The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 112- 114

Chapter 112: Concerns

The whole crowd of residents stayed outside the law court for a very long time, looking on. After all, this time, all members of Jia family had been put in jail and were definitely finished. From this day on, there wouldn’t be an inch of land for anybody of Jia family to stand on in Tanyang. Since the verdict had not been handed down and the ownership of the mine still stood undetermined, Tao Feng could not take back the mine even if he wanted to. Therefore, he had no choice but to stand by watching the mine fall into the hands of Zhang Chong.

Li Fu, one of Ling Zhaowen’s men, walked outside, found Ling Zhang and told him, “Young Master, Second Master bade me to ask you if you want to talk with Jia Yin. Necessary arrangements have been made in the prison. You can go there any time you want.”

Ling Zhang thought for a while and then asked him, “Are my uncle and Lord Tao doing additional recording of Jia family’s confessions in the prison?”

“Yes. Jia family is a large family. It’ll take them quite some time to finish the job.”

Ling Zhang wanted to consult with Tao Feng about some issues, so he replied, “I’ll go there and see.”

There were so many members of Jia family involved in this case that all cells in the prison were filled with people, and all staff members of Prefecture Yamen were bustling around. Ling Zhang entered the prison and saw his uncle and Tao Feng recording confessions of the butler of Jia family. In the knowledge that they were very busy, he randomly picked a spot and sat down waiting.

After Ling Zhaowen and Tao Feng finished recording the confession of the butler of Jia family, someone came up to Ling Zhang and led him to his uncle.

Ling Zhang first asked Tao Feng’s pardon for having disturbed him and then said, “Your Lordship, if what happened today comes to Jia Zhong’s knowledge, he will surely flee. Do you have any plan for that?”

Tao Feng responded, “I’ve already sent some men to hunt Jia Zhong. Taking pre-emptive action before the news reaches him is a wise choice.”

Ling Zhang left the prison secure in the knowledge that Tao Feng had already dispatched his men.

After returning home, Ling Zhang pondered for a while and it struck him that he should have Wang Dashan take some men and covertly follow those Yamen runners dispatched by Tao Feng. It was not that he didn’t trust Tao Feng but that Jia family had been a powerful force in Tanyang for many years, so there were, without doubt, some people who were willing to tip off Jia Zhong on this kind of occasion. He would feel more secure if more manpower had been put into the hunt for Jia Zhong.

But currently, Wang Dashan and others were receiving training in Trap-and-Kill Formation. He needed to have them master six arrays in merely half a month, which meant time was short. Moreover, Zhang Chong was still eyeing his family with hostility, so he couldn’t precipitously dispatch so many security guards to another city.

As a result, the shortage of manpower brought him into vexation.

“What’s the matter?” Seeing the troubled face of Ling Zhang, Yuwen Tong walked over and asked.

Knowing that he could rely on Yuwen Tong’s discretion, Ling Zhang told him what he was thinking about.

“It is a breeze. I’ll send a message to the garrison there and have them help with the hunt.”

At first Ling Zhang’s eyes lit up on hearing this, but then he calmed down. “Will there be any trouble if you do this?”

“No. It’ll be merely a request for assistance with a hunt for a criminal, not a revolt. They’ll be very glad to do me this little favor.”

‘Is it really okay for him, the Supreme Commander of armed forces of the Great Yue, to talk about revolt so casually?’ Ling Zhang kept silent for a while. He had noticed some time ago that Yuwen Tong didn’t have as much respect for the imperial family as he had imagined. In fact, Yuwen Tong seemed to scorn them. ‘If any of his opponents finds out his attitude towards the imperial family and take advantage of it…’ Ling Zhang thought in concern.

“Then I’m afraid I’ll have to put you to some trouble and help me out, because I’m really short-handed.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s a piece of cake.”

“Do you… act like this in front of other people as well?”

Yuwen Tong was puzzled. “Like what?”

In a very serious tone of voice, Ling Zhang observed, “Even if you really think little of the imperial family, you should keep it to yourself. If by any chance any of your enemies finds out, they might use it against you.”

Light dawned on Yuwen Tong and he raised his eyebrows. “Are you worried about me?”

“I’m serious.” Ling Zhang knitted his brows.

Seeing that he was really in concern, Yuwen Tong gave a smile and answered in a voice just as serious as that of Ling Zhang, “I know where the limit is. Apart from Yao Yi and his men, you’re the only one to whom I’ve said these words.”

