Blade - Unbound

The candlelight flickered, casting a dim yellow glow.

Feng Feiyan slowly loosened her robes, allowing the black uniform of the Military Surveillance Department to slip to the floor, followed by the undergarment beneath it, revealing her smooth, flawless back...

Her brows were tightly knit, her thoughts clearly elsewhere. Her assignment during this period had been to gather information on the tomb robbers. After all, they had used explosives, and in considerable quantities.

Arresting the culprits was not the important part. The key was discovering where the explosives had come from.

That night, an urgent secret message from the Military Surveillance Department had summoned her. She had assumed they wished to question her about that matter. Instead, she had walked into an internal power struggle.

Like every other Military Surveillance Department garrison in the Great Xuan Dynasty, the Chang'an Military Surveillance Department was staffed by three commanders, each commanding ten captains.

However, the three commanders were not equals. One held the official seal as the commanding officer, while the other two served as deputies.

She had originally been under the command of deputy commander Yu Chen. Ever since arriving in Chang'an, it had been through his planning that she had steadily risen to where she was. She had even personally executed the enemy responsible for destroying her family. Everything had been peaceful, and she had thought life would continue this way until shocking news suddenly arrived.

It turned out that Yu Chen had secretly colluded with the Maitreya Sect, and leaked intelligence regarding the dynasty's newly developed firearms. Captain Chang Xuan, who had hidden his true capabilities all along, had rushed back overnight. Calling upon the network he had secretly cultivated over many years, he arrested Yu Chen in one decisive move and took his place.

Fortunately, Feng Feiyan had never been one of Yu Chen's trusted confidants. As such, she had narrowly escaped the purge. She had assumed the matter was over, but it had only just begun.

Having solved the stolen firearms case, Chang Xuan had earned the appreciation of his superiors. Somehow, he had also established ties with a high-ranking official above him, and his influence was now soaring, enough to threaten the position of Guo Yuhuai, the Military Surveillance Department's commanding officer.

The gathering of all the undercover operatives that day had ostensibly been called to collect intelligence on Chang'an, but in reality, it was a struggle for power.

The two sides had all but turned against each other. People often said the jianghu was dangerous, yet officialdom was no less treacherous. She would have to think very carefully about which path to choose...

Suddenly, Feng Feiyan sensed someone's gaze fixed upon her. She spun around abruptly, two throwing knives already clasped between her fingers. However, nothing seemed out of place within the room.

She listened carefully for quite some time before finally letting out a sigh of relief. Wearing a bitter smile, she murmured to herself, "So a guilty conscience really does conjure ghosts..."

As she spoke, she hid the entire set of Military Surveillance Department attire inside a concealed compartment beneath the bed before changing into a light gauze sleeping garment and drifting away into a deep sleep.

Above her, the ashes of the Straw Spirit paper figure slowly formed a pile on the roof beam...

Back in his own room, Li Yan withdrew the spell. "The innkeeper's got quite a nice figure..."

He chuckled to himself, his wariness toward her easing somewhat. In truth, his biggest fear was that she might be affiliated with the Maitreya Sect or some other unorthodox organization. One carefully arranged trap would be enough to drag everyone into mortal danger.

Now that he knew her true background, everything became much simpler. He now knew what he should and shouldn't do around her. With that thought, Li Yan tidied up the items on the table before lying down on the bed and falling fast asleep.

The following day, he began crafting a paper horse.

The reason the Northern Emperor Divine Movement Technique was called the Divine Movement Technique rather than the Paper Horse Technique was because the paper horse merely served as an aid to the technique.

The true brilliance of the art lay in two aspects. The first was the paper horse itself. The one used by Red Yaksha could only draw upon the power of the talisman alone. The Northern Emperor Paper Horse, however, could combine its power with the user's own strength.

For example, Li Yan's hidden force alone already allowed him to leap seven or eight meters in a single bound. With the assistance of the Northern Emperor Paper Horse, legendary feats such as skimming across grass or scaling walls and rooftops became entirely achievable.

The second lay in traversing dangerous terrain. The Divine Movement Technique also recorded numerous principles of Qimen Dunjia, explaining how to navigate naturally formed deadly terrains in the quickest and safest manner.

