The world of film and television begins with Hikaru no Go

At the mine, of the abducted civilians, all but two elderly people who died in the mine tunnels survived.

When I climbed out of the pit, my legs were mostly weak and I couldn't stand steadily. I leaned against the stone wall, bent over, and dry heaved.

A woman was holding a child who was crying because of the smell of oil. She patted the child's back and cried herself.

The seized items were laid out on the open ground outside the mine entrance: a pile of iron ingots, weighing about three thousand catties; dozens of unfinished weapons, not yet sharpened; and a stack of worker rosters, densely filled with hundreds of names, some local, some from other places, and a few kidnapped from neighboring prefectures.

Yuanfang flipped through the roster, closed it, and handed it to the soldier behind him.

Yuanfang ordered his men to separate the prisoners from the civilians. Those civilians who could walk could walk on their own, while those who could not were carried by soldiers.

An old soldier was carrying a woman in her sixties on his back. The woman's head was resting on his shoulder, and she was mumbling something, which was hard to understand.

The line formed a long queue as they slowly walked down the mountain path.

Before dawn, the large group began to move towards Youzhou City.

Yuanfang, riding on his horse, looked up at the sky.

The moon had already set, and a thin, grayish-white light shone from the east, illuminating the mountain ridgeline.

"You take some men and escort them back; I'll go to Ghost Town."

"Yes."

Yuanfang pulled on the reins and spurred his horse forward.

Horse hooves trod over gravel and withered grass, the dark mountain shadows receded behind, and the sky gradually brightened.

Liu Jin lived in a stone chamber on the east side of the underground palace, which was much smaller than the one where Jin Mulan held meetings, only about ten square meters.

A lone oil lamp burned all night by the door, illuminating the surrounding area while leaving the interior shrouded in darkness.

The lamp oil was almost gone, and the flame had shrunk to the size of a soybean, occasionally flickering, causing the shadows in the whole room to sway.

Liu Jin lay in bed, unable to sleep.

He had been imprisoned for so long, subjected to torture and interrogation, and his body was covered in so many wounds that there wasn't a single good piece of flesh left on his body.

My chest hurts especially. I had two broken ribs, which were put back together, but even the slightest movement causes excruciating pain.

He rolled over, and a layer of cold sweat seeped out on his back.

Around 1:30 AM, a sound came from outside the stone chamber.

It's very light.

Liu Jin opened his eyes and looked towards the door.

There was no one at the door.

The oil lamp was still burning, its flame casting a small, flickering light on the doorframe.

He stared at the light for a few moments, then listened intently for a while, but didn't notice anything amiss.

He lay down again and closed his eyes.

Then I felt a chill on my neck.

The sword tip pierced his throat so fast he didn't even have time to scream.

His mouth opened slightly, and only a muffled breath escaped from his throat.

Liu Jin collapsed onto the bed, blood gushing from his throat, flowing down his neck onto the bed and soaking into the straw mat.

He wanted to say something, but no sound came out. His eyes were wide open, but there was no fear in them, only an indescribable sense of bewilderment.

The sword was pulled back, and the blood gushed out even faster. After a while, the bleeding subsided, dripping out one drop at a time.

The assassin stood at the door for a moment, wiped his sword clean, and then turned and left.

Their footsteps were light, disappearing at the end of the corridor.

It was past midnight, but Judge Di was still sitting in the main hall.

When Zhang Rui drifted in through the window, he was looking at a piece of paper on the table, which was covered with names.

Hearing the noise, she looked up and her gaze lingered on Zhang Rui for a moment.

"Where did they go? It's the middle of the night, and there's not a trace of them." Before Zhang Rui could speak, Di Gong pushed the food box next to him towards the center. "There's still half a plate of cake and a pot of tea in the kitchen. Would you like some? The night is still long."

Zhang Rui paused for a moment, floated to the table, glanced at the plate of cake, and said, "I went to Jin Mulan's place."

Di Gongzheng picked up the teacup, but his hand stopped in mid-air.

He put down the teacup, the bottom of which tapped on the table with a dull thud.

"A ghost town? What are you doing going to a place like that all by yourself? What did I tell you before? You dare to go to a place like that alone. What if something happens to you, what am I supposed to do..."

Zhang Rui remained silent until he had finished his lecture before finally speaking, "I just wanted to share some of your burden."

Di Gong paused for a moment, then remained silent.

"Liu Jin is dead." Zhang Rui continued, "Jin Mulan sent someone to silence him, piercing his throat with a sword, clean and swift."

Di Renjie tapped his finger lightly on the table, causing the flame on the lamp wick to flicker.

"Any other discoveries?"

"Jin Mulan is preparing to act. She has gathered the hundred-plus people in the city and will launch an attack tonight. First, she will kill the lord, then she will seize Youzhou."

"When?"

"If there's any movement at the mine tonight or tomorrow morning, we'll act accordingly."

Di Renjie remained silent for a while, then stood up and walked to the window.

"understood."

The list was provided by Fang Qian and the bank manager. There were 117 people in total, including those from businesses, shops, and a few from government offices.

Judge Di spread the list on the table, pointed to the names of the rows, and assigned people to each alley as he went.

After the list was distributed, it was carefully folded and handed to Di Chun to be put into a wooden box.

Just after the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), several groups of people filed out of the back gate of the governor's mansion.

Without a torch, they deliberately walked through quiet alleys.

The footsteps were kept very low, occasionally punctuated by a soft thud when they stepped on gravel, before sinking back down.

Turning from the first alley into the second, and then into the third, we didn't encounter a single pedestrian along the way. Only a night owl crouched on the wall, its eerie green eyes following the group for a moment before it jumped down and ran away.

When Sun Da was dragged out of the cellar, he was still half asleep and muttering something. A rag was put over his throat, and he swallowed the rest of his words.

Another person was hiding in the cellar behind the City God Temple. When he went in, he jumped up and tried to run away, but after taking two steps, he was kicked to the ground, his hands were tied behind his back, and his face was pressed against the ground as he panted heavily.

From arresting the first person to arresting the last, it took less than half an hour.

As dawn approached, Judge Di stood in the main hall, facing Hu Jinghui, Di Chun, and several captains.

"Yuanfang has already made his move at the mine. The inside man has been completely taken down. All that's left is Ghost Town." He paused, looking at Hu Jinghui, "Jin Mulan knows the mine and the inside man are gone, what will she do?"

Hu Jinghui was silent for a moment: "She will most likely take the risk... She still has troops under her command, she won't just sit and wait to die."

Judge Di nodded: "Then let's go to Ghost Town."

Zhang Rui stood next to Di Renjie, remaining silent.

After everyone had dispersed, Di Renjie turned to look at him, his face still bearing the seriousness he had shown when he gave the instructions, but his tone had softened: "From now on, you will stay with me and are not allowed to wander off."

"Yes……"

"Let's go."

As we stepped out of the main hall, a sliver of dawn was already breaking on the horizon.

The air was damp, and the chill of the night had not yet dissipated.

The tree in the yard was bathed in the pale blue morning light, its branches wet and glistening with moisture.

Di Renjie walked out, his back still straight.

The horses were already prepared outside the gate.