The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

A man dressed in a black brocade robe stood with his hands behind his back, his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes exuding a chilling murderous aura.

Two disheveled songstresses knelt beside the man, trembling with fear.

"General Lone City?"

Liu Kuan's knees buckled.

He fell to his knees with a thud, his forehead hitting the floor hard.

"This subordinate deserves to die! This subordinate deserves to die!"

General Gu Cheng snorted coldly, walked slowly to Liu Kuan, and used his toe to lift Liu Kuan's chin.

"Commander Liu has quite the airs of an official."

Liu Kuan's face was ashen, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

"General, please forgive me! This humble general did not know you were me."

"Go tell Liang Maoye."

Gu Cheng bent down, his voice as cold as a blade.

"Let him burn incense and bathe, and wait for this general to come and settle accounts."

"Yes, yes! This subordinate will go right away!"

Liu Kuan felt as if he had been granted a pardon and scrambled out of the room.

Even after leaving the brothel, Liu Kuan's legs were still trembling.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and roared at his deputy.

"Seal off the brothel! No unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter!"

"Commander, the murderer."

"You son of a bitch!"

Liu Kuan slapped the deputy general across the face.

"That's the General Who Guards the West! Anyone who doesn't want to die, shut your mouths!"

Having said that, he mounted his horse and, with six trusted men, headed straight for the Liang Prince's residence, his hooves kicking up a trail of dust.

The study of the Prince of Liang's residence.

Liang Maoye stared at the secret letter on the table.

The letter was sent by the Imperial Advisor and contained only a few words.

"Things may change; let's wait and see."

"Just wait and see what happens?"

Liang Maoye gave a wry smile and lit the letter over the candle flame.

"The people are all dead in the dungeon, how can we just observe?"

He stood up and walked to the window.

As dusk settled outside the window, several crows cawed noisily on the ancient locust tree in the courtyard, their cawing causing a sense of unease.

"Sir."

The old butler's voice came from outside the door.

"Commander Liu of the prefectural army requests an audience, saying he has important business to discuss."

Liang Maoye's heart skipped a beat.

"Let him in."

Liu Kuan practically stumbled into the study.

Half of his face was swollen, and there was blood at the corner of his mouth. He looked utterly disheveled.

"Your Highness! Something terrible has happened!"

Liu Kuan knelt down on the ground, his voice trembling.

"General Zhenxi, Gucheng. Gucheng is here!"

"what?"

The teacup in Liang Maoye's hand shattered on the ground with a "crack".

Are you sure it's an isolated city?

Liu Kuan shakily pulled the ebony token from his pocket.

"This was given to you by the General to deliver to the Crown Prince. He instructs you to burn incense and bathe, awaiting his arrival to settle accounts."

Liang Maoye took the token, his fingers trembling slightly.

The token felt cold to the touch, and the back was engraved with a soaring eagle—truly the symbol of the isolated city.

Why did he suddenly come here?

Liang Maoye's voice was dry.

Liu Kuan shook his head.

"This humble general is unaware. General, you killed three people at the brothel. This humble general led troops to apprehend them, and the result..."

Liang Maoye waved his hand to interrupt him.

"You may leave now. Do not spread this matter."

After Liu Kuan left, Liang Maoye slumped into the armchair.

The arrival of the isolated city was no accident—it must have been for the corpse in the dungeon.

"Where is the Crown Princess?"

He called out towards the door.

A moment later, Crown Princess Zhou Wei rushed over.

She was wearing a light purple ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and her hair was slightly disheveled, clearly indicating that she had just received the news.

"My lord, I've heard of the lonely city..."

"Go quickly and prepare the fragrant soup."

Liang Maoye interrupted her, his voice urgent.

"The isolated city is coming."

Zhou Wei's face turned deathly pale.

"Is it because of that?"

Liang Maoye nodded heavily.

"There's still no news from the Imperial Advisor, but Gu Cheng has arrived first. If that corpse really is a prince of Yan..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was crystal clear—the entire Liang Prince's mansion was likely doomed.

Zhou Wei suddenly grabbed his arm.