This reply brought Ling Zhang into a brief trance of amazement and gave him mixed feelings. ‘Why does he trust me so much?’ he wondered.

“So there’s no need to worry,” Yuwen Tong continued.

“Are you not worried that I might disclose this to other people?” Ling Zhang couldn’t help but ask him.

“You won’t,” Yuwen Tong replied.

Ling Zhang’s mouth tightened in amusement. “You’re having too much faith in me. I’m not the kind of person you can entrust all kinds of secrets to.”

Yuwen Tong chuckled, “I’m a shrewd judge of character.”

Ling Zhang was a little unhappy. ‘He sounds like he knows me quite well.’

In the knowledge that Ling Zhang was somewhat displeased, Yuwen Tong wisely steered the conversation away to another topic. “Jia family is no longer a threat, and it won’t be long before Zhang Chong becomes suspicious of what happened in Lu family. I’m afraid he’ll go to Lu family and force Lu Fengnian into burying Lu Kui in the next few days.”

Indeed, since the ‘burglar’ who had murdered Lu Kui had been at large for such a long time, Zhang Chong probably had already became suspicious. It was just that the news of Jia Yuanling’s death had come out of the blue and blindsided Zhang Chong, leaving him too occupied to conduct any investigation. Now that he had successfully eliminated Jia family and also taken control of the mine, he had plenty of time to find out the truth about the matter of Lu family.

“If all goes as planned, Yao Yi will reach the capital city tomorrow at the latest. We’ll have to wait another four days in order to give enough time to people in the capital city to think it through. It’s best if Zhang Chong is caught unprepared. In that case, the situation will be the most advantageous to us,” observed Yuwen Tong.

“Have you had any news from the capital city? Did word about your presence in Tanyang reach there?” Ling Zhang asked him.

“The latest courier pigeon hasn’t arrived yet,” responded Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang pondered, ‘If word from people in capital city arrives in Tanyang earlier than that of Yao Yi, we’ll have to face squarely up to Zhang Chong.”

Yuwen Tong said, “There are only two eventualities. Either Zhang Chong has misgivings and decides to stand by making no move, or he takes such bold action as to launch an attack on me. I tend to believe the former will be the case. Even if he has a well-trained and powerful army, it’s not the right time for him to stage an armed revolt, because his allies in the capital city are far from ready. His death is certain if he takes action under the circumstances.”

Ling Zhang did some thinking and asked, “So it’ll be favorable to us if the news is sent back?”

Yuwen Tong nodded. “Exactly. Now is the perfect time. By no means could Zhang Chong have guessed that I’ve already found out about everything he’s been hiding in the Grand Mang Mountain. Instead of trying to kill me, he will only treat me with the utmost courtesy, but…”

“But what?”

“But once people from the capital city arrives, everything will come to his knowledge and Ling family will be facing dire danger.”

Ling Zhang abruptly rose to his feet. ‘That’s right! Why hasn’t this ever crossed my mind? Once Zhang Chong finds out that all his deeds have been exposed, he will no doubt go to extremes. In that case, my family will be the most vulnerable target and Zhang Chong will surely come at my family!’

“I can’t let that happen. I must transfer my grandfather and others immediately!”

Yuwen Tong pressed his hands onto Ling Zhang’s shoulder. “There’s no need to be anxious. They will be transferred, but we must do it without arousing Zhang Chong’s suspicions.”

How could Ling Zhang not be anxious? Keeping his family safe was his lifelong goal in this second incarnation. ‘If anything happens to my family, what is the point of me coming back to life?’

“I’ll ask my grandfather and others to…”

Suddenly, Ling Zhang paused. A thought had just struck him and he immediately walked towards the outside.

“What’s the matter?” Seeing this, Yuwen Tong hurriedly stopped him. “Don’t be impulsive.”

“There are some arrangements I have to make.” Ling Zhang made this remark in haste and quickly ran outside.

In resignation, Yuwen Tong followed in his wake.

“Recall the one staking out the Rising Sun Inn. Now!” Ling Zhang gave an order to Xia Feng.

Xia Feng nodded and left the mansion immediately.

Yuwen Tong arrived at Ling Zhang’s place shortly after. Seeing that Ling Zhang was standing in the ante-room with a grave expression, he asked, “Rising Sun Inn? Those two traveling merchants from Jiangzhou?”

“You know about it?” Ling Zhang watched him in surprise and then added, “That figures. By no means could your bodyguards have not investigated this matter.”

“What are you going to do about it?” Yuwen Tong asked him.

