Divine Marquis Manor Announcement

Chang'an City, Anguo Temple.

The Great Zhou Dynasty had an extremely strong culture of worshipping Buddhism. On top of that, Anguo Temple was a bodhisattva sanctuary that had received many rewards from the Empress Dowager. News of the fire at Anguo Temple spread through Chang'an County like the wind. Not only did many people in the city help put out the fire, but devout believers from outside the city came specifically to lend a hand. Even the elderly who could do nothing but watch knelt from afar and prayed for Heaven's protection.

For an important incident like this in Chang'an City, Grand Chancellor Duke of Jin would naturally come to inspect the situation. Thus, no one at the scene was more panicked than the Wu Hou Garrison. They were capable enough of catching petty thieves, but fires were rare in Chang'an City, and the Wu Hou Garrison had long since neglected its firefighting drills. Now that Anguo Temple was ablaze, they were naturally thrown into complete disarray.

The garrison chief directed his men to carry water and fight the fire while secretly watching Duke of Jin's expression. He thought he would probably be demoted to guard a gate somewhere far away this time. Why was my luck so terrible? Why did something like this have to happen during my tenure? Sigh...

"Duke of Jin."

Yaoshi Mo Ke was staring blankly at the burning Anguo Temple when he heard the voice and turned to see an old man in a wheelchair slowly approaching. The old man wore a hat, and wrinkles and scars crisscrossed his face. His beard was neatly groomed, and even while seated in a wheelchair, his broad shoulders gave his splendid clothes the bearing of a warrior. Though people followed behind him, no one was pushing the wheelchair. Clearly, the old man was using some method to control its movement himself.

"Old Prime Minister Yang." Yaoshi Mo Ke hurried forward and bent down to steady the wheelchair, treating him with the respect due to an elder junior: "I'm sorry for troubling you to come here..."

"I've been cooped up at home for too long. It's good to come out and get some sun." Old Prime Minister Yang chuckled. "Forgive this old man for being unable to salute."

"Don't say that! If you hadn't saved Mo Ke from the chaos amid ten thousand troops back then, how could Mo Ke have achieved anything today?" Yaoshi Mo Ke immediately said, "You only had to send someone to tell me if there was something you needed. Why trouble yourself by coming here?"

"I didn't want to draw attention by coming out in a wheelchair, either. But I heard that my granddaughter, who had been missing for days, was finally found. I was anxious to see her, given how much I love her." Old Prime Minister Yang sighed. "They said she escaped from underground at Anguo Temple and had gone hungry for many days. My poor granddaughter..."

Yaoshi Mo Ke's gaze shifted behind Old Prime Minister Yang. A little girl was being cared for by several women. Though she had received a simple washing, her haggard complexion and gaunt cheeks were enough to prove that she had suffered what only the poor ever encountered—imprisonment and starvation.

At the same time, another voice rang out nearby: "Make way!"

Amid the clanging of armor, a tall young military officer strode over with the gait of a dragon and tiger. Even the Evil Spirit Warrior were shoved aside by him. He came before Yaoshi Mo Ke and dropped to one knee. "This subordinate pays his respects to Duke of Jin!"

"Long Chen!" Yaoshi Mo Ke helped the young officer up. He saw a boy drinking hot soup in the distance. "Could it be that your relative also..."

"He's my nephew. He's always been mischievous, so it's only natural that he was deceived." The young officer cupped his fists. "But Anguo Temple actually dared to secretly store Fire Oil in Chang'an City. Its treacherous intentions are plain to see. Every person who knew about it must be executed as a warning to others!"

Even the monks knew how useful Fire Oil was, so the Great Zhou court naturally could not have been unaware of it. Under Great Zhou law, Fire Oil was an absolutely forbidden substance in Chang'an City. Anyone found with it was to be executed without exception. The fact that Fire Oil could cause fires was only secondary. More importantly, anyone could douse themselves in it and become a moving source of flames—while everyone else had no way to stop or even injure them.

If Anguo Temple had not secretly stored Fire Oil, then the crime of trafficking women and children—even if those women and children had been reincarnated into excellent families—would not have amounted to much in the eyes of Anguo Temple. In this world, where Heralds possessed mighty powers, secret realm monsters could revive endlessly, and even main cities existed as safe zones, the need for faith had reached an unprecedented level. Everyone believed—or rather, needed—an almighty being to explain these incomprehensible and unavoidable phenomena.

Forget ordinary people—even among the Heralds, eight or nine out of ten worshipped Buddha or sought the Dao. In such a strong religious atmosphere, no matter how great a crime Anguo Temple committed, everyone would only strip the guilty monks of their religious status to preserve the purity of the Buddhist community...

