Upon reaching this stage today, how would one have been afraid to die?
The sky had just begun to brighten, and Meng Qi picked up his bundle, feeling around for a pastry wrapped in a lotus leaf.
By right, it should have been Fu Ling Cake, yet it had been made to look like a ball.
Meng Qi took one piece and stuffed it into his mouth.
It was not soft or glutinous enough; not only was it not sweet, but it also tasted slightly bitter due to improper ingredients.
Meng Qi did not even furrow his brows, showed no dislike at all, and after finishing one piece, he wrapped the lotus leaf back up, carefully tying it with a thin string.
โโIt had been Fu Ling Cake, personally made by A Li.
Because he worried that Meng Qi would not have found any food on the way, Mo Li had made him a bundle of Fu Ling Cake.
Since it was his first time and he had no mold on hand for making pastries, he simply rolled them like medicinal pills. As a result, there had been too little sugar and too much Fu Ling powder. Mo Li tried one piece, his face darkened, and he intended to make a second batch, but Meng Qi snatched it away and tucked it into his satchel, then departed immediately by using his light-foot skill.
He wanted to go to Xuanchuan Pass and see what had actually happened.
There had been no news from Master Yuan Zhi so far, and Pavilion Master Qiu of the Fengxing Pavilion was also very worried.
How the Tianshou King had captured Xuanchuan Pass remained a mystery. Knowing oneself and knowing the enemy was imperative. If the Pili Hall truly had developed a more formidable gunpowder, it would be best to prepare early. Hence, Meng Qi had to part ways with Mo Li, who went on to Nanping County.
Xuanchuan Pass was even farther away, and Meng Qi was reluctant to have Mo Li hurry along. Besides, investigating clues had always been more in his line of expertise.
On this journey, the rebel armies ran rampant, and the common folk fled in all directions.
Sometimes, even at night, one could see the glow of fire. In a daze, it felt like returning to decades ago, when the whole land was plunged into turmoil and war.
Yet it was also quite different. Back then, after rescuing people who would have been slaughtered by bandits and unruly soldiers, he watched them and their surviving relatives embrace each other in tears. Their cries were filled with utter despair for the future, and they nearly lost the will to struggle in this harsh world. But he would not have felt too sorrowful, because he had been confident in the peace soon to come.
And now?
Even if the Tianshou King was beaten back, when would there truly be days when the people would not go hungry, nor fear a sudden death the next day?
The road ahead was veiled in confusion.
That faint glimmerโwho knew where it might break forth?
Every time Meng Qi rescued someone from the rebel armiesโ blades, whenever he gazed upon the devastation all around and felt at a loss, Mo Liโs face would surface in his mind. The effect was akin to a calming pill. It felt like being swept by the wind into a boundless blue sky; even if all previous efforts had come to naught, even if joys and sorrows had been washed clean, he still knew where he should land.
Occasionally, when he closed his eyes, he dreamed of a particularly graceful and beautiful mountain.
Unfortunately, up to this day, Meng Qi had never seen Mount Qimao with his own eyes.
โโA place that the Divine Doctor Qin Lu had deemed worthy and chosen for seclusion could not have been a mistake, Meng Qi thought resolutely.
Half of the Fu Ling Cake had already been eaten. Meng Qi reckoned that the weather had turned a bit cooler again, so rationing it out could last him a few more days.
After walking only ten li, he spotted traces of carriage tracks and horse hooves in the distance.
On the breeze, faint sounds of a battle cry echoed.
Meng Qi quickened his pace, following the sound. He found people lying all over the ground beside the woods.
Several carriages were forming a circle, securely defended within. Judging by the setup, it looked like a wealthy household migrating and getting ambushed on the way. But the main family appeared strong, and the hired guards and attendants were brave enough to fight, leaving the rebel soldiers in disarray, seemingly about to win.
The few remaining rebel soldiers glared, uttering strange yells, hacking and slashing without method.
One younger man among them, showing a rare hint of fear, threw down his weapon, covered his head, and tried to escape.
Before long, the rebel soldiers were almost wiped out, leaving only that one man who fled for his life.
Strangely enough, he rushed headlong into the woods and toppled right at Meng Qiโs feet.
