Before the Bloodshed

At this moment, Inspectorate Chief Xiao Long's stance carried decisive weight.

Not because of his lofty status: he was the family's seventh commander, yet ranked above the other six;

not because of his great authority: he independently oversaw inspection affairs and was beyond the control of both the Commanders' Office and President Commander Yang Minghua;

nor because he was usually fair and impartial, enforced the law like a mountain, possessed great virtue and prestige, and was deeply respected and admired throughout the family;

but simply because the several thousand military police controlling the venue were entirely under his command! Whichever side he favored, several thousand fully armed elite military police would stand with that side. If fighting broke out, no matter how formidable your skills or peerless your martial arts, you could not withstand them.

Besides, everyone had undergone security searches before entering the meeting and was completely unarmed. They were no match for a numerous, well-armed, well-organized military police force.

All eyes turned toward Xiao Long, seated in the front row, waiting to see how he would respond to Shirakawa's accusation.

Sterling's face turned deathly pale. He had already guessed Xiao Long's position: how else had Di Lin's sword been brought into the hall?

Xiao Long's stern face was so livid it seemed masked in iron. Facing everyone's expectant gazes, he slowly declared, "There was no murder. No investigation is necessary. The accusation is rejected."

A murder had plainly taken place right before him, and the two corpses were still lying there—yet he claimed that "there was no murder"! Everyone now understood Xiao Long's stance: as long as the Chief Inspector said there had been no murder, then even if there had been one, there hadn't.

Yang Minghua's face was filled with anger. He could no longer maintain his composure or manners—he truly hated Shirakawa. Everyone else had already submitted, yet this reckless woman was still making trouble—so he gave Di Lin a second look.

Di Lin advanced on Shirakawa with a savage grin. De Ke's tragedy was about to repeat itself.

Zichuan Xiu, Roger, and Changchuan immediately sprang to their feet and blocked Di Lin's path.

At the sight of Zichuan Xiu, Di Lin hesitated and stopped, somewhat at a loss.

But Sterling was watching Lei Xun's every move with utter concentration, afraid he would resort to the same old trick and launch another sneak attack.

At Xiao Long's command, a group of military police carrying crossbows and spears surged into the hall and surrounded Zichuan Xiu, Sterling, and their group. Rows of arrowheads were aimed at them...

With bows drawn and crossbows cocked, the atmosphere was incredibly tense, ready to erupt at any moment!

Ge Yingxing's gentle voice sounded at just the right moment. "Chief Inspector Xiao Long believes no investigation is necessary—but I strongly disagree. This matter must be investigated! I propose we hold a vote. Those who believe an investigation should be conducted, please raise your hands!" As he spoke, Ge Yingxing not only raised his hand but stood up on the dais as well.

His words were highly skillful. He merely called for a vote on "whether an investigation was necessary," without directly accusing Yang Minghua of being the murderer. He did not press Yang Minghua's faction too hard and left them room to back down.

The Far East Army officers below immediately rose and raised their hands in support. They had long been enraged by Yang Minghua's brutality, but without a leader just now, they had not dared speak out. With Ge Yingxing's prestige inspiring them, they immediately found the courage to step forward.

The Far East Army was the family's largest military group. Nearly half the people in the hall had now stood up, and Yang Minghua's expression changed dramatically.

Ming Hui, commander of the Border Defense Army and seated on the dais, looked at Yang Minghua with a cold smile. "I also very much agree with Lord Ge Yingxing's opinion!"

Fang Jin, commander of the Black Flag Army, rose without saying a word, his expression shifting uncertainly. The men who had been killed were all Black Flag Army members, his own subordinates. Of course he was grief-stricken and enraged.

Even Pigu, the aged Imperial Guard Commander whom everyone had believed senile, stood tremblingly to voice his protest!

The sound of people rising swept through the hall. Nearly everyone was on their feet, their furious gazes directed at Yang Minghua on the dais—his tyranny and cruelty had stirred public outrage! Even within the Central Army, Yang Minghua's own direct faction, quite a few people had risen to join the protest.

The only people still seated on the dais were Yang Minghua's confidants, Lei Xun and Luobo Minghai.

Before them lay a vast ocean of fury.

