The Hall of Returning Dust remained quiet for a long time.
The sound of rain continued to fall outside, fine and dense, dripping down along the eaves. Ever since Su Muchen had scolded it, the door to the back room had actually settled down. It neither shook again nor seeped out even the slightest bit of white light.
Su Muchen looked at the door and suddenly felt that it resembled an elder who had been scolded and was now pretending to be dead.
When this thought surfaced, even he fell silent for a moment.
His life lately was simply too absurd.
So absurd that he had actually begun to feel that a door had a temper and emotions, and might even shut itself up after being scolded.
Xiao, also known as Su Jinye, sat beside the counter, holding a cup of tea. Rarely, he said nothing.
Su Muchen turned to look at him.
After learning that Xiao was also a member of the Su family, many things that had originally been confusing seemed to suddenly have an explanation.
Why was Xiao so familiar with the Hall of Returning Dust?
Why did he know the rules of the door?
Why could he handle gold, supplies, bloodstains, and all those dangerous, miscellaneous things?
Why did he always look like an employee, yet never like someone who actually worked for a salary?
Because he had never been an ordinary shop assistant to begin with.
He was a collateral branch of the Su family.
The branch responsible for guarding the door.
Su Muchen had never seriously considered that he still had relatives.
Or rather, he had never felt that those people connected to him by blood had anything to do with him.
When his father was alive, no relatives had ever come looking for him.
Even less so after his father died.
The debts, the run-down shop, and the mess left behind by his stepmother and younger half-brother had all fallen on him alone. It was then that he truly understood that some so-called family members existed only in household registries, obituaries, and lists of creditors.
And now, a distant cousin had suddenly appeared.
A cousin who watched him eat, helped him deal with gold, stood up for him against the Sheng family, and was bound by the door to the point that he could not even speak properly.
For a moment, Su Muchen could not quite explain what he was feeling.
It was not that he was completely angry.
Nor did he completely believe him.
And it certainly was not as though he could suddenly call him “Cousin” affectionately.
But he truly did feel as though some place in his chest had loosened a little.
At least there was not only one member of the Su family in this shop.
At least after his grandfather’s death, that seemingly severed bloodline and responsibility were not being carried by him alone.
Su Muchen was silent for a moment before asking, “So the Su family used to have two branches?”
Xiao raised his eyes.
“Mm.”
“My branch guarded the shop, and your branch guarded the door?”
“More or less.” Xiao said, “More precisely, the direct line of the Su family inherits the Hall of Returning Dust, while the bloodline is responsible for controlling the key. The collateral branch does not inherit the shop. They are only responsible for protecting the door, guarding the door, recording the door, and, when necessary… repairing the door.”
Su Muchen frowned.
“Repairing the door?”
Xiao’s fingers tightened slightly around his teacup.
“The door has never been a stable existence. When the cause and effect between the two realms becomes too heavily entangled, it becomes even more unstable. It may fail to open, or it may fail to close. At that time, it won’t just be people who can pass through. Other things may also be drawn here.”
Su Muchen’s heart sank.
“Other things?”
Xiao looked at him.
His gaze was very calm, yet it made Su Muchen realize that this was another question that could not be pursued too deeply.
Sure enough, Xiao quickly looked away.
“It’s not time to talk about that yet.”
Su Muchen took a deep breath.
He held it in.
He really held it in.
“Fine.” He said calmly, “Then let’s change the subject to something you can talk about. Why does the Sheng family know about the Hall of Returning Dust?”
Xiao was silent for a moment.
This time, he did not brush him off.
“The Sheng family had contact with the Su family a long time ago. At first, they weren’t enemies. At least, not on the surface. They were merchants, while the Su family guarded the shop. Occasionally, the two sides exchanged old objects, gold and silver, and unusual goods.”
“Unusual goods?”
“Things that come out of the door can’t simply appear before ordinary people. They always need some sort of explanation.” Xiao said, “The Hall of Returning Dust in the past wasn’t merely a shop. It was also a place of concealment. The Sheng family’s ancestors once helped the Su family deal with some goods that could not be spoken of openly.”
