Chapter 43: Returning to Public Service, Hidden Love
Capital city, Six Gates headquarters.
The air here seemed heavier than elsewhere. The dark blue eaves and brackets, like silent beasts, crouched in a corner of the imperial city, silently signaling the majesty and solemnity of this place. Every slab of bluestone, smoothed by time, seemed drenched in the dust of countless case files and the lingering scent of blood.
Su Qinghan is back.
She walked through the vermilion-lacquered gate, a daunting sight for ordinary people, each step steady and resolute. She had long since changed out of her martial arts attire before entering the city. Now, she wore a plain dress, dusty and exhausted, yet her brow couldn't conceal the sharp edge gleaming from the battles of life and death.
She did not go to see anyone directly, but returned to the small public housing allocated to her.
Beside the steaming wooden barrel, she untied her hair, letting it fall like a waterfall. Her clothes, stained with blood, dust, and the scent of valley vegetation, were removed and thrown into a corner, along with the identity of "Feiyue."
Warm water flowed over my skin, washing away the fatigue and smoke of the journey. But there are some things that water cannot wash away.
For example, every time she touched the scars on her body that had not yet healed completely, she would be reminded of the man who clumsily but attentively applied medicine to her in the secret courtyard.
For example, the lingering concern in the heart, which is sweet but also wrapped in countless sorrows.
The man named Chen Ye.
The assassin who was as cold as ice, but would use his inner strength to warm her all night when she had a high fever.
The killer whose cooking was so bad that it made people frown, but still stubbornly cooked for her.
The one who made a promise as heavy as a thousand pounds with just one word "OK" when we parted... him.
Su Qinghan closed her eyes and leaned against the wall of the tub, letting the steam blur her vision. She thought that by returning to this familiar place, she could put those dreamlike days behind her and become the Six Gates Divine Constable who was obsessed with revenge.
But she was wrong.
That memory, like the most stubborn brand, was deeply engraved into her soul. It softened her heart, long frozen by hatred, and also made her...cowardly.
After a long time, she got up from the water, dried herself, and put on a neat set of underwear. Then, she took out a set of neatly folded clothes from the bottom of the box.
Flying fish suit.
A vivid pattern of flying fish was embroidered in silver thread on the dark blue brocade, gleaming with a cold and restrained luster in the dim light. This was the emblem of the Six Gates Divine Constable, a symbol of power and the shackles of responsibility.
As she put the clothes back on, tightened her belt, and hung the long, sharp Embroidered Spring Knife around her waist, she could feel the Su Qinghan of "Fei Yue" and "Chen Ye" being forcibly suppressed. In his place, she found the Su Qinghan with a resolute gaze and a law-abiding heart.
She looked in the bronze mirror and gave her final adjustments. The woman in the mirror was still as beautiful as ever, though a little thinner than when she left. Her eyes, once filled with cold hatred, were now as deep as an ancient well, hiding a multitude of incomprehensible emotions.
She took a deep breath and pushed all the distracting thoughts, all the chaotic thoughts about that courtyard and that person, into the deepest part of her heart.
Now, she is going to meet someone.
The chief constable of the Six Gates, her adoptive father, Tie Wuqing.
Tie Wuqing's study was less an office than a fortress built of files and weapons. On the walls hung maps of the nation, densely marked with cinnabar and ink markers depicting strongholds and spheres of influence. The air was filled with the rich scent of ink, the odor of aged files, and a faint hint of rust.
Tie Wuqing was sitting behind the desk. He was over fifty, his face as strong as iron, with two lines of wrinkles carved deep into the corners of his mouth, and he looked intimidating without even being angry. But at this moment, when he saw Su Qinghan approaching, a rare hint of gentleness and concern flashed through his hawk-like eyes.
"I'm back." His voice was low and powerful.
Su Qinghan walked to the center of the study, locked eyes with him, and then slowly bent his knees, kneeling on one side and clenching his right fist against his heart. This was the etiquette of the Six Gates, representing loyalty and servitude.
"Godfather, my daughter is back." Her voice was clear, without any trembling.
Tie Wuqing looked at her visibly thinner face and eyes that seemed to have grown much larger overnight, feeling both relieved and indescribably distressed. He knew that this child, whom he had watched grow up, must have experienced dangers beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
"Stand up and talk." He raised his hand. "Sit down."
