Chapter 195 Brotherhood! The Death of Ye Gucheng!
When Chu Yang returned to the prince's mansion, Lu Xiaofeng was already back, his expression grim.
In just a few days, countless strange and sinister events had unfolded in the capital.
All the clues subtly pointed to tonight's duel.
"Ye Gucheng was injured. He said he was hit by a hidden weapon, but he shouldn't have been wounded so easily, even if the attacker was from the Tang Sect."
Lu Xiaofeng sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, unusually biting his nails.
This was a rare gesture, showing how restless he was.
"There have been many deaths, all seemingly without reason. The biggest common factor is that they all encountered a certain person. It's less murder and more like silencing witnesses."
"And this person…"
Lu Xiaofeng glanced at Chu Yang as he spoke.
Chu Yang replied dryly, "Why look at me? They didn't meet me."
Lu Xiaofeng asked, "Prince, do you know a chief eunuch named Wang?"
Chu Yang nodded. "Yes. He was the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial during the late emperor's reign. Later, he fell out of favor and was trampled underfoot by Wei Zhongxian. His former underlings became his superiors. You can imagine how tough his life must be now."
Lu Xiaofeng blurted out, "This Chief Eunuch Wang must hold a lot of resentment toward the emperor, right?"
Chu Yang said meaningfully, "Not just the emperor. You could say he resents the entire cold and rigid Forbidden City."
Lu Xiaofeng frowned, hesitating to speak further.
Chu Yang smiled, "Come on, Lu 'Little Chicken,' spit it out."
Lu Xiaofeng sighed, "The situation is complicated. Prince, be careful tonight. No one in the capital knows it was you who killed the Demon King. The palace will likely underestimate you—that's the only advantage."
Chu Yang was indifferent. "So what if they know? Even after stuffing all the top masters in the palace, it made no difference."
They talked for a while longer in the courtyard as dusk fell. Suddenly, rapid footsteps sounded outside the mansion.
The voice of the old steward came sharply.
"Prince, someone's come from the palace."
Chu Yang and Lu Xiaofeng stood up simultaneously.
Lu Xiaofeng exhaled deeply. "Tonight's Forbidden City will be lively."
...
The eunuchs carried Chu Yang in an ornate sedan chair into the palace.
Passing through the gates, Chu Yang peeked through the cracks and saw a large crowd gathered outside.
Though no one carried weapons, the air was thick with the aura of the martial world.
Many imperial guards patrolled, each holding a crossbow, their murderous intent sharp in the bleak night.
As Chu Yang crossed the palace gate, he unexpectedly saw Chai Hu.
Why was he here?
Chu Yang relaxed immediately.
Knowing Chai Hu's character, he wouldn't just watch Guo Bujing walk to his death. Chai Hu likely held back at the mansion to avoid being forced to stay by Guo Bujing's harsh methods.
He looked honest but was clever; after all, someone who hangs out with Sikong Zhaixing and others must be sharp.
At a time like this, daring to intervene shows he's a man of true backbone.
Chai Hu quietly stood among the crowd, watching Chu Yang enter the Forbidden City. The thought of the coming battle made him nervous.
"Big guy, what are you hiding for here?"
Lu Xiaofeng suddenly appeared beside Chai Hu, slapping his shoulder hard.
"You scared me to death!"
Chai Hu elbowed a nearby person reflexively.
Lu Xiaofeng caught his arm and smiled. "Here to watch the duel between Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng? Why not go inside?"
Chai Hu rolled his eyes. "If I could, I would've gone in already."
Lu Xiaofeng asked curiously, "Aren't you part of the imperial guards? Don't you know anyone?"
Chai Hu replied, "I've only been here a few days. I don't even know all the dogs, let alone people."
"Come with me!" Lu Xiaofeng gave him a disdainful look, then smiled mysteriously and swaggered toward the palace gates.
As expected, the guards stopped them.
Without hesitation, Lu Xiaofeng pulled out a badge and showed it.
A magical scene occurred: the guards politely stepped aside and let them pass.
Once through the gate, Chai Hu whispered, "What kind of badge is that?"
Lu Xiaofeng smiled, "A ticket."
Chai Hu asked, "Who gave it to you?"
At this, Lu Xiaofeng stopped abruptly, looked at Chai Hu with a trace of worry. "Do you know Wei Ziyun?"