Su Muchen slowly knitted his brows.
“So the Sheng family initially knew some of the truth and was a partner?”
“They only knew a little.” Xiao said, “They knew that the Hall of Returning Dust had an unusual source of goods. They knew that the Su family could not close the shop. And they knew that the shop could not leave the Su family’s bloodline. But they didn’t know everything about the door.”
“What happened afterward?”
Xiao’s smile was faint.
“Once a person has tasted sweetness, they won’t be content with receiving only a little of the soup.”
Su Muchen understood.
The Sheng family had initially only been responsible for handling goods for the Su family.
But as time passed, they began wanting to know where the goods came from. They wanted control over the Hall of Returning Dust, and even wanted to bypass the Su family and obtain the things behind the door directly.
“So they’ve been watching for eight generations.” Su Muchen said.
Xiao nodded.
“During your grandfather’s generation, they tried the hardest. But the old master was more difficult to deal with than they had imagined. The Sheng family reached out several times, and he pushed them back every time.”
Su Muchen’s gaze shifted slightly.
He thought of his grandfather.
That old man who had always held his hand, bought him candy, and slowly wiped down old objects in the shop.
In the past, he had only thought of his grandfather as gentle, stubborn, and somewhat superstitious.
Only now did he know that his grandfather had probably been standing alone against the Sheng family’s advances for a very long time.
Su Muchen’s throat felt slightly tight.
“Then why did my father still owe the Sheng family money?”
Xiao was silent for a moment.
“Because he didn’t believe the old master, and he didn’t believe the family rules. He felt that the Hall of Returning Dust was dragging him down. He thought the old master was hiding valuable things and refusing to give them to him. He wanted to sell the shop, wanted to exchange it for money, and wanted to prove that he was smarter than all those members of the Su family who clung to their broken rules.”
Su Muchen lowered his eyes.
That was far too much like his father.
Selfish, arrogant, and always blaming others for his own failures.
“The Sheng family took advantage of him?”
“Yes.”
Xiao’s voice was very low.
“Part of the debt he incurred wasn’t simply from failed business investments. There was the Sheng family’s shadow behind it. It’s just that even until his death, he might never have realized that he had been used as a tool to pry open the Hall of Returning Dust.”
Su Muchen remained silent for a long time.
He had thought hearing this would make him furious.
But after actually hearing it, what he felt instead was an exhausted coldness.
So many things had not happened suddenly after all.
His father’s debts.
Sheng Chengxiu’s acquisition attempt.
The Hall of Returning Dust being forced into a dead end.
None of it was accidental.
Someone had been waiting for a long time, until the main line of the Su family was reduced to him alone—a young man in debt, isolated and without anyone to rely on.
Su Muchen suddenly laughed.
“So Sheng Chengxiu didn’t take a fancy to the Hall of Returning Dust. He just thought I would be the easiest person to bully.”
Xiao looked at him.
“At first.”
Su Muchen raised his eyes.
Xiao’s tone was even. “Now, probably not.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s begun to take an interest in you personally.”
Su Muchen: “…”
He was silent for a moment, his expression somewhat unpleasant.
“Can you not say something so disgusting at a time like this?”
Xiao rarely smiled.
“This isn’t a joke, Muchen. If Sheng Chengxiu only wanted the shop, things would actually be simple. But if he starts wanting you, things will become much more troublesome.”
Su Muchen naturally understood.
Being targeted for the shop and being targeted personally were two completely different kinds of danger.
He remembered the way Sheng Chengxiu had looked at him.
That gaze was like looking at an object that was about to fall into his hands, yet also like looking at prey that had just caught his interest.
Su Muchen’s stomach turned cold.
Seeing his expression, Xiao softened his tone.
