Book 14: Chapter 26
A Visit at Night (Part 1)
In an ideal world, I’d have formed 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 someone out for me ran into us on the way to their spot, boy, would you have a mess. 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 came in: how was I going to convince them, especially Li Muye’s mother, to negotiate peacefully with me? Introducing myself as Ming Feizhen certainly wouldn’t grant me an audience. Even Boss wouldn’t be granted an audience since Liu Shan Men supported the imperial court at the end of the day and remained impartial. If I told them I wanted to discuss some 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 same person needed to be rather distant from the imperial court. Else, it would come off as a monarch negotiating terms and conditions with them. There was one person who came to mind.
I visited a few stores for human-skin masks and hair dye before everyone closed up shop. By the time I was done finishing up my new appearance, the time 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 members 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 someone, picked up a rock and threw it at the wall as Black and White Reflection taught me. 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 someone else lazily ask, “Who are you?”
“Fuma Jingan.”
The second individual who spoke to me was unmistakably someone important in the group. They called him over because they had planned to kill me; 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 me 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 deemed it best to report back.
“Please wait a moment.”
When he came back a while later, he was evidently in a considerably more serious mood. A short man respectfully bowed to me after opening a secret door in the corner of the wall. “Please come 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 same 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 some 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 me.
“You don’t believe me?”
“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 mean that he wasn’t a low-ranking servant. I had already made some conclusions based on my observations of his internal discipline and muscles.
“In that case, allow me to see…” I pretended to think hard and then smiled. “It is my great pleasure to meet the northern border’s famous Mighty Nail, Zuo Xiuluan, and Northern Wondrous Warrior Manor’s steward.”
I mentioned his title before mentioning 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 me, 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 me, though.” Only problem is, there are only so many “you” pronouns in English.