Chapter Eighteen: Spring Breeze Spreads Throughout Luoyang

The forest is dark, the grass rustles in the wind, the general draws his bow at night. At dawn, he searches for the white feather, only to find it embedded in the stone's edge.

Amidst the deafening shouts of battle in the rain, far from the crowd, Mu Lian drew her bow, her expression focused. The rain washed the arrowhead until it gleamed, sharp and cold, exuding a chilling aura. The whistling sound of the arrow piercing the air was sharp and powerful, breaking through the enemy's arrow barrage, raising wisps of blood mist, and in the blink of an eye, it pierced the body of the man on the boat.

Three arrows from a single bow, aimed at the upper, middle, and lower body, struck from the throat to the chest and then to the abdomen, leaving no one unscathed. The arrows flew swiftly, and the man on the boat didn't even have time to dodge before being pierced through. Utter terror lingered in his dying eyes, a sight both terrifying and poignant.

"My lord, my lord..." A soldier beside him supported the man who was still lying dead with his eyes wide open, his face full of panic.

To catch the thieves, first catch their leader. Now that their leader has been killed by an arrow, the remaining bandits, seeing the situation was dire, fought and retreated, eventually scattering like birds and beasts. Although the battle was fought hastily, resulting in many casualties among the Imperial Guards, fortunately, the members of the Court of Judicial Review turned the tide and ultimately achieved victory.

The rain continued to fall, quickly washing away the bloodstains soaking into the mud, leaving only a pile of corpses lying haphazardly, silently gazing at the sky. Mu Lian turned to look, her expression indifferent. In the power struggles of the court, no matter who the final winner is, those who die for their cause are the most worthless. But so what? A great reward will always attract brave men; countless people will still take the risk, dying for wealth, like birds dying for food.

After cleaning up the battlefield, the exhausted group staggered onto the large ship, only to find that there were no boatmen on board.

Damn it, what are we going to do? With his cane slamming down on the already dead bandits, Deputy Commander Sun was furious. He ordered the remaining Imperial Guards to kick all the bandit corpses on the big ship into the rolling turbid waves to feed the fish.

Mu Lian observed coldly from the sidelines, remaining silent. After a while, he instructed the officials of the judiciary to inspect the ship's hold, carefully remove the gunpowder that had been hidden there, remove the fuses, and repackage it. With the hidden danger eliminated, he then ordered the construction crew to raise the mast and set sail.

"Yes..." Everyone in the judiciary received their orders and performed their duties in an orderly manner.

Everyone knows that the Judicial Office is a brutal and treacherous place, comparable to a living hell, but few know that it is also a true haven for hidden talents. Since Mu Lian took charge of the Judicial Office three years ago, any soldier with a skill or expertise in their field can secure a place within it. Now, the ship is short of boatmen, and any soldier skilled in navigation is immediately put in place.

With everything in place and after overcoming numerous hardships, the large ship finally broke through the rain and sailed out of the gorge, carrying everyone towards Los Angeles.

Behind him, from within a towering stupa in the cluster of stupas, an aged voice rang out: "Amitabha, it seems this female benefactor is the one I have been searching for..."

Los Angeles.

They traveled from the Ba Gorge through the Wu Gorge, then down to Xiangyang and on to Luoyang. After another day and night, they arrived in Luoyang. By then, the sky was clearing, the clouds had dispersed, and the rain had stopped, revealing a scene of springtime beauty. The scenery of Qingdu is beautiful, and they enjoyed countless cups of poetry and wine. They were reluctant to return to the jade towers and golden palaces, and instead, they would wear plum blossoms and get drunk in Luoyang.

Standing on the deck of the large ship, facing the wind and gazing at the bustling city of Luoyang, Ye Yuqing couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. Today, Ye Yuqing wore a bamboo-green robe, standing tall and serene under the bright sun and blue sky. The warm breeze ruffled his hair and sleeves, making him appear even more elegant and graceful.