โWhoโs there?โ
The pursuing household guards and attendants, seeing a man suddenly in the forest, grew wary.
Their swords and blades gleamed, nearly striking Meng Qiโs face. It was obvious that their first thought was that he, too, might be a rebel.
The man who nearly crashed into Meng Qiโs feet struggled to get up again, only for his lower leg to sting inexplicably. He collapsed a second time, landing face-first in the dirt with such force that he knocked himself unconscious.
One of the attendants reflexively raised his blade to chop down on the manโs neck.
โHold on.โ
Facing the blades suddenly turning his way, Meng Qi spoke unhurriedly, โThis fellow looks like he fears death. If he fears death, that means he still has some sense of self. Compared to those hounds who lost their minds after being deceived by the Holy Lotus Sect and the Tianshou King, at least he can speak. It might not hurt to ask him from which direction they came, where they were headed, and who their superior officer was, so that you can avoid them when you travel.โ
The household guards and attendants exchanged puzzled looks. Just then, an arrogant voice demanded, โWhatโs going on?โ
A young master type, waving a folding fan, approached. His golden coronet, jade ornaments, and the tassel of his fan were all top-grade items, and his garments were of the finest material. It was as if the words โmoney is no objectโ were stamped across his face. He held his chin up, looking at people with haughty eyes.
It seemed he had heard what Meng Qi had just said, and he sneered, โTheyโre just a few pitiful rebels. Whatโs there for this young master to fear? No matter how many come, just kill them all!โ
Meng Qi was not the least bit annoyed. He had seen many dandies of this sort, though this time, he felt especially surprised.
Not for any other reason, but because this person happened to be an acquaintance.
โSo it was Golden Phoenix Young Master.โ
Meng Qi certainly remembered that time when this man tried to keep Mo Li from leaving, took a spill himself, then shamelessly handed over a thousand taels of silver in an attempt to befriend Doctor Mo and curry favor. But Mo Li simply threw his calling card and the silver note back.
If the Golden Phoenix Young Master had not been skilled in martial arts, and if his family had not possessed money and influence in the martial worldโalways traveling with a large entourageโhis temper alone would have gotten him killed long ago.
“Did you recognize this young master?” The Golden Phoenix Young Master snapped his folding fan shut, suspiciously sizing up Meng Qi.
He did not know whether he was lucky or unlucky, but the Golden Phoenix Young Master had run into Mo Li and his companion several times in Yongzhou. Yet each time, the sand rat was curled up in the physicianโs arms.
Only that one time, by the Qing River bank, did the Golden Phoenix Young Master catch sight of Meng Qi’s silhouette as he โstepped on the waves to cross the river.โ
By the time they reached Mount Shangyun, everyone was in an uproar over the Emperor Liโs Tomb treasure. The Golden Phoenix Young Master was blocked at the foot of the mountain by Qi Dynasty cannons, and he never saw Master Meng himself.
Ever since Meng Qi met Doctor Mo, he had scarcely parted from Mo Li. In those few times they were apart, the Golden Phoenix Young Master just happened to run into him once! Otherwise, with Mo Li by his side, even if the Golden Phoenix Young Master had been foolish, he could have guessed something.
At that moment, the Golden Phoenix Young Master glanced at Meng Qiโs clothes, which were not wet in the slightest, his shoes spotlessly cleanโฆ aside from the pack on his back, he was nothing like someone who had hurried through the night. Recently, autumn rains had been falling endlessly; even the official roads were full of mud. In the forest, with every step, you would sink into a shallow pit unless you could fly. How else could you end up looking this way?
Even light-footwork required stepping on tree trunks, treading on stones for leverage.
If he was not a deity, then he must have been a ghost.
The Golden Phoenix Young Master’s expression changed. He hurriedly let out a laugh and cupped his hands. “Brother, where did you come from? With the world in chaos, I was about to return to the Western Regions with my family. I have plenty of dry rations and wine. If you do not mind, I could spare some for you?”
His sudden shift from pride to flattery looked familiar. He used to offer money, and now he offered grain.
But given current circumstances, grain was more useful than money.
“No need. We only met by chance.” After Meng Qi spoke, he strode away.
