Jin Zhu once said that he never looked back after leaving Wunian Mountain and never trusted anyone again. This vast Directorate of Ceremonial, like a gu-raising cage, inevitably bred the most venomous creatures.

Chen Ji hadn’t expected someone as shrewd as Jin Zhu to make a single careless mistake and be pushed into an abyss of no return by his colleagues.

At this very moment, the Tiger-Armored Cavalry had the unconscious Jin Zhu chained by the ankle and dragged behind a horse.

Chen Ji’s expression was hidden beneath his helmet visor: “Mr. Feng, it’s over ten *li* from here to the Liu family mansion. If he’s dragged to death like this, it might delay tomorrow’s drum ceremony and flag worship.”

Mr. Feng smiled: “How could a master of the Innate Realm be dragged to death so easily? Don’t be soft-hearted. If I show even a trace of pity for Jin Zhu, I won’t escape Grand Secretary Liu’s discerning eyes. The rest of the Liu family army is stationed north of the city, waiting to depart after tomorrow’s flag worship. Only this Tiger-Armored Cavalry remains close to Grand Secretary Liu; its military power is crucial and cannot be jeopardized.”

Chen Ji silently watched as Jin Zhu was brutally dragged out of the city, all the way to the Liu family mansion’s gate, a journey of over ten *li*. Along the way, he tightened his grip on his saber’s hilt, his thumb gently pushing the guard against the scabbard opening.

Mr. Feng glanced at him sidelong and said casually, “Don’t do anything rash. It’s good for a young man to have some vigor; many things in this world are accomplished through such determination. But if you disrupt my plans, I will be the first to kill you.”

Chen Ji took a deep breath and silently sheathed his saber.

Upon reaching the Liu family mansion, Jin Zhu’s clothes on his back were completely worn away, leaving a long trail of blood on the official road.

The Liu family mansion’s high gray walls resembled a fortress. Only after the armored guards in the watchtowers confirmed their identities did they wave a red command flag, ordering the gates to be opened.

The creaking red-lacquered gates opened, and a gaunt middle-aged man emerged from inside. He squatted beside Jin Zhu, checking his face and injuries, then smiled and bowed to Mr. Feng: “Congratulations, Mr. Feng, on another great achievement. Having the heads of the Twelve Zodiacs for tomorrow’s flag worship is a most auspicious sign.”

Mr. Feng casually replied, “Master Liu, this great achievement was accomplished by General Qian and me together. General Qian was also injured because of it, so it can’t be credited solely to me.”

“Oh?” Master Liu was startled. “General Qian was injured?”

“Yes, he’s in the carriage behind us.”

Master Liu, holding up his robes with one hand and carrying a lantern with the other, walked to the carriage and lifted the curtain.

He climbed into the carriage, first feeling General Qian’s wound beneath his ribs, then rubbing his fingers together and bringing them to his nose to sniff. Only then did he alight and direct the armored guards: “Quickly, carry General Qian inside for treatment!”

After that, Master Liu turned to Mr. Feng: “Mr. Feng, please come with me to the ancestral hall to see the Master; he’s still waiting for you. Oh, and bring Jin Zhu in too, for him to see.”

Mr. Feng responded with a smile, “As Master Liu instructs.”

The Liu family mansion was pitch black, with no lanterns hanging from its eaves.

Chen Ji and four other armored guards carried Jin Zhu on a stretcher, following Mr. Feng through a long alley. They saw white funeral banners hanging beneath the eaves on both sides of the road, stretching like curtains deep into the mansion.

Liu Mingxian had not yet been buried, his coffin still resting within the mansion.

Most families would only keep a coffin for three days, some wealthy families for seven, and some would wait for officials returning from out of town for the funeral, potentially keeping the coffin for tens of days or even several months.

But the Liu family wasn’t waiting for returning family members, but for the heads and blood of their enemies.

As they passed Liu Mingxian’s mourning hall, Chen Ji turned his head and saw Liu Mingxian’s solitary coffin placed in the center of the hall.

Beside the coffin, bodies of women dressed in white mourning clothes hung by white silk from the mourning hall’s rafters.

When the wind blew from outside the hall, the female corpses swayed back and forth, like a string of silent wind chimes. Chen Ji’s pupils constricted, and he felt his hair stand on end; even the battle-hardened armored guard beside him gasped in shock.

Master Liu, leading the way, didn’t turn his head and spoke unhurriedly: “These women were concubines of our Second Master. They couldn’t cry in front of the mourning hall, so we had no choice but to send them to accompany Second Master on the journey to the underworld. I presume this is your first time in this mansion, so please don’t be so startled.”

The armored guard quickly turned his head back and stammered, “Your subordinate will go receive twenty military floggings later.”

