Joy of Life

Jingdou’s nights were always heavy, particularly in such cold winter days. There were not many people walking on the streets after night fell. Actually, it there were absolutely no people. There were no pedestrians. There were only nightwalkers.

Who knew how many nightwalkers were using the cover of darkness to hide in the streets, alleys, and under the eaves in Jingdou using nooses, sharp knives, metal drills, chains on doors, and powder to ensnare people’s necks, slice open their throats, rip through someone’s body, and confuse somebody’s eyes.

Fresh blood covered everyone’s eyes.

A black chain hung from the main door of Zizhu Park. At the end of a chain in their death throes, their feet kicked weakly in the cold wind.

The light from the lantern was very dim. It swayed in the wind like the legs and cast sinister shadows and faint light onto the ground. In the corner, Deng Zi Yue’s pale face was sometimes in the light and sometimes in the dark, looking like a demon of the night. He stared at the person and turned to leave after confirming his death.

On Guili Lane, inside a brothel, the sheets were all tossed about and the ace on the bed with strong and powerful muscles suddenly opened his eyes wide. Threads of blood appeared on his eye whites. The prostitute on him looked at him coldly. Her legs were opened very wide, yet they tightly held down his waist. The position was obscene but fatal.

After an indeterminable amount of time, the prostitute’s slender, clever, and pale hands slowly moved away from the man’s ears and drew out two very slender metal drills. A faint blue light lay on top of the drills, as well as black-colored blood.

At Gaoshan Tower, the sound of a panicked chase rose up. A person was panicked and fearful. They ran toward the foot of the tower with shock and fear in their faces. The clothes on his body had already been sliced into countless pieces and fresh blood dripped down.

A moment later, he was trapped by the killer beneath the tower. The black-clothed man chasing after him spat out a mouthful of saliva that had a trace of blood in it and waved his hand. Black-clothed men charged forward and surrounded the man in the center. Although his martial ability was very powerful and he resisted with all his strength, he was still like a whale being besieged by a group of sharks. Gradually, they became unable to endure.

In the darkness, only the sounds of metal entering a fleshy body and the whistling of the wind could be heard. The black-clothed men silently stabbed and swung until the person in the middle no longer had any reaction, not even a glimmer of nerve reaction. They were like a piece of rotten meat lying on the ground.

...

...

Yan Bingyun brought the report to the candle flame to burn it. His hands did not shake at all, and his brows were no longer furrowed. Since the matter had already happened, there could not be a trace of doubt, just like how after the crossbow was triggered, there was no one who could make that arrow, which could kill people, disappear into thin air.

The Eight Generals the Second Prince personally led were a total of six people and had all died under the Overwatch Council’s attack from different methods and at different locations. They had all disappeared into Jingdou’s dark night.

From today onward, the Eight Generals would become a trite mention in history or, perhaps, it didn’t even have the right to be recorded in history.

Yan Bingyun lowered his head and looked at the piece of paper on the table. He unconsciously squeezed the bridge of his nose to clear his state of mind. According to the plan, the next step should immediately be carried out. As for the rest of the five people that needed to be killed, there were already particular people responsible for them.

Each part of the plan hooked onto another. Although this was the Overwatch Council’s crazy revenge on the attack in the valley, Yan Bingyun still had to think of ways to control the situation within a certain range. The Second Prince’s eight generals were not officials, they were just private generals of his manor. For these kinds of people, as long as the Overwatch Council killed them cleanly and did not leave behind any evidence, the court could not do anything to Fan Xian.

However, those five people were not the same.

The officials they had to capture were also not like that. Although the officials were all unremarkable people from various departments, they were all paid by the court. What kind of chaos would they create after capturing so many of them in one night?

Yan Bingyun sighed and informed the subordinates outside to come in through a secret mechanism and gave out his second order. After giving his order, he habitually walked back to the window to glance distantly at the not very far away corner of the Royal Palace. He thought to himself that what the Director had initially said was very correct. Below Fan Xian’s warm and gentle exterior was indeed hidden a great factor of craziness.

He had only lost a dozen trusted aides in the valley, yet Fan Xian was already demented to this extent. If it was as the Director said, when the Director passed in the future what kind of terrifying person would Fan Xian become?

...

...

Inside Baoyue Brothel, Fan Xian’s expression was warm and calm with his brows slightly raised. He was unspeakably agreeable as if he had no idea of what was happening outside in Jingdou’s night.

