Chapter 224: Chaos Arises In The Mortal World

Jiang Xuening had indeed considered: if she were truly a villain, she should take preventive action and nip danger in the bud. Since she knew what evils Zhou Yinzhi committed in his past life, why not eliminate him early in this one, before he grew powerful, to avoid future calamity?

But if she were truly wicked, how could she have saved You Fangyin?

Saving You Fangyin proved that she wasn’t a bad person. And if she wasn’t bad, she couldn’t bring herself to kill someone before they had committed a crime, even if they might in the future.

So, going over it again and again, she found herself caught in a deadlock.

That’s just the kind of person she was—and so, inevitably, these were the kinds of things she encountered.

If one must get to the root of it, perhaps it was simply that—

She wasn’t strong enough.

But if that were true, how senseless the world would be. Weren’t the powerful Xiao and Yan clans strong when they married into each other? Didn’t Xie Ju’an bear a deep blood feud and endure humiliation for over twenty years? Weren’t Shen Lang and Shen Jie powerful in their past lives? Yet when the dynasty shifted, they either died tragically in the palace or fell ill on the imperial bed.

No matter how strong someone is, it’s only temporary.

The east wind may overpower the west wind, and the west wind may suppress the east in turn.

No one can remain strong forever.

How could the logic of the world be judged by strength alone?

Before leaving, it was as though Xie Wei had seen the doubts lingering in her heart. He said softly, “The principles of the world indeed should not be dictated by strength. But without strength, there are no principles. The weak always like to reason with the strong, but reason never stands on their side.”

With that, he withdrew his gaze.

The door slowly closed again.

All was silent.

Jiang Xuening closed her eyes. It was as though she could hear the sound of her thoughts, like dust stirring.

She sat for a long time before finally pushing herself up from the floor. She picked up the plate of peach blossom cakes Xie Wei had left on the side and took a few bites.

At dusk, she finally emerged from the room.

The maids scrambled to prepare dinner.

Jiang Xuening first sipped some soup, then ate a bowl of rice with dishes. After washing up, she ordered someone to fetch Dao Qin.

When Dao Qin heard she had asked for him, he stood in a daze for a long while before making his way over, full of apprehension. Yet as he stood at the foot of the steps, the scene of You Fangyin’s death inevitably resurfaced in his mind.

He didn’t dare speak.

But the door was only half-closed to begin with. Jiang Xuening was sitting at her desk writing something, and when she looked up, she had already seen him. After a moment of silence, she said, “Come in.”

Dao Qin’s hand tightened around the hilt of his blade. His lips pressed into a thin line, and at last, he silently stepped inside.

On the desk were brushes and ink.

Three short letters had already been written. After letting the ink dry, Jiang Xuening folded the letters and sealed them in three different envelopes with wax, handing them to Dao Qin.

“When Zhou Yinzhi returns to the capital, the situation in Xinzhou will become extremely difficult. You’ve followed the master for many years, traveled far and wide, and your martial skills are formidable—you should be more than capable of handling this. So I’d like to entrust this important task to you.”

Dao Qin took the letters and looked at her.

Jiang Xuening continued, “One of these letters is for the Heir of Dingfei. You may know him even better than I do. Another is for Zheng Bao. He should now be a recording eunuch in the palace—a man who repays even the smallest kindness with deep gratitude. Besides, I doubt Master Xie’s influence in the capital has been entirely uprooted. As the saying goes, strike the snake at its seven inches. I hope you’ll take these two letters to the capital, deliver them to the respective recipients, and then work quietly behind the scenes to capture someone for me.”

Dao Qin was stunned.

Jiang Xuening raised her eyes to him and said word by word: “A woman, in Zhou Yinzhi’s inner residence—likely a concubine—who has followed him since before his rise. Her name is Yao Niang. I don’t know if she’s borne him any children. If not, then never mind. But if she has, take the child too.”

Dao Qin asked, “And the third letter?”

Jiang Xuening stood and walked to a copper basin of clean water, dipping her ink-stained fingers in. Her voice was calm and even: “Once Yao Niang is captured, leave it for Zhou Yinzhi.”

Her lowered lashes masked a rare, cold indifference.

Dao Qin stood in silence for a long while before finally saying, “Understood.”

Jiang Xuening said, “Time is of the essence. Set out as soon as possible.”

But Dao Qin remained where he was, as if wanting to say something.

When he opened his mouth, though, his throat tightened, and no words came out.

What use was guilt now?

You Fangyin would never return.

Jiang Xuening slowly closed her eyes, recalling that pure, foolish girl—one who wouldn’t even have the heart to win a game of leaf cards against someone else. Her emotions almost slipped out of control.

After a while, she forced them down.

Then she said to Dao Qin, “You did nothing wrong. Kindness isn’t wrong either. The ones in the wrong are those who take advantage of others’ kindness to commit evil. Fangyin wouldn’t blame you—but she would want you to seek justice for her.”

