If I, a death row inmate, am not to become a demon, am I to become a member of the Imperial Guard?

The streets of Anyang County were cleaner than usual.

Three days ago, after the purge, the Heavenly Principle Sect branch in the city was completely eradicated. The bodies were taken to the mortuary, and the bloodstains were washed away by the rain. Only a few dark spots remained on the bluestone road, as if nothing had happened.

Zhou Yang rode his horse slowly down the long street.

Most of the shops on both sides of the street were open. The cloth vendor was hanging up new goods, and the noodle stall owner was squatting on the ground starting a fire. There were many pedestrians on the street: farmers carrying vegetables, peddlers carrying loads, and women carrying baskets to buy vegetables.

It's quite a spectacle.

But Zhou Yang noticed that those people walked very quickly. No one dared to linger on the street; they bought their things and hurried back. Occasionally, a glance would sweep over them, but they would quickly look away.

afraid.

Everyone is afraid.

They were afraid of the increasing number of black-robed men outside the city.

Zhou Yang reined in his horse in front of a tea stall. He jumped off and tossed the owner a piece of silver.

A pot of tea.

The owner was a middle-aged man who hunched over as he took the money and quickly poured tea, but his eyes remained fixed on the ground, never daring to look up.

Zhou Yang picked up the teacup and took a sip. The tea leaves were so-so, the water was a bit too hot, and it tasted astringent.

"How's things in town lately?"

The boss's hand trembled slightly.

"Reporting to you, sir..." he said in a low voice, "It's all good. The taxes have been paid, the trouble is over, and everyone is very grateful to you."

"What about outside the city?"

The boss's hand, holding the tea tray, froze in mid-air.

He hesitated for a moment, then took a few steps closer, lowering his voice even further: "Outside the city... things aren't peaceful."

"What kind of injustice is this?"

"I have a relative who lives in Wangjiazhuang, about five miles outside the city," the shopkeeper swallowed hard. "He came to the city the night before last, saying that many people dressed in black robes had come to the village. They didn't enter the village, but just stood in the woods outside, not saying a word, just staring."

Zhou Yang put down his teacup.

"What did they do?"

"I didn't do anything," the boss shook his head, his expression fearful. "I just stood there, all night long. My younger relative was terrified and brought his whole family into town."

Zhou Yang didn't ask any more questions.

He tossed down the money for the tea, then mounted his horse.

The tea stall owner was still bowing and scraping behind him, but he didn't turn around and rode his horse towards the government office.

Those men in black robes outside the city belong to the Heavenly Principle Sect.

They are waiting.

Waiting for that so-called "festival".

……

The back hall of the prefectural government office.

Wang Jingzhi sat at his desk, holding an account book in his hands, his eyes narrowed into slits with a smile.

"It's gone up! Up by 30%!"

He pointed to the figures in the ledger and said to the clerk beside him, "Look, the tax revenue collected this week is a full 30% more than last week!"

The clerk stroked his beard, his face beaming, "Your Excellency is wise. Ever since Lord Zhou rectified the chaos in the city, those merchants have all behaved themselves. They haven't dared to shortchange us on a single penny of their taxes."

Wang Jingzhi nodded repeatedly, his fat face trembling.

"Zhou Yang's knife is indeed excellent," he remarked. "I was right to recruit him back then."

The clerk chuckled in agreement, then changed the subject: "However, sir, while things are peaceful inside the city, what about outside…?"

Wang Jingzhi's smile froze.

He put down the ledger and frowned.

"Have you found out where those men in black robes outside the city came from?"

"Not yet," the clerk said in a low voice. "The constables dare not leave the city. However, according to the people who fled into the city, those people seem to be waiting for someone."

"Waiting for someone?"

"Wait..." The advisor stopped speaking and looked up at Wang Jingzhi.

Wang Jingzhi's face darkened.

He certainly knew what those people were waiting for.

Festival. Immortal messenger.

He tapped his fingers twice on the table, his voice muffled: "When will the imperial officials arrive?"

"Based on the dates, it should be within the next two days."

Wang Jingzhi leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the view outside the window.

The sky was overcast, as if it were about to rain.

The day is getting closer.

He needed the ceremony to proceed smoothly and the celestial messenger to be satisfied. Only then could he keep his official position, or even advance further.

But the city had just undergone a purge, and people's hearts were still unsettled. And now so many unidentified people had arrived outside the city.

In case something goes wrong...

"My lord," the advisor's voice interrupted his thoughts, "it's time to prepare to receive the imperial envoy."

