ITIEQ C60

Chapter 60 – Calling in Reinforcements

“How could this happen! My son!!”

Wei Hongbo had been feigning three parts illness into seven, but upon seeing his precious son carried back flat, drenched in blood, he truly took ill. He scrambled off the bed, rushed without daring delay, and fell upon his unconscious son, wailing; in a single night his hair turned much whiter, as if one foot had already stepped into the grave.

After crying for a while, he turned viciously upon the guards who had accompanied his son. “What on earth happened—how did he suffer such grievous wounds?! Our Wei clan has spent so much to keep you—yet you couldn’t even protect one man!”

The guards looked at one another; one stepped forward to explain: “Young Master ordered us to withdraw outside Xiechun Tower…” His expression flickered as a thought struck. “It was Gongyang Ci! Young Master trusted Gongyang Ci’s slanders—that’s why he went to Xiechun Tower to meet someone!”

“Gongyang Ci?” Wei Hongbo’s eyes flashed sharp; he entirely forgot this was the very youth once related to their family by marriage, and thundered, “Who is Gongyang Ci—and where is he now!”

Just as the guard opened his mouth, Yue Zhi approached along the stone corridor with unhurried steps; at his side stood none other than Gongyang Ci, head slightly bowed.

Several guards, who had seen Gongyang Ci before with their master, glanced among themselves when they beheld him now following Yue Zhi into the Wei estate. Their faces showed uncertainty; the words of shifting blame and accusation turned upon their tongues, and in the end, they said nothing.

Wei Sheng had been carried back; he now lay stiff upon the ground, still unconscious, his body covered with a blood‑soaked white cloth, the exposed face bloodless pale.

Gazing upon the insensible Wei Sheng, Yue Zhi said gravely, “Poor, poor boy—how did cousin meet with such calamity.”

He had come to Huizhou under the pretext of visiting Wei Hongbo and received the highest courtesies of the entire Wei clan, presently lodging within the Wei residence. He turned to the white‑hot Wei Hongbo: “The one who harmed Young Master Wei—I have already apprehended him; he is now confined in your estate’s dungeon.”

“What are you still standing here for—go summon the physicians! And bring the finest doctors in all Yunzhong County to save him!” Wei Hongbo shouted at the servants. Then he turned back to Yue Zhi—his face still ugly, but his tone much softened. “Many thanks, worthy nephew, for seizing the villain who hurt my son. Now hand him over to me for punishment.”

Yue Zhi explained, “This man has some personal enmity with me. Uncle, better entrust him to me.” As soon as the words fell, Wei Hongbo’s expression showed his disagreement; his mouth twitched, but Yue Zhi interrupted him: “Ziqing believes the urgent matter is the young cousin’s wounds. From Xiechun Tower to here, no doubt news has already leaked far and wide. Punishing the villain is small; what matters is not to let kin grieve while enemies rejoice.”

The furrows on Wei Hongbo’s face deepened and shifted.

Wei Sheng in this condition—if the other branches learned of it, the consequences would be unimaginable. The foundation he had built over decades…

Seeing him waver, Yue Zhi continued: “I have with me a physician whose like is rarely found under heaven. Let him examine cousin. As for the prisoner—rest assured in my keeping, Uncle; I will see you satisfied.”

How could Wei Hongbo be satisfied? Only if that man died—paying with his life for his poor child!

The culprit was within their walls, yet he could not avenge his son with his own hands. His vitals burned. He looked at Yue Zhi, gaze flickering, and finally could only heave a heavy sigh. “Good, good. I naturally trust my worthy nephew to handle it.”

Yue Zhi’s request had been over‑demanding at first—of this he was well aware. He meant to keep the man first; wait a few days, and perhaps there would be room to maneuver… But now his darling son hovered between life and death; if the worst happened… At the thought, Wei Hongbo nearly spat blood in hate. He could only pin hope upon the famed physicians saving his son’s life—and thereafter agree to Yue Zhi’s demand: send the boy to the Shangqing Academy, that they might keep his child safe!

A sickly son, a white‑haired father—enough to sadden the listener and move the onlooker to tears.

Watching the noisy crowd disperse, Yue Zhi only sighed lightly, then turned to ask Gongyang Ci, “That thing you spoke of—is what wounded him?”

Gongyang Ci kept his head half‑bowed. “Yes. Black as ink from end to end, no more than five feet long. When it fires, the sound is tremendous. If it strikes a vital point, not even the greatest expert can withstand a single hit.”

“A weapon never before seen—such that no master could withstand even one blow?” Yue Zhi tasted the words. “And compared to a bladesmith’s finest—a darksteel longblade that slices iron like mud?”

“No.” Gongyang Ci shook his head without hesitation.

Yue Zhi suddenly said, “Then this thing cannot remain in another’s hands.”

His meaning was plain: a weapon of such power and unpredictability must either be in the Yue clan’s service—or never exist in this world.

