Impromptu Performance

These words both flattered and praised Lin Yu, putting on a proper show of respect, while also making his own stance clear without losing the bearing of a Great Tang official and Chang'an County Lieutenant.

It had to be said, Su Wuming was better with words than Lu Lingfeng!

The corners of Lin Yu's mouth curled slightly beneath his mask.

At the same time, seeing his cousin finish saluting Lin Yu and prepare to salute him as well, Su Haoming sighed inwardly. He immediately sheathed his sword and stepped forward to help his cousin up.

Su Wuming froze slightly, then showed delight, seemingly believing that his words had moved the two of them.

Little did he know that Su Haoming simply did not want to see his cousin bow to him like that!

This action naturally had not been part of the script either.

Or, more accurately, they had no script at all. Everything was improvised.

This level of playing along was naturally no challenge for Lin Yu.

His expression unchanged, he glanced at Su Wuming and said coolly, "Chang'an County Lieutenant... could you be Su Wuming, Duke Di's disciple?"

Su Wuming froze again and hurriedly cupped his hands. "That is correct. I am Su. Does Your Excellency know my master?"

Lin Yu cast him an interested glance. "Could I not simply have heard your name?"

Su Wuming smiled. "Your Excellency jests. Though I am the Chang'an County Lieutenant, I have only recently assumed office and have yet to achieve any notable accomplishments. The only thing worth Your Excellency knowing is likely my status as my master's disciple!"

"Worthy indeed of Duke Di's disciple!"

Lin Yu praised him, then tightened his grip, knocking Yuan Lai unconscious before tossing him toward Su Wuming.

Su Wuming was startled and hurriedly caught Yuan Lai with Jia Bantou, forcing him to the ground.

"For Duke Di's sake, I will not make things difficult for you today."

With that, Lin Yu strode toward the many black-clothed people ahead.

The black-clothed people remained silent on the surface, but their feet moved involuntarily, making way for Lin Yu.

Su Wuming straightened up, cupped his hands, and said solemnly, "Thank you for showing mercy... May I ask Your Excellency's name?"

"...Huanyu, White Jade City."

Su Wuming was taken aback. Was that a name?

No, it sounded more like a religious or Taoist title!

Lin Yu did not explain further. He merely looked at Su Haoming beside him and said blandly, "Yu Hao, come quickly."

Su Haoming paused, then realized that this was probably the codename Lin Yu had given him!

Yu Hao...

Not bad. It sounded quite nice!

Su Haoming thought to himself as he drained every last bit of Magic Power from his body, barely managing to use half a move of Stepping on Void to Ride the Wind.

In an instant, Su Haoming seemed to merge with the wind. He drifted down at a speed that defied all physical reason, landed behind Lin Yu, and calmly followed him forward.

Once they passed through the black-clothed people on both sides, only Lu Lingfeng and three Jinwu Guards remained ahead.

"General of the Guards!"

A Jinwu Guard beside him called softly. Only then did the young and proud General of the Guards come back to his senses. He immediately stepped aside, watching the two pass by with a complicated expression.

"Hiss—"

Amid the grinding of stone, the stone door opened by itself for some unknown reason.

Lin Yu and Su Haoming stepped inside, gradually disappearing beneath everyone's complicated gazes.

Only after their figures vanished completely did everyone, including Su Wuming, finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He swept his gaze over the silent black-clothed people, snatched Jia Bantou's long saber, held it to Yuan Lai's neck, and shouted furiously:

"Yuan Lai is here! Those who surrender will not be killed!"

The others quickly caught on and shouted in unison, "Yuan Lai is here! Those who surrender will not be killed!"

The many black-clothed people had yet to recover from Lin Yu's mental intimidation. Hearing Su Wuming and his men's cries, they silently threw down their weapons one after another, showing no intention of resisting.

Seeing this, Lu Lingfeng and Su Wuming finally let out a sigh of relief.

The two exchanged a glance from afar. Su Wuming nodded and waved for the Chang'an Catchers to go down and help.

Lu Lingfeng, meanwhile, remained on guard with the three Jinwu Guards. Once reinforcements arrived, they would move in together to collect the weapons and bind the prisoners.

After the time it took to burn one incense stick, Lu Lingfeng and Su Wuming finally had a chance to speak.

With their backs to the busy Chang'an Catchers, they stood silently before the stone door.

After a moment, Lu Lingfeng was the first to break the silence.

