Gong Jun wore a large cloak, and beneath it was a fine Shu-brocade robe, not an official uniform.
He wore boots with cowhide soles and satin uppers, and his act of dismounting was extremely swift.
In the eyes of others, ever since the new emperor ascended the throne and promoted Gong Tongzhi to Jinyiwei Commander, he not only looked high-spirited, but even seemed younger by seven or eight years. Many people in Taijing City felt puzzled. They had only heard that getting promoted could make one wealthy, but never heard it could make one younger.
Regarding this, Xiao Baihu, who was Gong Jun’s trusted aide, had something to say.
What younger look? He just stopped pretending to be old.
Gong Jun had not actually been that old to begin with, and with his profound skills, he should have looked a few years younger than his real age. Yet he had encountered an emperor, Lu Zhang, who was not broad-minded, and that emperor also happened to be old. As the Jinyiwei Assistant Commander who served the emperor, it would have been bad enough to not be dark and skinny, but if he had also not appeared old, he would have surely gotten on the emperor’s nerves.
Gong Jun could only pinch his nose and pretend to be old. Now that the small-minded one was gone, didn’t Gong Jun appear more and more youthful?
If he had not worried about exposing his previous disguise, Commander Gong might have looked ten years younger overnight.
Because of this sudden change, there were even officials in the capital who asked around to play matchmaker.
——Getting married was impossible. Commander Gong only wanted to spend his days with eight tabby cats at most, while occasionally thinking about Ah Hu, the cat raised by the Yongchen Emperor.
Xiao Baihu knew this very well. Gong Jun verbally claimed he would not keep that cat, saying it caused too much trouble with its arrogant ways, always stepping on people’s faces. But that cat named Ah Hu exuded a dominant aura!
With a fighting power that could rival eight cats, it gazed upon others with lofty arrogance. Whenever it was placed among other cats, the rest either puffed up in alarm or yowled miserably. It was indeed the cat that had been kept at the imperial side for many years. Such a presence could not be found in a second cat across the entire Taijing City.
Although it was difficult to feed, coax, and control, when Ah Hu ate and drank his fill and flopped down in front of someone, revealing his soft, furry belly, letting them rub and knead at will, not to mention Gong Jun, even Xiao Baihu wanted to secretly bring him home.
This was His Majesty’s cat, and I was petting the same cat as His Majesty!
No, no, when Ah Hu was in a bad mood, even His Majesty’s face went unacknowledged, yet I got to rub that furry belly that His Majesty himself could not always touch!
Xiao Baihu never expected that after so many days, he had only encountered Ah Hu once, and that was when Gong Jun was absent. Ah Hu recognized him and did not scratch him. As a result, Xiao Baihu believed that Ah Hu looked upon him with special favor, hence he assumed the Yongchen Emperor also viewed him favorably. This made Xiao Baihu act like he had been injected with a burst of energy. Besides working harder than before, he stuck to Gong Jun’s side even more closely, wanting nothing more than to mimic Gong Jun’s every move—if he could live like Gong Jun, then he could have both the cat and the position.
“Reporting to you, Commander, the surrounding area is deserted. No one is stationed here.”
Gong Jun cast a glance at his subordinate, who had been exceptionally attentive lately, and took the water flask Xiao Baihu handed him.
“Is that so? It looks like King Tianshou was going for broke and did not intend to return to Yizhou?”
After Gong Jun finished drinking water, he led the others to the collapsed section of the city wall.
He had rushed here in a hurry, and felt exhausted, but the matter requiring investigation lay right before him, so he paid no attention to resting and was about to step inside.
“Commander, wait a moment. It seems as though someone has been here.” Xiao Baihu pushed aside two upright white banners and volunteered, “Please allow your subordinate to go in first and take a look.”
Gong Jun surveyed the surroundings. For some reason, he indeed had the sensation of being watched, so he did not reject Xiao Baihu’s proposal.
Xiao Baihu led four Jinyiwei men into the charred ruins. Immediately, there came a scream.
“Who goes there?” Gong Jun drew his blade, dashing in a flash.
What greeted his eyes were bodies strewn about in a horrific sight, and out of a dark mountain of corpses emerged a figure.
Even for Jinyiwei, seeing such a scene made their hearts pound uncontrollably. This was no place for the living—more like purgatory. Everything was charred black. The smell of burning lingered at the tip of their noses. Xiao Baihu and the others had the wits scared out of them by that figure abruptly appearing.
“…He, he was just on the top of that wall, drifting over,” Xiao Baihu’s eyes were vacant, and his mouth was dry.
He could not be blamed for being timid. With such a dreadful sight around him, his mind was still shaken, and before he could recover, he had witnessed such an eerie scene. It was enough to startle him into crying out. The fact that he still gripped his weapon and did not turn and run was already a sign of courage.
“How could there be a ghost? Don’t you recognize Qinggong?” Gong Jun chastised him. After a closer look, he nearly followed Xiao Baihu’s lead and cried out in surprise. “National Preceptor Meng?”