“So from now on, don’t meet him alone, and don’t attend any appointments related to the Sheng family by yourself. Have Lawyer Liang handle all communication, and keep records of every document. I’ll re-encrypt the shop’s surveillance system, and the back door and second floor will also have their locks changed.”
Su Muchen looked up.
“The second floor?”
“Mm.”
Xiao said, “Don’t you often sleep in the lounge on the second floor? From now on, don’t be so careless about locking it at night.”
Su Muchen had initially wanted to say that Sheng Chengxiu wouldn’t dare break in in the middle of the night.
But when the words reached his lips, he stopped.
Who knew?
He had once thought that the Sheng family wouldn’t possibly keep an eye on a run-down shop for eight generations.
Su Muchen nodded vigorously.
“Okay.”
Xiao looked at him, as though he still wanted to say something. In the end, he merely reached out and rubbed his head.
Su Muchen stiffened.
“What are you doing?”
Xiao smiled.
“Your cousin is showing concern for his younger cousin.”
Su Muchen: “…”
He expressionlessly slapped Xiao’s hand away.
“Don’t take advantage of me.”
Xiao finally laughed.
Although his laughter was very soft.
But at this moment, the heaviness that had weighed upon the Hall of Returning Dust for so long finally loosened a little.
◆◇◆◇◆
The inventory at the West Warehouse of Blackpine Ridge continued until well past midnight.
The first batch of Cold River light cavalry sent by Qin Feng arrived even faster than expected.
They did not light torches. Instead, they traveled along the hidden route Xia Lanshi had provided. When they reached the western road, the leading Cold River commandant saw the row of sealed grain carts and froze in place.
“These…”
A personal guard said quietly, “Grain for the Northern Frontier Army.”
The commandant’s eyes immediately reddened.
In Cold River City, everyone had been calculating grain for the past several days.
How thin a spoonful of porridge could be made, how many days one sack of rice could last, how much more the sick, elderly, and children should receive, and how much the army should save.
They had calculated for so long that they had almost forgotten that the grain the imperial court was supposed to send should not exist only in memorials and excuses.
Now those sacks of grain were right before their eyes.
The official granary seal on the sack openings was still there.
Northern Frontier Transport Office.
The commandant clenched his teeth and cursed under his breath.
“Bastards.”
No one stopped him.
Because everyone wanted to curse them.
Xiao Yuan stood outside the West Warehouse and handed the account books to the clerk sent by Qin Feng.
“Make two copies. Send one to Qingshi Village for Chief Administrator Xia, and keep one in my hands. Seal the original. It is not to leave anyone’s possession.”
The clerk lowered his head and acknowledged the order.
“Keep the men in gray clothing in separate cells.” Xiao Yuan ordered again. “Do not let them exchange statements. Interrogate the bandits about the oil and the routes taken by the grain carts first. Those connected to the Transport Office can be dealt with afterward.”
The personal guards recorded the orders one by one.
The Cold River commandant could not help asking, “Your Highness, should Blackpine Ridge be taken tonight?”
Xiao Yuan looked toward the depths of the mountains.
The main stronghold of Blackpine Ridge was still there.
The man in gray whom they had deliberately allowed to escape had also yet to send back word.
If they attacked the mountain directly now, they could destroy one stronghold, but they might not be able to uncover the deeper hand behind it. Yet if they waited too long, the other side might also abandon the mountain and flee.
They had to be fast.
And precise.
Xiao Yuan said, “There is no need to attack the stronghold yet. First seal off the grain route, cut off the southern entrance, and control the western road. Let Blackpine Ridge know that the grain is gone, but not how much we have in our possession.”
The commandant was startled, then immediately understood.
“Your Highness intends to force them into disorder?”
“Mm.”
Blackpine Ridge was not afraid of Prince Su knowing there were bandits. The bandits were merely the blade in plain sight.
What they feared was Prince Su obtaining the grain, the account books, and the prisoners alive, while also discovering that the matter involved the Ministry of Revenue, the Transport Office, and that mysterious “Sheng.”
