Chapter 34

"Rain of Human Refining" did not realize he had been exposed. Watching the members of the White Lotus Sect being led away one by one by the guards, he let out a cold snort. "People say you, Lin Qing, are full of schemes, black-hearted and rotten-lunged. I didn't believe them before, but now, I do."

He let out a boisterous laugh, filled with arrogance. "But you think this is how you win? Let me tell you, the White Lotus Sect is destined to triumph!" With those words, he spat out a mouthful of black blood and died with his eyes wide open, unreconciled.

In an instant, the situation had completely reversed. The White Lotus Sect members were either dead or injured, and most had been captured. As for the others who had truly been abducted, they would be sent home once it was confirmed they had no ties to the sect.

As for Wu Sanniang, she had been frightened out of her wits by the clash of steel, a puddle of foul liquid pooling beneath her. She was dragged away by guards to be tried under the laws of the Great Yuan once they returned.

Lin Qing stood aside in disgust, about to go find Li Mingxiao, when a faint, sharp sound of something cutting through the air reached her ears.

"Look out!" Li Mingxiao darted from somewhere, tackling her to the ground.

Recognizing that familiar voice, Lin Qing stopped in her tracks. Then, she felt a weight settle on her back, and she stumbled forward, greeting the ground with her face.

His chest pressed against her back; though she could not see him, she could feel his heartbeat—fast and urgent, like drums of war. Her own heart began to race in rhythm with his. She could feel his breath against her neck, warm and damp, raising goosebumps on her skin.

Lin Qing: "..." It was a mix of embarrassment and excitement; her heart was pounding, but she also had a strong urge to kick him away.

Li Mingxiao had suffered much over the past half-month, and this tumble left him breathless, unable to get up for a long time.

Eventually, they were helped up by the guards. Jiang Ruoyi and Zhou Fusheng looked at her, then at Li Mingxiao, and back at her again.

Li Mingxiao realized then that with Lin Qing’s martial arts, the hidden weapon would never have harmed her. He awkwardly scratched the bridge of his nose.

Lin Qing turned her attention to the culprit who had fired the weapon. Zhang Daniu had been playing dead, but the sight of his brother’s death had made him furious. He had tried to trigger the hidden weapon mechanism in his sleeve while Lin Qing was distracted, but it had all been for nothing. He glared viciously at everyone before slitting his own throat, dying with his eyes wide open.

Recalling the tattoos found on the other sect members, Lin Qing sliced open Zhang Daniu’s sleeve, but there was nothing there.

Li Mingxiao coughed softly. "I saw what looked like a white mark on Zhang Daniu’s right shoulder earlier."

Hearing this, Lin Qing cut open the fabric on his right shoulder and, sure enough, found a lotus flower tattooed there. It had five petals, but it was white. She checked the body of Zhang Xiaoniu; the tattoo was also on the right shoulder—a seven-petaled white lotus.

Lin Qing checked the tattoos of the others; theirs were only on their arms, primarily five-petaled and cyan.

Jiang Ruoyi, who had been following her, understood. "It seems the White Lotus Sect uses the color of the tattoo and the number of petals to determine rank."

Lin Qing nodded. "This residence is one of the sect's strongholds. There must be a secret chamber. We need to search carefully. Lord Jiang, I must trouble you to oversee this personally."

"You are too polite, Official Lin." Jiang Ruoyi turned to leave, but paused as he passed Li Mingxiao, eyeing his face with suspicion. "This person looks somewhat familiar?"

Lin Qing looked up, and seeing Li Mingxiao shake his head slightly, she replied, "People often resemble others. Lord Jiang must be mistaken."

Jiang Ruoyi nodded thoughtfully, said nothing more, and left.

Zhou Fusheng stepped forward. "Since I am part of the Dark Department, my eyes are sharper than the average guard. I will go and assist as well."

The training in the Dark Department was indeed more grueling than that of the regular guards. With Zhou Fusheng involved, they might gain unexpected results. Lin Qing said, "I appreciate the help."

Once Zhou Fusheng left, Lin Qing pulled Li Mingxiao into a side room and bolted the door. The room had been cleared of furniture and was quite empty. Lin Qing bowed deeply. "Your subject, Lin Qing, pays respects to Your Majesty."

Li Mingxiao quickly pulled her up. "Lin Qing, there is no need for such formalities. I fell into this predicament, and it was only through your help that I escaped." He laughed self-deprecatingly. "Before I knew it, you have already saved me twice."

Lin Qing couldn't help but ask, "What on earth is going on?"

Li Mingxiao’s expression turned grim. "I don't know."

He truly did not know. He had simply woken up to find himself abducted from the palace by assassins who intended to kill him. His martial arts were merely average, and after a difficult escape, he had run into Wu Sanniang and her group before he could return to the palace, and he was promptly kidnapped by the human traffickers. At the time, he was in rags and covered in mud; Wu Sanniang had mistaken him for a strong laborer, thinking she could make a profit.

Initially, he had tried to escape, but the assassins were in hot pursuit, and the traffickers kept a tight watch, forcing him to abandon the idea. Later, he saw several handsome men sold off as boy toys, so he learned to disguise himself. He would hunch his body and smear thick mud on his face; this look kept the buyers at bay.

Lin Qing listened to his ordeal, finding it all incredible. Li Mingxiao was the Emperor; regardless of the palace staff, his own bedchamber was guarded at every turn. Yet, so many people had failed to notice his disappearance.

Lin Qing asked, "Your Majesty, where were your shadow guards?" The Emperor’s shadow guards were required to protect him twenty-four hours a day.

"I suspect they were occupied," Li Mingxiao said, his eyes heavy. "Do you remember when I fell into the water at Cuiyuan Pavilion? The pavilion is on the southwest side of the palace, but that day, I was merely strolling in the Imperial Garden, heading east."

