Chapter 106: The Assistant Regional Commander

Yishiju is one of the most prestigious establishments in the capital.

Wealthy merchants, officials, scholars, and beauties all favor this place for drinking and merriment.

Especially the third floor—without proper status, one simply cannot ascend.

Sitting in the largest window-side private room on the third floor, Lin Yu gazed thoughtfully out the window.

Following his gaze, one could see the Liujing River in the western city, dotted with numerous painted pleasure boats.

Clearly, choosing this location for dinner was no casual decision by Fan Xian—it was deliberate.

Fan Xian, seated across from Lin Yu, noticed his gaze and smiled faintly.

“There are many window-side rooms on the third floor, but among them, I still prefer this one.”

“Brother speaks truly!”

The white-clad girl beside Fan Xian spoke softly.

She was slender, with a delicate, clear beauty—not breathtakingly gorgeous, but her demeanor was pure, especially her jet-black eyes, which radiated an untainted, otherworldly clarity.

Without doubt, this white-clad girl was Fan Xian’s sister, Fan Ruoruo!

After responding to Fan Xian, Fan Ruoruo turned to Lin Yu and smiled gently: “I’ve heard you are both literary and martial, a sage even my brother admires.”

“With such a scene before us, it’s perfect for verse—would you be willing to compose a few lines?”

At these words, Fan Xian’s smile froze, then he rubbed his temple in exasperation.

Too hasty!

He had repeatedly warned Fan Ruoruo to treat Lin Yu as she treated himself, yet this girl was stubborn—his warnings only made her more defiant.

Now, right before his eyes, she dares to test Lin Yu’s talent with poetry—this is…

Fan Xian winced and shot Lin Yu a glance, silently urging him to just recite a couple of poems.

But Lin Yu did not comply; instead, he smiled warmly at Fan Ruoruo and said: “I have an empty mind, nowhere near Anzhi’s brilliance—I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you, Young Lady.”

“….”

Seeing Lin Yu speak so candidly, Fan Ruoruo was stunned.

When she regained her composure, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

As the capital’s foremost female scholar, Fan Ruoruo was no fool.

And the flaw of the clever is overthinking—Fan Ruoruo was no exception.

She seemed to interpret “empty mind” as a double meaning: hinting not only at Lin Yu’s guest status, but also subtly accusing her and her brother of poor hospitality…

Realizing this, the girl felt ashamed and immediately rose, her face still flushed, bowing slightly:

“Brother, please wait—I’ll hurry the kitchen.”

With that, she hurried out of the room.

After Fan Ruoruo left, Fan Xian winked and gave Lin Yu a thumbs-up:

“No wonder you’re called Brother—you’ve tamed even my proud sister!”

“Don’t say things that invite misunderstanding.”

Lin Yu shook his head: “Your sister overthinks—she misunderstood me herself.”

As he spoke, he turned back to the window, his gaze seeming to pierce space and observe all that transpired on the Liujing River.

“The pleasure boats are still there.”

Lin Yu suddenly spoke: “But Si Lili has already fled.”

Fan Xian paused, then smiled, unconcerned: “Let her run. I never intended to capture her—or at least, not yet.”

“If she doesn’t flee, how will the Surveillance Bureau know she’s a Bei Qi spy? If they don’t know, how can I pin the crime of colluding with Bei Qi on Princess Chang?”

“As for Brother Wu, I sent him there merely to make a statement—later, when we catch her outside the city, we’ll have a reason.”

Here, Fan Xian paused and whispered urgently: “Enough of this—Ruoruo’s coming back!”

Before he finished speaking, the curtain was pulled aside—it was Fan Ruoruo, accompanied by a waiter.

The waiter placed the dishes; Fan Ruoruo returned to her seat, but her demeanor had clearly changed—she had evidently adjusted her emotions during her absence.

During the meal, the three ate and conversed; as a scholar, Fan Ruoruo was naturally well-read.

Yet no matter the topic she raised, Lin Yu responded effortlessly—this deepened her guilt, for she now believed his earlier words were mere modesty, and that she herself had lacked grace, doubting that a man admired even by her brother could be a fraud.

Overall, the meal was pleasant.

In contrast, Nie Kang, who arrived at the Assistant Regional Commander’s residence in the southern city, was far from relaxed.

Fan Xian delayed sending someone to the residence not only to wait for Wang Qinian, but also because the original text noted that the Assistant Regional Commander’s family was killed at night.

