Chapter 827: Kill or Save

　　Weichi Song’s mention of the Thirteen Yue Guards made Jiang Yucheng instinctively frown. However, it quickly disappeared, and his expression returned to normal in no time. Shaking his head, he said, “No. As you know, the Thirteen Yue Guards possess extraordinary abilities, which makes it extremely hard for us to find them.”

　　Back then, Jiang Yucheng and Shangguan Wan had exhausted all their means to transfer the Thirteen Yue Guards away from Xi Ling in order to make their move on Shangguan Yue. Although the Thirteen Yue Guards immediately rushed back to Xi Ling upon realizing that something was amiss, it was too late. The royal family’s ancestral hall was almost completely consumed by the blazing fire.

　　Not long after Shangguan Yue’s death, the Thirteen Yue Guards began looking into the matter as they found her death to be highly suspicious. Their prime suspect was none other than Jiang Yucheng. This was why the latter swiftly launched a counterattack and declared to the public that the Thirteen Yue Guards had colluded with the enemy to betray their master and that they deserved to be punished for their crime. He even issued a warrant for their arrest on that very day.

　　Although the Thirteen Yue Guards were quite capable, they were no match for Jiang Yucheng under those circumstances, for the entire Xi Ling City was basically under the latter’s control. Not only did he have the upper hand in all aspects, but he also held the Black Guard’s military power in his hands. Thus, they could only flee for their lives and disappear from Xi Ling.

　　Thinking about it, it had been almost two years since then, but there had been no progress in Jiang Yucheng’s search for the Thirteen Yue Guards despite him repeatedly ordering his men to look for them. He was fully aware that the reason why they could go undetected for so long was that they might’ve already left the Tianling Dynasty and gone beyond Heaven’s Canopy. In that case, the chances of him finding them were even slimmer.

　　He might not have mentioned it often, but the fact that the Thirteen Yue Guards were still well and alive was a hidden concern of his. Unlike Shangguan Yue’s other guards, their loyalty was pledged only to her, so they wouldn’t take anyone else’s orders—not even the Emperor’s.

　　As ‘Thirteen Yue Guards’ was their only identity, they had nothing to worry about other than Shangguan Yue’s safety. For her, they could even stage a revolt without the slightest hesitation. While one might be able to control other guards with power and money, this wouldn’t work on the Thirteen Yue Guards.

　　“Why did you suddenly mention the Thirteen Yue Guards though? Do you have news about them?” Jiang Yucheng probed.

　　Weichi Song, however, shook his head. “I was simply reminded of them when I saw how Qi Dahe betrayed you. I believe that you must’ve valued him highly, given that he had the chance to go to Nan Jiang with you. Who would’ve expected things to turn out this way… This just goes to show how unpredictable people can be! Even if you trust someone fully, you never know when they might stab you in the back!”

　　Jiang Yucheng’s expression stiffened for a moment. “True…”

　　“Even though that sort of person might become conceited after that, retribution will surely befall on them eventually. Don’t you agree, Eldest Young Master Jiang?”

　　Jiang Yucheng found it hard to maintain the smile on his face as what Weichi Song said was too jarring to him. There was this one moment where he suspected that the latter was talking about him, but he couldn’t find anything amiss when he carefully studied the latter’s face. In the end, he felt so awkward that he decided to take his leave. “Since I’ve already brought the culprit to you, I’ll leave you to settle everything else. I shan’t disturb you any longer.”

　　Weichi Song didn’t ask Jiang Yucheng to stay any longer either and let him leave just like that. He then closed the doors and walked over to Qi Dahe’s side.

　　A silver glint then appeared in his hand, and he proceeded to cut the rope on Qi Dahe’s wrists.

　　There were deep rope marks on Qi Dahe’s wrists, but these superficial injuries were nothing compared to his body—which was marred with numerous injuries. Given his current condition, it could be said that he was hanging onto his last breath.

　　Weichi Song’s eyebrows gradually knitted together as he took Qi Dahe’s pulse. The latter’s condition was as terrible as the former had imagined. Having suffered the backlash of the Mixed Yuan Gravel and going through all sorts of torture, it was a miracle that Qi Dahe was still alive. But that was only to be expected as Jiang Yucheng had deliberately kept him alive—or rather, barely alive to deliver his promise to Weichi Song.

　　Given Qi Dahe’s current condition, he probably only had two weeks of lifespan left—which he would spend in a delirious state. This meant that nobody would be able to get answers out of him.

　　Weichi Song took out a pill and fed it to Da Qihe before summoning two disciples over and instructing them to take good care of the latter as he was a very important person. The disciples naturally did as told and carefully took Qi Dahe away. As most of the disciples in Chong Xu Cabinet were heavenly doctors, they were the best at doing this sort of thing.

　　Meanwhile, Weichi Song began personally refining Qi Dahe’s medicine, which was much to everyone’s surprise. As they only knew that the latter was brought here by Jiang Yucheng, they wondered who he was and why their Cabinet Master was going to such lengths to save him when he was about to die soon. Despite their curiosity, everyone still obediently obeyed Weichi Song’s order.

　　That was how Qi Dahe settled down in Chong Xu Cabinet.

　　…

　　While on his way home after leaving Chong Xu Cabinet, Jiang Yucheng’s mood improved considerably at the thought that he had finally solved the matter that had been troubling him for days. Not only had he sent a scapegoat over, but he had even prepared solid evidence that Weichi Song couldn’t refute.

　　Even if Qi Dahe manages to live for a few more days, Weichi Song won’t be able to get anything out of him since his brain is damaged. It doesn’t matter if Weichi Song still has doubts about this matter. He no longer has any reason or excuse to find trouble with me over this. It’s the first piece of good news in days. Jiang Yucheng exhaled in relief, only to be reminded of Xia Mu—who had disappeared without a trace—a second later.

　　It had been a while since Xia Mu went missing, but Jiang Yucheng still couldn’t find him despite searching all over Xi Ling. It was like what happened that day was just a dream. However, the scar on his stomach constantly reminded him of the humiliation he suffered that day.

　　As he continued to walk home, he sensed that something was amiss and that a pair of eyes seemed to be watching him from the dark. He stopped in his tracks right there and then as he turned his head back. However, not only did he not find anyone behind him, but the feeling of being watched also instantly vanished.

　　He frowned and continued walking forward while being on alert, but that feeling of being watched never appeared again. Was I imagining things?

　　After walking for some time, Jiang Yucheng realized with a start that he had unknowingly arrived at the entrance of Xin Li Garden. The thought of the stolen zither made him hesitate for a moment, but he eventually decided to enter the garden.