Master Liu smiled, “General Qian’s subordinates are indeed sensible.”

Gradually, warm light emanated from the front of the bluestone alley. Inside the ancestral hall, with its eight vermilion doors wide open, ancestral tablets of the Liu family stood tall like a forest above the main shrine. At the very top was the tablet of Liu Xuning, the Liu family’s progenitor, who once held the rank of one of the Three Ducal Ministers and whose prestige remained for a hundred generations.

On the rosewood table beneath the main shrine were plates of offerings, over twenty incense sticks and candles, and hundreds of eternal lamps, illuminating the ancestral hall as brightly as day.

Grand Secretary Liu knelt on a prayer mat in front of the table, bowing his head and praying, like a devout worshipper before a humble lamp and ancient Buddha, utterly sincere.

Upon reaching three *zhang* outside the door, Master Liu turned to Mr. Feng and instructed, “Mr. Feng, please wait here for a moment; I will report to the Master.”

After speaking, he took small, quick steps into the ancestral hall and leaned down to whisper in Grand Secretary Liu’s ear: “Master, Mr. Feng has returned, bringing the half-dead Jin Zhu and the heavily wounded General Qian.”

Grand Secretary Liu didn’t lift his eyelids: “Is it indeed Jin Zhu himself?”

Master Liu whispered, “Confirmed, he’s not wearing a human skin mask. He was chained by Mr. Feng and brutally dragged back from the city. All the ribs on his left side are broken, likely from being kicked.”

Grand Secretary Liu slowly opened his eyes: “He has finally been brought back. My son can rest in peace tomorrow.”

Master Liu responded with a soft affirmation, “Rest assured, Master. It’s just that General Qian’s injury is rather ill-timed. Tomorrow, the flag worship ceremony will begin, and the Liu clan will gather. We still need someone to command the Tiger-Armored Cavalry to ensure everyone’s safety.”

Grand Secretary Liu pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Can Mr. Feng treat General Qian’s injury?”

Master Liu replied, “He did.”

Grand Secretary Liu then asked, “Are the medicines used problematic?”

Master Liu chuckled obsequiously, “I sniffed it. Mr. Feng used medicine from Laojun Mountain’s Taoist temple; there’s no problem. Rest assured, Master, if there was any foul play, I would smell it. Over the years, many people have tried to poison you, but none escaped my nose.”

Grand Secretary Liu slowly closed his eyes, lost in thought. After a long while, he exhaled slowly and said, “Call Mr. Feng in.”

Master Liu went out and ushered Mr. Feng inside, then withdrew beyond the threshold.

Mr. Feng stood behind Grand Secretary Liu, bowing and cupping his hands: “Master, I have brought Jin Zhu back to you.”

Grand Secretary Liu slowly stood up, supporting himself on his knees. He looked up, gazing at the ancestral tablets in the hall, but didn’t continue Mr. Feng’s topic: “Mr. Feng, our ancestors entrusted the Liu family to me, but I never expected the Liu family might decline in my hands.”

Mr. Feng said with a smile, “How could that be? The Jing Dynasty’s Divine Martial Army has already crossed the Spring Thunder River, taking advantage of the ice. Four of the capital’s five major garrisons have already deployed to Chongli Pass. We can drive straight in; the one in Renshou Palace is utterly unprepared. This journey to the capital is to cleanse the ruler’s side. If we win, Prince Jing, having taken the throne improperly and with an unstable foundation, will have no choice but to rely on you and Grand Secretary Qi.”

Grand Secretary Liu sighed: “The reason noble families can remain noble families is that they never seek ‘victory,’ but ‘invincibility.’ Yet now, the Liu clan has made one misstep after another, falling into a situation where rebellion is unavoidable. Just now, as I reviewed the past ten years, I actually don’t know whom to blame… Should I blame my foolish and ignorant sister? Or my audacious son?”

“I’ve been thinking all night,” Grand Secretary Liu said, looking at the ancestral tablets on the main shrine, his eyes a little bewildered. “Prince Jing revealed his rebellious intentions years ago, but now he pretends to care for the common people of the realm. Could it be that he, too, has grown old and become indecisive? Or perhaps, this is a meticulously prepared trap for the Liu family.”

The wrinkles around Grand Secretary Liu’s eyes crinkled: “If this is truly a grand snare, the Liu family is in grave danger.”

Mr. Feng thought for a moment: “Perhaps he fears the historical scholars’ condemnation and thus wants to push the entire charge of treason onto the Liu family. Then historical records would state that the Liu family supported his ascension, not that it was his original intention.”