Gong Jun was dumbfounded. Wasn’t this man supposed to be in Jiangnan? Since when had he come to Yizhou?
Meng Qi nodded to him. “Perfect timing. I was short on manpower. No one collected the remains of these soldiers who died in battle at Xuanchuan Pass.”
“……”
Gong Jun pinned down Xiao Baihu, who was livid with anger. He did not mind Meng Qi’s commanding tone; more precisely, he heard another meaning hidden in Meng Qi’s words—Xuanchuan Pass belonged to Qi Dynasty. Even though King Tianshou’s army had conquered it, over a month had passed, so how come no one had come to collect the bodies?
Where were the nearby government offices and prefectures?
Could it be that King Tianshou had killed them all?!
Gong Jun had traveled south by boat, concealing his identity and detouring through Jingzhou to reach Xuanchuan Pass, in order to investigate the rebel army’s movements and conditions behind the lines. He worried the rebels would occupy the city and hold this vital route out of Yizhou. Of course, he had not wanted to alert others. Upon seeing Xuanchuan Pass left in ruins, he had let out a sigh of relief.
King Tianshou had gambled everything and gone on to Jingzhou without even keeping this strategic spot, meaning the rebel forces lacked real depth—they had only that little at their disposal. Once the court sent troops to pacify Yizhou, the resistance should be limited, right? Anyone would be glad to save themselves trouble.
But after Meng Qi’s reminder, Gong Jun’s face darkened.
After the Qi Dynasty replaced Chu, officials in remote areas sometimes acted on their own, not even submitting taxes. However, no one in the court cared to bother with those godforsaken places. It was a twofold cause for this special state of affairs! But this was Xuanchuan Pass, garrisoned for many years. The nearby prefectures and counties were under the court’s jurisdiction. After King Tianshou broke through the Pass, they just reported back with a single piece of news to the court, neither blocking the rebels nor inquiring about anything thereafter. Consequently, the bodies remained until today?
“How dare they ignore their duty…!”
Gong Jun growled under his breath. The Jinyiwei specialized in investigating private matters, and he excelled at analyzing tiny clues for the truth.
——It was not only that these local officials feared the rebels and refused to do their job; more importantly, they might have been hypocritical toward the Ning Family Army, even despising Xuanchuan Pass. Since the court issued no direct orders, they acted like they knew nothing, taking advantage of the seemingly proper reason of ‘defending their city and protecting the people,’ neither asking nor interfering, leaving Xuanchuan Pass exactly as it was when the rebels departed.
“How could they dare? Times were no longer the same as before; the old General Ning was the Empress’s maternal grandfather.” Gong Jun trembled with rage.
Xiao Baihu and the others grasped the situation belatedly, all infuriated.
“Commander, could it be that they have rebelled…”
“Rebelling? That would not happen. Standing by and ignoring? Certainly.” Meng Qi had his hands clasped behind his back, speaking slowly, “You are the Jinyiwei Commander. You already knew these key points without my explanation. Ice on a river did not freeze in a single day. Building a mountain of earth did not happen at once. Lu Zhang, in order to suppress the Ning Family Army, repeatedly sent people to divide and dilute its military power. I suppose even the county magistrates and officers in the nearby prefectures would never appoint anyone partial to the Ning family. After the Yongchen Emperor took the throne, he removed the individuals in the army who opposed the Ning Family, yet he could not replace these local officials from top to bottom.”
Xiao Baihu, on hearing this, felt like cursing, and said angrily, “These traitors who ate from our bowl yet sabotaged us—His Majesty should have just had them all beheaded.”
“Enough. His Majesty has been on the throne less than half a year, and even changing the guard has left him short of breath. If he replaced officials on a large scale for the sake of his maternal clan, the entire court would be shaken. When it came to matters like this, all officials shared one mindset. The late emperor oppressed the imperial in-laws based on personal preference. If His Majesty also vented his anger on officials because of the imperial in-laws, he would only provoke the civil and military officials into rebelling at heart. If they then treated the affairs of state halfheartedly, doing nothing but fighting against the emperor, how could this court possibly remain stable?”
Gong Jun, pained by this, gave a reprimand. The twists and turns within were like the tangles of yarn wrapped around him by a mischievous tabby—circling into a dead knot. He himself was stuck in the middle, and no matter how sharp the claws were, they could not break free.
“Looking closely, it all stemmed from the evil deeds Lu Zhang created. But how was it that some officials and common folk here still had muddled minds?”
Meng Qi’s tone when saying this was calm, yet Gong Jun distinctly heard a murderous air in his words. He suddenly remembered how this man had broken into the Northern Office of Surveillance and killed many, nearly costing him his own life. A chill promptly ran through him, causing goosebumps to sprout all over.
Gong Jun unconsciously took a step back, a cold feeling rising from within.
“Master Preceptor, you meant to say…”
“Wait a moment. I brought a few people who narrowly survived that day.”
