When Le Yu saw Yin Yinyin's head of white hair, he immediately realized the Combat Technique he had cultivated was the legendary Hidden Sword Technique.
In this world, "legendary" wasn't always a compliment, especially when it came to techniques, "Old school techniques can't compare to present-day methods, just like winxp can't compete with win10—the tech just keeps improving."
Over the two millennia of Huiyao, countless heroes created countless Combat Techniques, but only a few dozen survived to this day. Most techniques just became "legendary" one-trick wonders, at best glimpsed in obscure books or unofficial histories.
Those "legendary Combat Techniques" usually faded into history due to high entry barriers or limited overall strength, or they were absorbed into other techniques, cherry-picked for their essence but stripped of their names.
Yet there were a few techniques, which, though the state didn't preserve them and military academies wouldn't teach them, didn't mean no one learned them—only that very few did.
But just because there existed that small handful who practiced "Legendary Combat Techniques," military students like Qian Yuliu had to learn how to counter them. That way, if they ever met such practitioners, at least they could die knowing why.
The Hidden Sword Technique was exactly one of those "Legendary Techniques." Le Yu wasn't clear on the exact process—he only knew the key to cultivating it was hiding light within the body.
But humans weren't plants, "Cells don't have chloroplasts, and molecular structure can't block out light, so how the hell can you 'hide' light inside a body?" Even with compulsory education, Le Yu couldn't figure it out, but the Hidden Sword Technique genuinely could pull it off.
The price of "hiding light," though, was that the cultivator's life span plummeted.
Light, just like a sword, didn't just grant the practitioner greater destructive power; it kept destroying the practitioner's body as well.
And short life span wasn't the only flaw. According to the military academy, the Hidden Sword Technique wasn't stronger than mainstream techniques—if anything, it was even weaker. "If everyone battled fairly under the sun, the Hidden Sword Technique would definitely get its ass kicked by every other method out there."
So why did the military view this weak, self-destructive technique as a must-know legendary method?
The magic lay in its "light-hiding" ability.
All Awakeners had to be in well-lit environments to unleash their powers. In darkness, they were barely different from regular people—sure, they'd have better fighting skills, but cut off from light, their Spiritual Power couldn't affect reality at all.
But Sword Concealers, since they harbored a light source inside, suffered almost zero debuffs from darkness. Not only could they see in the dark, they could keep themselves in a state like high noon, at full power.
It was like a mage being hit with an anti-magic debuff, but one mage can still cast spells just fine.
So in no-light conditions, a single Sword Concealer could slaughter a group of Awakeners—the difference in strength was only part of it. "Blindness, fear, screams, chaos—darkness amplified every advantage for the Sword Concealer."
The Hidden Sword Technique, once known as the "Art of Moving Darkness" or the "Assassin's Technique," was a legend infamous for murder in the shadows, never mind if it wasn't that strong in ordinary combat.
Plenty of assassinations in Huiyao's history involved Sword Concealers.
So Le Yu getting his ass kicked by Yin Yinyin in a pitch-dark room was no surprise, "Hell, in that situation, even Lan Yan would've been on his knees."
But Sword Concealers weren't without weaknesses. With their lives burning away, they almost always turned gray-haired early. So when Le Yu spotted Yin Yinyin's white hair, he instantly knew what was up.
Practicing the Hidden Sword Technique was outright illegal. If you got caught as a Sword Concealer, you were dead—a straight-up execution with a government bonus on top. In a place like Eighteen Streets, Yin Yinyin just might manage to keep a low profile.
"Only three years left to live, huh," Le Yu stared at Yin Yinyin's white hair and asked, "Is it worth it?"
"If I hadn't cultivated the Hidden Sword, I wouldn't have lived this long," Yin Yinyin said calmly, "You should know, every Sword Concealer you meet is someone scraping for every last bit of life... this is just common sense."
"Yeah, I know that."
"If there was any other choice, who would choose a life-shortening technique like this?"
"Any technique that shaves years off your life has to be bloody torture to cultivate."
"Hidden sword, as in burying a blade inside yourself, piercing your organs, merging with your body. Anyone who endures that kind of agony and keeps training clearly wants to live more than anyone else."
