Chapter Thirteen: The Winds of Change Stir

After handling some miscellaneous tasks at the Western Depot, Chen Yi sought out the familiar foreman Zeng and entrusted him with a few minor matters.

Afterwards, Chen Yi set off on foot to return home.

The sky was nearing dusk.

A heavy, murky yellow hue stretched across the heavens, with dark clouds looming—tonight, rain seemed imminent.

As Chen Yi stepped into the inner courtyard, his footsteps abruptly halted.

The door lock was shattered in two, lying broken on the ground.

Narrowing his eyes, Chen Yi hurried forward and pushed open the main door.

Inside, the house was empty; Yin Tingxue’s figure had vanished without a trace.

Turning his gaze, Chen Yi noticed a note fastened conspicuously to the wall with a silver pin.

“If you don’t want others to learn of the Sacred Maiden’s secret, then spare my sister!”

The handwriting was messy and hurried.

Chen Yi glanced down and saw a ribbon fallen on the floor, embroidered with the character “Xiang.”

Written in blood on the door were a few words: “East Hua Gate, save…”

Clearly unfinished.

“Just in time.”

Chen Yi pocketed the ribbon.

He had only intended to grab a random coat, yet unexpectedly found a “clothing ribbon edict.”

………………

In a residence near the Eastern Depot.

Grandfather Min He had once served as the Chief Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The Min family had once been among the new nobility of the capital, shining brightly for a time. But shortly after Min Ning’s birth, the Eastern Depot was established, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard fell out of favor with the previous emperor. With the Guard’s involvement in the prime minister’s scandal, many were implicated. The Min family’s swift rise and fall followed.

Many events transpired afterward, some too delicate to speak of, ultimately leading to Min Ning disguising herself as a man to join the Eastern Depot, while her elder sister became a courtesan spy at the Wuyong Tower.

In their modest yet respectable home, Min Ning’s restless thoughts caused her slender fingers to repeatedly flick her blade, producing a crisp buzzing sound.

After Chen Yi released her earlier, she began to ponder many things.

She naturally wished to eradicate the Demon Sect, but at the same time… she did not want Chen Yi to extend his claws toward her and her sister.

Thus, Min Ning thought of the maid who had been taken away and began to suspect her true identity.

Yin Tingxue sat in the hall, just to Min Ning’s left, occasionally glancing sideways at her. She wondered, was this the one that person favored?

Indeed, there was an air of heroism about her, yet beneath that gallant exterior lay a fragile sorrow, like dry straw, hidden away and unrevealed.

Though abducted by Min Ning to this place, Yin Tingxue felt little panic.

She had intended to escape far, fleeing from her enemies. Moreover, Min Ning had brought her here without mistreating her, showing much care as if fearing she might suffer harm.

Yin Tingxue considered that although taken against her will, this was far better than remaining where she had been.

Min Ning noticed Yin Tingxue’s gaze and frequently glanced askance. Having seen her a few times from afar at the Xiang Prince’s mansion, she knew her to be the Xiang Prince’s daughter but could never have imagined she was the Demon Sect’s Sacred Maiden.

Such a delicate, fragile girl was hard to associate with the ruthless Demon Sect Sacred Maiden she had imagined.

Especially after hearing of Chen Yi’s cruelty and humiliation toward her.

………………

Already harboring resentment against Chen Yi, Min Ning’s hatred now burned intensely.

If she could, she would tear out Chen Yi’s heart and throw it into the river, letting the rushing waters cleanse away all its filth.

Outside, the sky darkened further, the dampness spreading.

Min Ning grew impatient waiting for Chen Yi to confront her at the door; her flicking of the blade quickened.

“Could it be… my message wasn’t clear enough?” she muttered.

Suddenly, realization struck.

Min Ning leapt to her feet.

“Could it be… he went to my sister?!”

But after a while, she slowly sat down again. She trusted that if anything happened to her sister, she would have received a message by pigeon post.

Clang.

Sounds of armor and weapons echoed outside, followed by faint cries of battle.

Frowning, Min Ning moved toward the door.

Suddenly, a flash of cold steel swept outside, the wooden door shattered instantly, and a sharp sword thrust in, nearly piercing her.

Min Ning retreated quickly, drawing her blade. Outside, a tremendous force crashed against the door, splintering it entirely.

“It’s the Sacred Maiden!

The Eastern Depot truly abducted the Sacred Maiden!”

………………

Xue Youge sprang to his feet, staring at the countless Demon Sect followers swarming like ants, his fury mounting.