“Those two men…” After a fleeting pause, Ling Zhang continued, “Originally, those two people intended to invite my grandfather to Jiangzhou to authenticate a couple of antiques for them. I didn’t let them, because I don’t trust them, but now, as chance would have it, this is a good opportunity to get my grandfather and others out of Tanyang.”

“You said that you don’t trust them. Why do you still want your grandfather to go with them?” Yuwen Tong was confused.

“It’s just a pretext. After they leave Tanyang, I’ll send my grandfather and others to somewhere else,” replied Ling Zhang.

If his guess was right, in his last incarnation, those two traveling merchants from Jiangzhou indeed came here to invite his grandfather to authenticate antiques for them, but Jia family took advantage of that matter, ruined the reputation of his grandfather and disgraced Ling family’s name. They brought the renown of Ling family to oblivion step by step and eventually framed Ling family for collusion with brigands, which sounded like a believable accusation. After all, he had “committed adultery” previously, and then his uncle had been removed from office due to “wrong doings”, and after that his grandfather was disgraced – in outsiders’ eyes, people of Ling family had every reason to collude with brigands. Who would still believe people of Ling family were innocent under the circumstances?

“Okay. I’ll have someone go with them and escort them to Yanzhou,” offered Yuwen Tong.

“All of your bodyguards have more important issues to deal with. How can any of them find the time?” asked Ling Zhang in the knowledge that Yuwen Tong had only two bodyguards around him currently, and all others had been dispatched elsewhere.

“It’s okay. I only need one bodyguard,” replied Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang tightened his mouth. ‘Yuwen Tong is a Marshal. Adequate protection of him must be ensured. It’s too risky to leave only one guard protecting him.’

“Trust me. One is enough,” said Yuwen Tong. “Getting your grandfather and other relatives to a safe place is the first priority.”

Ling Zhang hesitated for a while and gave a bob of the head eventually. “I’ll do my level best to protect you. Wang Dashan and others will also prove helpful. If anything does happen, we’ll do whatever we can to get you out of Tanyang, even if the cost is our own lives.”

Yuwen Tong was sent into a fleeting trance of surprise, and then he smiled, “Okay.”

“By the way, Yuwen Qi is still here. What do you think we should do about him?” asked Ling Zhang. It was not that he had any concern for Yuwen Qi but that if Yuwen Qi died here, Yuwen Tong would have great trouble handling the matter.

“Him? I’ll make arrangements for him to leave tomorrow,” answered Yuwen Tong unconcernedly.

Xia Feng soon recalled that servant, who asked, “Young Master, may I ask what it was that you urgently called me for?”

“Where are those two traveling merchants from Jiangzhou? What did they do?” asked Ling Zhang.

“This morning they went to Prefecture Yamen to look on as well. After returning, they stayed in the hall of the inn discussing with others. Then they said something about buying some gifts and paying Old Master another visit. Incidentally, they bought a couple of waiters of the inn, asking them to help find out whether Old Master is at home,” answered the servant.

“Send word to them that I agree to let them have an audience with my grandfather. Tell them to come here right away,” Ling Zhang instructed.

Chapter 113: Elder Brother, You Are Not Coming with Us?

“Now?” The servant was briefly stunned. ‘It’s already afternoon,” he thought.

“Yes. You heard me. Hurry,” said Ling Zhang.

Afraid to ask any further questions, the servant immediately turned around and left.

The two traveling merchants from Jiangzhou were somewhat surprised as they were told that someone from Ling family had come to the inn to meet them. “Someone from Ling family?”

“Did Old Master Ling by any chance agree?”

“Our young master said that he consented to let you have an audience with our old master, but you have to go there immediately,” replied the servant of Ling family.

The two traveling merchants from Jiangzhou exchanged glances. ‘It’s already late in the afternoon, which is not the right time for paying anybody a visit.’

“You should be quick. Otherwise our young master might change his mind and this long journey of yours will be in vain,” urged the servant.

The fat middle-aged man immediately made a decision. “All right. We’ll go there right now.”

Hearing this, the thin one raised no objection. “Let me get the presents upstairs.”

The servant had meant to give them another prod but forbore to do so in the knowledge that these two men might feel Ling family was looking forward to their visit if he hurried them again.

Fortunately, after only a short while, the thin middle-aged man walked downstairs, a casket in his hands.

“Let’s go,” said the servant at the sight of him.

The two traveling merchants nodded and, following the servant, soon arrived at the mansion of Ling family.

