I had no intention of entering the martial world.

Chapter 20 The Secluded Courtyard is Locked Up

Shen Xingyao glanced back at Lu Chenzhou and shook her head: "Looks like there really is no one here."

But Lu Chenzhou didn't speak. His gaze fell on the crack in the door.

The heavy mahogany door had a very narrow gap, making it almost impossible to see inside. But when Shen Xingyao knocked on the door just now, he clearly saw the light through the gap dim for a moment.

Someone was peeping from behind the door.

"Let's go." Shen Xingyao turned around. "Looks like we made a wasted trip."

"Wait a minute," Lu Chenzhou suddenly said.

He stepped forward, and instead of knocking, he placed his hand on the door.

It felt cold to the touch, and the wood was hard. But what bothered him even more was the extremely subtle vibration coming from the inside of the door panel.

There were people moving around behind the door, and more than one.

"Someone's there," he whispered.

Shen Xingyao was taken aback. She walked back and pressed her ear against the door to listen. Her expression gradually became serious.

"There are indeed people here," she said in a low voice, "but they don't want to see guests."

Why? If Yang Shirong had truly lent the money to some important person, given the influence of the Sihai Escort Agency in Jiangling, they wouldn't have refused to even open the door.

Unless... the people inside don't want anyone to know they exist.

Shen Xingyao thought for a moment, then suddenly raised her voice: "Since Master Yang is not here, we will come another day. However..." She paused, "It seems that something happened at the 'Surging Waves Warehouse' at the dock last night. The city defense bureau is investigating. If they find their way here, please ask the nobles inside to make preparations as soon as possible."

After saying that, she pulled Lu Chenzhou and turned to leave.

After taking a few steps, Lu Chenzhou heard a very slight creaking sound behind him—the door opened a crack.

But he didn't turn around.

The two walked out of the side road and returned to the main street. Shen Xingyao then let go of his hand, her face somewhat pale.

"There was definitely a problem," she said in a low voice. "When I mentioned 'The Stormy Chamber,' the people inside reacted."

"What kind of place is Jingtao Cang?" Lu Chenzhou asked.

Shen Xingyao glanced around to make sure no one was watching before lowering her voice: "It's an underground black market, specializing in trading shady things. Half of the dirty work in Jiangling City is related to it. My father investigated for three years and only knew that it was backed by an organization called 'Jingtao Society,' but he never found out who the leader was."

The Stormy Sea. The mark in Xiao Bieli's brocade pouch.

Lu Chenzhou's heart skipped a beat.

"You just said the city defense bureau is investigating, is that true?"

"It's fake," Shen Xingyao shook her head. "I was just trying to scare them. But judging from their reaction, the people inside are indeed connected to the Stormy Waves Warehouse." She paused, looking at Lu Chenzhou, "Young Master Lu, what exactly are you looking for? Why are you involved with the Stormy Waves Society?"

Lu Chenzhou remained silent for a moment.

"I need an answer," he said, "about my parents."

This is not a lie. Xiao Bieli's words before his death did indeed refer to his parents—or rather, to the jade pendant and the Qingming sword behind it.

Shen Xingyao stared at him for a long time before finally sighing.

"Alright, I won't ask any more questions. But be careful, the Jingtao Society is no pushover. They've been able to entrenched themselves in Jiangling for so many years, with even the government turning a blind eye; there's something very powerful behind them." She glanced at the sky. "Let's go back first and discuss this further."

The two walked back.

But after taking only a few steps, Lu Chenzhou suddenly stopped.

The jade pendant on his chest felt hot again.

This time, the burn was exceptionally intense, like a red-hot iron branding his skin. He groaned and instinctively clutched his chest.

"What's wrong?" Shen Xingyao quickly helped him up.

Lu Chenzhou remained silent. He felt the pulse intensifying—not his heartbeat, but the resonance of the Azure Nether Sword Qi. And this time, the direction of the resonance was very clear:

Not in Tingtao Villa.

In...the other direction.

He raised his head and looked into the depths of the inner city.

There, a taller building can be vaguely seen, with its flying eaves and brackets, gleaming golden in the morning light.

"What place is that?" he asked, pointing.

Shen Xingyao looked in the direction he pointed, and her expression changed.

"That is... the Jiangling Prince's Mansion."

---

The Prince of Jiangling's Mansion.

Lu Chenzhou had heard of this place. Zhao Yun, the Prince of Jiangling, was the current emperor's cousin. He was enfeoffed in Jiangling and was a leisurely prince who did not concern himself with politics. He only loved to compose poems, paint, and collect antiques, and he had a good reputation among the people.

But why is the Azure Nether Sword Qi pointing in that direction?

"You...you're going to the Prince's mansion?" Shen Xingyao's voice was a little tense. "Young Master Lu, that's the Prince's mansion. Forget about going in, you'll be questioned even if you just get close."

