Chapter 1: Must Kill

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Must Kill

Year Ten of the Da Hua Republic. Yin Mountain County.

The twilight, dark as ink, gradually seeped across the horizon. The air was thick with the choking scent of coal ash, mingling with the mundane smoke of household cooking fires. Yet, inexplicably, a faint, sweet fragrance of gardenia wove through the smog. It created a bizarre contrast.

Diagonally across the street, outside Shen’s Clothing Shop, an old phonograph crackled, crooning a soft and mellow local opera. The melody drifted aimlessly into the deepening night.

A female student, dressed in a washed-out Yin Dan Forest qipao, hurried along the bluestone paved road with her head bowed. Perhaps drawn by the singing, or sensing movement ahead, she subconsciously looked up.

A group of people was walking toward her. At the forefront was a strikingly conspicuous young man. He wore an impeccably tailored bespoke suit. Even its buttons gleamed with an aristocratic golden sheen under the fading daylight, accentuating his tall, upright posture and a face so handsome it bordered on ethereal beauty.

The female student’s gaze was instantly glued to him. Two quiet blushes crept up her cheeks, and her footsteps involuntarily slowed. However, the moment her eyes shifted to the two squads of heavily armed Guards in Public Security Bureau uniforms flanking him, that budding girlish infatuation was instantly replaced by terror.

Like a startled deer, she sharply lowered her head. Clenching the straps of her schoolbag, she practically stumbled out of the way, nearly tripping over the uneven stone slabs. After running a few steps away, she couldn’t help herself. She cast a panicked, backward glance at the young aristocrat. Her eyes held a mixture of lingering awe and palpable fear.

Lu Jing’an took in the female student’s reaction completely, but his heart remained entirely untroubled. He merely thought that this republican era—so often romanticized or mythologized by future generations—was nothing special when experienced firsthand. Everywhere he looked, the world was steeped in dreary tones of black, white, and gray. Bright colors were a rare luxury.

Even that female student was far too thin. Hers was not the slender figure preferred by certain modern aesthetics; rather, she was sallow and skeletal from long-term malnutrition. She had long lost the healthy, full beauty that youth ought to possess.

But this was to be expected. In this current era, with the North and South at a standoff and Warlord factions embroiled in endless wars, government decrees carried no weight beyond a hundred miles. Wild rumors ran rampant among the common folk—tales of mountain spirits, wild monsters, and foul demons. Various Evil Cult groups also took advantage of the chaos to stir up trouble and beguile the masses. In such turbulent times, just surviving with all one’s limbs intact was difficult enough; those who could afford a full meal were in the absolute minority.

Such a backdrop left the transmigrated Lu Jing’an profoundly dissatisfied. The timeline of this world strayed entirely too far from his understanding. All the "prophetic" knowledge he had prepared for his transmigration was practically useless here. This place resembled the republican era on the surface, but underneath, it was a bizarre, imagination-shattering reality. The cities here felt less like modern metropolises and more like makeshift havens barely carved out of boundless absurdity and danger.

However, Lu Jing’an was quite satisfied with his current identity: the only son of the Yin Mountain County Public Security Bureau Chief. In an age where rulers changed as frequently as the banners on the city walls, county magistrates might be swapped out through a revolving door. But his father, a bureau chief wielding true, pragmatic power, held an iron-clad domain that was as steady as a boulder. Every newly appointed magistrate had to personally visit their residence upon arrival, relying entirely on the Lu Family’s assistance to govern.

As the sole heir, Lu Jing’an was spoiled to the heavens. He was the bona fide Crown Prince of Yin Mountain County. Yet, just half a month ago, this very Crown Prince had nearly lost his life. A meticulously planned assassination had almost sent him to meet Yama.

The Public Security Bureau deployed its entire force, turning the county upside down. Every gang, large and small, scrambled to sever any ties to the incident. The city’s merchants trembled in terror as they fully cooperated with the investigations. Even the county magistrate personally brought a master Lamp Cultivator from the Anping Bureau to mend Lu Jing’an’s soul and heal his wounds.

Fortunately, Lu Jing’an managed to scrape his life back from the brink. Otherwise, Yin Mountain County truly would have been turned completely upside down.

...

"Young Master, the residence of that Lamp Cultivator is just up ahead," a Guard carrying a Hanyang-made Weapon stopped in his tracks, pointing respectfully at a courtyard in the distance.

Lu Jing’an looked up at the sound. Entering his sight was a perimeter of blue-gray courtyard walls, standing slightly taller than a man. Judging by its scale, it appeared to be a three-courtyard estate, which was quite imposing for this area.

The most eye-catching feature was the pair of exceptionally massive lanterns hanging before the courtyard gates. They were over two meters in diameter. The light within the lanterns was unnervingly bright, burning some unknown, special fuel. It illuminated the dozen or so meters in front of the gate as brightly as midday. Even the subtle patterns on the floor tiles were starkly visible. Astonishingly, there wasn’t a single shadow to be seen.

Lu Jing’an knew this was the handiwork of a Lamp Cultivator. When he had been critically injured and hovering near death, it was said that this very Lamp Cultivator had simply held up a lantern and shined its light upon him. The light had supposedly rendered his physical body semi-transparent, clearly revealing the internal hemorrhaging and the bullet lodged in his bones, which ultimately allowed the doctors to administer a Precise rescue.

Although he had been unconscious and hadn’t witnessed the spectacle himself, he had remained intensely curious ever since hearing about it. Now, seeing these miraculous giant lanterns, he believed the stories almost entirely.