Wang Jingzhi snapped out of his daze and nodded.

"Go and make the arrangements," he waved his hand. "Make it respectable, make it grand. Let the entire city know that the imperial court has not forgotten Anyang Prefecture."

The advisor accepted the order and withdrew.

Wang Jingzhi sat alone in the back hall, his smile completely gone.

He stared at the account books on the table, his eyes unreadable.

"Zhou Yang..." he murmured the name.

This person is too sharp.

Used well, it's a good knife. Used poorly, it's a disaster.

We need to be careful.

……

Two days later.

Suddenly, the number of guards at the city gate increased.

Two squads of Imperial Guards stood on either side of the city gate, their embroidered spring knives gleaming coldly in the sunlight. The common people were kept at a distance of ten feet, peering out, wondering what was happening.

Zhou Yang stood atop the city gate tower, his hands clasped behind his back.

His gaze fell on the dust rising in the distance.

A procession of carriages and horses was approaching the city gate. At the head were four tall horses, each ridden by one of four armored guards. Behind them followed a black carriage with its curtains drawn low.

"They're here," Zhou Yang said in a low voice.

Qin Shuang, who was beside him, did not speak, but simply nodded slightly.

The carriages and horses stopped at the city gate.

A middle-aged man in a scarlet official robe stepped out of the carriage. He had fair skin and was very well-maintained. He held a folding fan in his hand and looked more like a wealthy man than a court official.

He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the two people on the city wall, and smiled.

Where is Lord Wang?

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried a condescending tone.

Zhou Yang noticed that the man's smile was only on his face, while his eyes were icy cold.

Old fox.

"Lord Wang awaits us at the yamen," Qin Shuang said. "Please."

The middle-aged man nodded, put away his folding fan, and climbed back into the carriage.

The carriages and horses slowly entered the city.

Zhou Yang watched the carriage's retreating figure, his eyelids twitching.

"Who is this person?" he asked Qin Shuang.

Qin Shuang was silent for a moment, then uttered three words: "Eunuch Liu's men."

Zhou Yang's expression froze slightly.

Eunuch Liu.

The Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs held immense power, commanding respect even from the Grand Secretary.

Why did he send someone to Anyang County?

Overseeing taxation?

wrong.

Zhou Yang's mind raced.

If it's about supervising tax collection, any imperial censor will suffice; there's no need to send a trusted confidant.

So what is the purpose of this person's visit?

Festival.

Zhou Yang recalled the items that had been seized from the Tianli Sect branch a few days ago—several parchment sheets covered with runes, a scroll of scriptures written in strange script, and a jade plaque engraved with eerie patterns.

He didn't pay much attention at the time, thinking it was just an ordinary cult item.

Now it seems those things were probably much more important than we thought.

……

That evening, the prefectural government hosted a banquet.

Zhou Yang sat at the last seat, with a pot of wine and several cold dishes in front of him. He didn't touch his chopsticks, but leaned back in his chair, listening to the clinking of glasses at the head of the table.

Wang Jingzhi, all smiles, kept toasting the envoy surnamed Sun.

Envoy Sun—Zhou Yang has already learned that this man is called Sun Bo, a favorite of Eunuch Liu, and holds the rank of fourth grade, one grade higher than Wang Jingzhi.

Wang Jingzhi treated him with utmost respect.

"Lord Sun has come from afar, and our preparations are meager. We hope you will forgive us," Wang Jingzhi said, raising his cup.

Sun Bo took a small sip of wine, put down the cup, and said with a smile, but in a calm voice, "Lord Wang, you are too kind. I did not come here for wine."

Wang Jingzhi's smile froze for a moment.

"Lord Sun is right." He put down his wine cup, lowered his voice, and said, "Regarding that... preparation, this prefecture has almost finished making arrangements."

"Oh?" Uncle Sun raised an eyebrow. "I'd like to see."

Wang Jingzhi was taken aback.

"Now?"

"Now," Uncle Sun stood up. "Lead the way."

Zhou Yang's gaze shifted slightly.

He knew that Wang Jingzhi had a secret room, located underground in the back office. It was a place to store important documents and items.

Wang Jingzhi's smile was somewhat forced, but he still stood up: "Please, Lord Sun."

The two walked one after the other towards the back office.

Zhou Yang stood up without making a sound and followed behind.

He maintained a distance of three zhang, neither too close nor too far.

Uncle Sun seemed to have sensed something and turned around to look.

Zhou Yang met his gaze, his expression unchanged.

Uncle Sun smiled, said nothing, and continued walking forward.