"My husband, why don't we..."

"escape?"

Liang Maoye gave a wry smile.

"Who in the world can escape the pursuit of this isolated city?"

The two remained silent. The cawing of crows outside the window grew increasingly shrill, as if mocking their despair.

Suddenly, Liang Maoye remembered something and abruptly stood up.

"No! If Gu Cheng came because of the death of the Yan prince, why did he go to the brothel first? And why did he kill someone there..."

Before he could finish speaking, hurried footsteps came from outside the door again.

"Sir!"

A guard rushed over in a panic.

"Wang Han, the second young master of the Cloud Sea Immortal Sect, requests an audience!"

Liang Maoye and Zhou Wei exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

"Wang Han?"

Liang Maoye frowned.

"What is he here for?"

Zhou Wei said in a low voice.

"Could it be because of his senior brother Jiang Chuan?"

Liang Maoye's pupils contracted.

Jiang Chuan—the one who was falsely accused of assassinating the Yan Kingdom's prince in the dungeon—is none other than the chief disciple of the Yunhai Immortal Sect!

"Please!"

Liang Maoye suddenly became excited.

"No, I'll go greet them myself!"

He had only taken two steps when he suddenly turned around.

"Where is Fairy Chen? Where is she now?"

Zhou Wei was taken aback.

"Master Deng placed her under house arrest at Fufeng Courtyard..."

"Confused!"

Liang Maoye slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

"Go and fetch Fairy Chen immediately! Be quick!"

Liang Maoye and Zhou exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes.

"It came faster than expected."

Liang Maoye straightened his clothes.

"Princess Consort, please return to the inner courtyard first. I will go and meet this Second Young Master."

Zhou hesitated, then spoke softly.

"Handle this carefully; Wang Han has a fiery temper..."

Liang Maoye nodded and strode towards the gate of the mansion. From afar, he could already hear the sounds of arguing.

"Where is Liang Maoye?! Tell him to get out here right now!"

A clear yet angry voice echoed through the front yard.

Liang Maoye turned around the corridor and saw a young man in a blue and white robe standing in the courtyard, followed by more than ten disciples of the Yunhai Immortal Sect.

The man had a handsome face, but his brows were filled with an unyielding chill; he was none other than Wang Han, the second young master of the Cloud Sea Immortal Sect.

"Young Master Wang has come from afar; I am sorry for not welcoming you properly."

Liang Maoye bowed respectfully, his expression unchanged.

Wang Han sneered.

"Stop pretending! The Liang Prince's Mansion has some nerve, daring to frame my senior brother for murdering the Prince of Yan!"

Just as Liang Maoye was about to explain, a white figure drifted over.

The newcomer was dressed in plain white gauze, with an exceptionally beautiful face, yet she carried an unconcealable anger.

"Fairy Chenqing..."

Liang Maoye's heart tightened. "Liang Maoye!"

Chen Qing's voice was icy.

"The Cloud Sea Immortal Sect helped the Liang Prince's Mansion quell the demonic calamity in the Western Territory, and this is how you repay kindness with enmity?"

The guards in the courtyard drew their swords, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

Liang Maoye raised his hand, signaling the guards to step back.

"Please calm down, fairy, there's more to this than meets the eye..."

"Hidden secret?"

Wang Han interrupted sharply.

"Everyone in the county is saying that it was my Cloud Sea Immortal Sect that started the war between the Great Zhou and the Yan Kingdom! What are your Liang Prince's Mansion up to?"

Liang Maoye explained.

"Young Master Wang, if I said that Young Master Jiang Chuan was framed, would you believe me?"

Wang Han was somewhat surprised, but then regained his cold and hard demeanor.

"Where's the evidence?"

"This is precisely why I want to cooperate with the Cloud Sea Immortal Sect."

Liang Maoye lowered his voice.

"Someone wanted to use us to do their dirty work; we've all been tricked."

Chen Qing and Wang Han exchanged a glance, and Chen Qing's anger subsided slightly.

The ground suddenly shook violently, and a deafening roar came from afar, causing the entire palace to tremble.

