Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio 

  Wang Qinian looked at the pastry stand. Smelling the spicy aroma, he almost cried. His life hadn’t been so good recently, having gotten himself kicked out of the Council. Not only had he lost simple things like income and pension, he was also barred from all other government positions due to his time with the Overwatch Council. He knew neither how to use an abacus nor start a shop; he only knew how to investigate criminal cases and use tools of torture. 

  When he first joined the Overwatch Council, his haughtiness was off the charts as he cracked one case after another. The offenders under his charge were all forced to confess the truth. Who would have thought he too would have ended up like a stray dog? He was getting old, with a wife and daughter back home to support…… 

  Dispirited, he left while feeling the broken bits of silver in his pocket. He pondered who he had offended to deserve this fate. 

  In truth, he knew the reason—a very simple one. Supposedly, his master’s master’s master went to the temple incognito for a stroll, but a reckless young man also made his way in, and all the guards stationed along the roads and in the palace passed out at once. The palace was enraged and began investigation. Agents of the Overwatch Council also tagged along to help. 

  This incident originally had nothing to do with Wan Qinian. But after asking around street by street, the inner ministry found out that young man had went to the Overwatch Council before going to the temple—a major development. Without Director Chen, the Council was like a fatherless child. The higher-ups in the Council all wondered how they would possibly explain once the palace found out that youth had connections with them. 

  Toward the end of the investigation, Wang Qinian’s name was revealed. On the accounts of many Council officials, after entering the Council, that youth talked the most with Wang Qinian, who then agreed to be investigated, despite being in a state of complete bewilderment. He confessed everything they brought up, except for the fact that the youth was Fei Jie’s student. Ultimately, the inner council didn’t find anything wrong with Wang Qinian, but still found an excuse to kick him out, having finally found a scapegoat. 

  “Once old Fei returns, I’ll go make a complaint,” Wang Qinian said with a dejected face, his head meekly supported on his shoulders. He walked into the distance. 

  “Mr. Wang.” An official appeared from around the corner, his face all smiles. He blocked Wang Qinian’s path. 

  Wang Qinian recognized Mu Tie. He had heard Mu Tie was in charge of the investigation of the Niulan Road assassination case. But they normally didn’t talk to each other; why did Mu Tie decide to seek him out now? With a suspicious expression, Wang Qinian greeted Mu Tie. “Sir Mu, how may I help you?” 

  Mu Tie showed an almost flattering grin and said in a soft voice, “Congratulations, Mr. Wang. Congratulations.” 

  Mu Tie had thought he could climb to greater heights via the platform that Fan Xian apparently provided him with, and didn’t think the opportunity would go to someone else instead. But since Young Master Fan had given the task to him, there might still be chances in the future. Mu Tie had always lacked emotions, especially when it came to official business. However, with his advancing age, he had no choice but to start planning for his future. Seeing Fan Xian’s badge made him connect the bits and pieces he had overheard years ago, convincing him that Fan Xian was someone of extreme importance. He thought Wang Qinian might be Fan Xian’s trusted aide, which was why he was being so polite. 

  Unfortunately, for the ever-stoic Mu Tie, being this expressive was a first. His smile was a bit stiff and unnatural. 

  That stiffness greatly alarmed Wang Qinian. Had Mu Tie been sent here to eliminate him after all? 

  With some lingering fear, Wang Qinian found himself sitting in a secluded room. Facing him was a handsome young master. No matter what had happened, Wang Qinian would always recognize the face of the one who got him kicked out of the Overwatch Council. Upon seeing the badge, he knew he was right to make that gamble. This young man was not only Sir Fei’s student; he also commanded a terrifying status. 

  Fan Xian genuinely did not expect this badge to have such terrific commanding power. He squinted and began to reflect upon the time he spent with Fei Jie. That cripple from the Overwatch Council was the one who saved him after he was reincarnated. It was very obvious that the Council took care of him for his mother’s sake. Fan Xian decided that he must put this advantage to good use. 

  “What I just said, did you understand?” Fan Xian smiled at Wang Qinian. The official was getting a little old, with a child and wife back home, which happened to be just what Fan Xian was looking for. He didn’t have any experience ordering subordinates around, so he had to learn how. That was why he wanted his first aide to be someone he met by coincidence; someone without too much ambition. 

  “I understand, Master Fan.” Wang Qinian chuckled, his fingers on his belt. In his belt pocket, other than the few bits of silver, there were many bills which weren’t in there before. “Excuse me, it should be Sir Fan.” 

