Chapter 7 This is Between Me and Your Commander…

Chapter 7: This is between me and your Commander...

Watching the group of Bright Mirror Bureau Guards clad in black official robes, swords at their waists, their menacing aura left no one daring to continue their business—everyone was scrambling to close up shop.

By the time A Chan turned around, the porter had already slipped into the crowd, whether to watch the commotion or seize the chance to slip away was unclear.

The West Market had already grown chaotic due to the appearance of the Bright Mirror Bureau Guards. A Chan, still gripping the log’s tether rope, figured she couldn’t leave anyway and might as well catch the show.

Many shared her sentiment. Though everyone feared the Bright Mirror Bureau, they couldn’t resist sticking around for the show.

The direction the Bright Mirror Bureau Guards headed was near the spice stall where A Chan had just made her purchase. The row of stall owners there seemed rooted in fear, standing stiffly in place.

Then, the leader barked, "Arrest them!"

The Bright Mirror Bureau Guards swarmed forward, charging straight toward the jade stall beside the spice vendor.

The plump jade seller, once pinned down, twisted his head left and right several times before letting out a howl.

Between sobs, he shouted, "Sir, I’m innocent—!"

His accent was strange, his plea warbling melodramatically, almost comical.

"Silence!" the leader snapped harshly.

Only then did A Chan notice that the leader was none other than Feng Yang.

Two men behind Feng Yang stepped up to the stall. One picked up a jade pendant and handed it to the other, who merely rubbed it between his fingers—the pendant crumbled into dust.

Exchanging a glance, they reached for a fist-sized, uncut raw stone when the previously silenced vendor howled again.

"Sir, let’s talk this through! These jades are my life’s savings! If they’re all crushed, I might as well die!"

The two examiners paid no heed to the vendor’s despair, snapping the raw stone in half.

They handed the broken piece to Feng Yang, who glanced at it before tossing it back to the vendor. "See? This is your so-called livelihood—only the surface is jade. The inside’s worse than rubble."

The vendor clutched the stone, staring at it for a long while before sniffling and wiping his nose. "Impossible! Every piece on my stall was verified. How could this happen?"

"Is this stall manned by you alone?"

"I’ve got a helper."

"Name?"

"Jiang San. That’s his nickname." (San means "Three")

"Where is he?"

The vendor looked around, puzzled. "He was right here a second ago!"

Feng Yang scanned the crowd, frowning, and unexpectedly spotted A Chan watching from the periphery. His gaze barely glanced her way.

After a brief pause, he raised his voice, the words carrying clearly to every ear: "Anyone who helps this official find Jiang San from the jade stall will be rewarded with ten taels of silver."

No sooner had he spoken than a shout came from nearby: "There! He’s trying to run!"

All eyes turned toward the voice—a tall, lanky youth jabbing a finger toward the North Gate of the West Market.

Jiang San was moving quick, already nearing the North Gate in moments.

“Seize him,” Feng Yang commanded, and half the Bright Mirror Bureau guards at his back bolted forward.

But before they could reach Jiang San, a group of people suddenly appeared at the northern gate. Their leader lashed out with a kick, hurling Jiang San backward just as he was about to escape.

Jiang San was flung over a dozen meters away, convulsed once before going limp.

Feng Yang strode toward Jiang San, crouched beside him, and checked the pulse at his neck—it was gone. The man was dead.

He stood up, his face stormy as he shot a glare at Xue Mingtang, who was approaching with several Board of Punishments Clerks.

Xue Mingtang acted oblivious to Feng Yang’s glare. His gaze briefly swept over the waist token hanging from Feng Yang’s belt before he clasped his hands in salute. "I am Xue Mingtang, Assistant Director of the Board of Punishments. I acted hastily and struck too hard just now. My apologies, Qianhu."

"What is the Board of Punishments doing here?" Feng Yang asked coldly.

Xue Mingtang answered smoothly, "We are investigating a case involving a vengeful spirit. The clues pointed us to the West Market, so we came to investigate."

Feng Yang let it drop. He had no evidence linking Xue Mingtang to the incident, but his timing was suspiciously perfect.

"Take Jiang San’s body back," Feng Yang ordered.

Four men stepped forward, producing two bloodstained ropes from somewhere. As they moved to bind the corpse, its head snapped upright.

Just as the crowd screamed, a wisp of white light burst forth from the body and rushed toward the onlookers.

A Chan, afraid of being jostled, had stayed at the edge of the crowd—which only drew attention to her. The white light had initially been heading straight for her, but for some reason, it abruptly swerved sharply, almost like it was dodging her, and vanished through the crowd.

After changing bodies, A Chan’s eyesight wasn’t as sharp as before, so she couldn’t clearly see what the white light was.