That was, in fact, the very foundation of escape arts. Learning Qimen Dunjia was not a task for a single day or even a single month. It required studying countless books, and without sufficient comprehension, one could not even step through its door.

However, practical magical tools such as crafting the paper horse naturally had to be mastered first.

Li Yan left the room, practiced his martial arts in the courtyard for an hour, ate a simple meal, then shut himself inside again to study the crafting arts. That proved even more difficult. It took him a full two days before he finally succeeded in making a single pair.

Since the date of the ritual duel was rapidly approaching, Li Yan chose not to continue crafting more. Instead, he produced over a hundred Straw Spirit paper figures, preparing a leather pouch to carry them at his waist.

One set of paper horses would be sufficient for the duel...

When night fell, a blizzard descended without warning.

The next morning, Feng Feiyan had also changed into different attire.

"Everyone, it's time."

She wore a fitted green martial uniform, with a pair of Mandarin Duck Sabers at her waist and a white fox-fur cloak draped over her shoulders. She looked both elegant and capable amid the wind and snow.

Red Yaksha looked much as she always did with her bamboo armor and twin swords. The only difference was the several extra leather pouches hanging from her waist, clearly showing that she too had spent these past few days preparing for the ritual duel.

As for Li Yan and the other two, they had naturally long since finished their own preparations.

The Phoenix Descent Inn remained open for business, so they departed through the side entrance. Several horse-drawn carriages were already waiting there, each bearing a red triangular banner embroidered with the character Sheng.

The moment Li Yan saw them, he recognized their origin. Chang'an was home to two major carriage guilds, the Taixing Carriage and Horse Company and the Long Flourishing Carriage Guild.

The two had divided the city between themselves. The Taixing Carriage and Horse Company controlled the northern routes, while the Long Flourishing Carriage Guild handled those leading south.

Though competitors, they also cooperated in keeping outsiders from entering the trade.

The Phoenix Descent Inn belonged to one of the jianghu's established businesses, and so maintained ties with the carriage guilds, porter guilds, broker guilds, and even the Canal Gang. Now that Feng Feiyan had asked for assistance, plenty of people had naturally come to help.

The driver was a young man wearing a sheepskin coat, a dog-fur hat, and a whip tucked into his belt.

"Boss Feng, heroes." He smiled faintly and cupped his fists. "Our Guild Master had some urgent matters and could not personally, but he wanted me to pass on one message. He wants the Fire Bear Gang to understand that they cannot afford to provoke those of us in the Five Guilds. The road to Daming Palace will remain completely clear tonight."

Feng Feiyan wasted no words. "Many thanks."

After returning the salute, she boarded one carriage with the others.

The young driver shouted loudly, snapping his whip through the air with a crack that echoed down the street. "Pull the wheels! Wind or rain, we never stop!"

The convoy immediately charged into the snowstorm. Just as he had promised, the road leading to Daming Palace remained completely unobstructed. The carriages raced through the blizzard without encountering a single obstacle.

There were no night watchmen and no patrolling soldiers. This was a demonstration of the influence of the carriage guilds.

One should never underestimate the road leading to a ritual duel. Some people in the jianghu had no sense of honor. They would publicly propose negotiations or challenge someone to a duel, only to ambush them halfway there.

Although the carriage guild appeared to have sent only a handful of wagons, countless guild members had already scouted the roads beforehand. They had even bribed the night watchmen and patrolling soldiers to stay clear of their route.

If anyone attempted to intercept them, they would simply kill them without mercy.

No one understood the Fire Bear Gang's methods better than they did. The gang was a formidable force; otherwise, it could never have established itself in Chang'an, a city where dragons and snakes mingled together.

The Fire Bear Gang spent lavishly, employing many skilled outlaws and unorthodox ritualists. Rumor even suggested that a certain high-ranking official within the military stood behind them.

But the gang's methods were truly despicable. Sure enough, in a dark alley the convoy was about to pass, shadowy figures appeared, leading mule-drawn carts loaded with human waste.

"Remember, wait for my signal."

"Brilliant plan, Brother! Once they're covered in filth, let's see how they'll save face during the duel..."

