Volume One: The Sword of the Son of Heaven Chapter 54: The Tiger of the Hour of the Tiger

A long convoy of carriages swept into the Sword Palace at dusk, winding like a dragon.

“Is there any space in the Southern Court? If not, we have plenty of empty rooms in the Northern Court,” Yun Que offered, trying to be helpful.

“No need to trouble yourself. If there’s nowhere to stay, I’ll find a way,” Mu Qingyao shot him a sidelong glare.

Even Mu Qingyao herself was surprised—usually expressionless and cold as ice, she found her face and gestures unconsciously growing more animated in Yun Que’s presence. Annoyed at herself for a moment, she quickly resumed her frosty, unapproachable demeanor.

Yun Que had no inkling of her inner turmoil. His attention was fixed on the carts piled high with precious materials. He continued, “Actually, there’s an even better place. You could store your dowry in the Sword Palace’s treasury—it’s both safe and worry-free.”

“The treasury?” Mu Qingyao asked in puzzlement.

With so much property, even storage pouches would require hundreds to hold it all; she couldn’t possibly carry it around every day. The treasury, designed for the collection of treasures, was said to be vast and supremely secure—a perfect location indeed.

Mu Qingyao hurried back to the Southern Court, clearly tempted by Yun Que’s suggestion. As for the three hundred carts of dowry, they were all delivered to the Southern Court. Before a woman is married, the dowry is not for the man’s hands.

Watching her graceful figure recede into the distance, Yun Que muttered to himself, “By year’s end, not only will the three hundred carts be mine, but so will you.”

Yet, he thought, the Mu family would surely face upheaval before the end of the year, and who knew what the situation would be then? He had no intention of laying a finger on the dowry.

The dowry was clearly Mu Qingzhou’s contingency plan. In anyone else’s hands, it would invite danger and greed. Better to leave it in the Southern Court, where Quan Yu, that domineering woman, held sway; those scheming against the Mu family might not dare to act rashly.

It was like putting it in a safe deposit box, guarded by a formidable protector—what could be better?

Yun Que greatly admired his future father-in-law’s cunning. Truly worthy of being the head of Yan State’s foremost family—few could match such boldness and foresight. Like an old fox who’s nearly transcended this world.

Night had fallen by the time Yun Que returned to the Northern Court. After filling his stomach in the dining hall, he prepared to cultivate his heart method.

He was on the verge of reaching the third level of Qi Cultivation and needed to seize every moment.

Just as he sat cross-legged to begin, something strange happened in his storage pouch. On inspection, he found the Snake Talisman glowing.

Yun Que frowned.

He didn’t rush to channel his spiritual energy. Instead, he turned the talisman over; among the twelve zodiac animals on the back, the Tiger was flashing faintly.

Not the Horse...

Yun Que was surprised. He’d expected the Horse, who had contacted him last time, but it was the third, unfamiliar, zodiac envoy—the Tiger.

What did this Tiger want with the Medicine Man?

After a moment’s contemplation, Yun Que calmed his mind and used spiritual energy to connect with the Snake Talisman.

Once activated, no sound came, only a long, oppressive silence in his ears.

Yun Que said nothing, simply waiting.

He sensed the Tiger must be on the other end of the talisman, for reasons unknown withholding his voice.

After a long silence, at last, a deep, gravelly voice emerged from within the talisman, the tone like stone grinding on stone, ageless and indistinct.

“How much longer until you succeed?”

Yun Que knew instantly the question referred to the progress of taming the Blind Serpent.

“Soon,” he answered briefly, just as he’d told the Horse before.

Another silence. Then the Tiger spoke again: “Specifically, how long?”

“Hard to say,” Yun Que replied.

Once more, silence fell before the Tiger continued: “There’s been a small problem in the Imperial City. You’d best speed up.”

Yun Que’s heart skipped a beat, but he remained composed as he responded, “What happened?”

“Just some trash the Horse left lying around was found. Nothing major,” the Tiger said.

Yun Que’s mind raced.

The Horse was most likely an undercover agent in the Sword Palace. But what was the “trash” that was left behind?

As his thoughts whirled, Yun Que suddenly recalled the incident at Mist Mountain yesterday. Could the trash refer to something from Mist Mountain?

And what was there in Mist Mountain that could be called trash? The pile of bones in the mountain’s heart?

