The Black Bureau

The sun rose in the east, and distant morning bells rang through the vast city. Around Jade Resonance Tower, crowds were already thronging the streets, countless wanderers from every corner of the land gathering to earn their living.

Ye Jingtang rode his black horse through the bustling streets and stopped outside the government office with no signboard near Jade Resonance Tower.

The Black Bureau was quite large. Outside its main entrance stood a small square with a flagpole, though it flew no flag-it was a place for hanging heads. The martial world even had a special phrase for it: "Black Bureau Hanging Heads."

Known as the "Hall of the King of Hell," the Black Bureau belonged to the Prince's Private Guards. It operated outside the structure of the six ministries and neither accepted lawsuits nor held court hearings. Normally, no one visited at all, and only two constables stood guard outside.

Ye Jingtang presented his waist token and was invited through the gates.

Inside stood an ordinary main hall, with duty rooms on either side but nowhere to receive guests.

He waited behind the screen wall for only a short while before two men emerged from the back of the hall. Leading them was "White Impermanence," Shang Jianli. Unlike his martial-world attire yesterday, he wore a blue scholar's robe.

Incidentally, nicknames such as "White Impermanence" and the "Six Fiends" had been bestowed by people in the martial world. Originally derogatory, they had become honorifics only because their bearers were overwhelmingly powerful.

Shang Jianli was a bona fide military official drawing a fourth-rank salary. He probably disliked the title "Life-Reaping Impermanence," and his blue robe rather than a white one was likely meant to avoid that association.

Behind Shang Jianli walked the bearded Wang Chihu, who waved cordially from a distance.

"Young Brother Ye, you really aren't much of a friend. Just two days ago, you were pretending to be poor in front of me, and now it turns out your family owns the whole of Skywater Bridge. And here I was thinking of giving you a helping hand..."

Ye Jingtang stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting. "Lord Shang, Chief Banner Officer Wang, why did you come out to welcome me yourselves? You honor me far too much."

Wang Chihu chuckled. "Good, so you know we're honoring you. As the Pei Family's young master, you injured Constable She. If you don't take him to Golden Screen Tower and hire a dozen girls to attend to him, do you expect to keep getting along in Capital City?"

"Of course. I accidentally injured Lord She yesterday and haven't had time to apologize. Why don't we invite him along now and go sit down at Golden Screen Tower?"

As they spoke, Ye Jingtang took a closer look and realized that Shang Jianli was very young-at most, in his early thirties.

Masters of internal arts only grew more monstrous with age. For someone this young to have earned a reputation that made the martial world tremble at the mere whisper of his name was truly frightening.

Shang Jianli had a rather cool, aloof air, but he still showed a faint smile when facing Ye Jingtang.

"I have no taste for wine or women, and She Long needs a few more days to recover. Once we're off duty, you can accompany Chief Banner Officer Wang. Have you come to request an audience with Prince Jing, Young Master Ye?"

"I'm merely a commoner. How could I presume to trouble Prince Jing? His Highness thinks well of me, so I've come today to offer what little help I can and see whether these martial skills of mine might be of use to the court."

"Oh?"

Approval appeared in Shang Jianli's eyes at those words, and he immediately led Ye Jingtang toward the rear offices.

"Prince Jing will certainly be pleased to hear of your willingness. The martial world out there is too vast, and the Black Bureau's jurisdiction isn't clearly defined. Every dirty, exhausting job the judicial offices can't handle gets dumped on us. Our constables truly can't cover it all..."

After only a few exchanges, Shang Jianli brought Ye Jingtang into a main room.

Several rows of bookshelves stood inside, while the western wall was covered with wanted notices for nearly a hundred people. A single notice had been given its own space at the very top, bearing the name "Xue Baijin."

The name was somewhat unfamiliar, but a quick look at the details startled Ye Jingtang-Xue Baijin, titled the "Sky-Pacifying Sect Master."

The Sky-Pacifying Sect's name had thundered in Ye Jingtang's ears. Founded by remnants of the previous dynasty, it held Southern Skies Mountain to the death and still refused to surrender sixty years after its nation's fall.