The entrance to the secret room is below a dry well.

Wang Jingzhi lifted the stone slab, revealing a stone staircase. He lit a tinderbox and went down the stairs first.

Uncle Sun followed.

Zhou Yang at the end.

The stone steps were narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time. As Zhou Yang walked, he kept an eye on the surrounding walls. There were some blurry runes carved on the walls, which looked very similar to the patterns on the parchment he had taken from the Heavenly Principle Sect branch.

After climbing about twenty steps, the view suddenly opened up before me.

A stone chamber, neither too big nor too small, came into view.

In the very center of the stone chamber, there was an altar.

The altar was black, constructed from a type of stone Zhou Yang had never seen before. It was covered with densely packed runes, faintly gleaming with a dark red light.

Four candles were lit around the altar, their green flames flickering eerily.

Zhou Yang only glanced at it before feeling a chill rise from the soles of his feet.

This was something he had never seen before.

Wang Jingzhi walked to the altar, turned to Sun Bo, and said, "Lord Sun, this is the altar to be used for next month's ceremony. The materials were all transported from Kunlun Mountain, and the craftsmen were hired from the capital."

Uncle Sun walked around the altar, carefully examining the runes on it.

"Well done," he nodded, "but there's still one thing that's not right."

Wang Jingzhi's expression changed slightly: "What's wrong?"

Uncle Sun pointed to the front of the altar.

"Something is missing."

"What is that?"

Uncle Sun looked at him with a meaningful smile on his face.

"Dragon's Spine."

Zhou Yang stood behind, his fingers suddenly clenching.

Dragon's spine.

He remembered what Qin Shuang had told him a few days ago.

Legend has it that the dragon's spine is the remains of an ancient divine dragon, possessing incredible power.

The Heavenly Principles Sect, sacrificial rites, immortal messengers, and the Dragon's Backbone.

All the clues came together at this moment.

The Heavenly Principle Sect is waiting for the festival because they want to welcome the celestial messengers.

The celestial messenger is coming to Anyang County because there is an altar there.

The altar is missing something called the dragon's spine.

Where is the Dragon's Spine?

Zhou Yang gently pressed the hard object in his sleeve—the jade tablet he had taken from the Tianli Sect branch.

The pattern on it is exactly the same as the runes on this altar.

His heart suddenly started racing.

"Master Zhou."

Uncle Sun's voice suddenly rang out.

Zhou Yang snapped out of his daze and found that Uncle Sun was looking at him.

"What do you think of this altar?" Uncle Sun asked with a smile.

Zhou Yang lowered his eyes, hiding the light in them.

"Magnificent," he said calmly. "You've gone to great lengths, sir."

Wang Jingzhi breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied, "Not at all, it was all for the sake of the imperial court."

Uncle Sun glanced at Zhou Yang again, smiled, and turned to walk out.

"Alright, I've examined it and am fairly satisfied. But that thing must be found before the ceremony." His voice drifted over, "Lord Wang, don't disappoint Eunuch Liu."

Wang Jingzhi nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, this official will certainly do his best."

Zhou Yang followed behind without saying a word.

He gripped the jade pendant tightly in his sleeve.

This game is bigger than I imagined.

He asked for even more money.

……

After leaving the secret room, Zhou Yang did not return to his residence.

He went to a small courtyard in the east of the city.

That was his private place; nobody knew about it. The courtyard was very simple, with only one room and a well.

At the bottom of the well were all the things he had collected from the Tianli Sect's branch.

He jumped into the well and, by the moonlight, found the jade pendant.

The jade plaque was black and felt icy cold to the touch. The design on it depicted a simplified altar.

There is a groove in the very center of the altar.

The shape of the groove resembles a piece of bone.

Zhou Yang paused for a moment.

Dragon's spine.

This jade tablet is the key to the dragon's spine. Or rather, it's a clue to finding the dragon's spine.

He put away the jade pendant and jumped back onto the well.

The night breeze was cool.

He looked up at the sky. The moon was obscured by a thin layer of clouds, letting out a hazy light.

Outside the city, the men in black robes were still waiting.

Inside the city, Wang Jingzhi was waiting, and Uncle Sun was waiting.

The Heavenly Principle Sect is also waiting.

Everyone is waiting for that festival.

And he, Zhou Yang, holds the most important thing in his hands.

He smiled, but it was a cold smile.

"Add more money," he muttered to himself. "This time, I'll have to calculate it carefully."

He turned and walked into the darkness.

The wind blew up the hem of his clothes, making them flutter.

The night in Anyang County is still long.