A head worth two thousand taels of silver

The night wind blew cold, and a bright moon hung high overhead.

The East Depot oversaw surveillance and investigations, while also guarding the imperial palace. Thus, it stood beside the palace's East China Gate, occupying sprawling grounds under heavy guard.

Throughout the capital, the lights of ten thousand homes had gone dark, but the East Depot remained brightly lit. Squads of armed depot agents patrolled back and forth with lanterns, lending the place the tense air of a gathering storm.

At midnight, inside the East Depot's Commander's Residence, Deputy Commander Li Zhong sat in the reception hall in a bright yellow python robe, speaking with easy confidence:

"I entered the palace today and learned that His Majesty may leave in the next few days to visit the shores of Ming Lake. That will be our chance. However much commotion we cause, none of it will reach His Majesty's ears."

"We must seize this opportunity to win over the court officials and stabilize the situation before His Majesty returns."

"As soon as His Majesty comes back, I will enter the palace to report Eunuch Wan's death-and take over as commander!"

Besides Deputy Commander Li Zhong and several senior East Depot officials, four armed figures stood quietly beside him in the hall.

These four were the only Xiantian Realm experts Li Zhong had left.

Originally, he had commanded two more Xiantian Realm experts who also held posts in the East Depot. But while out on assignments a few days earlier, both had died at Zhao Huaian's hands, leaving only these four.

Last night, when Zhao Huaian attacked at the Great Enlightenment Temple, Yu Huatian had arrived before these four could act, leaving them no chance to show their abilities.

Now that he had returned to the East Depot, however, Li Zhong took the four everywhere he went to prevent internal unrest and another incident like last night's. They scarcely left his side; he cherished his little life dearly.

After hearing Li Zhong's plans, everyone in the hall nodded in agreement.

Then one of them suddenly said, "I heard that Zhao Jingzhong and Liu Xi both recalled their men stationed outside today. Could they already have heard of Eunuch Wan's death?"

"So what if they have?"

Li Zhong snorted. "One is a remnant of Wei Zhongxian's faction, and the other is a dog of a servant from the Laundry Bureau. Do they think they deserve to compete with me for the commander's seat?"

"Once His Majesty leaves the palace, I will deal with those two nuisances..."

Before he finished, a shout suddenly came from outside. "Eunuch! Eunuch..."

Everyone in the hall fell silent and looked toward the door.

Li Zhong frowned as well, slamming his teacup onto the table. "How many times have I told you? Call me Commander!"

The young eunuch who ran into the reception hall twitched his lips at those words, but dared not talk back. Cupping his hands, he said, "Commander, Chief Officer Zhao Jingzhong has brought a group of men here. I don't know what he wants..."

"Hmm?"

Everyone's expression shifted slightly.

Li Zhong narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Zhao Jingzhong? What does he want, coming here now?!"

"To... do you in, of course!"

A flurry of footsteps sounded outside. Then the doors were kicked open with a crash, and the two young eunuchs guarding them were struck hard enough to cough up blood and collapse to one side.

Dressed in a red python robe, Zhao Jingzhong strode in and looked coldly at the men in the hall.

Behind him followed a group carrying sabers and swords. Several wore flying-fish robes and had embroidered spring sabers at their waists, clearly marking them as members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

One glance at that formation made it clear they had not come with good intentions.

Li Zhong and the others' faces darkened as they stared fixedly at Zhao Jingzhong at the front.

"Zhao Jingzhong, barging into my residence in the dead of night-have you no respect for the rules? Are you trying to rebel?!"

Li Zhong questioned him coldly.

"Heh... You haven't even become commander yet, and you already treat the Commander's Residence as your own and call yourself Commander? Li Zhong, you dog who only became deputy commander through fawning flattery-do you deserve it?!"

Holding a long spear wrapped in black cloth, Zhao Jingzhong spoke with a sneer.

A flicker of murderous intent flashed through Li Zhong's eyes. He now understood why Zhao Jingzhong had come.

His gaze swept over those behind Zhao Jingzhong. Besides Zhao Jingzhong's junior martial sister, Wei Ting, he spotted another familiar face.

"Lu Wenzhao, you dare interfere in the East Depot's affairs? Do you have a death wish?!"

