Lace Glory Universe King GL - Chapter 33

The smile faded from Ying’s face.

“The Feather Clan had lived in seclusion for generations in Yunmeng Marsh, rarely interacting with the other people of the land of Kings.” The golden light in her pupils dimmed. “Until one year, a group of outsiders came to us. They tried every possible way to persuade the chieftain… They said they could help the Feather Clan restore its former glory.”

“What kind of people?” Yun Ying asked.

“They called themselves the Tianque organization. The chieftain believed them, and the result…” Her voice sank low. “It was a massacre. What they wanted were the wings of our people. They said that the feathers of the Feather Clan could be refined into an elixir of immortality.”

So it was all because someone sought immortality, that they sought to wipe out the entire Feather Clan… Twenty years ago, almost everyone had heard of the Tianque Calamity that befell Yunmeng Marsh, but as the Feather Clan was destroyed, the matter gradually faded from memory. A chill crept up Yun Ying’s spine.

Jing searched her mind but had never heard of any Tianque organization. On second thought, of course—they came with malicious intent, so naturally they would use a false name. The martial world would never have heard of it.

“How did you escape from that catastrophe?” Yun Ying asked again.

Ying mechanically touched her broken wing. “To be honest, I don’t clearly remember. At that time, I had already been chosen as the new shaman-priest, the Zhù Dongjun. To resist Tianque’s onslaught and save my people, I unleashed my divine power recklessly, fighting until I was utterly spent and fell from the mountaintop. I thought I had died, yet somehow, I survived—though only with half a wing left.”

Jing did not really understand what a Zhù Dongjun was, but to see someone return alive from certain death was indeed astonishing.

“So those men who were hunting you were the Tianque organization?” Yun Ying was secretly shocked. Could it be that this Tianque group had been hiding in Chang’an City, right under her nose?

“Most likely. After I revived, I searched everywhere for news of Tianque, but not even the Grand Arbiter of Fate nor Donghuang Taiyi knew of them. Left with no choice, I played a dangerous game: I revealed myself in my true Feather Clan form. If they knew I was still alive, they would surely come to kill me.”

“I traveled through many places before arriving in Chang’an. Once the rumor of a ‘bird-man’ spread, those men in black immediately followed the scent here. So I am certain—they are in Chang’an.” Ying walked to the window, staring into the night outside.

“I see. That day I put a black feather for sale at the market, it was actually to draw you out.” Jing said proudly. That had been Yun Ying’s idea, and Jing was the first she came to for help. Finding Ying was proof of their seamless cooperation.

“I thought you were some shady person, flaunting that feather in the market, so I only wanted to rid myself of trouble quickly.” Ying’s face was expressionless.

Jing was unfazed, and instead asked, “You’ve fought those black-clad men before. Did you figure out their identity?”

“Even now, I still don’t know who they really are. But from the way they fought, their skills are excellent, their footwork first-class, all of them clearly trained long-term.”

“They may have official backing,” Yun Ying said calmly.

“What makes you say that?” Ying immediately asked.

“At first, when the ‘flying bird-man’ case was handled, the Court of Judicature only classified it as a curfew violation. If they chased you through the streets at night several times, yet no one ever reported them, it’s very likely… they used some kind of official identity to bypass patrol inspections,” Yun Ying explained.

That made sense.

They spoke a while longer. The night grew deep, and Yun Ying and Jing had to take their leave.

As soon as they left Ying’s room, Yun Ying walked briskly, forcing even long-legged Jing to quicken her pace.

“I still have some guesses about Tianque… Hey—wait for me!”

But Yun Ying didn’t slow down.

Jing grabbed her arm. “What’s the matter with you?”

Yun Ying glared at her and shook her off.

“What are you angry about now?”

The assassin had the gall to look innocent. Yun Ying snapped, “That marriage contract you mentioned—what was that about?”

Jing stopped, blinking with a mix of guilt and slyness. “Ahem. Well, I couldn’t reveal our secret cooperation in front of outsiders, could I? I had to find an excuse—just a pretext.”

The silver-haired assassin’s thoughts were completely transparent to Yun Ying.

“In the future, don’t go saying things I never agreed to,” Yun Ying said, then hurried off like she was running away. She really, truly wasn’t good at handling such matters.

The last thing Jing said behind her, Yun Ying pretended not to hear.

“Well, you didn’t refuse either.”

The afternoon sun streamed brightly through the guestroom windows. Ying felt much better. She tested her wings, stirring the air.

