Chapter Sixty-One

Yangzhou.

Today was the day of the public trial of the notorious flower-picker, Master Guo.

Under the blazing sun, the square in front of the Yangzhou prefectural office was packed with a churning sea of humanity, the dense crowd completely surrounding the execution platform. Vendors had packed up their stalls early, and the second-floor windows of teahouses and taverns were crammed with onlookers eager to witness the spectacle. Everyone wanted to see the final end of this fiend who had worn the mask of a respected gentleman while terrorizing the countryside for over twenty years.

"They're coming, they're coming!" The crowd suddenly surged, parting like the tide to either side. Eight bailiffs brandishing wooden staves cleared the path, accompanied by the clanking of iron chains. A sturdy middle-aged man was shoved toward the execution platform. He wore a white prisoner's robe, his neck locked in a wooden cangue, his shoulder blades pierced by an iron chain, and iron fetters bound to his wrists and ankles. Yet, he still held his head high, a chilling sneer lingering at the corners of his mouth. This was the very Master Guo whom Gu Yusheng had spent over twenty years hunting down for the rape and murder of Lin Dalian and eleven other women.

"Kneel!" The chief bailiff of Yangzhou kicked the back of Master Guo's knees.

Master Guo sneer-laughed as he dropped to his knees in the center of the platform.

"Isn't that the wealthy landowner Guo from the south bank of the East River? Usually so righteous and moral!"

"He's a smiling tiger! An old beast in human skin!"

"This old beast specialized in terrorizing the countryside. I heard that over the past twenty years, he violated dozens of women on both banks of the East River, and raped and murdered twelve of them!"

"Does that mean the newlywed bride from the Xie residence village who died in the reed thicket last summer was also raped and murdered by him?"

"If not him, then who?! It is said that the entire process of his crime was witnessed by a father and daughter hiding in the reeds, and their depositions have already been recorded!"

...

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Someone hurled a stinking egg, striking Master Guo right on the temple. The yellow, foul-smelling yolk slid down that hypocritical face, reaching the corner of his mouth. Master Guo licked it with his tongue and swallowed it into his stomach. A wave of disgusted gasps immediately erupted from the crowd.

Prefect Bian of Yangzhou sat high upon the main platform. With a sharp slap of his gavel, he commanded, "Silence!"

The crowd instantly quieted down.

Prefect Bian unfurled a scroll of documents and proclaimed in a voice like a booming bell, "The criminal Guo Kai, commonly known as 'Master Guo,' fifty-four years of age, is a native of the South Bank Village, Yangzhou County, of this prefecture. Twenty-eight years ago, he began committing acts of debauchery and plundering women along both banks of the East River. Investigation proves he violated thirty-six newlywed brides and murdered twelve who resisted."

Before Prefect Bian's voice could even fade, an elderly white-haired woman rushed to the front of the stage. Her withered fingers almost poking into Guo Kai's face, she cursed, "Beast! You and I were neighbors, and my daughter-in-law was raped and murdered by you on the hillside of the salt path just three days after her wedding... This is the button she was clutching tightly in her hand. Do you dare claim this button is not yours?" With that, she hurled the button toward Guo Kai. It landed right before him.

Guo Kai glanced at the button on the ground and actually chuckled softly, "Elder sister-in-law, what kind of evidence is this? Buttons like this are sold everywhere in the streets of Yangcheng! Let me tell you the truth! Your new daughter-in-law had a lover in her maiden home all along, but she was forced by her parents to marry your son. When she returned home on the third day, she was completely unwilling to live with your family and your son, so she took her own life!" He turned his head toward Prefect Bian, "My Lord, please examine the facts clearly. This old woman has always been envious of my wealth and has plotted to frame Guo..."

"Silence!" Prefect Bian sternly barked. He picked up a spirit tablet from the desk and threw it before Guo Kai: "This is the spirit tablet of the old woman's new daughter-in-law. Why was it placed in your secret chamber?"

Guo Kai adopted a compassionate expression and said, "My Lord, Guo has a kind heart. I was afraid that after her death she would become a lonely wandering ghost with no one to burn paper money for her, so..."

"Shut your mouth! Then whose velvet flower is this?" Prefect Bian tossed down another velvet flower and another spirit tablet. "This velvet flower and this spirit tablet were also placed in your secret chamber."