"Let’s go," Lu Jing’an withdrew his gaze and gave a flat command.

The moment he spoke, the two squads of Guards immediately tightened their formation, guarding him securely in the center. With sharp, piercing gazes, they scanned both sides of the street as if facing a formidable enemy. The assassination attempt half a month ago ensured that these Guards didn’t dare show the slightest negligence. The pedestrians on the street had long since scurried to the side, keeping absolutely silent out of terror.

Lu Jing’an took this grand display completely in stride. After all, he was the one who had been assassinated; one could never be too cautious. Furthermore, he possessed an inherently flamboyant personality to begin with.

The closer they got to the courtyard, the more the lanterns’ glow made them feel as if there was nowhere to hide. Right at this moment, an old man in a navy-blue long gown, who had been silently following behind Lu Jing’an’s flank the entire time, suddenly took a half-step forward and discreetly blocked Lu Jing’an’s path.

"There’s the smell of blood!"

Lu Jing’an’s pupils shrank violently, his nerves instantly pulled taut. Chen Xuan completely shielded Lu Jing’an behind his back. Though his posture appeared relaxed, he had already entered a state of maximum vigilance. His eyes flashed like lightning as he quickly scanned the perimeter of the courtyard, issuing clear and rapid commands:

"Wu, Liu, you two scale the wall from the side and investigate carefully.

"Da Lin, Li, quickly go secure the Back Door and don’t let anyone in or out.

"Zhang He, take your Weapon to the opposite roof, secure the high ground, and monitor the entire courtyard..."

The men moved according to his orders, silently melting into the night. Time trickled away in the oppressive silence.

About fifteen minutes later, the tightly shut vermilion gate was pulled open from the inside with a loud CREAK, revealing a narrow crack. Wu and Liu poked their heads out, their faces grave, and whispered to those outside:

"He’s dead. It looks like poisoning.

"He hasn’t been dead for long.

"Both of his hands were chopped off clean at the wrists.

"The severed stumps are as smooth as a mirror, and there’s blood everywhere.

"There isn’t a single living soul left in the courtyard; they were all silenced."

Listening to this, Lu Jing’an felt a chilling draft shoot straight from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He knew that this wasn’t just a murder; this was a slaughter meant specifically for him to see! It was a blatant warning to anyone who dared to help him. This was the consequence!

Lu Jing’an wondered, "Who exactly is it? What deep-seated grudge do they have against me? Why must they insist on putting me to death?"

He rapidly searched through the original owner’s memories. Though the original Lu Jing’an had acted like a playboy and frequently used his power to bully others, he honestly couldn’t think of a single life-or-death vendetta that warranted such lethal retaliation. When the news of his assassination attempt had spread, there hadn’t been much pity echoing through the streets, but the locals were still far from clapping their hands in celebration.

He felt an intense urge to go inside and see for himself. Perhaps, using the mindset and observational skills of a modern person, he could discover some easily overlooked clues that people of this era might miss. If he didn’t drag this hidden enemy out of the shadows, he wouldn’t be able to eat or sleep in peace.

Lu Jing’an subconsciously took a step forward.

"Young Master."

Chen Xuan’s arm steadily blocked his path. Lu Jing’an snapped back to reality, realizing his own impulsiveness. He took a deep breath and said apologetically, "I’m sorry, Uncle Xuan.

"I didn’t think this through.

"The situation inside is still unclear; I shouldn’t take the risk."

A fleeting trace of undetectable surprise flashed through Chen Xuan’s eyes. However, he didn’t say much, merely giving a slight nod. After experiencing life and death, a person was bound to change at least a little. He immediately continued ordering his subordinates to conduct a more meticulous search. He also instructed them to carry the primary corpse out for inspection, provided they carefully protected the traces left at the crime scene.

Before long, the corpse of the Lamp Cultivator who had once saved Lu Jing’an’s life was carried out and laid beneath the halo of light at the gate. This was Lu Jing’an’s first time seeing a dead person from such a close distance. Moreover, it was a corpse in such a gruesome state. His stomach churned violently, and his face turned slightly pale.

"Young Master, why don’t you return to the estate and rest first? I have everything handled here," Chen Xuan suggested again.

Forcing down his discomfort, Lu Jing’an shook his head, his voice somewhat tight. "Uncle Xuan, let’s just hurry and inspect it. If we delay for too long, some clues might disappear."

Chen Xuan offered no further persuasion. He stepped forward, crouched down, and began to carefully examine the corpse. Lu Jing’an’s gaze also landed on the corpse once more, forcing himself to look at it.

He couldn’t make heads or tails of the signs of poisoning. However, the hands chopped cleanly at the wrists with bizarrely smooth cuts presented an absolutely horrifying visual impact. This was absolutely not the work of ordinary Weapons or human strength.

Just as he was about to avert his eyes to regain his composure, a sudden anomaly occurred. A semi-transparent interface, resembling a video game attribute panel, manifested before his eyes without any warning:

[Name: Lu Jing’an]

[Attack: 1]

[Defense: 1]

[agility: 1]

[Spirit: 1]

[Cultivation Technique: None]

[entry: None]

[Discoverable entry found, do you wish to collect?]

Beneath the panel, there was also a phantom image of a quaint little Eight Trigrams furnace. This was an object that had appeared in his consciousness on the very day he had awakened in this world. He never expected that today, it would actually react to the corpse before him!

"Collect!" Lu Jing’an commanded with a thought, instantly collecting his very first entry.

As Clear as Daylight!