"what happened?"

Liang Maoye's expression changed drastically.

A guard stumbled over, his face filled with terror.

"My lord! General Gu Cheng of the Western Garrison... he rode his iron-eating beast and smashed open the main gate of the Prince's mansion!"

Liang Maoye was shocked; the worst had still happened.

"A lonely city?"

Wang Han frowned.

"What is he here for?"

Before Liang Maoye could answer, another deafening roar came, accompanied by the rumble of buildings collapsing.

Dust and smoke rose in the distance, and the silhouette of a huge iron-eating beast could be vaguely seen.

When Liang Maoye arrived at the main gate of the Prince's Mansion, he stared intently at the vermilion gate that had been violently blasted open—the central gate that once symbolized the majesty of the Prince's Mansion was now nothing but twisted copper nails and broken hinges.

"General, this..."

As soon as he opened his mouth, a strong smell of blood hit us.

More than a dozen corpses lay scattered in the courtyard, and blood meandered like a river on the bluestone slabs, with some places still steaming.

Liang Maoye's Adam's apple bobbed as he forcefully suppressed the churning in his stomach.

"Chief Secretary Liang is late."

The sound came from above.

Liang Maoye looked up and saw a two-zhang-tall iron-eating beast licking the bloodstains on its claws with its scarlet tongue.

A disheveled man sat crookedly on the beast's back, wearing only a dark robe that revealed a large expanse of his pale chest.

The man, a cold smile playing on his lips, was none other than Gu Cheng, the renowned General Who Guards the West, who commanded respect throughout the western frontier.

Liang Maoye immediately bowed, but his hands clenched so tightly in his sleeves that they turned white.

"This humble official greets the General. I was unaware of your sudden arrival."

"Come on this."

With a flick of his sleeve, Gu Cheng caused a few drops of blood to splatter onto Liang Maoye's face.

"I am most annoyed by the roundabout ways of you civil officials."

Before he could finish speaking, the sound of horses' hooves approached from afar.

Liang Maoye turned his head and saw a tall general in black armor riding into the courtyard.

The horse was entirely black, but its four hooves were covered in dark gold scales; it was a rare dragon-scale steed.

The general on horseback had a face as sharp as if carved by a knife and axe, and a black gold dagger on his back gleamed coldly in the morning light.

"He Liang, where are the things?"

"I am alone," Gu Cheng asked lazily.

Mad Saber He Liang did not answer, but simply took a square box from beside the saddle and casually tossed it on the ground.

The wooden box rolled a few times in the pool of blood, then the lid suddenly popped open, and a head rolled to Liang Maoye's feet.

"Zhao Zhen!"

Liang Maoye cried out in disbelief.

The head's eyes were wide open, its frozen expression still stuck in the moment of horror, and the blood at the severed neck had already turned black.

A series of hurried footsteps came from under the corridor.

Princess Zhou, accompanied by several maids, rushed over, but froze on the spot upon seeing the corpses scattered all over the ground.

She was wearing a plain white dress today, but now it was stained with bloodstains.

When Zhao Zhen's head rolled to her feet, the usually dignified Crown Princess suddenly covered her mouth, bent over, and began to gag violently.

"What do you mean, General?"

Liang Maoye finally lost his temper and pointed at Zhao Zhen's head, demanding an explanation.

"Zhao Zhen is the commander of the Prince's guards; even if he is guilty, the Prince should be held responsible."

"Just poisonous insects."

Gu Cheng casually played with the mane of the Iron-Eating Beast.

"I, the general, have cleaned up your house. It's fine if Chief Secretary Liang isn't grateful, but why is he coming here to interrogate me?"

Liang Maoye was so angry that he was trembling all over.

"The general broke down the inner gate of my palace, killed my guards, and even took Zhao Zhen's head. Where does this leave the dignity of the imperial family?"

"face?"

Gu Cheng suddenly burst into laughter, but his laughter carried a chilling undertone.

"When your Liang Prince's Mansion first targeted the Prince of Yan and then the eldest son of the Yunhai Immortal Sect, did you never think about the face of the imperial family?"