Down below, around Zichuan Xiu's group, countless officers from the Far East Army, Black Flag Army, Border Defense Army, Imperial Guard... whether they knew them or not, all came forward to stand at their side. Barehanded but utterly fearless, they used their chests to block the military police's line of fire. They formed a human wall around Shirakawa, preventing the military police from approaching her, their eyes silently challenging the crossbowmen: "Come on! Come on, shoot! Do you dare?"

Faced with this blazing fury, even the disciplined elite military police of the family began to retreat.

Sterling was so moved that tears filled his eyes. He said to Zichuan Xiu, "Justice lives in people's hearts!"

Zichuan Xiu remained sarcastic. "Yes. Justice is like a little girl afraid of ghosts—it only dares show itself when it has enough companions. Lone justice is something I rarely see."

Facing that sea of wrath, Yang Minghua discovered for the first time just how insignificant he was. Humiliated into rage, he made a gesture to Xiao Long: he drew his palm across his throat. The meaning was clear—kill them!

But Chief Inspector Xiao Long was considering the matter. This was no longer about some individual from the Far East Army or Imperial Guard. If he attacked these thousand-plus senior officers from every military group, men who practically represented the entirety of the family's armed forces, the consequences would be terrifying, and the reprisals to follow would be exceedingly bloody. As the commander of such a massacre, there would be nowhere in the world left for him to hide. Besides, there were no lack of experts among these thousand people. His military police were not guaranteed to win... It truly was not worth wading into this muddy water for Yang Minghua.

He sighed, ordered the military police to withdraw, and left with them.

Cheers erupted in the hall. Someone shouted, "Yang Minghua—get out!"

At once, hundreds of voices joined in: "Yang Minghua—get out!" The cry was thunderous.

Yang Minghua stood up, trying to find who was shouting, intending to frighten them into silence with his authority. But everywhere he looked, he saw faces staring directly at him without fear, pairs of furious eyes...

He turned to look at those on the dais. Ge Yingxing wore a faintly amused expression, as if he were delighted to hear Yang Minghua being cursed; Ming Hui did not even look at him, turning his head aside; Fang Jin's eyes burned with hatred; even Luobo Minghai's perpetually icy expression showed a trace of unease. Only Lei Xun leaned over and whispered, "My lord, the Central Army is still in our hands! Please trust our loyalty!"

Yang Minghua nodded. Gritting his teeth, he left the hall as well. Lei Xun, Di Lin, Luobo Minghai, and the others followed him out.

The cheers shook the hall! Everyone was so jubilant that it seemed Yang Minghua had been completely defeated, forgetting that the 170,000 elite Central Army troops still controlled the entire Imperial Capital.

Only after leaving the hall did everyone realize the city was gripped by panic. Troops hurried back and forth through the streets, fully armed and all flying the banners of the Central Army. The Imperial Capital, once peaceful and tranquil, had become charged with murderous tension.

Zhibu Shao's mounted police shouted proclamations along the streets: "By order of the Commanders' Office, the Imperial Capital is under curfew and martial law tonight! No residents may leave their homes after eight o'clock. Violators will be executed without exception!"

Pedestrians hurriedly fled the streets, and the city descended into chaos...

Surrounded by a large escort, Ge Yingxing came before Zichuan Xiu and Sterling. "Sterling, Axu, I must return to Valen in the Far East immediately. Will you come with me?"

Zichuan Xiu and Sterling exchanged a glance. Zichuan Xiu answered firmly, "No, my lord. We are staying."

Ge Yingxing was not surprised in the slightest. He had expected that answer all along. He extended both hands to them. "Heads will roll in the Imperial Capital tonight—take care of yourselves!"

Zichuan Xiu and Sterling tightly grasped Ge Yingxing's thin but warm hands, warmth flooding their hearts. It was Ge Yingxing who had protected them once again today. This frail, sickly man was the true pillar of the family, an irreplaceable treasure! His return to the Far East was not out of fear for his own life, but so that he could command the army and better fight Yang Minghua. Just as Zichuan Xiu and Sterling had chosen to remain, it was all born of their fervent loyalty to the family!

"My lord, the journey will be tiring. Please take good care of your health," Zichuan Xiu said sincerely.

Sterling also said gratefully, "My lord, we can never repay your life-saving kindness. Please take great care on the road!"

