Chapter 36: The Jade Capital Above

Well, this twist upon twist upon twist…

Only Lu Lingfeng got hurt—this world has been achieved!

Su Haoming couldn’t help internally scoffing.

Beside him, Lin Yu’s eyes grew brighter with every word, clearly intrigued by this drama.

Meanwhile, the white-robed man gazed deeply at Su Wuming, then spoke slowly:

“No wonder you’re Di Gong’s disciple—truly impressive skills!”

“…”

Hearing the white-robed man’s voice, Su Wuming froze, then furrowed his brow tightly.

He was born with extraordinary hearing, especially in judging voices, precise beyond compare.

Thus, the moment the white-robed man spoke, he recognized his identity…

‘So it’s him!’

Su Wuming snapped back to himself, glanced at the white-robed man with a complex expression, then straightened his robes and bowed:

“Changan County Wei Su Wuming, pays respects to County Magistrate Yuan!”

“What?!”

At these words, the Changan constables disguised as archers all stared in shock.

Lu Lingfeng and the three Jinyu Guards were equally stunned, staring unbelievingly at the white-robed man.

The white-robed man fell silent for a moment, then raised his hand and removed the demon mask, revealing a weathered face.

“Correct. It’s me.”

Yuan Lai asked calmly, “How did you figure it out?”

“It’s really the County Magistrate!”

The Changan constables burst into exclamations.

Lu Lingfeng’s face turned icy; he swung his long blade, pointing it at Yuan Lai, bellowing: “Yuan Lai, as County Magistrate of Changan, a father-mother to the people, you secretly murdered twelve innocent brides and spread demonic tea to plague Changan—how dare you face the court and the people?!”

“Hah!”

“The court?” Yuan Lai sneered, fixing Lu Lingfeng with a glare. “You keep talking about owing loyalty to the court—why don’t you ask whether the court ever owed me anything?!”

“…”

Both Lu Lingfeng and Su Wuming froze at these words.

Yuan Lai rose from his iron seat, sneering: “Lu Lingfeng, you’re barely young, yet already a Third-Rank Jinyu Guard Lieutenant-General. I’m past fifty, yet still just a lowly County Magistrate of Changan.”

“Do you know why?”

“Because you’re from the Fan Yang Lu clan—a noble family—while my Yuan clan has fallen, the scholar-gentry decayed, and I had to endure ten years of bitter study just to pass the imperial exam!”

Lu Lingfeng stared at him, stunned—he never imagined this murderer would speak such words.

Yuan Lai’s gaze swept over the crowd, coldly stating: “All these years, as County Magistrate of Changan, I rose before dawn and worked past dusk, diligently governing the west of Zhuque Street to perfection. But what did the higher-ups do?”

“They kept me stranded in Changan County for years, citing my crippled leg!”

“Yet they stole my achievements to flaunt before the court, using me as a stepping stone for their own promotions!”

At this, Yuan Lai’s eyes burned with fury, as if ready to spew fire.

Lu Lingfeng snapped out of his shock, frowning: “If the court is unjust, why murder innocent civilians?”

“Because the Changan Red Tea he brewed is made from the pure yin blood of brides!”

Su Wuming finally spoke, gazing at Yuan Lai with a complex expression: “Regardless, you’ve taken twelve innocent lives. As County Wei of Changan, I cannot stand idly by!”

“Hmph!” Yuan Lai swept his sleeve, coldly saying: “No one can stop my plan!”

“Kill them!”

With that, he strode swiftly toward a blind spot beneath the stage; the dozens of black-clad men surrounding him tightened their grips on their blades and charged Lu Lingfeng and the others without fear of death.

They were death-soldiers!

Su Wuming was startled.

The earlier ambush had been too easy—he’d assumed these men were merely Yuan Lai’s hired thugs!

“Kill!”

Amidst the battle cries, Lu Lingfeng and the three others clashed with the black-clad death-soldiers, yet no movement stirred beside Su Wuming.

He sensed something wrong, turned quickly—and saw the Changan constables on the stone platform staring at each other in hesitation.

Yuan Lai had been their superior for years; his lingering authority remained. Without Su Wuming’s order, they dared not shoot.

Realizing this, Su Wuming shouted urgently: “Three squad leaders, brothers—Yuan Lai is no magistrate, he’s the true villain! Capture him, and I and the Lieutenant-General will petition for your rewards!”

