I slaughtered my way through the border at the start, I am the Great Ming's Night Raider!

Chen Yuan did not choose to pursue. He walked up to Chen Jin and extended his hand.

Chen Jin grabbed his hand and stood up, trembling all over: "Brother Yuan... my father... my father he..."

Chen Yuan interrupted him: "Let's leave here first."

He searched the leader's body and pulled out a waist tag, a tag from the Eastern Depot.

Chen Yuan's eyes grew even colder.

The fact that the Eastern Depot intervened meant that things were more serious than he had imagined.

He dragged the leader along, and led Chen Jin into the deep mountains.

After walking for half an hour, they found a cave and threw the leader inside.

"wait for me."

Chen Yuan spoke to Chen Jin, and then began the interrogation.

The method is simple—use a knife.

After an incense stick had burned, he obtained the information he wanted.

The leader was named Liu San, a spy from the Eastern Depot, who was ordered to "rescue" Chen Jin and then "dispose of" him.

The reason was that Chen Jin knew too much and could not make it to the capital alive.

Chen Yuan asked in a cold voice, "What has the Chen family done?"

Liu San was on the verge of death, "Plotting...treason, they found the dragon robe and jade seal in Chen Xi's study..."

"frame?"

"Yes...but the evidence is irrefutable...the Emperor is furious...and has decreed...the entire family to be executed..."

Chen Yuan's hands trembled: "When?"

"Three days ago...the Chen family of Yingchuan had already...already..."

Chen Yuan trembled all over, his eyes chillingly cold.

He practically spat out the four words through gritted teeth: "Who instigated this?"

"I...I didn't know...the eunuch himself was in charge of the supervision..."

Chen Yuan killed Liu San with a single stroke.

Stepping out of the cave, Chen Jin looked at him nervously: "Brother Yuan..."

Chen Yuan let out a heavy breath and stared into Chen Jin's eyes.

"The Chen family is gone."

"The entire family was executed."

Chen Jin collapsed to the ground, her mouth agape, unable to utter a sound.

Chen Yuan looked at him, recalling the always smiling patriarch Chen Xi, his teacher, his martial arts master, his aunt who made clothes for him, and the old locust tree in the backyard...

It's all gone.

The snow started falling again, flake by flake, landing on Chen Jin's face; it was impossible to tell whether it was snow or tears.

Chen Yuan looked up at the sky; the dark clouds hung very low.

"Chen Jin, you must live."

"I...I..."

"Because you are the last bloodline of the Chen family."

Chen Yuan squatted down, looking into his eyes, "Also because you want revenge."

Chen Jin murmured, "How do I report... that's the Emperor..."

Chen Yuan laughed, but there was a chill in his smile that Chen Jin had never seen before. "Chen Jin, let me ask you, what would you do if a dog bit you?"

"Hit it."

"What if someone wanted to kill you?"

"Kill him."

"What if the person who wants to kill your whole family is the most powerful person in the world?"

Chen Jin was stunned.

Chen Yuan stood up and looked in the direction of the capital: "Then, bring him down."

The wind was strong, making his robes flutter loudly.

The snow fell on the goose-feather blade and melted instantly.

Like blood.

Chen Yuan helped Chen Jin approach, lit a fire, and the firewood crackled loudly.

Chen Jin huddled in the corner, her eyes red and swollen, but no more tears left.

Some sorrows are so deep that tears cannot be shed.

He stared blankly at the leaping flames, his lips moving as he repeatedly murmured, "Father...Mother...Little Sister..."

Chen Yuan stood guard at the cave entrance.

The snow stopped, and the cold moonlight shone on the mountains and forests, casting dappled shadows like ghosts.

His ears twitched slightly, catching every sound within a hundred feet: the whistling of the night wind through the withered branches, the crisp sound of snow breaking pine branches.

And then there was the sound of horses' hooves.

Three horses, coming from the northwest, about two hundred paces away, are slowly searching.

The Eastern Depot's pursuers have arrived.

Chen Yuan retreated back into the cave and smothered the fire with mud.

The cave was plunged into darkness instantly, with only a sliver of moonlight filtering through the entrance.

"What's wrong?" Chen Jin's voice trembled.

"Someone's here. Stay put."

He drew three arrows from his quiver and nocked them on his knees.