Dao Qin had tried to stay composed, but upon hearing this, a sudden ache surged at the tip of his nose. His eyes brimmed with tears, and they fell, splashing onto the back of his hand.

He knelt, clutching his blade, and said only:

“Dao Qin will not fail in this task!”

Then he rose, took his leave from Jiang Xuening, and strode out the door without hesitation.

---

From Xinzhou to the Capital — the World Was Already in Chaos.

On the journey from Xinzhou back to the capital, Zhou Yinzhi felt as though he were walking through a dream.

When he had left, all had seemed well. News of victories on the border was spreading everywhere, and joy was written on the faces of scholars, farmers, merchants, and artisans alike. But as he galloped down the official road on his return, he saw countless refugees in ragged clothing, families traveling together, most coming from the south.

The further east he went, the more refugees he saw.

Finally, the day before he entered the capital, he felt safe at last. No one from Xinzhou could pursue him here, even if they wanted to. So, when he stopped at a relay station to change horses, he asked, “On my way back from Xinzhou, I saw a great number of refugees along the roads. What’s going on?”

The station master, not often graced with officials of this rank, quickly flattered him nervously and said, “Ah, you’ve just returned from the frontlines, haven’t heard the news yet, have you? They say the Tianjiao Sect is stirring up rebellion in the south, seems like—”

Zhou Yinzhi’s heart skipped a beat. “A rebellion?”

The station master didn’t dare speak too bluntly. He leaned in and gave an awkward smile. “I wouldn’t dare say, sir. But that’s what the refugees are all saying. Who knows where the rumors came from? Everyone’s scared and fleeing north.”

“……”

Zhou Yinzhi’s expression instantly turned cold. He clenched the reins in his hand so tightly that the rough edges bit into his palm.

The station master shrank back, frightened.

Zhou Yinzhi said nothing more. After changing horses, he didn’t even pause to rest. He spurred his horse and continued down the official road, arriving at the capital as twilight fell.

The first thing he did was go home.

Yao Niang greeted him and began to express her concern, but he ignored her. After quickly changing into a clean court robe, he took the seal—unstained by blood but feeling as though it was soaked in it—and immediately headed into the palace for an audience.

At the palace gate, he happened to run into none other than the Heir of Dingfei, Xiao Dingfei, swaggering his way out.

This idle scoundrel was walking pigeon-toed, decked out in extravagance. A string of jade pendants clinked and clattered at his waist. Those who knew him might say he was a distinguished noble; those who didn’t might mistake him for a street peddler hawking cheap trinkets.

Upon seeing Zhou Yinzhi, Xiao Dingfei raised an eyebrow and unabashedly looked him up and down before greeting him with a grin: “Ah, isn’t this Commander Zhou? Back from Xinzhou already? Tsk, your timing couldn’t be worse. Things are heated inside right now.”

After all, Zhou Yinzhi was once the emperor’s benefactor.

These days, Xiao Dingfei held a position in the Ministry of Rites and had befriended a gang of similarly idle young nobles. He’d even formed some “Wanderers’ Society” in the capital to indulge in every manner of debauchery, living a life of lavish decadence.

Zhou Yinzhi, though no paragon of virtue himself, had no desire to associate with such a man—especially since Xiao Shu loathed this still-living brother of hers. Naturally, Zhou Yinzhi had no intention of getting close to him either.

So he merely gave a faint nod.

Not saying a word, he walked past him and entered the palace.

As expected, things in the Hall of Heavenly Purity were dire.

Before he even got close, he could already hear Shen Lang’s furious roar: “The Tianjiao Sect! The audacity of them! They dare rise again after all this time? Do they think a gang of ragged rebels can pose a real threat? Back then, the late emperor had them all executed as traitors. This time, I shall ensure not a single one returns alive! Someone—summon Duke Xiao Yuan immediately!”

Just then, Zheng Bao hurriedly came out from inside.

He nearly collided with Zhou Yinzhi.

Zhou Yinzhi was always polite toward those serving directly at the emperor’s side. He cupped his hands slightly and asked in a low voice, “Eunuch Zheng, how is His Majesty?”

Zheng Bao glanced at him and replied, “An hour ago, an urgent dispatch arrived. The rebellion has begun—troops have risen in Jinling. The Tianjiao Sect has revolted.”

---

You Fangyin’s Burial.

You Fangyin was buried on the fourteenth day of the first lunar month.

Though the news from the south arrived later, word of the unrest gradually spread to Xinzhou as well.

The court was advancing from the north, and the Tianjiao Sect was rising in the south.

The world was descending into chaos. The people were uneasy.

Let alone the displacement of commoners—even the plan to return her coffin to Shu had become impossible. After much deliberation, they had no choice but to find a good spot just outside Xinzhou with decent feng shui and lay her to rest there.

