Whispers of a Lonely City Beyond the Heavens – Chapter 28

Ch 28: Prejudices Run Too Deep

Sun Jiacheng hurriedly said, “Call those two in.”

Chu Jun responded with a sound of agreement and went back outside to stand guard. Liu Wei and Zhao Long walked in, and Sun Jiacheng asked, “Have you found out anything about those people’s origins? Could they be from the Regional Military Command?”

One of them replied, “Master Sun, those men aren’t constables under the Prefect, nor are they troops from the local Regional Military Command. I tried to strike up a conversation with them, but they scolded me and told me not to pry too much. Still, I could tell—they all have Kyoto accents.”

Sun Jiacheng looked at Long Yang. “It seems they’re Tian Weihu’s men.”

Long Yang asked, “Did you see which direction they were heading?”

The other man answered, “Some of them went toward the Long Family Mansion, which is now the Commissioner’s Office. The rest kept patrolling the streets. They didn’t seem rushed or like they were on a mission.”

Long Yang thought for a moment before asking, “How many of them are there?”

“I counted them—fifteen in total.”

It appeared that Tian Weihu had brought far more than twelve men. Long Yang realized the situation was indeed extremely dangerous.

Had Tian Weihu already gone to his home to investigate and discovered they’d slipped away? Was he already organizing a search for them?

Things shouldn’t have gotten that bad yet. It wouldn’t be hard for them to find Zhang Tianxun’s house, but they hadn’t come this way.

Right now, Long Yang’s greatest worry was this: if Tang Jie were captured and interrogated, revealing Zhang Tianxun’s injury, everything would fall apart.

He had told Tang Jie to claim he was a thief if he couldn’t escape, but that might not work. Tian Weihu and his men were likely not just skilled in martial arts but also experts in pursuit and interrogation.

“Go keep investigating,” Sun Jiacheng said, sending Liu Wei and Zhao Long back out.

“Seventh Brother, don’t worry about me anymore,” Zhang Tianxun said with a long sigh. “I entrust Wei Wei and Long Yang to your care. Leave quickly and take them somewhere safe. How about… Lake Heart Island for now?”

A gray pallor of death crept back onto Zhang Tianxun’s face. Sun Jiacheng’s expression also turned ashen.

Using a sedan chair to carry Zhang Tianxun away now would be too risky. But staying here wasn’t an option either.

“Grandfather, I won’t leave you! I’m not going anywhere!” Wei Wei, seeing someone guarding outside, returned to Zhang Tianxun’s side. “Oh, Grandfather, what’s wrong with you?”

She started crying again.

“We can’t delay. We need to leave now,” Sun Jiacheng said, glancing at Long Yang for confirmation.

Long Yang shook his head slightly. “Master Sun, we can’t show panic right now. As long as Tang Jie hasn’t been caught, we should be fine for the moment.”

“Fair enough. You keep watch here carefully. I’ll tend to Big Brother’s injuries first.” Sun Jiacheng pulled another energy storage stone from his robes, sat cross-legged on the bed, and held the stone in one hand while pressing the other against Zhang Tianxun’s back, slowly channeling true energy into him.

Long Yang listened intently to the sounds outside, one hand gripping his Jiaoya Dagger.

After a while, the deathly pallor on Zhang Tianxun’s face lessened slightly.

“Seventh Brother, that’s enough,” Zhang Tianxun said. “Any more, and it’ll just leak out as fast as it’s added. You’re wasting the true energy in that precious stone for nothing.”

“Big Brother, don’t talk about waste right now. Storing more in your dantian will help you hold on a bit longer,” Sun Jiacheng replied.

Long Yang was about to speak when he suddenly heard a faint noise from the courtyard outside. Startled—why hadn’t Chu Jun stopped whoever it was?—he gripped his Jiaoya Dagger and rushed out, with Wei Wei following close behind.

Just as they reached the door, it swung open without a breeze, and a figure darted inside.

Long Yang and Wei Wei attacked simultaneously from both sides of the door, but they didn’t even graze the intruder’s sleeve. Shocked, they nearly cried out.

“Don’t be afraid—it’s me,” the figure said softly. Long Yang steadied himself and recognized it was Long Fu.