The Golden Phoenix Young Master watched in astonishment as Meng Qi moved casually. In the blink of an eye, he was several zhang away without any visible effort, drifting as though carried by the wind.
The Golden Phoenix Young Master’s mouth slowly fell open in terror.
“Young Master, his light-footwork was extremely good, he could not have been an ordinary man, I thinkโฆ”
“Smack.”
The Golden Phoenix Young Master whacked the servant on the head with his fan. Startled and enraged, he demanded, “You did not recognize him?”
Everyone looked blank, not knowing what the Golden Phoenix Young Master meant.
“It was him, the one we saw at Qing River!” The Golden Phoenix Young Master bristled like a startled porcupine, wanting to roar but not daring to speak too loudly, fearing Meng Qi might come back.
The people of Golden Phoenix Manor finally made sense of things one after another, their expressions mirroring their Young Masterโs shock.
No wonder. The shocking scene they had witnessed on Qing River that day was unforgettable.
“Why was Master Meng here?”
“Wait, was that not an impostor who crossed Qing River as Master Meng?”
“Are you stupid? If you had such skill, would you pretend to be someone else?”
“Who knows why he took a liking to the title of Master Mengโฆ”
Their clamor made the Golden Phoenix Young Masterโs head throb. He snapped, “Enough! Jiangnan is such a mess. Staying one more day means more trouble. Are we leaving or not?”
In a flurry, the group set off on the road again, even forgetting about that rebellious soldier of the Tianshou King who had been knocked unconscious.
Much time passed before that scrawny fellow slowly came to, clutching his head for a while before jumping up in alarm and looking around.
“โฆBlessed Ziwei Star Lord.” He muttered, cautiously feeling his way out of the woods.
The convoy had traveled far; only corpses lay strewn across the ground. These men had set out from Yizhou with him, listening to the Saintess and the Sect Masterโs teachings, each day wondering why they should endure hunger and destitution, why they should suffer oppression by officials. Whyโฆ were there people like them, peasants who could not read a single character, yet some were fortunate enough to be born in a prosperous land like Jiangnan?
Believing in the Ziwei Star Lord, they had no longer gone hungry. They burned down the houses of the landlords, hauled those government officials by the neck, and hung them on flagpoles. But the food dwindled, the sectโs followers increased, and Jiangnanโฆ oh, what a fine place it was.
Even Old Man Liang in the neighboring village, who was blind, knew that Jiangnan had cloth and silk, no shortage of salt or grain, and especially many beauties.
With the Tianshou King raising troops this time, everyone scrambled to join so they would not be left behind.
โBut seeing all these corpses, he was jolted by sudden dread and hugged himself, shivering.
He woke up, truly woke up, realizing that no matter how good a thing was, you had to be alive to enjoy it.
Why keep throwing your life away? Why not stay in Jiangnan and farm the land?
The world was in turmoil; people were running everywhere. Who could trace anyone’s origin? The scrawny fellow looked around, wiped the blood and dirt from his face, tore off a strip of cloth, clumsily tied up his hair, then broke into a run.
He pictured himself settling down in Jiangnan, buying two mu of land, and marrying a lovely wife.
He imagined a house like the one in the village they raided yesterday, with solid brick walls and a courtyard, raising chickens and ducks just like the town they passed through the day before. The boys and girls would be chubby, none of them so skinny that their limbs looked like sticks and their faces were hollow save for a pair of eyesโฆ
He ran and ran, and at last he saw people.
They were refugees with packs, driving a donkey, seeming to flee from the chaos.
The scrawny fellowโs face lit up with joy, and he rushed forward, shouting.
“Whoosh.”
An arrow whistled by, striking his chest dead-on.
The scrawny fellowโs eyes went blank, his expression suddenly twisted, and he toppled over, landing crookedly.
The refugees panicked, and the one among them holding a bow quickly said, “It is all right now, fellow villagers, do not be afraid. It was just one person, not a small band of rebels.”
An old man gasped, “Qilang, what if we killed the wrong person? Did you not see those rebel troops last time all had disheveled hair?”