But… she glanced down at the willow stump by her feet, then at the corpse on the ground, and she had a hunch.

Suddenly, she felt a prickling sense of being watched. Turning, she saw Xue Mingtang staring at her.

Xue Mingtang had only learned yesterday that Ji Chan was still alive.

He didn’t know what had happened that night to allow someone who had been pierced through the chest by an arrow to survive. But if he wanted someone dead, they shouldn’t be alive.

A Chan sensed Xue Mingtang’s malice toward her and knew full well that since his first attempt to kill her had failed, he wouldn’t give up so easily.

Against Xue Mingtang, she was outmatched—but she wasn’t ready to die yet.

Her gaze shifted away, finally landing on Feng Yang.

"Lord Feng," she spoke softly, but Feng Yang’s head snapped toward her.

He turned, puzzled, and looked at her.

A Chan smiled at him. "There’s something I’d like to discuss with you."

Feng Yang frowned, wary of her intentions, but seeing her composed demeanor, he walked over.

The others tried to eavesdrop, but the Bright Mirror Bureau Guards swiftly dispersed them.

"Speak plainly. What is it?"

"I assume you have no leads on that thing just now?"

"Do you?" Feng Yang nearly retorted, *What does it have to do with you?* But seeing how frail she looked, he rephrased.

A Chan gave a slight nod. "I don’t know what case you’re investigating, but I do have some thoughts about that thing earlier. Care to listen, Lord Feng?"

Feng Yang's gaze at A Chan was sharp with scrutiny. The order to release Ji Chan had been personally issued by the Commander, which meant Ji Chan was cleared of suspicion.

Yet, why had she changed so much overnight? The Commander hadn’t told him.

After a brief hesitation, Feng Yang finally said, "Go ahead."

"They say that when dragons die, they attract a type of black snake that lives in places of extreme yin. These snakes are only a few inches long and crave dragon spinal marrow. After consuming it, they shed their black skin and turn white, their nature shifting from extreme yin to extreme yang. These snakes are rare natural wonders, carry no demon qi, and rest only on flawless jade."

Feng Yang’s expression grew increasingly serious with each word—it all matched his findings.

The case he was investigating involved the imperial vault theft several months prior. Though all implicated officials had been executed or exiled—such as Ji Chan’s maternal grandfather and his entire family—the intruder, be it human or something else, had never been found.

The vault had multiple layers of defenses and traps meant to catch spirits and demons, yet the intruder had triggered none of them. The only anomaly discovered during the investigation was that several jade pieces in the vault had been altered.

After nearly half a year, they had finally followed the jade trail, only for the suspect to be killed by Xue Mingtang before they could apprehend him, and whatever was possessing him had vanished without a trace.

After all their lengthy investigations, Ji Chan’s few words had been more helpful.

"Miss Ji, how do you know all this?" Feng Yang couldn’t help but ask.

A Chan smirked and replied mysteriously, "That’s a secret between me and your Commander. If you’re truly curious, you can ask him."

"...I will." Of course, he wouldn’t take Ji Chan’s word at face value.

Having heard her out, Feng Yang was about to leave when she called him again.

"Commander Feng."

"Is there something else?" Feng Yang turned, hiding his unease.

For some reason, whenever she addressed him, he felt inexplicably uneasy.

A Chan lowered her eyes slightly, as if shy. "Could Commander Feng send someone to help me carry this wood home? As you know, I’m weak, and with all these things, I can't possibly handle it alone."

Feng Yang was at a loss for words—Ji Chan’s expression and words didn't match at all.

"This..."

Seeing his hesitation, A Chan added, "Why not take this chance to see where I live? If I’ve deceived you, you can always bring men to arrest me and take me back to the Bright Mirror Bureau."

Feng Yang was convinced. If Ji Chan’s clues turned out to be true, she would have done them a great favor. Sending someone to help her carry a few things was no trouble at all.

He called over two subordinates and instructed them to help Ji Chan carry her purchases home. The two subordinates shot him strange looks.

Unable to explain, he simply kept his face stern and left with his men.

Though Feng Yang departed, he left two Bright Mirror Bureau Baihu with Ji Chan. Witnessing this, Xue Mingtang suppressed the surge of killing intent rising within him.

Until he was certain of Ji Chan’s exact relationship with the Bright Mirror Bureau, he couldn’t act recklessly.

A Chan no longer paid Xue Mingtang any attention. For now, he likely wouldn’t bother her—what came later could be dealt with later.

With two men helping carry her things, A Chan boldly went shopping again through the Western Market.

With Bright Mirror Bureau guards in tow, prices were halved. Excited, she even bought a cotton quilt to take home.

The two Bright Mirror Bureau guards patiently hauled all her purchases back to her house, refusing even a cup of water before hastily departing.