Chapter 13 — Sword God Appears

The three gray-shirted assassins continued to follow the trail, occasionally stopping to examine the footprints on the wet ground, exchanging a few brief sentences with each other and then continuing to move. Bach Trinh observed closely, realizing that they had not yet discovered the group's hiding location, perhaps the tracks they were following were just old footprints from early morning, before the three turned into the bushes to rest.

He waited until the three assassins had completely disappeared ahead, then gently signaled Dieu Vy and Xuan Dao to leave their hiding place and continue their journey along another path, around the hillside to avoid direct encounter. The three arrived at Tran Ha Chau in the late afternoon, when the sun had disappeared behind the western mountains, leaving a reddish orange streak of light dyeing across the river surface.

But when approaching the riverside area where Ky Van Son used to live, the three could not help but be shocked by the scene of devastation: the small house was now left with only piles of black ashes, half-burnt columns were scattered, and weeds had begun to grow among the broken bricks. People in the fishing village recounted that, not long ago, there was a sudden fire that broke out at night, completely burning down the old knight's house, and people also found his scorched body in the rubble. Everyone thought it was just an unfortunate accident due to the carelessness of old age.

Bach Trinh stood silently in front of the ashes, clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He immediately understood that this was not a random accident, but a deliberate act of extermination by the Ghost Police Department, to erase all traces of the person who sent him the letter asking for help. The pain of losing an old friend, although not as close as Thanh Phong, still made his heart ache, combined with the feeling of guilt when thinking that it was because of Ky Van Son's letter that he had to pay with his life.

Dieu Vy stood next to him, gently holding his hand, saying nothing, just quietly sharing his pain in silence. She understood that, even though she had never met Ky Van Son, that old knight had sacrificed his life just to save her, a stranger that he only knew through a few rumors. That debt of gratitude, she told herself, she would have to remember for the rest of her life, and would find a way to repay him by helping expose the truth, so that his death would not become meaningless.

Dieu Vy knelt down in front of the ashes, clasped her hands and prayed a belated thank you for the deceased whom she never had the chance to meet. She thought of the image of an old knight, living alone quietly by the river, still not forgetting the old friendship, willing to trade the peaceful last years of his life to send a letter to save people, and tears welled up in her eyes again, not because of fear, but because of being touched by the hearts of the people of her father's generation, who still silently preserve the martial-world code in an increasingly calculating world.

The three inquired more about the people in the neighborhood and learned that before his death, Ky Van Son had sent a letter through a familiar postman, but other than that, no one knew any other details. Bach Trinh tried to search through the rubble, hoping to find something left, but the fire had burned almost everything, leaving only a few pieces of blackened metal whose original shape could no longer be recognized.

When it was completely dark, the three went to a small inn in town to rest, their hearts heavy after what they had just witnessed. While having a simple dinner, an old man who owned a restaurant, after hearing everyone asking about Ky Van Son, suddenly came closer and whispered in a low voice: "Why are you two asking about that old knight? Be careful, I heard the fire at his house was not as simple as people thought, someone saw some strange figures appearing around there the night of the fire."

Bach Trinh asked for more details. The old man said that a fisherman happened to go to the river to catch fish that night. He saw three figures in gray shirts leaving the area near Ky Van Son's house right before the fire broke out. But because he was afraid of getting involved, he didn't dare to report it to the authorities. He only silently told a few close people. This information further strengthens Bach Trinh's suspicion that this was a targeted assassination by the Demon Shadow Police Department.

That night, when everyone had gone to their own rooms to rest, Dieu Vy suddenly felt strangely uneasy, a feeling like someone was watching her from outside the window. She called Bach Trinh to her room, he was immediately alert, signaled her to step back, then gently opened the window to check. There was nothing unusual outside, only the quiet night and the chirping of insects, but both of their hunches told them that something was wrong.

Sure enough, just half an hour later, a strange noise rang out from the back door of the inn. Bach Trinh immediately drew his sword and left the room to check the situation. He only had time to see a shadow of a person flash in the darkness and then disappear. He chased after her but couldn't keep up, so he returned to the room, filled with worry. When he returned, he discovered that Xuan Dao, the close maid who had followed Dieu Vy on this trip to take care of her, had disappeared from his room, leaving only a torn piece of cloth and a few small blood stains on the floor.

Dieu Vy panicked when she heard the news, tears welled up in her eyes, blaming herself for not being more careful to protect the person she considered her younger sister, the person who had followed her since her most difficult days, always devotedly taking care of her like her own blood. Xuan Dao was originally the daughter of a poor family in the town. She was adopted by Dieu Vy's mother from a young age after her biological parents passed away from the epidemic. She grew up with Dieu Vy like two sisters, always following and taking care of her in everything.

Bach Trinh spent the rest of the night searching the area around the inn, asking the street vendors who stayed up late, the porters at the river wharf, trying to find any clues about the direction of the person who kidnapped Xuan Dao. An old boatman, after being given some money by his brother, timidly recounted that around the third watch of the night, he saw a small boat quietly leaving the wharf, rowing upstream, where there was a dangerous ravine that people in the area still called a place where no one dared to go because it was rumored that there were wild animals and even bands of robbers hiding.

That information, although still vague, was also the first clue to help Bach Trinh determine the direction. He returned to the inn near dawn, his face full of fatigue but his eyes still shining with unwavering determination.

The next morning, an arrow was placed on the door of the inn carrying a small piece of paper with a brief but threatening content: "If you want to save people, bring the notebook to the western ravine before the moon rises. Come alone, otherwise, don't blame us for being cruel." Bach Trinh finished reading, his face became cold, he understood that the Ghost Police Department had changed its tactics, no longer trying to assassinate directly but instead used Dieu Vy's relatives as hostages to threaten her, forcing her to hand over the notebook.

"Young lady has to go," Dieu Vy said immediately, her voice resolute even though her eyes were still filled with tears. "Xuan Dao has followed this young lady since childhood. This young lady cannot let her be in danger because of her." Bach Trinh grabbed her shoulder, his eyes serious: "No, this is definitely a trap. If you bring the notebook there alone, they will kill both of you as soon as they get what they need, there is no reason for them to let you go." Dieu Vy remained silent, knowing that he was right, but her heart still ached when she thought of Xuan Dao suffering because of her somewhere.

Bach Trinh pondered and finally made a decision: "You just stay here, keep the notebook tightly, absolutely do not leave the inn. Let me go find their lair and rescue Xuan Dao in another way." Dieu Vy wanted to protest, wanted to go with him, but Bach Trinh firmly refused, explaining that if they both went, the notebook would be in double danger, and if something happened to him, at least Dieu Vy was still safe and kept the most important clue to continue this fight.

That night, Bach Trinh prepared his luggage, carefully re-sheathed his sword, and had a steely determination. He knew that this time, the opponents would not just be ordinary assassins, but would most likely face real masters of the Demon Shadow Police Department, perhaps even the leader of the organization himself. But no matter how dangerous it is, he cannot let an innocent person like Xuan Dao suffer the consequences of an eighteen-year feud that he himself has not been able to fully resolve.