But secretly storing Fire Oil was different.

Even a Third Rank Herald could be burned to death by a person who detonated Fire Oil if caught off guard. Most Defensive Tokens consumed spiritual power either by number of uses or by the second. The martial monks burned to death at Anguo Temple had used their Arhat Robes to withstand the flames for several seconds before being swallowed when their spiritual power ran out. Even if a Third Rank Herald could resist for longer, the fire poison produced by the blaze would still leave them in a difficult situation.

"I've already sent people to search Zhengde Temple and Dajue Chan Temple in Chang'an County." Yaoshi Mo Ke's expression was gloomy. "The escaped monks from Anguo Temple will also be captured and brought to justice soon. Secretly storing Fire Oil is a crime deserving ten thousand deaths!"

He swept his gaze around and shouted, "Anguo Temple has committed countless evils. Who knows how many innocent women and children it has trafficked over the years? I will investigate this to the very end and do my utmost to find all your missing relatives and friends, giving everyone justice!"

"It's Duke of Jin!"

"Duke of Jin is handling this matter. We have hope now!"

"Duke of Jin, you must find my poor child!"

The people surrounding Yaoshi Mo Ke were no ordinary folk. They were all prominent figures in Chang'an City—members of great clans, wealthy merchants, or landowners. Without exception, they had relatives who had vanished in Chang'an City. Now that Anguo Temple was likely the culprit, their long-extinguished hope was rekindled, and they prayed to recover their loved ones.

Of course, there were also many powerful figures like Old Prime Minister Yang and the young general who had found their missing relatives. They had come partly to express their thanks and partly to lay the groundwork for dividing up Anguo Temple afterward. Anguo Temple had been able to support Heralds not only through donations; it also possessed a secret realm. Now that this colossus was about to fall, its victims naturally deserved compensation.

The young general left the crowd. Xue Yan, who was drinking steaming pork-rib soup, immediately went to meet him. "Third Uncle—"

"Don't worry. Anguo Temple is doomed this time." Third Uncle Xue Huaiyi reached out and rubbed Xue Yan's head. "You won't be shorted a single thing you're owed. You're about the right age, too. It's time for you to change profession and become a Herald. We'll use Anguo Temple's accumulated resources to lay your foundation."

"Heh-heh, Third Uncle definitely wouldn't let me suffer." Xue Yan clearly admired his uncle, but compared with Anguo Temple's monks, he was more concerned about another matter. "Did you find An Wu and An Liu?"

Xue Huaiyi shook his head. "The fire was too intense. We can't even put it out now, let alone go in and search. And according to what you said... there's no chance they survived."

"Is that so..." Xue Yan's expression barely changed, but his tone fell.

"Go home and practice your spearplay properly," Xue Huaiyi said. "Stop always thinking about using manuals. If you were a Herald, those bald monks wouldn't dare harm you. Even in Chang'an City, you need strength to protect yourself."

"Mm." Xue Yan nodded, then asked, "Then... did you find those people?"

"No." Xue Huaiyi shook his head. "We can only confirm that they ate noodles at the noodle shop opposite Anguo Temple before disappearing. There were no witnesses at the city gates. They might still be in the city, but if their message was genuine, then... they've already left Chang'an and returned to Thieves' Den."

"What's Thieves' Den?" Xue Yan knew about secret realms, but he clearly had never encountered such obscure information about Thieves' Den.

"I'll tell you when we get back." Xue Huaiyi did not want to explain too much here.

"Then did they steal something very valuable?" Xue Yan asked curiously. "I saw their leader carrying a large bag and a new sword when he came out. He must have taken them from the treasury! They seemed to value them a lot. Were they powerful relics?"

"Truly valuable things wouldn't be stored at Anguo Temple. Anything that could be stored there was merely vulgar junk of no importance." Xue Huaiyi said, "As for that sword... it is indeed valuable, but it isn't a relic."

"Hey, Darkie!"

Hearing the shout from behind, Xue Yan turned around and saw that Third Miss Yang was calling him. He answered irritably, his face full of displeasure, "Stop calling me Darkie! I've put up with you for long enough. Don't you have any manners?"

"I didn't know your name, so I could only call you based on my impression of you." Third Miss Yang pouted. "All I knew was that you were a brainless Darkie."

"My name is Xue Yan!" Xue Yan snapped. "As if you're so clever."

"If I hadn't pulled you away, you would've been roasted like a pig by now. Clearly, I have a tiny bit more brains than you." Third Miss Yang said smugly, "My name is Yang Qianqian. Come find me to play sometime!"