Li Zhong barked the question at a man behind Zhao Jingzhong who wore an Embroidered Uniform Guard official's uniform and held a large imperial guard saber.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had only fourteen thousand-household offices, and Lu Wenzhao was a thousand-household commander in the Northern Pacification Office. He often dealt with the East Depot, so naturally Li Zhong knew him.

"You overstate things, Eunuch. I am merely a lowly thousand-household commander. When Eunuch Zhao summoned me, I dared not refuse."

Lu Wenzhao spoke with an apologetic smile, his tone deeply deferential.

"This is an internal East Depot matter. It has nothing to do with you. Leave now, and I can pretend this never happened!"

Li Zhong's eyes carried a threat as he spoke.

Lu Wenzhao kept smiling apologetically. "Please forgive me, Eunuch. As chief officer, Eunuch Zhao is my superior. When a superior gives an order, I dare not disobey."

Li Zhong was so furious his nose nearly twisted out of shape. So you dare not offend a chief officer, but you dare offend me, the deputy commander?

Li Zhong stared coldly at Lu Wenzhao. "I will settle accounts with everyone involved tonight, one by one."

Lu Wenzhao paid it no mind and simply smiled without speaking.

"Finished with your last words?"

Zhao Jingzhong spoke coldly, pulling away the cloth wrapped around his weapon to slowly reveal a double-ended spear.

In an instant, the atmosphere bristled with drawn swords and bent bows.

Li Zhong stared hard at Zhao Jingzhong. "Zhao Jingzhong, you should know the consequences of defying your superior. Even if I don't kill you, Eunuch Wan will never spare you when he returns!"

Zhao Jingzhong scoffed. "Still trying to use Wan Yulou to intimidate me? Do you really think no one knows he's dead just because you keep quiet?"

Li Zhong's expression changed slightly. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"What good will playing dumb do?"

Zhao Jingzhong sneered. "Wan Yulou was one thing, but what qualifies a useless fool like you to succeed him as commander?"

"Attack!"

As his voice fell, Zhao Jingzhong swung his spear and lunged straight at Li Zhong.

Standing at the entrance to the hall, Li Zhong saw that Zhao Jingzhong was determined to kill him and knew further words were pointless. He wasted no more breath and waved coldly. "Kill him!"

The four men behind him instantly surged forward with imposing auras, placing themselves before Li Zhong as they charged Zhao Jingzhong.

Clang-

Blades rang as they were drawn, and the men Zhao Jingzhong had brought also sprang into action at the entrance.

Dressed in tight black clothing and wielding a Western sword, Wei Ting went straight for one of Li Zhong's Xiantian Realm experts. As her true qi emerged, it revealed that she, too, had reached the early Xiantian Realm.

The four Embroidered Uniform Guards, along with Lu Wenzhao, were all in the Xiantian Realm as well.

One young man in a flying-fish robe wielded a somewhat oversized embroidered spring saber. His aura was even stronger than Lu Wenzhao's; he had reached the late Xiantian Realm and drove his opponent back with a single slash.

Two other Embroidered Uniform Guards were only in the middle Xiantian Realm, but working together, they instantly suppressed another opponent.

Instead, Lu Wenzhao, the thousand-household commander, struggled the most. His reputation had also earned him the strongest Xiantian Realm expert on Li Zhong's side as his opponent, and after only two or three exchanges, he was forced back repeatedly.

With no other choice, Lu Wenzhao shouted to the side for help. "Shen Lian, take him!"

The man named Shen Lian said nothing in response. He drove his opponent back with a slash and came over to reinforce Lu Wenzhao.

Lu Wenzhao immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Taking the opportunity to disengage, he went to meet Shen Lian's former opponent.

Within moments, the courtyard rang with the continuous clang of combat.

The remaining men stood on either side watching, partly because there was no need to act yet, and partly because they could not intervene.

Those left on both sides were only in the Houtian Realm. They would not last more than a few exchanges in a Xiantian Realm battle, and a careless moment could easily get them caught in the crossfire.

But anyone with eyes could see that Li Zhong's four Xiantian Realm experts were gradually losing ground. At this rate, defeat was only a matter of time.