Whoosh! She lifted off—

But she couldn’t avoid it in time. She burst through the window and soared into the courtyard.

Her balance was still poor. She steadied her wings and landed beside a small ginkgo tree, nearly stumbling.

Still not recovered, too rusty, she thought.

That evening when Yun Ying returned home, a maid reported that the guest had broken a window.

“Which guest?” Yun Ying’s first thought was Jing.

“The injured one.”

“Oh. Never mind, I’ll have someone repair it tomorrow.”

With that, she went straight to find Dongjun.

In the courtyard, the moonlight was hazy, the stars unseen. As Yun Ying walked along the veranda, someone called to her.

She looked up—Ying was sitting on the rooftop, gazing at her.

“What is it?” Yun Ying was slightly surprised, yet pleased. “Your body’s already recovered?”

“In a few days, I’ll be able to fly out.” Ying’s tone held joy.

“This isn’t a prison. Once you’re well, of course you can leave.” Yun Ying leapt lightly, stepping off the railing, and flipped onto the roof.

Ying secretly admired Yun Ying’s agility.

The two stood and sat together in the indistinct night, their figures especially slender against the vastness.

Chang’an’s towers and pavilions stretched endlessly. Past curfew, the windows of countless homes glowed dim or bright, yet none could truly light the night.

“Once you can fly again, where will you go?” Yun Ying asked.

“Out to breathe some fresh air.” Ying’s tone was airy. “And maybe slip into the Court of Judicature at night, help you with your cases so you can leave work earlier.”

Yun Ying joked back: “Or maybe go work at a teahouse to pay for my broken window—that’s the urgent matter.”

“I’ll break the other window tomorrow when I practice flying. No rush. We’ll settle the bill all at once.”

They both laughed.

“Today, while going through old case records, I found a withdrawn report that made me think of many possibilities,” Yun Ying said.

Ying listened.

“The year after the Tianque Calamity, a janitor came to the Court of Judicature to file a report, but two days later he withdrew it. He reported that he and his fellow workers had been poisoned, vomiting nonstop. That man… worked at Xuandu Temple.”

“You mean—the place they brewed their medicine was a Daoist temple? The poisoning happened because of testing the drug?” Ying immediately made the connection.

“Even if it wasn’t related to Tianque, it reminded me: to use the entire Feather Clan as sacrifice to refine an elixir of immortality, they would need a secluded site for alchemy. In Chang’an, though large, there are not many truly hidden places. The best cover would be under the guise of medicine or alchemy.”

Ying nodded, recalling Yun Ying’s suspicion of official backing.

“Tell me, could it be someone even higher up?”

“Higher up?” Yun Ying hardly dared imagine.

“Don’t forget those black-clad men’s rigorous training,” Ying reminded her.

Yun Ying fell silent. If it were higher up… she instantly thought of the Empress. Could it be the Imperial Pharmacy?

The Imperial Pharmacy was in charge of preparing medicines for the throne and managing the palace stores. With anything labeled for imperial use, not only could they ignore curfews, even mobilizing the imperial guards would be no problem. Those black-clad killers…

“What, are you afraid?” Ying studied her face.

“Ridiculous. I never cared for the title of Assistant Minister,” Yun Ying retorted. Deep down, her stubbornness never changed. She worked diligently, not out of ambition, but because she refused to betray the responsibility of her position.

Ying’s gaze softened. She could not let Yun Ying keep risking herself. She wanted to fly away soon, to avoid bringing Tianque’s pursuit upon this woman.

“Don’t worry. You needn’t take such risks. The Feather Clan’s business should be handled by me.” Ying smiled faintly.

“No need to worry. I’ll stay in the open while you remain hidden. We’ll act according to the situation,” Yun Ying said.

At that, Ying truly admired her.

“Who said I was worried about you?” she muttered, still stubborn.

Yun Ying saw through it but only smiled.

“By the way, why haven’t I seen that annoying Jing all day?” Ying asked.

Indeed, usually the first to wait at the gate was Jing. Yun Ying stepped carefully along the tiles to the other side, looking toward Jing’s guestroom—completely dark.

She leapt down, landing lightly, and asked the maid. The answer: Jing had gone out before lunch.

“Did she leave a message?”

The maid shook her head. “No.”

That scoundrel—left without a word? The thought unsettled Yun Ying’s heart.

All night, the Assistant Minister of the Court of Judicature could not sleep soundly.

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