From bone collectors to the supreme ruler of humanity

Lin Yan got up from the ground and stood in front of the stone house door.

His knife was broken, a rib in his chest was broken, and blood was still dripping from the corner of his mouth.

But he didn't let it.

Jiang Bufan's face darkened: "Lin Yan, move aside."

Lin Yan didn't move.

"This is a military order," Jiang Bufan said emphatically.

Lin Yan still didn't move.

Jiang Bufan took a step in front of Lin Yan and placed a palm on his shoulder.

This palm strike lacked real power; it was merely a military grappling technique.

But what level of cultivation does Jiang Bufan possess?

Lin Yan's shoulder snapped and dislocated.

He groaned and knelt down.

Jiang Bufan looked down at him and said in an icy tone, "You have rendered meritorious service in guarding Zhenbei Pass, and I originally did not wish to harm you. But the affairs of Taiqing Palace are not something you can interfere with."

Lin Yan gritted his teeth, used his left hand to support himself on the ground, and slowly stood up.

His right arm hung down, and the dislocated shoulder was swollen high.

After standing up, he raised his head and looked Jiang Bufan straight in the eye.

He spoke slowly and deliberately:

"She saved me, so I'll protect her. It's only right and proper."

Jiang Bufan stared at him for three breaths.

Then he sighed.

Just as he was about to say something, a voice came from inside the stone house.

It's very light.

Very weak.

But it's very clear.

"I'll go with you."

Lin Yan turned around.

Ye Qingxue woke up at some point and stood at the doorway, leaning against the door frame.

Blood was still seeping from the wound on her chest, her face was deathly pale, and she could barely stand.

But when she looked at Liu Xuan, her eyes were very calm.

"Elder Liu, I'll go back with you. On the condition that you guarantee his safety."

She pointed at Lin Yan.

Liu Xuan glanced at Lin Yan and nodded.

"Can."

Ye Qingxue released her grip on the door frame and took a step forward.

My legs went weak.

Lin Yan caught her.

She leaned against him, looking up at him.

"Take good care of Xiuer."

"And your mother."

"Don't come looking for me at Taiqing Palace."

She suddenly smiled, but that smile truly pierced Lin Yan's heart.

"I'll treat you to that bowl of noodles next time."

Lin Yan wanted to say something, but his throat was blocked, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Liu Xuan walked over and took Ye Qingxue from Lin Yan's hands.

He supported her back with one hand and pressed the other hand on the wound on her chest.

A faint light shone in my palm.

True Qi.

This is not ordinary internal energy.

It is the true essence that only those in the innate realm possess.

With her true energy protecting Ye Qingxue's heart meridian, her complexion visibly improved.

Liu Xuan, holding Ye Qingxue, turned and walked out.

Lin Yan stood up.

Elder Liu.

Liu Xuan stopped but did not turn around.

"The bone fragments inside her body are stuck in her meridians and haven't been removed yet," Lin Yan said. "If you don't remove them, even if you use your true energy to protect her heart meridian, she won't last until Taiqing Palace."

Liu Xuan turned around, looked at him with some surprise, and said:

How did you know?

"I saw it."

Liu Xuan was silent for a moment, then reached out and gently patted Ye Qingxue's chest.

The true essence penetrated the body, wrapped around the broken bone fragment, and pulled it outwards.

A few tiny bone fragments drifted out of the wound and landed on the ground.

Ye Qingxue groaned softly, her brows furrowing.

Then his brows relaxed again.

Liu Xuan withdrew his hand, said nothing more, and, holding Ye Qingxue, leaped into the air.

After a few leaps, it disappeared into the horizon beyond the pass.

Lin Yan stood in front of the stone house, looking up at the sky.

Its daybreak.

The sun rose and illuminated the walls of Zhenbeiguan.

The bloodstains on the wall were still wet.

Xiong Kuo walked up to him at some point and put his dislocated shoulder back in place.

A bang.

Lin Yan was in so much pain that his back was covered in cold sweat.

But he didn't say a word.

"Chieftain," Xiong Kuo said, "Captain Ye will be alright."

Lin Yan remained silent.

On the distant fortress wall, someone was singing a military song.

They were singing that old tune.

