The refined man was none other than Chen Tai, the magistrate of Liangcheng. The guard beside the middle-aged man was his younger brother, Chen Lin, and the deceased bandit leader was their elder brother, Chen He.
Years ago, the three brothers were all outlaws, but Chen Tai had some education. They also had a fourth sister who became a concubine to the chief steward of Bozhou. Through her connections, Chen Tai secured a position as magistrate.
The eldest, Chen He, grew accustomed to being a bandit and refused to leave the mountain stronghold, frequently leading raids. The youngest, Chen Lin, shuttled between the two worlds, familiar with everyone in the county office and all the bandits in the stronghold.
Chen Tai held absolute power in Liangcheng, stripping the wealthy residents clean, and then set his sights on Xinqu Town. The middle-aged man, Hao Zhiyuan, was a wealthy merchant from Xinqu.
Chen Lin had originally infiltrated the Hao household to coordinate with the bandits inside the manor to loot it clean, but before their plan could be fully set in motion, things went awry.
The war between the two kingdoms terrified Hao Zhiyuan, prompting him to flee south with his family. This led Chen Lin to send men to steal the Hao family’s horse-drawn carts, money, and grain in the dead of night.
As for why Hao Zhiyuan wasn’t killed then—it was because all the Hao family guards had already been bought off. Some were even originally members of their stronghold. Keeping Hao Zhiyuan alive meant he could lead them to other wealthy merchants for another lucrative haul.
At that moment, Chen Tai, upon hearing of Big Brother’s death, slammed his palm on the table in fury, his expression dark and terrifying. “Speak! What exactly happened? Big Brother wasn’t new to this—there were over a hundred brothers by his side. How could this happen? Where are those men?”
“Dead. They’re all dead. Burned to ashes. I saw their bodies being burned with my own eyes.”
Chen Lin’s eyes reddened as he spoke. He sat on the ground and recounted everything he knew to Chen Tai.
After hearing him out, Chen Tai grabbed the teacup at hand and hurled it at him furiously, his eyes bloodshot with rage. “Since you were there, why didn’t you stop them from burning? Why didn’t you let Big Brother rest in peace?”
Chen Lin didn’t dodge; a gash opened on his forehead. He dared not lift his head to meet Chen Tai’s gaze and hurriedly defended himself.
“Second Brother, there was a child there who suspected us of being connected. If I had acted even a little suspicious, they would have killed me on the spot. That child was the one who killed Big Brother, and she’s entered Liangcheng. I’ve already had people watch her. I’ve also had everyone else watched.”
Chen Tai slowly approached, stopped in front of Chen Lin, patted his head, and spoke in a chilling tone.
“Not a single person involved in killing Big Brother and the others will be spared. As for Hao Zhiyuan, there’s no need to waste more time on him. Track down everyone’s whereabouts immediately. Also, there are a few children in the manor I was going to send to Big Brother. Since he’s gone, chop them up as burial offerings for him. Handle this yourself.”
“Understood, Second Brother. I will get it done.”
Chen Lin covered his forehead and retreated from the study. He had always been afraid of Second Brother. Despite appearing gentlemanly and refined, he was far crueler than their elder brother.
He had barely stepped out of the study when a constable rushed over frantically, drenched in sweat by the time he reached him.
“Third Master, as you ordered, I had people watch the merchant caravan and the child driving the mule cart, but none of them lingered in the city. They’ve all left town. Also, the dozen or so riders you asked about—they left the city before you entered. The guards said it seemed like they were being chased. Right after they left, another group of riders galloped out. Everyone left in a hurry.”
“What? They’ve all left the city?” Chen Lin found it hard to believe.
Who in their right mind enters a city only to leave immediately? It’s dark—are they just going to camp in the wilderness?
“Do we have anyone following them?”
The constable quickly nodded. “Yes, Third Master. Except for the riders, the others are being shadowed discreetly. They’ll leave marks along the way, so when we light torches, we can see which road they took.”
“Good. You may go now.”
Chen Lin then returned to the study and relayed the constable’s information to Chen Tai.
Chen Tai strode out of the room, issuing orders to his trusted men as he went. “Muster all available soldiers in the city immediately. Announce that Beiyue spies have been discovered, and we are going out of the city to capture them.”
“Yes, Magistrate.”
Within less than half an hour, all available troops in Liangcheng had assembled.
Chen Tai led over three hundred men, carrying torches out into the night. Meanwhile, Chen Lin led a dozen men toward Hao Zhiyuan’s residence. With the guards there already under his control, there would be no surprises.
In a restaurant not far from the county office, Hao Zhiyuan was dining with his favorite young son. Hearing the commotion outside, he glanced curiously out the window.
Seeing Chen Tai in his official robes leading troops out, his interest was piqued. But when he spotted Chen Lin beside Chen Tai and the dozen or so men in soldier attire following him, his heart leaped with foreboding.
Under the torchlight, Chen Lin’s menacing grin looked demonic. After exchanging a few words with Chen Tai, Chen Lin headed in a certain direction—one that led straight to the inn where Hao Zhiyuan was staying.
Without hesitation, Hao Zhiyuan made a swift decision. He scooped up his young son and strode out the door.
The city gates would close in a quarter of an hour. He had to leave Liangcheng before then.
If Chen Lin was clean, he would return and take his family away. If something was amiss in town, then the rest of them would have to rely on fate.
The city gate guards didn’t recognize Hao Zhiyuan and had no orders to stop him, so he passed through easily.
Hao Zhiyuan took the main road, trailing behind Chen Tai’s large force. When he saw them veer off onto a small path, he turned decisively onto the main highway. Near a forested area, he stopped, panicked, and fled into the woods.
On the small road outside the city, the merchant caravan was chatting cheerfully while preparing their meal.
The caravan leader had instinctively sensed trouble in Liangcheng and dared not stay. Since they had many people, as long as they had enough supplies, they could spend the night anywhere.
They were neither too close nor too far from Xi Qingyue. Xi Qingyue had spotted them earlier, but her location had no campfire, and she was inside her stored space. No one knew she was traveling the same road.
After stopping, she cooked inside her space—a large pot of braised pork belly and a pot of braised chicken drumsticks, chicken feet, and pork trotters. Xi Weilan loved big chicken legs, so it was convenient to make extra.
She could prepare enough to last several days. Even though she had to drag a small stool to reach the stove more comfortably.
Xi Weilan held a chicken leg in one hand and a pork trotter in the other, chewing contentedly with grease all over her face. “Sister, your chicken legs taste better than the ones sold outside.”
Xi Qingyue lifted her chin smugly. “Of course—I’m multi-talented. Those street vendors don’t have good seasonings. What could they possibly make?”
She glanced at the cola chicken wings in the pot. Those were nearly done too.
Many dishes couldn’t be bought even with silver, so she had to make extras when she had the chance.
Just as Xi Qingyue was dishing up the food and planning to prepare more dishes, she felt the violent tremors from the ground above her space.
"Lan'er, once you finish eating, wash up and rest. I'll go outside to check," she said.
"Alright, Sister," Xi Weilan replied obediently, nibbling on a chicken leg, unaware of what was happening outside.
Leaving the space, Xi Qingyue looked out into the pitch-black night and at the nearby caravan, still chatting and laughing, oblivious to the approaching danger. She let out a sigh.
Mounting her horse, Windchaser, she lit a torch in her hand and called out to the caravan, "A large force is coming! Stop cooking—if you don’t want to die, run now!"
