Volume One The Youngest Among Three Hundred Chapter Twenty-Two Ye Lin

In his hazy, half-blind vision, a patch of white suddenly appeared before him, and a voice with an odd intonation greeted him from close by. For no reason, Chen Chang'an felt a chill sweep over his entire body.

With a tearing sound, Hua Mulan's blade slashed through the air, striking horizontally at the white figure. The opponent retreated swiftly, vanishing into a whirlpool as if the scene were being played in reverse. Simultaneously, several meters away, another identical vortex appeared, and he emerged from it.

In a flash, he had traversed between two points!

"Third Rank, the Awakened Technique Realm," Li Shu muttered under his breath.

"What?" Chen Chang'an asked curiously.

Li Shu patiently explained, "When a martial artist cultivates, from novice to the strongest, there are nine ranks. The First Rank strengthens the body, the Second Rank cultivates the soul, and the Third Rank awakens techniques. Upon reaching the Third Rank, everyone manifests a unique ability, called a Primal Art."

"The man before us is in the Awakened Technique Realm. The art he's awakened is the 23rd Primal Art: Boundless."

"Remember that Western woman we met at the Sanyuan Temple? Her Primal Art was Spatial Traverse. The abilities are similar, but Spatial Traverse can only be used once in a short time, while Boundless allows unlimited movement between points—"

"—as long as the martial artist's energy holds out!"

"I see!" Chen Chang'an nodded, understanding. Simply put, Spatial Traverse has a cooldown, but Boundless does not. The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed. His eyes narrowed. "So, he's here to kill me?"

Though his eyesight was poor, he could still judge the situation. The three beams of light at the start—were it not for his former brother-in-law intercepting them with his sword, they would likely have pierced his forehead.

"Who are you? Her Highness the Princess is present—hold your insolence!" Hua Mulan rolled up her sleeves; the intent of the blade in her hand surged forth like a torrent, fanning out in all directions.

Within the vortex ahead, the white figure grew clearer and gradually descended to stand on solid ground—a youth with a golden crown binding his long black hair, a melon-seed face, sword-like brows, and star-bright eyes, his features as if painted.

He adjusted his attire and bowed formally. "Greetings, Your Highness the Princess, and to the three honored sirs."

"Who are you?" Hua Mulan's eyes were sharp, her guard still unrelenting.

The young man drew a stack of papers from his robe and presented them with both hands. "I am Ye Lin of Luzhou, known in my homeland as a master detective. Here are records of the wrongful and mysterious cases I've solved in recent years."

Hua Mulan scrutinized him for several moments before slowly sheathing her blade.

Wu Yuanheng cast a sidelong glance. "So, what do you want?"

The youth who called himself Ye Lin replied, "In half a month, the Black-Clad Guards will start recruiting. I wish to participate, so I came to Chang'an."

Li Shu spun a copper coin in his hand. "This isn't the Arsenal Pavilion. We're not the Black-Clad Guards."

Ye Lin smiled. "Joining the Black-Clad Guards is merely my reason for coming to Chang'an. A few days ago, I heard about a blind son-in-law named Chen Chang'an who uncovered the Princess of Changning's disappearance."

"Just now, I heard that a maid from Her Highness's residence died mysteriously this morning, and the Three Departments have specially invited Chen Chang'an to investigate."

As he spoke, he straightened his slightly bowed back and looked at the nearly blind Chen Chang'an, whose ears twitched at the sound. "I've been investigating cases in Luzhou for years and consider myself quite capable. Chen Chang'an, I would like to compete with you, to see which of us can uncover the truth first."

"Of course, since you have impaired vision, I'll inform you of every clue I find throughout the process. It will be a contest of reasoning and analysis. What do you say?"

Chen Chang'an wanted to say, "You must be out of your mind," but before he could retort, Li Shu scolded with feeling, "Insolent! Is Her Highness the Princess's case a matter for your competition?"

Hua Mulan shot Li Shu a disapproving glare, then took the thick stack of papers from the youth and began leafing through them. They detailed various mysterious cases, their circumstances and resolutions.

The accounts focused on the great hero Ye Lin, describing how he braved dangers and used his keen mind to pierce through the fog of mystery. On the bottom right of each page was the official seal of the local magistrate, prefect, or even the governor, confirming the documents' authority.

At first, Hua Mulan read alone, but as her expression grew more impressed, Wu Yuanheng and Li Shu edged closer. After reading, the three voiced their admiration in unison, "Luzhou's number one detective—impressive, impressive!"

Yet, as the one who recommended Chen Chang'an, Li Shu soon felt uneasy and stiffened his neck stubbornly. "Chen Chang'an can solve the case—why do we need him?"

Hua Mulan, however, presented the stack of papers to the Princess of Changning, bowing as she did so. "Your Highness, I believe he is more reliable than Chen Chang'an."

For some reason, she seemed to harbor a deep-seated prejudice against the blind Chen.

The Princess of Changning paid no attention to these trivial matters, urging them anxiously, "Whatever works, whatever works! Just find the one who killed Xiaolian, and quickly!"

"Yes!" Hua Mulan answered.

With the princess's command, Li Shu and Wu Yuanheng, though reluctant to have someone new intervene, could only keep silent and acquiesce.

Ye Lin approached Chen Chang'an, clasped his fists, and said, "I've heard how you cleverly exposed the villains at Sanyuan Temple, and now the Three Departments have invited you to investigate again. My earlier challenge was meant as a friendly contest."

"But... I didn't realize you don't practice martial arts, nor have any cultivation background. My apologies!"

"Uh..."

No martial arts, no cultivation? If you have the nerve, stand there and don't move—I could stab you to death with a bamboo skewer. Chen Chang'an grumbled inwardly but forced a smile and waved generously, "No matter!"

The Princess of Changning was truly angry now, pounding her fists and stamping her feet. "Hurry up and investigate! Chen Chang'an, you said this headless corpse is connected to Xiaolian's death. Aside from the timing, what else?"

Chen Chang'an pressed his hand to the severed neck of t