Torches blazed together, bathing the forest road in red.
Wang Yang and Madam Le borrowed men from the He family's manor and arrived in force with the remaining Music Family guards.
(The He family also had a manor on Green Forest Mountain. Chapter 174, "Mountain Villa": "Once past this chestnut grove, another seven li east will bring you to the Lujiang He's mountain manor." The Lujiang He had appeared before that as well, though with only a single line of dialogue.)
Liu Yin's men were either dead or captured. None of the captives offered stubborn resistance; they all scrambled to confess, but not one knew the identity of the man wearing the beast mask.
"It was the Still Wheel Ruler."
Chen Qing Shan looked at the broken end of the long lance with deep regret.
Wang Yang asked:
"What ruler? Still Wheel? Which characters?"
Chen Qing Shan said:
"'Still' as in quiet, 'wheel' as in a cartwheel. It's from Pingcheng-"
Qi Huan's expression jolted:
"'The still wheel locks the blade; the moving ruler claims a life'! Are you saying what that man used just now was the Still Wheel Ruler of the Northern Dynasties' Still Wheel Palace?!!"
Northern Wei revered the Way of the Celestial Masters. During Emperor Taiwu's reign, Kou Qianzhi was appointed state preceptor, and the Still Wheel Palace and the Way of the Celestial Masters' Grounds were built in the imperial capital of Pingcheng to spread the faith and cultivate its arts. This became known as the "Northern Way of the Celestial Masters."
The Northern Way of the Celestial Masters was Northern Wei's state religion. Every new ruler had to ascend its altar and receive sacred talismans upon taking the throne. Many masters of the state religion also served the Northern Wei Imperial Court, filling posts in