Guo Kai's expression flickered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure, saying, "My Lord, this velvet flower was picked up by Guo in the reed thicket while inspecting the fields! As for this spirit tablet, it is entirely because Guo has a kind heart!"

Prefect Bian sneered and asked, "Have you ever laid eyes on the newlywed bride from Xie residence village who died in the reed fields of your estate last summer?"

"Never seen her," Master Guo replied after a brief pause.

Prefect Bian signaled the bailiffs to bring forward a man and a woman, and asked, "Guo Kai, do you recognize this father and daughter?"

Guo Kai looked up, finally losing his composure, his kneeling knees shifting uneasily. "Old Qiu, I sell half of my reeds to you every year! Rongxiu, during the three months you spent at the Guo family estate, how many golden hairpins did I, Master Guo, give you?"

Old Qiu stepped up to Guo Kai, spat squarely onto his body, and cursed, "Master Guo, you are not only a biting old beast, but also a vicious and ruthless rapist-murderer!" He pulled his daughter Rongxiu forward, knelt before Prefect Bian, and reported, "Reporting to the upright and brilliant Judge: when Guo Kai raped and murdered the newlywed bride from Xie residence village, my daughter and I were hiding in the reed thicket and witnessed the entire process."

Prefect Bian asked, "Can you recount the entire process?"

Old Qiu replied, "I can." He then recounted the entire sequence of events of Master Guo raping and murdering the bride from Xie residence village that twilight. The father and daughter wept as they spoke.

After listening, Prefect Bian asked, "Are you both willing to verify and place your fingerprints on the record?"

"We are willing!" Both Old Qiu and Rongxiu signed and pressed their fingerprints onto the testimony handed over by the clerk, and then stepped down from the execution platform.

Guo Kai glared at the backs of Old Qiu and his daughter, shouting, "Old Qiu, selling half of my reeds to you every year was a complete waste!" He turned back to Prefect Bian, "My Lord, this father and daughter are deceitful merchants! Their testimony is illegal!"

"Then I suppose this man's testimony must be legal?" Prefect Bian sneered.

The bailiffs brought a man onto the platform, and at the sight of him, Master Guo's complexion turned the color of ash.

This man was Xing Shi, the head steward of the Guo family. Xing Shi had been an accomplice to Master Guo in every single crime. A coward at heart, Xing Shi had confessed to everything before Prefect Bian could even resort to torture.

During his confession, he even exposed the ten thousand taels of silver that Guo Kai had bribed Lai Houmin, the military inspector of Yangzhou County, with.

"Criminal Guo Kai, what else do you have to say?" Prefect Bian closed the case file, his gaze piercing as a torch.

Everything for Master Guo had collapsed. He slumped limply on the execution platform, then begged like a beggar, "My Lord, Guo knows his crimes are unforgivable, but before I die, may I request to see Lin Xiaolian one last time?"

Prefect Bian nodded.

A bailiff shouted, "Bring Lin Xiaolian before the execution platform."

At this moment, Lin Xiaolian, Gu Yusheng, Lü Qianqian, Hui'er, Mu Mingxuan, Qi Wei, and Yin Yuanyuan were standing at the back of the square.

Hearing the summons, Lin Xiaolian hurriedly looked at Gu Yusheng with her eyes.

Gu Yusheng patted Lin Xiaolian on the back and said, "Go ahead, there's nothing to be afraid of!"

Lin Xiaolian slowly approached the execution platform.

The moment Guo Kai caught sight of Lin Xiaolian, he began to hurl abuses: "Stinking bitch, your acting was quite something! Well, it's good now—your sister's revenge has been avenged! You must be thrilled! But let me tell you, my sworn brother in the capital will not let you go!"

The gavel struck once more, and Prefect Bian rose to pronounce the verdict: "The criminal Guo Kai, having raped and murdered twelve women, the evidence is conclusive and undeniable. According to the law, he is sentenced to death by a thousand cuts, to be escorted to the execution grounds immediately!"

"A truly upright and brilliant judge!" The grieving plaintiffs all fell to their knees, kowtowing to Prefect Bian. Lin Xiaolian also knelt and kowtowed three resounding thuds.