โHis hair was tied like a beggar. Though he ran empty-handed, his right hand always looked like it held some sort of weapon… Grandpa, did you fail to see clearly? Besides, his accent sounded off the moment you heard itโhe was clearly a rebel soldier. These are not ordinary times. In our whole family, there were only a few able-bodied men who could stand against the rebel troops, so we had to be extra cautious.โ
โAlas.โ The old man sighed and nodded in agreement.
They hurried on and on, finally arriving at a river. At that moment, the banks were already crammed with people.
The rebel army of the Tianshou King did not know this, but only the local villagers did: once you followed this river to its end, it led to the Yangtze. As long as they could find a way to cross to the north side, the entire family could keep their lives.
In truth, they had wanted to head to Yangzhou or to Qiantang County, but the rebel troops traveled faster than they did. Going east meant certain death.
Boats moved ceaselessly along the river, hidden by the thick reeds, slowly sailing into the distance.
In these past few days, with the intermittent autumn rain, the weather grew even colder.
The autumn wind carried the floating white fluff from the reeds, sweeping over the frightened people, sweeping over each fishing boat, then to the riverbank, and on to the vast, majestic surface of the river.
Five tall tower ships lined up side by side, slicing through clouds and fog, appearing on the river like giant beasts.
The townsfolk on the shore, who were trying to figure out what to do, were terrified. Grabbing their valuables and families, they turned to flee. Some said it was the rebel navy, and others said it was the Qi Dynasty attacking. That guess was proven true before fifteen minutes had passedโthe flags of those tower ships bore the unmistakable character โ้ฝ.โ
Gong Jun stood at the bow, his black cloak fluttering in the wind.
โCommander, a signal from the side indicates that General Liu has already ordered a direct landing.โ
Gong Jun extended his hand, and someone immediately offered him a spyglass.
This spyglass looked far more splendid than the one in Zheng Tuโs hands. Its engraved copper tube was inlaid with gemstones, and the front end had a small mechanism for shifting out different lenses to view objects at various distances.
โWhy were there so many people along the riverbankโฆ hmm, all civilians?โ
Gong Jun frowned, seeing the panicked flight of the people. At that moment, a Jinyiwei Qianhu came over and sighed:
โThe Tianshou Kingโs three armies already pushed into the heart of Jingzhou. Only scattered rebel troops remained here. The Jingzhou official army either fled or holed up in their cities, so they posed no great threat to us for now.โ
โQianhu Xu, we must not be careless. This time we came south to eradicate the courtโs major scourge, and we still need to head to Xuanchuan Pass to uncover the truth.โ Gong Jun spoke and then suddenly wore a puzzled expression as he lowered the spyglass. โWhy was the Tianshou Kingโs advance so fast?โ
The King of Jing should not have been so spineless, and Jingzhou was not made of paper. Especially since the Tianshou Kingโs subordinates lacked elite soldiers, for the most part they were peasants who had thrown aside their hoes.
These days Gong Jun had been pressing on quickly, worrying about mistakes and focusing on choosing men. So he only heard a general outline of the Jingzhou situation. After crossing the Yangtze, he intended to go to Xuanchuan Pass. How had three days gone by without any word, and how had the defeated Jingzhou army become even more desperate, as if about to be torn to pieces by the Tianshou King?
โIโm unsure. The Tianshou King led a hundred thousand troops into Jingzhou, like a swarm of locustsโฆโ
Qianhu Xuโs face looked grim. โCommander might never have witnessed that sight: a black mass covered everything. Not only devouring every field of grain, they even ripped open sealed wooden granaries thatched with straw. One locust on its own wasnโt noticeable, unable to carry anything, but gathered together, they possessed a monstrous power that devoured even dried grass. After they swept through those poorer villages, the straw huts collapsed. In a single day they could cut through an entire prefecture. The main forces did not scatter, and the smaller ones slipped into nearby countiesโexactly what Jiangnan faces now.โ
Gong Jun keenly grasped a key detail: โYouโre saying the Tianshou Kingโs army had already dropped below one hundred thousand?โ
Such a ragtag group was difficult to control in the first place, and the Tianshou King pushed such a forced march that even if he suppressed them, their numbers would continue to diminishโlet alone the fact that he did nothing to restrain them. Even if he managed to capture Nanping County, wouldnโt he fear a counterattack from the Jingzhou army?