Ling Zhang was waiting for them in the ante-room. Seeing the two merchants, he didn’t show any signs of anxiety but said, “Please have a seat. I mentioned your invitation to my grandfather. He took an interest in it and would like to meet you.”

Unsuspicious of anything, the two merchants from Jiangzhou rejoiced. “Really? Thank you, Childe Ling!”

Previously, the two men had had a somewhat unfavorable impression of Ling Zhang because of his attitudes, but now, on hearing that the situation had taken a favorable turn, they were overjoyed.

Given the expression on the faces of the two men, Ling Zhang believed that the they were not pretending. As a result, he grew more certain that people of Jia family were at work in that matter of Jiangzhou in his last incarnation. Otherwise, these two people wouldn’t have been so insistent on inviting his grandfather to Jiangzhou, given that Jia family had already been defeated.

However, though this matter had been made clear, he still decided that these two men had to pay for what they had done. He had already come up with a plan, but given the circumstances, he had no alternative but to shelve it until his grandfather and some other family members left Tanyang.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll go and inform my grandfather of your presence.”

“Thank you for your trouble, Childe Ling,” replied the two merchants in delight.

A moment ago, after the servant went to the inn to meet the two traveling merchants, Ling Zhang, along with Yuwen Tong, had talked to Ling Xingzhong and told him the plan. At first Ling Xingzhong was unwilling to leave Tanyang, but eventually he was convinced.

As a result, when Ling Zhang offered to inform his grandfather, he was merely posturing. Actually, Ling Xingzhong was sitting right in the back hall.

“Grandfather, they’ve come,” said Ling Zhang.

Ling Xingzhong gave a bob of the head, rose to his feet and replied, “Let’s go and have a talk with them.”

Ling Zhang walked up to him and guided him to the ante-room.

“I’m honored to bow before you, Old Master Ling.” At the sight of Ling Xingzhong, the two traveling merchants gladly cupped their hands and respectfully bowed to him.

“May I have your names?” With Ling Zhang’s assistance, Ling Xingzhong slowly walked to the host seat, sat down and then looked at the two men with a confused face.

“I’m Wang Xingfeng. This is Zhou Gaoyi, my blood brother. We are businessmen from Jiangzhou, reselling northern goods to southern people as well as the other way around. We own a couple of Yongxing Variety Stores in downtown Jiangzhou and managed to earn some money. Not long ago we acquired a couple of antiques dated at the former dynasty, which seem to be sacrificial vessels. We hired a local connoisseur to help appraise them, who confirmed that they were sacrificial vessels used in the previous dynasty but was unable to offer any further information. We really like those antiques pretty much, so we have an itch to find out about their authenticity. We made a lot of inquiries about antique connoisseurs, and one day, Lord Zhao, whose full name is Zhao Fu, told us that Old Master Ling possessed outstanding prowess in antique authentication and sacrificial vessel authentication. Though fully aware that it was thick-skinned of us to do so, we still requested Lord Zhao to write a letter of introduction for us, and then traveled a long way here from Jiangzhou, intending to seek help from Old Master Ling,” observed the fat middle-aged man who went by the name Wang Xingfeng.

“Oh? So it was Zhao Fu who recommended you to come here,” replied Ling Xingzhong. “I haven’t seen him for a very long time.”

“Lord Zhao talks about you a lot. If it weren’t for the fact that he was otherwise engaged, he would have come to Tanyang to visit you with us,” said Wang Xingfeng.

“That’s very nice of him.” Ling Xingzhong gave a smile and then asked, “What do those sacrificial vessels look like?”

Wang Xingfeng and Zhou Gaoyi gave a sketchy description of the antiques they had acquired. After hearing it, Ling Xingzhong slightly nodded with a fairly interested expression on his face. “Judging by your description, they do sound like sacrificial vessels of the previous dynasty. If they turn out to be authentic, you will be able to deem yourselves fortune’s favorite.”

Wang Xingfeng and Zhou Gaoyi were very happy to hear this. “Old Master Ling, you also think they are authentic?”

Ling Xingzhong stroked his beard and replied, “I cannot make such conclusion until I see them with my own eyes.”

Wang Xingfeng said excitedly, “If Old Master Ling is willing to come with us to Jiangzhou, we’ll make sure your kindness is repaid with satisfying honorarium!”

“That won’t be necessary. I’m just interested in those sacrificial vessels that you mentioned. How about this – since I happen to be free today, I’ll make some arrangements, and tomorrow we depart for Jiangzhou,” offered Ling Xingzhong.

