The New Generation Replaces the Old

The Black Office was independent of the six departments. They could patrol, arrest, interrogate, and execute internally. The prison where the criminals were held was behind the office. To be precise, it was directly under Jasper Pavilion.

Ye Jingtang followed Shang Jianli for a long time and gradually came to the vicinity of Jasper Pavilion. He discovered that there was a large mansion behind it. Behind the high walls were pavilions and trees, vividly displaying the luxurious style of the imperial family.

"Is this the back door of the Prince of Jing Estate?"

"The Black Office is the Prince of Jing's private guard, so it's logical that it's in the outer residence of the Prince of the Jing Estate. The main gate of the Black Office is the back door of the prince's estate."

Shang Jianli entered the stairs that led to the underground from the corridor. Those who could make the Black Office mobilize were not mediocre people. Most of them would be killed on the spot and wouldn't be allowed to live a moment longer. There were not many people imprisoned in the dungeon.

As soon as Ye Jingtang entered the dungeon, he felt a gloomy cold air assault his face. The aisle in front of him was bottomless, and the oil lamps along the way looked like will-o'-the-wisps.

After walking for about a hundred steps, he walked down two floors and arrived at a basement.

There were two jailers standing outside the basement. There were no windows on all sides. There were oil lamps lit and a large hole in the middle.

A refined iron fence covered the hole, and a chain with an iron lock locked the gate of the hole. Every iron rod of the fence was as thick as a man's wrist, and just the weight of the rods alone was impossible for ordinary people to lift, let alone break through the lock.

Ye Jingtang came to the hole and looked down.

Inside the hole was a stone room with some daily necessities. There was a prisoner sitting against the wall. The prisoner's clothes were relatively clean, but his hair was loose. His hands and feet were bound by arm-thick iron chains. His skeleton was large, but his body was very thin.

Ye Jingtang popped his head out over the hole, and the prisoner with disheveled hair raised his head. There were some wrinkles on his face, and he looked to be about fifty years old or so. But his eyes were full of vigor, and he didn't look dispirited at all. It was as if he was sitting at home and watching a guest come to visit.

But after discovering that the face was unfamiliar, the prisoner returned to sitting cross-legged and closed his eyes.

Ye Jingtang asked, "Is this Hero Qiu? Why is he locked up so tightly?"

"These things are just to prevent accidents. They won't be of much use. What is really locking him up is the Soft Bone Fragrance."

After Shang Jianli explained, he looked down at the prison cell. "Qiu Tianhe, this is Ye Jingtang, Young Master Ye. He is also a saber wielder. You may be interested in him."

Inside the cell, Qiu Tianhe opened his eyes again. "Come down."

Shang Jianli opened the gate and raised his hand. "Please."

"…"

Ye Jingtang didn't believe that someone so tightly locked could pose a threat to him. He didn't cower and jumped into the hole.

Thud!

A soft sound rang out in the claustrophobic stone room.

Qiu Tianhe was originally calm, but he soon saw the Hornless Dragon Saber behind Ye Jingtang.

The shape of this saber was actually very common in Jianghu. This was because Kuang Yazi, a former saber Grandmaster of the previous dynasty, had reached the pinnacle among saber wielders. The younger generation naturally imitated the saber he used. Now, there were a lot of these sabers in the world.

Jun Mountain Terrace's saber technique was called the Dragon Slaying Decree. Its original intention was to slaughter this Hornless Dragon Saber.

However, there were many imitations but only one real one.

It might be difficult for those who were not familiar with it to distinguish, but top saber wielders who had seen this saber before could recognize the saber better than they could recognize people!

Qiu Tianhe's expression didn't change. He only sized up Ye Jingtang's face. "What a handsome kid. Why are you looking for this old man?"

Ye Jingtang didn't look down from above. He sat on the ground in front of Qiu Tianhe and cupped his hands. "I have long admired you, Hero Qiu. I am just here to visit."

"Your saber is not bad. Show me your skills. Let me see your strength."

Ye Jingtang didn't say anything else. He pushed the saber behind his waist and held the hilt.

Clang!

A cold light flashed in the stone room, bringing with it a slight breeze that blew up Qiu Tianhe's messy long hair.

Whoosh…

Ye Jingtang sheathed his saber and let go of the hilt. "What do you think, Hero Qiu?"

The student surpasses the master… Qiu Tianhe's expression showed no abnormality. He only nodded lightly. "Great talent. If I weren't trapped here, I would definitely consult you, Young Hero Ye."

"You flatter me, Hero Qiu. I've just entered Jianghu and don't know much about the saber wielders of Jianghu. I only know about Xuanyuan Chao, Hero Qiu, Zheng Feng, and a few others. Hero Qiu, can you tell me these stories?"

Qiu Tianhe had already seen through Ye Jingtang's identity. Although their saber techniques were completely different, their starting moves were exactly the same.

When Qiu Tianhe was young, he and Zheng Feng were both opponents and friends. They had competed no less than a hundred times, and he knew that the 'right path' that Zheng Feng had been searching for was the perfect saber move that this child had just made.

Zheng Feng didn't come, but the saber appeared in this child's hand. It could only be said that Zheng Feng had already taken one step ahead and reached the Bridge of Helplessness.

