Chapter 12: Her Ladyship's Hush Money?

Chen Residence.

In the bedchamber, Chen Mo stood before a bronze mirror, sizing himself up.

His complexion was fair as porcelain, his features as fine as jade set in a crown, and between his brows there was a noble air in full measure.

He wore a close-fitting outfit black as ink, embroidered with scale-like dark patterns, a three-foot saber hanging at his waist; dashing and spirited, a true jade-carved gentleman of the mortal world.

"Not bad, about the same as my past life."

Chen Mo pinched his chin and nodded to himself.

Although Chen Zhuo had confined him to the residence for a month, there was no way he could really stay inside that long.

Now his wounds had fully healed, and he had broken through to sixth rank; even if remnants of the Moon Huang Sect still lurked in the city, they might not be his match!

"As a martial artist, one must forge ahead with valor; to cringe and flinch will never accomplish great things!"

"Off to work!"

He had just stepped through the great gates of the Chen Residence when a figure in white crashed into him head-on.

It was the female official who had escorted him into the palace yesterday.

"Young Master Chen…"

"You've got the wrong person."

Without waiting for her to finish, Chen Mo slammed on the brakes, did an about-face on the spot, and turned back toward the residence.

Before the campaign could even begin, the man was already dead…

"…"

The female official raised her hand and beckoned.

A tremendous force of attraction surged forth; Chen Mo felt the surroundings flash backward at tremendous speed, and his body, beyond his control, arrived before the female official.

"Why are you avoiding me, Young Master Chen?"

The female official knit her delicate brows, puzzled.

"It's not that I'm avoiding you, but rather…"

Chen Mo hesitated, then asked, "Is Her Ladyship summoning me into the palace again?"

Remembering what had happened yesterday, his heart was uneasy—could Her Ladyship be planning to silence him for good?

"Not exactly."

"Yesterday Young Master Chen didn't receive his reward, so Her Ladyship specially sent me to deliver it."

The female official produced a jade box.

"A reward?"

Chen Mo was momentarily stunned.

He reached out to take it, opened the box, and inside he saw a jade slip and a token.

The instant his fingers touched the jade slip, prompt text flashed before his eyes:

【Obtained Heaven-Grade Superior Martial Art: Azure Dragon in the Sleeve.】

【Learn it now?】

"Heaven-Grade Superior?!"

Chen Mo nearly bit his tongue.

One had to understand that Earth-Grade martial arts were already the pinnacle among the mortal world; if one leaked into the jianghu, it would be enough to spark a scramble among every major faction.

Only behemoths like the Three Saints Sect might possibly possess Heaven-Grade Secret Methods!

And yet Imperial Consort Yu had casually handed over such a treasure…

It seemed the thigh he was clinging to was terrifyingly thick!

Since the female official was still beside him, Chen Mo did not choose to learn it immediately, but turned his gaze to the token.

It was cool to the touch, neither metal nor stone—likely forged from some special material; upon it was engraved a phoenix taking flight, every detail rendered with lifelike precision, as if alive.

"This is…"

"This is the Purple Luan Token; to see this token is as if the Imperial Consort herself were present!"

The female official spoke concisely and to the point.

Chen Mo's heart jolted at her words!

He naturally understood the weight of those four words—"the Imperial Consort herself present"!

Compared to a Heaven-Grade martial art, this Purple Luan Token was probably the greatest reward of all!

"For the meager merit I earned, I don't deserve such a generous reward at all—so this is… hush money?"

"Right, Her Ladyship must be reminding me not to let anything slip."

Chen Mo mused to himself.

At that moment, the female official spoke up to remind him: "The Purple Luan Token represents Her Ladyship's authority; only use it when absolutely necessary, never lightly."

Chen Mo cupped his hands in a salute and said, "Thank you for the advice. May I ask how to address you, Miss?"

The female official clasped her hands behind her back and said coolly, "Xu Qingyi, Palace Secretary."

"So it's Secretary Xu."

Chen Mo straightened his back, raised the token, and declared loudly, "Secretary Xu, hear my order."

The female official: "…"

The corner of her eye twitched wildly; she clenched her fists tight, stared at the purple token, and finally lowered her head.

