Volume One: The Youngest Among Three Hundred Chapter 121: Killing a Friend-I Once Slew Immortals in Chang'an(Bathed in moonlight, she leaned against the balcony.)

Today is the second day since the identity of Chen Chang'an as the leader of the anti-imperial organization, the Dragon Slaying Society, was exposed, and since he became linked to the death of the current Empress Bai Wan's beloved pet, Zhang You. The intensity of public discourse across the city has soared to its peak; grandfathers and grandmothers buying vegetables and chickens are all whispering about it.

"Hey, have you heard? That son-in-law of the Su family, the one named Chen Chang'an who was blind for several years, is apparently the leader of the Dragon Slaying Society!"

"The Dragon Slaying Society? What on earth is that?"

"It’s an anti-imperial organization. Seriously, have you really not heard of it?"

"Anti-imperial? Is that for real? You just said he’s a live-in son-in-law; where would he get the guts or the backing to pull something like that off?"

"Good grief, could it be fake? The imperial court has dispatched several squads to hunt him down throughout the city. I heard Chen Chang'an shouted it out himself right in front of the Left Guard Imperial troops, and he even wounded two of his own colleagues from the Black-Clad Guard with his blade at the scene."

"Move aside, everyone, move aside!"

"Encircle this place! Everyone, get in there and search!"

Just as they were discussing, a squad arrived in a grand, imposing manner, surrounding the shop they were standing in front of. They charged inside, smashing furnishings and wares. Moments later, the leader walked out with his main force and waved, shouting, "He’s not here! Next place!"

...

In the main hall of the Criminal Justice Department, Li Shu’s brows were knitted so tightly they looked like twisted dough. He shifted his posture in front of his desk, feeling uncomfortable no matter how he sat. The document in his hand, issued by the Ministry of Justice—a direct subordinate agency—was already soaked with sweat. In plain black and white, it read: *The Three Ministries are to join forces to capture Chen Chang'an!*

His mood was inexplicably heavy.

"Sigh, Chen Chang'an is the leader of the Dragon Slaying Society; he wants to revolt against the imperial court!"

"Chen Chang'an... is the leader of the Dragon Slaying Society, anti-imperial!"

Having received the order, Li Shu seemed to have no intention of preparing for action, merely repeating the words under his breath. Before long, the heavily built Wu Yuanheng, whose girth was twice that of an average man, ran in, drenched in sweat and panting heavily, "Hey, have... have you received the official document to arrest Chen Chang'an?"

Recalling the awkward experience of brawling with this fat man on the street a few days ago, Li Shu rolled his eyes, held out his palms, and said, "I have!"

The usually taciturn Wu Yuanheng went into a frenzy: "Tell me, is someone framing him? Chen Chang'an has helped us solve cases twice, and he is a member of the Black-Clad Guard. How could he possibly establish an anti-imperial organization? How could he be the leader of the Dragon Slaying Society?"

Seeing Wu Yuanheng's anxious state, Li Shu, though equally worried about Chen Chang'an, deliberately responded with steady composure to provoke him: "Why are you in such a rush? Besides, does being anxious help?"

"He’s nothing more than an ordinary rookie who joined the Black-Clad Guard. Who would have nothing better to do than frame him? Furthermore, according to the reliable information I received, Chen Chang'an admitted it himself in front of the Left Guard Imperial Commander, Suo Yong, and they even crossed swords."

"Hey... hey! Move aside, oh my goodness!"

Before the words had even faded, Princess Changning jumped and shouted as she ran into the main hall, asking immediately, "Hey, I heard Chen Chang'an established some Dragon Slaying Society and is the leader, and now Mother Empress wants to arrest him throughout the city. Is it true or false?"

"Oh my, Your Highness the Princess, why are you here? Please, take the seat of honor!" Li Shu, who had been posturing in front of Wu Yuanheng, hurriedly gave up the main chair.

Changning stomped her feet, "What seat? Just tell me if it’s true or not!"

"It... it is true!" Li Shu and Wu Yuanheng replied.

Changning’s mood became increasingly agitated: "That’s complete nonsense! I heard those people who kidnapped me at Sanyuan Temple and killed Xiaolian were from the Dragon Slaying Society. If it weren't for Chen Chang'an, their scheme would have succeeded. Besides... besides, last time he thwarted the envoy from the Yuezhi Kingdom in the palace, boosting the prestige of our Great Min Kingdom. How could he possibly be against the imperial court?"

Her beautiful eyes darted around, and she stared at the two men: "If you two find any traces of Chen Chang'an while searching, don't you dare turn him in. Bring him to my manor."

"Perhaps in this situation, only my manor is a safe place!"