"His bones will be buried in the green hills, but his name will not be hidden..."

Sun Dayong's voice was already hoarse, but he was still shouting.

"A three-foot-long sword can bring peace..."

Change to Taiping.

Lin Yan lowered his head and looked at the broken knife in his hand.

Then he threw the knife on the ground, turned around and walked back into the pass.

"Let's go."

"Where to?" Xiong Kuo asked.

"Find the assassin first," Lin Yan said, "then finish investigating the matter of the Crown Prince's Palace."

He paused.

"Then, go to Taiqing Palace."

Xiong Kuo was taken aback for a moment, then subconsciously asked in return:

Where is Taiqing Palace?

"I don't know," Lin Yan said, "but someone else must know."

He looked up at the northern sky.

The direction where Liu Xuan disappeared was now just a vast expanse of desolation.

News of the great victory at Zhenbeiguan reached the capital seven days later.

This time, the imperial court reacted much faster than Lin Yan had anticipated.

When the imperial edict arrived, he was watching Xiong Kuo drill new recruits on the training ground of the supply battalion.

The imperial edict was written in ornate prose, using parallel prose, and it boiled down to three things: Lin Yan was appointed as a lieutenant general with the title of Loyal and Martial General, the garrison of Zhenbei Pass received various rewards, and he was to immediately go to the capital to meet the emperor.

Jiang Bufan personally delivered the imperial edict to him, and before leaving, he lowered his voice and said, "When you get to the capital, think twice before acting."

Lin Yan nodded.

Xiong Kuo, Sun Dayong, and Zhang Dabiao accompanied him on this trip to Beijing.

Old Zhou had difficulty walking, so he stayed in Zhenbeicheng to look after the supply depot.

Wang Tiezhu and Lu Laonian are too old to bother with anything else.

Chen and Lin Xiu still live in the small courtyard. Lin Xiu is now studying at the school in Zhenbei City and knows more characters than Lin Yan.

On the night before he left, Chen packed his belongings, stuffing the pair of cloth shoes with their many layers of soles, stitched and mended, into his bundle without saying a word. Lin Xiu tugged at his sleeve and asked:

"Brother, what's Beijing like?"

Lin Yan thought for a moment and only said three words: "Never been there."

He wrapped the iron box in three layers of oilcloth and tied it tightly to his back.

The box contained a booklet taken from the quarry's stone chamber, a copy of Yongfeng Company's account book, a letter left by Ye Qingxue's mother, and a confession personally signed by Gu Li.

Each of these things points in the same direction.

The departure time was set at 5:00 AM (卯时).

Before dawn, the streets of Zhenbei City were already crowded with people.

There were veterans from the supply battalion, young men who had followed him down from Iron Coffin Cliff, and several women and children whom he had rescued from the barbarians' blades on the cliff.

No one spoke; these people simply stood there, silently watching everything unfold.

Lin Yan mounted his horse.

Xiong Kuo carried a thick-backed sword on the left, Sun Dayong carried a hard bow on the right, and Zhang Dabiao drove the mule cart at the back. The four of them went straight out of the city gate.

Just as they were about to leave the city gate, they suddenly saw Jiang Bufan standing at the city gate.

"General." Lin Yan reined in his horse and clasped his hands in greeting.

Jiang Bufan nodded, gesturing for him to dismount and speak privately.

The two walked to a secluded spot at the foot of the city wall. Jiang Bufan stood with his hands behind his back for a moment before turning around and getting straight to the point: "How do you plan to tell His Majesty about the northern border this time you've come to the capital?"

Tell the truth.

Jiang Bufan looked into his eyes and said seriously:

"Lin Yan, you've been here for over a year, fought countless battles, and killed countless people. I've seen it all. You're a promising talent, and I don't want to see you perish in the capital."

He paused, then spoke in an even lower voice:

"The Crown Prince has been operating in the northern border for twenty years. Do you think His Majesty doesn't know? Do you think the Ministry of War doesn't know? They all know, but no one can touch them."

Do you know why? Because the Crown Prince isn't just the Crown Prince; behind him stands the Empress, the Emperor's brother-in-law, and half of the civil service. Have you considered whether the evidence you have is enough to lift this powerful tree?