“Clop, clop, clop, clop.”
Shadows.
A horse-drawn carriage slowly made its way down the bustling street. Hooves clattered, wheels creaked.
Looking toward the carriage at the very front of the procession, all that could be seen was the half-covered window curtain swaying and bouncing with the carriage’s motion, allowing only a faint glimpse of two figures inside.
“Whoa, this carriage procession is seriously over the top.”
“Yeah, even the Wang Family probably doesn’t put on such a show.”
The passersby all stepped aside to let the carriages through, murmuring among themselves as they gathered.
They had no idea what purpose this convoy served, but they all shared the same thought:
Today, another VIP had arrived in Xiang’an Town.
Meanwhile, inside the carriage—
A man parted the window curtain with his hand and peered outside, squinting with a smile.
“Ah, this town really does seem like a place with simple, honest folk.”
“Just thinking that under Imperial Grace there are towns so suited for peaceful living… it puts my heart at ease, you know.”
The man withdrew his gaze from the window, his words dripping with exaggeration.
He let the curtain fall, folded his arms, and looked at the young man seated across from him in the carriage, smiling as he asked:
“Don’t you think so, Ding Er?”
Zhou Hongfang remained silent.
After a long pause, the young man—who had been sitting stiffly—finally sighed and replied:
“Lord You, we’re still on the street.” Zhou Hongfang took a deep breath, looking rather helplessly at the man before him. “Why not wait until we reach the old residence with your subordinate before discussing such things?”
“After all, if someone with ill intentions overhears, it’ll only cause trouble…”
Seeing the young man express his thoughts, You Pengpo’s smile only widened.
“Huh? Ha! Relax, relax!” You Pengpo clenched his fist and knocked it against the carriage wall behind him, wearing a completely carefree expression. “The coachman driving us this time is one of our own—no problem at all!”
“Besides, isn’t chatting on the way pretty nice? Hahaha!”
Zhou Hongfang felt a surge of helplessness seeing You Pengpo still acting so jolly and flippant.
‘Sigh… How is the Executioner inside the sect such a character?’
‘Couldn’t the Central Sect have sent someone more reliable?’
The young man covered his face and shook his head internally, recalling the first time he’d met this Executioner.
Zhou Hongfang still remembered the first time he saw You Pengpo: he was slouched in a chair, cracking sunflower seeds, with a blood-soaked person pinned under his foot.
You Pengpo had greeted him with a smile, his tone as casual as if he were chatting about everyday matters.
But the next second, without any warning, he lifted his foot and stomped on the kneeling man’s hand. The sound of bones breaking was crisp and clear.
“Oh, don’t mind it—just handling a small matter.”
You Pengpo explained with a laugh, but didn’t move his foot, leaving the man to scream in agony. And You Pengpo acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to chat and laugh with him.
‘If I hadn’t witnessed that scene, I might have actually been fooled by him.’
Zhou Hongfang glanced at You Pengpo, who was now rambling to himself with great relish, and felt a chill run through him.
“Smile Hidden Blade”—the nickname given to You Pengpo by the members of the Jie sect.
Unlike his own grim impression, everyone who met You Pengpo for the first time shared a very similar first impression—he was all smiles, very off-kilter.
But that was all just a facade. The real You Pengpo, on the inside, was…
“Besides, even if someone overhears, so what?” You Pengpo shrugged indifferently. “Worst case, I’ll twist off the eavesdropper’s arms and legs and sell them to the Jin people next door.”
“Those northern bastards aren’t picky about that kind of thing anyway.”
He waved his hand casually.
‘How can this guy so easily say something so terrifying?’
Zhou Hongfang sat upright, his previously tense back instantly straightening.
You Pengpo, with his arms crossed, looked around idly. When he noticed Zhou Hongfang’s slight tension, a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
He leaned forward, propping his elbows on his thighs, hands supporting his head, and asked in a friendly tone:
“Say, Ding Er… I recall you used to be a Zhou, right?”
“…Yes, Lord.”
Though Zhou Hongfang was puzzled as to why You Pengpo suddenly asked this, and even how he knew his full name, he obediently answered to avoid conflict with his superior.
“Pfft! Don’t be so nervous.” You Pengpo let out a laugh, patting Zhou Hongfang’s shoulder. His tone was easygoing. “I was pretty familiar with your predecessor, the head of the Zhou Family.”
“Come to think of it, you actually met me when you were a kid. You don’t remember?”
Hearing You Pengpo’s words, Zhou Hongfang was taken aback.
He looked at the other man’s face, opened his mouth, but couldn’t get any words out.
After a long while, he finally forced out a sentence, haltingly.