Wang Xingfeng and Zhou Gaoyi were filled with joy. It had never crossed their minds that Ling Xingzhong would consent to go with them to Jiangzhou so willingly, and they would be on their way back the next day without any delay.

“We’re much obliged to you, Old Master Ling!”

“If you’ll excuse us, we’d like to return to the inn first. We’ll come back here to pick you up early in the morning tomorrow.”

After saying this in delight, the two people handed the gift they prepared to a servant of Ling family standing on the side. There was a piece of jade ware in the casket. It seemed to be of fine quality and was definitely very expensive.

Ling Xingzhong accepted it without any pretence of politeness. “How very thoughtful of you.”

The two people grew more delighted. Smiling, they took their leave and happily walked out of the mansion.

The first time that they had visited here, they had ended up being given the cold shoulder and asked to leave by Ling Zhang, and they had been consumed with anger and thought that this journey to Tanyang would be for nothing. Unexpectedly, the situation took a favorable turn so soon. Both of them felt that fortune smiled on them.

“Old Master Ling is so much nicer than that Childe Ling.”

“Shh, keep your voice down. No matter what, Old Master Ling has agreed to help us, which made this long journey of us worthwhile. Let’s just hope that Old Master Ling was right, that those antiques are authentic. In that case, we’ll get rich overnight and won’t have to work a single day for the rest of our lives.”

“Elder brother, you’re right. Those antiques are definitely worth making this journey.”

“Yeah. We’ll never cross path with that Childe Ling again, so don’t you do anything that might anger him.”

“Rest assured, elder brother. Why would I mess with him? He looks even scarier than a county magistrate when he wears that sulky expression on his face.”

Talking and walking, Wang Xingfeng and Zhou Gaoyi returned to the Rising Sun Inn and began making preparations for picking up Ling Xingzhong to leave Tanyang the next morning.

In the residence of Ling family, Ling Zhaowen still hadn’t returned from Prefecture Yamen yet. Because of the case of Jia family, he didn’t even come back to have lunch.

“Father, Zhang’er, you want me and Maomao to go to Jiangzhou with you?” Fu Caiwei was dismayed by the remarks of Ling Zhang and Ling Xingzhong.

Ling Xingzhong gave a bob of the head. “Yeah. There are going to be upheavals in Tanyang during the next few days, and it’ll be unsafe to stay at home as well. You and Maomao should go to Jiangzhou with me, so that Zhang’er and Lord Yuwen will be able to carry out their plans without the worries behind.”

It was not until this moment that Fu Caiwei came to understand why she and Maomao were meant to go to Jiangzhou. But since they had been asked to leave home to take refuge elsewhere, what Ling Zhang had to do next must be both very tricky and very dangerous. Thinking about this, she was very worried.

“But what about Zhang’er and my husband? It’s too dangerous. I can’t just leave them like this.”

“Aunt, uncle and I will be fine. Marshal is here,” Ling Zhang replied and then specially flicked a glance at Yuwen Tong.

Yuwen Tong took the hint and promised, “Rest assured, Second Mistress Ling, I’ll keep Ling Zhang and Second Master safe.”

Fu Caiwei answered, “Thank you, Marshal, but you’re too important a person to take this kind of risk for us…”

“Aunt, just take Maomao and go to Jiangzhou with grandfather. I promise we’ll take good care of ourselves,” Ling Zhang said.

Still in concern, Fu Caiwei frowned, “Maybe you should leave with us.”

Ling Zhang shook his head. “We can’t. If we leave, Zhang Chong will be alerted and trouble will come. Aunt, I know that you’re worried about uncle and me, but this time, you must listen to me and grandfather. Take Maomao and leave here with grandfather. Only in the knowledge that you’re safe and sound will uncle and I stay focused on what we’re going to do and thus be rid of the risk of getting ourselves in danger.”

Fu Caiwei swallowed back the words on the tip of her tongue and hesitated for quite a while, looking rather worried.

Ling Xingzhong said, “Don’t think too much. Go and get everything ready as soon as possible. We leave early in the morning tomorrow.”

Since Ling Xingzhong had made up his mind, Fu Caiwei had no choice but to obey, no matter how unwilling she was. After heaving a sigh, she went to do packing, a frown of concern on her face.

