Dark Night at Tang Palace - Chapter 2

She spoke calmly, as if the three corpses lying there didn’t stir any emotion in her at all. Song Xuance secretly sized her up, his eyes falling on her slender wrist. There was a faint scar on it. “Where did you get the scar, Miss?” he asked abruptly. Lu Qianyi was stunned for a moment, then gently pull down her sleeves to cover the scar, and said in a calm tone: “I was playful when I was a child, and I accidentally fell.”

Song Xuance didn’t press any further. He turned around and handed her the <<Yin Talisman Sutra>>, “Since you are a relative of Xu Yuanwai, do you know the origin of this book?” Lu Qianyi took the book, glanced down at it, and suddenly smiled, “This is just an old book. My aunt used to like collecting these kinds of miscellaneous things.”

Hearing this, Song Xuance increasingly felt that this woman was not simple, but he temporarily suppressed his doubts and nodded slightly. “You can return home for now. If you have any clues, please let me know.”

Lu Qianyi nodded and turned to leave. But when she reached the door, she suddenly stopped, turn around slightly and said softly, “Lord Song, I have something to tell you. In the dead of night when people are asleep, listen carefully to the wind.” Song Xuance stood there, watching Lu Qianyi’s figure disappear into the night, and a sense of alert arose in his heart. This woman was definitely no ordinary person. What did her words mean? Could someone be watching him?

That night, Song Xuance returned to the county government office. He kept tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. He thought over and over again about the conversation during the day, and the look in Lu Qianyi’s eyes always lingered in his mind.

At midnight, a faint rustling sound came from outside the window. Song Xuance was startled awake and quietly got up, reaching for the sword at his bedside. The moonlight outside the window was hazy, and the courtyard was quiet, only the shadows of the trees swaying in the wind.

Suddenly, he heard a faint footstep, as if it was there and then gone. Song Xuance held his breath and listened carefully, realizing that the sound was coming from the roof. The person who came was so agile, he must be no ordinary person.

He quietly pushed open the door and hid himself in the shadow of the corner wall. In the courtyard, a dark slim figure wearing a black robe was lying prone on the roof, quietly looking down at his room.

“Who are you?” Song Xuance shouted loudly, drawing his sword and pointing it at the dark figure.

The dark figure was startled and turned, jumping off the roof and disappearing into the night in an instant. Song Xuance saw that something amiss, immediately chased after him. The two of them ran through the narrow alleys at a fast pace. The dark figure seemed to know the terrain of Chengping County very well, and several times they disappeared at the corner of the alley and quickly reappeared on another street.

Song Xuance pursued relentlessly, the distance between them was gradually shortening. Suddenly, the black figure stopped, turned around drew his sword and point it directly at Song Xuance. The two looked at each other, and the air was filled with a tense atmosphere.

“Who are you and why did you sneak into the county government office late at night?” Song Xuance asked coldly, the sword in his hand half unsheathed.

The dark figure chuckled, the sound hoarse and raspy, “Lord Song, I advise you not to meddle in other people’s business, or else… you will end up the same as those three corpses.”

Before the words were finished, the dark figure swayed and disappeared into the alley again. Song Xuance was startled and immediately chased after him, only to find a high wall at the end of the alley. The dark figure seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.

“Is this a threat?” Song Xuance looked at the empty alley, secretly vowing to himself that no matter who the other party was, he would definitely find out the truth behind this.