Chapter 22: Summoned by the Emperor, Yet Refusing to Board the Imperial Barge

Yan Kuang’s verbal provocation sent the wonton stall owner into a towering rage. She rolled up her sleeves and charged at him, while the men lying in ambush also sprang to their feet. Seeing the situation turn sour, the pedestrians quickly scattered in retreat.

Cheng Ruyi, who had been enjoying the rare sight of Yan Kuang’s "rogue-like" demeanor, subconsciously lifted his legs to flee the moment he saw the impending encirclement.

Yan Kuang, however, remained unhurried. He sidestepped a few paces, tilted his head, and laughed, "Want money? Fine, take it."

With that, he plucked several copper coins from his waist. With a flick of his wrist, the coins flew like rain, striking the men’s kneecaps with lethal precision. They cried out in pain, their advance halted. Cheng Ruyi silently cheered, but just then, he felt a tightening around his wrist. A long sword blocked the meat-fisted punch the stall owner had aimed directly at his face. Before Cheng Ruyi could recover his senses, he was yanked away by Yan Kuang and forced into a frantic dash.

Cheng Ruyi thought to himself that he hadn’t even seen which way they had turned.

After a bumpy run, Cheng Ruyi gasped, "Yan… Great Hero, slow down. The wontons are about to be shaken out of me…"

Yan Kuang stopped abruptly, grabbed Cheng Ruyi by the lower back, swung him behind him, and released him, turning around to draw his sword in one fluid motion.

"Hey…!"

Cheng Ruyi hadn't been standing steadily, and Yan Kuang’s shove was so forceful that he tumbled straight into the roadside bushes.

"Go, quickly," Yan Kuang commanded decisively. "Meet at the bridgehead."

"Right, right!" Cheng Ruyi thought to himself that he couldn't stay behind and be a hindrance. He scrambled to his feet and bolted toward the city without hesitation.

Yan Kuang watched him for a moment before turning back to face the six men and the stall owner, who had already arrived. The seven of them assumed their stances, surrounding him completely. They were a motley crew of varying shapes and sizes; the stall owner was unarmed, while the other six—four men and three women—wielded their weapons: a pair of Northwest sabers, a giant of a man with a heavy axe, a scorpion-like woman with a nine-section whip, and twins guarding the southeast with dual swords.

Yan Kuang did not dare to underestimate them, yet his tone remained filled with provocation.

"Since you’re all here, let’s go together."

With the civilians having fled at the sight of steel, there was finally room to move. Yan Kuang struck first. His sword flashed toward the southeast like a gale, sweeping left and right to shatter the defense of the dual swords. His left hand struck out, blocking a powerful blow from the stall owner.

These were masters in hiding, experts at killing and looting—hostile, yet devoid of true killing intent. Yan Kuang knew victory would not be difficult, but if he wanted to escape before the authorities arrived, a fierce battle was unavoidable.

The seven worked with seamless coordination. The twin swords pressed the attack again, while the nine-section whip lashed out like a torrential storm, as venomous and difficult to guard against as a scorpion. Yan Kuang dodged a whip-strike, single-handedly parrying the dual swords. As the steel whip coiled around his blade, he twisted his wrist with a sudden, crushing force. The whip snapped, its nine sections exploding outward in all directions. Several of the attackers were caught off guard, their faces struck by the flying steel segments, leaving them bleeding profusely.

Seeing her weapon destroyed, the whip-wielder’s face paled, and she withdrew just as Yan Kuang’s knee-strike missed her. Immediately, the sabers and the heavy axe joined the fray. The clash of steel rang out incessantly, and the sound of flesh meeting fist and palm echoed repeatedly.

Facing many alone, Yan Kuang did not lose his footing. His movements were swift and steady, maneuvering with ease, leaving his opponents unable to touch him even slightly. Every sword stroke and palm strike hit its mark.

In moments, Yan Kuang had wounded several of the masters. Just as he pulled back to leave, a whistling sound cut through the air—a hidden arrow aimed directly at his right shoulder!

