Two mysterious men in black feather armor crossed the tile ridge of the palace wall in the vast night and hurriedly galloped all the way.

A black shadow approached them head-on and immediately threw a blow full of internal strength.

The two black-feathered armored men twisted their bodies and rose into the air to avoid the attack. Under the quiet and lonely moon, they drew two cold but perfect curves. Then they set foot on the high eaves of a palace and squared off, one on the left and the other on the right.

The two of them didn't speak. Their entire heads were covered by black cloth, so only their eyes could be seen looking around alertly and constantly. Under the cold moonlight, their eyes looked fierce and sinister.

They quietly looked at the sudden attacker on the opposite side. He wore a black Kungfu suit and tied his black hair high. A black face towel covered half of his face below the nose, and his eyes were bright and shrewd. Although this person was not their accomplice, they could tell that he was also a first-class martial arts master.

The three immediately started fighting.

Three masked figures in night clothes intertwined with each other. They rose into the night sky and then fought with each other to the ground. The fight was fierce.

A hundred rounds later, the black-feathered armor of a man was torn apart by his opponent, and the book in his arms fell. At the same time, his opponent threw another blow at him quickly and aggressively.

His legs didn't stop. He kicked the book high with his toes and got it with ease.

The whole process happened in the blink of an eye.

His companion was kicked a hundred meters away by their opponent, and his muscles and bones were dislocated, and he fell to the ground. When the other black-feathered armored man saw that, he let out an angry growl and punched at his opponent.

The man held the book in one hand, stretched out his other hand, and firmly caught his fist. The next moment, he was surprised to find that countless vines spread out from the strong arm of the man with dense branches and leaves, instantly climbed up his five fingers, and covered his big hand. The vines stretched to his entire arm and became tighter and tighter, almost breaking his arm.

The man in black immediately widened his cold eyes in disbelief. In an instant, he shook his arm to withdraw the move, but the entanglement of the vines was so strong that his arm could no longer move.

At this moment, the dagger in the man’s other hand was attacking him, and the silver-white edge pierced through the darkness of the night. At the critical moment, sparkles flashed.

The dagger seemed to have touched a protective wall that was invisible to the naked eye. Before the attack hurt the enemy, it was resisted abruptly. He raised his eyes to look at his opponent and found him frowning deeply. His stern eyes widened to the limit, and his whole body was tensed as he was exerting his internal strength.

The black-feathered armored man only felt that the air around him was frozen and heavy, and he seemed to be embedded in ice cubes from head to toe, unable to breathe.

He found helplessly that his arm, which was controlled by many vines, suddenly froze and the countless tiny vines on it collapsed into ashes in an instant.

"Ouch!" With a tragic wailing, the black-feathered armored man dropped to one knee and supported his bone-shattered arm with the other hand.

"Catch the assassins!" There were suddenly loud shouts around. Dozens of Imperial Guards descended from the buildings and surrounded the two mysterious figures who fell to the ground.

The two looked at each other, and one suddenly raised his hand and threw a secret weapon. In the encirclement, the flames were raging too eerily for people to open their eyes to look directly. The Imperial Guards turned their heads to cover their mouths and noses for fear of fraud.

The fire extinguished itself in an instant, and there was no one in the circle. On the ground, only two vine leaves were left. "Stop chasing. It did not fall into their hands anyway." The Imperial Guards were eager to chase them but were stopped by the man in black.

“Lord, I’m sorry we are late. Please forgive us!” The leader of the Imperial Guards lifted his black cloak up, knelt, and bowed.

The man in black pulled down his kerchief, revealing his handsome and cold face.

He was the Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot, Yue Xilou. Picking up one vine leaf and twisting it with his two fingers, he leisurely watched it turn into dust.

Yue Xilou squinted, looked at the endless dark palace road, and sneered, “It’s Ninjutsu of Ying State. It's nothing but a little bit of phosphorus powder and the effect of illusion. It’s not real witchcraft. Look how scared you are! The Imperial Guards are not as brave as my guards!"

The head of the Imperial Guards was ashamed and nodded, "Lord, then... Are we chasing them or not?"

"No need!"

"Godfather!"

Hearing the urgent call, Yue Xilou squinted his eyes carefully, turned his back to Leshuang, and hid the book in his sleeve.

"Godfather, are you alright?"

Leshuang ran to Yue Xilou, gasping for breath. His eyes were red from exhaustion.

"Why did you come?" Yue Xilou looked sideways at his godson who was sweating profusely with deep eyes. He pondered, and there were lots of thoughts in his mind suddenly.

"I heard that you called in the Imperial Guards. I was afraid that something was wrong. I was so worried that I chased you all the way here."

Yue Xilou didn't speak. He fixed his black eyes on Leshuang, and his face was calm without any emotional fluctuations. The silence for a moment made the atmosphere a little awkward. Leshuang smiled awkwardly, raised his hand to wipe the sweat around his neck, and said casually, "I'm at your disposal anytime. You said that you would be always at ease when I did things for you."

"Ha-ha…"

Yue Xilou pursed his lips and smiled, and his eyes somehow looked strange under the moonlight.

He raised his eyes and patted Leshuang's shoulder with his big cold palm, "Indeed, I believe in your abilities in handling my affairs. It's fine. It's just two common thieves. Don't worry."