Ge Yingxing smiled. "We will meet again. We certainly will!" His gaze shifted to Shirakawa beside them. "This young lady has courage—you must look after her well tonight!"

Moved by the courage and spirit of those heroes, Shirakawa was already weeping. She could only bow deeply to Ge Yingxing, expressing her gratitude for saving her life.

Watching Ge Yingxing's cavalry ride away, Zichuan Xiu asked Sterling, "Where do we go now?"

"To Central Park to meet Di Lin!" Sterling answered, anger already evident on his face.

Di Lin had arrived long ago and looked impatient from waiting.

Seeing Sterling approach with the air of someone ready to demand an explanation, Di Lin spoke first. "If you were in my position, what would you have done?"

Zichuan Xiu and Sterling were both stunned, unable to answer.

"At that time, my only option was to kill that loose-tongued banner commander. Otherwise, Yang Minghua would immediately have suspected me, and all our years of effort would have been wasted."

"When we stood in front of Shirakawa, why didn't you kill us too, so Yang Minghua would trust you even more?" Sterling said coldly.

Di Lin sighed. "For my safety and everyone's safety—he had to die!"

Sterling said with deep sarcasm, "For your own personal interests, you can slaughter the family's loyal subjects at will?"

Di Lin answered without hesitation, "As long as I can survive—I can kill everyone in the world!"

The two could not continue. Both angrily turned away. "Hmph!"

Zichuan Xiu did not know whose side to take. Rationally, he knew Di Lin's actions had been necessary, but emotionally, he found it difficult to accept Di Lin's cold-blooded indifference after killing someone.

He tried to smooth things over. "All right, all right, this isn't the time to argue. Sterling, no matter how much we argue, the dead man won't climb back up. At worst, we can bring incense and pay respects to him on holidays."

Then Zichuan Xiu turned to Di Lin. "This mess is all your fault—Yang Minghua told you to teach De Ke a lesson, so why couldn't you stab him in the butt or thigh or somewhere like that? Why did it have to be the chest?!"

Sterling and Di Lin could not help laughing.

Di Lin sighed helplessly. "I can kill everyone in the world—except the two of you." For someone as proud as him, this was already a form of surrender and apology. In truth, whenever the three had argued in the past, Sterling had always won in the end, with the other two yielding, because Sterling always stood for justice.

"How are things on your end now?"

"I brought back fifty thousand Far East soldiers. They obey me absolutely—if I shout 'Kill,' they will attack even the Heavenly King himself. They are stationed outside the Imperial Capital!"

"Can your army enter the city?"

"No! The city's defenses are guarded by Lei Xun's Central Army. We have no reason to enter—and in fact, Yang Minghua has already ordered me to lead troops in pursuit of Ge Yingxing!"

Sterling said disappointedly, "They can't enter the city... then they're useless. Can they force their way in?"

Di Lin replied irritably, "Go ahead and try attacking the heavily defended Imperial Capital, garrisoned by 170,000 troops, with fifty thousand men."

"No, they're useful." Zichuan Xiu revealed a sly grin. "I have an idea. What do you think?"...

"No wonder they say Axu is the hardest one to deal with!" Di Lin nodded approvingly. "Truly worthy of being the family's greatest strategist. This little brat is really devious!"

Sterling hesitated. "But this plan does not fit Lord Zichuan Canxing's 'Lancers' plan, and it is too risky. The chances of success are not high..."

"Pah! Why cling to some plan at a time like this? We're all about to be finished tonight. Even a sliver of hope is better than sitting here waiting to die, isn't it?"

"All right." Sterling made up his mind as well. "Then let's fucking do it!" It was rare for him to use such crude language.

Di Lin said, "Once the sun sets, the Central Army will close the city gates—we'll begin then!"

Together, they turned to look at the sun. Under the blood-red glow of the setting sun, the entire Imperial Capital was dyed crimson...

Sterling said firmly, "That is a good omen—the righteous army will surely prevail!"

Di Lin sneered. "Whose blood will dye the long streets of the Imperial Capital red tonight?"

Zichuan Xiu muttered, "It definitely won't be mine—I'm anemic. I don't have enough blood for them to splash over the streets like paint! I hear Yang Minghua has high blood pressure, though..."