“What’s happening? What’s going on?”

“The Demon Sect has attacked—they turned against us suddenly!”

“Hold the training ground! Hold the training ground!”

Shouts, clashes, and cries of chaos mingled. For some unknown reason, the Demon Sect had suddenly turned hostile and began besieging the Eastern Depot. Had Xue Youge not witnessed it firsthand, he could hardly believe so many Demon Sect disciples were hidden within the capital.

“How did they organize so quickly?”

A flash of surprise crossed Xue Youge’s eyes as he saw in the fray a white-bearded warrior moving through foes like a ghost, felling several Eastern Depot guards with a single palm and punch.

“The Demon Sect’s Li Zhangxing?!”

Startled, Xue Youge regained his composure. Taking a deep breath, he shouted commands loudly, then vaulted through a window, landing amidst the crowd in his crimson embroidered robe.

He grabbed a Demon Sect disciple by the head and, exerting immense strength, crushed it with his bare hand, blood splattering.

“Eastern Depot, listen! Under the emperor’s watch, today we purge the demons!”

“If you encounter the Demon Sect Sacred Maiden, kill without mercy!”

The winds stirred, and heavy rain began to pour.

……………

The clashing of metal never ceased, nor did the relentless downpour.

………………

Panting heavily, Min Ning drew her bloodied butterfly sword from the chest of a Demon Sect disciple.

“Damn it, damn it!”

She hastily wiped the blade clean, grabbed Yin Tingxue, and rushed outside.

With the shout, “It’s the Sacred Maiden!” more and more Demon Sect disciples surged forward to attack. This place was no longer safe.

Yin Tingxue looked at the corpses scattered on the ground; her small hands trembled and her face turned terrifyingly pale.

Several dark figures streamed from the alley, charging at Min Ning.

A sword strike came; Min Ning dodged sideways. Her arm guard was shattered. Holding her blade with one hand, she flicked upward, channeling her inner energy, stepping forward steadily. Then she slashed at a Demon Sect disciple’s neck, blood spraying, staining her garment.

A strong gust of wind followed, and a heavy club thundered toward the back of Min Ning’s head. The earlier Demon Sect disciple had only been a decoy; the real attack came from behind.

Min Ning twisted aside hurriedly but was still caught off guard. The attacker restrained his strength out of respect for the Sacred Maiden, and the blow struck her left shoulder. Though it did not shatter bone instantly, it caused a severe jolt and numbness over half her body.

Gritting her teeth, she twisted her body and slashed fiercely, unleashing the Dragon Slayer sword technique. The attacker’s features were instantly shattered; half his face was gone as he collapsed.

“The Sacred Maiden is in the hands of the Eastern Depot! Rescue her!”

“Follow me quickly!”

More Demon Sect disciples poured into the alley. Despair gripped Min Ning’s heart; her hand holding the blade trembled uncontrollably. Her left side was already weakening.

Yin Tingxue’s face was pale to a frightening degree.

Another Demon Sect disciple charged, wielding flying needles that glistened silver in the rainy night, shooting toward them. Min Ning raised her blade to block; metal rang sharply in the alley.

“Ah!”

Yin Tingxue cried out in pain as a needle struck her shoulder after deflecting. Blood gushed, staining her clothes. The attacker, shocked at wounding the Sacred Maiden, froze in place.

Seizing the opportunity, Min Ning cut him down.

“Where did those Demon Sect disciples go?”

“Kill them with me! Their Sacred Maiden is there!”

Suddenly, Min Ning heard urgent calls from several Eastern Depot foremen, sparking a glimmer of hope.

Though caught off guard by the sudden Demon Sect assault, the Eastern Depot had regained composure under Xue Youge’s leadership. Well-equipped and skilled fighters all, though the battle remained chaotic, they were no longer on the defensive.

A group of Eastern Depot guards clashed with Demon Sect disciples outside the alley, blades flashing, blood flying, rain pouring hard.

The fewer Demon Sect disciples outside the alley were soon driven back, forced to flee.

Min Ning exhaled deeply, sheathed her sword, and watched as other Eastern Depot foremen led their men into the alley.

“Captain Min, who is this?”

An Eastern Depot foreman squinted at Yin Tingxue.

“The Demon Sect Sacred Maiden!”

At those words, a chill ran down Min Ning’s spine.

The earlier sounds of battle and shouts from the Demon Sect had exposed Yin Tingxue’s identity.

“Commander Xue has ordered: If you encounter the Demon Sect Sacred Maiden, kill without mercy.”