Lu Chenzhou remained silent. He stared at the palace, the burning sensation from the jade pendant on his chest growing stronger, almost burning through his clothes. Deep within his consciousness, the phantom of the Azure Nether Sword trembled violently, the blood-red line on its blade appearing as if it were about to drip blood.

What is it yearning for?

Or rather... what is it sensing?

"I have to go and see," Lu Chenzhou said, his voice hoarse from forcibly suppressing his sword energy.

Shen Xingyao looked at his pale face and the increasingly obvious red marks at the corners of his eyes, and gritted her teeth.

"Okay, I'll take you there. But we can only look around from the outside; we can't go in."

The two changed direction and headed towards the Prince's Mansion.

The Jiangling Prince's Palace was located in the very center of the inner city, covering a vast area, with its surrounding walls stretching for three miles. The vermilion gates were tightly shut, and two enormous stone lions, more than three times the size of the Tingtao Villa, stood guard in front of them. Above the gate tower hung a golden plaque with the words "Jiangling Prince's Palace," which gleamed in the sunlight.

Eight guards stood at the entrance, each clad in iron armor, wielding a long halberd, their eyes sharp as eagles. Upon seeing someone approach, they immediately stepped forward.

"This is a restricted area of ​​the Prince's residence; unauthorized personnel are prohibited from entering!"

Shen Xingyao pulled Lu Chenzhou to a stop, and from a distance of more than ten steps, looked up at the Prince's Mansion.

"See? You can't get in," she whispered. "The Prince's mansion is heavily guarded; there are patrols day and night. Even a bird that flies in will be shot down."

Lu Chenzhou didn't speak. His entire attention was drawn to the burning sensation in his chest.

The jade pendant was getting hot, but what was even stranger was that the pulse of the Azure Nether Sword Qi calmed down a bit as it approached the Prince's Mansion.

It didn't disappear, it's more like... it found a home and became docile.

Like a wanderer returning home, or a weary bird returning to its forest.

This feels so eerie.

The Green Destiny Sword is related to the previous dynasty's royal family. The Prince of Jiangling's Mansion belongs to the Zhao family of the Song Dynasty.

Is it...

A thought flashed through his mind, making Lu Chenzhou's heart skip a beat.

"Let's go." Shen Xingyao tugged at his sleeve. "If we stay any longer, the guards will come and kick us out."

Lu Chenzhou took one last look at the Prince's Mansion before turning and leaving.

But after taking a few steps, he turned back.

On the high walls of the Prince's Mansion, a figure seemed to flash past a window of a corner tower.

The distance was too far to see her face clearly; all I could see was a blurry outline—slender and graceful, like a woman.

The figure lingered at the window for a moment, then disappeared.

Lu Chenzhou withdrew his gaze and followed Shen Xingyao away.

---

On the way back to the escort agency, neither of them spoke.

Shen Xingyao was pondering the matter of Tingtao Villa, while Lu Chenzhou was thinking about the connection between the Prince's Mansion and the Qingming Sword.

Halfway there, Lu Chenzhou suddenly asked, "What kind of person is the Prince of Jiangling?"

Shen Xingyao was taken aback, then thought for a moment: "Zhao Yun? He's in his fifties, enjoys refined pursuits, and doesn't like to get involved in affairs. He holds poetry gatherings every spring and autumn, inviting literati from Jiangnan to participate, and has a good reputation in Jiangling. However..."

"But what?"

"But some people say he's faking it," Shen Xingyao said in a low voice. "My father said that no prince who has lived to this age in the royal family is simple. Whether Zhao Yun appears indifferent to worldly affairs or has other shady dealings behind the scenes, nobody knows."

Lu Chenzhou nodded.

If the Green Destiny Sword is truly related to the Prince's Mansion, does Zhao Yun know about it? If he does, what role does he play in this matter?

And what about the "noble person" in Tingtao Villa—could he be from the Prince's mansion?

The clues were like a tangled mess, getting more and more complicated the more you tried to unravel them.

"Oh, right." Shen Xingyao suddenly remembered something. "Last night I found out about something else—a group of unfamiliar faces recently arrived in Jiangling City. They seem to be from the north and are staying at the 'Yuebin Inn' in the south of the city. Uncle Chen said that those people walk with a swagger and have very fierce eyes; they don't seem like ordinary merchants."

From the north?

Lu Chenzhou thought of Yingtang. Those Jin spies also came from the north.

Where is Yuebin Inn?

"Outer city south street, not far from the dock," Shen Xingyao said, looking at him. "Would you like to go take a look?"

Lu Chenzhou nodded.

Since the Azure Sword led him to Jiangling, all the anomalies are worth investigating.

"Okay, I'll go with you," Shen Xingyao said. "But we have to be careful. If those people are really from Yingtang, the two of us won't stand a chance."

The two did not return to the escort agency, but turned directly onto South Street.