Ling Maomao was brought back. At first, he was very happy to hear that he was going to Jiangzhou and no longer had to go to school, but when he was told that Ling Zhang would stay in Tanyang, he went unhappy. “Elder brother, why don’t you go there with us?”

“Elder brother has some business to attend to and doesn’t have the time to go with you,” Ling Zhang explained.

“But you were absent from our last journey, and now you’re doing this to us once again.” Ling Maomao was displeased. “Back then, you promised me that you would be with us on our next journey.”

“I’m afraid I have to break my word this time. I’m sorry. But elder brother really cannot leave. Be a good boy and stop being unhappy, okay?”

Ling Maomao kept silent. Clearly, he was still out of humor.

Resigned, Ling Zhang had no alternative but to scoop the boy up in his arms. “There, there! Stop being unhappy. How about elder brother helps you pack your stuff?”

Ling Maomao pouted his lips. “You’re just coaxing me, like you always do.”

Ling Zhang pinched his cheek playfully. “Who else is elder brother supposed to coax other than you?”

Ling Maomao widened his eyes and looked at him. “You also coax Lord Yuwen.”

Ling Zhang fell speechless.

“That’s nonsense.”

“I’m telling the truth. Didn’t you specially prepare a lot of delicacies to please him?” replied Ling Maomao.

It surprised Ling Zhang that Maomao still remembered that matter. “Didn’t elder brother prepare delicious food for you as well?”

“That didn’t count,” answered Ling Maomao. “Only dishes specially made for me will count.”

Chapter 114: A Hunt at Night

Ling Zhang carried Ling Maomao to his uncle’s place, where Fu Caiwei was racing against time packing up. Maidservants and wet nurses were bustling all around. All servants had no idea what their master’s plan was. They only knew that the master suddenly decided to go on a journey to Jiangzhou, that they were departing early the next morning and time was very short.

“Maomao, get down. You’re too old to have your elder brother carry you.” Seeing Ling Zhang carrying Ling Maomao to the room, Fu Caiwei scolded the boy while quickly moving around, busy packing things.

Ling Zhang put down Ling Maomao and said to him, “Go and start packing. See if there are things that you want to take with you in particular. Don’t forget anything.”

Knowing that his elder brother really couldn’t go with him on the journey, Ling Maomao was in fairly low spirits, but after hearing Ling Zhang’s words and seeing that all servants were busy packing things, he ran inside and reminded a servant to pack his little pillow.

Seeing that the boy’s frustration had dissolved somewhat, he quietly left the room and returned to the ante-room.

Early the next morning, Wang Xingfeng and Zhou Gaoyi came to pick up Old Master Ling.

When informed that Fu Caiwei and Ling Maomao were going as well, the two merchants were somewhat surprised. After hearing that they wanted to visit some relatives and were going the same way, the two men immediately promised that they would safely escort the woman and the boy to the destination.

This time, Ling Zhang had hurriedly recalled five security guards in the herb farm to Tanyang the day before. He had assigned them to go with his family members to Jiangzhou and protect them. One of Yuwen Tong’s bodyguards, who had disguised as a security guard of Ling family, would also join them, along with a maidservant, one of Ling Xingzhong’s personal attendants and two carriage drivers. With two carriages and six horses, people of Ling family soon departed, following the team of Wang Xingfeng and Zhou Gaoyi.

Ling Zhang had Wang Dashan keep a close watch on them. After Ling Xingzhong and others safely got through the city gate and then smoothly traveled across the boundary of Tanyang, Ling Zhang heaved a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, staff members of Prefecture Yamen had finally finished the recording of testimonies and confessions. Because people of Jia family had committed so many evil deeds, including both minor offences and serious crimes, and those over ten miners murdered by Jia Yin and Jia Zhong were not servants of Jia family but law-abiding commoners, which were deemed aggravating circumstances, the Jia brothers were sentenced to death.

Mrs. Jia and other female members of Jia family were condemned to life-long exile to the frontier in the bitter cold far north doing menial work, while punishment meted out to male members of Jia family was to serve as coolies building defense works in border areas. Servants of Jia family also received penalties which were imposed according to how involved they had been in the crimes committed by Jia Yin. After the sentence was passed, official notices issued by Prefecture Yamen were put up everywhere in the city saying that Jia Yin would be executed at noon ten days later, and others would be escorted to the frontier on the same day. Meanwhile, the hunt for Jia Zhong was still ongoing.

Thus, Jia family was brought down and the residence of Jia family was also sealed with white strips of paper by Prefecture Yamen.