"Deputy Commander!"

The East Depot officials at the hall entrance turned toward Li Zhong, their faces anxious.

Li Zhong's expression was grim. Hesitating no longer, he said coldly, "Send the signal!"

One man immediately stepped aside, took out a firework, held it aloft, and pulled the fuse. A brilliant streak of fire shot into the sky, illuminating the night.

Before long, a rush of footsteps suddenly sounded outside, rapidly approaching the courtyard.

In the thick of battle, Zhao Jingzhong saw that he could not finish his opponent quickly. Seeing Li Zhong send a distress signal made him even more anxious. During a gap between exchanges, he turned toward the crowd by the entrance and shouted, "Ding Xiu, are you going to act or not?!"

"I know. What's the rush?"

Following that lazy reply, a warrior-dressed man with a ponytail and a large imperial guard saber resting on his shoulder stepped out slowly, looking straight at Li Zhong by the hall entrance.

"Another expert?!"

Li Zhong's expression shifted. Instantly sensing danger, he discreetly retreated behind several East Depot officials.

Thud, thud, thud...

"Kill-!"

Just then, the reinforcements Li Zhong had summoned arrived outside. A dense mass of East Depot experts swarmed forward.

Seeing this, Ding Xiu stopped hesitating and waved at the others Zhao Jingzhong had brought. "There. Those are yours."

Clang-

The next instant, his long saber flashed out of its sheath, and he charged Deputy Commander Li Zhong at the hall entrance.

"Stop him!"

Li Zhong's face changed drastically, and he immediately turned and fled toward the back.

The remaining East Depot officials were at a loss. But they did know martial arts; although none had entered the Xiantian Realm, even the weakest had the skill of a third-rate Houtian Realm fighter. They could only steel themselves and meet Ding Xiu.

They had thought they could last a few exchanges, but they had vastly underestimated Ding Xiu's martial prowess. In the blink of an eye, four fell beneath his saber. The remaining two were scared out of their wits and turned to flee without looking back.

Ding Xiu did not pursue them. His target was clear, and he charged straight at Li Zhong inside the hall.

Li Zhong had barely run a few steps before Ding Xiu caught him. Forced to turn and fight, he was sent flying by a single strike. Before he could recover, he saw the gleaming saber right before his eyes. All dignity vanished in his terror as he slumped against a pillar, raised his hands, and cried, "Wait! Whatever you want, I can..."

Slash-

Before he finished, the blade flashed, and a fine head shot into the air.

Ding Xiu put away his saber and said mildly, "Sorry. I have professional standards."

In the courtyard, Zhao Jingzhong, who had been watching Li Zhong's movements all along, was delighted. He immediately disengaged and retreated, shouting, "Li Zhong is dead! Withdraw!"

His only task today was to kill Li Zhong. Once Li Zhong died, the rest could stir up no real waves. The commander's seat was already in his pocket!

Hearing this, Lu Wenzhao and the others wasted no time. They immediately disengaged and fell back, preparing to withdraw.

But the entrance was packed with the East Depot experts Li Zhong's signal had summoned, and they could not break through quickly. Left with no choice, they joined forces to fight their way out.

Ding Xiu mingled with the crowd, but his gaze kept sweeping their surroundings. Recalling his agreement tonight with that West Depot commander, he felt deeply puzzled.

Were the West Depot's men not coming?

"Kill-!"

Just then, another flurry of footsteps sounded outside, followed by the sounds of fighting and screams.

Zhao Jingzhong and the others thought another group of Li Zhong's reinforcements had arrived. After all, Li Zhong was still deputy commander, the highest authority in the East Depot. But the sounds of fighting clearly suggested otherwise, leaving them puzzled.

Only Ding Xiu looked pleased. Remembering his earlier agreement with West Depot Commander Yu Huatian, he instinctively glanced at Zhao Jingzhong's head up ahead, his eyes gleaming.

That head was worth two thousand taels of silver!

Since this is a crossover martial arts world, the timelines of certain events and character appearances will change. I can only bring them together in as reasonable a way as possible. Readers who cannot accept this kind of setting can leave now; there is no need to stay and hurl abuse. Thank you for understanding.

(End of chapter)