A trace of sadness flashed across Qiu Tianhe's eyes. He understood why Ye Jingtang had come and said, "Xuanyuan Chao is the current Saber Chief. You can hear the stories of his life everywhere. There's no need for me to repeat them. Xuanyuan Tiangang has long left Jianghu, so it's not convenient to mention him. As for Zheng Feng, he's a fool."

"Oh?" Ye Jingtang became more serious. "What do you mean?"

Qiu Tianhe looked up. "Come down and listen. It's not a secret."

It seemed that Shang Jianli was also interested in these past events of Jianghu. He jumped down, silently landed behind Ye Jingtang, and stood with his hands behind his back.

"I have been practicing the saber since I was three years old. It has been fifty-two years. I have met many friends, and I have also met many opponents. However, other than Xuanyuan Tiangang, everyone else has already turned into dust. Zheng Feng wasn't outstanding among these people, but he suited my taste and could be considered a close friend."

Qiu Tianhe looked at Ye Jingtang. "Back then, Zheng Feng was as sharp and high-spirited as you. Unfortunately, he wasn't as handsome as you, and his talent was also slightly inferior to yours. Originally, I made an agreement with him that on the day when we mastered our saber techniques, we would defeat Old Man Xuanyuan first before fighting on Jun Mountain Terrace and deciding on the new Saber Chief in one battle. Unfortunately, Zheng Feng broke the agreement."

Ye Jingtang asked, "Why did he break the agreement?"

"Zheng Feng had a good relationship with Xuanyuan Tiangang. He went to Jun Mountain Terrace a few times and got to know Old Man Xuanyuan's daughter, Xuanyuan Shuye, and formed a relationship with her."

Xuanyuan Shuye… Ye Jingtang frowned inwardly. He felt that this name was most likely related to his surname, Ye.

"Zheng Feng was deeply in love and came to propose marriage. However, at the time, the Imperial Court was selecting girls. In order to seek wealth, Old Man Xuanyuan wanted to send Xuanyuan Shuye into the palace to be a consort. In order to make his daughter listen to the arrangements, Old Man Xuanyuan deliberately provoked Zheng Feng, who came to propose marriage, to speak with his saber."

Qiu Tianhe sighed. "Back then, Zheng Feng wasn't even a Grandmaster. How could he be qualified to challenge Old Man Xuanyuan? However, he still drew his saber.

"In that battle, Zheng Feng used all his strength and established his title as a saber Grandmaster, but he was still too far away from Xuanyuan Chao.

"Old Man Xuanyuan never thought of marrying his daughter to him. In order to make his daughter give up, he was ruthless. Although he didn't take Zheng Feng's life, he definitely became a cripple. Even giving birth to children would probably become an extravagant hope."

Ye Jingtang knew that his foster father had never been married, had no children, and had been drunk every day. When he heard this, his expression hardened. "And then?"

"After that day, Zheng Feng completely disappeared from Jianghu. I have never seen him again. Now, I'm afraid he has already left before me."

Hearing this, Ye Jingtang fell silent for a moment before asking, "What happened to Xuanyuan Shuye?"

Shang Jianli, standing behind him, answered, "In the second year of Cheng'an, the Imperial Court chose girls from good families to enter the palace. Xuanyuan Shuye was among them. When she arrived at the border of Yun Province, Qiu Tianhe killed his way to her carriage. He was stabbed eight times and risked his life to kidnap Xuanyuan Shuye. He fled to the ends of the earth and was pursued by the Imperial Court and Jun Mountain Terrace for nearly thirty years. It was only last year that he was captured by the Black Office."

"…"

Ye Jingtang was shocked and looked at Qiu Tianhe in disbelief.

Qiu Tianhe smiled. "Zheng Feng and I were rivals and bosom friends. After he disappeared, Xuanyuan Shuye secretly sent someone to find me. She asked me to help find Zheng Feng's whereabouts and tell him that Xuanyuan Shuye would be waiting for him at the Bridge of Helplessness.

"How could I know where Zheng Feng was hiding? I couldn't bear to see these sad things, so I single-handedly killed my way into the marriage envoy team and kidnapped Xuanyuan Shuye. Then I brought her to find Zheng Feng for ten years. From the wilderness of the Heavenly South Mountains, I found the Desolate Grasslands. From the Eastern Sea Cliffs, I found the Northwest Desert. Up to now, I don't know where Zheng Feng hid. Xuanyuan Shuye was disheartened and retreated from Jianghu to the market. She's not living alone now…"

After a moment of silence, Ye Jingtang shook his head and smiled without saying anything.

Qiu Tianhe chuckled. "I'll go down and talk to Zheng Feng about these things. Let go. The matters of the older generation of saber wielders have nothing to do with a fledgling like you. I only hope that you won't become like Zheng Feng and let Old Man Xuanyuan be the Saber Chief for another thirty years."

"Take care, Hero Qiu. I'll take my leave." Ye Jingtang stood up, bowed, and then leaped out of the stone room with Shang Jianli.

Qiu Tianhe leaned against the wall and watched until the iron fence closed and the footsteps disappeared. Then he sighed. The new generation replaces the old… You've endured hardships and finally produced a good son. But I am suffering from imperial displeasure. What kind of logic is this…