The general on horseback was unhurried, his horse’s hooves beating a steady, measured rhythm.

Hu Jinxian perfectly matched Chen Ji’s image of a frontier general, resembling a mountain range weathered for millennia, rugged, imposing, and steadfast across the vast northwestern plains.

Before this, Chen Ji had never seen Hu Jinxian up close, but the moment the other man appeared, he knew it had to be Hu Jinxian.

In the dim, narrow street, amidst a dangerous and eerie silence, Chen Ji gripped his sword hilt and stared coldly at the other man. A taut line seemed to stretch between them, threatening to snap as the man drew closer step by step.

Suddenly, the Crown Prince, seated steadily on his horse, said in a gentle voice, “After arriving in Gu Yuan, this is the first time I’ve seen General Hu so closely; it is truly an honor. I often hear the Grand Secretaries in Wenhua Hall speak of how, as long as General Hu is in command of the Gu Yuan border town, there is little to worry about. Seeing the general’s demeanor today, my heart is indeed filled with admiration.”

Hu Jinxian’s warhorse halted, ten paces from the Crown Prince. He spoke, “Your Highness flatters me. I actually wish I weren’t so formidable in the eyes of the Grand Secretaries.”

“Oh?” the Crown Prince asked, puzzled. “What do you mean by that?”

Hu Jinxian’s voice was as calm as a lake: “If the Grand Secretaries weren’t so confident in me, perhaps they would allocate more weapons and provisions to my border army, instead of leaving my soldiers to wear rattan armor, wield rusty blades, and treat even ox-tendon bowstrings as precious treasures. Jing Dynasty archers each carry three bowstrings for emergencies when they go to battle, yet my Gu Yuan border army cannot even muster one per man.”

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince slowly looked around at the rooftops, noting the archers wearing rattan armor, their expressions indifferent.

After a moment of thought, he said, “My visit to Gu Yuan has indeed been shocking. Upon my return to the capital, I will certainly petition His Majesty to prepare weapons and provisions for Gu Yuan, ensuring the morale of the border army soldiers does not falter.”

Hu Jinxian said expressionlessly, “If Your Highness can truly secure weapons and provisions for the border army, I, Hu, will erect a living shrine for you, burning incense daily and offering prayers nightly.”

A sudden silence fell between them, and strong undercurrents surged within the narrow street.

Why was the border army here? This was the question the Crown Prince most wanted to ask, but he could not, so he remained silent.

At this moment, the hearts of the Yulin Army were in their throats, fearing someone might tear through the thin veil of pretense and force the border army to silence witnesses.

Li Xuan subtly signaled, and the Yulin Army soldiers all drew their swords, forming a protective guard around the Crown Prince’s white horse.

The next moment, Zhou You spoke, “Your Highness, we received intelligence from the populace that someone was hoarding foul liquid here, so we immediately rushed to apprehend the culprits. Despite our haste, we didn’t expect you to claim the first credit.”

“Hmm?” All eyes turned to Zhou You.

The Crown Prince’s posture relaxed slightly as he followed Zhou You’s lead, asking, “So the border army was already prepared? It seems I’ve been overly cautious.”

Zhou You explained with a smile, “In the 24th year of Jianing, the Jing Dynasty besieged Gu Yuan. They first buried hundreds of cattle and sheep carcasses at the source of the Zi Wu River in Quwu Mountain, then poisoned the wells with arsenic. My Gu Yuan border army was besieged for two months, but thankfully, reinforcements arrived in time, and we decisively defeated the Jing Dynasty’s Heavenly Strategy Army in Quwu Mountain, narrowly securing victory. In the 28th year of Jianing, the Jing Dynasty attempted the same trick, trying to pollute the city’s wells with foul liquid, but we discovered it in advance.”

Zhou You continued with a smile, “Since then, my Gu Yuan border army has infiltrated arsenic dealers and waste collectors with informants, to prevent the Jing Dynasty villains from returning.”

His explanation was sufficiently detailed. Whether true or false, a pretext had been given, and the Crown Prince had no choice but to accept it.

The Crown Prince said with a smile, “No wonder the Grand Secretaries praise General Hu; you truly lead your troops skillfully.”

General Hu did not look at the Crown Prince but at the border army soldier in the Yulin Army who had been captured by Chen Ji earlier. “Your Highness, may I ask what offense this subordinate of mine has committed, that he is being held by the Yulin Army generals?”

The Crown Prince deliberated for a moment, finally deciding to answer truthfully: “General Hu, we previously asked him to lead us to Kashgar Street, but he deliberately took us to Kule Street and even attempted to send a warning to Kashgar Street. I suspected he was a spy from the Jing Dynasty’s military intelligence planted within the border army, which is why we apprehended him.”