Su Qinghan stood up as she was told, but chose to stand instead of sitting down. In her work, she always maintained the absolute respect of a subordinate for his superior.
"Foster father, this time I'm undercover in 'Youquan', I've found some key clues."
"Tell me." Tie Wuqing leaned forward slightly, and his aura instantly changed from that of a kind father to that of the chief constable of the Six Gates who was in charge of criminal justice in the world.
Su Qinghan calmed herself down and began to report in detail. Her mind was working at high speed, sorting, filtering, and editing all the information in her mind.
"After my daughter joined 'Youquan' as 'Feiyue', she discovered that the organization was loose, consisting mostly of desperate criminals who were paid to do things, and had no strict guidelines. My daughter participated in several missions and gradually gained the trust of the core members..."
Her narrative was clear and organized, analyzing the internal structure, personnel composition, and activity patterns of "Youquan" one by one, demonstrating the professional qualities of an excellent spy.
Tie Wuqing listened quietly, nodded from time to time, with approval in his eyes.
Then, Su Qinghan talked about the fatal encirclement and suppression.
"...Later, Youquan received false intelligence claiming a shipment of government silver was passing through the valley west of the city. Greedy for the huge profits, Youquan's leader personally led all his core members there, only to fall into a carefully laid trap."
At this point, her voice paused, and the tragic scene of the river of blood that night and her own despair of being on the verge of death came to her mind again.
"The people who surrounded us were well-trained, coordinated, and ruthless. They were definitely not ordinary underworld forces. They all wore black clothes and masks, and their weapons were the standard long swords. They looked very much like... the death squads in the army."
Tie Wuqing's eyes fixed: "Are you sure?"
"My daughter is sure," Su Qinghan replied confidently. "Their arrow formations and encirclement techniques all bear traces of the military style. The people of 'Youquan' were almost powerless in front of them. My daughter fought desperately, but was hit by several arrows and her internal energy was exhausted. Just when she was about to be killed..."
Her heart suddenly tightened.
Here comes the most crucial part.
How should she explain Shen Ye's existence?
He said that he was rescued by the chief assassin of another assassin organization "Tianji Pavilion"?
No, it's not possible.
This lie was too flawed. Tianji Pavilion and Youquan were competitors, so why would their chief assassin save a killer from a rival organization? It didn't make sense. More importantly, once the connection between Tianji Pavilion and Chen Ye was established, with her adoptive father's abilities, he would quickly be able to follow the clues and uncover even more details she didn't want anyone to know.
Her relationship with him, the fact that she lived in his secret courtyard... none of these could be made public.
In the Six Gates, a place that represents "order" and "law," her affair with a top assassin is an absolute taboo. Not only will it ruin her future, it will also become a handle for her adoptive father's political enemies to attack him.
On a deeper level, she subconsciously protected Shen Ye. She didn't know why, but she instinctively didn't want the name "Shen Ye" to appear in the case files of the Six Gates.
That dark night in the courtyard belonged to her alone. He was clumsy, gentle, and silent; he wasn't the cold-blooded assassin. She wanted to protect the stolen warmth that belonged only to the two of them.
Thousands of thoughts flashed through her mind in a flash. She raised her head, met Tie Wuqing's inquiring gaze, and told the lie she had already made up in as calm a tone as possible.
“…Just then, a man from the Jianghu happened to pass by and offered a helping hand.”
Tie Wuqing frowned slightly: "Jianghu people?"
"Yes." Su Qinghan lowered her eyes, avoiding her adoptive father's sharp gaze, as if recalling the details of the incident. "That man was extremely agile, with strange swordsmanship. He only attacked, never defended, and every move was deadly. He seemed to have an old grudge against the group of men in black, and he attacked without mercy. My daughter took advantage of the opportunity when he disrupted the enemy's formation and was lucky enough to escape."
"What's this person's name? Where does he come from?" Tie Wuqing asked.
"He only said his name was Chen Ye." Su Qinghan's heart skipped a beat, but his voice remained steady. "As for his origins, he didn't reveal them. Judging from his style, he must be a solitary swordsman. My daughter had a brief contact with him while recovering from her injuries, but they parted ways after that."
She downplayed the dozens of days and nights she spent in the same hospital with Chen Ye after he took her away for treatment as "brief contact while recuperating."
