In an unnoticed corner of the Liu family manor, over a dozen Black-Clad Guards hurried through the winding, complex narrow alleyways, holding torches in their left hands and resting their right hands on their waist-swords.

Amidst the dim, high walls and grey tiles, only the flickering orange-yellow glow of the torches offered any warmth. The world beyond the torchlight was black and white, and cold. From a distance, roars and battle cries could be heard, as if houses within the Liu family manor were collapsing and lives were perishing.

The Black-Clad Guards neither knew nor cared what was happening. They arrived at the entrance of a courtyard. Two Black-Clad Guards, assigned to keep Prince Jing under house arrest, drew their swords to block them. “What brings you here?” they demanded. The torch-bearing guards didn’t stop. The leader held up a waist-token: “By the Master’s order, kill Prince Jing and his relatives! Stand aside!”

The Black-Clad Guards charged directly into the courtyard. The small, enclosed courtyard was empty, and the doors to the east and west wing rooms were open. Only the main room to the north remained tightly shut. A Black-Clad Guard stepped forward and kicked the door, only to find it propped shut from the inside with a heavy object.

He drew his waist-sword and roared, “Hack the door down!”

With one swing, the wooden door, covered in white paper, split open with a large crack. The Black-Clad Guard peered through the gap, seeing Prince Jing, the Crown Prince, and the Princess inside, each holding a chair. “Futile!”

Just as the Black-Clad Guard was about to deliver a second blow, he heard the sound of tiles shattering beside him. He spun around abruptly, “Who?!”

A fully armored warrior, wearing a face mask and wielding a long saber, charged from a distant rooftop. With every step, tiles splintered beneath his feet. The next moment, the distant morning sun finally pierced through layers of dark clouds, a streak of white rapidly tearing across the sky. The warrior reached the roof of the east wing and leaped!

The Black-Clad Guard at the very back hastily raised his saber to parry, but the strike, descending with immense force, first severed his weapon, then his head. The remaining Black-Clad Guards exchanged glances. Their leader stated grimly, “Officers! You stop him; I’ll kill Prince Jing. Prince Jing cannot live!”

With that, he continued hacking at the wooden door, while over a dozen Black-Clad Guards swung their sabers to stop the armored warrior.

However, the armored warrior ignored them, continuing to charge towards the main room’s door. As he reached the wall of sabers, he twisted his body, using his armor to absorb the blows.

Four saber blades scraped across his cast-iron plates, creating a brilliant shower of sparks like streaking silk. All blades were deflected by the armor, none able to pierce the body beneath the heavy plate. In an instant, the warrior used his shoulder to break through the wall of sabers and the Black-Clad Guards. He appeared behind the guard hacking at the door and thrust his saber!

With a ‘hiss,’ the Black-Clad Guard’s body stiffened abruptly, his neck arching back high!

The blade pierced him from behind his waist and emerged from inside the wooden door, startling Baili and the Crown Prince inside the room.

The warrior turned, glaring like a wolf at the Black-Clad Guards behind him, his face mask grim and terrifying. He slowly withdrew his saber inch by inch, then shook the blood from the blade, sending a spray of blood mist into the air. The Black-Clad Guards’ expressions turned grim, and they swarmed him in unison.

Inside the room, Baili and the Crown Prince simultaneously looked at Prince Jing. “Father, is that someone from the Imperial Guard?”

Prince Jing shook his head. “The Imperial Guard hasn’t made it this far yet. I had arranged for other reinforcements earlier, but this person is not one of them.” All three were puzzled, wondering who would suddenly offer aid in this deep part of the Liu family manor.

Baili suddenly said, “Chen Ji.”

The Crown Prince hesitated. “Why would Chen Ji be here? It shouldn’t be him.”

Baili also hesitated. She peeked through the door’s crack, seeing the armored warrior gradually struggling under the assault of over a dozen Black-Clad Guards. Yet, the warrior held his ground at the doorway, not allowing a single Black-Clad Guard to get inside.

The Crown Prince was uncertain. “Father, should we go out and help him?”

Prince Jing thought for a moment. “Yunxi, pull the table away. Come with me; we’ll pick up a fallen saber and assist him.”

However, just as the two of them pulled away the table blocking the door, a muffled voice came from beneath the face mask outside: “Don’t come out.” Baili exclaimed, “It really is Chen Ji!”

The Crown Prince turned to her. “You can tell just by his voice?”

At that moment, Chen Ji was breathing heavily beneath his face mask. His armor bore over a dozen saber marks; without this heavy armor, he would likely have been covered in wounds. Chen Ji gripped his saber hilt tightly and advanced instead of retreating. Just then, a Black-Clad Guard, eyes cold, emerged from the crowd and struck with a sudden blow!

The saber blade was extremely fast. Chen Ji abruptly stopped and retreated, the blade slicing past his face, splitting both the white tassel on his helmet and the face mask beneath it. With two clangs, the face mask fell to the ground, broken in half, revealing Chen Ji’s face.

The white tassel drifted lightly to the ground and scattered with a gust of wind.