  “I’m still new to the capital, so I don’t have many subordinates to count on, and my teacher isn’t around.” Fan Xian thought for a little bit, and then said, “I have another aide named Teng Zijing. But he’s injured and probably won’t recover for a few months. Once he does, I’ll introduce you two.” 

  “Yes sir.” Wang Qinian didn’t say too much. Compared to when Fan Xian first came to the Council, he got a lot better at it. 

  “Then go and gather some people.” Fan Xian was trying out such things for the first time and felt he was out of his comfort zone; he had no choice but to learn step by step. “Can people like you and I really reassign people from the Council?” 

  Suddenly, Wang Qinian said unsettlingly, “Your Highness, actually I…… had to resign.” 

  Fan Xian was shocked; how could things have gone so wrong? He asked, “Why?” 

  \r \r \r 

  Working up his courage, Wang Qinian told Fan Xian about the investigation and the temple incident, taking care to emphasize the fact he didn’t expose Fan Xian’s identity, so as to demonstrate his foresight and his “predetermined loyalty”. 

  Fan Xian asked with a frown, “My current position is that of a department head, would that have the authority to help you?” 

  Certainly.” Wang Qinian was overjoyed, realizing he had followed a person fated for greatness in the future. “There are just some procedures to follow. Your Highness could send out an order first and reappoint me. I would return to my post after a few days.” 

  “Very well, I’m going to have that taken care of as soon as possible.” Looking at this slightly elderly man, Fan Xian couldn’t help but have doubts; how useful would this person be as an aide? He asked gently, “Sir Wang, may I ask your area of expertise?” 

  “Tracking, while keeping myself hidden.” Upon hearing “expertise”, Wang Qinian’s spirits elevated immediately. After listening for a long time, Fan Xian discovered that he had stumbled upon an amazing person. During his younger years, this Wang Qinian was a thief who operated alone in the northern parts of Qing. He thoroughly enjoyed sneaking from one vassal state to another, between Northern Wei and Qing. Then he would bring the goods he stole from one vassal state to another and sell them. Because he never exposed the origins of the stolen goods, and due to his natural skill at hiding his traces, over the years he operated without incident. Eventually the officials in those vassal states couldn’t take it anymore and conducted a manhunt. Left with no other choice, he was forced to stay in Qing. Unexpectedly, he ran into Director Cheng Pingping, who was ordered by the emperor on the northern expedition. Wang Qinian submitted on the spot and gave up his ways as a thief, whereupon he became a government official. 

  Looking into his eyes, Fan Xian said lightly, “Si Lili is being taken back to the capital. There might be people trying to rob her or kill her. Whatever happens, do not interfere. You only need to observe the traveling party and find out who their last contact was.” Fan Xian paused a little before continuing, a bit embarrassed, “I came up with such a dumb plan because you said you are good at tracking, but not martial arts.” 

  Wang Qinian laughed, “When I was young, the Council wasn’t this big. Zong Zhui and I were the best trackers in the Council. But he later followed the Director, while I got lazy and switched to a civil position…… But Your Highness can rest assured, despite my old bones, tagging a few people shouldn’t be a problem.” 

  “I’ve got a lawsuit on my hands and can’t leave the capital, or else I would definitely go watch your skill with my own eyes.” Fan Xian then began to chuckle. “Mr. Wang, above all else, you must preserve your own life. That is of utmost importance.” 

  After assigning Wang his mission, Fan Xian went directly back to Fan Manor. Grimacing, he asked his younger sister to re-bandage his injured shoulder. He had mixed some medicinal powder out of motherwort himself. It was amazingly effective at stopping bleeding and promoting muscle growth. He didn’t want doctors to operate on him, on one hand because he did not trust their abilities in treating poison, and on another hand because Ruoruo’s slender yet soft fingers were far cuter than the callous-riddled bear paws of those clumsy old men. 

  Fan Xian then went to the study where Count Sinan was. Seeing his father’s greying hair, he saluted with some difficulty. He then asked his father directly, “Father, I need some men.” 

  Fan Jian looked at his son and couldn’t keep back his smile. “What have you got your eyes on?” 

  “The eldest princess’s mansion; the living quarters of the prime minister’s servants; the brothels frequented by the prince; the second prince’s favorite polo court…… King Jing’s winery?” Fan Xian shrugged. “You know I’m not very familiar with this type of thing, so I was hoping you would lend me some experts. Once I have their advice, I could come up with a plan to investigate.” 

