Taking office

Lin Ruhai pondered the black-robed elder's words.

After a long while, a faint smile appeared on his face. "People have their allotted fortunes, and so do nations. In that case, you believe Song Xuan and his sister are among those blessed with flourishing fortune, favored by heaven and earth?"

The elder nodded. "Such people are rare throughout the martial world, but they do exist. You are not a man of that world, my lord, so you do not understand the feeling.

"The feeling that decades of your own bitter cultivation cannot match someone else's moment of enlightenment-it truly is hard to bear."

Lin Ruhai laughed heartily. "Then the Song family has produced a pair of young prodigies... yes, that makes sense. The accumulated heritage of a hereditary Black Robe Guard clan spanning centuries is certainly beyond what ordinary people can match."

The black-robed elder agreed. "The Black Robe Guard clans of the Imperial Capital have always kept their mountains and waters hidden, but they are the foundation of the Great Zhou Empire's military might. The hundred-household commander who died this time was reportedly from one of those clans. By sending Song Xuan here, the Black Robe Guard likely intends to draw swords and make a major move."

"Oh? From what you say, Song Xuan is not only an accomplished fighter, but highly capable in other respects as well?"

"Indeed." The black-robed elder paused thoughtfully. "You have been gravely ill lately, my lord, and there are matters you do not know about.

"Song Xuan has recently made quite a name for himself among the Black Robe Guard in the Imperial Capital. He was the one who handled Great Zhou's First Flower-Picking Case, which caused such an uproar a while ago.

"No fewer than three great families implicated in the case had their property confiscated and their entire clans exterminated. Several senior court officials of third rank or higher were stripped of office and imprisoned.

"He is meticulous in his thinking and decisive in his actions. Most importantly, his backing is strong enough that he can mobilize those murderous brutes from the Black Robe Guard's Enforcement Office whenever he wishes... you are related to him, my lord, and there is also his connection with the young lady. Whether you remain in Jiangzhe or return to the Imperial Capital, he could become a powerful ally."

Lin Ruhai shook his head. "The waters of the Black Robe Guard run far deeper than those of the salt administration. Let us first see how he establishes a firm footing.

"The mountains are high and the emperor far away. Jiangzhe Prefecture is distant from the Imperial Capital, and as a hundred-household commander, he still has a thousand-household commander above him. Whether he can accomplish anything remains to be seen."

After a moment's consideration, he looked at the black-robed elder. "Elder Feng, if the need arises, I may have to ask you to lend him a hand."

The elder nodded, without the slightest reluctance in his expression. "For saving your life alone, my lord, he deserves that much!"

Outside Yangzhou, in a burial ground, Song Xuan and Song Qian were huffing and puffing as they dug up a grave.

The night was already deep. Trees crowded around them, and not even an insect chirped or a bird called. The gloomy surroundings were rather unnerving.

To avoid attracting too much attention, the two had chosen this still hour of the night to dig up the grave.

Half an hour later,

They replaced the lid of the coffin they had unearthed and filled the grave back in, then hurried away, unwilling to remain a moment longer.

Even after they had gone some distance, Song Qian kept shaking her sleeves. Frowning, she said, "This corpse stench feels like it's stuck to me. I can't get rid of it."

Song Xuan replied indifferently, "Once you've seen more of this, you'll gradually get used to it."

Song Qian sighed. "Brother, we can pretty much conclude now that the man from the Xu Household was murdered, right?"

Song Xuan said, "Normally, when someone accidentally falls into the water and drowns, some mud and sand get drawn into their mouth and nose. But as you just saw, there wasn't the slightest trace of either in his.

"Clearly, he was already dead before he went into the water.

"And you saw during the dissection that his whole body was stiff and ice-cold. There were no external injuries at all, but his heart had been completely shattered.

"Obviously, someone killed him with some kind of supreme martial technique."

Song Qian said, "Our hereditary Mystic Ice Force can also freeze someone's blood and shatter their internal organs without leaving any external injuries. Supreme techniques that specifically damage the internal organs don't seem all that rare in the martial world."

Song Xuan grunted in agreement. "There was clearly something wrong with Xu Chang'an's death, yet the Black Robe Guard's Thousand-Household Office here in Jiangzhe Prefecture closed the case as a drunken drowning. Clearly, something is wrong with the office here."

Song Qian sighed ruefully. "The Xu Household really has had terrible luck. Although they're hereditary Black Robe Guards, their family is even smaller than ours. I think Xu Chang'an was the only male in this generation.

"His parents both died when he was ten. Now that he's dead too, I'm afraid the Xu Household will disappear from the ranks of the Black Robe Guard clans in the Imperial Capital."

Song Xuan sneered. "Those people lurking in the shadows probably knew the Xu Household's situation, which was why they dared to act without restraint. They thought Xu Chang'an's death would be the end of it. He didn't even have any family left, so no one would stand up for him."

Song Qian touched the sword at her waist and scoffed. "Those people probably don't understand that the hereditary Black Robe Guard lineages of the Imperial Capital share the same breath and joined branches. They haven't merely struck at Xu Chang'an-they're challenging all of our hereditary Black Robe Guard lineages!"

Song Xuan remained silent. He raised his head to gaze into the dim night and sighed.

It seemed this journey to Mingzhou would be another journey of slaughter.

Early the next morning, Song Xuan changed into the deep-black robes of a Black Robe Guard hundred-household commander at the inn where he was staying.

The robes were more than splendid. On Song Xuan's tall, slender frame, they lent him an added air of authority and oppressive force.

When he stepped out of the inn, Song Qian was already waiting outside in her official uniform, holding the reins of two warhorses. At the sight of her clothing and the sword at her waist, the passersby looked frightened and kept their distance.

"Let's go!"

Song Xuan swung himself onto his horse and swept his sleeve, taking the lead as they rode toward the Black Robe Guard's Thousand-Household Office within Yangzhou's prefectural city.

Today was the day the siblings officially took up their posts.

Even if the Thousand-Household Office was a dragon's pool and a tiger's den, he had to go and see it for himself.

If the local Black Robe Guards could still be put to use, he would make do with them. If they could not...

A ruthless glint flashed through Song Xuan's eyes. At worst, he would purge them and bring in a new batch.

The Black Robe Guard's organization was enormous, with rival camps standing like mountain peaks and endless struggles both overt and covert. Even the Inspection Office alone contained multiple factions.

Before he left the capital, Old Zhao had specifically told him to let loose and stir things up as much as he pleased. If necessary, the Enforcement Office forces outside Yangzhou could be mobilized at any time.

Over the years, their hereditary Black Robe Guard lineages in the Imperial Capital had declined badly. Many had few family members, and some had already lost their lines of succession entirely. Many still retained their names but had little real strength left.

As a result, many people had forgotten how terrifying they were. Xu Chang'an's recent death might have been a probe by certain powers.

They were testing the response of these hereditary Black Robe Guard lineages and gauging their true strength.

In a sense, Song Xuan and his sister were the standard-bearers of the new generation among the hereditary Black Robe Guard lineages.

This time, Zhao Dezhu had sent him here ostensibly to succeed Xu Chang'an as hundred-household commander. In truth, his real purpose was to have Song Xuan kill and establish their might!