The more uncertain they were about how far Xiao Yuan’s investigation had gone, the easier it would be for them to panic.
And once they panicked, they would reveal more threads.
Xiao Yuan lowered his eyes to the wheel tracks in the snow.
“Send an order to Qingshi Village. Before the hour of Chen tomorrow, have Chief Administrator Xia spread the news.”
The commandant asked, “What news?”
Xiao Yuan said, “Zhao Ping of the Northern Watch Post is dead. The whereabouts of the grain carts are unknown. Prince Su is seriously wounded, and Qingshi Village will temporarily hold its position and not venture out.”
The commandant abruptly raised his head.
This was the opposite of the truth—not merely the opposite, but a net being cast.
If Blackpine Ridge and the people behind it believed that Prince Su was seriously wounded and Zhao Ping was dead, they would rush to deal with the aftermath. They might even send people to retrieve the account books or move other hidden stores of grain.
And as long as they moved, they would leave traces.
The commandant’s eyes gradually brightened.
“This subordinate understands.”
Xiao Yuan added, “The news cannot come from the army. It must spread from the mouths of refugees in Qingshi Village.”
The commandant paused, and then his heart tightened.
Rumors of panic coming from the common people would sound more genuine than military reports.
Especially since Qingshi Village had only just been rescued and people’s hearts were still unsettled. A few confused rumors spreading was perfectly natural.
This Prince Su was no longer merely skilled at war.
He knew how to use people’s hearts.
The commandant lowered his head, his tone even more respectful than before.
“As you command.”
◆◇◆◇◆
Qingshi Village became busy again in the latter half of the night.
When Xia Lanshi received the copy of the account books sent back by Xiao Yuan, a trace of brightness finally appeared in his eyes.
It was not joy.
It was more like a hunter finally seeing blood left behind inside a trap.
Chi Banyue sat beside him, her arms crossed as she watched him.
“You’re energetic again.”
Xia Lanshi lowered his head and flipped through the account books.
“These accounts are very important.”
“I know they’re important.” Chi Banyue said, “But the way you’re looking at them, you’d think you’d found some treasure.”
Xia Lanshi said flatly, “They really are a treasure.”
Chi Banyue: “…”
This was the first time she had heard someone call dirty accounts involving the embezzlement of military provisions a treasure.
Xia Lanshi flipped through several pages before suddenly stopping.
A large number of code names had been used in the accounts to conceal names and destinations.
Warehouse A.
Warehouse B.
West Warehouse.
Liang.
Sheng.
Northern Route.
Eastern Escort.
“Liang” most likely referred to some intermediary.
“Sheng,” however, repeatedly appeared beside different shipments of grain. Sometimes it appeared at the receiving location, sometimes at the transfer point, and sometimes it was written alone in a corner, like an annotation.
Xia Lanshi tapped the character with his fingertip.
“It doesn’t look like a person’s name.”
Chi Banyue asked, “What does it look like?”
“An upper-level designation.” Xia Lanshi said, “This shipment of grain is connected to ‘Sheng,’ or rather, this shipment will ultimately be assigned to a line called ‘Sheng.’”
“Are there any high-ranking officials surnamed Sheng in Dasheng?”
“There are. But there aren’t many who could be connected to the Ministry of Revenue, the Transport Office, and Blackpine Ridge, while also repeatedly appearing in military grain accounts.” Xia Lanshi went through the list of court officials in his memory and said, “On the surface, there is Sheng Yuanli, Vice Minister of Revenue, and a member of the Crown Prince’s faction.”
Chi Banyue’s gaze turned cold.
“Sheng Yuanli.”
Xia Lanshi nodded.
“But we can’t immediately conclude that it’s him. It could be him, or someone could be using the character ‘Sheng’ as a code name, or perhaps…”
He stopped.
Chi Banyue looked at him.
“Perhaps what?”
Xia Lanshi lowered his eyes toward the book beside them titled Two Realms—Suspicious Threads.
“Perhaps this character is also connected to the other side of the door.”