  Fan Jian shook his index finger. “We don’t need experts. But you were right in that we need to make some arrangements. A bunch of experts, as long as they’re being directed by someone inexperienced, still wouldn’t do a good job.” 

  “Father, please give me your advice.” Fan Xan was exceptionally humble. 

  Fan Jian looked down and went back to reading his book. “Actually, people are already keeping an eye on the places you just mentioned. I just find it strange that you know about these places even though you haven’t been in the capital for that long.” 

  Fan Xian grinned, knowing that his father was only telling him to bear with it on the surface; he had already begun investigating in secret. “Such things are easy to find out when you chat a bit with the servants.” 

  Fan Jian raised his head slightly, although his gaze was still fixated on his book. “But you must be prepared; the investigation in the capital most likely won’t get you any results.” 

  Fan Xian frowned after hearing that. 

  Fan Jian continued, “You still have to pay attention to things over on Si Lili’s end.” He paused briefly. “The two female assassins you killed…… It seems that they were disciples of the Sigu Sword Sect from Dongyi City, and from what I heard, the the Sigu sword style hasn’t been seen in Dongyi City for a long time. You must be more careful.” Fan Xian replied with worry, “If a great grandmaster were willing to risk it all to kill someone, who would be able to escape?” Fan Jian nodded in agreement. “True. However, there shouldn’t be any reason for him to go after you. Relax. This is only some useful information.” 

  Over ten days later, about two hundred and fifty kilometers to the north of the capital, a traveling party was progressing southward against the cold morning wind. The party consisted of people from the Fourth Bureau of the Overwatch Council. After being in pursuit for several-thousand kilometers, they finally apprehended Si Lili before she could escape the country. Presently they were taking her back to the capital. They had been walking south for a long time. They would reach the capital in a few days. The leading official handed a steamed bun to Si Lili in the jail cart. “Eat.” 

  Si Lili’s face was thin and pallid. Her long hair was a mess, blowing in the wind. There was also some dust on her cheeks. Had Fan Xian seen her now, he definitely wouldn’t believe that she was the most popular entertainer with whom he had “slept” with. Chewing the tough, dried-out bun, Si Lili suddenly raised her head and said ferociously, “Even after going back to the capital, I will tell you nothing.” 

  That official gave her a look, his eyes full of mockery. “You think we’re sending you back to get to you to confess something? I don’t understand, are the officials over at Northern Qi bored out of their minds? Putting an idiot like you in the capital.” 

  Indeed, Si Lili was a spy of Northern Qi. But every day she had presented herself as a courtesan who was showered by compliments and praises. Never before had a man so coldly called her an idiot. Her voice trembling, she said, “Of course I know you aren’t after a confession, since that would plunge the Qing Imperial court into chaos for a long time.” 

  The official replied cynically, “Actually, your best choice of action was towards the beginning, on the day when the assassination attempt occurred. You should have turned yourself in immediately. This way, you could have exposed who was conspiring with Northern Qi, which would be enough to accomplish Northern Qi’s goal. Your escape only showed that you value your life more than your mission.” 

  Si Lili lowered her head in admittance of this fact. She gripped the tough bun in her hand tightly, leaving behind deep marks.

  Chapter 93: Talking About the Capital Outside Cangzhou City 

  Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio 

  The official added coldly, “We knew Drunken Immortal Tavern was planted by you Northern Qi. We never did anything except surveillance since you guys were ineffective. Who would have thought you were this reckless? Running away after what you’d done? Do you really think this world is so easy?” 

  Only after getting caught did Si Lili find out that her each and every move was being watched by the Overwatch Council. She couldn’t help but feeling a sense of horror toward this organization of the Qing emperor. 

  Seeing that they were about to resume moving again, Si Lili suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs, “You better kill me now! Or that someone from your Imperial court will certainly come to my rescue!” 

  The official merely raised his eyebrows. “More like come to shut you up for good.” As soon as he said that, over the hills in front of them, some bandits on horses appeared. The traveling group had been expecting robbers, but they weren’t expecting to encounter raiders from the northern border and the surrounding vassal states. There were dozens of them, all brandishing swords. Against the Council’s group of only over ten men, the outcome of this clash seemed obvious. 

  While the highwaymen weren’t that many in number, they did appear only two hundred and fifty kilometers away from the capital without the Qing military’s knowledge. If the civilians knew this, there would be no rest in the Imperial court. Now Si Lili’s face was pale with fear. She wasn’t exceptionally intelligent, but she was smart enough to know that she’d lose her life for certain if she were to fall into their hands. 

