Chapter 19: The Green Omen (I)

Spring’s breath brings vibrant colors to the mountains, while the gentle breeze stirs ripples on the water. In the world of three thousand realms, there are songs and music; in the twelve capitals, splendor abounds.
Chang’an during the Tianbao era was indeed a place of dazzling prosperity, its people smiling like songs.
Inside the Imperial Academy in Wuben Fang, Li and Zhang, who had been there all day, finally heard the drumbeat signaling the end of classes. After a hurried dinner, dusk had fallen. Dressed in casual short robes, the two youths, accompanied by their servant A Fu, agreed to go enjoy the moonlight at Leyou Yuan, where the moonlight was as bright as silk. Under the envious gazes of their classmates, they quickly boarded the pre-arranged carriage and set off, singing as they walked through the frost-covered ground.
In a short while, they arrived at Leyou Yuan, a famous spot for enjoying spring in Chang’an. Ten days after Qingming Festival, the usually crowded Leyou Yuan had become quiet. The two youths had no interest in enjoying the spring scenery and quickly climbed up the slope. Zhang Yanji gasped for breath, with sweat beads on his forehead cooling in the evening breeze, causing him to shiver.
“Brother Kuo, it’s really cold here at night. We’re dressed so lightly—won’t we catch a cold?” Zhang Yanji muttered softly, arms crossed and mouth slightly open.
Ignoring his friend’s complaints, Li Kuo continued walking ahead. “Stop talking. If we dress too heavily, how can we move around?”
“Oh.”
Zhang Yanji hung his head and followed closely behind Li Kuo.
Except during the annual Lantern Festival, Chang’an imposed a curfew, and Leyou Yuan was no exception. But this curfew applied only to ordinary people. Nobles and royalty were not subject to such restrictions. The eldest son of the Minister of Works, along with his classmates from the Imperial Academy, enjoying the spring moonlight—no one would dare to interrupt them.
Qinglong Temple, built in the previous dynasty, had not suffered much damage despite the wars at the end of the Sui dynasty. After the current dynasty was established, it was repaired during the reigns of Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong, becoming one of the major temples in Chang’an. It was said that its fortune-telling was very accurate, and every morning, many people from Chang’an came to make wishes and get fortunes, making it a place of great prosperity.
At night, Qinglong Temple resembled a picturesque little monastery, free from worldly distractions. With its ancient trees and noisy birds, occasional chants from within the temple, along with the dim light from oil lamps, seemed to tell of the vicissitudes of dynasties and the inevitability of change.
Li Kuo rushed to an old locust tree and bowed to the three men fifty feet away. “Opportunities come easily, but gold is hard to find.”
The leader moved his lips slightly and replied, “Good luck is hard to come by, even for a bottle of wine.”
“Brother Nan!”

He was secretly pleased, Li Kuo said aloud.
“Shh.”
Making a gesture to the young man, Nan Jiyun said softly, “Brother Dezi, I’ve brought you here. In a moment, we’ll hide behind the dry well outside the back courtyard wall of the temple, so we can rescue him promptly if things change.”
Seeing Dezi’s hesitant gaze, Li Kuo felt a pang in his heart. He took his friend’s hands and said, “Don’t be afraid. Your younger brother Xiaoqi and Brother Nan are watching over you from afar. If the people from the Qingke Alliance have evil intentions, run toward the dry well—nothing will happen to you.”
Nodding slightly, Feng Deen finally mustered up the courage to head toward the bamboo forest as agreed in the letter.
The bamboo forest wasn’t very lush; perhaps because it hadn’t been pruned for a long time, the bamboo grew crookedly, with one or two oddly shaped shrubs here and there. From time to time, a few crows would fly up, emitting eerie cries.
Feng Deen walked along a path through the forest and soon saw a cluster of flickering flames. The fire flickered, even emitting a blue phosphorescent glow, giving off an indescribably eerie atmosphere.
Feng Deen’s back was already drenched in sweat. He knew all too well what that campfire meant—the prince was angry; he hadn’t kept a promise as a Qingke member. It wasn’t that he was afraid of death, but he didn’t want to die without reason. During his time in the prison of Jingzhao Prefecture, he had seen his comrades tortured and abused in various ways. Watching vibrant lives vanish before his eyes, he felt death was incredibly close. But he couldn’t die! He still had an elderly mother to support and two underage sisters. He wanted to see them get married, to help them onto their bridal sedan chairs…
He had thought about ending his life before—how could he ever repay the prince’s kindness? But there were still too many things in this world he cherished. The moment he closed his eyes, he saw the wrinkles at his mother’s eyes, the sweet dimples on his sisters’ cheeks…
Since he had broken his promise to the prince and abandoned his duties as a Qingke member, he still came here without hesitation when he saw that letter. Was today the day the lord would punish him? With a bitter smile, he thought, let whatever was meant to happen happen. If the prince no longer trusted him, what was the point of living?
The night grew deeper, and the cold air soaked Feng Deen’s temples. Tightening his clothes, he stepped forward without hesitation toward the clearing in the forest. It was fate—something he couldn’t resist, nor could he escape.
“You’ve finally come.”
A middle-aged man wearing a ghost mask stood in the center of the clearing, speaking coldly, without the slightest emotion.

