Nightfall

In the Middle Military Camp, General Shu Cheng was discussing with officers of all levels from the Northeast Front Army. He suddenly noticed the fluctuation of the Qi of Heaven and Earth from the depth of the camp. When he heard the miserable cry a while later, he couldn’t help the shift in his expression.

Looking nervous, a vice general stood up and looked ready to rush out the camp.

General Shu Cheng glared at him and asked coldly, “Xu Yin, what are you trying to do?”

Xu Yin, the vice general of the Front Army, turned and looked at the iron-clad General Shu. Finally understanding the reason for such a meeting today, he forcibly suppressed his shock and explained in a low voice, “Something strange is happening in the camp. Maybe an enemy spy has sneaked in. I should be inspecting it as the vice general of the Mountain Battalion.”

“There’s no need.” Ranking far above Xu Yin, General Shu Cheng stared blankly at him. “The imperial court is carrying out its mission. You don’t need to inspect it.”

Xu Yin seemed to be heavily hit on his chest. He was not only worrying about the situation in the camp but also about the imperial court looking into the Horse Gang issue. Then it might involve even more people. So he gritted his teeth and asked, “Why am I not aware of what the imperial court is investigating? And we’re now in the depth of the Wilderness. Would the imperial court send someone just to investigate?”

General Shu Cheng slammed the table. “Enough! Does the imperial court owe a little vice general like you an explanation? Shut up and sit down!”

…

…

The pale middle-aged man was the chief of the Horse Gang who had killed the grain team in the Wilderness. He looked at Ning Que’s face with his tired eyes and said weakly, “Since you can find me, why are you still asking for my identity?”

“I found you because I guessed your identity. But a guess isn’t enough, after all.”

Ning Que took back his umbrella and continued, “Your identity isn’t really important here. And it was easy for me to find out. All I need is to paint a picture of you and have the Military Ministry check it out.”

The middle-aged man frowned in pain. “Then go and investigate it.”

“I can’t return to Chang’an now that I’m in the Wilderness. And even if I find out your identity, it doesn’t tell me the things I want to know. For example, if I violated the Tang law and killed, no one would dare to say a bad word about the Headmaster of Academy.”

The middle-aged man slowly closed his eyes. “I’m Lin Ling, one of the main generals of the Northeast Border Army Inner Camp of the Tang Empire.”

Ning Que looked at his pale cheeks, silently repeating the name again in his heart. “Very good. Next, tell me who instructed you to kill me.”

The middle-aged man tightly pressed his bloodless withered lips together. From the looks of it, he seemed unwilling to say another word.

Since he was the main general of the Northeast Border Army Inner Camp, then his superior was naturally General Xia Hou. In fact, Ning Que had no need to ask and the middle-aged man had no need to answer. They both knew very well who was it that wanted to kill Ning Que. But an inference will never turn into an evidence. As Ning Que had said earlier, the Psyche Master Lin Ling confessed his identity because he knew it didn’t mean anything.

Ning Que looked at the middle-aged man with tightly pressed his lips. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked outside the camp and saw a faint shadow of a figure there. After a moment of silence, he said seriously, “I’ll swear by the Headmaster’s character. If you’re willing to tell me who ordered you, I’ll let you go back alive. I’ll also have the Academy ensure your safety.”

Lin Ling opened his eyes to look at Ning Que but still kept silent.

“I’ve sworn by the Headmaster’s character. Don’t you believe me?” Ning Que asked, showing his palms.

Lin Ling replied with difficulty, “Nobody ordered me. It was my own decision.”

“Even if it was your decision, someone must give you permission to do so. You may be a strongman in Seethrough, but you’re still not qualified to command more than 600 Horse Gangs in the Wilderness.”

Ning Que looked into Lin Ling’s eyes. “I want to know that person’s name.”

Lin Ling sucked in a breath. “Is it really important to hear that name from my mouth?”

“For the investigation of the imperial court… maybe not.” After a pause, Ning Que continued, “But it’s very important for me.”

Lin Ling suddenly laughed and his pale smile seemed off. “If it’s important for you, then how can I say it?”

Ning Que frowned and realized he had underestimated Xia Hou’s prestige in Lin Ling’s heart as well as Lin Ling’s loyalty. He gently touched his knees and asked after a long silence, “Do you have parents or children?”

Lin Ling seemed to have guessed what he was getting at and smiled bitterly. “No.”

Ning Que’s eyes, his smile appeared wicked and proud.

After a short moment of silence, Ning Que continued with a gentle expression. “Then as a cultivator, you must have a sect, right?”

Lin Ling replied, “Yes, but I rarely communicate with my sect after entering the army. I have no feeling for it, either.”

“You’re lying.”

Ning Que looked at him and said quietly, “If you have no feelings for your sect, you can just tell me what it is. But you immediately avoided mentioning it. This proves you’re trying to defend it.”

Lin Ling was startled and frowned in pain. “It’s up to you whether you believe it or not. Either way, I won’t say a thing.”

Ning Que laughed. “Have it your way. Whether you’re lying or not, you should know what kind of crime it is to entice the Horse Gang to attack the food team, especially to murder a Second Floor disciple of the Academy.”

Lin Ling appeared determined as he calmly said, “It’s just a death. Who doesn’t die in the end?”

“Of course it’s not as simple as a death. Though I think death really is the greatest threat, I know people like you have always believed there to be more important things than life and death in the world.”

Ning Que looked at Lin Ling’s eyes. “I’m a disciple of the Headmaster of Academy and a trusted official of His Majesty. In this case, I can condemn your elders, wreck your sect, and even kill all your relatives and your same-sect disciples. Maybe you don’t care about their lives. What if there’s a childhood playmate among those relatives or a Senior Sister who made your bed among your same-sect peers? Won’t you feel… sorry to them?”

Lin Ling didn’t understand what Ning Que meant by childhood playmate, but he could hear the unconcealed thirst for blood in the latter. His body that had been cold for excessive bleeding dropped several more degrees in temperature. The tent seemed actually seemed even bleaker than the blizzard outside the camp.

“I’m not used to making such threats because I’ve very few capitals to do so in the past.”

Ning Que seriously said, “And I don’t want to threaten you. I just want to know an answer, an answer that both of us know. I just want to hear it from your mouth.”

A conflicted look appeared on Lin Ling’s withered and thin face. A feeling of despair and guilt gradually overflowed from his gray eyes. Ning Que looked at it carefully and calmly added, “I swear by the Headmaster’s character.”

After an unnoticed period of time, the dying Psyche Master finally muttered several weak syllables from his withered lips.

Ning Que lowered his head and listened quietly and seriously. From time to time, he would ask questions.

After hearing all that he wanted to know, he stood up and looked at the dying man. Though Lin Ling seemed to be carrying some guilt, his expression was also calm and relaxed. Ning Que nodded at him, showing his respect.

He then pulled out his podao from its sheath and cut down, the cold blade slicing Lin Ling’s throat.

Complicated emotions including guilt, calmness, and fear in the Lin Ling’s eyes turned into gloomy shock and despair. He stared with his great eyes that couldn’t be closed even if he was out of breath.

Ning Que walked out of the camp and looked at a Tang soldier who was waiting for him. “I’m really sorry he didn’t make it.”

This Tang soldier, who was sent here by the Imperial Center Administration to be in the Border Army, had witnessed what had happened from beginning to end as a bystander. He didn’t know how to answer Ning Que and kept his silence as he stared at the blood still smeared on the latter’s blade.