Yan Kuang spun to dodge the arrow and identified the archer’s position, but this gave his enemies a moment to breathe. The sound of blades ringing, fists whistling, and the continuous rain of cold arrows from the shadows turned the tide.

Yan Kuang fought while retreating, his strikes becoming increasingly ruthless. He locked his fingers around the arm of someone trying to sneak up behind him and dislocated it, kicked the kneecap of another approaching him, and with a swift slash of his sword, severed the man’s Achilles tendon.

Yan Kuang remarked, "At the feet of the Son of Heaven, you lot act with such savagery. Are you planning to kill in broad daylight?"

At these words, the group froze. The man with the severed tendon limped, grimacing, "Yan Kuang! Who is the one being savage! We were just ordered to keep an eye on—"

The eldest of the group interrupted angrily, "Youngest, stop wasting your breath on him!"

With that, the elder attacked with his saber. Yan Kuang stood firm, his sword moving faster than the attack. He turned the blade horizontally, and at the moment of contact, pressed his sword against the saber and chopped down. With a sharp clang, the saber shattered instantly!

Before his opponent could recover, Yan Kuang lifted his hand and caught the arrow flying toward his ear. He threw the arrow back, and a scream echoed from afar as the archer fell, wounded.

The group hesitated, holding their weapons and glancing at each other in confusion.

Yan Kuang sheathed his sword and said, "I wonder who it is that stands behind you all."

"I would trouble you to report back. If there is a next time, I, Yan, will pay a visit. Perhaps I shall offer seven heads as a gesture of respect."

...

Cheng Ruyi leaned against his knees, gasping for air as he looked back. Having run through who knows how many streets, he figured he must be safe now... but then he stumbled and fell to the ground.

Pain radiated through him as he saw stars, but then he heard a familiar voice.

"My good man, why are you so careless?"

Looking up, he saw a man. Cheng Ruyi steadied himself and focused. Below him were a pair of dark red, brocade-trimmed shoes—surely signs of a wealthy family. He looked up further, and a hand was reaching toward him.

The man said again, "Come, little brother, please stand up!"

Cheng Ruyi: "Thank..."

Before the word "you" could leave his lips, he saw the man’s face and his legs turned to jelly! With a heavy thud, he knelt back down.

Cheng Ruyi doubted his own eyes... No, that was impossible! Even though he had only seen him a few times, this face... this person...!

Was this not the current Son of Heaven... the Emperor of the Great Chu!?

Cheng Ruyi lowered his head, thinking to himself that he had truly bumped into... a god today.

But wasn't the Emperor supposed to be sickly and frail? How could he be traveling incognito?! And how could he have run into someone like himself, a "dead man"?

The Emperor said with amusement, "Hmm? This person... looks quite familiar?"

These words, ringing over Cheng Ruyi’s head, felt like a guillotine being raised high.

The Emperor urged, "You, look up."

Cheng Ruyi wiped the sweat from his brow—actually wiping away dirt—narrowed his eyes, and looked up with a face full of smiles.

"My name is Chen... Chen Chen Chen Da! My hometown suffered a disaster, so I came to the capital to... to find work. Right now, I’m just an errand boy for this half of the street... Kind sir, what do you need? Sister Er's hand-pulled noodles, Aunt Zhang's soy-sauce duck necks, or perhaps this herbal drink..."

"I... I can deliver it all..."

The Emperor was dressed in casual, dark red brocade, which failed to hide his noble air. His hair was tied with a black jade dragon hairpin, and his beard was neatly groomed, making his complexion appear pale and refined.

He was only in his early thirties; he looked much younger and more handsome than usual. His amused expression was a far cry from the lethargic, sickly man Cheng Ruyi remembered, who always seemed on the verge of needing a physician.

The Emperor examined the "errand boy" and glanced at his "attendant."

The attendant was younger, fair-skinned, and clean-shaven. Cheng Ruyi had long since guessed the identity of this "attendant"—was it not Eunuch He, who never left the Emperor’s side?