"Ye... yes, Your Highness the Princess!" Li Shu and Wu Yuanheng nodded with dry tones, quite surprised by Changning's reaction. It seemed that even though Chen Chang'an had joined the Black-Clad Guard, his importance was far from enough to influence the emotions of a princess of the realm.

Changning noticed their subtle expressions and, biting her lip, added a suspicious explanation: "Um, Chen Chang'an saved me twice. I have always been clear about rewards and punishments; I won't let him die before he has repaid his debt."

Wu Yuanheng and Li Shu said in unison, "Naturally. Your Highness's grace is vast; it is Chen Chang'an's good fortune."

Changning flicked her colorful sleeves and proudly lifted her small chin: "Hmph, anyway... whatever happens to him later has nothing to do with me. Alright, you two hurry up and go investigate; I’m going into the palace to plead with Mother Empress!"

Acting on her whims, she turned and left.

Li Shu watched Changning disappear at the end of the courtyard, nudged the fat man with his elbow, and smirked, "Hey, do you think our Princess likes Chen Chang'an?"

"Bullshit!" Wu Yuanheng retorted. "How could a princess like a man in white? Besides, Chen Chang'an is a married man—bah, a man with a wife!"

...

On the sixth floor of the Black-Clad Guard’s Armory Building, Cao Wu and Cheng Mulong convened an emergency meeting with four Xuan-rank guards to discuss the issue of Chen Chang'an.

Cheng Mulong stood at the front, head held high, trying to project the authority of a leader with his left eye while sneaking glances at the cheat sheet in his palm with his right, saying, "Regarding the matter of Chen Chang'an, I believe all four of you not only know about it but witnessed it. Share your thoughts."

After speaking, he sat down, and Cao Wu added four words: "Speak your minds!"

Both had tacitly withheld the truth discovered while investigating the horse ranch last night, choosing not to elaborate because they wanted to hear the most genuine, uninfluenced opinions of the four guards.

Another factor was the fear of a mole. When Ye Lin and Ruan Jingchu described the scene, they clearly mentioned that a man in black had ambushed Chen Chang'an from behind in the warehouse, using a Tai'an blade engraved with patterns...

After a brief silence, Yue Bingbing spoke first: "I think one point is worth noting. When Chen Chang'an entered the ranch, he did not fight outside but went straight to the warehouse to search for information. Judging from the scene, he had a fierce battle with someone inside."

"Master Dong, Ye Lin, and Ruan Jingchu can all testify to this. If Chen Chang'an were truly the leader of the Dragon Slaying Society, the ranch should have been his own territory. Why would the enemy attack him?"

"I examined the wound while Chen Chang'an was unconscious; it was almost fatal."

Lu Bozhong followed up: "Furthermore, looking at the wounds of the two colleagues Chen Chang'an cut, they were merely superficial scratches, not even qualifying as light injuries. Therefore, my view coincides with Bingbing's; he is likely not the so-called leader of the Dragon Slaying Society."

Next was Tao Yuan, who stood with his hands folded in his sleeves in a scholarly manner, enunciating clearly: "They have already expressed the opinions well. Let me speak about the stance we should take. If he really established the anti-imperial Dragon Slaying Society and is the leader, then out of the responsibility and duty of the Black-Clad Guard, we must bring him to justice."

"If he is not, we cannot stand by either. After all, he is a member of the Black-Clad Guard. We must find him, understand why he acted this way, and clear his name."

"Hmm!" Cheng Mulong nodded in satisfaction.

Cao Wu looked at Tan Shutong: "What about you? What do you think?"

Tan Shutong grumbled, "I just want to know why the hell he had to say those things himself!"

"That... we will have the answer once we find him!" Cao Wu replied casually and stood up, announcing, "Since you all believe the possibility of Chen Chang'an being the leader is slim or nonexistent, let's depart immediately to find him. Try your best not to let other agencies take him."

"Yes!"

The four Xuan-rank guards responded in unison and left the sixth floor. Once their footsteps faded, Cheng Mulong looked at Cao Wu and asked, "Who do you think attacked Chen Chang'an in the warehouse?"

Cao Wu shook her head: "Not sure, but I think I might know where he is."

"Oh?" Cheng Mulong's eyes lit up.

Cao Wu analyzed and retorted: "Based on my understanding of Chen Chang'an, he would definitely choose the most dangerous corner to hide in, because the darkest place is under the lamp. Which direction did he run at the very beginning?"

Cheng Mulong blurted out: "The mountain forest behind the ranch. Someone has already searched there."

