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墨書 Inktalez
In the year 679, during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Wu Zetian's rule faced discontent among officials, leading to turmoil throughout the court and the realm. In response to the unrest, Wu Zetian was furious and employed Di Renjie to purge the court while sending troops to quell the disturbances. In March of that year, Ashidwenfu, a leader of the Eastern Turkic tribes, rebelled against the Tang dynasty. In July, Pei Xingjian, Minister of Rites and concurrently General of the Right Guard, was ordered north to suppress the rebellion and escort the exiled Persian royal family back home. Our story unfolds in Chang'an against this backdrop—a tale of a group of individuals navigating through thrilling and bloody conflicts in the night, whose names have never been recorded in true history.
Hearing the crowing of the rooster from outside the palace, Wuxing knew it was time for his shift. He donned his armor and stepped out of the side room of the Right Golden Guard Commandery, waiting at the entrance for his patrol soldiers.
Unlike other guards within the palace, Wuxing led a unit known as the Shadow Guard. Every night during his shift, he would patrol between Han Yuan Hall and Xuan Zheng Hall with his fellow brothers, guarding against threats from another world.
After Taizong ascended to the throne, perhaps due to excessive bloodshed, he frequently reported disturbances caused by demons, living in constant fear and unable to sleep. The Chief Officer Chi Gong proposed gathering those with unique abilities to form the Shadow Guard for palace protection. As their numbers grew, they gradually became a distinct unit apart from the Sixteen Guards. Initially composed mainly of civilian freaks, the Shadow Guard continued through a master-apprentice system. The commander of the Shadow Guard is typically a Zhonglangjiang; currently, Shen Qianqi serves as both Wuxing's Shibo and leader of the Shadow Guard. The attire worn by members of the Shadow Guard resembles that of ordinary palace guards but features an embroidered white Flying Fish on their collars—symbolizing vigilance since fish do not close their eyes day or night. The thread used for Flying Fish is made from special materials that allow visibility in darkness, distinguishing them from regular guards. The Shadow Guard takes their positions at sunset and leaves at sunrise, serving as a barrier protecting royal safety during nighttime.
After standing for a short while, a squad leader accompanied by ten soldiers approached Wuxing. This squad leader was one of five assigned to assist him. Mariko stepped forward and bowed respectfully; despite Wuxing holding a rank as an Upper Fruit Captain, he was still senior to Mariko who served under Guide.
Wuxing returned the bow without saying much and led everyone toward Zhaoxun Gate, where they would pass through the first palace wall and enter their patrol area—responsible for everything eastward from Radiant Gate to Chongming Gate.
The group walked silently along the quiet palace path until they reached Zhaoxun Gate. The guards stationed there recognized them as patrolling officers and stepped forward to inspect their badges.
Wuxing gestured for his team to line up properly; they all removed their badges for inspection by the gate guards. Wuxing stepped forward to present his badge to an officer who was also an Upper Fruit Captain and had seen him countless times before.
After careful examination confirmed everything was in order, the palace gates slowly opened just wide enough for one person to pass through. Wuxing led his team inside.
Everything felt familiar; Han Yuan Hall was just to his left. From here to Radiant Gate across from them was a distance of six hundred eighteen steps—Wuxing silently counted in his mind, unable to recall how many times he had walked this path.
After walking quietly for a while, Wuxing suddenly stopped and raised his hand into a fist signaling everyone to halt. He turned around and called out to one soldier, "Zhou Ziyu, you don't look well today; are you sick?"
Zhou Ziyu's face was pale; he involuntarily twitched before stepping forward to respond, "Reporting to Captain Guo, after lunch today I experienced severe abdominal pain and have gone multiple times to relieve myself; perhaps I ate something bad."
Wuxing took a step closer, locking eyes with Zhou Ziyu as he calmly asked, "Mash Chief, is this true?" No one noticed that Wuxing's right hand had subtly moved towards his sword hilt, ready to strike at any sign of weakness.
"Reporting to Captain Guo, it is indeed true."
Wuxing continued, "Mash Chief, when did you last serve with me?"
"Reporting to Captain Guo, it was four days ago."
Wuxing sighed in relief; his right hand fell naturally by his side as he turned around and continued walking forward.
The Sergeant behind him, though somewhat perplexed, dared not speak further and quickly followed Wuxing. Mash Chief, however, had a vague understanding that the young Captain with the collar embroidered with Flying Fish was not an ordinary guard; he seemed to have other responsibilities. While he was never seen on duty, he quietly appeared in the palace at night. Even the other officers of the Sixteen Guards treated this guard with a measure of respect.
Wuxing was unaware of the thoughts of the Sergeants behind him, but he understood that such inspections were necessary. Whenever there was suspicion, safety had to be confirmed because what he needed to guard against was possession.
From the training he received from his master, Wuxing knew that many wandering spirits existed in this world. Most were harmless, but some could cause harm to humans.
