Volume One: The Youngest Among Three Hundred Chapter Ninety-Eight: Only Him

At the last quarter of the You hour, the sun tilted low, its afterglow spilling from where the mountains met the sky, gilding the entire city of Chang’an with a golden edge. In the westernmost part of the capital’s outskirts, Wuyi Lane shone particularly bright under this light.

Bathed in the yellow glow, Tao Yuan limped painfully into the entrance of Wuyi Lane, dragging an injured leg. He raised his hand to greet, but was abruptly silenced by a sharp clap.

“Hey, looks like someone’s coming from over there!”

“Tao Shangyi, it’s Tao Shangyi!”

Two guards stationed at the lookout tower at the alley’s mouth spotted him and hurried over, each taking one of his arms to support him. “Tao Shangyi, are you alright?”

“No… quickly, take me to meet Vice Commanders Cao Cheng and Cheng Mulong!”

About fifteen minutes later, in Room 209 of the second floor of the Wuyi Guard’s hidden barracks, Tao Yuan lay propped against soft pillows. Vice Commanders Cao Wu and Cheng Mulong stood vigil beside him. Upon seeing him awake, they both asked in unison, anxious: “What happened?”

Tao Yuan clutched his chest, his features contorted with pain and grief. “Vice Commander Cao, Vice Commander Cheng, I have failed. I couldn’t protect the new recruits. They… they all perished in the horse training grounds!”

“What?” Cao Wu’s face paled in shock.

“What’s going on?” Cheng Mulong’s pupils dilated sharply.

Severely wounded, Tao Yuan collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face as he sobbed: “It’s all my fault. The horse grounds were indeed a stronghold of the Dragon Slayers’ Guild, filled with formidable experts, including two warriors at the Life-and-Death Realm seventh grade.”

“I… I could only watch as the recruits fell, powerless to intervene!”

He was overwhelmed with sorrow, pounding his fists on the ground.

“What… what? Seventh-grade Life-and-Death Realm?”

“In Chang’an, aside from a handful in the court, there are actually warriors at seventh-grade Life-and-Death Realm?”

Both Cao Wu and Cheng Mulong’s faces turned unusually pale. They had not personally led the operation, sending Tao Yuan to encircle the horse grounds instead—not merely for training the new recruits, but also because their own assessment suggested overwhelming strength. Yet they never imagined the Dragon Slayers’ Guild possessed two warriors at such a high level.

Cao Wu’s pinky trembled involuntarily.

Cheng Mulong’s breathing grew heavier and more labored.

Tao Yuan, catching their extreme reactions, allowed a fleeting smirk in his narrow eyes before howling out: “Ah, not only are they seventh-grade Life-and-Death warriors, but they also wield terrifying original techniques I’ve never seen before. No matter how hard we fought, we were no match!”

He coughed incessantly, then painstakingly pulled from his bosom several bloodstained booklets. “I… I could only bring back these. Inside are the Dragon Slayers’ Guild’s member lists, founding dates, future plans, and so on!”

Suddenly, a stream of bright red liquid escaped his lips along with his words. Tao Yuan grinned maniacally, nervously thrusting the booklets into Cheng Mulong’s hands, then raised his head to slam it against a red-lacquered wooden pillar.

“Whoosh!”

Just as the collision was about to occur, Cheng Mulong raised his hand, conjuring a wall of energy to block the impact. He scolded sharply: “Tao Yuan, what are you trying to do?”

Turning his bloodshot eyes back, Tao Yuan said: “Vice Commander Cheng, Vice Commander Cao, I have failed to protect the young recruits under my charge. I must offer my life as atonement.”

“Ridiculous!” Cheng Mulong flicked his sleeve and dragged Tao Yuan several meters away from the pillar, scolding: “Tao, you are a member of the Xuanzu Wuyi Guard. Such behavior is disgraceful. Where is your manly spirit?”

“If you really…” Tao Yuan paused, his heart aching as he collected himself. “If you truly feel sorry for them, then find those Dragon Slayers and take revenge. Dying now is just running away from responsibility, do you understand?”

Cao Wu sighed softly: “Vice Commander Cheng is right. If your heart aches for the fallen recruits, then the Dragon Slayers’ Guild must be completely eradicated to avenge them.”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

Tears streamed down Tao Yuan’s face. “Vice Commander Cheng, Commander Cao, you’re right. They did not die in vain. I will have my revenge!”

His fists clenched, teeth grinding.

The next moment, he suddenly clung to Cheng Mulong’s thigh. “Vice Commander Cheng, tomorrow let me present these booklets from the horse grounds to Her Majesty the Empress. First, to clarify the investigation progress on the Dragon Slayers; second, to honor the fallen recruits with official recognition.”