Before he could finish speaking, a group of experts from the carriage guild suddenly pounced on them, swinging their whip handles and beating the ambushers until they cried out like ghosts and wolves.

The guild foreman covered his nose and cursed, "You worthless bastards! When collecting debts, you throw manure! When setting people up, you throw manure! Are you that obsessed with it? Brothers, feed it to them! They're not leaving until they've eaten every last bit!"

By then, the convoy had already passed through the street.

Inside the carriage, Li Yan pinched his nose and shook his head. "Things are lively tonight..."

The carriage provided by the Long Flourishing Carriage Guild Guild was spacious enough for Li Yan, Wang Daoxuan, and Sha Lifei to ride together, while Feng Feiyan and Red Yaksha occupied another.

Hearing Li Yan's remark, Sha Lifei more or less guessed what had happened and laughed. "If nothing else, Boss Feng certainly has plenty of influence."

Li Yan's heart stirred, and he silently made several hand signs.

Whenever speaking openly was inconvenient, these gestures of the jianghu sign language served to convey messages, encompassing many of the secret codes used within the Spring Code.

Li Yan's message meant: Government hounds. Secret operative. Stay cautious.

Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan immediately understood. Having worked together for so long, the three now shared an unspoken understanding. From that day forward, they all knew exactly what they should and shouldn't say in front of Innkeeper Feng.

As the night deepened, the blizzard only intensified. The streets were slick with snow, yet the drivers were clearly experts, maintaining remarkable speed without the slightest fear of overturning.

Before long, they arrived before the former Anfu Gate of the Imperial City.

Since both Taiji Palace and Daming Palace had long been abandoned, this area had been repaired and converted into one of Chang'an's city exits. Though merely a minor gate and usually sparsely traveled, it was still guarded by soldiers and normally closed every night.

That night, however, the gate stood open, allowing the carriages to thunder straight through. The gate guards acted as though they saw nothing at all. Only after the convoy had passed did they yawn lazily before closing the gates once more.

Seeing what happened, Li Yan shook his head slightly. The Great Xuan Dynasty had now stood for a hundred years, its national strength steadily growing stronger. Its last major war, however, had been the rebellion along the northern frontier. With the interior enjoying such prolonged peace, military discipline had inevitably grown lax.

In earlier times, behavior like that would have been punishable by execution. Judging by the soldiers' familiarity with the process, it was clearly far from the first time they were doing something like that.

However, the thought only passed briefly through Li Yan's mind. After leaving the city, the convoy never slowed, weaving swiftly through the snow-covered ruins of Taiji Palace. Roughly the time it took one stick of incense to burn later, they arrived at the ruins of Daming Palace.

The palace ruins appeared even more desolate as snow settled on it. The once-magnificent halls had become nothing more than broken walls and shattered foundations. From time to time, wild foxes and wolves wandered through the snow, standing atop the ruins to silently watch these unexpected visitors from afar.

Li Yan kept his divine ability active throughout the journey. Very soon, he caught the scent of many people, along with burning firewood. Sure enough, flickering firelight appeared ahead, and the carriages gradually came to a halt.

The group jumped down from their carriages. Within the ruins ahead, several blazing bonfires had already been lit, while a number of tents had also been erected.

Many gang members guarded the perimeter with torches and drawn weapons.

Several figures were chatting casually near the campfires. Seeing the convoy arrive, they all rose and walked over.

Before they even arrived, hearty laughters echoed across the snow. "Hahaha... Boss Feng, you're in no hurry at all. Looks like you're quite confident of victory."

The speaker was an elderly man with a snow-white beard. He possessed an exceptionally tall and imposing frame, with a dark, weathered complexion, thick white whiskers, a broad lion-like nose, and a wide mouth. As he strode forward, he carried the unmistakable bearing of a wild beast.

Two people followed closely behind him.

The first was a middle-aged man in a sheepskin coat with cold, expressionless eyes. A meteor hammer hung from his waist, while a bamboo basket strapped to his back occasionally twitched with movement from some unseen living creature inside.

The other was a young man in green robes with fair skin and the refined air of a scholar. Yet he wore white gloves and carried an iron folding fan.

