Chapter 41

The Bodhisattva Heart

The news of Lu Jinxiu’s punishment quickly spread throughout Wangxuewu.

Few knew the inside story, and most believed that although Lu Yiniang had been in charge for many years and had no accomplishments, she had endured hardships and was now targeted by the demon-like Xie Que Shan. Her unfortunate fate made everyone feel uneasy.

People whispered and gossiped in small groups, secretly criticizing the situation.

Unexpectedly, Xie Sui’an remained quiet this time.

After hearing the details from the weeping Lu Jinxiu, she felt that her mother was in the wrong. Though she sympathized with her mother’s physical suffering, she stood by her principles and chose not to intervene.

However, she suddenly felt unsure about how to face Nan Yi.

First, the matter was too private, and Nan Yi likely didn’t want to bring it up again. If Xie Sui’an were to apologize, it would only reopen old wounds. Secondly, her mother was the one who had started it, and Xie Sui’an was someone who valued her face.

Lost in thought, she wandered aimlessly through the mansion until she unknowingly reached the front courtyard. Faintly, she heard the sound of a wind chime.

Xie Sui’an’s heart skipped a beat. Under the watchful eyes of Qi Bing, she pretended to leave the mansion carelessly, and indeed, on the tree branches on the street corner, she spotted a small copper bell hanging there.

This was the signal for the Bingzhu Division’s secret meeting.

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Pinglin Fang was the most chaotic district in Litou City, located near the city gate, where beggars and people from the lower classes frequently passed through. It had become a place the authorities tacitly ignored.

At the street corner stood an inconspicuous tavern, its flag torn at the corner, with faded words written on it — Guoyu Lou (Over Rain Tavern).

There was a rhythmic knock on the back door.

It was Xie Sui’an, disguised in a common man’s robe, with her face painted yellow and fake small mustaches stuck on.

Looking around, nearly half of Pinglin Fang was filled with people dressed the same way. Xie Sui’an, being tall, would not have been recognized as a woman unless someone stared closely.

A moment later, a young man opened the door just a crack and welcomed her in.

From the outside, Guoyu Lou looked like an ordinary tavern, but inside, it held many secrets.

Xie Sui’an followed the young man into the basement, passed through a narrow passage, and the young man moved an obstacle, twisted a mechanism, and with a rumbling sound, a stone door opened. Ahead, the room was brightly lit, and everything was laid bare.

It was said that this place had once been the tomb of a short-lived prince from the Southern Dynasty, but after being plundered, it was left empty. Later, Litou City expanded, and the city walls surrounded this once desolate land.

The empty tomb had become the stronghold of the Bingzhu Division in Litou.

The vast tomb was divided into many independent secret rooms, each serving a different purpose and secured with different locks depending on the level of secrecy.

In the flow of intelligence, spies were divided into collectors, transmitters, processors, and executioners for various missions. While those who specialized in intelligence handling stayed in the tomb, most spies operated externally, each with their own cover identities.

Spies rarely met each other, and most didn’t even know who the others were.

But the leader of the Bingzhu Division needed to know everyone under their command.

The previous leader was Xie Heng, but he died suddenly, leaving no arrangements. For some time, the Bingzhu Division had been without a leader, and many of its agents had remained dormant.

Until now, secret signals had appeared everywhere on the streets and alleys.

Xie Sui’an had a suspicion — could a new leader have arrived?

The final door was pushed open, and the young man quietly withdrew.

Xie Sui’an entered. The tomb room was vast, with countless drawers arranged neatly along the walls, and a small desk in the center.

On the central wall, there was a faded mural depicting a giant god or Buddha, whose gaze seemed to pierce through everything.

A man in a green robe stood before the mural, and the candlelight flickered on him.

Xie Sui’an felt that his back looked familiar. When he turned around and removed his mask, he smiled at her.

“Song Qi Ge!” Xie Sui’an exclaimed in surprise.

“Xie Xiao Liu, long time no see.”

Xie Sui’an rushed forward, looking him up and down. Her gaze landed on the long scroll on the desk behind him — the scroll was blank except for several bright red handprints, which marked the initiation ritual for spies joining the Bingzhu Division.

Xie Sui’an reacted: “You—”

“I was ordered by the Zhongshu Ling to take over the Bingzhu Division of Litou, and from now on, I will be responsible for the task of the new emperor’s southern journey,” he said.

Xie Sui’an’s eyes welled with tears. She had known Song Mu Chuan for more than ten years and regarded him as a brother. After he left, she had heard only a few words about him over the years, and then no news at all. She had even wondered if he was still alive.

She knew that over the years, he had struggled with his feelings, as others had tried to alleviate their pain through hatred, but he had not been willing to.

Now, upon their reunion, his eyes shone with clarity. She could tell he had finally come to terms with some things, and had found a way to live with integrity.