The Sky-Pacifying Sect Master ranked first among the Eight Chiefs and fourth in the world. Known as "Unrivaled Beneath the Mountain," she had no equal in the secular martial world. The only people she couldn't defeat were the three old monsters cultivating immortality up in the mountains.

Standing before the wall, Ye Jingtang looked at the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master's wanted notice and felt it was purely decorative.

Wang Chihu, behind him, seemed to read his thoughts and teased him.

"Even Lord Ksitigarbha would shake his head at this one. No one dares take it. Want to give it a try, Young Brother Ye?"

"These people on the wall are all heavenly soldiers and divine generals. I can't afford to provoke even the ones at the bottom. Please don't joke, Chief Banner Officer Wang."

"A man needs ambition."

Wang Chihu sighed. "That damned Sky-Pacifying Sect Master is no saint. The former greatest beauty in the martial world, the 'Moon Palace Goddess,' possessed exceptional martial skills and a deep chivalrous spirit. Countless people admired her. Her peerless grace-'clad in blue, treading the waves beneath the moon'-captivated who knows how many wandering heroes. Even today, women in the martial world favor blue over red..."

Ye Jingtang had never heard this story and asked curiously:

"Did the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master harm this heroine?"

"If she'd harmed her, I'd at least respect Xue Baijin for being unmoved by beauty. Rumor has it that the Moon Palace Goddess was out upholding justice when she accidentally encountered the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master. Then she became the sect master's wife."

"The Sky-Pacifying Sect Master abducted her?"

Standing beside him, Shang Jianli shook his head.

"Don't listen to the martial world's wild rumors. The Sky-Pacifying Sect has held Southern Skies Mountain for an entire sixty-year cycle without surrendering, stubbornly dreaming of restoring the previous dynasty. They are indeed rebels whose crimes cannot be pardoned, but they also embody loyalty and righteousness. Otherwise, they wouldn't have so many admirers in the martial world. How could a formidable figure like her stoop to abducting women?"

Ye Jingtang thought that made sense and nodded.

Perhaps afraid Ye Jingtang might misunderstand, Shang Jianli added:

"Of course, I'm not saying the Sky-Pacifying Sect Master is a good person. She merely observes the martial world's code a little more than the Green Bandits, whose crimes are piled to the heavens. To the court, they're all rebels beyond pardon. If everyone in the martial world served the court like Jade Void Mountain and Junshan Terrace, or kept to their proper place like the Red Flower House and Watercloud Sword Pool, the realm would have been peaceful long ago."

Wang Chihu, standing beside them, was bold enough to say outright:

"Those who know the people in power are unjust and inhumane, yet dare not use martial strength to defy their prohibitions, aren't worthy of being called heroes. If everyone had enough to eat and drink, how many would roam the martial world with their heads dangling from their belts? In my view, if martial practitioners are everywhere and refuse to submit to authority, the problem lies in the first three rows of Supreme Polarity Hall. You can't blame people in the martial world for having backbones."

?!

That wasn't merely talking a conversation to death-it was talking people to death.

Shang Jianli turned and walked away as though he had heard nothing.

Ye Jingtang was stunned. Bracing himself, he asked:

"May I ask who your esteemed father is, Chief Banner Officer Wang?"

Wang Chihu looked proud. "My father is Wang Yin, the Duke Who Pacifies the Nation, and Prince Jing is my cousin. Impressive, isn't it?"

Ye Jingtang truly hadn't seen that coming. No wonder the man had so little fear of death. He cupped his hands.

"Very impressive. I had eyes but failed to see."

"You're too kind..."

Shang Jianli was evidently long accustomed to Wang Chihu's unrestrained words and behavior. He went over to the bookshelves, took out a stack of case files, and handed them to Ye Jingtang.

"Young Master Ye, these are the assignments the Black Bureau is currently handling, all within Yunzhou's jurisdiction. Choose whichever you like. Since you're not a member of the Black Bureau, the reward silver will be delivered directly to your residence upon completion, as regulations require. The credit can only be recorded under my name. I hope you won't mind."

