The sun had just risen, and Chen Ji walked in the thin morning mist.
He stepped closer, then farther, avoiding the bodies strewn on the ground, sotis even dodging the mixture of blood and mud. Eventually, he stopped trying, as there was simply too much blood—there was no way to avoid it.
The night is gentle; it hides blood and corpses where they can’t be seen. Only when daylight cos will you see the brutality of war.
On the dirt road, border army infantry weaved through the corpses. They stacked the bodies—of civilians, border soldiers, and Heavenly Strategy Army soldiers—onto carts and hauled them away.
As the bodies piled high on the carts, limbs dangled lifelessly, heads slumped weakly, devoid of breath, devoid of dignity.
An old border soldier spotted a decent pair of boots, imdiately sat down beside the corpse with glee, peeled off the boots neatly, and swiftly put them on.
The old soldier exclaid in delight, "Fits perfectly! These Jing Dynasty scoundrels aren’t so bad—coming all this way just to bring so boots. Comfy!"
Soone laughed and cursed, "You idiot, wearing them without washing first?"
The old soldier grumbled, "If I wash them and hang them outside the camp, who knows which son of a bitch will sneak off with them? Back in the twenty-fifth year of Jianing, I worked hard to swipe a pair of boots from Quwu Mountain, and after washing them, before they’d even dried, Old Yao was wearing them..."
As he spoke, the soldier suddenly rembered: Old Yao was gone, just taken away by another cart.
In the silence, soone patted his shoulder, "Find another pair and burn them for Old Yao as an offering."
The old soldier finished putting on the boots, patted his backside, and stood up, grinning, "Like hell I will. Dead people don’t need good boots. If I find more good ones, I’ll stash them away for myself!"
The grin looked more like a grimace.
Chen Ji didn’t return to regroup with the others. Instead, he headed to where the shopkeeper of Dragon Gate Inn had died, the man still slumped in place, frozen in the mont of his death.
After a mont’s thought, Chen Ji hoisted the shopkeeper’s corpse onto his back and started making his way to the inn. He didn’t even know why he was doing it, only felt he couldn’t leave the man where he had fallen.
Along the way, the surviving civilians of Guyuan rushed past him in panicked flight.
So stood blankly in front of their burnt-down hos. Others threw themselves onto certain corpses, wailing in anguish. Chen Ji walked past them silently, feeling as though everything had ended, and yet, sohow, it hadn’t.
War leaves scars on everyone—either on their bodies, or deep in their hearts.
Arriving at Dragon Gate Inn, Chen Ji called out loudly, "Is anyone here?"
No reply ca.
There was no sign of Xiao Wu, Xiao Liu, or the others.
Chen Ji stood in silence for a long ti. He gently set the shopkeeper down, leaning him against the doorfra on the right side, while Chen Ji himself leaned against the fra on the left, staring blankly at the desolate Qiu Ci Street.
He softly muttered, "The winter of the 14th year of Jianing, General Wen Tao was frad jointly by the Chen and Xu families and executed by dismbernt. After that, his subordinate Third Master Hu and his sworn sister sought revenge; overnight, they killed Dragon Gate Inn’s original shopkeeper and staff, hanging their corpses on the twelve morial gates. Right?"
The shopkeeper’s eyes remained shut, forever incapable of answering Chen Ji’s question. Chen Ji himself didn’t know who else he could ask.
He continued to muse aloud, "Years later, Third Master Hu and the sister discovered that the real culprits weren’t those shopkeepers and staff. So, they resigned from their posts, snuck into the Imperial Capital for revenge. Wen Tao’s sworn sister feigned marriage into the Chen family, then plotted and killed the Chen family’s Minister of Revenue, taking his decapitated head back to the Jing Dynasty... Right?"
Still, no answer.
Chen Ji sighed. All of this was just speculation—a conjecture that made certain things make sense. Yet even so, many things remained inexplicable.
Should he investigate?
Chen Ji didn’t want to pursue it.
A years-old injustice had nothing to do with him. All he needed was to rescue the Commandery Princess, then take her away—whether to flee the Jing Dynasty or sail out to the sea. Everything else was irrelevant.
When he finally snapped out of his thoughts, he climbed to the third floor to retrieve their belongings.
He took a clean set of clothes from their luggage and went to the backyard. He stripped off his tattered garnts, stood by the water basin, and poured ladles of icy water over his head.
The mud and blood on his body and hair were washed away by the bone-chilling, frigid water.
Only now did Chen Ji feel alive again.
Just then, he heard the sound of tiles shifting far away.
He quickly grabbed his clothes and ducked into the stable, swiftly dressing himself. Erging once more, he saw Jiao Tu, dressed in all black, reclining lazily on the edge of the second-floor eaves, her legs dangling lightly outside.
Beside her stood Yun Yang, hands tucked in his sleeves, his expression cold.
The two noticed Chen Ji erge. Jiao Tu covered her mouth and laughed, "Why is the master so stingy? He even hides his body from us. Upon hearing us arrive, he scurried into the stable like a shy maiden."
Yun Yang scoffed coldly, "What is there to see?"
While tying his belt, Chen Ji calmly asked, "What brings the two of you here?"