Still disguised as a guard, Mu Lian adjusted her bamboo hat, concealing her face behind a veil. Her expression remained aloof, with only occasional glimpses of a man's figure in the light. Meng Yuan, disguised as the head of the academy, appeared one after the other with Sun Bin, standing behind Ye Yiqing. They had arrived in Luocheng; it was time for their ultimate target, Liu Zhang, the military governor of Henan, to make his appearance.

On the riverbank, officials from Henan Province, dressed in their official robes, were already waiting to greet them. As soon as the large ship approached, the official immediately put on a broad smile and called out into the wind, "Your humble servant, Yin Wenbin, Prefect of Luocheng, Henan Province, has come to personally welcome the Commissioner of the Imperial Stables and the two esteemed gentlemen..."

Ye Yiqing looked up at the sound and saw a round-headed official standing with a smile at the foot of the large ship, followed by a large group of people. In addition to the accompanying official, there were also many soldiers, wearing armor and long swords at their waists, which gleamed coldly in the bright sunlight, looking very solemn.

This is quite a show of force; it's likely that the welcoming ceremony is a pretense, a real attempt to intimidate them. Without making a sound, Mu Lian glanced around and gave Meng Yuan a meaningful look. Meng Yuan understood; these people probably didn't have good intentions, and those with good intentions wouldn't come.

"Thank you for your trouble, Lord Yin..." On the large ship, Ye Yuqing waved his hand from his superior position.

The crowd lined up in turn, following the city magistrate of Luocheng who had come to greet them, as they disembarked from the large ship and entered the city gate. Among the crowd, Ye Tanhua, dressed in plain clothes, stood out conspicuously. Perhaps it was because of the fine weather, but the sedan chair carrying Ye Yuqing was draped with gauze curtains on all four sides, which swayed in the warm breeze, occasionally revealing Ye Tanhua's exquisite and handsome face, eliciting screams from the women along the way. Flowers, fruits, handkerchiefs, and purses were frequently thrown at the carriage, as if imitating the story of the handsome Pan Yue, whose carriage was "filled with fruit."

Beneath the carriage, the ordinary guards had already been secretly replaced. Mu Lian, with eyes and ears everywhere, had been on high alert for a long time. Another purse was thrown from above, seemingly from a private room in the restaurant across the street, through which the beautiful face of a woman veiled could be vaguely seen.

Mu Lian paused slightly, her bright eyes narrowing as she faintly heard the whirring of a mechanism. With a flick of her slender finger, a pebble she had somehow acquired flew out, striking the purse that was falling from above. The purse tilted, and several fine needles, as thin as cow's hair, flew out from the air, jingling and embedding themselves in the wall on the other side of the long street, their surfaces gleaming faintly with a bluish light in the sunlight.

What a vicious scheme! Mu Lian unconsciously tightened her grip on the remaining pebbles in her hand. If she hadn't been prepared, the defenseless Lord Ye would have fallen victim to such a sneak attack immediately.

Peeking through the sheer curtains swaying in the breeze, Mu Lian saw the man, as if sensing her gaze, also looking down at her. Their eyes met, and Mu Lian paused slightly, then turned her head away. Protecting the envoy's safety was one of her missions; she was simply fulfilling her duty and needed no further explanation.

The carriage continued forward, the perilous moment vanishing without a trace, causing no ripple among the cheering crowd in the street, and even the other guards were completely unaware. Only Ye Yuqing himself knew that he had just narrowly escaped death.

Elegantly wiping the sweat from his brow, Ye Tanhua smiled in response to the screams and cheers of the crowd in the long street, his expression composed, every inch of his eyes exuding charm. However, no matter how he looked around, his gaze remained fixed on the woman beneath the carriage. It seemed that seeing her brought him a profound sense of peace. That gaze was almost tangible, burning around Mu Lian's sides and behind. Mu Lian tightened her grip on her fingers, calmly staring straight ahead, seemingly oblivious.

On the second floor of a building along the long street, a beautiful woman with a veil looked out the window, lost in thought: "My lord, that female guard is probably a formidable enemy..."

Behind her, a middle-aged man's deep voice rang out: "No. She is not a guard, but the head of the Court of Judicial Review, a blade in the Empress's hand..."