“There is some gain, after all. I want to do something for them, so Her Majesty knows the names of every sacrifice. They… must not have died in vain!”

Cao Wu and Cheng Mulong exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously. “Very well. Rest well tonight and prepare to enter the palace tomorrow.”

This case had been personally ordered for investigation by Bai Wan. As per protocol, daily progress reports were mandatory. Moreover, Tao Yuan had witnessed the massacre firsthand and was emotionally affected, making refusal difficult.

“Oh, by the way, where is Chen Chang’an?” Cao Wu suddenly remembered the promising recruit he favored who had also taken part in the horse grounds encirclement.

Cheng Mulong’s nerves twitched. “Right, Chen Chang’an—how is he? He… he wouldn’t have also…”

Tao Yuan lowered his head slightly, sighing. “Chen Chang’an colluded with Dragon Slayers inside the horse grounds, intending to move against Sun Li. I have temporarily detained him in Jingzhao Prefecture.”

“What… what did you say?”

Cao Wu couldn’t help but laugh: “Chen Chang’an was just a plain son-in-law before joining the Wuyi Guard. How could he have any connection to the Dragon Slayers?”

“Complete nonsense! I’m going to see him!” Cao Wu shouted as she strode toward the door, vanishing instantly by teleportation the moment she stepped outside.

Cheng Mulong hurried after her: “Hey, wait for me!”

Inside the modest room, the flickering light danced. Tao Yuan set aside his pain and straightened his back, eyes fixed on the direction they departed. A faint smile curled at his lips. “Hmph, Life-and-Death Realm? Vice Commanders? They were all played by me.”

…

In the Jingzhao Prefecture prison, Chen Chang’an sat cross-legged, leisurely drumming his left hand on his knee, humming a tune, while his right hand toyed with a pork knuckle.

“Master Chen, how do you like the dinner I brought?”

“Yes, Master Chen, come, let me rub your shoulders!”

Zhao Gang knelt or crouched nearby, eyes full of admiration, refusing to miss any chance to serve Chen Chang’an attentively alongside several followers.

Originally, they had come seeking revenge, but within just over half a month, the once only capable of flaunting imperial edicts—now blind—son-in-law had ascended to a second-grade Soul Cultivation Realm warrior, mastering ghostly arts. Just a few taps on acupuncture points on his chest left him writhing in agony.

According to Chen, if the points were not unlocked by midnight, death would ensue.

So Zhao Gang and the others dared not even think of reporting this to their superiors, instead kowtowing sincerely.

“Master Chen, now that you’ve eaten, please release the acupuncture points on us brothers.”

Pausing his humming and nibbling on the pork knuckle, Chen Chang’an waved dismissively. “No rush. The deadline is midnight.”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Half-kneeling, Zhao Gang nodded vigorously, obediently holding Chen’s mouth to catch the bone fragments he spat out.

“Good, you have good sense!” Chen patted his head kindly, like a playful dog.

The other inmates in the prison cast envious glances. All wore prison garb and were undergoing reform. How could their fates be so vastly different?

…

In the Su family estate at Yong’an Lane, Su Wanqiu furrowed her elegant brows and leaned against the window, listening to the cool wind rustle through the branches. She asked Zhu Jiawen, who was studying under the stars in the courtyard, “Second brother-in-law, when does the Wuyi Guard’s shift end?”

Zhu Jiawen marked his reading spot with a fingertip and looked up. “It should be at the beginning of the Xu hour.”

“Oh.”

Su Wanqiu replied with a word, muttering softly, “Then why hasn’t he returned?”

“Ah!”

Suddenly, Qin Fuluo, already dressed only in a white undergarment and disheveled, burst out from the house, stomping and shouting: “I just remembered, my precious third son-in-law hasn’t come home yet. Something’s wrong!”

“Could he be lost?”

“Ding Feng, quickly… go find Chang’an. It’s dark now. What if he runs into bad people!”

On the rooftop, Su Dingfeng, striking a pose, responded loudly: “No!”

“Are you going or not?” Qin Fuluo plopped down and rolled on the ground. “Are you going or not? Oh dear, you’re unfilial, not listening to your mother!”

“Hurry, go bring my precious third son-in-law back!”

Su Dingfeng remained stubborn: “No!”

“Oh heavens, Su Dingfeng of the Bashan Sword Sect once fought with a curly-haired sheep for milk at age three, fell into a cesspit, and at four years old, got his pants torn stealing peaches. I had to sew and patch all night, and at four and a half…”

“Ah!”

A roar interrupted Qin Fuluo’s storytelling. Su Dingfeng stood, his face darker than the night around him, veins twitching on his temples as he said, “Fine, I’ll go, alright?”