He had finished telling about the attack in the valley. Regardless of whether the various officials at the feast felt fear or regret, they all expressed their sympathies to him. Immediately after, he talked about matters relating to Jiangnan, the Ming family, and Palace Treasury. He then furrowed his brows and said, “Actually, there is something I never understood. While I was working hard for the court in Jiangnan, why was there always someone in the capital who liked to make trouble?”

Everyone at the feast was surprised, thinking to themselves, What was he talking about? In the year that Fan Xian was far away in Jiangnan, if one were to say that no one put rocks in his way, that was definitely impossible. But, to speak of tripping stones...365 days and one each day, just which one were you talking about? The investigation into the Ministry of Revenue? Sending books into the Palace? Besides, these tripping stones had long been taken care off by those old men, and you’re completely fine. What are you bemoaning about here?

The Crown Prince couldn’t resist laughingly scolding, “How can you feel so wronged? If you’re speaking of those who don’t see eye to eye with you, they certainly exist. But if you are talking of those who purposely pull you back, you won’t be able to name anyone.”

Fan Xian also smiled and shook his head. “It is just that I haven’t been back to Jingdou in a year, I think, perhaps, there are many people in Jingdou who had already forgotten what I am like.”

The Second Prince was holding the wine cup and closely savoring the alcohol. Hearing these words, a sudden chill twisted from the bottom of his heart for some reason. The Crown Prince’s behavior was too strange, while Fan Xian’s attitude was too arrogant. It was arrogance that did not follow reason, and that did not follow rules. It was of no benefit to him at all.

Was it just because he was feeling very stifled about the valley matter?

The Second Prince’s eyebrows furrowed together prettily, thinking, It hasn’t even been found who did it. What are you trying to do by making a ruckus here with us?

The downstairs of Baoyue Brothel suddenly became lively and the clip-clop of horse hooves could be heard. It seemed like a number of people were coming this way.

The Crown Prince, who was sitting at the head, furrowed his brows and said unhappily, “Who dares to make such a clamor?”

Everyone at the feast furrowed their brows and gazed out the window.

It seemed like someone wanted to enter Baoyue Brothel. They had already successfully passed through the layers of defense that were the Jingdou garrison and the bailiffs of the Jingdou government, but they had been stopped outside by the people of Baoyue Brothel.

Fan Xian glanced at Sang Wen, and she understood. She lifted the hanging cotton curtain and flashed past the dividing screen. In just a moment, following a thunder of footsteps, Sang Wen brought five people upstairs.

These five people were wearing official robes. Presumably, they were officials of the court. However, today they were not somewhere where they could discuss important matters of the court, rather, they were in a romantic setting. Various people at the feast recognized certain persons to be their trusted aide and couldn’t help but be surprised, thinking, What was happening? To come find them so openly and publicly, had something major happened in the capital?

The five officials looked at each other and saw the unease, fear, and panic in each other’s eyes. They didn’t consider much. They first bowed to nobles at the feast and admitted to their fault then they glanced fearfully at Fan Xian and bowed to him. Without any other digression, they went forward to find the official they were looking for. Moving closer to them, they said something next to their ears.

Fan Xian watched this scene with a slight smile. He raised his wine cup and drank to Ren Shao’an, who was beside the Crown Prince and Great Prince. The Great Prince’s Imperial Army system was clearly limited to the Palace area, so his reaction was a bit slower, while the Crown Prince seemed to have guessed something. He had purposely cut himself off from his spies and had only come to Baoyue Brothel to get drunk.

The Great Prince looked at the tense atmosphere around him and glanced at Fan Xian with furrowed brows to question him. Fan Xian shook his head to indicate that he didn’t know what had happened.

At the tables to the side, the colorings of the officials who had heard their subordinate’s reports gradually became uglier and uglier, particularly that of the Second Prince. His delicate appearance gradually became white, then it immediately flushed red. Yet, three breaths later, it had become normal.

Fan Xian watched this scene with slanted eyes. He knew that the other party had already learned of the news of all the deaths of his Eight Generals, but he had not thought that the Second Prince would immediately able to restrain his expression. He couldn’t help but feel a little admiration.

The Great Prince furrowed his brows and asked, “What happened?”

Everyone in the building knew that something had happened, but not everyone knew just what had happened. The Second Prince lowered his head slightly. Lifting his wine cup, he took a very shallow sip. Raising his eyes, he gazed at Fan Xian with a heavy smile in his eyes. Enunciating each word, he asked, “Presumably, Sir Fan junior knows very well.”