Following Guo Kai's execution by a thousand cuts, Lin Xiaolian left the Guo family as well, going to take monastic vows at the Fubo Nunnery in Yangcheng.

Bright Moon Island.

Xiao Guimu had resigned from her official post and returned to live on Bright Moon Island for nearly ten years. She had originally been a princess of Southern Han, holding the rank of General Defending the South. What was the reason behind her resignation?

In her resignation memorial submitted to the reigning emperor, Xiao Guimu had written:

"Ever since entering public service, your subject has been graced with imperial favor, privileged to serve the court, burdened with the heavy duty of guarding the borders, and holding the welfare of all people under heaven in my heart. Yet, although your subject is young and vigorous, I am a single mother. My son is a posthumous child; his father died on the battlefield, a hero who sacrificed his life for the country. My son is the only remaining bloodline left by the hero in this world. Born on a battlefield plagued by grain shortages, my son's constitution has been chronically weak and sickly. Several times he faced mortal danger, yet due to my official duties, I could not remain by his side to care for him, nearly resulting in lifelong regrets. Your Majesty often says that the youth are the future and hope of the nation! In order to devote myself entirely to raising my young son to adulthood, your subject earnestly implores Your Majesty to grant permission for me to resign from my official post, and hopes that Your Majesty will graciously allow my son and me to reside on Bright Moon Island..."

Young Li Yunlong was indeed frail and sickly. Especially during the first two years after arriving on Bright Moon Island, he suffered from minor illnesses every three days and major ones every five. Moreover, Bright Moon Island was far from the mainland, lacking in both doctors and medicine. Living in such an environment caused Xiao Guimu endless worry. She vividly remembered one night, during their second year back on Bright Moon Island, when Li Yunlong suddenly spiked a high fever. Xiao Guimu was so frantic that half her hair turned white in a single night.

It was a night of torrential rain, and both Rose Red and Rose Purple had gone to the mainland and had yet to return.

Five-year-old Li Yunlong lay in bed, his cheeks flushed red, his lips parched and cracked from the high fever.

The physician had checked his pulse and written a prescription. Xiao Guimu brewed the medicine and fed it to her son spoonful by spoonful. Yet, the high fever refused to subside.

Xiao Guimu felt as though her heart were bleeding with anxiety. She sat quietly on the edge of the bed, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the dearest piece of her heart. She was only in her thirties, yet distinct wrinkles had already etched themselves around the corners of her eyes.

"Mother..." A weak voice came from the bed. Xiao Guimu immediately leaned over, gently stroking her son's burning forehead with her palm.

"Dragon-child, Mother is right here. Don't be afraid." Xiao Guimu's voice was as gentle as a spring breeze brushing across a pond, a stark contrast to the rough, booming tones she used to command troops in military camps. She picked up the warm water cup from the wooden stool beside the bed, carefully supporting her son's head so he could take small sips.

"Mother, Dragon-child's throat hurts..." Li Yunlong swallowed the water with great effort.

"Drink slowly..." Xiao Guimu whispered soothingly. She placed the warm water cup back on the wooden stool. Her hands trembled slightly, the tendons on the back of her hands slightly prominent. Once again, she gently stroked her son's forehead.

"Still so burning hot!" Xiao Guimu's heart felt as though it were being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand. She skillfully wrung out a damp towel and gently wiped her son's body, starting from his forehead and neck down to his tiny palms and soles. This was the cooling method her father, Xiao Tianjian, had used when she had run a fever as a child. Though young back then, Xiao Guimu had always remembered it.

"Mother, Dragon-child is so uncomfortable..." Li Yunlong's voice carried a crying tone, his small hands clutching instinctively at Xiao Guimu's robes.

"Mother knows. Dragon-child, endure a little longer—it seems you're starting to sweat!" Fighting back her tears, Xiao Guimu hugged her son tighter. She could feel the searing heat radiating from his small body against her chest. Silently, she prayed in her heart: *White-clad gentleman, where are you? Please save your child!* She had lost count of how many times she had uttered such prayers.

