While the West Gate descended into a chaotic melee, Yuan Qingshan was being escorted to prison. The moment the cannon fire rang out, he knew something had gone wrong. He turned to the four soldiers escorting him. "Untie me and let me go over there! Something's happened at the West Gate!"
The four soldiers exchanged looks, but none dared untie him. All four were Su Yuchi's trusted men and had always obeyed his every command.
"What are you hesitating for?" Yuan Qingshan demanded angrily. "Release me!"
Just then, a figure swooped down from the sky. Yuan Qingshan looked up, but before he could make out the newcomer's face, all four soldiers escorting him had been knocked to the ground. The Black Iron Sword in the man's hand flashed toward Yuan Qingshan's back, severing the Ox Sinew Rope binding him.
Only then did Yuan Qingshan see that the newcomer was a young man. He eyed him warily, unsure why this stranger had come to rescue him. Judging by his appearance, they had never met before.
"To make a long story short," the young man said, "whether a massacre can be prevented rests entirely on your decision. The soldiers at the West Gate have mutinied, and Su Yuchi has been killed. If no one steps forward to take charge, Yunyang will descend into bloody slaughter."
"Impossible! Nothing could have happened to the general," Yuan Qingshan said. Although he disapproved of Su Yuchi's actions this time, that did not mean he rejected everything about him. He had always held Su Yuchi in great respect. Hearing that he had been killed left Yuan Qingshan both shocked and deeply doubtful.
"Whether you believe it or not," the young man said, "if things in Yunyang continue like this, they will spiral beyond control. The only solution