleys, skillfully choosing paths only wide enough for one person, forcing his pursuers to chase him single file. As he ran, he threw objects behind him, while Chu Yu covertly set up obstacles to hinder the pursuers. For quite some time, they managed to evade capture.
Meanwhile, The Eldest Princess had coaxed Emperor Chunde into entering the gambling den. The Wei family’s Covert Guards caught up with Chu Yu and signaled to her. Following their plan, Chu Yu tossed a roof tile down from the rafters.
Spotting Chu Yu’s signal, Gu Chusheng relied on his rudimentary qinggong to scramble onto the rooftops and dashed toward the gambling den.
His pursuers, now furious and beyond caring about drawing attention, followed him across the rooftops.
Chu Yu hung beneath the eaves, trailing them from the shadows.
The three groups arrived at the gambling den one after another. Gu Chusheng crashed through a window, tumbling into the establishment.
The sudden commotion startled everyone inside. The Eldest Princess and Emperor Chunde, disguised as ordinary patrons placing bets at a table, reacted instantly. The Eldest Princess stepped forward to shield the emperor, signaling the guards to escort him out.
At the same time, the assassins burst in. Since this was a Yao Family property, the killers showed no restraint. Gu Chusheng, with his mediocre martial skills, was trapped like a turtle in a jar—nowhere to run.
After a night of pursuit, the assassins were incensed. Even as chaos erupted around them, they relentlessly chased and slashed at Gu Chusheng.
Under the tables, Gu Chusheng rolled and crawled with surprising agility.
The Eldest Princess, still protecting Emperor Chunde, urged anxiously, "My lord, we should—"
"Wait."
Emperor Chunde held her back, his gaze fixed on Gu Chusheng. After studying him for a moment, he murmured, "That man... he looks remarkably like the eldest son of the Gu family."
Gu Chusheng had once personally entered the palace to denounce his own father—an act few would dare. Emperor Chunde remembered him well.
Watching him being chased and hacked at, the emperor’s frown deepened. A gray-haired attendant at his side leaned in and whispered, "My lord, it is Gu Chusheng."
Hearing this, Emperor Chunde’s expression hardened. He tapped a nearby guard with his fan and ordered, "Save that man."
By now, Gu Chusheng had narrowly avoided several deadly strikes, relying on his clever use of the surroundings to evade his attackers under the tables.
The elite guards around Emperor Chunde swiftly intervened, turning the tide of the battle in an instant.
One of the assassins roared, "Stay out of this!"
From her perch on the rafters, Chu Yu found this exclamation odd.
The words "Stay out of this" carried a faint but unmistakable Northern Di accent. Most in Hua Jing might not notice, but Chu Yu, having fought against the Northern Di on the borders for years, instantly recognized something amiss.
These were supposed to be men sent by Yao Yong—why would one of them have a Northern Di accent?
At this very moment, the Great Chu was locked in fierce battle with the Northern Di. If Yao Yong, as the commanding general, was colluding with the enemy...Chu Yu broke into a cold sweat at the thought, but quickly composed herself. No, if Yao Yong was colluding with the Northern Di, how would he dare to use a Northern Di as his assassin?
Unable to make sense of it, Chu Yu fixed her gaze on the assassin instead.
Upon closer observation, she gradually noticed something amiss in the assassin's movements. His swordplay appeared to follow the Great Chu style, but his hand would subconsciously tilt the blade slightly when retracting it. The Northern Di predominantly used crescent moon sabers, where a slight tilt of the blade increased the force of the strike—a habitual motion among their warriors. However, no Great Chu sword school incorporated such a technique.
The guard engaged with the assassin was clearly a noble youth from the capital, his techniques orthodox and his swordplay majestic. Fully focused on the fight, he failed to notice the assassin's peculiarities.
After a moment's deliberation, Chu Yu decided this man couldn't die here. Secretly retrieving a piece of silver, she hurled it at the guard when the assassin neared the window.
The momentary distraction allowed the assassin to leap through the window and escape. Chu Yu immediately gave chase. Since Gu Chusheng had been discovered by the emperor and was now safe, she no longer needed to stand guard. It was better to follow this assassin and intercept him along the way.
The assassin was clever. With the emperor lacking sufficient manpower to pursue them, he managed to escape without much difficulty.
Once he deemed himself safe, he leaned against the wall of an alley, panting. With one hand, he produced a medicine bottle, bit off the stopper, and downed all the pills inside in one gulp.
Tossing the empty bottle aside, he then took out a cloth strip and deftly bandaged his wounds.
Having completed these tasks, he used his sword to push himself up, intending to leave, when a woman's voice chuckled, "Now that you've tended to your wounds, warrior, why not come with me?"
Startled, the man jerked backward, drawing his sword. In that instant, the woman reached out to steady his elbow. As his sword descended, she struck an acupoint, then swiftly dislocated his jaw before he could react.
The man froze. Chu Yu glanced at him and murmured, "Quite tall, aren't you?"
With that, she slung the sword at her waist, muttered, "My apologies," and hoisted the man onto her shoulder. She scaled the rooftops and, with a few leaps, arrived at the Wei family's rendezvous point.
Wei Qiu and his men were waiting there. At the sight of Chu Yu carrying someone, Wei Qiu was taken aback. Frowning, he asked, "Madam, who is this?"
"Oh, I thought he seemed suspicious, so I brought him back."
Chu Yu set the man down and yanked off the cloth covering his face.
A well-proportioned face was revealed—deep-set features and a strong jawline, typical of the Northern Di. Yet compared to a true Northern Di, his eye sockets were shallower and his skin fairer, making it hard to pinpoint his origins.