Long Fu carried a knapsack on his back and held a pot of orchid in his arms.

Then Long Yang noticed a second surprise—Xiao Hei had come too.

It ran up to Long Yang, tilted its head, wagged its tail, and rubbed against his leg affectionately.

Long Yang bent down and patted its head, noticing that the whip marks on its back had healed. The torn flesh had knitted together, though no fur had grown back yet. Two bare, shallow grooves marred its otherwise sleek, black satin-like coat.

“Uncle Long, how did you get here?”

“I knew Zhang Tianxun lived here,” Long Fu said in a low voice. “Tian Weihu is Tian Wenhai’s direct disciple, with exceptional swordsmanship. For Zhang Tianxun, injured as he is, to defeat him in a single move, he must have used the Critical Strike Technique. I saw you’d locked the door and left only one person guarding it, so I guessed you’d come here. I was worried about you and came to check.”

Long Yang knew Long Fu’s concern was mostly for him, and his heart swelled with gratitude.

“Uncle Long, Senior Zhang’s condition is bad. Boss Sun from Cuihua is channeling true energy into him. Please follow me.” He led Long Fu into the inner room.

Long Fu set the pot of orchid on the table and approached the bed. He extended a hand to Zhang Tianxun’s back. His internal force was far deeper than Sun Jiacheng’s, and within moments, a hint of color returned to Zhang Tianxun’s face.

Long Yang guessed that Long Fu could channel true energy without letting it leak out during the process, and he felt another surge of joy.

“Thank you, Brother Long, for your help,” Sun Jiacheng said, exhaling in relief as he and Long Fu withdrew their hands together.

Zhang Tianxun opened his eyes and laughed heartily. “Brother Long, hearing you say today that you’re no longer a servant of the Long Family—what a thrill! You truly are a figure of divine caliber.”

He continued, “Oh, I suppose I shouldn’t call you Brother Long anymore. I still don’t know your honorable name.”

“Long Yang was right—the name the Long Family gave me isn’t something I can just cast off. Keep calling me Long,” Long Fu said coolly, brushing off Zhang Tianxun’s praise, leaving him feeling deflated.

Long Fu took a box from his robes, opened it, and pulled out a pill.

“Brother Zhang, this pill is something I made myself using jade marrow stone fungus from the mountains, combined with a few other ingredients. I lack the skill to refine it with Rain Spirit Grass, so it’s not perfectly suited to your condition. Still, it’s beneficial and harmless. If you don’t mind, please take it.”

Zhang Tianxun smiled. “How could I refuse your kindness, Brother?” He took the pill and swallowed it.

Long Fu sighed. “Brother Zhang, there’s something I’m not sure I should say…” After a brief hesitation, he continued, “You seem to hold some prejudice against the Four Great Families. But with the imperial court banning the mountains now, if you want to heal, you’ll need to go to Kyoto and seek help from the Long Family.”

Zhang Tianxun’s face darkened, and he remained silent.

Long Fu paused briefly before adding, “If you’re willing to go, though I’m just a servant of the Long Family with little influence, I could write a letter asking the family head for medicine. Since you can’t move easily, Long Yang could make the trip for you. You know his own injuries need treatment too. Plus, that handkerchief could serve as proof…”

Zhang Tianxun’s expression grew increasingly impatient. Finally, unable to hold back, he let out a cold snort and said,

“The court bans the mountains—on what grounds do they ban them? Over three hundred years ago, they sealed off Shenlong Mountain, and now they want to lock down Zifu Mountain too. Are all the natural treasures of the Central Continent their private property, belonging to the Four Great Families?”

Long Yang had initially disapproved of Zhang Tianxun’s attitude, thinking his prejudice against the Four Great Families ran too deep. But hearing these words, he couldn’t help but nod inwardly in agreement.

Long Fu was taken aback. “Brother Zhang, from what I know of the Long Family, they aren’t selfish people. The current head of the Long Family and his eldest son are both exceptionally generous and kind.”

“Generous and kind, huh?” Zhang Tianxun sneered a few times. “Brother Long Fu, spare me your words. As long as I have a breath left, I’ll go into the mountains to gather herbs myself. Even if I die, I won’t beg them for anything.”