Chai Hu nodded, recalling a hearty man with a beard. "Commander Wei is very generous, often buying drinks for brothers. He's well respected in the guards but not liked by Lord Guo."
Lu Xiaofeng asked, "Why is that?"
Chai Hu explained, "Lord Guo says Wei seems easygoing but is actually very calculating, capable but unpredictable. He's bound to cause trouble sooner or later…"
Lu Xiaofeng took a deep breath, then fell silent. His unease was like a wild horse breaking free.
Meanwhile, a dark cloud drifted in, covering the moonlight completely.
The entire Forbidden City was plunged into pitch darkness.
The sedan chair carrying Chu Yang stopped.
Everything around fell silent, only the wind could be heard.
He lifted the curtain and stepped out—not into the emperor's study or a garden, but onto a vast parade ground, where emperors once reviewed the imperial guards.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground trembled violently.
The sound of uniform footsteps and clashing armor echoed clearly in Chu Yang's ears.
The dark cloud passed, and the bright full moon shone again over the Forbidden City.
Masses of soldiers clad in black armor surged from every corner, like a black tide about to engulf Chu Yang.
A full regiment was a martial artist's nightmare.
This truth had never changed, before or after the Great Change.
Cao Zhengchun, Yu Huatian, Cao Shaoqin, Ma Jinliang—the overseers of the Eastern and Western Bureaus and the grand eunuchs—led the soldiers.
Their endless troops gave them confidence; all four wore murderous expressions as if Chu Yang was already caught.
Besides them, over a dozen eunuchs in red robes watched Chu Yang intently.
These red-robed eunuchs possessed thick qi and blood, experts who had undergone nine blood renewals, comparable to Cao Shaoqin and Ma Jinliang.
But their aura was strange, mixed with something else, lacking the purity of ordinary martial artists' qi.
"Is this all?"
"Don't worry, Your Highness, all 800,000 imperial guards are here. You'll be satisfied."
"Is the emperor truly unguarded?"
"At this point, worrying about His Majesty? Brotherhood is touching!"
"We're all brothers. I hope he dies by my hand."
"Coincidentally, His Majesty feels the same."
...
At the Forbidden City's summit—
Lu Xiaofeng and Chai Hu hurried over to find a huge crowd—not just sect leaders, but many unknown martial artists.
More spectators meant more patrol guards.
"This looks like a market!" Chai Hu was dumbfounded by the crowds.
"You said Commander Wei would cause trouble sooner or later? Well, trouble's here!" Lu Xiaofeng sighed helplessly.
His unease had become reality, but he had no time to care. He raised his head and stared at the highest palace.
Two figures stood in moonlight facing off on the palace roof:
Ye Gucheng, Lord of White Cloud City.
Sword Saint Ximen Chuixue.
Two of the era's top swordsmen—practically sword immortals.
Though many watched, the crowd was silent, tense, not wanting to miss a single move.
If listened closely, the intermittent chirping of insects could be heard.
Lu Xiaofeng looked at Ye Gucheng and then at Ximen Chuixue, clenching his fists.
Before the duel started, he had already met Ximen Chuixue, who had saved him when he was poisoned during his investigation.
When he woke, Ximen Chuixue was there, curing his poison. Lu Xiaofeng even tried to persuade him to give up the duel tonight.
Too many mysteries lurked behind the scenes, as if manipulated by a hidden hand. Lu Xiaofeng dared not guess what would happen.
But asking Ximen Chuixue to forfeit was impossible—he was a proud man.
"Hope I'm just overthinking…"
Lu Xiaofeng's gaze fixed on Ye Gucheng. He knew him as an old acquaintance but felt he had become increasingly unfamiliar since meeting him in the capital.
Recalling Chu Yang's comments about Ye Gucheng, Lu Xiaofeng's heart tightened.
"Lu Little Chicken, don't you think Ximen Chuixue is acting strange?"
Suddenly, Sikong Zhaixing appeared behind Lu Xiaofeng, startling him.
"How did you get here?"
"That bearded commander gave me a badge. It's easy to fake; selling just one makes a lot of money!"
"You're crazy!"
"Not my fault; I just distribute them and get a cut later."
Lu Xiaofeng was furious, wanting to poke a hole in his forehead with his finger.
"Don't get mad yet. Ximen Chuixue looks even angrier than you. What's going on?"
He examined Ximen Chuixue's expression carefully and saw deep anger in his eyes.
Anger born from extreme disappointment.