The Wei family members present all frowned at the sight. Wei Qiu turned to Chu Yu and inquired, "Do you suspect he's a Northern Di spy?"
Hearing this, the man grew visibly agitated, mumbling incoherently in an attempt to speak.
Chu Yu nodded and instructed Wei Qiu, "First, clear his mouth of any poison pills those death warriors carry. Only then can we reset his jaw."Wei Qiu nodded and had the man thrown onto the carriage before the group returned to Wei Manor.
Wei Yun had been waiting at home. When Chu Yu hurried back, she raised her hand and said to him, "I'll go change first. Wei Qiu can fill you in on the details."
With that, Chu Yu rushed off to bathe and change. Wei Yun turned to Wei Qiu and asked, "Is everything alright?"
Understanding what he meant, Wei Qiu nodded. "The madam is fine, but we brought someone back."
Wei Yun frowned. Wei Qiu continued, "He looks like a Northern Di. He's been locked up in the dungeon now."
"I'll go take a look."
At the mention of Northern Di, Wei Yun grew alert. He went straight to the dungeon, where the man had already been hung on the torture rack.
Wei Yun stood before him, silently observing.
The man sneered upon seeing Wei Yun. "So it's the Wei family's coward. What, you survived by hiding in the rear, and now you're here to flaunt your power in front of me?"
No one spoke. Wei Yun continued to watch him quietly.
"I know you," he said coldly. "On the third day of the ninth month, we crossed paths. Back then, you were still with the Northern Di."
Wei Yun remembered him. The man was skilled and cunning. That night, he had led a hundred men to raid their supplies, only to run into Wei Yun on night watch.
It wasn’t a coincidence that Wei Yun had been on duty. His father, Wei Zhong, had specifically instructed him to guard the granary that night.
At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it. He never dwelled too deeply on such matters. If Wei Zhong told him to guard, he guarded. And sure enough, something happened.
The man had exchanged several blows with him, proving his martial prowess worthy of praise. That was why Wei Yun remembered him so clearly.
Now, seeing him imprisoned here, Wei Yun frowned. "Why have you come to Hua Jing?"
"The madam said he was here to assassinate Gu Chusheng," someone interjected.
Hearing this, Wei Yun's frown deepened. He looked at the man. "Who sent you?"
"None of your damn business!"
The man spat. Wei Yun smirked. "Fine, you’re tough. Let’s see how long that lasts. A proud man of Great Chu bowing to the Northern Di—what a loyal dog you are."
"Bullshit!" the man roared, provoked. "You’re full of centuries-old crap! Listen here, you little Wei bastard, you can insult me all you want, but don’t you dare call me a Northern Di dog. I’ve endured humiliation among them for years—all for Great Chu! If I hadn’t gone easy on you that night, do you really think I couldn’t have burned your damn supplies?!"
"If you weren’t sent by the Northern Di, then who sent you? Don’t think a few lofty words will fool me." Wei Yun glanced at the branding iron and said calmly, "Give him the night. If he doesn’t talk by tomorrow, brand ‘Northern Di dog’ on his face."
"Wei Yun, I’ll fuck your ancestors!" the man bellowed.
Wei Yun curled his lips. "Go ahead and try."
The young man: "..."
Wei Yun had no patience to argue further. After instructing Wei Qiu to interrogate him, he turned to leave. Once outside, Wei Xia whispered, "Marquis, this guy seems dull-witted. Doesn’t strike me as a spy."
"He’s not."
Wei Yun was certain. The man was right—he could have burned the supplies that night but had deliberately held back.
And judging by his appearance...
Wei Yun pressed his lips together.The Northern Border had been embroiled in constant warfare with the Northern Di. One year, the Wei family suffered a defeat and lost a city. Not all the civilians had managed to evacuate in time, leaving some behind—particularly the women who remained there...
Judging by the man's appearance, he seemed to be of mixed Northern Di and Great Chu heritage. Such children weren’t common, and their origins could usually be guessed. For someone like that to still serve as a Northern Di spy would mean he had no conscience whatsoever.
Yet despite his constant grumbling along the way, this man carried himself with a certain forthrightness. It was unlikely he could sink to such depths.
Wei Yun pondered this as he emerged from the dungeon. Once above ground, he instructed Wei Xia, "Tell them not to actually torture him. Starve him for a few days first. If he still refuses to talk, then beat him."
"Understood."
Wei Xia nodded and was about to say something more when he saw Wei Yun stride swiftly toward the main hall.
Inside the hall, Wei Yun sat at the desk and waited for a while before Chu Yu arrived.
This time, Chu Yu was dressed properly, a stark contrast to his usual casual demeanor. Wei Yun glanced at him, puzzled, but didn’t press the matter. Instead, he said, "Before you came, I received news. His Majesty has placed Gu Chusheng in the Eldest Princess's residence."
Hearing this, Chu Yu froze for a moment before lowering his head, suppressing a laugh, and remaining silent.
Wei Yun frowned in confusion. "What’s so funny?"
"Nothing," Chu Yu replied, lips pressed together, though his amusement was unmistakable. "I just think... the Eldest Princess has finally gotten her wish."
Author's Note:
Mo Shubai: "Tell me, what are you each best at?"
Wei Yun: "With my long spear, I stir heaven and earth!"
Chu Yu: "With my lightness skill, I leap to pluck the moon!"
Gu Chusheng: "My ground techniques are exceptionally refined."
Mo Shubai: "Speak plainly."
Gu Chusheng: "I run fast, roll nimbly, dart under tables, and move like the wind."
Everyone: "..."
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