"The man in the white jade mask admitted that he knew Duke Di. As Duke Di's disciple, County Lieutenant Su, you served at Duke Di's side for many years. Have you ever heard of such a person?"

...Not really!

Su Wuming had just been about to shake his head when he suddenly recalled what had happened to his cousin, and hesitation appeared on his face.

If there was anyone from the past few years whom even he could not understand, it was the master behind his cousin!

If his master had truly found that master back then and formed some connection with him, only to conceal the truth later for certain reasons, then it was not entirely impossible!

Seeing the hesitation on Su Wuming's face, Lu Lingfeng detected something amiss.

"Su Wuming, do you truly have a lead?"

"..."

Su Wuming came back to himself and shook his head. "It hardly counts as a lead. I merely recalled some of my master's experiences from back then. My master had always been a man of his word when it came to important promises. Based on these memories alone, I cannot obtain any crucial information."

"More than that, what concerns me is the poem they recited when they appeared..."

"Baopuzi of the Eastern Jin wrote in the Book of the Pillow: 'The Primordial Heavenly King resides above the center of Heaven, at a place called Jade Capital Mountain.'"

"The Basic Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records of the Grand Historian also records that in the time of the Yellow Emperor, there were five cities and twelve towers, where divine beings were awaited at Zhiqi. It was called Welcoming the Year."

"So the phrase, 'White Jade City in Heaven, twelve towers and five cities,' should have originated from these two allusions."

Lu Lingfeng said quietly, "What about the final two lines?"

"..."

Su Wuming fell silent. After a moment, he sighed softly. "The imagery of these four lines is vast and profound, their charm extraordinary. They could never have come from an ordinary person's hand. Whoever wrote such words, even if he was not an immortal, possessed at least the spirit of a Poet Immortal!"

Clearly, Su Wuming did not wish to answer the question directly.

Lu Lingfeng frowned. "Do you truly think they are immortals?"

Su Wuming shook his head. "No, of course not. There are no immortals in this world. That was what I believed before, and it remains what I believe now."

Lu Lingfeng asked in return, "Then how do you explain their methods?"

Su Wuming fell silent, then looked up after a moment. "General of the Guards, you are a martial artist. What do you think?"

Lu Lingfeng shook his head. "In my view, their methods were definitely not martial arts. I have trained for more than twenty years. I am confident that even against the greatest martial artist in the world, I could at least exchange a couple of moves. But those two..."

Though Lu Lingfeng did not finish, his meaning was already clear.

The two looked at each other and both fell silent.

"Huanyu, Yu Hao, White Jade City..."

Su Wuming sighed with feeling. "The world is vast, and all manner of strange things exist. The ancients truly did not deceive us!"

Then he lowered his voice again. "Since ancient times, tales of immortals and gods have been the source of imperial turmoil. Though the General of the Guards serves under the Crown Prince, it would be best not to report everything that happened today in full, especially those final two lines of the poem..."

Lu Lingfeng nodded in understanding. "That I naturally understand!"

"The General of the Guards truly is a pillar of the nation!"

Su Wuming flattered him first, then lowered his voice once more. "As for White Jade City, if the General of the Guards is willing, the two of us can work together and investigate it in secret."

Lu Lingfeng frowned. "You want to form a secret faction with me?"

Su Wuming said helplessly, "What secret faction? We are merely investigating a case. Why make it sound so serious!"

Lu Lingfeng eyed him suspiciously. After a moment, he still nodded lightly.

At the same time, Lin Yu and Su Haoming, who had returned to the stone platform above the cavern, were eavesdropping on their conversation.

Hearing that Su Wuming wanted to investigate White Jade City in secret, Su Haoming could not help twitching his lips. He turned to Lin Yu and said, "Brother Lin, haven't we... overacted a little?"

"Overacted how?"

Lin Yu said with great interest, "Think about it. The most mysterious and powerful final boss behind the scenes, whom the main cast investigates for an entire season, turns out to be the cousin who has been by the protagonist's side every day. Isn't that development classic enough?"

Su Haoming complained, "Isn't it cliché?"

Lin Yu said seriously, "Forget whether it's cliché or not. Just tell me, are you interested?"

Su Haoming thought about it carefully and had to admit that this plot development was indeed quite satisfying for him.

However...

Su Haoming shook his head. "Even if we are really setting up a final boss, it should be Brother Lin. I can just be your right-hand man. I can't handle being put in the center spot!"