Chapter 64: Thousand Mechanisms

The night moon hung high, casting a sparse and faint glow, as though resting far above the nine heavens—too high, too distant, granting only a meager sliver of its radiance to the mortal world. By the entrance of the village, the ancient century-old tree reflected the flickering torchlight, its leaves shimmering with golden ripples in the wind.

Shen Nian leaped down from his horse, his breathing growing heavier with every approaching step. Inside the carriage behind him, Wen Xueying lifted the curtain, stunned for a moment before hurriedly dismounting and rushing forward.

Shen Nian muttered to himself, "How could this be... Weren't things fine just before? How did it come to this..."

Standing at the village entrance, Liang Zhanying turned back at the sound. He saw Shen Nian staring blankly ahead, halting in his tracks, too afraid to advance any further. Behind them, a green-robed physician with a worried expression rushed past with a medicine box, hurrying toward the blazing fire ahead.

Just as Wen Xueying tried to approach the villagers, a tall, dark figure suddenly blocked her path, completely shielding her from the bizarre and cruel sight before her.

Yan Kuang turned back, holding his sword, his brow furrowed as he shook his head at Wen Xueying. "Dangerous."

"But... I am a doctor." Wen Xueying lifted her medicine box, her gaze earnest. "Lord Yan, please do me a favor..."

Hearing this, Yan Kuang turned sideways. Wen Xueying raised her eyes simultaneously, and the moment the scene crashed into her pupils, the sounds around her magnified tenfold.

It was impossible to tell whether they were screams or roars. Before them were the ordinary villagers of Ginkgo Village. Yet ordinary villagers would not roar in an out-of-control frenzy like wild beasts, nor would they struggle and crash about with their mouths and hands covered in blood.

They were penned in by wooden fences. Outside stood nervous and terrified bailiffs waving torches, constantly shouting to beat back the charging villagers.

Wen Xueying tightly gripped the hem of her robe. "Lord Yan... I must trouble you to bring over a patient. I need to examine them to locate the source of the ailment."

Yan Kuang nodded, his gaze deep and heavy. After a moment of thought, he seemingly agreed. He tossed his sheathed sword onto the ground and strode straight toward the crowd, parting two trembling bailiffs. The torchlight suddenly struck from both sides, illuminating his grim, jade-like face.

The bailiffs were immediately alarmed, crying out, "Lord Yan, you cannot! These people have already gone mad! You cannot open the gate! Several of our brothers were just injured!"

Wen Xueying, who had stepped forward holding her sword, paused in surprise. "Then... what about the injured officers?"

Suddenly, a roar erupted from behind the crowd!

Beneath the night sky, a muffled blast rang out with the silver light of a cold spear. A figure was struck straight to the ground by the long spear in Liang Zhanying's hand. Following that, the spear fluttered like snow in skillful hands, and just as the tip was about to strike down, Shen Nian snapped back to his senses and hastily shouted to stop him, "No! Don't!"

"Xue Niang, that is Bailiff Xiao Li!"

The spear tip stopped a mere inch from the man's brow. Liang Zhanying wore a look of astonishment. As he raised his eyes, he saw not far away, figure after figure struggling to rise from the ground.

Wen Xueying and Yan Kuang, standing a bit further back, also took in this thoroughly clear scene. Wen Xueying looked up at Yan Kuang, shocked and helpless. "Lord Yan, there is no need to deliberately go inside to capture anyone..."

"Outside, there are... many..."

...

"The Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard... Yan Kuang?"

Before Cheng Ruyi could finish speaking, Shangguan Jiu, trapped within the dungeon, was instantly filled with bewilderment. He couldn't help but repeat the name, then continued, "You are that traitor to your sect, sycophant to villains, and frame-up artist of loyal ministers—Yan Kuang's lackey?"

What... what kind of nonsense is this!

...

Hearing this, Cheng Ruyi was left utterly dumbfounded. Seeing that he remained silent, Shangguan Jiu gave a light cough. Cheng Ruyi immediately snapped back to his senses and stammered, "No, no, no. I am his close... attendant, an attendant."

"No wonder..." Shangguan Jiu said with a tone of realization. "I heard that Yan Kuang is tall and robust, with peerless martial arts rarely seen in the world. Yet Your Excellency's footsteps are light and unstable, and your height should be somewhat lacking..."

"Ahem!" Cheng Ruyi interrupted him promptly. "Senior Shangguan's ability to discern position by sound is surely peerless in this world, unmatched by anyone!"