In a flash, Yun Que connected the Tiger’s “trash” to the countless skeletons in the heart of Mist Mountain. He probed, “Who found it?”

Absolutely not the time to ask directly if it was the bone pile. If he was right, fine; if not, he’d be exposed. The best approach was to verify indirectly. If he could learn who found the trash, he could work backwards to deduce exactly what it was.

Yun Que’s wits were exceptional, far beyond those of his peers since childhood. How else could he have supported an entire marquis’ household on his own? If nothing else, his cunning was unrivaled.

“Who else could it be? Naturally, those old fellows from the Sword Palace,” the Tiger revealed.

That was all Yun Que needed to confirm—the trash the Horse had left behind was indeed the bones in Mist Mountain’s heart!

“I understand. I’ll try my best to pick up the pace,” Yun Que replied perfunctorily.

“Good. I trust in your abilities.” After a pause, the Tiger added, “I recently refined a batch of Longevity Pills. They turned out quite well. I’ll save a few for you to try.”

Yun Que was about to thank him when a sudden thought flashed through his mind, and he swallowed his words.

Taking a deep breath, Yun Que replied in a low voice, “No need. I can’t taste anything anyway.”

Silence again. Then, with a faint, ambiguous chuckle, the Tiger pronounced half a secret phrase.

“A sword cleaves the sea—”

“—breaking the ages,” Yun Que finished, completing the code.

The Snake Talisman in his hand slowly dimmed, finally going completely black.

Only after he was sure the connection was severed did Yun Que exhale a long, turbid breath.

“So the Tiger is a wily old fox…”

His eyes narrowed in contemplation, and he muttered to himself.

He’d almost given himself away just now! The Medicine Man’s body was merely a vessel, without organs—how could he possibly taste sweet or sour? No matter if it was Longevity Pills, Linglong Fruit, or any other delicacy, the Medicine Man would never taste a thing. Clearly, the Tiger was laying a trap, trusting no one—not even his own allies.

Not only a fox, but a cautious and sinister one. Far more difficult to deal with than the Horse.

“To bargain with a tiger, to dance on a blade—playing this game with you is truly exhilarating. But never mind, I’m curious to see what your true goal is.”

A smile tugged at Yun Que’s lips.

Life is but a play. Onstage or off, all are actors. Those with the greatest skill, the sharpest mind, and the coldest heart become the stars of life’s grand drama.

And if Yun Que had anything in abundance, it was acting skill.

The Tiger’s treachery had only served to heighten Yun Que’s interest.

After all, the enemy didn’t know his true identity. If he were exposed, at worst, he would simply discard the Snake Talisman. The Tiger couldn’t possibly crawl out of the talisman and strangle him.

“So the one behind the bone-strewn mountain was the Horse. Why did he kill so many people?” Yun Que was puzzled by this, but he set it aside for now—he would investigate when the chance arose.

Swallowing a Spirit Essence Pill, he began cultivating his heart method. This time, he took out a spirit stone, attempting to use its energy for support.

For cultivators, the best method was to combine pills with spirit stones. Yet for Yun Que, it felt awkward.

This was his first time drawing energy from a spirit stone. It did help, but it was nowhere near as effective as sword energy.

Like a man used to drinking hard liquor suddenly being made to drink tea—unsatisfying.

“Sword energy still feels best,” Yun Que muttered, putting away the spirit stone and drawing a high-grade longsword.

The sword was Xuan Wenyan’s; there were two of them, and they were the only magical flying swords Yun Que currently possessed.

A sense of urgency stirred within him.

“I need to visit Changliu Street soon and trade for more flying swords,” Yun Que resolved.

With food at home, the heart is at peace. For him, flying swords were that food—if his stock ran low, he felt uneasy.

“Might as well get my inner armor repaired, too,” Yun Que said, shaking out his battered defensive under-armor. “I wonder if it can be fixed. Hu Tieshan’s craftsmanship is excellent… Right, I should ask that artifact forger, Si Ruonan. She surely knows Hu Tieshan, and might be familiar with his techniques. Maybe she can fix it.”

He was truly reluctant to part with this defensive under-armor. In a crisis, it could save half his life.

If it could be repaired, all the better.

Stowing away the odds and ends, Yun Que began absorbing sword energy for cultivation. The sword’s gleam dimmed visibly.

At dawn, Yun Que’s eyes snapped open, shining with a sharp brilliance.

A breakthrough!

Qi Cultivation, Level Three!