Leshuang lowered his head and bowed respectfully, "I see."

Yue Xilou nodded, "Go back to the Imperial Ceremony Office". Then he turned to look at the Imperial Guards again, "Everyone, you have worked hard tonight. The following three days are big days when His Majesty invites envoys from many countries to the Blossom Garden Party. You must not be lazy or sloppy when you are on duty."

―

At Book Hall, Gu Yunxi struggled to open her eyes. Her head was dizzy and her heart was pounding. She felt terrible. Her vision gradually became clearer. Under the cold moonlight, there were familiar interior furnishings, a male corpse, and blood stains...

Her heart trembled, and she woke up in an instant. A strange feeling made her slowly lower her eyes. Her blood-stained right hand was holding a long hairpin tightly.

"Ah!"

Gu Yunxi was startled, instinctively shook her hand, and threw the blood-stained hairpin away.

"Who is in there?" The lanterns and torches flickered wildly outside the house, and then the door was kicked open.

Several Imperial Guards broke in and saw Gu Yunxi who looked terrified and Sakata Aki who was motionless on the ground. They were shocked and speechless.

"Hurry up and report to His Majesty that we’ve found Her Grace Concubine Yun. Hurry!"

...

Lifting the hemline of her dress up, Commandery Princess Jingle was running desperately on the dark palace road. She slipped and fell to the ground.

Pain and fear crushed her nerves repeatedly like a heavy stone plate, causing her to suffer but be unable to break free. She widened her eyes and helplessly looked around. Then she covered her face and cried bitterly.

A cold wind was blowing.

She felt something, stopped crying, and raised her teary eyes. She was no stranger to the man in black in front of her.

"Lord Yue?"

She seemed to see a savior, stretched out her arms that had become weak in fright, hugged Yue Xilou's thigh, and cried out again, "Lord Yue, someone died in my palace. What should I do? Please save me..."

Yue Xilou frowned deeply, and he looked cold and shocked, "It's not unusual for people to die in the Palace."

"But, it's Sakata Aki who died, the chef from Ying State!"

"Tell me what you saw exactly?" Yue Xilou bent down, grabbed Jingle's collar, and asked.

Jingle's makeup was smeared by her tears and sweat, and she replied between sobs, "An hour ago, I saw the chef from Ying State wandering around in the Palace. I thought that he should have attended the Blossom Garden Party at that time, so I found it strange. Later, I followed him to Book Hall and saw him go up the second floor and walk into the most corner room."

"I hid in the dark and waited. After a long time, I found that Concubine Yun from Jingyang Palace also rushed to the second floor of Book Hall. I heard her keep calling his name and talking about some book she brought him. I wanted to continue listening, but she suddenly stopped moving. I thought it was strange, so I sneaked up to the outside of that room, and I saw... I saw..."

With her stammering statement, she once again recalled the ferocious and terrifying scene.

Then the pupils of her watery eyes contracted. Her face went pale and she shuddered.

Yue Xilou completely turned a blind eye to her fear and embarrassment. Not only did he not comfort her at all, but he was very impatient. He suddenly released his hand and shouted at the scared girl, "Be quick. Tell me what you saw."

Jingle was so frightened that her hair stood on end. She sat up tremblingly, lowered her eyebrows, and said obediently, "Well... I hid outside the room and saw the chef from Ying State dead inside. There was blood all over the floor."

"Concubine Yun also passed out at the time... There were two men in black, and they stuffed a gold hairpin into her hand..."

As she was talking, she held her head in her hands and cried in fright. "What should I do, Lord Yue? I saw a dead man. I saw their secret. Will they kill me? Please save me."

"Look how scared you are!" Yue Xilou rolled his eyes at her with disdain, "You want to take revenge when you’re so timid? You still want to deal with Concubine Yun who sent people to ruin your innocence?"

"But he wasn't killed by Concubine Yun!"

Jingle realized something. She looked up at Yue Xilou and said in a serious tone, "The blood-stained hairpin was forcibly stuffed into her hand by those two men. It is impossible for her to kill him alone. The chef was killed by those two masked men!"

"Okay, remember to keep your mouth shut."

Yue Xilou suddenly widened his eyes and his face darkened. He cast his sharp eyes at her, forcing her to be quiet about it, "Remember. In the future, you have to say that you don't know anything when someone asks you. But you must always keep in mind that he was killed by Concubine Yun! Only in this way can you save your own life. Understand?"

Jingle opened her mouth and nodded in a daze.

Yue Xilou took out a book from his pocket and handed it to Jingle.

"The Exquisite Collection of Delicacies?"

It took her a long time to see the title of the book clearly and she raised her head in astonishment, "How come you have this book?"

Yue Xilou glanced at her, "Don't ask so many questions. Keep this book for now. Remember. After it quiets down in several days, burn it in Shuofeng Hall secretly. Be sure to do it secretly. This is between you and me, and it must not be seen by a third person."

Jingle took it hesitantly. She bit her lip and questioned, "Lord Yue, since you don't want it to be known, why don’t you destroy it yourself? Why do you want me to...?"

"Nonsense!" Yue Xilou glared at her fiercely, "Just do it as instructed!"

Jingle lowered her head and sighed, complaining, "Okay."

Yue Xilou curled his lips and smiled coldly. A gleam of light flashed across his eyes.