Shangguan Jiu smiled helplessly. "The five senses are interconnected. Lose one, and the remaining senses naturally become sharper than those of ordinary people." Changing the subject, Shangguan Jiu's tone turned somewhat sarcastic. "I simply never expected that the reach of the Embroidered Uniform Guard could extend all the way here... I wonder how Your Excellency managed to offend them, and whether your master will come to your rescue?"

Cheng Ruyi could hear the disdain in Shangguan Jiu's tone. Having previously devoted himself entirely to studying and pursuing an official career, he had no idea that Yan Kuang possessed such a notorious reputation and past unknown to him.

After a moment of thought, Cheng Ruyi maintained a mild tone, yet spoke with solemn gravity. "It seems Senior Shangguan harbors deep misunderstandings regarding my master. There are too many standards in this world, and the boundary between good and evil is even more subtle. I suppose that amid gossip and hearsay, rumors are the least trustworthy. Since Senior Shangguan can use your ears as eyes and your heart to observe people, yet you have not even laid eyes on my master with this exquisite heart and mind, how can you blindly trust rumors and rush to a conclusion?"

Shangguan Jiu was taken aback, momentarily at a loss for how to retort. Then he heard Cheng Ruyi's voice grow deeper, earnest and resolute, every single word falling clearly into his ears—

"No matter how the world judges him, I believe in him. I believe he would never commit a betrayal, nor would he slaughter the kind and innocent. My master is no one's lackey; he stands with the heavens above his head and the yellow earth beneath his feet, an upright... man."

After saying all this, Cheng Ruyi found it incredible himself, and feeling his cheeks burn with inexplicable heat, he instinctively raised his hands to cup and rub his face.

After a long pause, Shangguan Jiu finally spoke. "It was I who let the dust and smoke of the mortal world blind my heart and mind. My wild and reckless words just now were deeply offensive; please forgive me."

"No matter... no matter, I too have caused offense..." Cheng Ruyi felt a sudden surge of guilt, wondering why he had bothered to bicker with someone in such a tragic plight. What a sin, truly...

Then he heard Shangguan Jiu lower his voice and ask, "So, how is it that Your Excellency was locked up in this place? Others have been imprisoned here in the past, but the moment they laid eyes on me, they immediately submitted and admitted defeat. But Your Excellency... does not seem to be that sort of person."

The man before him was genuinely injured, and his wretched state was heart-wrenching. Knowing there was no point in playing along or spouting nonsense to Shangguan Jiu, Cheng Ruyi lowered his voice and said, "I accompanied Commander Yan to Qizhou for an inspection and discovered that Penglai New Village is suspected of poisoning the villagers, an incident linked to the deaths of everyone at the Boyun Tian Manor a few years ago..."

"Your Excellency, wait a moment...!" Shangguan Jiu suddenly blurted out in agitation. "Did you say everyone at Boyun Tian... died?"

Not understanding why, Cheng Ruyi simply replied, "Yes, that's right, why..."

"You said they died, rather than went missing or fled... Could it be that you've been to the Lost Soul Forest?"

Stretching out his neck and lifting his head with great difficulty, Shangguan Jiu asked with urgent anticipation. Seeing this, Cheng Ruyi felt a pang of sympathy and hurriedly answered, "Yes... we found the remains of the Boyun Tian disciples. By now, the Prefect of Qizhou should have already had the remains moved away."

"Remains... they've finally been found?" A hint of a smile suddenly appeared at the corners of Shangguan Jiu's mouth. He smiled and shook his head, his emotions growing increasingly agitated as he kept repeating, "Finally... finally..."

Fearing that Shangguan Jiu might pass out from overexertion, Cheng Ruyi quickly stepped forward to console him. "Senior, please don't get too excited... Shall I try to see if I can help open these chains and let you down to rest for a bit..."

"There's no need," Shangguan Jiu said with a bitter smile. "My bones are already broken. Without these iron chains to hold me up, I wouldn't even be able to sit face-to-face and converse freely with Your Excellency..."

Cheng Ruyi was stunned. He watched as Shangguan Jiu took a deep breath and continued, "I know the antidote to the poison affliction the villagers, and I can help Your Excellency escape this place... However, Your Excellency must do me two favors."