“Yes, I have failed my lord. I come to accept my punishment.”
Suddenly, the youth noticed a dozen corpses lying at his feet. Upon closer inspection, they were his companions from the Qingke Alliance. Taking a few steps back, he said in a trembling voice, “W- weren’t they killed in the dungeon?”
“What value do the dead have? They’ll make good kindling alongside you! Ha, haha. If you had the courage to come here, why didn’t you end your life in prison? Do you know? Your lord is very disappointed in you—extremely disappointed!”
The youth suddenly straightened his neck and back, declaring loudly, “I haven’t failed my lord! I haven’t! I didn’t say a word in prison. I am worthy of my lord, worthy of the Qingke Alliance!”
The masked man snorted coldly, “What’s the point of saying these things now? You should know what to do.”
Realizing further words were futile, the youth closed his eyes and stopped struggling. “Hurry up and do it. End it quickly.”
“Very well!”
With a sharp shout, the masked man drew a long sword from his waist and thrust it at the youth’s chest, its cold blade gleaming.
“Get out of the way!”
Nan Jiyun appeared out of nowhere, using his strength to push the youth aside. With a quick flip and a slight push from his toes, he stood firmly five steps away from the masked man.
“Reveal your name! I, Nan Ba, never kill nameless people!”
Spitting lightly, Nan Jiyun glanced at the masked man with disdain.
“Ha, haha.”
The masked man laughed loudly and waved his hand toward the forest. “He overestimates himself! Kill him!”
Dozens of men in black rushed out of the bamboo forest, each holding a standard crossbow. Their dark handles glowed with an eerie silver light under the campfire.
“Fire!”
Short, simple, forceful.
Dozens of crossbows fired simultaneously. Arrows shot through the air, forming a dense net that rushed toward Nan Jiyun with a whooshing sound.
A destructive force filled the air, filled with murderous intent. Dozens of arrows aimed at Nan Jiyun’s vital points with terrifying speed—the situation was critical!
One hundred steps, fifty steps, fifteen steps!
“Trivial tricks.”
Nan Jiyun drew his sword! It moved like thunder, swift as lightning.
His sword traced a semicircle in the air, descending like a meteor. At that moment, sword and man became one; the hilt bent slightly inward, tracing a delicate arc as it came to rest horizontally across his chest.
The arrows fell just three steps in front of Nan Jiyun, forming a cluster like a cold plum blossom—perfectly in place, not an inch off!

The bamboo forest was eerily quiet—so quiet that one could hear the soft sound of leaves falling, the buzzing of insects in late spring, and the fragile beating of each person’s heart. With a light step on his left foot, Nan Jiyun took off, drawing a half-circle in the air before swinging his sword horizontally straight at the Ghost-faced Man’s face. The strike was so swift that the Ghost-faced Man had no chance to dodge. Tilting slightly backward, he drew a strip of steel from his waist and met the sword head-on; with a slight twist, he managed to spin the mighty sword around completely! Only under the dim moonlight could everyone see that the strip of steel was actually a soft sword—a superb blade forged from precision steel and worn at the waist. The soft sword moved like a caterpillar retracting or a dragon coiling. With a gentle twist, the Ghost-faced Man reduced much of Nan Jiyun’s sword’s force. Using his right foot as an axis, he drew a full circle; with a slight shake of his wrist, he sent the remaining force back at his opponent, forcing Nan Jiyun to rely on two bamboo stalks to stay upright. Nan Jiyun smirked, let out a triumphant shout, then turned sideways and began circling the Ghost-faced Man. He spun faster and faster, his movements converging into a streak of light. With each step, he broke another bamboo stalk. By the time he completed one full circle, thirteen broken bamboo pieces shot like arrows at vital points on the Ghost-faced Man’s body. It turned out that though the soft sword was incredibly fast and agile, it was only effective in close combat. Realizing he couldn’t gain any advantage in a close fight, Nan Jiyun devised this strategy to force the Ghost-faced Man to reveal a flaw. Even though the Ghost-faced Man was highly skilled, he was still shocked by Nan Jiyun’s attack. Using strength from his back, he leaped backward, just managing to avoid twelve bamboo “arrows.” The last one, however, cut across his lower abdomen with divine power, leaving a trail of blood. “Hiss.” Covering his wound, the Ghost-faced Man still sneered, “Feng Deyin, you can’t escape. Our master won’t let you go—never.” With that, he leaped upward, scattering sparks of fire. The clearing was already covered in green phosphorus, and as the sparks landed, fierce flames erupted. Thick smoke drifted over on the night breeze, making it hard to breathe. “Brother Nan, hurry up! The smoke is poisonous!” Li Kuo and Lei Wanchun rushed over, shouting loudly. “Mm!” Grabbing the still-shocked Feng Deyun with one hand and covering his nose and mouth with the other, Nan Jiyun pushed off and dashed out of the bamboo forest with them.

That night, a fierce fire broke out in the bamboo forest behind the Qinglong Temple. The azure flames, accompanied by pale yellow smoke, filled the sky over Leyouyuan. The distinctive bitter smell of phosphorus, along with the stench of burning corpses, drifted past the Qinglong Temple, to Zhuque Street, and even to the bedroom of the sacred emperor in the Daming Palace.
Note 1: Leyouyuan: Located south of Chang’an (present-day Xi’an), it was the highest point in the Tang Dynasty city. Emperor Xuan of Han built the Leyou Temple there, also known as Leyou Garden or Leyouyuan. From its summit, one could overlook Chang’an City.