Tie Wuqing pondered for a moment. The Jianghu was vast, full of hidden talents; the emergence of one or two mysterious masters wasn't surprising. Qinghan was fortunate to survive, and as for this "Chen Ye," perhaps it was just a fluke. He didn't press for details about this individual, instead returning his attention to the case itself.
"Go on."
Su Qinghan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, she knew that she had passed the most difficult stage.
"After my daughter recovered from her injuries, she teamed up with 'Chen Ye' and decided to extract more clues from the leader of 'Youquan'. We tracked down the remaining 'Youquan' members' hiding place and successfully captured their leader. Just as I was interrogating him about the mastermind behind this, he finally shouted out a crucial phrase in order to save his life."
Her eyes instantly became extremely sharp, and she repeated word by word:
"He said, 'Killing me is pointless! I'm just a pawn! The order for me to set up a plan to kill you came from a nobleman in the capital! That nobleman even had the power to influence the Tianji Pavilion... Wasn't it the one who killed Minister Su...'"
Having said that, she paused, her breathing slightly rapid.
"Before he could finish his words, a cold arrow shot out from the darkness and silenced him. The pattern of the arrow was exactly the same as the one used by the group of black-clad men who surrounded us."
The study fell into deathly silence.
Tie Wuqing's calm face finally showed signs of a storm.
"The nobles in the capital... can ask the Tianji Pavilion to... kill Minister Su..."
He chewed these key words over and over in his mouth, each word weighing heavily. He stood up suddenly and paced back and forth in the study, his aura becoming incomparably terrifying.
The case that has been unresolved for many years finally has a clear clue!
Su Zhenting's death was not a simple vendetta.
It was no coincidence that Qinghan was surrounded and suppressed in "Youquan".
These two things are controlled by the same mastermind!
The power of this black hand is so great that he can easily wipe out a third-rate assassin organization, and even hire the legendary "Tianji Pavilion" to assassinate a second-rank official of the imperial court!
Looking across the entire capital, there are only a handful of "noble people" with such energy and motivation!
"Qinghan!" Tie Wuqing stopped and turned to look at her, his eyes filled with an unprecedented solemnity. "This time, you risked your life to get us the most important piece of the puzzle! There's hope for your father's case!"
Su Qinghan's eyes also flashed with excitement, but more of it was the flame of hatred. She had waited for this day for too long.
"Godfather," she stepped forward and said earnestly, "Please let your daughter continue investigating!"
Tie Wuqing shook his head. He walked up to her, stretched out his calloused hands, gently patted her shoulder, and sighed, "Silly child, the muddy waters ahead are beyond your ability to wade through. The level of our opponents is beyond your imagination. You've brought back the clues, and your mission is accomplished. The rest is up to the Six Gates, and to me."
He looked at Su Qinghan's stubborn eyes, and his tone slowed down. He spoke with a commanding tone that brooked no room for argument: "From now on, you will rest and recuperate. Without my order, you are not allowed to interfere in this case again. This is an order, and it is also your adoptive father's protection for you."
Su Qinghan bit her lip, a mixture of emotions in her heart. She knew her adoptive father was doing this for her own good, but how could she be willing to let him stop?
However, she also understood that her personal strength had indeed reached its limit. The next game would be a head-on confrontation between the Six Gates and the mastermind behind the scenes, a clash between the state apparatus and overwhelming power.
Finally, she nodded: "Daughter... obey."
Seeing her finally obey, Tie Wuqing's expression softened. He sat back at his desk, his gaze piercing the map as he spoke slowly, "Being able to mobilize the 'Tianji Pavilion'... Humph, all the traces at the crime scene point to an extremely fast, one-hit-kill sword technique. We've speculated that the perpetrator was most likely the Tianji Pavilion's legendary chief assassin, codenamed—"
He paused and uttered two words:
"Candle Shadow."
When the words "Zhuying" came out of his adoptive father's mouth, Su Qinghan felt a chill run down his spine. It was a completely unfamiliar code name, yet it carried a bloody and oppressive feeling that seemed to penetrate time and space.
She didn't know that the code name of the enemy, whose flesh she wanted to eat and skin she wanted to sleep on, belonged to the man she had just been trying so hard to protect.
She didn't even know that her loving concealment had already cut off the last bit of hope for redemption.
This concealment was a protective wall she subconsciously built for Shen Ye.
But this wall also completely blocks the truth. It plunges everyone into a huge information fog, causing them to go further and further down the wrong path, ultimately leading to a tragic end from which there is no turning back.
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