"No, there's something wrong with the teacup."

A flick of the finger sent the teacup hurtling forth. In the sunlight, the rim of the cup shimmered with a crystalline sheen.

Bang!

The owner tilted his head to dodge, and the teacup smashed against the wall, dark red tea spilling everywhere. As his hand shifted back, a dagger emerged from his sleeve, aiming straight for the man's throat!

Pfft!

Just as the dagger's tip appeared, a flash of silver streaked by. A poison-testing silver needle pierced through the teahouse owner's throat, embedding itself into the wall.

When blood surges up the throat, no sound can be made.

The teahouse owner tried to cover the gushing blood, but it seeped through his fingers. He slowly collapsed to the ground.

Blood splattered everywhere. The ferry workers turned pale, clutching their stools and retreating to the wall. Merchants quickly scooped up a pile of Copper Coins on the table and hid beneath it…

Meanwhile, the scholars who had been avidly discussing the tales of Li Bai and Du Fu earlier reached into their book baskets, which had been placed by their feet, and pulled out short blades, circling behind the man.

Chen Yi snapped his long blade out, his mind clear and unburdened, drawing the weapon and striking in one swift motion.

The short blade swept towards him. A subtle shift of Chen Yi's posture allowed the weapon's edge to graze past him by mere inches. Then, with a reverse slash, he retaliated.

One head hit the ground, silenced forever from speaking of Li Bai and Du Fu.

With their comrade dead, the remaining two showed no change in expression. Agents of Xique Pavilion are death-bound assassins—martyrs among martyrs. They flanked him from two sides, aiming to strike simultaneously.

But Chen Yi was faster. Swiveling to the left, he shattered one's skull with a single palm strike, then followed with a slash that severed the other's entire arm.

The entire scene was clean, decisive, devoid of excess or hesitation.

With precise force, Chen Yi kicked the man whose arm had been severed, pinning him underfoot. In a chilling voice, he asked:

"Where are the other members of Xique Pavilion? Do you know?"

Before the question could linger.

The disguised agent of Xique Pavilion bit down hard.

The poison hidden in his teeth shattered, coloring his face a deathly purple. He died on the spot.

Chen Yi narrowed his gaze, wiped the blood from his blade with a silk cloth, and sheathed his long sword slowly. Under the terrified stares of ferry workers and merchants, aside from the pool of blood on the ground, all that remained was Chen Yi's retreating figure, marked by the tilt of his conical hat and the grating sound of his sword sliding into its sheath.

......…

"How's the search going, Death Omen Crow?"

"He's in the Qiaoshui County area. The divinations match, the clues match, and he even killed some of our people there. Based on his pace, not even the Divine Ape with Connected Arms could have gotten far."

"He's not in a hurry to leave?"

"Her Majesty says he's lingering intentionally to engage us in a game of cat and mouse."

"Cat and mouse?" Smiling Pelican's face bore a smirk—it grew only more ludicrous the more he mulled over the words. "Then let him play the game."

Death Omen Crow rubbed his arm and said, "The County Magistrate of Qiaoshui County has already been ordered to seal off the city. If he's outside, he won't get in; if he's inside, he'll try to escape."

"He'll either opt for water or land. Looks like we'll need to split our forces again to hunt him down."

Smiling Pelican clapped his hands. Xique Pavilion had already split their forces once during this operation to encircle him. However, the one sent out alone was none other than the Pavilion Master.

Acting under orders from the Empress Dowager, the Pavilion Master was already heading toward Sword Armor.

"You're good at swimming—you take people to block the waterways; I'll join Ghost Returning Sparrow to block the roads," Death Omen Crow proposed.

"You team up with your old flame, and I'll stick with mine," Smiling Pelican quipped. His "old flame" was Beixiao River. "I'm the 'White Strip in the Waves,' a free ride on the currents."

"Oh, quoting Water Margin now? You've clearly been driven mad by that kid's storytelling," Death Omen Crow remarked with half a sneer.

"I'm an old friend to him. We chatted well—I'll make sure he dies gracefully."

The campfire dwindled, sparks scattering. Amid the dying embers, Smiling Pelican traced a map with his short sword, sketching out one river and one stream, plotting a deathtrap. As the last of the firelight vanished, in the pitch black, only Smiling Pelican's laughter remained.

.........

.........

The news of the city being sealed in Qiaoshui County had spread early, but given the New Year celebrations, those traveling home had already returned. Most of those left in the city were locals, so the announcement caused little stir.

Still, there were some who decided to leave the county, and at the riverside dock, boats of various sizes ferried back and forth.

"Young master, are you crossing the river?"

A boatman leaned on his punting pole to ask.

Chen Yi sized him up. The boatman's arms were tanned dark, half his body leaning on the punting pole lazily, casually avoiding the sunlight in the shadows.

One glance said it all—this was an experienced boatman.

Especially his habit of anchoring his body against the pole.

"Indeed. What's the fare?" Chen Yi asked.

The boatman scanned the swordsman with the conical hat in front of him, then mulled for a moment before quoting a price:

"I reckon... ten coins."

Chen Yi casually handed over the money, placing it into the boatman's hand. The boatman inspected it carefully, running his fingers over its edge.

After the inspection, the old boatman said, "Oh, from Beixin Bank, eh?"

"Is there something worth mentioning about that?"

"Their coins weigh true, plus there's a distinctive engraving on the edge—good reputation they've got there."

Saying this, the boatman tucked the money into his clothes.

Chen Yi squinted slightly and jumped aboard. The boatman pushed off with his pole, guiding the small boat towards Beixiao River.

The river's current wasn't entirely tranquil; it carried some turbulence. The boatman adjusted their direction, ferrying Chen Yi across the waters. Sitting by the doorway of the boat's cabin, Chen Yi settled in the shadow, the scent of river water wafting past his nose.

Qiaoshui County receded into the distance, gradually shrinking into a thin horizontal line.

This morning, he had entered the city. By afternoon, word of the city's lockdown had emerged. Without a doubt, Xique Pavilion agents had followed his trail. Thus, he had purposely left his belongings in the guesthouse, including some personal items, unsure of whether they would mislead Xique Pavilion.

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