A Visit at Night (Part 1)
In an ideal world, I’d have ford a team to jump Northern Wondrous Warrior Manor, but it was too hard to gather the dream team. If Yi Ya or Dugu were to suddenly vanish off the radar or be seen near their gathering spot, Northern Wondrous Warrior Manor’s group would relocate. There was no way I could arrest them without elite fighters, like Dugu. If I even tried, I’d end up getting the short end of the stick. Worse, if soone out for ran into us on the way to their spot, boy, would you have a ss. Therefore, the only plausible approach was to visit them alone.
Similarly, if they suspected their location had been revealed, they’d relocate, and not even Black and White Reflection might be able to find them again.
That was where the challenge ca in: how was I going to convince them, especially Li Muye’s mother, to negotiate peacefully with ? Introducing myself as Ming Feizhen certainly wouldn’t grant an audience. Even Boss wouldn’t be granted an audience since Liu Shan n supported the imperial court at the end of the day and remained impartial. If I told them I wanted to discuss so shady business with them for selfish gains, they would unlikely buy it; it could work, but the risk of it failing was high.
I needed an identity that could represent the imperial family, but the sa person needed to be rather distant from the imperial court. Else, it would co off as a monarch negotiating terms and conditions with them. There was one person who ca to mind.
I visited a few stores for human-skin masks and hair dye before everyone closed up shop. By the ti I was done finishing up my new appearance, the ti was ripe to act.
Though the streets were empty, I had to avoid the night patrols to stealthily reach my destination. There were plenty of purchased but uninhabited houses in the capital, and this one in the northwest corner wasn’t exactly tucked away, but I didn’t pick up on any sounds or sights of habitants when I first located the property.
Northern Wondrous Warrior Manor mbers didn’t inherit just Wondrous Warrior’s genetics but also his military habits and training. Otherwise, how could they be so proficient at concealing their whereabouts?
I walked towards the location I heard soone, picked up a rock and threw it at the wall as Black and White Reflection taught . I waited on the spot until the moon was high in the sky.
The man on the other side of the wall asked quietly, “What brings you here late at night?”
“I seek an audience with Her Highness.”
A good while later, I heard soone else lazily ask, “Who are you?”
“Fuma Jingan.”
The second individual who spoke to was unmistakably soone important in the group. They called him over because they had planned to kill ; nobody who found their hiding spot was going to be spared. That was the reason he tried to drop my guard with a lazy tone. While I did throw an unforeseen factor into his plan, he didn’t show any surprise.
“May this one ask if you can prove your identity?”
I tossed over the token His Majesty gave earlier. When he picked up the token that landed on the shrubs, he was still confident I was an imposter. Nonetheless, considering the gravity of the situation, he deed it best to report back.
“Please wait a mont.”
When he ca back a while later, he was evidently in a considerably more serious mood. A short man respectfully bowed to after opening a secret door in the corner of the wall. “Please co this way, My Lord.”
Despite there being several courtyards inside the manor, it couldn’t hold a candle to mansions of officials, which wasn’t to say that the place had a dead vibe.
I silently followed the man leading with his torso down several laps around in the sa area. Following several laps, he finally asked with a smile, “May this one ask how you found this place?”
I smiled back. “I have studied a little divination and geomancy; I have so confidence in my ability to find people and things.”
“This one happens to have studied a bit of them, too, so he is curious how you managed to find Her Highness when you have never seen her.”
“It would truly be an ordeal to find an ordinary individual, but how many people possess the greatness of Her Highness?”
His silence was a sign that he didn’t believe .
“You don’t believe ?”
“This one dares not question you. Howbeit, due to the importance of the matter, could he trouble you to reassure him? How about you take a look into this one’s profile?”
All the humbleness was but a cover on top of his tests. The fact that he asked a Fuma to reassure him could only an that he wasn’t a low-ranking servant. I had already made so conclusions based on my observations of his internal discipline and muscles.
“In that case, allow to see…” I pretended to think hard and then smiled. “It is my great pleasure to et the northern border’s famous Mighty Nail, Zuo Xiuluan, and Northern Wondrous Warrior Manor’s steward.”
I ntioned his title before ntioning his current identity to acknowledge his status in the martial world. As expected, he smiled.
“You truly are a man of great talent.”
“You still don’t seem to trust , though, Steward Zuo.”
“This one dares not.” Zuo Xiuluan stopped, turned around and straightened up his torso. “This one would not dare to make a call on his own accord without knowing for sure.”
Glossary
Omitted line – After revealing Zuo Xiuluan’s identity, Zuo Xiuluan continues addressing Ming Feizhen using a pronoun that is really formal (no longer used today), which makes Ming Feizhen say, “You still don’t seem to trust , though.” Only problem is, there are only so many “you” pronouns in English.
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