Jiao Tu straightened up and said with loaded aning, "Naturally, we ca to see if the master had any rewards to share with us, to help us regain our statuses as zodiac mbers. The master hasn’t forgotten his promise, has he?"
Chen Ji finished tying his belt and leaned against the stable, keeping a vigilant eye on them but speaking casually, "Why else would such an important matter in Guyuan be entrusted to you two? It shows Lord Pri Minister trusts you both. Returning to your zodiac positions is only a matter of ti."
Jiao Tu replied nonchalantly, "That Mr. Feng who suddenly appeared is stealing the spotlight. He lurked within the Liu Family for seven years, and now he’s here in Guyuan running the show. When he returns to the Imperial Capital, he might replace us as the new zodiac mber instead."
Chen Ji was secretly puzzled: didn’t Jiao Tu and Yun Yang know that Mr. Feng was actually Bai Long?
He maintained his composure and said, "Why don’t you two kill him quietly on your way back to the capital? That way, he wouldn’t have a chance to replace you."
Jiao Tu twirled a strand of her hair with her finger, smiling slyly, "Master Chen is trying to trick us into courting death? That Mr. Feng is unfathomable; we won’t fall for that."
Chen Ji shrugged, "Just a suggestion... But you two don’t need to worry about Mr. Feng. Perhaps he has no interest in the ordinary zodiac positions at all."
Jiao Tu was taken aback, "What do you an?"
Chen Ji said casually, "Isn’t it rumored that Lord Binghu is planning to retire? Maybe Mr. Feng is returning to take Binghu’s spot instead."
Jiao Tu and Yun Yang exchanged a glance, both feeling that what Chen Ji said might be more likely.
Yet Yun Yang muttered, "Don’t waste ti talking to this sly fox. He’s always scheming; none of his words can be trusted. Who knows what motive lies behind empty gossip? Focus on the real reason we’re here."
Jiao Tu changed her tone to one of seriousness, "Master Chen, we’ve co here this ti solely to resolve any misunderstandings between us. If we offended you before, we hope you, as the master, won’t hold it against us."
She stood up, perford a formal curtsy at the edge of the eaves, then turned to see Yun Yang still motionless. She tugged at his sleeve, prompting him to begrudgingly bow.
Chen Ji didn’t respond, still uncertain about their intentions.
Jiao Tu continued, "You’ll soon be returning to the Imperial Capital, but you are unaware of the dangers there. As your subordinates, it’s naturally our duty to give you so warnings... Do you wish to hear them?"
Chen Ji responded offhandedly, "Jiao Tu seems to have turned over a new leaf, doing charity work now? Fine, let’s hear it."
Jiao Tu shook her head, "I don’t do it for free. Master Chen, how do you plan to repay ?"
Chen Ji asked, "What does Jiao Tu want?"
Jiao Tu grinned mischievously, "If Master Chen takes off his clothes for to see, I’ll tell him."
Chen Ji raised a brow, only to hear Yun Yang growl in anger, "Why look at him?"
Jiao Tu burst into laughter, "Why are you getting so worked up?"
Chen Ji glanced at Jiao Tu and Yun Yang, "If Jiao Tu wants to use to provoke Yun Yang, it’s unnecessary."
Jiao Tu pouted, "Why would I bother provoking him? No fun at all!"
She sat back on the eaves, her mood growing indifferent, "Though the Ritual Supervision may be a nest of intrigue, where deceptions are common, there are two people you mustn’t cross: one is the mountain bull, and the other is Wu Xiu."
Chen Ji murmured, "Oh?"
Jiao Tu idly examined her nails, speaking slowly, "The mountain bull guards Lord Pri Minister at Jiefan Building. He remains neutral and low-key. Crossing him ans offending the Pri Minister, which naturally leads to dire consequences."
Chen Ji nodded, "And Wu Xiu?"
Jiao Tu narrowed her eyes slightly, "Wu Xiu is the Chief Eunuch of Ritual Supervision. He currently holds the emperor’s favor and serves directly at His Majesty’s side. Ruthless and venomous, he’d just as soon eliminate us. He recently took control of the Jiefan Guard from Lord Pri Minister’s hands. Master Chen, you must avoid leaving any weakness in his grasp."
Chen Ji remarked nonchalantly, "Jiao Tu really ca with honest intentions to warn ?"
Yun Yang was about to speak when Jiao Tu glared at him, making him shut his mouth again.
She smiled and said to Chen Ji, "Today’s warnings are rely to point out that you need us as much as we need you. Master Chen, the Imperial Capital is treacherous. We must watch each other’s backs. Don’t forget the agreents between us."
Chen Ji bowed his hand, "I wouldn’t dare forget."
Jiao Tu laughed lightly, "Good. When we return to the capital, Yun Yang and I will await your command at Ritual Supervision. We’ll be ready to assist you."
At that mont, a rustling sound erged from the stable.
Chen Ji turned to see Xiao Wu poking his head out from a hidden passage, so straw still stuck in his hair.
Upon spotting Chen Ji, Xiao Wu asked curiously, "Guest, what are you doing here?"
Chen Ji turned back to the eaves, only to find that Yun Yang and Jiao Tu had vanished.
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