The atmosphere became cold. The officials who had received reports from the capital all stared at Fan Xian’s face. They now knew that while they had been feasting in Baoyue Brothel, a number of murder cases had suddenly happened in Jingdou. The Second Prince’s most capable Eight Generals had completely been wiped out.

The officials all had a great number of spies in the city, and their eyes and ears were very clear. Combined with the Bureau of Military Affairs’ officials responsible for the defense of the city, they knew how horrifying this matter was. Since the power needed to kill the Eight Generals so cleanly and smoothly was not something just anyone could do.

Connecting it to the fact that Fan Xian held a feast today in Baoyue Brothel, everyone faintly guessed that this matter had been done by the Overwatch Council.

Everyone was waiting for Fan Xian’s reply. The atmosphere was dangerous and heavy.

Fan Xian asked gently, “What matter?”

The Second Prince smiled. His smile was rather bitter. The depths of his heart was icy cold. The legs crossed on his body felt numb and sore. Looking at the young Overwatch Council Commissioner sitting across from him, it was like looking at a slightly smiling demon. As a prince, he didn’t know what reaction he should immediately make.

So, he raised his cup and drank alone. He emptied the cup. A slight burn and pain grew in his chest.

After a moment of silence, the Deputy of the Bureau of Military Affairs, Qu Xiangdong, stared at Fan Xian and said in a cold voice, “Tonight, murder cases happened repeatedly. The six generals in the Second Prince’s manor were killed at the same time. Sir Fan junior, do you know of this matter?”

After these words came out, the Great Prince, who didn’t know what exactly had happened, looked at Fan Xian in shock. The Crown Prince, who had been hiding in the beauty’s arms and pretending to be muddled, also let out a surprised cry and suddenly sat up from the beauty’s embrace.

The Crown Prince stared at Fan Xian’s calm expression in a daze, feeling incomparable shock in his heart. He knew that Fan Xian did not have good intentions, but he truly did not think that Fan Xian’s retaliation would be this simple, direct, cruel, unreasonable, and uncaring of consequences.

Under everyone’s gaze, Fan Xian...tilted his head. With a glimmer of confusion and disdain, he lightly said, “Oh? Are they all dead?”

The Second Prince was just putting down his wine cup when he heard Fan Xian’s question. The emotions in his chest surged. That anger, frustration, glimmer of confusion and responsibility for hate could no longer be controlled. He placed his cup down a little hard. The wine cup thunked onto the table, knocking askew the wine-jar beside it.

Learning from the expressions of the people at the feast that the six generals had truly all died, Fan Xian’s heart was as smooth as if it had a pure spring running through it. He didn’t purposely hide his expression and smiled slightly. “What do the Second Prince’s home generals have to do with me? I’ve always heard that these home generals of the Second Prince walk very arrogantly in Jingdou. They’ve must have offended many people they could not afford to offend.”

Since the beginning of this feast, this was the first time he had referred to himself as an official. As for who in Jingdou the Eight Generals had once offended but could not afford to do so...it was very clear, the person’s surname was Fan.

The feast was absolutely silent. The Second Prince gazed in a daze at Fan Xian and then suddenly smiled. He knew that regardless of whether or not the other party had done this, to have the power to completely wipe out his martial force during the feast in such a short time, the power of the Overwatch Council was not something this prince could oppose face-to-face.

He raised his cup and toasted Fan Xian. Sincerely, he said, “The Commissioner has incredible methods...and boldness.”

Fan Xian raised his cup to meet his and comfortingly said, “Your Highness, please limit your grief. If the dead didn’t go, then the living couldn’t come. The new replaces the old. Everything is like this.”

The Deputy of the Bureau looked at these two “princes,” who bore a remarkable resemblance to each other, and couldn’t help an absurd emotion rising from the depths of his heart. Looking at the present situation, the Second Prince was not a match for Fan Xian. In terms of titles, Fan Xian was, after all, an official, how could he be so daring?

Qu Xiangdong suddenly felt like he was old and timid, but he still couldn’t resist opening his mouth to ask Fan Xian, “Sir Fan junior, you should know about the matter of the Overwatch Council going around tonight capturing a dozen court officials, right?”

Fan Xian carefully used both his hands to return the wine cup to the table. He raised his head and said, “I am the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council as well as the leader of the First Bureau, by imperial order, I inspect the style of governance in Jingdou. Without my nod, who dares to capture those vermin?”