Sipping her favorite colorless liquor, Bai Zihan was idly re-reading the contents of Mei Rulan’s report from the events that took place in Chenfei over a month ago.

In truth, she read them many times already and even memorized certain segments by heart already-but any activity felt like fun when one was just a bit tipsy. And the Supreme Leader was, right now, slowly but steadily exceeding just the ‘tipsy’ levels of intoxication, as it tended to happen progressively more often as she got older.

July 23rd, year 103 of the Changan Era

We arrived at the village of Chenfei in the afternoon, after having departed Kiyi in the morning of the previous day. Our horses, although of a fine breed and trained for long journeys, were quite tired, so we paid the local stables to take care of them…

Blah blah blah blah. The first part of the report tells about what they did with their supplies, the local cuisine, Mei Rulan’s first impressions of the village and its people, the local topography….that girl tends to ramble quite a bit in her reports. Still, the over-the-top attention to detail is one of the reasons it was her report, and not Bai Yunru’s, that was copied and sent to all the major branches of the sect.

Let’s skip a little bit…

Before the martial competition began, I separated from the main group, dressing in civilian clothes, and incognito scouted the area up. I also interviewed the local villages, making sure to note who are the people of note, and what has the miscreant we had our eyes on- Lan Caolu - been up to the last couple of years.

As expected, withdrawal from social life- possibly caused by demonic cultivation? And redelegation of responsibility to his students. Just as her spies reported, a clique centered around her niece has formed within Shuangshan sect- a group of mostly novice students, in theory directly training under Lan Caolu, in fact loyal to Bai Lianfei, had formed among the Shuangshan students. All according to the plan.

Mei Rulan didn’t know that, but there was a large operation spawning several generations, which objective was slowly but steadily replacing minor northern sect leaders with members of Bai clan. To this end several marriages were arranged, on the condition that the children born from these unions will take the Bai surname, and a network of spies and private tutors loyal to Wuyun were tasked with grooming them into useful pawns if not loyal servants of the black cloud sect.

….then finally, I set up a scouting array around the perimeter of the arena. I don’t know whether I was detected or not, but even if I was, there was nothing or no one who disturbed the array until our desperate retreat, allowing us to listen in to everything spoken by the combatants without a problem.

Scouting arrays were some of the most complex sigil networks one can set over a wide area, and Mei Rulan’s skill in quickly and efficiently doing so was one of the reasons she was chosen to take part in that mission. While usually used to monitor the movement of wild animals or suspicious travelers, they can also serve as an ad-hoc eavesdropping network.

I changed back into sect robes, and checking up on our horses and belongings left in the village for the last time, I rejoined our group. On my way there I noticed a teenage catgirl sneaking up behind us, so I caught her, and placed her close to personally observe her. If she acted suspiciously, as a spy would, I’d have interrogated her immediately. Alas, she didn’t respond to any of my baits, which leads me to believe that either she has outsmarted us all, or by all means, was just a local who was curious about our delegation….

Oh Mei Rulan, you silly girl!

Bai Zihan knew very well that her protege has a secret soft spot for the xiaren- not in so far as fighting for her rights or anything stupid like that, but very much in so far as being unnaturally attracted to their furry parts. Part of her really wanted to censor that fragment of the report forever, but in the end, no matter how embarrassing it was, the Supreme Leader decided to let it be-just in the unlikely scenario that this catgirl might have been relevant after all.

The following fragments described all the matches she could remember in as much detail she could provide; which was quite boring. Bai Zihan’s niece made it to the finals, and won the title of the champion, which could have been good news…if not for the way her opponent lost. Apparently, Wang Shunji, an unprecedentedly powerful, young cultivator, had a major episode of qi deviation and went out in his own flames. This was most concerning, and the fact that such an incident occurred proved without a shadow of a doubt, that something very wrong was happening in the Shuangshan sect.

…But before he lost consciousness, thanks to the scouting array, I heard how he mumbled about how Lan Caolu’s house is apparently in flames. This news was extremely concerning, so master Bao Zimo ordered us to immediately dispatch, and we traveled to the old miscreant’s lodging as quickly as we could. To our disadvantage, we somehow made it to the burning building before the Shuangshan students did-and seeing us standing in front of the fire, they accused us of being the culprits! We were too busy arguing with them, trying to prove our innocence, to check the inside of the collapsing house- but in all truth, we’ve never seen Lan Caolu’s body, nor confirmed the cause of death, or even if he really was dead at the time.

Writing official documents was never Mei Rulan’s forte, but in this particular case of the report being simultaneously an eyewitness report, that tendency actually worked in its favor.

Many people will speculate that having not found the body, means that miscreant is still alive and perhaps faked his own death. Personally, Bai Zihan didn’t think that to be the case-but vigilance was always a good thing, and reading this report might fool the opposite party into thinking they are actually chasing after the phantom of a dead man, which is not devoid of advantages.

Speaking of people who should be dead….Bai Zihan made sure that no one other than Mei Rulan heard the name of Bai Caoren. However, with miscreant Fuhei being presumed to have escaped the city during the riots with a help of an unknown cultivator, that secrecy might be ill-founded. Perhaps even the name of Bai Caoren was leaked to them on purpose by the crafty yaren youth, and sending Mei Rulan into the northern wildlands is just a waste of her talents; alas, the track is too tempting not to investigate after all.

For Bai Caoren was Bai Lianfei’s mother, and the latter was at the center of the events in Chenfei; this seemed like too much of a coincidence; perhaps it was a mistake not to, in the first place, confirm her death beyond all shadow of doubt two years ago. If Bai Caoren was still alive, and masterminding this operation, then it’s possible that her daughter was in cahoots with her, obediently following her mother, and disloyal to Wuyun.

