Gu Shiyan said, "Since those Hu men's hideout has been discovered, they will surely relocate. We have no other choice now. We must investigate that Persian temple; perhaps we can find some clues. Senior Yuchi, Immortal Chai, Master Yun, Brother Zheng Qi—I must take my leave. I must go immediately to General Nieguchuo and inform him."
Yun Tianjing, ever chivalrous, offered, "Young Master Gu, if Yun can be of use, please speak plainly." He glanced at his teacher, hoping he would join, but Yuchi Xuan remained impassive.
Gu Shiyan said gratefully, "To have Master Yun's assistance would be invaluable."
Yuchi Xuan adjusted his felt hat. "Yuchi Xuan has come from Suyab city north of the Tianshan Mountains, traveling ten thousand li to Chang'an on orders from the Beiting Protectorate to hunt the traitorous general Zhuxie Yuanyi. I dare not delay. Do not take offense. Farewell." He cupped his fists, turned, and strode away.
Gu Shiyan concentrated briefly, then hurried after him. "Senior Yuchi, please wait!"
Yuchi Xuan stopped and turned. "What else?"
Gu Shiyan said, "A few days ago, I encountered a Jie Hu man named Zhuxie Changyun. I wonder if he is related to the Zhuxie Yuanyi you mentioned?"
"Zhuxie Changyun!" Yuchi Xuan's thick eyebrows shot up, his eyes gleaming. "That man is Zhuxie Yuanyi's eldest son. Along with his younger brother Zhuxie Chixin, they are known as the 'Twin Heroes of the Vast Sea,' their father's right and left arms."
Gu Shiyan exclaimed, "Exactly! Exactly! Among the Hu men who ambushed General Wenmosi outside Dasanguan Pass was one named Zhuxie Chixin, and another named Jiezang."
Yuchi Xuan nodded grimly. "Good. They are all here. That old traitor Zhuxie Yuanyi must be here too. So the old scoundrel led his men east to eliminate the two sons of Uyghur Khan Ujie!"
Gu Shiyan added, "They also abducted the Khan's daughter, Ujie Shanluo. It's said they intend to present her to Tubo's Lun Kongre. I just learned Ujie Shanluo is hidden in a Persian Zoroastrian temple in the western suburbs." Before the words fully left his mouth, Yuchi Xuan had flashed out the door. "No time to delay. I go first!" His voice was already dozens of yards away.
Yun Tianjing hurriedly said, "Young Master Gu, I'll go ahead too!" He swiftly pursued his master.
Gu Shiyan immediately ordered a carriage to the residence of the Right Jinwu General. Nieguchuo, upon hearing the news, urgently summoned his Uyghur warriors. Leading three hundred imperial guards from the Jinwu Garrison, they sped towards the western suburbs' Zoroastrian temple.
At that time, Chang'an had only two Zoroastrian temples: one outside the Xuanwu Gate, the other in the western suburbs called the Ahura Mazda Temple.
En route, Nieguchuo learned of Yuchi Xuan's involvement and was overjoyed. "If Yuchi Xuan is willing to act, the days of Zhuxie Yuanyi and his sons are numbered! Brother Gu, though the plot to murder my father originated with Yiyinchuo's treachery, the hands drenched in my father's blood belonged to that old scoundrel Zhuxie Yuanyi. Now he adds my elder brother's blood debt. I and that old villain cannot exist under the same sky!"
Gu Shiyan asked, "From what I know, Yuchi Xuan has always been a lone wanderer. Even Emperor Wuzong's summons to court couldn't compel him. Why would he obey the Beiting Protectorate?"
Nieguchuo explained, "Zhuxie Yuanyi was originally a fierce general under Gao Xianzhi, the Military Governor of Beiting. He was ordered to assist my father in guarding the towns of Kucha and Khotan south of the Tianshan Mountains. Three years ago, Gao Xianzhi died suddenly of illness. Zhuxie Yuanyi promptly defected to Tubo. Gao Xianzhi's death must be connected to Zhuxie Yuanyi. Yuchi Xuan received recognition from Gao Xianzhi in his early years. Naturally, he would help the Beiting Protectorate capture or kill Zhuxie Yuanyi to repay Gao Xianzhi's kindness."
It was now late at night (Hai hour), and Chang'an was under curfew. The broad avenues were nearly deserted. The thunderous sound of over three hundred warhorses galloping together rolled like a giant drum. Only the Six Armies of the Imperial Guard dared gallop through Chang'an after the Hai hour.
Exiting the West Straight Gate, the landscape opened up with no tall buildings for miles. Ahead, flames reflected in the sky—precisely where the Ahura Mazda Temple stood.
Gu Shiyan cried out in alarm, "The temple is on fire!"
They spurred their horses wildly, arriving like the wind before the temple. Sure enough, the main hall was engulfed in fierce flames, already partially collapsed. It seemed the fire had been burning for some time. The heat blast carried the stench of scorched flesh—someone must have perished. Onlookers crowded around, but no one attempted to extinguish the blaze. The imperial guards dispersed the gawkers. Seeing the fire raging uncontrollably, they could only sigh in frustration.
Gu Shiyan scanned the surroundings from horseback, puzzled not to see Yuchi Xuan or Yun Tianjing.
In front of the collapsed main hall, dozens of Persian Hu men sat in a circle. Inside the circle sat an old man whose hair and beard were singed by fire. He could no longer sit upright unaided; two men supported him from behind. The flesh of his hands was charred and mangled, fingertips blackened, yet he struggled to form the shape of a flame with his gestures, murmuring prayers. After a long while, his hands dropped. The assembled Persians cried out as one: "The High Priest has returned to Heaven! The High Priest has returned to Heaven! May he dwell eternally at the feet of the Light Lord, forever freed from the suffering of this dark world!"
Under the heavy night sky, the temple ruins looked extraordinarily beautiful in the raging firelight. Flames surged around the temple doorway, yet the frame itself opened onto a silent, peaceful night—like a gate forever escaping the suffering of the mortal world.
Nieguchuo and his men were awed by the solemnity. They silently watched the Persian men carry the old priest's body away into the darkness, making no move to question them.
Gu Shiyan said bitterly, "The villains acted ruthlessly. A single fire cleanses everything clean. And now we don't know where they've hidden Shanluo!"
Nieguchuo asserted, "At least we know they haven't taken Shanluo out of Chang'an yet. We will find her."
Gu Shiyan wondered, "Senior Yuchi and his disciple Yun Tianjing arrived first. Why no trace of them? Could they have discovered the villains' trail and pursued?"
Nieguchuo immediately ordered the three hundred Jinwu guards to spread out with torches and search. They found nothing.
Gu Shiyan advised, "Such a conspicuous search with torches will likely yield little. We should return. Send more people disguised as commoners to secretly observe Hu settlements. Though there are tens of thousands of Hu in Chang'an, I refuse to believe Zhuxie Yuanyi and his ilk can leave no trace."