"I want you to help me investigate someone…"

……

"Safe travels, Secretary Xu~"

Watching that retreating figure vanish as if shrinking the earth beneath his feet, Chen Mo's smile gradually faded.

"The protagonist's sacrifice is a rite of passage for every villain."

"Counting the days, he should be arriving at Tiandu City soon, right?"

……

North of the city, Yizhen Ward.

A sprawling complex sat within it—bracket sets and soaring eaves, towering imposingly.

Black bricks, black tiles, high walls and deep courtyards; from afar it looked like a beast lying in wait, utterly oppressive.

This was the headquarters of the Tianlin Guard.

As a special institution independent of the Three Courts and Six Ministries, the Tianlin Guard's duties were extremely broad, including but not limited to: gathering intelligence, coercion and interrogation, investigating officials, open execution and covert assassination…

Sometimes, when the government office couldn't handle a case, the Tianlin Guard would assist.

In short, they did all the dirty and grueling work.

Originally the Tianlin Guard answered directly to the Emperor, but now Emperor Wulie's lifespan was nearing its end, and the power in his hands had fragmented. The Tianlin Guard had been infiltrated by both the Palace Faction and the Noble Consort Faction, becoming one of the battlegrounds for their struggle.

The Tianlin Guard was divided into five Offices and ten Bureaus, each Office staffed at one Battalion Commander.

The ten Bureaus were named after the Heavenly Stems:

Jia-Mu, Yi-Mu, Bing-Fire, Ding-Fire, Wu-Earth, Ji-Earth, Geng-Metal, Xin-Metal, Ren-Water, Gui-Water.

Of these, the Wu-Earth, Ji-Earth, Ren-Water, and Gui-Water Bureaus were controlled by the Noble Consort; the remaining six were all in the Empress Faction's hands.

And Chen Mo's position was a Chief Banner Commander under the Gui-Water Bureau.

Below him he commanded five Squad Leaders, fifty men in all.

For someone his age to have reached this position was already a break with convention.

Nothing for it—blame it on having someone above him.

Stepping through the Tianlin Guard's main gate, he found the vast training ground already packed with people.

The instant Chen Mo entered, the previously raucous atmosphere fell silent at once.

Every gaze converged on him.

Lately the name "Chen Mo" had been the talk of Tiandu City.

Whether it was the broken engagement or the disappearance of the courtesan queen, he was tangled up in all of it.

Add to that his absence for several days, and people couldn't help letting their imaginations run wild.

"Boss Chen."

"Boss, you're here."

One fat, one thin, the two called out to Chen Mo in greeting.

The fat one was called Qin Shou, the thin one Liu Mang—two Squad Leaders under Chen Mo, and the ones closest to him day to day.

Chen Mo gave a slight nod, about to speak, when suddenly a mocking voice rang out:

"Oh, isn't that Chief Banner Commander Chen?"

"I thought you'd resigned your post."

"Tore up a marriage contract over a courtesan queen, and ended up with nothing—lost the lady and the soldiers to boot. Have you been hiding under the covers crying about it these past few days?"

The speaker was a stubby man.

Bushy brows, a bulbous nose, a face pitted and pocked like a seeded strawberry.

Squad Leader of the Ding-Fire Bureau, Yan Xun.

The moment the words left his mouth, a burst of laughter erupted.

Chen Mo said nothing, his gaze sweeping across the crowd as he memorized every laughing face.

"Bullshit!"

"Yan Xun, you looking to die?"

Qin Shou jabbed a finger at Yan Xun's nose and cursed.

Liu Mang's face was expressionless, one hand already resting on his saber hilt.

"Just a joke—Chief Banner Commander Chen wouldn't take it to heart, would he?"

Yan Xun shrugged and said with a smile.

"Of course not."

Chen Mo replied evenly.

Yan Xun's expression grew even more smug, thinking Chen Mo had backed down.

"Because you're not worth it."

The words had barely fallen when saber qi exploded forth!

Chen Mo's slash was not aimed at Yan Xun, but at the pale-faced man beside him who had been watching the show in silence, his eyes full of mockery.

Chief Banner Commander of the Ding-Fire Bureau, Yan Xun's elder brother and direct superior—Yan Liang!