A flash of lightning tore across the window, followed instantly by a booming crash of thunder. Startled, Li Yunlong shivered and burrowed deeper into his mother's embrace. Xiao Guimu gently patted her son's back, humming a lullaby she had composed herself back at Yuhaguan Pass:

*Little snowflake, fly and fly,*

*Mother's dragon-child is the bravest by and by...*

This was the lullaby Xiao Guimu had created at the southern gate of Yuhaguan. Whenever Li Yunlong cried and fussed restlessly at night, humming this lullaby never failed to calm him down.

Looking down at her son's flushed little face, memories rushed over her like a tide: the scenes of gathering salt by the salt pans; winning the title of Military Jieyuan in Yangcheng; capturing the title of Military Zhuangyuan and being appointed General Defending the South in the capital; fighting the floods in Jingnan; slaying the Beizhen raiders; resisting the Tatars... What remained freshest in her memory, however, was the first time she had set eyes on the white-clad gentleman Li Muwen on the streets of Yangcheng.

"Fates between people are predestined in the dark!" A single tear slipped uncontrollably down Xiao Guimu's cheek, landing upon Li Yunlong's burning forehead.

Li Yunlong blinked his eyes open slightly and murmured in a fever-dazed voice, "Mother, don't cry..."

Xiao Guimu quickly wiped away the tear with her sleeve, forced a smile, and said, "Mother isn't crying! That was just a raindrop hitting Mother's face..." She leaned down and kissed her son's forehead. It didn't feel quite as hot anymore.

The night rain poured relentlessly on. Li Yunlong's high fever gradually broke. Xiao Guimu breathed a sigh of relief. She gently placed Li Yunlong back into bed, tucked the quilt tightly around him, and then tiptoed off to the kitchen to boil medicine and cook rice porridge. Once the fever broke, Li Yunlong needed to eat a little porridge.

"Mother..." The call came from the bedroom again.

Xiao Guimu hurriedly carried the freshly brewed medicinal soup and porridge back into the bedroom, only to find Li Yunlong struggling to sit up.

"Don't rush! Dragon-child, Mother will help you." Xiao Guimu placed the medicine and porridge on the wooden stool by the bed, walked over, and helped her son up, letting him lean against her chest.

Li Yunlong was drenched in sweat, his hair plastered to his head.

"Drink this bowl of medicinal soup, and your illness will be completely cured!" Xiao Guimu picked up the medicinal bowl, feeding her son the soup spoonful by spoonful.

Outside the window, the rain gradually subsided, and the eastern sky began to take on a pale, fish-belly white. Having finished his medicine, Li Yunlong fell peacefully back to sleep.

Xiao Guimu gently stroked her son's forehead. The fever had completely vanished. Overjoyed, she quietly carried the porridge back to be reheated.

Daybreak had fully arrived.

When Li Yunlong woke up, he announced he was hungry.

Xiao Guimu brought over the warm porridge and fed it to him one spoonful at a time.

Li Yunlong frowned as he swallowed every mouthful—his throat still ached—then reached out a small hand to touch his mother's hair, asking in astonishment, "Mother, why has your hair turned completely white?"

Xiao Guimu quickly set down the porridge bowl, hurried to the dressing table to examine herself carefully, and returned to tell Li Yunlong, "Dragon-child, it's fine! Mother's hair has just turned a little bit white."

At noon, Rose Purple and Rose Red returned from the mainland. The moment they laid eyes on Xiao Guimu, both cried out in shock, "Sister, why did your hair turn completely white overnight?"

Xiao Guimu pulled her son tightly into her arms, tears welling up as she replied, "Your sister lived through a century in a single night—it's a wonder my hair didn't turn white!"

Rose Red had always served as the island supervisor of Bright Moon Island. In the fifth year after Xiao Guimu and Li Yunlong returned to the island, Rose Red married Uncle Zhang, a rubber worker who had returned from Temasek. Though Uncle Zhang knew no martial arts, he was a hard worker and cherished his wife dearly. A year later, Rose Red gave birth to a chubby baby boy for him.

Ever since Rose Purple had resigned from her official post to settle down on Bright Moon Island, her days had been tranquil and carefree.

Presently, Bright Moon Island belonged to Jiren County in Southern Province, and the island supervisor was Rose Red, appointed by an imperial edict. Therefore, Rose Red had the final say on all internal affairs of the island. Though Xiao Guimu and Rose Purple were generals whose ranks far surpassed Rose Red's, they were now merely residents of the island and could not interfere in local governance.

