Shen Yiren pulled over after dozens of kilometres on the road so that she and her steed could rest. She caressed her Battle Cloud as it rehydrated from a small creek. “I’ll take you to a ranch for some fun after I’ve settled this, okay?”
Battle Cloud suddenly whipped its head up in joy, throwing droplets of water everywhere.
Shen Yiren gently slapped her stead. “We being naughty, are we?”
Shen Yiren let Battle Cloud go off for some fun while she founding a sitting spot. Though she was the scion of a prestigious family, she was never uptight about behaving as a Princess, but she demanded Shen Kuang be presentable and carry himself with grace despite him having no desire to. As she munched on a mouthful of dry rations from her left hand, she opened a letter with her spare hand.
She wasn’t naïve enough to think the capital would know peace while she was away. After all, it was where Fiends’ Genesis chose to realise their ambitions. If Jiang Chen was the one tugging the strings in the capital, then his goal was unquestionably to ruin the Li family’s rule. Hence, she instructed her subordinates to send reports at fixed intervals so that she could stay up to date.
The news that drew the most attention as of late was Baima’s most trusted man, the symbol of the Qilin Guard’s might – the Qilin Guard’s Yi Ya returning to the capital. Yi Ya was a household name in the capital, but he actually stayed at the northern frontier for the most part. For that reason, many criminals had forgotten how fearsome he was. Nonetheless, it only took one day for his enemies to remember why they feared him before he left for the north.
Instead of greeting His Majesty or checking in at Qilin Guards’ headquarters in the capital, the first thing Yi Ya did upon setting foot in the capital was to publicly remove three hundred unorthodox sects’ members’ heads from their shoulders. By the second day of his return, thirty demon-subduing poles, each with ten heads attached, had been erected outside the capital’s south doors. Across the poles, the text, “Any unorthodox factions intruding into the capital will be executed” was on display. Regardless of affiliation, enemies or allies, people were shocked.
Before the ink of officials could dry, the unorthodox groups, whether they were planning to intrude upon the capital, had connections in the capital or were concealing their true identities, all left the capital within ten days of the warning as they knew two things: first, Yi Ya only worked for one person. Second, life was precious.
When Yi Ya reported in to the imperial palace, not a single person dared to pick a bone with him for acting without permission first. The Seven Champion White Princes’ tactic of turning a blind eye to pressure His Majesty was brilliant. Their miscalculation was not accounting for the threat it imposed on the capital, or rather that Yi Ya would return to the capital.
The Qilin Guard would return without a doubt, and the Qilin could gnaw through anything once its master gave it permission. The fact that Yi Ya had returned meant that the Seven Champion White Princes had crossed the boundary and needed to start slamming their brakes.
Shen Yiren could depart with ease of mind because she knew the capital’s platform would no longer have room for her. She was aware the Qilin Guards would take some action, and she never doubted their competence. That said, she was vexed, especially due to the fact that many of their current privileges, to some extent, were the acquired through achievements of the Liu Shan Men members they absorbed back then. She couldn’t get involved in the situation purely because she lacked the power to.
Yi Ya’s achievement upon his return didn’t require anyone or anything besides himself. He employed the simplest strategy, yet he produced the most effective results anyone could’ve asked for. If Shen Yiren was in his shoes, it would’ve been impossible for her to execute the same plan and achieve the same results. When she looked at her office’s plaque, she could only pray they wouldn’t be criticised.
At the end of the day, there was a difference between having the competence to execute something versus having the will to execute something.
The contents of the letter affirmed Shen Yiren’s belief that she was taking the correct course of action. The capital was safe from treachery. The turbulence hadn’t ended, but it had migrated somewhere else. Doing nothing but defending wasn’t just a shabby strategy; it was also an assist for the opposition.
Shen Yiren felt apologetic to The Master for, given the way she went around searching for him at every gambling den in Suzhou and Hangzhou, Jiang Chen’s informants would’ve caught wind. Once they caught wind of the next piece of news she spread, they’d leave no stone unturned to find her. In other words, The Master would be endangered. While The Master wouldn’t foolishly wait for danger to sneak up on him, she felt bad about forcing him to move around. That was why she left him with the cheques.
Following her departure from The Master’s residence, Shen Yiren visited over twenty martial arts academies and told them she was searching for a swordsman by the name of Gongsun Chu. Needless to say, academies would air their grievances about the rude challenger, thus spreading her activities. Anybody but Jiang Chen would be confused about why she was searching for Gongsun Chu.
The blatant warning and provocation served but one purpose – to force Jiang Chen out of hiding. Knowing a secret yet not making use of it wasn’t Shen Yiren’s style. She wanted the whole world to know, but she didn’t want irrelevant people to perceive the details. In turn, Jiang Chen would try to locate and silence her before she could leak his secrets. And, as a result of that, Ming Feizhen was safe – at least until Jiang Chen had confirmed Shen Yiren had been silenced.
The consequence of Shen Yiren’s tactic would draw a fire to her, and it most likely would find her sooner than she expected.
Despite seeing the silver lights in between the surrounding vegetation, Shen Yiren didn’t reach for her sword.
“You don’t have what it takes to kill me,” Shen Yiren remarked.
Seven assassins swiftly emerged from hiding while Shen Yiren was still sitting in the same spot. They went first. Shen Yiren arrived first. Once she effortlessly proved she was right, she mounted Battle Cloud and galloped away.
Glossary
Qilin – For insurance purposes, qilins are a mythical creature.