Finally, half of the huge debt of blood was repaid. After reading the notice on the bulletin board, Ling Zhang returned, locked himself in his study and had been silent all along.

Xia Feng was somewhat worried, but since Ling Zhang had ordered that nobody go near his study, he didn’t dare to ask his young master. Since Ling Zhaowen was in Prefecture Yamen, and Ling Xingzhong had left Tanyang, after pondering for quite a while, Xia Feng went to the Green Bamboo Mansion to seek help from Yuwen Tong.

After hearing Xia Feng’s words, Yuwen Tong was more composed than Xia Feng had imagined. “Give him some time to be alone. Don’t disturb him. You were actually a disturbance of him when you were pacing up and down near the study.”

Xia Feng was shocked. ‘I followed the order and never approached the study, yet I still disturbed Young Master?’

Eventually, he took Yuwen Tong’s advice and didn’t go anywhere near the study.

Ling Zhang was sitting quietly in his study, but his heart was unquiet. In his mind, all those things happened in his last incarnation and this one were being replayed again and again.

After Jia family fell apart to pieces, he felt delighted by the revenge but also lamented what had happened in his last life. His sensible self in the corner of his mind was trying very hard to remind him to calm down. After all, he had only got half of the vengeance, and there was still a long way for him to go. All kinds of emotions were having a fierce fight inside him, making his whole body tense. It was not until after two hours that he gradually settled down.

When he opened the door of the study and walked out, it was already dusk.

On hearing the sound of the door opening, Xia Feng came over to him immediately. “Young Master, finally you walked out. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m going next door. Get things ready for the medicated bath tonight.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Seeing that Ling Zhang was indeed all right, Xia Feng was relieved and quickly went to make preparations for the medicated bath.

Yuwen Tong standing in the corridor in the Green Bamboo Mansion was watching in the direction of the gateway, as if waiting for Ling Zhang to show up.

“Are you in a better mood?”

Ling Zhang gave a nod. “I was just having trouble sorting out some thoughts.”

With an understanding look in his eyes, Yuwen Tong stretched out his hand.

Having no idea why he was doing this, Ling Zhang looked at him in puzzlement.

Yuwen Tong briefly waved his hand. “Give me your hand.”

Ling Zhang had no choice but to reach his hand out, which was immediately grabbed by Yuwen Tong. The next instant, he was drawn over by a great force and his view blurred. He had a sensation of rapidly ascending into mid-air, an arm around his waist.

“The scenery this dusk is pretty good. It’s a perfect time for relaxation.” Yuwen Tong had brought him to the rooftop of a two-story building in the Green Bamboo Mansion, which overlooked more than half of the residence of Ling family. From where they stood, a seemingly boundless sea of roof ridges could be seen.

Thin clouds in the west glowed orange in the setting sun. Standing there, Ling Zhang watched for a while and then directly sat down on the rooftop, his mind considerably more peaceful. “Thanks.”

Yuwen Tong raised his eyebrows and said, “There are a lot of things yet to be handled, but right now we can relax a little bit.”

Ling Zhang knew Yuwen Tong was doing this out of kindness. He softly grunted “Um”, then turned aside and raised his head to look at Yuwen Tong.

Yuwen Tong sensed his gaze and lowered his head to look back at him, as if asking what the matter was.

“Sit down with me.”

Yuwen Tong sat down beside Ling Zhang. The two people just sat there on the rooftop. After a while, Ling Zhang turned aside facing another direction and then rested his head on Yuwen Tong’s shoulder.

Ling Zhang did this in such a natural way that Yuwen Tong couldn’t help but give a smile.

Neither of the two uttered a word. They just watched as the sun sank below the horizon. Night fell and coldness set in.

“Young Master, Lord Yuwen, dinner is ready,” yelled Xia Feng at the gateway of the Green Bamboo Mansion.

Ling Zhang sat upright, twisted his head back to look over Yuwen Tong’s shoulder and let out a soft cough. “Is it numb?”

Maybe it had been because of the quietness on the rooftop, or maybe because leaning against Yuwen Tong had been a very comfortable position, originally, he had intended to lean against Yuwen Tong for merely a while, but unexpectedly, he had gradually forgotten the time and nearly drifted off.

Yuwen Tong rose and pulled Ling Zhang to his feet. “No, not by any means. No part of me will go numb even if you lean on me sleeping for a whole day. You can do this anytime you want.”

Ling Zhang faintly flushed, thinking that he had been too careless this time, that he would never do this again.