The Black-Clad Guards fanned out, surrounding Chen Ji in the courtyard. One of them said coldly, “You’re exhausted. Drop your saber now, and we’ll pretend you were never here.” Chen Ji raised his saber. “I’ll talk about exhaustion when I’m exhausted.”

Behind him, the sound of the table being pulled away echoed. Prince Jing, the Crown Prince, and Baili pulled the door open and rushed out, each holding a chair, standing beside him. “You…”

Before Chen Ji could finish his sentence, a tall, burly figure leaped down from the rooftop, striking each Black-Clad Guard in the chest with a palm, like lightning and thunder.

The world seemed to pause for an instant. A moment later, bones cracked and snapped. The remaining seven Black-Clad Guards were simultaneously sent flying backward, slamming into the wall before falling lifelessly to the ground. “Grand Eunuch Feng!” Baili exclaimed.

Chen Ji let out a long, ragged breath, supporting himself with his saber. Grand Eunuch Feng turned and bowed. “Your Highness, forgive this humble servant for arriving late.” Baili hastily tugged Chen Ji’s arm armor, turning him left and right. “Are you hurt?”

Chen Ji smiled. “Thankfully, Grand Eunuch Feng arrived in time. I’m not hurt.”

The Crown Prince and Baili breathed a sigh of relief. “How did you end up disguised among the Liu family’s armored guards?” Chen Ji explained, “By chance.”

Prince Jing looked at Grand Eunuch Feng. “What is the situation?”

Grand Eunuch Feng replied softly, “All six Zodiac Agents of the Secret Intelligence Directorate have arrived. The Trouble-Dispelling Guards and the Imperial Guard have already advanced into the Liu family manor. The Elephant Armor Battalion couldn’t provide timely reinforcement, and the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry were led by Master Feng into an ambush by the Northern Myriad-Year Army. Your Highness, rest assured, Lord Bailong’s strategy is flawless; everything is perfectly secure.”

Prince Jing, however, felt no joy of victory. He merely sighed. “After so many years, it has finally settled.” Grand Eunuch Feng asked, “Your Highness, would you like to rest here for a moment?”

Prince Jing shook his head. “No rest. I must go see Grand Tutor Liu off on his final journey. He should be waiting for me.”

In front of the ancestral hall, a long trail of blood stretched out to the manor gate, a crimson, twisted carpet woven from flesh and blood. Master Liu, missing an arm, leaned against the ancestral hall door, breathing heavily.

Bailong walked past, his white boots already stained red, his clean white robes splattered with blood. He arrived at the ancestral hall entrance, not sparing a glance at Master Liu by his feet. Instead, he watched Grand Tutor Liu’s back as he wiped clean ancestral tablets one by one. Grand Tutor Liu placed his father’s tablet back onto the main shrine, then took down another, wiping off the dust with his sleeve.

The fighting and wailing behind him seemed to no longer concern him.

Bailong said softly, “Grand Tutor, the collapse of the Liu family is not your fault; there’s no need to blame yourself.”

Grand Tutor Liu, wiping the tablets, chuckled and said, “Victors rule, losers are ruled. There’s nothing to blame myself for. Thirty-one years ago, my Liu family’s lands spanned three prefectures. Ten years ago, we were reduced to barely surviving in Yuzhou. I knew ten years ago that this day would come sooner or later; I just didn’t expect it to happen in such a humiliating way. That venomous Prime Minister, he wouldn’t even grant the Liu family a grand, dignified end.”

Bailong thought for a moment and said, “The Jing Dynasty has been preparing for war these past years. The Liu family’s assets are still very useful; they cannot be wasted. Later, I may need to borrow your head and those of the Liu family clan to persuade the Tiger Armor Barracks and the Yuzhou forces to surrender.” Grand Tutor Liu let out a soft laugh. “You want to persuade my Liu family’s troops to surrender? Aren’t you afraid of planting a hidden danger?”

Bailong’s dragon-patterned mask showed no expression, revealing neither joy nor anger. “That is for the Grand Chancellor to consider, not a mere pawn like me.” Grand Tutor Liu placed the tablet back onto the main shrine, looking around the ancestral hall. “What a pity.”

At that moment, the voice of Jin Zhu was heard from outside the door. “Your Highness.”

Grand Tutor Liu turned his head and saw the Trouble-Dispelling Guards clearing a path for Prince Jing to enter the Liu family ancestral hall. He watched Prince Jing in silence for a long time. “Let’s play one more game of Go, my son-in-law.”

“Very well.”

“Master Liu, fetch a Go set,” Grand Tutor Liu instructed.

Master Liu, missing an arm, laboriously propped himself up, limped through the crowd, and returned from the side room carrying a Go board.

There was no suitable table in the ancestral hall, so he could only place the Go board on a stool. Blood from his arm dripped onto the board. He tried to wipe it with his other hand, but it only smeared, making it dirtier. Master Liu said with difficulty, “My Lord, I…”

Grand Tutor Liu chuckled gently. “It’s alright. Go sit and rest by the side.” Master Liu murmured an acknowledgment and retreated to the doorway, sitting down against the threshold.