The crossbow was already strung, and the arrowheads gleamed with a cold, eerie blue light under the moonlight. These were specially made armor-piercing arrows by the Night Scout, capable of penetrating light armor.

The sound of horses' hooves grew closer.

Chen Yuan held his breath as his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

Outside the cave entrance, three dark figures dismounted, holding steel knives, and cautiously approached.

"Liu San and the others should be around here," a voice said.

"Damn it, how could they fail to capture a scholar with more than thirty men?" another voice complained.

"I heard they ran into some tough opponents. I've seen the corpses; the knife work was swift and precise, all killed with a single blow."

"The methods of night watchmen."

The three people stopped ten steps away from the cave entrance, not daring to enter rashly.

The leader raised a tinderbox, blew on it, and shone it into the cave.

In the instant the flames appeared, Chen Yuan had already fired three crossbow bolts, which flew straight at the faces of the three men.

"hidden weapon!"

The three cried out in alarm and swung their knives to parry.

In that moment of panic, Chen Yuan rushed out.

Like a leopard pouncing on its prey, it suddenly appeared from the darkness, its goose-feather blade drawing three arcs of light in the air.

The first slash severed the wrist of the nearest person; the second slash pierced the throat of the second person; the third slash, held back, was placed against the neck of the third person.

The entire process took less than three breaths.

The tinderbox fell to the ground, scattering sparks everywhere.

The third person was a tall, thin man in his thirties with a fair complexion and no beard.

He didn't dare move; the knife was against his neck, cold as ice.

"Please...please spare my life, my lord..." his voice trembled.

"The Eastern Depot?" Chen Yuan asked.

"Yes...yes..."

"What's your name?"

"Zhao Si... a junior officer in the Embroidered Uniform Guard..."

Chen Yuan's eyes sharpened.

The fact that the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot had joined forces made things more complicated than he had imagined.

"Who sent you?"

"Eunuch Cao... Eunuch Cao..."

"Cao Jixiang?"

Chen Yuan knew this person; he was the chief eunuch of the Eastern Depot and a confidant of the emperor.

Zhao Si nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, yes... Good sir, I'm just a messenger, please be lenient..."

Chen Yuan ignored him and continued, "How much do you know about the Chen family?"

"I...I don't know...I was just ordered to arrest people..."

The blade pressed down, and blood seeped out.

"I'll talk, I'll talk!" Zhao Si screamed, "The Chen family was framed! The imperial robe and seal were planted there beforehand!"

"Who put it there?"

"This...I really don't know...but I heard...I heard it's related to the palace..."

Chen Yuan stared into his eyes, trying to determine whether it was true or false.

Zhao Si's eyes were filled with panic, which did not seem to be feigned.

"One last question," Chen Yuan said, "Why did Chen Jin have to die?"

Zhao Si was stunned, his eyes flickering.

Chen Yuan flicked his wrist, and the blade pierced the flesh another halfway.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" Zhao Si winced in pain. "Because...because Chen Jin knows something..."

"What is it?"

"His father, Chen Xi... told him before he died... about... about the Grand Princess Zhenguo..."

Chen Yuan's hand trembled involuntarily.

"Go on."

"Chen Xi said... when the Grand Princess was young... she had an illegitimate child... who was left to wander outside..." Zhao Si's voice trailed off, "That child... is now with the border troops..."

The cave was deathly silent.

The only sound was the crackling of the tinderbox burning on the ground.

Chen Yuan remained silent for a long time.

Moonlight streamed in through the cave entrance, casting a half-light, half-shadow on his face. His expression was calm, as calm as a deep pool of water, its bottom unfathomable.

"Does anyone else know about this?" he asked.

"The eunuch knows...maybe...maybe the one in the palace knows too..." Zhao Si said cautiously, "So Chen Jin must die...if he lets this news out..."

"What will happen?"

"The Grand Princess wields immense power in the court; if she knew her own flesh and blood were still alive..."

Zhao Si didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was clear.

Chen Yuan nodded, then flipped his wrist.

Zhao Si stared wide-eyed at the knife plunged into his heart in disbelief.

He tried to say something, but only coughed up blood and collapsed dead.

Chen Yuan drew his sword, wiped the blood off Zhao Si's clothes, and sheathed the sword.

He walked back into the depths of the cave, where Chen Jin was still huddled in a corner, but her eyes were fixed on him with a complicated expression.

Chen Yuan asked, "You heard everything?"