He assumed Li Yunrui wouldn’t strike in broad daylight, yet this assassination had triggered a butterfly effect.

Especially the speed with which he eliminated the assassins—this shocked Li Yunrui, who, upon hearing the news, immediately dispatched men to the residence to silence all witnesses.

When Nie Kang arrived, everyone in the residence—including Fang Da’s wife, children, servants, and maids—lay unconscious on the ground.

Dozens of black-clad figures moved through the residence, hanging each body from rafters to fake suicide.

Seeing the corpses lining the corridor, Nie Kang’s heart surged with fury—he rushed toward the main chamber in the back courtyard.

Meanwhile, in the bedroom of Fang Da, Assistant Regional Commander of the City Patrol.

A woman in a cloak stood beside a wooden table, picking up a mask, her expression cold as she stared at the unconscious Fang Da.

“Hang him too.”

“Yes!”

Two black-clad men bowed respectfully, then stepped forward to lift the unconscious Fang Da.

Seeing this, the cloaked woman turned and walked toward the door.

At that moment, a brilliant sword light surged toward her, filling her vision.

Startled, she twisted aside, channeling her Qi into her palm and slammed it toward the blade.

“Squelch—”

Blood sprayed—her rough palm split cleanly in two.

The sword light kept advancing, carving a deep, foot-long gash across her chest and abdomen.

Crimson blood streamed down her body, soaking her clothes, filling the room with thick, cloying stench of blood.

“A ninth-rank expert?!”

The woman collapsed, clutching her chest, staring in shock and rage at the young man in black cloth covering his face.

Nie Kang was also surprised—though it was merely a casual strike, few could survive it.

This woman was so decisive, she sacrificed her hand to save her life.

That meant she wasn’t just eighth-rank—she was a hardened veteran, battle-scarred and experienced.

…But it didn’t matter. One sword didn’t kill? Then strike again.

In this world, the gap in strength could never be bridged by experience alone.

Nie Kang regarded her coldly; before she could cry out, he slashed his blade across her neck, severing her head.

After casually killing one, Nie Kang stepped into the room.

The two black-clad men were already alert, lying in ambush on either side, launching sudden attacks.

In an instant, brilliant swordlight erupted from the doorway, filling their vision.

The two men froze, realizing their field of view was rising—as if lifted by an upward force, their bodies involuntarily soared.

Only in the next second, as their perspective flipped downward, did they see their own headless corpses mid-air, and the gushing blood below—only then did they understand the source of that force…

“Thud! Thud!”

Two corpses hit the ground; their severed heads rolled to a stop on the blood-slicked threshold.

This mission was fueled by rage, so his strikes were brutal—always decapitating.

Nie Kang swung his sword, leaving a trail of blood on the floor, then stepped forward, knelt beside the unconscious Fang Da, and checked his breath.

“Still alive…”

Nie Kang exhaled in relief, then frowned, staring intently at the black veins on Fang Da’s neck.

“This isn’t a sedative!”

“I can’t cure this poison…”

Nie Kang sighed, thought for a moment, then hoisted Fang Da onto his shoulder and turned to leave the room.

Meanwhile, the black-clad men in the residence sensed the commotion—but instead of rushing over, they first turned on the remaining living members of the Fang family.

When Nie Kang leapt onto the roof, barely any living souls remained in the residence.

Sensing the few lingering breaths in the front courtyard, Nie Kang hesitated.

He was furious at Fang Da for participating in the assassination.

He didn’t care about the Fang family’s lives.

But these maids and servants—they died unjustly.

If he could, he’d save a few.

But unfortunately, his mission was only to secure Fang Da—and Fang Da was poisoned, time was critical…

After struggling internally, Nie Kang gritted his teeth, hoisted Fang Da, and leapt forward, determined to return to Fan’s residence before Fang Da died.

At that moment, his sword glowed with emerald light—then flew on its own, becoming a streak of light that pierced the chests of every black-clad man in the residence within seconds.

Finally, the emerald flying sword arrived before the only living unconscious boy.

The tip pierced his back, lifting him into the air and carrying him to Nie Kang’s side.

“…What is this?!”

Nie Kang was stunned, but remembering the sword was gifted by the Young Master, he accepted it—and seized the boy, carrying both toward Fan’s residence.

At the same time, Lin Yu at Yishi Restaurant set down his wine cup and said softly, “It’s about time.”

“…”

Fan Xian blinked slightly, then understood, and stood up. “Let’s head back then!”

(End of Chapter)