  The Council officials also couldn’t believe this conspiring official in the Imperial court would somehow have connections with the raiders near the nation’s border. Looking tense, the leading official leaned towards the jail cart. “Si Lili, looks like you and I both won’t be making it out alive. Since we’ve gotten to this point, how about you tell me who the traitor is? If some of my men manage to escape, they can report it to the court and avenge us in the process.” 

  Si Lili looked down, her life flashing before her eyes. She was about to speak before noticing something wasn’t right. She raised her head and said, “You’re bluffing.” 

  The official wasn’t expecting her to see through his plan and made a hardly noticeable frown. 

  Si Lili then continued in a sad tone, “You should know what I do for a living. I’ve learned to notice faint signs on people’s faces since I was a child. Your voice was shaking slightly, but your hand on this cart was steady and relaxed. You obviously aren’t as concerned about this matter as you say. You probably already saw this ambush coming.” 

  “Well done.” Only now did the official start to feel this woman truly had the talent to be a spy. With a smile, he said, “If we couldn’t anticipate something like this, then the Overwatch Council wouldn’t be the Overwatch Council.” 

  As they were talking, dozens of horse riders came charging down the hill, their killing intent fouling the sky. This front obviously did not belong to ordinary highwaymen. 

  Around the jail cart, the men of the Council formed a defensive semicircle. However, as they were few in number, their defensive formation looked pitiful. Facing the incoming onslaught, despite it being a life-and-death situation, the men all held solemn and respectful expressions. 

  “Ho……!” The leading official clenched his right fist tightly, coldly eyeing the wave of riders. He had just given the signal to keep everything steady. Had Fan Xian heard the signal, it would surely have reminded him of the English word “hold” he often heard from foreign movies in his previous life. 

  As the horsemen closed in, the leading official suddenly took a step back. Straightening his right arm, he shouted, “Ready!” The semicircle formation suddenly readjusted into a wedge. More terrifyingly, the men all took out crossbows—seemingly from out of nowhere. Raising the crossbows to eye level, they took aim at the horsemen in front of them! 

  The distance between them was too close. The leading rider’s eyes showed panic as he pulled on the reins of his horse. The entire group managed to turn to go around the crossbowmen. They had been galloping at full speed; in order to come to such a sudden stop and then immediately change directions, their horsemanship must be superb. 

  “Fire!” The commanding official gave the order just as the lead horseman started to turn his horse. 

  A rain of crossbow bolts launched into the air. Although it wasn’t a dense volley, each bolt flew with exceptional speed due to the power of the crossbows, ripping through the air with a chilling hiss. With several grunts, the foremost horsemen were hit and crashed heavily to the ground. The riders behind them wanted to overwhelm the crossbowmen while the men were reloading, unaware they were using repeating crossbows! 

  The repeating crossbow appeared in this world about twenty years ago. Each magazine held eight bolts. That weapon was the bane of light cavalry. Seeing what was happening, the entire group of riders panicked. They split into two branches and went around the crossbowmen from both sides, ready to carry out a pincer attack. 

  Had they continued to charge straight on, they might have gotten better results. But there weren’t any what-ifs in this world. A few more horsemen fell while attempting the pincer attack. To the horror of the other riders, they discovered that in the hills behind the jail cart, an ambush was waiting for them! 

  Upon seeing the camouflaged ambush party, the horsemen lost their wits and no longer cared about killing the woman in the cart. They scrambled and fled in all directions. 

  \r \r \r 

  The ones lying in wait were part of a cavalry unit made up of riders wearing black armor. It was the same unit Fan Xian saw immediately after opening his eyes for the first time in this world. Those cavalrymen were assigned by the emperor himself while Director Chen was away from the capital on official business; they were none other than the emperor’s personal cavalry unit—the Black Knights! 

  Those Black Knights rode after their targets like a wolfpack ripping into a flock of sheep, completely surrounding the enemy horsemen before making quick work of them with swift sword strikes. 

  “Leave some alive! Leave some alive!” Fei Jie yelled out in a hurry while watching the slaughter in a carriage behind ranks of Black Knights. “Don’t kill all of them!” 

  One of the curtains on the carriage was lifted by a dry and withered hand. An elderly gentleman surveyed the surrounding situation before coldly saying, “Fei Jie, don’t get too worked up over these whelps. I doubt they even know who their master is. Just capturing their leader will do.” 