"Guild Master Tie, you flatter me." Feng Feiyan covered her mouth with a graceful smile before she chuckled. "I'm only a weak woman who couldn't stand seeing the Fire Bear Gang bully others. The ones truly doing the fighting are these gentlemen.

"Red Yaksha needs no introduction. This is Sha Lifei and this is Daoist Wang Daoxuan. And this is..."

"Oh, I know." The white-bearded elder roared with laughter. "I've long disliked that old fool Zhou Pan. He even dared covet the Chang'an Divine Fist Association. I had planned to teach him a lesson myself, but Little Brother Li beat me to it. That old fellow Zhang Yuanshang is also an old friend of mine, and he mentioned you to me. Since you've come to Chang'an, it's only natural that I look after you. Then we're all family."

Feng Feiyan smiled as she continued the introductions, "This is Guild Master Tie Shigu of the Porter Guild and Steward Lu of the Long Flourishing Carriage Guild. This is Hall Master Bai of the Broker Guild."

Li Yan respectfully cupped his fists. "Greetings, Seniors. I've only recently arrived in Chang'an, and am unfamiliar with many things here. Thank you all for coming to lend your support."

Steward Lu of the Long Flourishing Carriage Guild replied calmly, "We're only here to ensure the Fire Bear Gang doesn't break the rules, or refuse to accept the outcome afterward and rely on their greater numbers to bully others. As for whether you win or lose the ritual duel... that depends entirely on your own abilities."

His words were rather blunt. Judging by his expression, he had come only reluctantly, and clearly had little confidence in them.

Tie Shigu frowned slightly upon hearing him. "Steward Lu, this isn't merely a matter for the Daoist world. It concerns all Five Guilds of Chang'an. Since Guild Master Wang has already agreed to help, don't spoil the mood."

Steward Lu merely nodded slightly. Though he offered no apology, he refrained from making any further discouraging remarks.

Li Yan naturally paid it no mind. He had only just arrived in Chang'an. Although he had earned a certain reputation in Xianyang, he possessed no real connections within Chang'an's Daoist community. Being underestimated was only natural.

Meanwhile, Hall Master Bai of the Broker Guild, the scholarly-looking young man, smiled and smoothly changed the subject. "Everyone, Steward Lu means well. The Fire Bear Gang and Liu Wenchen have kept things tightly under wraps. Even now, no one knows whom they've invited. This time... I'm afraid they've come thoroughly prepared."

Tie Shigu's expression also became solemn as he sighed. "The Fire Bear Gang has never gotten along with our Five Guilds. Once they heard we'd be backing you, they've been making constant moves. I suspect they're planning to embarrass us as well."

As he spoke, a signal arrow suddenly shot into the sky from the opposite side.

Li Yan turned to look. Several hundred meters away, faint firelight flickered through the snowstorm. Clearly, that was the opposing camp. Between the two camps lay the massive foundation of an old palace hall. It was broad and surrounded by countless snow-covered ruined walls, making it resemble a sprawling maze.

Upon seeing the signal arrow, Tie Shigu let out a cold laugh. "Looks like that fellow can't wait any longer. Come on, let's go meet him."

He led everyone toward the palace foundations. At the same time, a procession of torches emerged from the blizzard on the opposite side.

There was an open space beside the palace foundation, allowing the two groups to meet. Separated by several dozen meters, both sides halted simultaneously, confronting one another across the snowy field.

Li Yan raised his eyes to examine the opposing leader. He was an enormous, broad-shouldered man with a thick beard and a face full of coarse flesh. He was dressed in a black fur cloak, and an enormous jade disc of the Eight Trigrams hung around his neck. He looked every bit like a gigantic black bear.

Li Yan's attention was immediately drawn to that jade disc.

Astral and killing qi flowed endlessly through it, naturally forming a complete protective formation. It was clearly a powerful defensive artifact. Moreover, the aura it radiated far surpassed that of the plaque above Li Yan's residence back in the Li Clan's Fort. Ordinary ghosts and malevolent spirits would likely be unable to approach its wearer at all.

This Fire Bear Gang leader... looks like he's quite wealthy.