Cao Wu’s voice was confident and clear: "Precisely because someone has searched there, no one will go again. Moreover, with a city-wide manhunt, even getting a meal in the market would be a problem. It’s different in the forest. Get ready, let’s go take a look."

"Alright!" Cheng Mulong pulled a mace from his back.

Cao Wu: "..."

...

On the training grounds outside the Armory Building, Ruan Jingchu and Ye Lin were discussing how to find Chen Chang'an and exchanging information.

Ruan Jingchu told him the truth discovered while investigating the ranch with the two vice-commanders last night—that Chen Chang'an was forced to defect against his will.

Ye Lin told her that he had been lurking within the various search squads, almost becoming a captain himself, yet he hadn't even caught a glimpse of the man.

At this moment, Tao Yuan, with a friendly and amiable smile, walked over from the distance and stopped in front of them.

"Senior Guard Tao!"

"Greetings, Senior Guard Tao!"

Ye Lin and Ruan Jingchu greeted him.

Tao Yuan nodded, his earnest gaze meeting theirs as he said, "I am here to pass on a message for Chen Chang'an. He wants to see you two."

"Chen Chang'an? Senior Guard Tao, do you know where he is?" Ye Lin and Ruan Jingchu asked excitedly in unison.

Tao Yuan nodded: "Actually, I have been searching for him ever since he attacked his colleagues at the ranch and left. I finally found him this morning. Chen Chang'an says he was forced to do that and wants to see you two because he needs help."

"Hmph, this guy Chen Chang'an, he always insists on carrying everything himself," Ye Lin chattered.

Ruan Jingchu said, "Then please take us there quickly, Senior Guard Tao."

"Hmm, alright!"

The two left the training grounds and, under Tao Yuan's guidance, headed toward the forest behind the ranch. About an hour later, they arrived and saw Chen Chang'an standing under a large willow tree with his back to them.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! You rascal, what is going on? Fine! I already know why you had to say those anti-imperial things. Hurry back, the two vice-commanders will surely be able to resolve this."

Ye Lin approached as he spoke, reaching the back of Chen Chang'an just as he finished his sentence, and reached out to pat his shoulder.

At that moment, Chen Chang'an, who had been standing still under the willow, suddenly turned around. He drew his blade, *Cangming*, from its sheath, and with a cold flash, stabbed it into Ye Lin's chest. It pierced straight through flesh and bone with a wet *thud*.

"Ah!"

Ye Lin froze on the spot, bright red blood spraying from his mouth and the wound in his chest. His expression collapsed into total disbelief, and he stuttered, "Why... why?"

Chen Chang'an curled his lips slightly and roared, "Dammit, you ask why? I am anti-imperial, and you are imperial. Understand?"

*Squish!*

As the blade was pulled from his chest, trailing a spray of crimson blood, Ye Lin collapsed to the ground, unwilling, uncomprehending, and indignant. The color drained from his eyes, and his life force was completely extinguished.

Ruan Jingchu was horrified: "Chen... Chen Chang'an, do you know what you are doing?"

"I know very well!"

Chen Chang'an imitated the "darkened" protagonists from dramas, his face twisting into a hideous expression. He suppressed his disgust, licked the blood off his blade, and said coldly, "Don't worry, you're next!"

*Whoosh!*

In the next second, his body turned into a blur, flickering in zigzagging flashes across the thirty-meter distance. In the blink of an eye, he reached her. With his *Peach Blossom Enchantment* technique activated at full efficiency, Ruan Jingchu, who was about to counterattack, suddenly felt her consciousness numb and her thoughts stall.

Chen Chang'an didn't hesitate; he grabbed her by the throat and squeezed harder and harder until she stopped breathing.

Tao Yuan, watching from the side, was momentarily stunned, clicking his tongue: "They were both at the Mountain-Opening and Spirit-Opening realms; they didn't even have a chance to use their techniques against you..."

"Heh!"

Chen Chang'an tossed the dead Ruan Jingchu to the ground, sheathed his blade, and brushed the dust from his clothes: "Enough talk, hurry up and inspect the goods. Confirm they are dead, then take me to your leader. I don't want to spend another moment hiding like this."

"Alright!"

Tao Yuan immediately crouched down to examine them thoroughly, even using a specialized technique to verify their deaths. Satisfied with the result, he patted Chen Chang'an on the shoulder and said, "Hmm, very good. They are indeed dead!"

"Chen Chang'an, now I believe you are truly committed to joining the Dragon Slaying Society!"

Before the words had finished, two figures moved rapidly from the foot of the mountain toward them. As they drew closer, they could clearly be identified as Cao Wu and Cheng Mulong.

Tao Yuan’s face turned pale: "Oh no!"