Chapter 207 Standoff and Prison Break: You Were Involved Too

Neifang

Upon seeing Lou Cangyu again, Shen Ao didn't recognize him at first. The young man was followed by over a hundred fully armed Eagle Guards, his posture upright and his eyes blazing. Gone was his former timidity; only a burning ambition to fulfill his aspirations remained. As Lou Cangyu passed by Shen Ao, he didn't even glance at him, only his imposing stride swept past, startling Shen Ao into a shiver.

"He is..." Shen Ao almost didn't recognize him, "Lou Cangyu?"

The steward nodded. "Looks like the swordsman Lou Cangyu. I haven't seen him in a few days, he's quite impressive. Eagle Guard? Where did he get his Eagle Guard from?"

Shen Ao looked back again and thought, "This person is probably going to soar to great heights and will no longer be just a small swordsman in the inner workshop."

"Wushuang." Lou Cangyu pushed open the door of Jingwu Pavilion and happily searched for Wushuang's figure.

Wu Shuang raised his eyelids in dissatisfaction, then lowered his gaze to the mineral pigments on the grinding table. Lou Cangyu gave a signal, and the guard stepped forward to take the cloak he had taken off, then obediently withdrew from the Jingwu Pavilion, leaving the door slightly ajar for the two of them.

"Wushuang." Lou Cangyu smiled and sat down next to Wushuang, holding the back of Wushuang's hand as she moved, his snow-covered chin gently rubbing against her shoulder. "Are you upset that I haven't been in the inner quarters these past few days? I'm back now."

Wushuang sneered, "Not only did you come back, but you also brought a lot of men. What, capturing Ji Fang wasn't enough, are you going to send me to the imperial prison too?"

"What are you saying?" Lou Cangyu's heart skipped a beat, but he forced himself to remain calm and said, "Ji Fang is guilty of the same crime as Xingguo Fang, so we can't cover it up. It's a last resort to put righteousness before family... Wushuang, are you blaming me?"

Wushuang pulled her hand away from Lou Cangyu's grasp, pushed him aside, stood up, and looked at the rows of imposing Eagle Guards outside the crack in the door. "A scholar should be viewed with new eyes after three days of separation. Lou Cangyu, what a grand display! You've even brought the Eagle Guards to the inner quarters?"

"You're blaming me." Lou Cangyu felt a pang of resentment. He was no longer the timid swordsman who had to be mindful of others' feelings. Why couldn't he hold his head high in front of Wushuang? He could, but... he didn't dare. "You... didn't you hate Xingguo Fang? They all wronged you, and now they've suffered their retribution. Why do you seem... still so depressed? Wushuang..." Lou Cangyu stood up and reached out his hand to her. "Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it for you. Although I haven't found everyone yet, I promise you, I'll bring them all to justice within three days. The Eagle Guards outside were assigned to me by the Imperial Advisor. If I succeed in this, the Emperor will look at me differently. At that time..." Lou Cangyu's voice rose, "I can stand... shoulder to shoulder with you."

Wushuang closed the door. "Xingguo Fang has wronged me, but it has not wronged you. Ji Fang and the others are your brothers and partners who have been with you day and night. You not only ignored them, but you even helped the court to hunt them down? Ji Fang came to you, but you reported him... During the day at the execution ground... You pointed your sword at all of them... and there was blood."

Lou Cangyu smiled sadly and lowered his head, saying, "You know everything? The execution ground is dangerous. You don't care whether I'm injured or not, but you're worried about whether they've seen blood... Wushuang... I really don't understand you anymore. I thought... you hate all of them, and I'm helping the court deal with them, so you should be happy... But why are you speaking up for them instead, as if you resent me?"

A commotion suddenly broke out outside the Jingwu Pavilion. Lou Cangyu, feeling irritated, kicked open the door and demanded, "What is it?"

The door opened, and Wanqixi, sword in hand, was about to draw it. Upon seeing that the person inside was Lou Cangyu, Wanqixi was intrigued and was about to step forward when several sharp swords were about to block him. "Oh dear, I thought it was some general from the Eagle Guard Camp, but it turns out..." Wanqixi clicked his tongue repeatedly at Lou Cangyu, "It's Pei Cangyu, the little swordsman from Canglang Island."

Lou Cangyu's face flushed red, and he was about to explode when he glanced at Wushuang and quickly suppressed his anger, "Let him go and let him come over."

As the sword fell, Wan Qixi stretched out his arms and legs, shouldered his sword, and jumped up the steps. He narrowly sized up Lou Cangyu, who was now completely different from before. "You have some of the demeanor of the Black Hawk Guard leader Luo, but he is more honest and kind than you..." Wan Qixi deliberately stopped abruptly.

"And what about me?"

Wanqi Xi flicked his nose, "A petty person who has achieved his goal."

"You!" Lou Cangyu gripped the hilt of his sword. "You think I wouldn't dare do anything to you?"

Wan Qixi wasn't afraid of him. With a flick of her wrist, she pointed a finger swiftly at Lou Cangyu's shoulder blade. "Does it still hurt here?"

Lou Cangyu felt a chill run down his spine, a flicker of panic crossing his dark eyes. Wan Qixi withdrew his finger, tilting his head and saying, "I did help you, and this is how you treat your benefactor?"

Lou Cangyu angrily swung his clothes and walked down the steps, turning back to glare at Wushuang. The Jingwu Pavilion doors were tightly closed, like a barrier separating him from Wushuang.

Wushuang led Wanqixi deeper into the Jingwu Pavilion, then turned to glance at Wanqixi, who was covered in dust. His dreadlocks were messy, his stubble was unkempt, and his eyes were sunken and dark circles were visible, clearly indicating that he hadn't had a proper rest. Even so, his narrow eyes were still sharp, and he held his own against the prevailing Lou Cangyu.

