Chapter 1: Master Lu, Your Meal Is Poisoned
Yan Qing decided to make his move when Lu Junyi lifted that bowl of rice. He stood outside a thatched shelter at the Huai River ferry crossing, dressed in an unremarkable coarse-cloth tunic, with the Sichuan crossbow that had been with him for half his life tucked into his belt. The wind swept in from the river, carrying a fishy smell and tossing the loose hair at his temples. Inside the shelter, Lu Junyi was talking to the two escorts transporting him. They smiled obsequiously as they served him a bowl of rice, saying, "By the grace of the court, please eat, Inspector Lu." Yan Qing's pupils contracted. He watched through the thatched wall