  Fei Jie cursed, “Sir Fan took little Fan Xian into the capital while we were gone and you know what almost happened. How could I not get worked up?” 

  The elderly man grunted. Smoothing out the fleece blanket on his lap, he said, “I was visiting my home. Your ran out on your own. You only have yourself to blame.” 

  Even a decade later, Fei Jie still retained his strange look; his hair was broken up by white patches and his eyes were the same shade of brown. Frowning, Fei Jie said, “Who knows what Sir Fan is planning. Your Highness, after we get back to the capital you must go have a chat with Count Sinan.” 

  That elderly gentleman was none other than Chen Pingping, a man who held vast hidden authority. He was smiling while looking at the enemy leader in the distance. “Naturally, I understand what Fan Jian was thinking. But I must say, his thinking is…… absolutely chaotic! All in order to gain these; I’d rather not have them……” He repeated again, “.…… I’d rather not have them.” 

  While the two of them were talking, the enemy leader rode off into the distance and became a small dot on the horizon. He knew he had been ambushed by the Overwatch Council. However, he could not figure out why Chen Pingping appeared outside Cangzhou City to the north of the capital when he should be visiting his home! 

  He knew all was lost as soon as he saw the Black Knights. Against the ruthless and sinister Director Chen, even his real master could only focus on self-preservation, so he had to get away first. This was also the reason he didn’t get as close to the Black Knights as the rest of his men. The Black Knights began to tire after chasing for about a kilometer, and the distance between them and their target lengthened. They had no choice but to give up their pursuit. 

  “I’m assuming Zong Zhui is already on the move?” Chen Pingping quietly asked his aide. 

  The aide bowed in confirmation. 

  At the same time, from the woods in the distance, a rider on a grey horse darted out, silently chasing after the fleeing enemy. 

  “That’s not Zong Zhui.” Fei Jie frowned. 

  Chen Pingping suddenly laughed after staring at that grey blur for a while. “Since he hid himself from us, he must be one of ours…… Considering how he was able to keep up with Zong Zhui’s skills, I believe there was someone like that in the Council many years ago.” 

  “Wang Qinian?” 

  “Indeed.” Chen Pingping smiled. “Looks like that brat we were worried about finally learned something.” 

  After dispatching Wang Qinian from the capital, it became inconvenient for Fan Xian to go out because of his wounds. He even stopped frequenting the still in-progress bookstore, opting to live a secretive and simple life for a period of time. By now, he had already become famous in the capital, especially due to those two poems which didn’t match his experiences at all. The poems further made him a source of controversy. Those who supported him viewed him as a genius poet, while those in opposition accused him of forcefully expressing scenes of grief in his poems—however, no one knew even that phrase was brought to this world by Fan Xian from his past life. 

  There were also rumors of plagiarism going around in the dark, but the line “Ten thousand miles in sorrowful autumn, always a guest” was overly flashy to the point that no one was shameless enough to claim it, and therefore those rumors never went anywhere. However, Fan Xian knew that day would come eventually. The father of Guo Baokun was the Director of the Board of Rites, and their entire household always dealt with influential figures in the literary circle. Fan Xian, however, never liked to assume the worst in…… so-called “scholars”. 

  It was precisely due to his controversy and fame that the scholars who frequented the poetry gatherings at King Jing’s manor often came to visit. While on the surface they came offering get-well wishes, they were actually there hoping that Fan Xian would compliment their poems. 

  Fan Xian patiently greeted each one of his guests, but he was quite stingy while evaluating their poems. After all, he was far above the “literary world”, just like how Zhang Xianlian started his own business. Still, he didn’t believe he had the privilege. At only sixteen years old, he made it thus far thanks to his wits from his past life. To gather some poet following just because of that would be too absurd! 

  Compared to his reputation as a poet, what really made his name stand out in the capital and earned him praise was the assassination incident on Niulan Street. 

  Some of the details of the investigation could be accessed by the general public. Once those leaked out, Fan Xian, as the victim under such grave danger, not only preserved his own life but also initiated a counterattack, killing his assassins from Northern Qi, one whom was an eighth level master. Those facts raised Fan Xian to a whole new level in the eyes of the people. No longer did people accuse him of unjustly beating up others. Instead, everyone spoke of him as the Young Master Fan who was endowed with both literary and martial virtues, who had bravely slain his assassins. 

  “Civil enough to compose poetry, martial enough to kill; doing both in seven steps. That, is Young Master Fan.”