“You… I… How could that be?”
Of course Zhou Hongfang knew who the previous head of the Zhou Family was. That man was his father.
Back then, before he had joined the Jie sect, his father was often too busy with work to pay attention to the family.
The next time he saw him, all that was left was a drowsy-eyed him and a living room smeared with blood.
‘Could it be… that the Zhou Family’s deaths had something to do with this guy?’
Zhou Hongfang’s eyes lost focus, disbelief flooding his heart.
But as if guessing what the young man was thinking, You Pengpo immediately waved his hand and frowned:
“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t get the wrong idea! Your family’s matter had nothing to do with me!”
“Don’t put on that ‘my dad just died’ face—it’s ugly.”
Faced with You Pengpo’s reaction, Zhou Hongfang felt a surge of confusion.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath to calm himself, and then spoke:
“You flatter me, Lord. How would your subordinate dare to suspect you?”
“As for what you said about me meeting you as a child… I apologize, but I really don’t recall…”
“No worries, no worries! Haha!” You Pengpo touched his own face smugly. “It just goes to show I take good care of myself! After all these years, I’m still young enough that even you younglings can’t recognize me.”
He even hummed a little tune to himself.
Seeing this, Zhou Hongfang kept his face in that obedient expression.
“As you say, Lord.”
You Pengpo stopped, stared at the young man for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed again. He reached out and patted him on the shoulder, this time with a bit more force.
“Don’t worry. Once you climb higher in our Jie sect and get stronger, if you want to find out the truth, it’ll be easy, won’t it?”
“For now, we should focus on the task at hand, shouldn’t we?”
“Yes, Lord.”
You Pengpo nodded with satisfaction, then smiled as he withdrew his hand, leaned back against his seat, assuming a lazy posture.
“Speaking of which, if it weren’t for someone up in the Imperial Court arranging for us to grab that… what’s-his-name… ‘Cloud Bright Swordsman,’ I really wouldn’t have found an excuse to come to such a small town for backup.”
He stretched lazily, speaking casually.
“What? Do you know this guy?”
“Well…” Zhou Hongfang paused at the question, then began stroking his chin as he recalled the intelligence he’d read. “Lord, I think I remember something about this person.”
“This Cloud Bright Swordsman was originally a disciple on Yandang Mountain in the southeast. His original name is Liu Yao. He was expelled from the Yunming Sword Sect for being mischievous and troublesome.”
“Later, he roamed the Jianghu doing chivalrous deeds. His most famous battle was when he single-handedly charged into the Emei Sect and fought his way all the way to the sect leader.”
“He’s also on good terms with many prominent young talents of the current Wulin, so he earned the nickname ‘Cloud Bright Swordsman.’”
“After that, there are mostly minor rumors, but according to intelligence from our Jie sect’s informants, after he attacked Imperial City Agency officer An Shanmu, he vanished without a trace.”
After saying this, Zhou Hongfang paused.
“But from the wanted notice issued by the Lin’an Government Office, we know that this young Jianghu hero didn’t die—he just rarely appears in public anymore.”
“That’s about all I know, Lord.”
Hearing this, You Pengpo leaned back against the carriage, arms crossed, frowning with a troubled expression.
“Hmm… This guy’s no joke.” He rubbed his brow with his fingers and clicked his tongue. “Single-handedly storming the Emei Sect—and they expect someone as ruthless as that to be caught by me?”
“I mean, I’m an Inspector, but I’m not that strong! At least I wouldn’t dare go alone up Emei Mountain!”
You Pengpo frowned, vexed.
“…Screw it, screw it!”
“I’ll just half-ass it! After all, this trip isn’t really about doing the Imperial Court’s bidding!”
He ruffled his hair in frustration, his tone suddenly turning irritable.
‘Giving up on himself, huh…’
Zhou Hongfang looked down at the middle-aged man in front of him, silently complaining in his mind.
You Pengpo grumbled away, ignoring Zhou Hongfang’s expression as he pulled open the curtain and glanced outside.
“Oh! We’re here!” His eyes lit up. “Hey, enough thinking, enough thinking!”
With that, he moved to open the carriage door and jump out.
“Lord, our mission this time…” Zhou Hongfang frowned.
“Alright, alright, I know.” You Pengpo waved his hand and smiled, cutting him off. “I’ll take care of what needs to be done. What’s the rush?”
With that, not waiting for Zhou Hongfang’s reply, he clasped his hands behind his back and sauntered toward the entrance of the alley, humming a tuneless ditty.
Zhou Hongfang stood there, watching his back. After a moment of silence, he turned and walked toward the Zhou Family Old Residence.