A fortune of wealth, seized entirely by the court.

The Salt Guild had long since gone silent, with no news.

At this point, Ren Weizhi had spent several days drinking. On the day of the funeral, he awoke to the pale light of dawn and the sound of movement outside. When he stepped out, he saw the mourners in white, the coffin being lifted onto the cart—and for a moment, he felt as if he had returned to some long-lost dream.

Alone. Isolated. With nothing left.

No one remained but himself.

Jiang Xuening stood quietly by the coffin.

Even the formidable Mister Xie had come.

When Ren Weizhi walked over, he stood there for a long time, gazing at Jiang Xuening. He thought that if Fangyin hadn’t made this trip, perhaps this disaster would not have happened. But without Jiang Xuening, Fangyin would never have been saved in the first place.

It wasn’t until the sound of a bow of respect was heard that he snapped back to his senses.

This Ren Weizhi, who had once been destitute and had risen from his humble position with bold moves and silver stock, now exuded the aura of a scholar but had returned to his former disheveled state. He held the tablet in his hands and led the way.

Out of the city. Into the earth. Buried.

A new grave stood at the foot of the mountain, with paper money fluttering in the sky.

Jiang Xuening quietly watched as the mound of earth grew higher and higher, eventually covering the coffin completely. Her heart felt desolate, as though the weeds had already grown tall and silent within it.

Xie Ju’an and the others stood behind, watching her.

But she remained crouched in front of the newly carved gravestone, her hand lightly touching the rough stone surface, and whispered, “I have something to say to Fangyin. Let me stay a little longer, please.”

Everyone was silent.

Ren Weizhi turned away first, as though any longer in this place would be unbearable.

The others looked at Xie Wei.

Xie Wei paused for a moment, understanding that they would soon be leaving Xinzhou, and knowing how much You Fangyin meant to her, he said nothing more. He instructed a few of the best soldiers to watch from a distance. He and the rest of the group went to wait in a flat area at the foot of the mountain.

No one spoke.

However, after a while, just when Xie Wei was about to ask Yan Lin to go up and check, an abrupt shout of anger echoed from the mountain woods: “Who goes there?!”

The sound of clashing swords immediately followed!

Everyone felt their scalp tingle, shocked by the sudden noise.

Yan Lin reacted swiftly, drawing his sword and charging up without hesitation! In no time, he reached the new grave but saw dozens of men in black scarves suddenly appear from the dense mountain forest, attacking the guards around the grave.

These men wielded bizarre weapons, strange in shape, with an eerie aura. They swiftly threw the weapons over their victims’ heads, and with a brutal yank, tore the entire head off, leaving the bodies in a bloody mess!

It was vicious and savage!

They were the Blood Dropping Assassins!

Yan Lin didn’t hesitate. With a quick glance, he realized that Jiang Xuening was nowhere to be seen by the grave!

In the opposite forest, figures were swiftly disappearing into the distance.

Today was supposed to be a funeral, and they were just outside Xinzhou—who could have predicted that someone would ambush them here so quietly? Those who were carrying weapons were few, and the soldiers were more skilled in group battles and tactics than in one-on-one combat. How could they compare to these ruthless killers who lived by the blade in the martial world? They could do nothing but watch as the battle raged on, the figures in the woods vanishing into the distance!

“Xuening—”

Yan Lin’s eyes nearly bled with rage as he drove his sword through the chest of a black-scarved man, hot blood splattering all over him. Without even wiping it off, he forced his way through the bloodied path and charged into the forest, chasing after the retreating figures!

The entire cemetery looked like a hellish battlefield.

Swords clashed, bodies were torn apart.

Blood was splattered everywhere.

A few drops fell on the newly erected tombstone, and the paper lying atop it was stained with blood.

Xie Wei, still recovering from his injuries, was rushing forward. His steps became hurried, and the strain caused a faint red stain to appear on his waist and abdomen.

Seeing this scene, he understood everything.

At this moment, all he could feel was the cold, murderous air, as if the entire world had been stripped of everything but the sharp winds that cut like knives!

He stepped over the fallen bodies, walked through the flowing blood, and approached the tombstone. He picked up the piece of paper, slowly unfolded it.

It had been many years since he had seen this handwriting.

The letter didn’t address him as “Master,” but as “Du Jun!”

“In this world of great turmoil, gather your strength and rise. You were once favored, but now you repay with hatred. There is still hope if you turn back from the bitter sea. On the 22nd of the first lunar month, at the Luoyang branch, we wait for you alone. Those who come late shall die!”

“Wan Xiuzi…” His face turned pale, and he suddenly let out a laugh. His hand, clutching the paper, revealed faint blue veins, but he slowly spoke, “I’ve been searching for you, and now you come right to my door.”

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