After all, the Jingzhou army only lost fifteen thousand. They were currently in disarray mainly because the King of Jing and his people were thrown into confusion, and the local officials, lacking orders, also refused to meet the Tianshou Kingโs army on the field, remaining shut in their cities.
Outside the city, countless civilians had died. Only outside the city! The Jingzhou army could still gather again at any time. Then how would the Tianshou King handle it?
โโฆPerhaps, being from a bandit background, he didnโt think that far ahead.โ
Qianhu Xu did not believe the Tianshou King had some hidden plan.
Such rebels only cared about immediate satisfaction, like locusts that just wanted to fill their bellies. What cunning could they possess?
โNo, bring the map.โ Gong Jun pushed down the anxiety in his heart and rubbed his brow in command.
The five tower ships slowly approached the riverbank, their huge shadows looming in the river fog, appearing all the more menacing.
The people of the martial world on the shore all looked alarmed, unsure of the Qi forcesโ intentions. Were they here to take advantage of the chaos?
โHurry, send an urgent report to the Pavilion Master.โ
They first released homing pigeons, then passed along the message to the next temporary gathering of the Fengxing Pavilion. Pigeons recognized only the routes they often flew and could not cross the entire journey, and in short-distance relays one could quickly confirm delivery without delaying the news.
Hence, station by station, one hand passing to another, three hours after the Qi forces landed, by dusk fast horses had already delivered the news to Qiu Jing.
โThe Qi forces landed this morning in western Jingzhou?โ
Qiu Jing felt a headache growing. She was still trying to persuade all the Jingzhou armies holed up in their cities to come to the kingโs aid against the Tianshou King, who was besieging Nanping County. As long as the Jingzhou armies formed an even larger encirclement outside, the Tianshou King would become a fish in a jar.
Yet such efforts went unheeded. Jingzhou feared the rebel troops like devils. Rumor said the Tianshou Kingโs army wasnโt even human, so how could they be beaten?
Qiu Jing was so furious she cursed them, but those with soldiers under their commandโbe they generals or county captainsโwere unwilling to be the first to stick their necks out, wanting only to observe further. In other words, they cared little for the King of Jingโs survival. With grain in their cities and troops in hand, only a fool would fight head-on.
โAfter Nanping comes Jiangxia, the granary of Jingzhou, which offered easy access whether going north or south. Thatโs the Tianshou Kingโs true target.โ
Qiu Jing remembered what Meng Qi had told her before he left.
โThe Tianshou King wanted to break Nanping only to kill the King of Jing, causing the Jingzhou elite to fall once more into strife, buying him time. If my guess was right, he would deliberately let some of Nanpingโs nobles and members of the royal clan escape.
โThe Tianshou King had only one chance. Most of his soldiers were unreliable. Jiangnan would only let down its guard once, and neither Ning nor the King of Wu would be so foolish. Thus he was the one in greatest haste, and only by securing Jiangxia could he expand further.
โThen weโd see whether Qi grew lax or Ning became unstable. He had an eighty percent chance of continuing to push toward Yangzhou, letting massacres feed his soldiers. Those rebels would only fight fearlessly at the beginning, for they believed the nonsense of the Holy Lotus Sect, and they had nothing to lose. Once they plundered and killed enough, they would grow afraid of dyingโฆ thus the Tianshou King would take the opportunity to gather Jingzhouโs and Yangzhouโs armies under his banner.
โThat part wouldnโt be easy, so the Tianshou King had to frighten everyone first, creating an illusion that he was unstoppable and had heavenโs mandate, waiting for those self-styled cunning fence-sitters to join him. By then, it would all be too late.
โHe had to be obstructed, so that all of Jiangnan realized the Tianshou King was nothing specialโno divine or supernatural power, no brilliant strategies. Assassinations, arson, ambushesโwhatever it took, Jiangxia absolutely must not be lost.โ
Recalling all this, Qiu Jing abruptly opened her eyes and declared decisively, โWeโre going to Jiangxia! Send the order: Those who have elderly or young children to support need not come. Should the city stand, we stand. Should the city fall, we fall with it.โ