Logically, he shouldn't have ended up at the pavilion, and even if he had fallen in, the shadow guards should have saved him. But they hadn't followed. What seemed like a simple accident was filled with anomalies. If Lin Qing hadn't been there that day, he would surely have died. This time, being stolen from the palace was a similar trick: the guards were blocked, and no one noticed.

Lin Qing asked, "And my master? Commander Yang?"

"The Empress Dowager said the hot springs at the villa would better aid Master Zhuge’s recovery. By the time I heard the news, he had already been sent there." Li Mingxiao lowered his head, his eyes dark. "As for Yang Zhao, thieves broke into the Late Emperor’s mausoleum, and the Empress Dowager specifically ordered him to hunt them down."

At this point, it was clear. Lin Qing really did not want to get involved in the internal strife of the royal family, but now, she had no choice. The two most skilled protectors had been removed, the shadow guards blocked, and the Emperor gone—yet the Great Yuan continued to function as if nothing had happened. Only the Empress Dowager could achieve such a feat.

But why? Lin Qing couldn't fathom it. Li Mingxiao was the Empress Dowager’s only son. As a mother, could she really inflict such harm on her own child? Or was there something they didn't know?

Li Mingxiao chuckled, a bitter sound. "Don't bother trying to figure it out; I can't either."

Lin Qing said, "Without evidence, nothing is certain. However, it is not good for Your Majesty to be away from the capital for too long, but returning now is also dangerous."

Li Mingxiao understood. "What does Lin Qing suggest?"

Lin Qing replied, "This matter cannot bypass the Duke of Zhen. The Duke is loyal to you and holds military power. He only needs to escort you back to the capital. With the army surrounding the city, any unrest can be quelled. However, Your Majesty must have proof of your identity to prevent the opposition from acting desperately."

Li Mingxiao took a jade pendant from his neck, carved with a golden dragon playing with the sun. "There is only one such pendant; it is also the token to mobilize the Imperial Shadow Guards. Beyond this, I have a red birthmark on my back."

With proof, Lin Qing felt relieved. Once they found the Duke, everything else would be manageable. For now, Li Mingxiao’s identity could not be revealed, so when they stepped out, he was introduced as "Chen Xiao," Lin Qing’s servant.

Shortly after, a guard reported that Zhou Fusheng had found a secret dungeon.

It was located beneath the garden pond, very well hidden. Since it was newly dug, it was quite crude. Inside, they found many captives, among them Meng Jie and the Tianlu Guards—those who had come with her to the Northern Frontier.

Upon seeing Lin Qing, Meng Jie nearly wept. "Boss, you finally came to save us!" The other guards were also on the verge of tears, having witnessed Lin Qing stay behind to buy them time to escape.

Lin Qing waved her hand. "Enough. I’m still alive, don't mourn me. How did you get locked up here?" The guards released the captives.

Meng Jie, ignoring his dirty state, hurried to Lin Qing. "After we were separated, I followed our agreement to meet at Wei City and left marks everywhere. But the next day, we were caught by the White Lotus Sect and locked up here." He turned, and his eyes met Li Mingxiao’s face. He widened his eyes. "Your Maj—"

Lin Qing kicked him, stopping the rest of his sentence. "Stop babbling, are you annoying or what?"

Meng Jie understood and went quiet, though he kept his head down, not daring to look at Li Mingxiao again.

Jiang Ruoyi walked over. "There's nothing left here. Let's return."

Lin Qing refused. "Since the Tianlu Guards are found, I won't trouble the Duke’s estate any further. Lord Jiang, could you do me a favor? I would like to buy this property."

Jiang Ruoyi frowned. "Many people have died here. Why not let me find you another place?"

"No need," Lin Qing was unfazed. "Among us, who hasn't spent a night with a corpse? Even if it's haunted, it can just sing us a tune before leaving."

"Very well." Jiang Ruoyi immediately sent someone to handle it.

The house wasn't expensive, and with the Duke’s estate handling it, the deed was ready shortly. There wasn't much furniture, and since it was late, everyone had to make do with wooden planks for the night. Lin Qing ordered food; with over a hundred people, they needed to eat.

Meng Jie looked pained. "Boss, you know the stingy miser who manages our treasury. We don't have much money left, and now we've bought a house..."

Lin Qing glared at him. "What nonsense are you talking about? We are here on an errand for the Emperor; surely he won't neglect us? Keep track of every expense; I’ll send the accounts to him later. And don't skimp on food for the brothers. Tomorrow, go into the city and buy more furniture. How can they work if they don't rest well?"

She spoke loudly enough for Li Mingxiao to hear clearly.

Li Mingxiao’s mouth twitched slightly. Was she taking advantage of him? But what could he do? She was his favored official; he had to indulge her to the end. He tugged on her sleeve. "Put this on my private account."

Lin Qing immediately gave a thumbs-up. "The boss is generous!"

Li Mingxiao looked confused. "Boss?"

"A term of respect for you."

Lin Qing spoke with such sincerity and respect that Li Mingxiao found the term surprisingly pleasant. His mood improved, and he became even more generous. He waved a hand. "I heard you're still living in that small courtyard. When we return, I’ll give you a grand mansion."

Lin Qing was overjoyed. A promotion, wealth, and a big house—the mansion was as good as hers! She grabbed Li Mingxiao’s hand. "Boss, you are my faith in this life. My admiration for you is like the water of the Wei River, flowing endlessly..."

Li Mingxiao, an ancient man, wasn't used to such direct flattery. His cheeks warmed, and he coughed softly, leaning in to whisper, "I’ll have the palace send you more servants later; they are more reliable than those hired outside."

Many ministers flattered him, but none had ever sounded as pleasant as Lin Qing.