Martial arts novel "The secret trace of the sea of clouds"

Chapter 1: The Strange Stone
The spring rain pattered softly, and a faint twilight seeped through the pale green window gauze into the hall. The delicate and translucent Tai Lake stone on the pear wood table was enveloped in this soft green glow, while thin white mist rose from the countless small holes in the stone, swirling upwards, subtly suggesting a presence that could reach the clouds.
Outside the window, the fine rain lingered, and the hall was silent.
After a long while, a contented sigh rang out: "This stone is like an island beyond the sea. Taoists speak of seventy-two heavenly paradises within the sea of clouds, but in my view, none can compare to the purity and elegance of this stone. I think we should name it 'Seventy-two Heavenly Paradises'. What do you think, Minister Cai?"
The Minister Cai, who stood quietly beside him, bowed and replied, "Your Majesty's choice is most fitting. Even a common stone would be grateful to be named by Your Majesty. Why not inscribe this name on the stone for posterity?"
Emperor Huizong smiled slightly: "Cai's calligraphy is revered by all under heaven, it would be fitting for him to inscribe it."
In the world today, there are no greater calligraphers than Mi Fu, Cai Jing, Su Dongpo, and Huang Tingjian, collectively known as the Four Great Masters of Mi, Cai, Su, and Huang.
Cai Jing laughed, "My calligraphy may be acceptable to the common eye, but to inscribe on this divine stone would be too earthly, too vulgar. Your Majesty's calligraphy is truly worthy of the stone's purity and elegance. Please forgive me for not being able to comply."
Emperor Huizong smiled, "Cai, you are too modest."
Despite his words, Emperor Huizong was pleased to take up the brush and, after a moment of concentration, wrote the five tiny characters "Seventy-two Heavenly Paradises" in his unique style of the Slender Gold script, as distinctive as the Tai Lake stone itself. He was very satisfied with his work, stepped back to admire it for a moment, and said, "Reward the Suzhou prefect who presented this stone generously. There are many strange stones in Tai Lake, tell him to continue his diligent search."
The door closed behind them, and the hall was once again silent.
The night was deep, and the sound of the watchman's rattle echoed. Within the palace walls, the lights gradually went out.
In the midst of this tranquility, suddenly there was a clamor, someone shouted "Catch the thief!" The imperial guards sprang into action, swords and spears clashed, arrows cut through the air, and a dark figure, carrying a large bundle on his back, leaped over the glazed tiles. The imperial guards who pursued him were knocked down one after another by stones he threw, in the blink of an eye, the figure had crossed the palace wall and disappeared into the dark night.
The night thief had stolen the Tai Lake stone that the emperor had just named "Seventy-two Heavenly Paradises."
Ma Yunlong, the chief constable of Kaifeng Prefecture, who had been ordered to inspect the scene, examined the injured guards and gazed thoughtfully at the stone in his hand that had injured one of them.
It was just an ordinary stone, and it was clear that it had been torn from a fake mountain in the courtyard by the night thief.
Yet it had injured a palace guard.
The guard himself felt embarrassed and muttered, "I saw the stone coming towards me and deflected it with my sword, but who would have thought it would curve around and hit me from behind! It's just a stone, not a boomerang or some other kind of weapon, who would have thought—"
Ma Yunlong stopped him from continuing.
Standing before the pear wood table where the Tai Lake stone had been placed, Ma Yunlong pondered for a long time.
His deputy asked cautiously, "Judging by your expression, do you already know who the night thief is?"

Ma Yunlong sighed, "Don't tell me you haven't guessed who it is."
The deputy paused for a moment before saying, "Could it really be Shi Qingquan?"
Ma Yunlong patted the pear wood table, "Who else but that madman would break into the forbidden palace to steal a stone? And who else could use an ordinary stone picked up随手 so skillfully?"
The deputy was taken aback, almost groaning, "That madman—"
Why did he have to search for rare stones within the forbidden area? Why did he have to involve Kaifeng Prefecture?
Ma Yunlong looked depressed, but anyone in his position would be depressed.
He said gloomily, "If we can't catch that madman and get the stone back, we're all waiting to have our heads cut off by Minister Cai."
The deputy's expression was even more depressed, "Even if Minister Cai spares us, the Prefect won't."
Ma Yunlong agreed wholeheartedly.
Because the Prefect would never allow such a brazen thief to run free under his jurisdiction; it would be too damaging to his reputation. Moreover, it could cost him his official position.
Of course, before he left, he would first punish a few unlucky ones to vent his anger.
As Ma Yunlong was about to leave, he said to his deputy, "Minister Cai has ordered that we must solve this case at all costs, you go to the Ministry of Justice to request the issuance of a general arrest warrant, I will arrange the manpower."
The deputy was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something, "May I ask, chief constable, does the Ministry of Justice have any old files on that madman's age, appearance, and characteristics?"
Ma Yunlong waved his hand, "That madman has caused so much trouble, how could the Ministry not have old files? Hurry and do your job!"
On the way back to Kaifeng Prefecture, Ma Yunlong was only puzzled about one thing: how did Shi Qingquan get the news so quickly? The Tai Lake stone was delivered to the palace during the day, and that night it was stolen by him?
Also, who was the one who shouted "Thief!" and alarmed the palace guards? He had already questioned everyone who was there at the time, but no one knew who had called out first.
As Ma Yunlong was gathering his men to set out, the deputy finally returned after completing his task and whispered, "Chief constable, young Lord Wen is coming with us to pursue Shi Qingquan."
Ma Yunlong was taken aback. Wen Zhengyang, the eldest son of the Marquis of Shenwu, known to all as "young Lord Wen," was so called both because of the flattery that he would inherit the title and because he was as elegant and indomitable as the famous general Lu Bu of the Three Kingdoms period.
When did young Lord Wen form a grudge with someone like Shi Qingquan?
With young Lord Wen, who has friends everywhere, joining them, their journey would be a sensation wherever they went.
Ma Yunlong began to have a headache, and what made him even more headachy was that young Lord Wen had brought along his eighteen personal guards, as well as a pair of unfamiliar siblings.
The brother and sister came down from a luxurious double-horsed carriage with red wheels and a canopy, and greeted Ma Yunlong.
There was no doubt that the delicate and frail sister was a rare beauty, and the brother's appearance was exactly the same as hers, clearly they were twins. From their accent, they were from Shu, but it was unknown how they had met young Lord Wen and joined the pursuit of Shi Qingquan.
No, no, they weren't joining; they were originally going to pursue Shi Qingquan, and young Lord Wen was the one who joined. Ma Yunlong immediately corrected himself in his mind. He had already guessed the reason why young Lord Wen was involved in this matter.
The fury of a man's heart is stirred for the sake of a beautiful woman. Wasn't this exactly how Lu Bu behaved in the past?