“Young Master?” Having received no response, Xia Feng called him again.

The two of them hurriedly got off the rooftop and returned to the dining room of the Green Bamboo Mansion. Xia Feng had already had the dinner served.

“Young Master, the medicated bath is ready.”

“All right.”

After dinner, Ling Zhang took another medicated bath. As usual, Yuwen Tong used his internal energy to unblock Ling Zhang’s meridians. This was the second last medicated bath that he needed to take.

During all these medicated baths, he always followed Yuwen Tong’s instructions, carefully felt the way that the internal energy circulated inside him, and adjusted his breathing. Though Yuwen Tong had not imparted the special breathing exercise to him yet, Ling Zhang had already had a general idea how it worked.

On that night. In the Prefecture Encampment.

“Jia Yin’s death sentence is not a surprise, but Jia Zhong is still at large. If what happened to Jia family comes to his knowledge, he will definitely be on the run. Commander, should we send someone to assassinate Jia Zhong? He knows a lot, after all,” Deputy Commander Bai Jun asked Zhang Chong.

“Commander, Deputy Commander Bai has got a point. I also think it advisable to kill Jia Zhong. What concerns me is not only that he knows a lot about our plan but also that he might disclose it to Tao Feng to take revenge on us, so we might as well strike the first blow and eliminate him,” observed Deputy Commander Wang Ming.

Zhang Chong replied, “Then I’ll leave it up to you. This time, your work in the mine of Jia family was impressive.”

Wang Ming was delighted. “Thank you for your compliment, Commander. I’ll depart right away and finish Jia Zhong tonight.”

“Go. See it done and the reward won’t disappoint you.”

“Yes, Your Lordship!”

Zhang Chong glanced at Bai Jun and asked, “There’s still no news of the murderer of Lu Kui?”

Bai Jun hurriedly answered, “I beg your pardon, Commander. I still haven’t found that person yet.”

“What did those bandits say?”

“Ever since Commander wiped out those bandits on the Lee Mountain, all other gangs have been obedient and very cooperative, but the murderer is still nowhere to be found. I believe that they weren’t lying. The murderer of Lu Kui is indeed not one of those bandits.”

“Oh?”

“There has been no clue whatsoever except for those blood footprints found in Lu family that night. It seems as if the murderer has disappeared into thin air. We’ve searched every inch of Tanyang as well as all dens of bandits, but the whereabouts of the ruffian is still unknown. I figured that guy is probably not in Tanyang any longer, and he’s not a member of any of those bandit gangs either.”

“Then who do you suspect?”

“Well… I think that the murderer is either a burglar from another city or a local in disguise.”

Bai Jun stated his speculations and waited for Zhang Chong’s response.

Seeming to find the speculation of Bai Jun unsurprising, Zhang Chong asked, “Then who do you think it was that disguised as that burglar?”

“That person is a kung fu practitioner, and his lightness skills are not bad. I’ve investigated all households in Tanyang and I did find a couple of suspects. Right now, they’re under surveillance,” answered Bai Jun.

But Zhang Chong said, “Stop the surveillance. Arrest them directly and interrogate them.”

“Uh… What if Tao Feng intervenes?” Bai Jun was somewhat hesitant.

“What could Tao Feng possibly do about it? Just grab them and conduct the interrogation. I want the results tomorrow. This murder case must be settled immediately.” Zhang Chong had an impatient expression on his face.

Afraid to raise any objections, Bai Jun hurriedly answered, “Yes, Commander.”

On that very night, Bai Jun led his men into the city and restrained the couple of persons he deemed suspicious. The sudden hunt alarmed most residents in the city. Ling Zhang staying at home was also informed of it.

“It was Bai Jun. Why did he suddenly arrest those people?” Ling Zhang was baffled.

Yuwen Tong flicked a glance at the guard who had just come back to report to him. The guard answered, “Bai Jun suspects that one of those people is the murderer of Lu Kui.”

Ling Zhang knitted his brows. Fully aware of the truth about the “murderer” of Lu Kui, he knew those people had been wronged.

“They directly arrested those people without official permission. It seems that they intend to extort a confession by torture. Clearly Zhang Chong doesn’t want to waste any more time investigating. There will be only one outcome if he gives those people the third degree – he’ll be more skeptical of the identity of the murderer of Lu Kui,” observed Yuwen Tong.

After all, whether any of those people was the murderer or not would be made clear immediately after the interrogation was conducted.

“The worst-case scenario would be they make one of those people a scapegoat.”