"You're not young anymore, can you really withstand this kind of ordeal?" Wushuang poured a cup of tea and handed it to Wanqixi.

Wanqixi took the drink, tilted his head back, and drank it all. He wiped the water from his lips with the back of his hand, leaned against the wall, and took a few deep breaths. Suddenly, he understood the meaning behind Wushuang's words, and his eyes fixed on Wushuang's meaningful face.

Wushuang glanced at the tightly closed door of Jingwu Pavilion, making sure Lou Cangyu wasn't by the door, and asked in a low voice, "You went to the execution ground yesterday too?"

Wan Qixi showed no panic at being discovered, and a relieved smile appeared on her lips. She was incredibly intelligent; she could even see through this. It seemed there was no need to worry about her much.

Wushuang stared at his smile, biting her lip and said, "Salt and sulfur. A lot of salt and sulfur have disappeared from the inner workshop. The execution ground was bombed yesterday. It must have been your doing. What you need to do is to break the prisoners?"

Wan Qixi stared at the stunning face before her. Wushuang didn't resemble her sister much; rather, she combined the best features of both her sister and Mu You. Her face was flawless, unforgettable at first sight. In Wan Qixi's memory, her niece had a gentle and innocent face. Jiang Muyun, who had escaped onto the large ship, had lost her former gentleness. She looked back at Canglang Island, which was becoming increasingly blurry in the white smoke, with tears welling up in her eyes. Wan Qixi stared at the tear in her eye, watching it dry little by little in her eye socket, never falling.

—"Twilight Clouds..."

"My name is Wushuang." She turned to Wanqixi. "There is no Jiang Muyun anymore."

"Wushuang." Wan Qixi murmured the name. Having escaped death, she should have a new name and start a new life, just like Lu Xiaojun and Wan Qixi. "From now on, you will be called Wushuang."

Seeing Wan Qixi staring at her without saying a word, Wushuang gritted her teeth and said again, "Cui Jin is cunning. Lou Cangyu goes in and out of the inner workshop every day. Sooner or later, we will find the inner workshop by following the saltpeter and sulfur. Are you afraid that others will not find out?"

Wan Qixi swayed wearily. "Who told these things, like brass and iron ore, to only be found in the weapons workshop?" Wan Qixi sat down, leaning back and letting out a soft sigh. "Don't worry, if they really trace it back to the inner workshop, it will be me, a man from the Western Regions, who stole it. It has nothing to do with you."

Wushuang's face paled, her slender fingers clenching tightly. "You think I'm afraid you'll implicate me?"

Wan Qixi raised her narrow eyes slightly, as if waiting for her to continue.

"You're my uncle," Wushuang said indignantly. "If anything happens to you, I will never let anything happen to you either."

Wanqi smiled with satisfaction, "I originally intended to never show up again, but I still have to risk coming here. When will the weapons that the inner workshop is forging for the court be delivered to the palace?"

Wushuang was momentarily unaware of Wanqixi's intention in asking the question. "According to the agreement with the Salt and Iron Bureau, it will be the fifteenth of the first month. I will personally present the sword to the Emperor."

"Take me with you." Wan Qixi turned over and sat cross-legged, his usual unruly expression returning to his brow. "I'll wield the sword for you."

Wushuang pursed her lips and chuckled softly, "It should have been like this a long time ago. With our hearts in one mind, what can't we accomplish? Regarding the Xingguo Ward incident, we weren't exactly standing idly by, and we've done our duty to those people. Now it's up to their fate. You and I will stay in the Inner Ward. Although the Inner Ward doesn't belong to the Lu family, it's... no different from the Tianhu Ward back then. It's still just like you and me."

“Different…how could they be the same…” Wanqi Xi muttered to himself. Seeing Wushuang’s strange expression, he came back to his senses and asked, “Do you have any problems with the saltpeter and sulfur on your end?”

Wushuang raised an eyebrow smugly, flicked his sleeve and spread his hands, saying, "Those are all the things needed for the secret technique of fueling combustion. The inner workshop has to deliver on time. I can have as many of these things as I want. Who can stop me?"

Wu Shuang's arrogant and confident demeanor was just like her sister who had been strategizing back then. Wan Qixi was momentarily lost in thought. Yes, the world was tough, and gentle people could not survive. Only someone like Wu Shuang could live well, carrying the hopes of her sister, herself, and everyone in Tianhufang.

“Good!” Wan Qixi exclaimed. “In that case… Uncle can rest assured.” Wan Qixi stood up. “After the weapons are delivered on the fifteenth of the first lunar month, Uncle promises you that from now on we will work together to revive the Lu family’s forging techniques.”

Wu Shuang smiled gently, "I should have thought of this a long time ago, but... please don't keep anything from me anymore."

"Never again." Wan Qixi pushed open the door of Jingwu Pavilion, glanced at the capable and strong Eagle Guards in the courtyard, and Lou Cangyu turned around upon hearing the voice, stroked the sword in his hand, and his sidelong glance revealed an undisguised killing intent. Wan Qixi walked down the steps in a few steps, brushed against Lou Cangyu's cloak, and remained calm with narrow eyes.

"I know you were involved in yesterday's prison break."

Lou Cangyu's voice was like a ghost's. He suddenly pointed a finger at Wan Qixi's spine. Seeing him stop, Lou Cangyu chuckled and drew a circle in the air with his finger. "I didn't report you because I was afraid of implicating Wushuang, but it's not because I can't deal with you. Tell them that Rongdu has laid a net, and with me, Lou Cangyu, here, they... will have no chance of escape."

Wan Qixi strode away with his sword drawn. Lou Cangyu looked up at the entrance of Jingwu Pavilion, only to find the lights inside suddenly going out, and nothing could be seen.