Chi Banyue said nothing.
She knew how absurd that sounded.
But by now, they no longer dared to treat absurdity as nonexistent.
Xia Lanshi took out another sheet of paper and began laying out the connections.
Dasheng: Sheng Yuanli of the Ministry of Revenue.
Modern world: Sheng Chengxiu.
Su family: The Hall of Returning Dust being watched by the Sheng family.
The door: The two realms can be connected.
Northern Frontier: “Sheng” appears in the military grain accounts.
After reaching the end, he added another sentence.
—Need to ask Physician Su and Xiao.
When Chi Banyue saw the character “Xiao,” her brows moved slightly.
“You care about him a lot.”
The tip of Xia Lanshi’s brush stopped.
After a moment, he said softly, “He knows too much.”
Chi Banyue did not expose him.
Knowing too much was one thing.
Caring was another.
She looked at the red silk cord and white jade peace pendant around Xia Lanshi’s wrist and suddenly asked in a low voice, “Xia Lanshi, do you still remember what the person who saved you smelled like?”
Xia Lanshi raised his eyes.
Chi Banyue said, “You mentioned before that there was a very faint fragrance on him.”
Xia Lanshi lowered his eyes and carefully recalled it.
“Like cold plum blossoms, and also like the scent of wood that has been burned.”
That scent was very distinctive.
During the crisis in his childhood that had nearly destroyed his entire life, that person had appeared from the darkness, carrying the smell of blood, the scent of snow, and that faint trace of cold fragrance.
For many years afterward, he had never smelled it again, and had almost forgotten it.
Until the night he was poisoned.
In his dazed state, he seemed to have smelled a trace of it again.
Very faint.
So faint that it seemed like an illusion.
So faint that he did not dare confirm whether the benefactor who had saved him in his childhood and the person who had saved him the last time were the same person.
If they were, why had that person saved him?
What reason could there be?
For many years, he had never figured it out, until recently, when an absurd yet not entirely impossible thought had emerged.
What if the benefactor who had saved him when he was young, the man in black who had previously rescued him from assassins, and Xiao, who had crossed through the door to save him, were actually the same person?
Then the matter would become extraordinarily complicated.
Chi Banyue looked at him.
“If one day you really ask him and he still refuses to admit it, what will you do?”
Xia Lanshi returned from his thoughts and remained quiet for a while.
“Then let him deny it.”
Chi Banyue was surprised.
Xia Lanshi gently rubbed the peace pendant, his voice very low.
“Some people deny things not necessarily because they want to deceive you.”
“It may be because they cannot.”
“Just like Xiao.”
“Just like the door.”
“Just like so many truths that are clearly right before our eyes, yet remain separated from us by a layer of fog.”
◆◇◆◇◆
Inside the Hall of Returning Dust, Su Muchen remained silent for a long time after hearing Xiao recount the Sheng family’s past.
He opened a new document.
The file name was:
Sheng Family Investigation.
When Xiao saw it, he could not help saying, “Isn’t that name a little too direct?”
Su Muchen remained expressionless.
“Convenient for searching.”
Xiao: “…”
He actually had no way to refute that.
Su Muchen divided the document into several sections.
Modern Sheng family.
Sheng Chengxiu personally.
Sheng Family Cultural Investment.
Folk Culture Preservation Association.
Old accounts of the Hall of Returning Dust.
Source of Su father’s debts.
Historical connection between the Su family and the Sheng family.
After finishing, he looked at Xiao.
“What can you provide?”
Xiao thought for a moment.
“More than three generations ago, the Sheng family had transactions involving old objects with the Hall of Returning Dust. The account books might still be in the old storeroom.”
Su Muchen frowned.
“The Hall of Returning Dust still has an old storeroom?”
Xiao: “…”
Su Muchen looked at him coldly.
“Cousin?”
Xiao pushed up his glasses and immediately changed his answer.
“There is.”
Su Muchen smiled.
“Good.”
Xiao sighed.
