Chapter 147: The Resolution

"Viewing the entire city of Chang'an from the ramparts is truly quite wonderful. The lights of ordinary households are as brilliant as ever."

Banners fluttered in the warm night breeze. Wu Yueling leaned against the city wall, gazing out at the vast and majestic city of Chang'an, murmuring to herself.

Faint, scattered points of light emitted a sparse radiance in the night of Chang'an; those were the lights from the homes of ordinary commoners.

The night was not yet deep, and the sound of looms was faintly audible. Toil and busyness remained the true essence of life.

In a metropolis of a million souls like Chang'an, nightlife was never absent. Those clusters of lights burning the brightest belonged either to the sprawling mansions of wealthy merchants or the luxurious estates of government officials, filled with the sounds of stringed instruments, songs, and dancing, accompanied by beautiful women. Such extravagant lifestyles were indeed coveted by many.

Yet, the brightest place of all remained the Imperial City. Even from a considerable distance, the towering Imperial City still radiated a dazzling brilliance.

The resplendent night lamps of the Imperial City represented the prosperity of the capital of Chang'an. May such light never be extinguished.

Within the city, there were newly arrived merchants from afar, as well as families who had lived in Chang'an for generations, running small, modest businesses.

There were also scholars reading late into the night by the light of oil lamps; in their eyes, only the knowledge found within books offered the path to a perfect life.

Pleasure houses always emitted an intoxicating, decadent fragrance, luring guests who sought fleeting merriment.

All in all, this was a place steeped in the rich flavor of life, a city woven together by the intricate and complex networks of human relationships.

Among the rooftops steeped in the dark of night, bright points of fire suddenly ignited, appearing crystal clear from the vantage point of the city walls.

"It has begun!"

Turning over to sit atop the parapet, Wu Yueling swung her legs like a little girl. Even though the pitch-black abyss yawned directly beneath her feet, her heart remained entirely untroubled. When it was time to be innocent, one should remain pure, without mixing in any other extraneous emotions.

Footsteps sounded from behind. It seemed the prisoner had been brought; thus, the audience for this stage play was now complete.

"Question the first: what was your intention in founding the Manichaean sect?"

Beneath a pale yellow lantern, Wu Yueling turned around. Her bright red garments were strikingly eye-catching, resembling a fully bloomed, gorgeous flower breaking free from the shackles of the dim lamplight, giving off an impression of immense maturity and poise.

Faced with the interrogation, the thoroughly battered Tuomanshan did not lose his composure. However, the person guarding him at this moment was an extremely ominous fellow, and Tuomanshan was not naive enough to think that the Chief of the Unbadged would simply let him go.

Even so, upon seeing the princess dressed in crimson and exuding a mature aura, he couldn't help but hesitate regarding his choice of words.

The Manichaean sect was, after all, affiliated with the Right Chancellor's faction. Although it had never openly acknowledged the Right Chancellor as its supreme head, it basically followed his orders. Even without the Chief of the Unbadged spelling it out, the princess ought to understand the gravity of this connection.

"To hear a hundred times is not as good as seeing once. Her Highness the Princess Protecting the Country is truly worthy of being one of the Drunken Eight Immortals, possessing extraordinary grace and demeanor..."

"There is no need for flattery. You merely need to answer my questions!"

His words were cut short, and Tuomanshan felt a rising surge of anxiety within. Did she not fall for this routine? No matter what, he still had to lay out the stakes and consequences.

This was his only remaining means of preserving his life. Surely even the Princess Protecting the Country could understand the terrifying extent of the Right Chancellor's ability to manipulate the court and cover the sky with a single hand at present.

"I am the third-generation leader of the Manichaean sect. Naturally, it was for the sake of wealth, for the most basic guarantee of survival..."

As a prisoner, Tuomanshan wore a flattering smile plastered across his face. Though entirely reluctant, he had no other choice, compelled as he was by the immediate threat of death.

"I see," Wu Yueling understood. Although previous intelligence reports had mentioned this point, the Manichaean sect had once suffered a decline, and it was only through this man's strenuous efforts to rebuild and rally its forces that it had achieved its current growth, ultimately surpassing the Unbadged in sheer strength.