Rose Purple received an imperial stipend, lacking neither food nor clothing; her only lack was a man by her side. In truth, there were many single men on Bright Moon Island, but Rose Purple's heart had long been occupied by a single man. That man had filled her heart to the brim, leaving no room for any of the island's bachelors.

Rose Purple seemed accustomed to the single life, at least in the eyes of others. Every day, apart from practicing swordsmanship with the living rose bushes, she spent most of her time fishing by the seaside.

Fishing truly was the finest pastime. Perched on a weathered reef at the southernmost tip of Bright Moon Island, whenever the morning glow first illuminated the sky, a woman dressed in a purple dress could always be found sitting there. Holding a fishing rod, her beautiful eyes were constantly fixed upon the vast, azure expanse of the ocean. The mischievous sea breeze wove through her hair, but she paid it no mind. The morning light cast a golden glow over her delicate face, slender waist, and long legs, sketching a picturesque portrait of a classical beauty. This woman was none other than Rose Purple.

Sometimes, when Xiao Guimu was busy or away from home—as the second successor to the Xiao family's ancestral swordsmanship—Rose Purple naturally stepped in as Li Yunlong's temporary coach. She seemed quite happy to take on this role. Not because Li Yunlong practiced the Xiao family swordsmanship particularly well, but because he constantly buttered her up with "Aunt Purple is so fragrant, Aunt Purple is so sweet," making her heart itch with fondness.

Rose Purple's greatest joy over the years had been personally sailing a boat to the towns on the mainland to purchase daily necessities. Every time she left the island, it would take half a month or ten days, and upon her return, the boat's hold would always be piled high. She distributed these daily necessities free of charge to the island's residents. Of course, the silver used to purchase them came straight from Rose Purple's own pocket, for on Bright Moon Island, only Rose Purple possessed an endless supply of the court's stipend.

That spring, Xiao Guimu and Rose Red had boarded Lu Wenting's ocean-going vessel and sailed for Temasek. It was said they went to inspect the port construction there, as Bright Moon Island also wished to build a port resembling the one in Temasek. Consequently, she and the island supervisor Rose Red had made the voyage together. Because crossing the ocean involved a long and arduous journey, Xiao Guimu had no choice but to leave Li Yunlong behind on Bright Moon Island in Rose Purple's care. Thus, for half a year, Rose Purple had neither the time to practice swordplay with the living rose bushes nor the leisure to sit fishing on the seaside reefs. Every day revolved around Li Yunlong: tending to his daily life and guiding his sword practice.

Li Yunlong was already twelve years old that year, having grown to be as tall as Rose Purple—a handsome youth. He disliked practicing swordplay and showed no natural talent for martial arts. Though he had been practicing the Xiao family's ancestral swordsmanship for nearly five years, he was still stuck practicing the basics. He deeply admired Lu Wenting, declaring that when he grew up, he would follow Lu Wenting to Temasek to engage in enterprise and commerce. Lu Wenting was also very fond of him and had even betrothed his youngest daughter to him, to be married when they grew up. Xiao Guimu had long known that Li Yunlong lacked martial talent and had thought of giving up on teaching him swordplay, but remembering that her son was the sole remaining seedling of her husband Li Muwen, as well as the heir to the Three Swords of the Shang Emperor, how could he not know some martial arts? Thus, she could only teach him with the mindset that "an iron pestle can be ground down into a needle."

In truth, Li Yunlong was far from foolish; rather, he was exceptionally clever. Among the boys of Bright Moon Island, Li Yunlong ranked first in playing *paijiu* and topped the list in abacus calculation. His favorite hobby was hoarding money. He saved every scrap of pocket money his mother gave him, spending not a single copper on himself save for buying small gifts for the girls he favored. He looked very much like a little miser. Finding this incredible, Rose Purple had once asked Xiao Guimu in private, "Sister, that brat of yours is neither obsessed with martial arts like you, nor does he treat money like dirt the way Brother-in-law Li Muwen did! Is he really a seed of the old Li family?"

Xiao Guimu had rolled her eyes at Rose Purple and scolded, "Talk nonsense! My son is just like his grandfather, Inspector Li—both love saving money and both love girls! That's cross-generational inheritance, do you understand?"

