Thirty-four

Chapter 35: The Wolf-Fang Inner Guard

The two looked at each other, the implication clear: the Qin family was the true culprit behind the murder of Wan Yongchang, or at the very least, they were undeniably the masterminds. What was most troublesome now was that the Qin family had set their sights on Duan Mingyu. From this point on, they would be like maggots in the bone—persistent and difficult to shake off.

Fortunately, Yang Yanguang had discovered the assassin today and successfully eliminated him. Even if the Qin family managed to trace the connection back to Duan Mingyu, it would take some time, giving Duan Mingyu a window to catch his breath and devise a strategy.

Seeing the two men deep in thought with furrowed brows, Yang Yanguang remarked, "I really don’t know what you two have been doing to get yourselves targeted by these rabid dogs."

Duan Mingyu replied, "Master Yang, that’s where you’re wrong. I understand that you’ve just killed a man and are feeling a bit uneasy and shaken—your mood is perfectly understandable. But as for me, with my humble background and modest affairs, why would anyone target me? It’s more likely that someone with an unclear background and a mysterious identity attracted their attention, right, Brother Xu?"

Xu Zuye nodded. "Hmm, that makes sense. A very incisive explanation indeed!"

Duan Mingyu tossed his hair back dashingly. "However, in consideration of the fact that someone maintained public safety this evening, I, the top scholar, shall begrudgingly help cover up this act of homicide. Ah, what a misfortune to have such unreliable friends."

Yang Yanguang’s cheek twitched uncontrollably.

After Yang Yanguang left in a huff, Xu Zuye gave Duan Mingyu a thumbs up and whispered, "To be able to brush this off so cleanly—brilliant, truly brilliant."

Duan Mingyu smiled modestly. "I’m not that brilliant. I know a poet, though—tsk tsk, now that is what you call brilliant."

Xu Zuye asked, "How is this poet brilliant?"

Duan Mingyu explained slowly, "This poet was extraordinary. One night, he got up to relieve himself and happened to see the bright moon hanging high, its light spilling across the courtyard. Moved by the sight, he picked up his brush and wrote twenty characters. Over a thousand years later, hundreds of millions of school children waking up in the middle of the night to pee still think of those twenty characters: 'Before my bed, the moonlight streams, like frost upon the ground. I lift my head to gaze at the moon, I lower my head and think of home.'"

Xu Zuye nodded in realization. "Hmm, not bad. Brilliant, indeed. But Li Bai has only been gone for two hundred years; what is this 'over a thousand years later' supposed to mean? And what on earth is a 'school child'?"

"I... am... doomed!"

In an elegant and quiet building, Qin Zongheng, dressed in robes as white as snow, sat at his desk, brush in hand. Qin Zongheng was the younger brother of Qin Zongquan, the leader of the Qin clan and the Prefect of Caizhou. He held high status, with sharp, star-like eyes and a steady, meticulous demeanor. Ever since Qin Zongquan rebelled against the Tang, the Qin clan had become a major threat to the imperial house. That Qin Zongheng, with his special status, would appear in Bianliang and place himself in such danger was truly baffling.

Standing below Qin Zongheng was a man with a respectful expression. Qin Zongheng continued to write without looking up. "Has Qin Shou not returned yet?"

"Reporting to you, sir, all the Wolf-Fang Guards have returned except for Qin Shou."

Qin Zongheng paused his brush. "Oh? How is the task I entrusted to you coming along?"

The man replied with surprise, "Sir, the entire Wan residence is under our tight surveillance. Everyone entering or leaving is being tracked by the Wolf-Fang Guards, though we are a bit short on manpower."

Qin Zongheng said, "If you’re short on men, send more. Tomorrow, withdraw all the guards from my side and send them to the Wan residence."

"Sir, I’m afraid that wouldn't be appropriate!"

Qin Zongheng waved a hand. "This operation is of paramount importance. The Clan Leader places great weight on it. The treasure hidden by Wan Yongchang is something our Qin family is determined to secure; there can be no mistakes. I already know about Qin Shou’s situation. Go and ask the clan disciples who were monitoring the Wan residence today who it was that Qin Shou was tracking. If their identity is suspicious, then..." Qin Zongheng made a heavy downward gesture with his right hand.

"Yes, sir, I understand."

"You may go."

Duan Mingyu was unaware that the Qin family’s operation against him had already begun. In his view, it would take the Qin family at least several months to track him down.

Duan Mingyu was currently busy renovating his barracks. His group of refugees had grown to two hundred people, and his small building could no longer hold them. Consequently, he had confiscated a property Xu Zuye previously owned in the eastern outskirts of the city to convert into barracks. The new facility was much larger, capable of holding five hundred people—more than enough for his current two hundred.

High walls surrounded the barracks, obscuring the training facilities from view—facilities that Xu Zuye found quite incomprehensible. These included balance beams, barbed wire, and climbing walls. Duan Mingyu had been dissatisfied with Xu Zuye’s training methods and had overhauled them entirely. Daily training now included two hundred push-ups at a time, a five-thousand-meter run with a load, and standing at attention for hours.

Duan Mingyu believed that before long, a new star in the military world would rise.

The only problem was that Duan Mingyu was technically raising a private army, which was a capital offense. But in this chaotic world, everyone was too busy looking out for themselves to care about his private army.

Everything was going well, save for the fact that Cheng Zhiyuan kept sending people over every few days to demand the return of the magistrate office’s treasure—the great halberd. Cheng Zhiyuan was hopping mad; after the first day, Duan Mingyu hadn't shown up for work once. The feeling of watching the office’s treasure disappear like a meat bun thrown at a dog was not something an ordinary person could understand.

Duan Mingyu spat on the ground. Who told that guy to call him shameless and thick-skinned in front of the beautiful Lady Ji? This was what you called karma.

However, he heard that Huibin Restaurant was planning a promotion, which sounded quite interesting. To prevent Cheng Zhiyuan from doing anything desperate, Duan Mingyu decided to take him along to relax. As for whether he intended to get Cheng Zhiyuan drunk and trick him into signing a transfer contract for the treasure, that remained to be seen.

"Reporting, sir! I have found out that after Qin Shou tracked a man named Duan Mingyu that day, he never returned."

Qin Zongquan’s face, which had been as gentle as jade, turned gloomy. Qin Shou was a member of the Wolf-Fang Inner Guard. The Wolf-Fang Guard was a team of death-defying warriors trained by the Qin clan, divided into Outer and Inner Guards. The Outer Guard focused on combat, functioning like special forces, while the Inner Guard was tasked with assassinations and the protection of high-ranking clan members.

The Wolf-Fang Guard was the clan's elite force, and the Inner Guard was the elite of the elite. Without a doubt, every Wolf-Fang Guard was the lifeblood of the clan, and every loss was irreplaceable.