She was quickly pulled away by her aunts, and faintly, reprimands like "A lady shouldn't speak so loudly" drifted over. Xue Yan turned back and saw Third Uncle watching him with an amused smile. For some reason, his cheeks flushed, and he said unhappily, "What?"

"Nothing." Xue Huaiyi looked at the old man sitting in the wheelchair in the distance. "The granddaughter of former Attendant in the Palace Prime Minister Yang..."

The victims included the Xue Family, Yang Family, Li Family, and Su Family... They were all prominent Central Plains clans within the imperial court. Not a single victim had a northern border military background. Xue Huaiyi exchanged a glance with Prime Minister Yang in the distance, and both saw the bitterness in the other's eyes.

"Third Uncle," Xue Yan tried to change the subject. "So even though Anguo Temple's treasury was robbed, it didn't actually lose anything valuable? Then what were they after, rescuing us and burning down Anguo Temple?"

"I don't know either." Xue Huaiyi suppressed the vexation in his heart and guessed, "Perhaps they gained something from the secret realm..."

Just then, a grand voice resounded across the skies above Chang'an, echoing clearly in everyone's ears:

"Divine Marquis Manor Announcement: Four unknown petty thieves recently arrived at Thieves' Den. They successfully stole the Legendary Relic Bingzi Jiaolin from Anguo Temple in Chang'an. They are hereby wanted."

"Divine Marquis Manor Announcement: Four unknown petty thieves recently arrived at Thieves' Den. They successfully stole the Legendary Relic Bingzi Jiaolin from Anguo Temple in Chang'an. They are hereby wanted."

In Jiangnan City, some people had yet to recover after the first announcement. But when the second announcement rang out, nearly everyone dropped to their knees.

"It's a divine revelation!"

"The heavenly god has spoken!"

"So gods and immortals really exist!"

"May the immortals protect us! May the immortals protect us!"

At the Shang Family residence, Shang Qia listened to the three announcements in a daze. He suddenly grabbed the nearest servant. "Go—go tell Father... No." He immediately rejected his own idea. "Have the head instructor seal the residence. No one is allowed in or out. Everyone is to remain in their own courtyards and act as though under curfew. Anyone who dares disobey will be dealt with according to family law!"

Outside the City of Evernight.

"No kneeling!"

"Get up! Get up!"

"Why are you kneeling to those monsters from the Divine Marquis Manor? Get up!"

Ying Le carried a riding crop, driving her War Chariot into the city while whipping to death every person who dared kneel in the road. But whenever someone actually dared to stand, she still lashed out with the crop and cursed, "You don't kneel when you see me? Utterly disrespectful!"

She whipped her way through the city, killing civilians and even officials and nobles. Faced with the nearly insane empress, they could not even flee. All they could do was pray that the whip would hear their pleas. When the War Chariot was about to enter the city, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Some even collapsed on the ground, unable to stand.

Yet the War Chariot suddenly stopped.

The guard kneeling beside it felt his scalp go numb, and his mind went blank. Despair gripped his heart. He did not know whether he should remain kneeling or stand up, much less whether his current position was outside the City of Evernight or inside it... Though in most cases, the difference between inside and outside was merely the method the empress used to kill people.

Tap.

A pair of beautiful, pale bare feet appeared in his field of vision. Their arches were gracefully curved, every toe crystalline like a pearl, and the toenails had been carefully trimmed, neat and flawless. When those jade feet stepped onto the filthy mud at the city gate, the extreme contrast created a beauty that seemed almost sacred in its desecration.

But those feet stopped in front of the guard, almost touching his nose. No one knew what thoughts had passed through the guard's mind—he drew a deep breath.

"Does it smell good?" an inquisitive voice came from above his head.

"No, no smell." The guard knew he was doomed and replied trembling, "I only smell the mud."

Ying Le then did something no one expected. She stood on one leg, raised the other, and sniffed it, entirely unconcerned with how indecent the movement was or whether her skirt revealed anything.

"Good. You didn't lie."

Ying Le lifted the guard and carried him to the side of the city gate, pointing upward as she asked, "Did you put this up?"

The guard widened his eyes and stared for a moment before immediately shaking his head. "No! Absolutely not! Wanted notices are always posted in our barracks. They would never be put up outside!"

"Is that so..."

Ying Le casually tossed the guard aside, then narrowed her eyes at the four wanted notices posted on the city wall.

"Wanted by the Divine Marquis Manor..." she ground out through clenched teeth, reaching up to rub her right breast. That old scar seemed to ache faintly once more.

"The Divine Marquis Manor!"