The Xiao family's ancestral swordsmanship had to be passed down from generation to generation, which was also Rose Purple's wish.

That afternoon, just like any other day, Rose Purple sat on the large seaside rock, watching Li Yunlong practice his swordplay on the beach. Li Yunlong was still working on the basics, and Rose Purple was still fulfilling her duties as a temporary coach. For the sake of ensuring the Xiao family swordsmanship had a successor, Rose Purple exercised nothing but patience, and more patience!

However, today Rose Purple had long been restless as she sat upon the ocean rock. Hugging her knees, she sat in a daze, her eyes fixed longingly upon the distant horizon of the sea. Sunlight bathed her figure, drawing her shadow out long and thin. As the sea breeze blew, Rose Purple narrowed her eyes and instinctively touched her snow-white neck. Ever since her failed assassination attempt on Grand Chancellor Qin and her subsequent flight from the capital, Rose Purple had unconsciously developed the habit of touching her neck. Back then, to help Rose Purple and Rose Red escape through the southern gate, Gu Yusheng had disguised them as two bailiffs of the Ministry of War. Yet, as they passed through the gate tunnel, Rose Purple had been so nervous that goosebumps covered her neck. To prevent the guards from discovering her, Gu Yusheng had reached out and gently rubbed her neck, and the three of them had safely made it out of the capital's southern gate. To this day, Rose Purple still remembered that it was a winter night, Gu Yusheng's fingers were ice-cold, while her own neck felt burning hot. Once she reached safety, she had instinctively raised her right hand to touch her neck.

"Dammit! Why do I keep thinking about these old matters lately?" Rose Purple opened her eyes, her face flushing crimson.

A three-masted sailing ship moved slowly toward the horizon. As time passed, the outline of the vessel grew smaller and smaller until it became a mere speck, finally vanishing beyond the edge of the sea.

"On the other side of the sea should be Brother Gu's salt pans!" Rose Purple muttered to herself.

"No! On the other side of the sea is the south, it should be Temasek. Uncle Yusheng's salt pans are in Yangzhou, that must be in the other direction!" Li Yunlong appeared beside Rose Purple, nobody knew when.

Rose Purple looked up at Li Yunlong and asked, "Little Yunlong, why aren't you down there practicing your swordplay instead of climbing up here?"

Li Yunlong pointed his finger toward the western sea and said, "Aunt Purple, look! The sun has set into the sea! It's time for us to go home and have dinner!"

Rose Purple turned to look at the western horizon and said with a sheepish smile, "You're right! Time really flies today..."

The following spring, Xiao Guimu and Rose Red returned to Bright Moon Island from Temasek. Due to natural limitations, the conditions were not yet ripe to build a massive port like Temasek's on Bright Moon Island. However, Xiao Guimu's journey to the Nanyang islands had not been in vain. She had visited the rubber plantations on West Kalimantan Island and purchased several thousand rubber tree saplings to test-plant on Bright Moon Island. Now, ninety percent of the rubber saplings had not only survived but were thriving. Both Xiao Guimu and Rose Red were overjoyed, feeling that the trip to Temasek had been well worth it. Soon, they hatched a new plan: next year, they would send people back to Temasek to purchase a large batch of rubber tree saplings and plant every available inch of land on Bright Moon Island with rubber trees, turning the entire island into a rubber plantation. Consequently, Xiao Guimu and Rose Red became busy planning and surveying all the land on the island, keeping Xiao Guimu so occupied that she rarely returned home.

Before leaving for Temasek, Xiao Guimu had promised Rose Purple that Li Yunlong would be taken care of by Rose Purple until her return to Bright Moon Island. Yet, though she had been back for over three months, she still left Li Yunlong in Rose Purple's care, leaving Rose Purple with a lingering sense of grievance. She wanted to see just what her cousin had been so busy with lately.

One evening, after Li Yunlong had fallen asleep, Rose Purple half-closed her door, picked up a lantern, and walked over to Xiao Guimu's house. She found Xiao Guimu and Rose Red poring over a letter from Yangzhou under the lamplight. The two of them were reading with such deep concentration that they didn't even look up when Rose Purple entered.