“That’s great, that’s great...” She was so excited she couldn’t find the words. After a moment, she finally managed to ask, “Song Qi Ge, what should we do next? The Qi people are still searching for Third Uncle everywhere, how do we get him out of the city?”

“Xie Xiaoliu, it’s been so many years, and you never asked me how I’ve been?” Song Mu Chuan smiled.

Xie Sui’an also smiled, but there was a hint of loneliness in her eyes: “I didn’t dare to ask. After all these years, no one has been doing well.”

Song Mu Chuan’s expression darkened, and he almost mentioned Pang Yu, but he swallowed the words.

After taking over the Bingzhu Division’s intelligence, he learned that not long ago, Pang Yu had already died, but judging by Xie Sui’an’s appearance, she seemed unaware of this.

As long as this secret was kept, Pang Yu would live on in her expectations. That, at least, would be fine.

Seeing Song Mu Chuan remain silent, Xie Sui’an thought her words had saddened him, so she hurriedly patted his shoulder in comfort.

“But it’s alright,” Xie Sui’an said brightly. She was an open-hearted and optimistic person, able to find hope even in the darkest of places. “Everything we’re doing now is to make this world a better place, isn’t it?”

Song Mu Chuan nodded, smiling. “Yes. As long as we can help King Ling’an ascend the throne, the people south of the Yangtze will rally to him. We won’t speak of recovering lost lands, but at least we can govern by the river and leave a piece of clean land for the people of Jiangnan.”

“Do you have a complete plan yet?”

Song Mu Chuan became serious and said, “Follow me.”

He led Xie Sui’an into another secret room. To her shock, there was a body covered by a white cloth in the room.

Song Mu Chuan was meticulous in his work. After taking over the Bingzhu Division, he had to quickly gather information on all the spies in the city, distribute secret codes, summon them to meet, and assign tasks. At the same time, he had done one more thing: investigating the bodies of people who had died in the city in the past seven days.

There was a lot of information to be gathered from the dead.

He lifted the white cloth, and Xie Sui’an’s heart skipped a beat. The body appeared to be a woman, though her face had been completely destroyed, making it impossible to recognize her original appearance.

“What is this...?”

Song Mu Chuan raised the woman’s hand, which was painted with bright red cinnabar. He simply looked at Xie Sui’an without rushing to speak.

Xie Sui’an realized, stepping back in shock.

“It’s impossible!”

“Xiao Liu,” Song Mu Chuan’s voice was deep, “The enemy is everywhere.”

Xie Sui’an took a long time to regain her composure. This was Chang Yan’s hand. Chang Yan was dead.

The woman at Huachao Pavilion had been a fake.

She had often met with Chang Yan, and never noticed anything unusual.

“I’ll go kill her,” she regretted deeply, eager to rectify this enormous mistake.

Song Mu Chuan shook his head. “Not yet.”

“Why wait? She’s by Third Uncle’s side, who knows what information she might have gathered!”

“Lord Xie still doesn’t know where King Ling’an is hiding, does he?”

“Fortunately, I haven’t had a chance to tell Third Uncle. He was taken away by the Qi people before I could.”

“Well, there’s nothing to fear then. The trap the enemy set for us, we’ll use it against them.”

Xie Sui’an immediately felt the danger. “This is too risky!”

Song Mu Chuan didn’t press the issue, calmly saying, “If you don’t enter the tiger’s den, how can you catch the tiger’s cub? I already have a plan. You just need to act like you don’t know anything. Don’t reveal any information in front of the fake Chang Yan, but don’t let any flaws show either.”

Xie Sui’an looked at Song Mu Chuan. He was calm and composed, in full control of the situation. In just a few days, he had already found traces in the vast and complicated sea of information.

She realized that the boy who had once been immersed in the fleeting beauty of spring and autumn, melancholy and lost, had truly undergone a complete transformation.

A bodhisattva’s heart, but a vajra’s hand.

The sword was drawn from a rusty scabbard, sharper than anything the world had ever seen. No wonder the Zhongshu Ling had chosen him.

Suddenly, she felt a tremendous sense of security.

“Song Qi Ge, I’ll listen to you. But there is one thing you must help me with.”

“Xiao Liu, speak.”

“My sister-in-law helped me save Third Uncle. I promised her I would help her leave Litou, but there are eyes everywhere in my family, planted by Xie Que Shan...”

“Your sister-in-law...” Song Mu Chuan’s mind conjured the image of the woman.

“She is my eldest brother’s widow. My eldest brother died on our wedding day, and there was no love between them. My sister-in-law is about the same age as me. She can’t be a widow forever.”

Song Mu Chuan fell silent.

“I know this is difficult...”

“Alright,” Song Mu Chuan replied before Xie Sui’an could finish.

Xie Sui’an was slightly taken aback. She thought she saw a fleeting, obscure emotion cross his face.

“I will ensure her safe departure.”