This meant outsourcing. Since Great Wei was teeming with martial practitioners and the government offices were understaffed, such arrangements were actually common. Reward notices were one example.

Ye Jingtang had come to the Black Bureau precisely to cultivate connections. Talking without taking action certainly wouldn't do, so he accepted the stack of files and began examining them...

Shang Jianli really hadn't held back. They were all major cases!

Almost all the perpetrators had martial-world nicknames such as "Heart-Rending Hand" and "Skin-Peeling Scholar." One glance told him they were fiends of the martial world. The assessments of their martial abilities were either "first-rate expert, suspected Grandmaster" or "ruthless and cunning, approach with caution."

After leafing through several files, Ye Jingtang looked a little embarrassed.

"Do you have anything easier? I've only just entered society... ahem... only just entered the martial world. These jobs might be..."

Shang Jianli gave him a Ghost Shoulder Tap. "You nearly took She Long's arm off, Young Master Ye. Even if you're not a Grandmaster, you're close. Asking you to catch petty thieves for a few taels of silver would hardly do you justice, and the Black Bureau has no jobs that easy anyway. Since you're already here, just pick one. If you succeed, you'll have rid the people of a menace. If you don't, that's fine too."

Ye Jingtang steeled himself and kept looking. At last, he found a flying thief-the notorious Yanzhou thief "Wingless Owl." His lightness skills were exceptional, but his fighting ability wasn't high. According to intelligence, he had recently come to Capital City and secretly infiltrated the Imperial Stele Pavilion, where historical records were stored. He seemed to be searching for something and was probably still in the city.

Wingless Owl had several lives on his hands, which was why the Black Bureau had put him on its wanted list. But anyone who worked as a thief was unlikely to have outrageous combat ability, so the danger was comparatively low.

Ye Jingtang was about to accept it, but a closer look at the man's history revealed that Wingless Owl's most famous exploit was stealing from the Cloud-Cutting Palace on Yan Mountain!

Ye Jingtang was shocked. He had never imagined there were flying thieves in this world who dared steal from one of the Eight Chiefs.

The man might not be dangerous, but could someone bold enough to steal from the Cloud-Cutting Palace and still remain at large really be caught easily?

The other cases were far riskier. Ye Jingtang went through them twice, and this seemed to be the only one unlikely to cost him his own life. After some thought, he still pulled out Wingless Owl's file.

"I don't have much experience in fights to the death. I'll try this one. If I can't catch him, I hope you won't blame me, Lord Shang."

"Our office is investigating too. Just do your best, Young Master Ye. Even if you can't catch him, the reward will still be substantial if you can locate him."

"Do you want him alive or dead?"

"Any criminal pursued by the Black Bureau has committed serious crimes and is both dangerous and cunning. Except for certain people with special identities, if you can kill them on the spot, do not hold back. We've lost quite a few brothers because of that in the past. You mustn't be softhearted, Young Master Ye."

Ye Jingtang nodded slightly. Having accepted the assignment, he took the opportunity to add:

"I'm very passionate about saber techniques. Yesterday, you mentioned Qiu Tianhe of the 'Tianhe Blade.' I've heard he's a saber Grandmaster. Would it be convenient for you to..."

Shang Jianli had witnessed Ye Jingtang's saber technique yesterday, so he wasn't surprised by his curiosity about the martial world's saber Grandmasters.

Ye Jingtang's family background was perfectly clear, and inside the Black Bureau, there was no fear of him breaking a prisoner out or killing one. Shang Jianli simply turned to lead the way.

"Come along. I'll take you to see him. Qiu Tianhe is a saber Grandmaster renowned throughout the martial world. If he can offer you a few pointers, you'll benefit immensely."

Ye Jingtang hadn't expected Shang Jianli to agree so readily. He followed at once and cupped his hands.

"Thank you for accommodating me, Lord Shang."

"It's a mere lift of the hand. No need to mention it."