At these words, the constables exchanged glances, then finally released their arrows.

“Shhh—shhh—shhh—”

Over a dozen arrows rained down, piercing the backs of the black-clad men, relieving the pressure on Lu Lingfeng and the others.

Meanwhile, Yuan Lai, hidden beneath the stage, reached into his robe and pulled out a bone flute, blowing hard.

“Wuuu—”

Instantly, the long, haunting melody echoed through the cavern; the four statues of the Heavenly Kings standing in the corners of the stage trembled violently.

Lu Lingfeng and the others were locked in combat and didn’t notice—but Su Wuming, standing on the cavern wall’s stone platform, felt a chilling premonition.

Indeed, as the shaking intensified, cracks split open across the statues’ surfaces.

The next instant, the four Heavenly King statues shattered, and four grotesque men leapt out.

They varied in height and build, wielding wildly different weapons; the only similarity was the strange patterns tattooed across their exposed skin—clearly not of Tang origin.

“The Four Ghosts of Youli!”

Su Wuming recognized them, and cried out in shock and rage: “Bold Yuan Lai! These Four Ghosts of Youli once infiltrated the capital to assassinate the Emperor, were captured and imprisoned in Changan County Jail—yet vanished without a trace. You secretly rescued them!”

“Heh!”

Yuan Lai stepped calmly onto the stage, smiling lightly: “To achieve great things, one must plan far ahead…”

Before he finished speaking, Jia, the squad leader beside Su Wuming, seized the chance and loosed an arrow at Yuan Lai.

But the Youli man beside Yuan Lai merely raised his massive axe—and effortlessly deflected the arrow.

“Ha ha!”

Yuan Lai laughed loudly: “The Four Ghosts of Youli are formidable warriors! Even all of Changan’s top experts combined barely subdued them once. Do you think your rabble can stand against them?”

With that, his face turned cold, and he waved his hand: “Kill!”

“Yes, Immortal Master!”

Three of the Four Ghosts of Youli bowed and obeyed; one remained guarding Yuan Lai.

The Changan archers were stunned, immediately aiming arrows at the Four Ghosts—but the Youli men possessed hardened secret arts, impervious to blades and arrows; the arrows struck their skin and bounced off harmlessly.

“Ding ding dang dang!”

Arrows fell like rain, but were simply deflected by their unyielding skin.

The Youli giant wielding the golden mace roared, raised the weapon before him, charged through the arrowstorm, and leapt toward the stone platform.

Su Wuming was startled, quickly retreating.

At that moment, a powerful gust swept past his side.

The spiraling air current, like a spinning saw, slammed straight into the golden mace giant’s chest.

“Puch—”

Instantly, the giant’s blood sprayed through the air.

His supposedly invulnerable body split open under the air’s cutting force, a deep gash stretching across his chest.

Agony surged into his mind; the giant let out a piercing scream and collapsed heavily to the ground.

Seeing this, the other three Youli Ghosts all glared in fury.

Yuan Lai, too, was stunned and enraged, glaring at the cavern entrance behind Su Wuming:

“Who are you?!”

“Tap… tap…”

Slow, unhurried footsteps echoed from behind.

Su Wuming and Jia turned in shock—two figures emerged from the hidden passage, standing before them.

Both wore black robes and masks; their attire resembled Yuan Lai’s death-soldiers, but their masks were not demon masks—they were exquisite white jade masks, finely carved.

Seeing Su Wuming and Jia staring, the lead black-robed man glanced at them, then walked past without a word, stopping at the edge of the stone platform.

“What a grand performance!”

A soft, clear voice drifted from beneath the pure-white jade mask, reaching every ear in the chamber.

The sudden voice startled both sides; they scattered left and right, staring at this mysterious third party.

“Who are you? Why interfere?!”

Yuan Lai glared at the two black-robed figures on the platform.

But the strangers paid no heed to Yuan Lai; their gaze fixed instead on the Four Ghosts of Youli.

“Above, the jade capital of heaven, twelve towers, five cities.”

“The Immortal strokes my crown, ties my hair, grants me eternal life…”

The lead black-robed man lowered his eyes, speaking calmly: “Four Ghosts of Youli—you stole my immortal arts, practiced them in secret. Now cornered, will you not surrender at once?!”

(End of Chapter)