He suddenly regretted admitting that he was a distant cousin.
But only a little.
At least the current Su Muchen would still glare at him, threaten him, and call him “Cousin,” forcing him to tell the truth.
That was much better than carrying everything alone in silence.
Xiao stood and walked toward the back courtyard.
Su Muchen followed behind him.
The back courtyard of the Hall of Returning Dust was not large. Normally, it was piled with some old wooden crates, broken stone jars, and a few plants that looked half-dead. Su Muchen had always thought this place was simply abandoned, until Xiao moved aside a cracked stone jar in the corner, revealing an iron ring almost completely blended into the ground beneath it.
Su Muchen fell silent.
“How many secret compartments does your Su family have?”
Xiao pulled up the iron ring.
“Quite a few.”
“How many more are there that I don’t know about?”
“Do you want the truth?”
“Tell me.”
Xiao thought for a moment.
“A lot.”
Su Muchen: “…”
Fine.
He really wanted to spend the entire night torturing Xiao with the title “Cousin” now.
Once the iron ring was pulled up, an opening appeared in the ground. It was not very deep. Stone steps extended downward, and the air carried a mixture of old paper, dry wood, and a faint medicinal-herb scent.
Xiao went down first and switched on the wall lamp.
It was not an electric light.
Instead, it was a very old motion-sensor lamp. When it lit up, it flickered somewhat unsteadily, but it was bright enough to illuminate the space below.
Su Muchen followed him down.
The old storeroom was larger than he had imagined.
Wooden shelves lined all four walls, neatly stacked with old account books, wooden boxes, sealed cloth bundles, and some implements whose purposes could not be identified. At the innermost side stood an iron chest, with the old crest of the Su family engraved on it.
Looking at everything before him, Su Muchen suddenly felt as though he had not inherited a run-down shop at all.
He had inherited a huge unsolved mystery.
Xiao walked to the wooden shelf on the left and took down an old account book wrapped in oil paper.
“There should be records of the old transactions with the Sheng family here.”
Su Muchen took it.
The account book was already very old. The pages had yellowed, but it had been preserved very well.
He opened the first page.
The handwriting belonged to his grandfather.
The date was roughly more than thirty years ago.
The transaction items were written very briefly.
Old bronze vessels.
Ancient jade.
Medicinal incense.
Exotic goods from overseas.
Su Muchen flipped through the pages one by one, and finally saw a familiar name in one of the columns.
Sheng Family Trading Company.
Person in charge: Sheng Wenchang.
He looked up.
“Who is Sheng Wenchang?”
“Sheng Chengxiu’s grandfather.”
Su Muchen’s heart sank slightly.
He continued reading.
The first few transactions were completely normal.
Until one page, where his grandfather’s handwriting suddenly became much heavier, as though his mood had been unsettled while writing.
Under the transaction details, there was only one sentence.
—The Sheng family has asked about the door. No more dealings.
Su Muchen stared at that line.
“Asked about the door?”
Xiao saw it too.
His expression darkened slightly.
Su Muchen turned to the next page.
A thin sheet of letter paper was tucked inside.
The handwriting on it belonged to his grandfather.
—The Sheng family has asked three times about the origin of the Hall of Returning Dust. They no longer seek goods, but the door.
—Cut off all dealings from this point onward. Show no mercy.
—If future generations see the Sheng family approaching the Hall of Returning Dust again, be cautious.
The final two characters had been pressed into the paper with exceptionally deep ink.
Be cautious.
Su Muchen held the sheet of paper, his fingertips gradually turning cold.
His grandfather had warned them long ago.
What the Sheng family wanted had never been merely the Hall of Returning Dust.
Nor had it been those old objects.
Long ago, they had already begun asking about the door.
Xiao said quietly, “It seems the Sheng family knows more than I thought.”
Su Muchen did not speak immediately.
He looked at that sheet of paper and suddenly felt that there were countless threads connecting these two worlds.
Some had been connected by the door.
Some had been connected by the Su family.