Gongyang Ci was silent a moment. He brushed a long silk tassel at his waist and spoke slowly: “In private, Shen Qinghe told me this thing is the relic of a master smith, who has long since died; the forging method lost. It is the only one in existence.”

“Oh?”

Yue Zhi looked at the blood stains on the ground, tapping his pendant with a finger. If it was truly singular, there was no need to worry further.

Letting that notion fade, he raised another matter: “This was well handled. You are kin to the Wei by marriage; you count as half a Wei already. Having labored so extensively on their behalf, they owe you gratitude. With Wei Sheng incapacitated, the Wei of Yunzhong should now have a place for you.”

Gongyang Ci started, then bowed. “My thanks, Young Master Yue.”

Yue Zhi frowned at him—the man’s heart seemed elsewhere even at such a moment.

“From now on, remain here and watch Wei Sheng closely. Whether he lives or dies is of no concern—best if he lies like this for life.”

“Yes.”

He could not help adding, “And Shen Qinghe…”

Yue Zhi glanced at the docile Gongyang Ci, his tone airy yet edged with warning: “Since you’ve boarded the ship, hold tight to your oar. Don’t be capsized by the first wave and fall back into the water.”

Each side’s followers gathered around their lords and departed, leaving Gongyang Ci alone.

He, too, had been one of the culprits who put Wei Sheng in this stupor. But with Yue Zhi as his backer, those who knew would keep silent, and the Wei estate would let him come and go freely.

His aim achieved, Gongyang Ci felt no true joy. He had not been the sort to dither—yet Shen Qinghe’s words from the carriage still rang in his ears, unsettling his heart. He gripped the prayer beads on his wrist; the wooden beads seemed suddenly warm, searing his knuckles to loosen. Looking again—nothing had changed. No warmth—just an ordinary string of beads.

“I really must be bewitched…”

Gongyang Ci tamped down the jumble of thoughts. Matters had come to this—there was no turning back, nor any way back.

…

“What do we do now!”

Yaoguang, like an ant on a hot wok, had already paced the room a hundred and eight times.

Kong Zhengqing sat to one side, growing dizzy from the circling.

“I dispatched more men to inquire. Gongyang Ci made no attempt to hide—he took him straight to the Wei estate. When I went to demand him back, they said only that Lord Shen was a guest at their manor and presently unwilling to return—and turned all my men away.” Even having witnessed the Wei clan’s overbearing ways, he was still stunned at their brazen abduction of an imperial officer.

“If they weren’t guilty, why not release him! That two‑faced snake Gongyang Ci—if I catch him, I’ll have him trussed up and flogged with army rods! No—two days have passed already. Shen Qinghe is surely in dire straits. With his fine skin and tender flesh… Wei clan or not, even if it were the house of the Heavenly King, I’m sneaking in tonight to bring him out!”

When it came to brandishing blades and guns, Yaoguang’s mind spun fast. “Or we blast the Wei estate? Shame the academy students were all sent back by Shen Qinghe—no one can prepare the formula…”

Good grief!

Kong Zhengqing hurried to seize him. “The Wei estate is ironclad shut. However high your skill, your two fists cannot fight a hundred hands!”

Cold sweat streamed down his back. The Emperor had ordered him to look after Lord Shen—now the Wei had seized him, and Young General Yao was about to hazard himself as well. If one or both met with disaster—how would he report back! Most infuriating, this lawless place—local magnates and officials woven together into a net. Even an imperial commissioner would be bound fast, unable to move!

“Then you say!” Yaoguang forced his temper down. “If you’ve no way, I’ll go to the Wei estate tonight—and turn every inch of soil if I must—to find Shen Qinghe.”

“Alas!” Kong Zhengqing sighed heavily. He thought of Lord Shen—and in his heart could not bear for the court to lose such a righteous, upright official. “We two cannot budge them. For now—only one course remains: call for help.”

“Call whom?”

Yaoguang was puzzled. In Yunzhong County, the Wei clan’s word was law. Who else could gain entry?

Kong Zhengqing raised one finger—pointing upward.

Yaoguang’s eyes widened. “You mean—seek the Emperor?!”

“When I left the capital, His Majesty gave me special envoy authority, with leave to dispatch an eight‑hundred‑li express. Huizhou lies just eight hundred li from the capital. If all goes rightly, a letter can reach His Majesty’s desk within a day.”

The seat that Emperor Zhaohuan occupied had been carved by steel from the Northwest southward to restore the throne—won amid blades and blood. Later he personally led campaigns, quelling many uprisings; thus he prized above all the military system and arms. The courier relay needed for eight‑hundred‑li fast posts was set in perfect order. Once sent, the best soldiers and horses would bear it to the capital.

“Then what are we waiting for!”

Yaoguang’s eyes lit. They had no way—but Brother Xiao surely did!

He sprang up, hustled to the desk, and huffed as he laid paper and ground ink. “Write! As soon as you finish, I’ll carry it to the nearest relay station!”