"Then, you may enjoy this performance. Look—those raging flames, every single one of those places, are hidden strongholds of the Manichaean sect. This is far more than just the result of you folks causing trouble for me."

Resting her chin in her hand, she cast her gaze toward the darkness within the city walls. In numerous locations there, fires had broken out—those were precisely the strongholds where the Manichaean sect had deeply rooted itself in Chang'an.

Tuomanshan’s curly beard still bore traces of dried blood, and his disheveled long hair hung down. As he looked at the places where the fires were rising, an unnatural expression tightened across his smiling face. The combination of the two appeared profoundly discordant.

This fellow seemed to be feeling a genuine ache in his heart. Wu Yueling glanced sideways at Tuomanshan, feeling not a shred of pity. The existence of the Manichaean sect had harmed the people close to her, and it fundamentally violated the values she held dear—that children are precious treasures.

Noticing the reaction of this 'audience member,' Wu Yueling deeply immersed herself in her role and continued her narrative, "Your Third Sect Leader, the sworn third brother, has already confessed to everything!"

"Impossible!"

Faced with that shouted denial, Wu Yueling smiled inwardly. It appeared this fellow's emotions had been completely brought under her control, so she decided to pour a little more fuel on the fire. "Because your third brother has an aging mother, he leaked all the intelligence. But it seems you lot kept plenty of secrets from him as well."

Keeping secrets from him referred to the secret tunnel of the Manichaean sect's main stronghold. That tunnel ran very deep, extending all the way to the little stream cliff outside Changling.

It was precisely because of this reason that the slippery fish Luo Yishi had managed to escape. If her estimation was correct, he must have fled straight to the Right Chancellor's estate.

Realizing his lapse in composure, Tuomanshan let his face go cold, his expression turning ferocious as he tore away his mask of pretense. "Princess, let's stop beating around the bush. The Manichaean sect is the Right Chancellor's martial arts organization. Who calls the shots in Chang'an right now? Surely you are not unaware of that?"

"Oh."

Her flat response carried no discernible emotional fluctuation. That single, simple word utterly crushed his final pillar of reliance.

Tuomanshan couldn't help but shiver involuntarily. Could it be that the princess was truly so utterly devoid of self-awareness?

"Once upon a time, there was an adorable young woman. She knew how to make rice wine-stewed donkey meat, she was very diligent, and she knew how to care for and look after people. Such a young woman is the ideal wife of every man's dreams. Yet you people inexplicably destroyed her."

Wu Yueling recounted this in a calm tone. In her mind's eye flickered a round, smiling face, while the revolving lantern of memory turned... smearing her own face into an absolute mess... dragging her up at dawn to look at spider webs spun across the dew... painstakingly spending a whole year weaving garments for her... appearing clumsy most of the time but actually being quite clever... An involuntary, warm arc curved up at the corners of her lips, though that warmth immediately dissipated as she continued her tale.

"What do you mean?"

Cold sweat beaded on Tuomanshan's forehead.

"That day, Manichaean zealots tore her away from my side. That is why I resolved to plot everything! To calculate and scheme!"

"Originally, I was someone who played by the rules. But one day, my spear stopped playing by the rules, and then my heart stopped playing by the rules as well. So, I made up my mind."

"I leave him to your disposal..."

Her voice grew more and more distant, and the final sentence seemed addressed to Zhang Heng, the Chief of the Unbadged.

Tuomanshan continued to beg desperately for mercy, but to no avail.

When the unnatural fires within the city of Chang'an finally died out, everything was settled.

And the master and disciple standing atop the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda descended as well.

Sikong Ming was sentenced to forced labor and reform, because he still had an aging mother.

Tu Shen was let go, because he still had a reason to live—that was Lan'er's conviction, the conviction of vengeance. Very often, a person needed a steadfast obsession in life. When the time came for Lan'er to become an assassin, everything would be brought to a conclusion by her own hands.

As for the Manichaean sect, it was utterly and thoroughly eradicated on this day.