With a smile, Rose Purple asked, "Whose letter is that? It's got you two so engrossed! You don't even pay attention when someone comes in!"

"It's a letter from your soul-stirring Brother Yusheng!" Rose Red reached out and pulled Rose Purple down to sit on the edge of the bed.

The letter had been sent specifically to Xiao Guimu by Gu Yusheng via a dedicated courier. It stated that the flower-picking bandit who had raped and murdered Lin Dalian in the reeds of the East River over twenty years ago had finally been captured and brought to justice. This flower-picker turned out to be the local wealthy landowner Master Guo. Over twenty years, he had raped and murdered twelve women—an utterly heinous old beast who had now been put to death by a thousand cuts. This Master Guo possessed profound martial arts yet kept them deeply hidden, fooling even Gu Yusheng. At the end of the letter, Gu Yusheng apologized to Xiao Guimu, regretting that he had previously ignored her warning (Xiao Guimu had once mentioned to him that Master Guo might know martial arts), which had allowed eleven more women to be harmed after Lin Dalian!

As she read the letter, Xiao Guimu scolded, "That shameless wretch spends his whole life doing things he only repents for afterwards..."

Rose Purple asked softly, "Sister, who was that Lin Dalian?"

Putting away the letter, Xiao Guimu replied, "She was Lin Xiaolian's elder sister."

Rose Purple stammered, "She seemed very important to Brother Yusheng!"

Xiao Guimu rolled her eyes at Rose Purple and said, "She was our big sister! She always cared for and looked after us in her capacity as an elder sister. At the salt pans, the shameless wretch, Sister Yuru, myself, and all the children of the salt pans respected her!"

Rose Purple said with a sense of understanding, "So that's how it is! No wonder Brother Yusheng spent his whole life tracking down that flower-picking thief..."

Suddenly remembering something, Xiao Guimu asked Rose Purple, "What are you doing running over to my house instead of staying home with Dragon-child?"

The moment she heard that, Rose Purple's temper flared. Staring wide-eyed at Xiao Guimu, she demanded, "Sister, is Li Yunlong your son, Xiao Guimu, or my son, Rose Purple?"

Xiao Guimu smiled and said, "Needless to say, of course he was born to me, Xiao Guimu."

Rose Purple scolded, "Sister, you've turned into a hands-off boss! You promised that the moment you returned to Bright Moon Island, you'd take Dragon-child back home to look after him! Yet you've been back for nearly four months, and you still keep dumping Dragon-child at my place! Just what do you mean by this?"

Xiao Guimu hastily pulled two star-apples from a fruit basket, shoved them into Rose Purple's arms, and said with a cheeky grin, "You've worked hard, Sister Azij! This is Sister treating you as a reward, hurry up and eat them!"

Rose Purple placed the star-apples back into the fruit basket and said, "Don't pull that trick on me! Tomorrow morning, I'm sending Dragon-child right back to your house!"

Xiao Guimu took the two star-apples out of the basket again, stubbornly pressed them into Rose Purple's hands, and pleaded, "Sister Azij, Sister has truly been very busy lately. Can you please help Sister look after Dragon-child for a few more days?"

"No!" Rose Purple put the star-apples back into the fruit basket once more.

The next morning, as day broke, Rose Purple brought Li Yunlong straight home. As she neatly arranged Dragon-child's bedding on the bed, she muttered, "Dragon-child, Aunt Purple is going fishing! Tell your mother to make you lunch..."

"Nagging woman! Making beds and such petty chores should be done by Dragon-child himself! Hurry up and come to the study with Sister, Sister has something important to tell you!" Rose Purple turned her head and saw Xiao Guimu standing right behind her.

"Don't pull that trick! If you have something to say, say it right here..." Rose Purple continued lowering her head to smooth out the bedding.

"Come along quickly! Sister is waiting for you in the study." Xiao Guimu said as she walked toward the study.

Inside the study, Xiao Guimu told Rose Purple that two months prior, she had submitted a memorial to the reigning emperor offering to donate the Three Swords of the Shang Emperor to the court, while requesting His Majesty to dispatch reliable agents in secret to Bright Moon Island to quietly escort the three swords back to the court.