But some might have been touched long ago by the Sheng family, the Crown Prince, the Ministry of Revenue, the Transport Office, or certain people hiding in the shadows.
He lowered his head and took a photograph of the warning his grandfather had left behind, making a backup copy.
Then, in the Sheng Family Investigation document, he added another entry.
The Sheng family has asked three times about the origin of the Hall of Returning Dust and is already involved with “the door.”
Source: Grandfather’s old accounts.
Risk level: Highest.
After finishing, he raised his head and looked at Xiao.
“We can’t wait anymore.”
Xiao looked at him.
Su Muchen said, “The Sheng family is forcing my hand. We have to investigate.”
Xiao was silent for a moment before nodding.
“Investigate.”
This time, he did not say they couldn’t.
Nor did he say that the time had not yet come.
Because they both knew clearly that the Sheng family was no longer outside the door.
Their hands had already reached into the shadows of the Hall of Returning Dust.
◆◇◆◇◆
Before dawn at Blackpine Ridge, Xiao Yuan finally received the reply from Qingshi Village.
Xia Lanshi had already released the false information according to his orders.
Zhao Ping’s testimony was being organized.
Qingshi Village’s defenses had been reinforced.
The Cold River light cavalry had sealed off the southern route.
There was one additional line:
The “Sheng” in the account books has been added to the Two Realms—Suspicious Threads. When the door opens, we must ask Physician Su and Xiao.
When Xiao Yuan saw the final two names, his gaze paused slightly.
Su Muchen.
Xiao.
Those two people on the other side of the door might also be investigating the Sheng family.
If the “Sheng” in Dasheng was truly connected to Sheng Chengxiu of the modern world, then this matter was not merely a case involving grain in the Northern Frontier.
It meant that someone had already been secretly reaching toward the door between the two realms.
Xiao Yuan put away the letter.
The sky was about to brighten.
From the direction of the main stronghold of Blackpine Ridge, the first burst of chaotic alarm whistles finally sounded.
They had discovered that something had happened at the West Warehouse.
Xiao Yuan stood on the snowy slope, watching the startled birds rise from the distant forest. His eyes were cold and composed.
A personal guard asked quietly, “Your Highness, shall we attack the stronghold?”
Xiao Yuan did not answer immediately.
He looked at the black pine forest.
The grain had been secured.
The evidence had been secured.
They also had prisoners alive.
But inside the main stronghold of Blackpine Ridge, there might still be more account books, more people, and deeper connections.
If he attacked now, he could win.
But he might not be able to catch the biggest fish.
After a moment, he said, “No rush.”
The personal guard was startled.
Xiao Yuan said calmly, “Let some of them escape.”
“Your Highness?”
“The ones who escape will go looking for the people who can truly save their lives.” Xiao Yuan said. “Follow them.”
The personal guard understood.
This was not letting them go.
It was letting out the line.
Xiao Yuan looked toward Blackpine Ridge.
The light of the snow reflected in his eyes, cold and clear.
The Crown Prince.
The Transport Office.
The Ministry of Revenue.
Sheng.
These names had only revealed their edges so far.
He would investigate them one by one.
Tear them open one by one.
Not only for the Northern Frontier.
But also for the people on the other side of the door.
Because if the Sheng family’s hands truly reached into both worlds at the same time, then Su Muchen was not merely being watched by Sheng Chengxiu in the modern world.
He might have already been standing at the center of a much larger web.
And what Xiao Yuan hated most was someone laying a web right before his eyes while foolishly imagining they could drag the person he wanted to protect into it as well.
Daylight broke through the clouds.
The first ray of cold light fell upon the snow atop Blackpine Ridge.
Xiao Yuan pressed a hand against the hilt of his sword and said quietly, “Give the order.”
The personal guard immediately lowered his head.
“Blackpine Ridge is not to be completely wiped out today. Cut off its grain, seize its accounts, and pursue its people. I want to know exactly who is behind the character ‘Sheng.’”