Why was Ximen Chuixue angry at Ye Gucheng?
A flash of insight crossed Lu Xiaofeng's mind, almost grasping the core issue.
But just then, Ximen Chuixue's voice rang out suddenly.
"Today's duel is over!"
"You… are not worthy of me drawing my sword!"
The next moment, an intense uproar erupted in front of the originally silent palace!
Everyone had waited all night, but instead of the duel beginning, it ended abruptly!
Ximen Chuixue's behavior was even more strange—he refused to fight and insulted instead.
What did he mean by saying "You are not worthy of me drawing my sword"?
No fight, just vague harsh words—was the proud Sword Saint really that narrow-minded?
Seeing Ximen Chuixue turn to leave, Ye Gucheng became anxious.
But as he took just one step forward, the sound of something slicing through the air rang out.
Lu Xiaofeng saw two white flashes streak through the darkness toward Ye Gucheng.
Hidden weapons!
"Watch out!"
Before the warning finished, Ye Gucheng's body shuddered; an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.
He fell off the roof, crashing hard onto the ground.
The sudden incident stunned everyone.
Had Ye Gucheng just died like that?
"Everyone, don't move!"
Wei Ziyun, frowning, strode to Ye Gucheng's body and ordered the imperial guards to seal off the scene and find who ambushed him.
For the mighty Ye Gucheng to die so inexplicably here—how could Wei Ziyun save face?
Lu Xiaofeng was equally shocked. He stepped forward to examine Ye Gucheng's body but was blocked by Ximen Chuixue, clad in white.
Puzzled, Lu Xiaofeng looked at him, and Ximen whispered in his ear, "He is fake."
Fake?
Ye Gucheng was fake!
Recalling the anger he had seen in Ximen Chuixue's eyes earlier, Lu Xiaofeng suddenly understood—Ximen Chuixue was furious because the Ye Gucheng who came to duel him was a fake!
To prevent Ximen Chuixue from exposing the truth, Lu Xiaofeng quickly grabbed his arm and the two moved to the edge of the crowd.
Lu Xiaofeng asked, "How did you know he was fake?"
"From the sword qi and sword intent," Ximen Chuixue explained. "At first glance, his sword qi seemed impressive, but it lacked the supporting sword intent. There was no trace of the ethereal, mysterious 'Celestial Sword Immortal' aura. It must have been simulated using some special technique."
"Don't tell anyone else for now," Lu Xiaofeng said.
Ximen Chuixue asked, "Is this really important?"
Lu Xiaofeng nodded, "Very important!"
Ximen Chuixue nodded slightly and fell silent. Since his friend said it was important, he would keep quiet.
Lu Xiaofeng pushed through the crowd again and approached Ye Gucheng's body.
He said to Wei Ziyun, "May I examine the corpse?"
Wei Ziyun replied, "No one else but you, Lu Xiaofeng, can."
"Thank you." Lu Xiaofeng crouched and began inspecting the "Ye Gucheng" corpse.
Curiously, he didn't check the wounds but kept feeling around the neck.
After a long moment, having apparently found something, Lu Xiaofeng stood up with a grim, terrifying expression.
Confirming Ye Gucheng was fake, he also confirmed all the doubts in his heart.
"Commander Wei, where is the emperor now?"
"The Emperor is in the imperial study. This small matter doesn't need to disturb His Majesty, right?"
"Hmm, if Commander Wei says so, then forget it."
Wei Ziyun sighed with relief. If the emperor learned of his failure and this chaos, his career might be severely damaged.
Lu Xiaofeng looked toward the imperial study, trembling slightly.
He had uncovered a shocking conspiracy but chose to say nothing.
It wasn't his responsibility—he couldn't bear such a heavy burden.
He only hoped his good friend would live to leave the palace…
Even if it meant tearing a hole in the sky.
In the imperial study, the emperor stood by the window, gazing at the bright Mid-Autumn full moon tonight.
He had deployed so many assassins, spent almost his entire fortune, yet his heart only grew more uneasy.
After a moment, he muttered to himself bitterly, "It's just my demons playing tricks on me."
Outside the room, a sword light surged with incredible speed, like a celestial immortal—pure, flawless.
The emperor didn't even have time to dodge or react.
Just as the sword was about to pierce him—
A roar of a dragon echoed loudly from the imperial study!
"Ha ha ha! I have the Dragon Vein protecting me. You villains, kneel down and accept your death!"