Grand Secretary Liu sighed again: “That’s the only conjecture we can make. Mr. Feng, we have been master and subordinate for many years. The Liu family has treated you well, and you have served our Liu family diligently, making great contributions. Now General Qian is severely wounded, and other generals have already taken command of their respective troops. I will entrust these six thousand Tiger-Armored Cavalrymen to you. Do not let them down.”

Outside the ancestral hall, Chen Ji watched as Mr. Feng, holding up his robes with both hands, sincerely knelt and kowtowed: “To gain the patriarch’s trust, your humble servant is profoundly grateful. I beg the patriarch to bestow upon me the surname Liu. From this day forward, I, Feng Wenzheng, and all future generations of the Feng family, will adopt the surname Liu, and serve the Liu family through fire and water, for generations to come, without hesitation.”

When he looked up again, Mr. Feng’s face was streaked with tears.

Grand Secretary Liu immediately helped Mr. Feng up and sighed, “Mr. Feng, with your great talent, how could you be a mere servant of my Liu family? In the future, when we conquer the land, with your talent, Mr. Feng, you could become a general and even a prime minister.”

With that, he pulled a tiger tally from his sleeve and handed it to Mr. Feng: “Go to the Tiger-Armored Grand Camp for the handover, and lead the Tiger-Armored Cavalry to set up defenses. It’s already the Hour of the Tiger; in another hour, the drums will beat for the troop roll call. Don’t cause any delays.”

Mr. Feng clutched the tiger tally tightly in his hand and kowtowed again: “Thank you for your trust, Patriarch.”

Mr. Feng had his wish and departed in haste.

Chen Ji, carrying Jin Zhu, stood outside the ancestral hall’s door, watching his retreating figure, but still didn’t know what the Directorate of Ceremonial would do next. As for Jin Zhu, he had become a true pawn.

This long night, he wondered when it would finally end.

Grand Secretary Liu came to the stretcher and quietly gazed at Jin Zhu: “Wake him up.”

Master Liu took a small porcelain bottle from his pocket and waved it beneath Jin Zhu’s nostrils.

Jin Zhu suddenly opened his eyes and immediately tried to struggle up and fight. However, Master Liu merely tapped his brow, and he instantly became motionless.

Chen Ji was startled. This unassuming Master Liu was actually a hidden grand practitioner. No wonder Grand Secretary Liu kept only him by his side, with not a single guard seen near the ancestral hall.

Grand Secretary Liu looked at Jin Zhu with pity: “In the crucible of this chaotic era, neither you nor I are masters of our own fates. Don’t blame me; blame only your Directorate of Ceremonial for never considering a path of survival for my Liu family. Master Liu, take him to my son for a look. Before his coffin, slowly slice Jin Zhu into pieces, then cut off his head, so my son can rest in peace on his journey.”

As he spoke, it was as if he wasn’t the one who decided to kill Liu Mingxian, and the fault lay solely with the eunuch faction.

Master Liu hesitated: “Master, shouldn’t we wait until the flag worship ceremony to decapitate him?”

Grand Secretary Liu waved his hand wearily: “Go. My son has waited too long. Just place his head there tomorrow.”

Master Liu beckoned to Chen Ji and the others: “Carry him and follow me.”

The group carried Jin Zhu to Liu Mingxian’s mourning hall. All the armored guards lowered their heads, unwilling to look up at the female corpses hanging above them, holding their breath to avoid the stench within the hall.

Master Liu, however, acted as if nothing was amiss, pulling a silver dagger from his sleeve. Humming a tune, he severed Jin Zhu’s hand and foot tendons, then sliced away Jin Zhu’s flesh, piece by piece.

Chen Ji watched Jin Zhu’s furious struggles but, in the end, said nothing and did nothing. He could only silently gaze at Master Liu from behind his helmet visor, tightening his grip on his saber’s hilt, firmly committing the man’s voice and appearance to memory.

After an unknown period, Master Liu suddenly asked, “How many slices?”

The armored guards exchanged glances, unable to answer.

Master Liu smiled: “No matter, no matter. Three hundred and sixty slices should be enough.”

The next moment, he drew the saber from Chen Ji’s waist and swung it towards Jin Zhu’s neck.

However, just as the saber was about to strike Jin Zhu, Chen Ji saw a strange smile appear on Jin Zhu’s face. With a single slash, no blood spurted out, nor did a head fall to the ground.

Instead, Jin Zhu’s entire body suddenly transformed into countless copper coins and silver ingots, scattering with a clatter all over the floor.

It was as if what had been lying inside those clothes was not Jin Zhu, but a puppet filled with money!

Master Liu was stunned at first, then cursed angrily: “It’s the Yaguan’s technique! Quick, quick, quick! Go after that Feng fellow!”