Military school never taught the specifics, but based on Qian Yuliu's analysis, "the Hidden Sword Technique probably hid a shortcut method too—if there wasn't, with its difficulty and sky-high threshold, the technique would've gone extinct ages ago."
"Alright, I can't waste the three precious years I have left chatting about useless stuff with you." Yin Yinyin pulled out a notebook, "Let's get to work."
"With an attitude as upbeat as yours, I kind of suspect you're lying to get my sympathy," Le Yu snarked.
"Death isn't what's really scary, the real terror is living without hope."
Yin Yinyin looked at Le Yu, speaking with a pointed implication, "So you survived, while 'Stargazer' died. He chose death to preserve hope—you. I heard you killed him yourself?"
"Yeah."
"Nice job. You saved both of us, and the entire White Night intelligence network in Star Engraving County," Yin Yinyin tapped the notebook with his pen, "Now, tell me everything that happened that night."
Le Yu recounted the fight between Lishi Jie and Kui Zhao, Lan Yan's intervention, and Lin Jinyao's outburst. Yin Yinyin recorded, then asked, "If you fought Lan Yan, what odds would you give yourself?"
Le Yu shook his head, "Zero odds—hell, even if Lan Yan was all alone and I had backup, I doubt I could take him down, unless we cut every light source and you jumped in, too."
That rainy night left a deep impression of Lan Yan in Le Yu's mind. "Maybe 'one-man army' was pushing it, but calling him a walking battalion was right on the money—for someone who could tank a hail of bullets, there was no such thing as too much caution."
"People like Lan Yan would never go anywhere dim at night. They'll always carry a Luminous Stone or something with them."
Yin Yinyin tapped his notebook, "That's basic—don't thank me."
"What if it's Kui Zhao, just the two of you—could you take him?"
Le Yu considered it, "Call it seventy-thirty—he's seventy, I'm thirty. If I spot his weakness, maybe I could nudge that up ten percent."
That was the most optimistic calculation Le Yu could make—his supposed thirty percent was really betting Kui Zhao valued his own life more than Le Yu was afraid to lose his.
"No need to oversell it. I'm not about to believe you have a seventy percent chance."
Yin Yinyin's writing galloped across the page. After recording, he said, "Now the Statistical Department is arresting people everywhere based on 'Stargazer's' letters at home. He was always careful, never exposed any link to the White Night Walkers, but a bunch of those detained are the seeds we hoped to recruit..."
Le Yu said, "Should we try to save them?"
Yin Yinyin shook his head, "Don't bother. Just do your job and follow procedures. Compared to those seeds, you—the plant—matter more. Don't make any sudden moves; odds are, half of them with little threat will get released soon."
He paused, "Did you know? 'Stargazer's' family and students have already been released."
"That fast?" Le Yu was surprised. Lin Jinyao's family and students had only been arrested last night—they were already out, not even twenty-four hours in custody!
Yin Yinyin let out a light laugh, "Too many people saw you arrest Mu Feihong at the academy, and it stirred up a mess. The students submitted a petition at lunch complaining to Ding Yi. For Ding Yi, those students are his future enforcers—he couldn't just stand by. So he pressured Lan Yan to make a show of good faith and let 'Stargazer's' innocent family and pupils go."
Le Yu soon figured out the game: "The academy students knew it was useless to appeal to the Statistical Department—those shameless dogs—so they went straight to Ding Yi, the Governor of Star Engraving County—he cared about his reputation. With Lan Yan acting as the hatchet man, Ding Yi could play good cop and win favor."
"Good," Le Yu exhaled, "families shouldn't pay the price. Mr. Lin's given enough; his family and students are innocent."
Just then, Yin Yinyin's tone turned sinister, "Innocent? You really believe that?"
"What do you mean?"
"Let me walk you through the timeline," Yin Yinyin flipped through his notebook, "A month ago, 'Stargazer' reached out to old friends like Mu Feihong and Feng Chuanliu to test their feelings about White Night."
"Three weeks ago, 'Stargazer' secretly approached progressive students after class to test their take on anti-light. That's when they started holding private meetings, where they learned White Night's advanced doctrines."