Though the condition was tempting, Cheng Ruyi did not agree immediately. He pressed his lips together in deep thought for a moment before nodding. "My abilities are limited. What kind of favors they are, how I am to help, and why I should help—please explain in detail. Moreover, since I have already stated my reasons for being here, may I ask why Senior is trapped in this place?"

When asked about his past, Shangguan Jiu paused for a moment. He caught his breath before speaking, his voice hoarse and cold, echoing through the corridor as he followed the thread of memory to unveil the dust-laden past.

...

Clashing weapons and galloping horses, the rise and fall of dynasties—born amidst the twists and turns of history, the victors become heroes while the vanquished turn to bones, yet the common masses can never escape the suffering of displacement.

Thirty years ago, the former dynasty of Southern Yan fell, refugees scattered in all directions, and scorched earth covered the land.

Shangguan Jiu, who was still a youth back then and a descendant of the Southern Yan nobility, packed up his family assets and servants after the destruction of the nation and settled here.

He hoped for a pure land amidst the troubled times; he hoped to protect a pure land amidst the troubled times. Although Shangguan Jiu possessed no martial arts skills, he was benevolent and generous. Because of his lavish spending, he quickly made the acquaintance of many heroes and gallants. Gathering here to protect the local people, sharing the same ideals—it was truly a fine tale in the mortal world.

"Back then, the name Boyun Tian did not exist. Because it was surrounded by ginkgo forests, it was simply called Ginkgo Manor, until that day... he came."

Shangguan Jiu spoke softly, his tone level as he recounted the past, yet his expression suddenly burst with brilliance when he uttered a single name.

For some reason, Cheng Ruyi firmly believed that if Shangguan Jiu's eyes were still intact, they would undoubtedly be shining with light at this very moment.

"Tang Qingge..."

"Daige..."

These two names were turned over and over on Shangguan Jiu's tongue. He softened his tone even further, as if those names were light snow and lingering frost, and a heavier breath from him would melt them into water.

A tall tree catches the wind, and a pure land is hard to protect; Ginkgo Manor could not escape the clamor of the mortal world either. One night twenty years ago, bandits from more than a dozen surrounding strongholds gathered and besieged Ginkgo Manor, intending both to loot its wealth and clear their path.

Shangguan Jiu recounted leisurely, "With our manor stationed here, the bandits dared not invade the nearby villages, which cut off their financial source. Naturally, their resentment ran deep and had accumulated over a long time..."

Following the thread of his past memories, Shangguan Jiu's eyes lit up, as if his entire person had returned to that very night and witnessed the daylight once more.

That night, the bandits launched a ferocious attack, and Ginkgo Manor was completely overrun. The brothers fought to the death outside and refused to retreat, while several trusted aides insisted on escorting him away through the back mountain. Yet Shangguan Jiu's eyes were filled with absolute resolve, declaring that he would live and die with the others.

"Master! While there are green hills left, there's no need to worry about firewood! They outnumber us, and the manor cannot possibly be held. You must flee quickly... Urgh!"

The aide's words were cut short as a hidden arrow pierced straight through his heart. Watching his close friend fall before his eyes, grief welled up in Shangguan Jiu's chest. He drew his sword to meet the enemy, only to find that although he held a sword in hand, his swings were completely devoid of any method.

His movements provoked howling laughter from the bandits who had broken in, mocking this gentle scholar with no strength to truss a chicken for thinking he could kill people. Someone stepped forward to taunt him, and Shangguan Jiu gritted his teeth and swung his sword, actually managing to graze the man.

A vicious kick to the chest sent Shangguan Jiu coughing up a mouthful of blood, sending the long sword in his hand flying far away. Struggling to open his eyes against the cold gleam of the swords, he slowly closed them again.

Since he could neither protect the manor nor his brothers, perishing along with them was fine.

Yet in the span of a single thought, he heard the sound of the air being violently torn apart, immediately followed by shrieks of agony! Straining to open his eyes once more, Shangguan Jiu saw the bandit ruffians collapsing to the ground one by one, wailing and begging for mercy.

And there, standing in the background, was a gray-blue figure leaning half against the door frame, holding a bizarre crossbow. For a fleeting second, their eyes met. That person put aside the crossbow and stepped forward into the wind with carefree grace.

"You must be Shangguan Jiu? A pleasure. I am Tang Qingge, your savior."

The man who called himself Tang Qingge raised an eyebrow and smiled. The moment he leaned in close, a whisper too soft to hear fell into Shangguan Jiu's ear, enough for him to remember for a lifetime.