….they clashed with us, so we retreated, not wanting to spill anyone’s blood and cause an incident. Alas, as we run away, a flying white sword pierced master Bao’s back…..

Bai Zihan cringed. The sword that until recently belonged to her niece was nothing ordinary. It was forged in the land’s greatest smithy decades ago, and multiple times enhanced with various charms and sigils in the process, making it an extraordinarily durable blade resistant to wear and elements….and also much sharper and harder than regular weapons.

We brought master Bao to the first house we reached and sprawled him on the table, desperately trying to save his life. We used all the medical herbs and healing ointments we had at our disposal. Alas, it was too late- the wound to his vital organ was too deep, and soon he was gone.

The shining white sword that ended Bao Zimo’s life now belonged to Mei Rulan, who bittersweetly accepted it alongside her temporary promotion to the head of the local intelligence department.

We wanted to leave Chenfei as soon as possible, but our horses were gone! Before we could find some other mounts in the village to replace them, several explosions painted the night sky crimson.

Most likely black powder.

After that, the report told in detail how flames ignited both spontaneously and simultaneously within several houses, and rapidly spread over the village, consuming it. The buildings in Chenfei were primarily made out of wood, and they weren’t equipped to withstand a fire of this intensity. Thinking back to the riots from several days ago, which were also started by a black powder ignition, Kiyi would have probably suffered the same fate- if it was anything less than a City of Stone.

Next, Mei Rulan described their desperate rout, as they were bombarded by a rain of fire, ice, and electricity; and only managed to survive thanks to Bai Yunru’s protective shielding. The Supreme Leader was quite proud of her nephew- although overall his cultivation base was rather average, his ability to set up protective qi shields of various sort was second to none.

Unfortunately, even he had his limits; constantly sustaining shields placed an inhuman strain on his meridians, and he suffered a qi deviation feedback. For this reason, Mei Rulan argued that the accursed white sword and promotion should be awarded to him instead- a request that was promptly denied by Bai Zihan. The young man was still green, and had much to learn before he could be placed in a position of responsibility.

Just when it seemed we are out of their range, a group of white-robed cultivators, led by Bai Lianfei flanked us and we engaged in melee. This is when we suffered the heaviest losses. I fought a tall man who had long, brown hair and hazel eyes that looked like little moons shining in the dark, and after exchanging some blows, successfully managed to disengage, but not before his saber slashed me in the face…..

The man described there could have been none other than Chen Mengyao. Wuyun’s top operative, planted when he was but a child in the north, and one of the founders of the northern intelligence network. Insanely talented, there wasn’t a thing he couldn’t do- interrogation, tracking, hypnotism, forgery, herbalism, stealth….in addition to being a powerful cultivator and having a sharp mind. He was one of the people who inherited Bai Caoren’s position after her untimely death, and one of the major suspects in the ongoing case; for with power comes ambition, of which the Supreme Leader of the Wuyun sect was a prime example.

From Bai Zihan’s point of view, neither he nor Bai Lianfei were trustworthy anymore, and she mentally labeled them as enemies; if she knew, without a shadow of doubt, that either of them is a mastermind behind this operation, she would immediately send all assassins she had at her disposal and take their heads; alas, there still isn’t enough information to act so rashly; for now, she would merely order Chen Mengyao to return to the sect in that instant and report on the situation in the north….if he’d refuse or arrived late, that would be the evidence she needs to act against him.

The way the current situation was playing out…it seemed that someone was really desperate to tarnish the reputation of the Wuyun sect and escalate the conflict between the north and the south. This, fundamentally, wasn’t a bad thing- for Wuyun is the power without equal, and even if all the mountain sects were to unite against them, the north would still lose. For now, the Supreme Leader decided to consolidate power, strengthen her grip over the central and southern lands, and prepare for the storm to come.

……….

But little did Bai Zihan know that the man she’s looking for was, in that very moment, within the confines of Kiyi. Having arrived incognito, he’d question the locals about the events that transpired in the city during the quarantine, making sure not to attract unnecessary attention to himself; Finally, he found out the name of the miscreant who was arrested a day prior to Bonfire Massacre, apparently sold out by his own uncle.

And now he was stepping inside the modest lodging that passed for tailor’s workshop; its owner, wounded by a stray spear while bravely clashing with the guardsmen, left the central market stage to patch himself up shortly before the cultivators were dispatched, miraculously escaping the slaughter. And now, riddled with survivors guilt, the middle aged fox man was drowning his suffering in a jar of baijiu.

“Who the hell are you!?” exclaimed Yuhei, his face swollen after several nights of non stop drinking, he now gazed at the uninvited guest with blood shot eyes and killing intent “Shop’s closed today!”

“That’s very fortunate” smiled Chen Mengyao knowingly “It would be troublesome if we had some unexpected company before I’m finished here~”

Needles of various shapes and lengths clattered menacingly under his cloak, as he raised his right hand; and just like that, the door leading to the workshop closed on its own, bathing the interior in darkness.

….

By the time Chen Mengyao was finished, it was already past midnight. The city was asleep, but he couldn’t afford the luxury to go to sleep yet; it would be unfortunate if they find the bloody body inside and link it to his person. After all, he wasn't even supposed to be in this part of the world around this time of the year! Having learned everything he wanted to know, there was nothing left to do but leave the city immediately.

Despite such inconveniences, Chen Mengyao truly loved his job. That’s why he was so good at it. Talent is, after all, nothing else than pursued interest.