For reasons unknown, certain spirits filled with strong resentment could attach themselves to ordinary people under certain circumstances. A possessed person often underwent drastic changes in temperament; some would lurk silently to achieve their goals, while others would erupt violently, acting like madmen and endangering the populace.
However, possession required an adaptation period. Generally, those with weak wills would be disoriented and unclear in their minds immediately after being possessed. Soon, they would turn pale and feel an unnatural chill, as if suffering from a cold. When a possessed person seemed to recover from a serious illness, they had often been completely transformed into someone else.
Years of instinctive training made Wuxing attentive to every soldier's expressions and actions around him. He did not dare let his guard down; if one of those spirits were allowed into the palace, the consequences would be unimaginable.
As Wuxing thought about this, he tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. Since being taken in by his master at six years old and graduating at sixteen, he had spent countless nights guarding this place.
His life had become a cycle of patrolling, eating, sleeping, and training—nothing else mattered. Oh no, there was one more thing that constituted a part of Wuxing's life: a woman.
Wuxing knew that if all went well as he passed through Radiant Gate and walked another eight hundred forty steps straight ahead, he would soon see this woman atop the gate tower of Chongming Palace.
He also knew she was a guard—specifically one of Wu Zetian's personal bodyguards—a renowned member of the Phoenix Guard! This elite group was personally selected by Wu Zetian for their beauty and skills in both literature and martial arts; they were also known for their singing and dancing abilities. They protected Wu Zetian's safety within the palace.
Wuxing remembered her from three years ago when he stumbled upon her during a night patrol at Chongming Palace. The sight of her in red armor and a white cloak was striking against the night sky; it captured all of Wuxing's attention. He was astonished by her identity as a female guard and intrigued by her dazzling attire. He found himself wanting to know more about her background—was she perhaps an orphan like him?
Having never interacted with women before, he began to pay attention to this unexpected presence in his life. Later on, he learned about the Phoenix Guard from his master and was surprised to discover that they often crossed paths during their night patrols—one on the palace gate tower and the other below it.
Wuxing did not know if she had ever noticed him; all he knew was that soon he would gaze up at that enigmatic woman again as she headed west while he moved eastward, each continuing their patrols separately.
Before long, they arrived at Radiant Gate. Like the previous palace gate, it only opened after careful verification of identities. Wuxing quickly led his team through in single file.
Once inside Radiant Gate, Mash Chief prepared to lead his team eastward until they reached the easternmost foot of the city wall before heading north along it past Dragon's Head Canal to Dragon's Head Hall. Meanwhile, Wuxing would proceed straight to Chongming Gate and then eastward to intersect with the patrol team, repeating this cycle until dawn.
After watching Mash Chief lead the Sergeants away, Wuxing slowly approached Chongming Gate as the palace drums sounded—the hour of Hai had arrived—and he stood beneath Chongming Gate.
He slowly lifted his head, but the familiar figure did not appear. Wuxing felt a bit anxious; it had been three years, and he had grown accustomed to catching a glimpse of her here before continuing his night patrol. This had seemingly become a part of his routine.
Standing blankly under the palace wall, he squinted up at the city tower above. The Chongming Gate was brightly lit, and the guards had become familiar with this young Captain. They all knew he could not enter the palace gates, so they were less wary of Wuxing and treated him with more casualness.
"Captain Guo, waiting for your beauty again?" "Haha, Captain Guo, you are always so punctual! It's quite rare!"
The guards laughed and joked. They were all part of the outer guard and could not enter the inner court beyond Chongming Gate. They also had no idea who the woman Wuxing encountered on his nightly patrol was.
Wuxing was not annoyed; he shifted his gaze from the city tower and smiled lightly at the guards before turning to look into the darkness to the west. The vast area between Han Yuan Hall and Xuan Zheng Hall was under the jurisdiction of Shibo Shen Qianqi's top disciple, Unharmed. Further beyond was the patrol area of Second Master Meng Qianli's second disciple, Regretless. He wondered where they might be hiding at this moment.
After hesitating for a moment, Wuxing decided not to wait any longer and turned eastward, following along the palace wall. Ahead was Dragon's Head Hall, where he should meet up with Mash Chief. He couldn't possibly wait until Mash Chief led the team all the way to Chongming Gate!
As he stepped out of the palace grounds, his vision immediately darkened; everything around him was pitch black. Wuxing squinted and slowed his pace, taking slow steps forward. To his right was Dragon's Head Canal, a waterway that entered from Palace Exterior and extended into the inner court. However, there were sluice gates along the waterway that prevented anyone from passing through. Not even ghosts could enter because Wuxing knew that powerful sorcerers had set up a demon-slaying array in the inner court; entering would mean certain doom.
Unless... it was possession. As this thought crossed his mind, Wuxing suddenly felt a drastic drop in temperature around him, followed by a chilling wind rushing toward him from ahead!
(To be continued; more exciting content tomorrow!)
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