He suddenly leaned down, and the iron-eating beast let out a threatening growl.

"Who gave you the guts? Huh?"

Liang Maoye was struck dumb, and staggered back half a step.

The information in those words was so shocking that he was momentarily at a loss for words. Zhou, who was standing in the corridor, also stopped gagging, her pale face showing surprise and disbelief.

"General, be careful what you say!"

Liang Maoye maintained his composure.

"The assassination of the Yan Kingdom's prince is still under investigation, as for the eldest son of the Immortal Sect..."

"investigation?"

Gu Cheng scoffed and pulled out a scroll of silk from his robes, tossing it over.

"Look at the good deeds your retainers from the Liang Prince's Mansion have done!"

The silk scroll unfurled in the air, and Liang Maoye immediately recognized it as an arrest warrant from the Military Command. It prominently featured a portrait of Jiang Chuan, the eldest son of the Yunhai Immortal Sect, and the charge was "assassination of a prince of Yan." The warrant bore the seals of the Liang Prince's Mansion and the Military Command, and was dated yesterday.

"This is impossible!"

Liang Maoye exclaimed in disbelief.

"This humble official has never signed off on such an issuance."

"Of course Chief Secretary Liang didn't sign it."

The lonely city coldly interrupted him.

"It was your Commander Zhao who conspired with Zeng Xianming, the General of the Military Command, using the Prince's seal. Zeng Xianming is currently groaning in jail, and Zhao Zhen's head is at your feet—"

He suddenly narrowed his eyes.

"Should I also invite Li Wenzhi, the prefect of Longhai Commandery, to come and confront me?"

A cold sweat broke out on Liang Maoye's back.

Every name Gu Cheng uttered felt like a knife being plunged into his heart.

The seemingly unrelated names of Deng Yinhe, Zhao Zhen, Shang Yan, Zeng Xianming, and Li Wenzhi, when linked together, outline a terrifying conspiracy.

Kuangdao He Liang suddenly coughed lightly.

Gu Cheng glanced at him impatiently, but He Liang just stared blankly into the distance.

This subtle interaction did not escape Liang Maoye's notice—it seems that even Gu Cheng's confidants felt that what they had done today had gone too far.

"I am here to investigate the case on the orders of the Imperial Advisor."

Gu Cheng's tone suddenly softened, but it only made people more uneasy.

"Who knew that as soon as we arrived in Longhai County, we heard that you were searching the whole city for the eldest son of the Immortal Sect."

He slowly took out a folding fan from his sleeve.

It unfolded with a "snap".

The fan is painted with a beautiful landscape, with pavilions and towers faintly visible amidst the swirling clouds and mist.

Liang Maoye's pupils constricted sharply—this was the "Magnificent Landscape Map," a treasure of the Cloud Sea Immortal Sect, said to contain a hidden cave that could trap all things.

"Young Master Jiang Chuan is inside."

Gu Cheng lightly patted his palm with his fan.

"How does Chief Secretary Liang intend to explain this to the Immortal Sect?"

The courtyard was deathly silent.

Liang Maoye stared at the flowing cloud patterns on the fan and suddenly understood the true purpose of the Lonely City's large-scale mobilization today.

This is not a simple questioning and reprimand, but a meticulously planned reckoning—Zhao Zhen and others are merely pawns, with a much larger mastermind behind them.

"The general did a good job killing them."

Liang Maoye suddenly bowed deeply, his voice filled with unprecedented respect.

“Zhao Zhen abused the royal seal and slandered the young master of the Immortal Sect. He deserves to die.”

Gu Cheng, perched on the back of the Iron-Eating Beast, raised an eyebrow, seemingly quite surprised by this turn of events.

Zhou, who was standing in the corridor, also looked up, her eyes filled with surprise.

"Oh?"

Gu Cheng smiled knowingly.

"So Chief Secretary Liang is not going to pursue this general's crime of breaking into the gate?"

"General, you have rid the Prince's mansion of a scourge; what crime have you committed?"

Liang Maoye straightened up, his face regaining its composure. (End of Chapter)