AUBTN -Chapter 8 Huh? Look at That Limp

Yu Qing was startled by his sudden outburst and leaned back in surprise.

【Is this guy crazy? Why is he so moody all of a sudden? Early onset midlife crisis? Scared me to death…】

Lu Yan took a deep breath, turned his back to her, and tried to calm the surge of murderous intent and some indescribable irritation that had just risen within him.

At that moment, someone lightly knocked on the door.

“Enter,” Lu Yan said coldly.

The heavy wooden door creaked as it was pushed open, and a middle-aged man in the uniform of a Jinyiwei officer lowered his head and stepped inside.

He carried a tray with a bowl of plain porridge and two steamed buns.

“Commander,” the man said respectfully, his voice a bit hoarse.

“I heard the prisoner hasn’t eaten yet, so I took the liberty of bringing some food. I was afraid she might starve and we wouldn’t be able to interrogate her,” he explained.

Lu Yan didn’t turn around, only waved his hand irritably. “Put it down.”

The officer acknowledged and placed the tray on the table.

Yu Qing, crouched in the corner of the bed, smelled the food and her stomach betrayed her with a loud growl.

She peeked up secretly, her eyes flicking back and forth between the steaming bowl of porridge and the officer.

After setting the tray down, the officer bowed and turned to leave.

However, the instant he started to walk away…

【Huh? Why does this guy delivering the food seem a bit limping?】

Lu Yan, about to step forward, froze in place.

【His left leg is clearly injured. Even though he’s pretending to walk normally, the shift in his center of gravity gives it away. This reminds me of that spy drama I watched—the head agent always pretended to be an ordinary guy but walked with a slight limp…】

Yu Qing kept staring at the officer’s back, her mind running wild.

【Tsk, TV dramas don’t lie. Characters who look honest but have some physical disability are never simple! Either they’re a hidden master, or the undercover villain waiting until the very end. Maybe this porridge is poisoned… sent to kill!】

These thoughts made Lu Yan spin around, eyes locking on the now-closed door.

It was one of the three Jinyiwei officers responsible for intelligence delivery and holding the keys to the top-secret archives—Chen Xiu!

Five years ago, during a fierce battle to eliminate remnants of the previous dynasty, Chen Xiu had been struck by an arrow in the left leg while saving Lu Yan, injuring his tendons and bones.

Though he recovered without affecting his mobility, careful observation would reveal that his left leg occasionally falters under extreme fatigue or rainy weather.

Because this injury saved his life, Lu Yan had never doubted him.

In fact, out of guilt and trust, Lu Yan entrusted him with many confidential missions.

Even he had almost forgotten the detail, thinking it was just an old injury that hadn’t fully healed.

But now, with this seemingly scatterbrained woman casually pointing it out, Lu Yan felt a chill shoot from his feet straight to his head.

If it was Chen Xiu…

Then the leak at Tongfu Inn made complete sense!

Three days ago, Chen Xiu had been responsible for filing the latest border defense maps, and the coded messages regarding the Tiger Tally transfer had passed through his hands!

Lu Yan’s fingers slowly clenched, knuckles whitening from the force.

He turned his head slowly, his gaze complex as it fell on Yu Qing, crouched in the corner.

Yu Qing had been staring eagerly at the steamed buns on the table but suddenly felt a spine-chilling gaze. She quickly looked away, hugging her head.

“Sir! I-I won’t eat it! I’m really not hungry! I was just… just looking around…”

Lu Yan said nothing.

A little palace maid who didn’t even know how to lie, only cry and whine, had, with her eyes and inexplicable intuition, twice in half an hour exposed the Jinyiwei’s core secrets and hidden dangers.

Was it coincidence?

Or… fate?

Lu Yan closed his eyes, forcing down the turbulent storm surging in his heart.

Whether it was coincidence or not, now was not the time to dwell on it.

If it really was Chen Xiu, the consequences would be unimaginable.

“Stay here. Don’t go anywhere.”

Lu Yan dropped this cold, icy order, didn’t glance at Yu Qing once more, and strode out of the room in long, decisive steps.

The door slammed shut with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Yu Qing blinked her wide eyes, completely dumbfounded, staring at the tightly closed door.

【And… he just left? Wasn’t he going to cut out my tongue? The plot’s jumping so fast! This guy… is he actually a little… mentally unstable?】

【Help! Su Hewan! I want to go home! This plot is completely out of control!】

Yu Qing clutched her head, tears stinging her eyes, unable to cry properly.

Beizhen Pacification Bureau, Dark Department duty room.

The night was deep and heavy, crows startled into the darkness.

Lu Yan sat expressionless in the Grand Tutor’s chair, idly toying with a black iron waist token—the insignia of the Commander of the Jinyiwei.

Before him knelt a dark-clad secret guard, one of his most trusted confidants.

“Have you found it?”

Lu Yan’s voice was chillingly calm, utterly devoid of emotion.

“Reporting to the Commander,” the secret guard said, presenting a stack of letters with both hands.

“My men conducted a surprise search at Captain Chen’s private residence in the west of the city. In the hidden layer beneath the study’s floor tiles, we discovered this.”

Lu Yan reached out and took the letters.

The paper was slightly yellowed. He didn’t rush to open them, instead gently tracing the wax seal with his fingertip.

It was an extremely subtle emblem—a fully bloomed camellia.

The Camellia Sect!

The most rampant branch of the remnants from the previous dynasty.

Lu Yan’s gaze instantly turned icy and piercing.

He tore open the envelope and scanned the contents with lightning speed.

The more he read, the darker his expression grew.

The letters detailed every operation the Jinyiwei had carried out against the Camellia Sect over the past six months, even including the exact routes and timing of this border tiger tally transfer!

At the end of the letter, in a familiar handwriting, it read: “Once the plan succeeds, I hope the honored lord fulfills his promise and helps me escape this suffering.”

“Heh.”

A faint, chilling laugh escaped Lu Yan’s lips, full of scorn and murderous intent.

“Escape suffering?”

With a surge of inner strength, the paper in his hand instantly disintegrated into powder, scattering across the floor.

“What a savior… loyal Captain Chen.”

Being betrayed by someone you trusted most feels like someone slowly cutting into your chest with a blunt knife.

Lu Yan closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and when he opened them again, they were clear and sharp.

“Where is he?”

“He has been captured by the secret guards and is being taken to the Imperial Prison,” the guard replied.

“Watch him closely. Don’t let him die.”

Lu Yan stood up, his tall figure casting a massive shadow in the candlelight.

“I will personally interrogate him.”

Silence returned to the room.

Lu Yan walked to the window, pushed it open, letting the cold night wind sweep through his collar, blowing away the heat in his body.