Eunuch He whispered something in the Emperor’s ear. The Emperor frowned and said to Cheng Ruyi, "No, that’s not right. I... just now, when I saw you, you didn't have this demeanor. It’s as if I’ve seen you somewhere before. You, stand up."

Cheng Ruyi wanted to run. But he realized that since the Emperor was out, there must be countless experts nearby. Where could he run? He would only end up looking even more disheveled and undignified.

Cheng Ruyi gritted his teeth, stood up, deliberately thrust his neck forward, and hunched his back. "T-t-this sir, I... I just took a tumble, I’m not... not looking very... good..."

The Emperor stroked his chin, his expression skeptical. "When I saw you earlier, you clearly had an extraordinary air. Why are you hunched over now?"

Cheng Ruyi thought: What a pathetic excuse...?

The Emperor patted Cheng Ruyi on the shoulder and said with conviction, "Looking at your clothes, you don’t look like someone who does manual labor. They’re easy to get dirty, and you aren't wearing leg wraps... Little brother, lying is not a good thing."

Cold sweat rolled down Cheng Ruyi’s temple. He wondered why the Emperor knew about such things... Wasn't he supposed to be a fool... an idle man who paid no mind to worldly affairs?

The Emperor’s face darkened. "No, this is wrong. Guards, take this man and send him to the Grand Court of Justice for thorough questioning."

Cheng Ruyi gritted his teeth. "Injust—"

Before he could finish the word, he felt a numbness in the back of his neck and everything went black as he was knocked unconscious.

Eunuch He asked, "Your Maj... Young Master, you clearly recognized him. Why send him to the Grand Court of Justice?"

A smile that could not be hidden spread across the Emperor’s face. He replied mysteriously, "Why? Because for this capital to be so peaceful and happy, we cannot let those with ulterior motives disturb it..."

...

On the other side, Yan Kuang had escaped and was hurrying toward the bluestone bridge when he felt movement at his waist. He immediately countered with a grab, only to hear a woman’s plea—

"Hey! Let go, let go! It’s me, Ruo Niang!"

Yan Kuang released her upon hearing her voice. He looked closely and saw it was indeed Ruo Niang, who was rubbing her wrist with a look of dissatisfaction. "You heartless Yama! Your hands are still so heavy!"

Yan Kuang scanned the area. Seeing that the enemies hadn't followed, he asked, "Why are you here?"

Ruo Niang shouted, "What’s that supposed to mean? Why can’t I be here? This capital is so wealthy, am I, a lowly commoner, not allowed to come?"

Yan Kuang shook his head.

Ruo Niang scoffed. "Always with that dead-man look, never reacting to anything..."

Yan Kuang was worried about Cheng Ruyi, so he had no time to joke with Ruo Niang. His eyes darted around, searching for the man.

Ruo Niang waved a hand in front of his face and pulled a cloth bag from her bosom, tossing it to Yan Kuang.

"This is the silver you left behind. That handsome scholar didn't take it, and I didn't want to pocket it, so I ran all the way here to return it! Well? Aren't you grateful, Master Yan? Aren't you going to treat me to a good meal?"

Yan Kuang took the money bag and weighed it. Remembering Cheng Ruyi saying the silver was lost, he frowned almost imperceptibly.

So, Cheng Ruyi had been burning his bridges from the start, never intending to survive.

Ruo Niang then realized something. "Oh, by the way, where is that scholar? Didn't he come to find you? I thought he was like me back then, determined to stick to you to repay a debt of gratitude."

Yan Kuang said, "He came, and then he disappeared."

"What... what do you mean?" Ruo Niang stood with her hands on her hips, scrutinizing him. She noticed the bloodstains on his clothes and stuttered, "You... you didn't kill him because you found him annoying, did you? That can't be it, surely..."

Yan Kuang frowned and shook his head, continuing toward the bluestone bridge.

Seeing him shake his head, Ruo Niang let out a sigh of relief without realizing it. She then hurried to catch up. "Hey! You can't let me run here for nothing!"

Yan Kuang walked straight ahead. "Then just keep the bag of silver. It’s enough for you to feast on fine food for years."