"Three days ago, 'Stargazer' finally got headquarters' green light and was authorized to set up a Star Engraving branch, making him able to recruit White Night preps himself."
"Then, the Statistical Department arrested Lin Jinyao."
Yin Yinyin shut his notebook, "Don't you think that timeline's a little suspicious?"
"Maybe Mr. Lin was too bold recruiting, so the Statistical Department picked up on it?" Le Yu ventured.
"I'm not surprised the Department started watching 'Stargazer,' and getting caught was always a matter of time," Yin Yinyin flipped open his notebook again, tone flat, "He was always intended as 'bait.'"
Le Yu's eyes went wide, fragments of intel colliding into startling new conclusions. He blurted out, "What are you saying?"
"You've already figured it out, haven't you? You just want me to confirm it for you."
Yin Yinyin's voice went cold, as if narrating a stranger's story, "To grow the movement in Star Engraving, White Night had to send a highly respected figure to connect with potential progressives. But high-profile figures are always under the Department's microscope—so from the start, 'Stargazer's' arrest wasn't about if, only when."
"Ever since he accepted the mission, 'Stargazer' was doomed to not outlive me. He was the bait White Night tossed out. Once the Department bit, our operation would shift to phase two."
Le Yu drew a deep breath, "Mr. Lin was always fated to die an unnatural death?"
Thinking back, Lin Jinyao's instructions to Qian Yuliu quit seeming paranoid and started looking like foresight—a deliberate hand-off. He knew he'd die at the Department's hands, so he picked Qian Yuliu as executor—his martyrdom would be the most powerful C.V., whitewashing Qian Yuliu's every "stain."
"Heh."
Yin Yinyin didn't answer Le Yu directly, "You really still have time to mourn the dead? We're the ones in danger now."
Le Yu frowned, "Mr. Lin's dead. What danger's left for us?"
"Didn't I just say? 'Stargazer' was bound to die, but the timing of the arrest is way too fishy," Yin Yinyin jabbed his notebook, "It happened just as the White Night branch was about to start up."
"Now 'Stargazer's' dead, but his recruited seeds remain. White Night can't just abandon the new members—the leader for the Star Engraving branch has to come from them. But right when that's happening, 'Stargazer's' family and pupils get speedily cleared and released..."
Yin Yinyin's words twisted in cryptic circles. It took Le Yu a minute to get his point, "You're saying someone wanted to grab the glory of establishing the branch, so they ratted Mr. Lin out to get him caught?"
"Didn't think you'd be so naive. You talk like a little kid ratting to mom and dad for a toy." Yin Yinyin's tone dripped with sarcasm, "Come on, grown-ups don't live in fairytales."
"You've got the gist, though—someone did want to snatch the new branch for themselves. But would a schemer that ruthless and cunning really want to 'build a better White Night'? How's he actually going to turn White Night's resources into his own?"
Le Yu pondered, "What are White Night's resources?"
It was the membership list.
Every last one of them was an anti-light rebel eligible for a firing squad.
Le Yu suddenly understood, "He's going to give the new recruits Mr. Lin developed in Star Engraving County to the Statistical Department!"
"Now you're talking," Yin Yinyin grinned like a proud parent, "But you can go even deeper."
"'Stargazer' got arrested just as the branch was about to be set up. The next day, the Department had you all conduct mass arrests, pissing off the public and pressuring Ding Yi. Ding Yi then got Lan Yan to release some prisoners, so those people would be seen as heroes by White Night for what they endured..."
Le Yu sucked in a sharp breath, "So that means..."
Yin Yinyin's pale face took on a fevered flush—a trace of excitement in his cold voice, he said,
"From the start, 'Stargazer' had a Statistical Department mole beside him!"
"The Department waited until now to act because the time was ripe. Every progressive with anti-light leanings got hooked by 'Stargazer.' We weren't the only ones using him as bait—the Department also used him to lure out rebels!"
"They helped the mole clear out rivals and fluff his resume so he could get the full list of new members."
"And once the Department gets that list, you know what happens next: they can wipe out every last hidden rebel—root and branch!"