CHAPTER 37: 36. SHADOWS IN THE SUNLIGHT

On the Luocheng Official Road, Yun Yang sat astride his horse, awaiting the arrival of the Jiefan Guard from Mengjin Camp, which would take only two hours. Jiao Tu held the King’s Command Flag, and no one should dare to disobey.

Behind him, more than ten spies stood silently with their horses.

These spies, dressed in black, stood like solid rocks in a river, while the stream of people on the road parted around them.

The terrifying reputations of the Spy Department and the Criminal Justice Department were not something the common folk dared to provoke.

At that moment, the sound of galloping hoofs approached from afar, growing louder, thunderous.

Jiao Tu, clad in black, led the charge with five hundred Jiefan Guards following, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The Jiefan Guards were draped in straw raincoats and wore bamboo hats, with long knives across their saddle-backs and black cloths tied over their noses and mouths, fearsome as dragons.

"Well done, you’ve brought the entire camp!" Lord Yun Yang said with a light laugh as he rode out to meet them, his voice filled with the joy of certainty.

When the two groups merged, however, Yun Yang’s face darkened.

Frowning, he looked at Lin Chaoqing in the crowd, "Commander Lin, why are you here?"

Lin Chaoqing replied gravely, "As the Chief of the Criminal Justice Department, I naturally had to come and inquire when the Jiefan Guard was mobilized without cause. I need to know what you are using the Jiefan Guard for. The King’s Command Flag is powerful, but if misused, the consequences could be severe."

Yun Yang rode up to Lin Chaoqing, and the two faced each other barely two feet apart, "This matter has already been reported to the Prime Minister. With the King’s Command Flag in hand, there is no need to inform you. Moreover, I must be wary of traitors among you. Should the news be leaked, you cannot bear the consequences."

Lin Chaoqing looked around, his gaze sharp as a knife under his bamboo hat, slicing across the spies, "What about that masked young man? Was this his decision?"

"What do you mean?" Yun Yang furrowed his brows, "Why would my Spy Department need a mere Yao Sun to make decisions?"

Lin Chaoqing snorted lightly, "If this causes a great disaster, no one will be there to save you all. Let’s go, I want to see what you plan to do."

"Ha ha, Lin Chaoqing, just wait and envy me and Jiao Tu for our great achievement this time!" Yun Yang spurred his horse and led the five hundred riders straight towards Beimang Mountain.

Along the way, Lin Chaoqing watched their direction anxiously, becoming more alarmed by the minute, until he caught a glimpse of a tomb on the distant mountain and couldn’t help but exclaim, "Are you going to the Liu Family Ancestral Tomb?!"

Yun Yang burst into thunderous laughter, "Jiao Tu and I have discovered that there is only an empty coffin in Old Master Liu’s tomb. Just a few days ago, the Liu family petitioned His Majesty to posthumously honor Old Master Liu. Now, they have committed the crime of deceiving the sovereign! Now, no one is to leave, or they shall be treated as leaking secrets!"

The five hundred riders charged up Beimang Mountain. Over a hundred Liu Family guardians blocked their path, with long wooden barricades laid out in front.

Someone shouted at Yun Yang, "This is the Liu Family Ancestral Tomb, where past Officials rest and twelve loyal and filial archways bestowed by His Majesty stand. How dare you trespass here?"

Yun Yang ignored them completely and just roared, "Follow me as we charge Beimang Mountain for glory! Kill anyone who blocks the way!"

He was the first to charge, leaping his horse so boldly that he even crossed the wooden barricades.

Among the defenders of the Liu family, one man leapt up, swinging his knife in mid-air.

However, Lin Chaoqing behind Yun Yang unsheathed his long knife and casually threw the scabbard, striking the Liu Family’s martial artist in mid-air like a dart.

The Jiefan Guard, one after another, leaped over on horseback, crashing back and forth, causing the Liu Family members to fall in disarray.

This line of defense was like paper before the Jiefan Guard, easily pierced through.

In a blink, Yun Yang had reached the front of Old Master Liu’s tomb. He pointed at the stone door and commanded, "Jiefan Guard, break the tomb, open the coffin, and verify the body!"

But at that moment, a familiar voice echoed from a distance, "Lord Yun Yang, do you know the consequences of what you’re doing?"

Yun Yang looked back and saw Liu Mingxian still dressed in mourning, slowly stepping forward from the crowd.

Behind him, more than ten men watched fiercely, ready to strike at his command.

Jiao Tu whispered, "The Liu Family retains these Executive Officers."

"No matter how fierce the Executive Officers are, a single person cannot break our military formation, unless the few of them come over!" Yun Yang didn’t care, "Liu Mingxian, your grandfather clearly isn’t dead, you can take off that mourning attire! Men, break the tomb!"

Liu Mingxian bellowed, "I’d like to see who dares!"

"It’s out of your hands!"

The Jiefan Guard, as the elite of the Inner Court, only followed orders. Whether you are the Luocheng City Judge or the Capital Prefectural Judge, it didn’t matter.

The next moment, the Jiefan Guard dismounted, drew their knives, and charged forward, scattering the Liu Family completely and arriving in front of Old Master Liu’s tomb!

Jiao Tu snatched the long knife from the spy next to her and said coldly, "Step aside!"

The Jiefan Guard cleared a path neatly, letting her drag the knife to the front of the tomb and slash down!

With a booming sound.

The knife cleaved, and the stone-built tomb split in two and collapsed, revealing the coffin inside.

Yun Yang strode forward, standing in front of the coffin and scoffed, "Liu Mingxian, let’s see what tough words you have now!"

With that, he forcefully opened the coffin!

The world fell silent, and everyone who had been fighting stopped and stared... The coffin was truly opened!

It is said that after entering the coffin, one must not see the sky nor touch the ground, else the soul would wander between heaven and earth, never able to transcend!

Yet, Old Master Liu, who had governed in the official cabinet for over a decade, had his coffin lid lifted after death!

Yun Yang said, "Liu Mingxian, what more do you have to say now?"

Jiao Tu, looking into the coffin, exclaimed in shock, "What’s going on?!"