Rose Purple widened her eyes and asked, "Sister, the Three Swords of the Shang Emperor are private heirlooms belonging to our Xiao, Jiang, and Lou families. Why on earth are you donating them to the court?"

Xiao Guimu handed a cup of tea to Rose Purple and said, "Sister Azij, the Three Swords of the Shang Emperor are national treasures, not mere private possessions! They are symbols of the mandate of heaven, belonging to the state rather than any individual! Our three families of Xiao, Jiang, and Lou were merely temporarily keeping them safe on behalf of the state!"

Rose Purple argued, "If that's the case, they were perfectly safe guarded here on Bright Moon Island. Why have someone take them away?"

Xiao Guimu countered, "Sister Azij, do you know the specific symbolic meaning of the Three Swords of the Shang Emperor?"

Rose Purple shook her head and sat down on a wooden chair.

Xiao Guimu picked up her teacup, took a sip, and explained eloquently: "'When the three swords gather, the realm unites.' The Xiaolian, Hangguang, and Chengying swords of the Shang Emperor, when brought together, bring all under heaven under one rule; when these swords are separated, the realm descends into turmoil—much like the Warring States of the Spring and Autumn period, the Three Kingdoms of the Han, the Ten Kingdoms of the Five Dynasties, and so on, eras when the swords of the Shang Emperor were lost and separated. Now, His Majesty possesses grand talent and bold vision, carrying out the northern expedition, resisting the invasion of the Tatars, and achieving the unification of the north and south, which is why the three swords have come together!"

Rose Purple quietly murmured, "Sister, now that you put it so clearly, Azij understands! Since you're donating them to the court, why do it all stealthily instead of making a grand public announcement?"

Xiao Guimu took another sip of tea and said, "The Three Swords of the Shang Emperor hold the code to wielding absolute power. Ambitious men under heaven are everywhere, and many wish to possess the swords to become masters among men. Meanwhile, neighboring states surrounding Southern Han still eye the unified Central Plains with covetous eyes, all wishing to seize the swords to contend for the realm. Therefore, they are constantly plotting and scheming by every means possible to acquire them! For this reason, keeping the swords on Bright Moon Island is no longer safe. Moreover, the reigning court cannot entirely rest easy regarding us on Bright Moon Island. Sister Azij, do you know why Sister chose to return to Bright Moon Island to live instead of Li Muwen's old hometown in the coastal ancient town when I resigned from my post?"

Rose Purple shook her head once more.

Xiao Guimu continued, "Because people across the realm now know the swords are in Sister's hands, and they all want to seize them! Fortunately, although Bright Moon Island is a small island, it is far from the mainland, surrounded by sheer cliffs and precipices, and our defenses are strict, making it difficult for thieves to infiltrate. Furthermore, with powerful martial artists like myself, you, and Rose Red guarding the island, though scoundrels harbor designs upon them, they remain fearful, which is why the swords have remained safe here thus far. But our generation is growing old day by day, and Li Yunlong's generation shows no inclination for diligent study. Who will protect this national treasure in the future?" Xiao Guimu paused, glancing at Rose Purple.

"Only by donating them to the court!" Xiao Guimu resumed, "Yet, even the current court has its share of fish swimming in murky waters, with ambitionists hidden within! Some have long eyed the treasures with a gaze red with blood! Jianghu figures wishing to seize the national treasure are countless. To ensure the swords reach His Majesty safely and smoothly, this donation can only be carried out quietly! Do you understand now?"

Rose Purple gently nodded and asked, "Has His Majesty accepted your donation?"

Xiao Guimu said happily, "His Majesty has longed for this day! Sister has already received an imperial reply stating that the court has secretly dispatched five highly skilled and reliable imperial envoys to Bright Moon Island to receive the national treasures, and they are expected to arrive in a month."

Rose Purple repeated the nine words—"highly skilled and reliable imperial envoys"—several times and asked, "Sister, in your estimation, who might those five envoys be?"

Xiao Guimu replied, "His Majesty didn't specify in the reply, how could Sister know?"

Rose Purple asked, "Sister, what do you need Azij to do during this period? Just say it!"

Xiao Guimu smiled and said, "Everything is ready. I just need you to continue helping Sister look after Dragon-child."

"I won't! I'm going fishing!" Rose Purple protested.