***
Jiangxia City.
Qiu Jing watched as wave after wave of anxious-looking merchants crowded onto the ferry, fleeing northward.
There were even more people taking horse carts, heading to Yangzhou.
Standing atop the city wall and witnessing this scene, it looked like a collapsing mountain and scattering monkeys. It could not have been more dismal.
“…If you regret it now and decide to leave, it is still not too late.”
“General Nie.”
Qiu Jing promptly turned around and bowed. The newcomer was around fifty, with graying beard and a booming voice.
“You’re just a young lass, and being a wanderer in the martial world was already improper. Now you want to bring people to defend this city… what does that say? Could it be all the fine men of Jiangnan have died out? Bah, you see these folks running off as though they wish their parents had birthed them two extra legs.”
The old general cursed with a voice full of vigor. Qiu Jing stood helplessly at his side for a while, then spoke, “Nevertheless, I must thank the General for trusting me, allowing us to enter the city.”
“What are you saying that for? You brought a recommendation letter from that old codger Bao Guanyong, so of course, I believe you. Back then, he too was a renowned general of Northern Borders—what a pity.” General Nie frowned, glaring as though annoyed, “Besides, I’m not entirely ignorant of Fengxing Pavilion’s reputation in Jiangnan. Your businesses have been running for a long time already—what is there to hide?”
Qiu Jing wore an even more awkward expression. Fengxing Pavilion’s network mainly depended on trade routes. Anyone who was able to connect with them and gain a deep understanding, especially a military man, had probably done so through buying and selling weaponry and provisions. Jiangxia produced abundant grain and did not lack manpower for the army, so each year this General Nie used secret channels to sell grain and buy medicine, never banking on whatever King Jing allocated.
Though it was a good thing, hearing it spoken out loud so bluntly was nevertheless disconcerting.
Just like when Qiu Jing came with a letter of introduction seeking an audience, General Nie saw at a glance that she was a woman and asked why a young lass had come.
Qiu Jing: “…”
Roaming the martial world all these years, few could tell her gender at a glance.
“These spineless cowards running away are no loss—if they stayed, they might have caused trouble.” General Nie sat confidently on the city wall, giving a cold snort. “If I were in a better mood, I’d have demanded one hundred catties of grain from each before letting them leave the city.”
Qiu Jing knew the General did indeed want to stockpile more grain and provisions, but in the end he did not do so, not because of a good mood, but because many of these merchant households had servants and hired hands. If grain were demanded per head, they would simply abandon their servants, leaving more hidden dangers for the city.
Now, Jiangxia City only allowed exits, not entries. Qiu Jing had no choice but to bring Fengxing Pavilion’s people near the city gate to verify each newcomer from the martial world who wished to help.
After entering the city, they still lived together with Fengxing Pavilion, separate from the military’s quarters, so that if some fool turned traitor to King Tianshou, they would find it harder to make a move in secret.
These martial artists arrived in batches—some were sworn brothers, some from the same clan or sect, and seldom did they come alone.
Qiu Jing suddenly spotted someone wearing a tattered Daoist robe. Despite his ragged clothing, he moved steadily, a longsword at his waist. He walked against the tide of those rushing out of the city. If not for that, one might have hardly noticed him at first glance. Though he carried himself like an ancient pine with unhurried steps, he was as fluid as water, merging effortlessly with his surroundings, simple and without aggression.
Qiu Jing’s pupils contracted. She instinctively gripped the city wall with both hands.
“Chief?” Her trusted aide looked up in surprise.
“There is a senior master here. Follow me quickly to greet him.”
Qiu Jing clasped her hands toward General Nie in farewell, then hurried to the city gate, where she saw the Daoist wearing a troubled look, awkwardly telling one of Fengxing Pavilion’s men at the entrance, “Poor Daoist came from the Tianshan Sect, originally a resident of Yanzhou, and merely wandered to this place…”
That was truly far away indeed. He was alone, giving his name in a halting manner, causing the man registering him to look full of suspicion—especially since the Daoist kept glancing at the wanted notices posted by the gate.
Qiu Jing suddenly recalled a name, then looked at his appearance and age, finally setting her gaze on the sword at his waist.
Yes. It was—
“So it was Daoist Ning. Forgive my lack of courtesy—I am Qiu.”
The Number One Sword under heaven, Ning Changyuan of the Tianshan Sect.
Though he was a wanted criminal in the Qi Dynasty, forging fake residence permits, travel passes, and monk certificates was sometimes part of Fengxing Pavilion’s business. They had indeed dealt with Ning Changyuan in the north.
Author’s Note:
Although Ning Changyuan’s surname was Ning, he was truly unrelated to the Ning family OTZ
It was the author’s fault for not thinking more when naming him.
————
Qiu Jing: I did business. I had wide connections. I knew a lot of people.
Master of forging fake documents · Ning Changyuan: …Ahem, before entering the city, I wanted to see if they posted a wanted notice for me or not.