Prince Jing picked up a Go piece and placed it on the blood-stained board, sighing, “I never imagined my last game with my father-in-law would be played in such circumstances.” Grand Tutor Liu laughed scornfully, placing his piece. “Don’t be so melodramatic. If it weren’t for you, my Liu family wouldn’t have fallen to this state.”

Prince Jing’s eyes were fixed on the board as he asked, without looking up, “Father-in-law, was Ayi killed by the Liu family?”

Grand Tutor Liu paused. “Yes. After Ayi married you, the Empress Dowager wanted her to create discord between you and His Majesty. But she was devoted to you and completely unwilling to get involved in such matters.”

Prince Jing said calmly, “The Empress Dowager, for her own selfish reasons, caused Yunxi to lose her mother… So later, when the Liu family arranged for Ajing to marry me, was it also with the intention of creating discord between me and His Majesty?” Grand Tutor Liu slowly replied, “No, Ajing herself wanted to marry you. She pleaded with me for seven days and seven nights before I agreed.”

Prince Jing held a Go piece, hesitating to place it. “You didn’t agree at first?”

Grand Tutor Liu chuckled. “I was afraid my wicked sister would kill her too. Your Highness, you aren’t bringing my Liu family to ruin because of Ayi, are you?”

Prince Jing was silent for a long time. “No. For years, of the taxes and grain collected by our dynasty, thirty percent went to the national treasury, and seventy percent went to the aristocratic families. If this corruption isn’t remedied, this empire will take its last breath.” Grand Tutor Liu looked outside the ancestral hall, seeing countless people gathered, waiting for them to finish their game.

He sighed with a touch of melancholy. “Your Highness, I thought others might betray the Liu family, but never you. Do you know why?” Prince Jing replied, “I do not.”

Grand Tutor Liu smiled. “Because I thought you were a clever man who understood the principle that if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. You know better than I what kind of person resides in the Palace of Benevolent Longevity. With the Liu family gone, you are next. Look at those people outside the door—they aren’t coming for me; they’re coming for you!”

Prince Jing remained impassive. “His Majesty and I are like brothers.”

Grand Tutor Liu burst into loud laughter, as if he had heard the greatest joke. “Does an emperor need brothers? Enough, enough, what’s the point of playing Go with a terrible player?” With that, he swept the pieces off the board, stood up, and walked to the doorway.

Grand Tutor Liu stood on tiptoe and pulled down the white mourning banner from above the doorframe. Then, pulling the banner, he turned back and stepped onto the blood-stained Go board. Standing elevated, he tossed the white mourning banner over the beam and tied a tight knot. Afterward, he looked down at Prince Jing and said with a smile, “Your Highness, you stay here in this world and see whether I am right or wrong. I’ll wait for you on the Road to the Yellow Springs.”

As his words ended, Grand Tutor Liu slipped the mourning banner over his neck and kicked over the Go board and stool.

By the threshold, Master Liu propped himself up with one hand, kowtowed three times to Grand Tutor Liu without a word, and then slapped his own forehead, forcefully cracking his skull. Just then, a piercing wail rang out: “Father!”

Prince Jing turned to look. On the bloody path outside the door, Consort Jing stumbled and rushed forward.

She pushed through the crowd, hugging Grand Tutor Liu’s legs, trying to pull him down from the beam. But her strength was too little; she couldn’t move him at all.

Consort Jing, her eyes red from crying, turned back to Prince Jing, pounding his chest repeatedly. “Your Highness, why did it come to this? Why did it come to this?!”

Prince Jing said softly, “The Liu family’s sins are countless, too many to list. Look at the women buried alive with your brother; what crime did they commit? What wrong did the common people of Yuzhou commit, whose lands were seized by the Liu family?”

Consort Jing sobbed uncontrollably. “But what wrong did I do? They wanted me to deceive you and steal firearms; when I refused, they killed my unborn child. I admired you; I wanted to stay with you forever, like my sister, yet you used my words to trick the Liu family into rebellion. These are all matters for you men. I only wanted to bear children, be a good wife, and raise my family. What fault is that of mine?”

Prince Jing remained silent.

Outside the door, Jin Zhu suddenly spoke. “Consort Jing, the maidservants you’ve beaten to death with a staff over the years number at least eighty, if not a hundred.” Consort Jing glared at him. “What right do you partisans have to say such things? Haven’t you killed enough people yourselves?”

Jin Zhu shrank his neck and said nothing more.

Consort Jing released Prince Jing’s collar and staggered towards the doorway.

She pulled a small wooden box from her sleeve and casually tossed it onto the ground outside the door. “Your Highness, I managed to get the Feather-Growth Pill for you. Please take care of yourself from now on.” With that, Consort Jing suddenly lunged headfirst into the ancestral hall’s pillar, collapsing askew.

Outside, the wooden box hit the ground and broke in half, and a perfectly round white pill rolled out, stained with blood.