Zhou You suddenly said, “Then hand this person over to my border army. We will surely interrogate him thoroughly and uncover those behind him. Your Highness is a person of immense importance, and the Yulin Army are the imperial guards; you are probably not accustomed to such unsavory methods as torture for extracting confessions.”

Li Xuan’s heart jumped, and he instinctively turned to look at the Crown Prince. Zhou You was clearly trying to silence the man!

If the border army soldier were handed over, the other side would likely make him “commit suicide out of guilt” tonight.

But… dozens of archers were lying in wait on the rooftops on both sides, and who knew how many more border soldiers were hidden outside Kashgar Street? They had no choice but to comply.

The next moment, the Crown Prince smiled. “In that case, then hand him over to General Zhou… It’s getting late. Shall I leave this place for you all to handle?”

Zhou You cupped his hands. “Your Highness has worked hard tonight. Please return to the Dusi Mansion to rest early. You can leave this place to us.”

As he finished speaking, the archers on the rooftops lowered their bows and disappeared behind the ridge.

The Yulin Army’s suspended hearts suddenly settled, yet they felt a strange sensation: the border army just let them go like that?

The Crown Prince gently nudged his horse’s belly, and the horse slowly moved forward.

In the narrow street, one step, two steps, three steps… the Crown Prince slowly passed by Hu Jinxian and Zhou You. They each walked with their heads held high, eyes fixed straight ahead, not glancing at each other.

After all the Yulin Army had passed Hu and Zhou, fragmented hoofbeats sounded behind them. Li Xuan knew these hoofbeats meant Hu Jinxian and Zhou You had turned their horses, staring intently at them from behind, their gazes like swords. Yet, he dared not look back.

The Yulin Army rode from Kashgar Street to Kule Street, and from Kule Street to Xumi Alley. Everyone remained silent throughout the journey until Li Xuan repeatedly confirmed that the border army was not following. Only then did he let out a long breath.

He looked down and saw his palm, gripping the sword hilt, was drenched in sweat.

Li Xuan approached the Crown Prince and said in a deep voice, “Your Highness, the border army has rebellious intentions; they must have colluded with the Jing Dynasty villains to surrender Gu Yuan to them. Otherwise, perhaps you should follow your humble general and leave through Gu Yuan’s secret passage? I have inquired, and there are two secret passages in Gu Yuan City: one at the City God Temple, and another at the Dragon Gate Inn. Your relationship with Taoist Master Zhang Li of Huangshan Dao Court is profound; the City God will surely allow you to use his path to leave. At that time, we will escort Your Highness back to the capital, even if it costs us our lives.”

Everyone looked at the Crown Prince, their fate—whether to stay or go—resting on his single decision.

The Crown Prince pondered for a moment, then turned to Chen Ji beside him. “What do you think, Brother Chen Ji?”

Chen Ji calmly said, “There’s no need to leave.”

Li Xuan frowned. “Why not?”

Chen Ji casually replied, “The border army isn’t rebelling, or at least Hu Jinxian doesn’t want to.”

Qi Zhenzhuo scoffed, “The border army practically had arrows pointed at Your Highness’s forehead just now—and you say they’re not rebelling? If they weren’t colluding with the Jing Dynasty, how could they have arrived at Kashgar Street so quickly? And why would they silence the Jing Dynasty villains?”

Chen Ji didn’t even glance at Qi Zhenzhuo. “If Hu Jinxian wanted to rebel, why would he resort to polluting wells with foul liquid? Wouldn’t it be easier to just open the city gates? There might be some within the border army who want to rebel, but it must be a minority. There are certainly things we don’t know, which is why the situation appears so convoluted.”

Qi Zhenzhuo said in a grave voice, “If the border army were to seize Your Highness, could you bear that responsibility?”

The Crown Prince smiled. “I know you are all doing your best. Now is the time for collective wisdom; do not create discord. What Chen Ji said makes some sense. If Hu Jinxian wanted to rebel, he wouldn’t have let us leave just now. Put your minds at ease and observe quietly. As for escaping through the secret passage, do not bring it up again.”

Li Xuan urgently said, “Your Highness…”

The Crown Prince interrupted, “General Li, if I were an ordinary citizen, I could certainly prioritize my life in times of chaos. But I am the heir apparent to a nation; my life may be sacrificed, but my integrity will never be compromised.”

Li Xuan exclaimed emotionally, “It is truly a blessing for our Ning Dynasty to have such an heir apparent!”

The Yulin Army surged forward, their emotions stirred, shouting, “We vow to protect Your Highness with our lives!”

As they spoke, everyone returned to the front of the Dusi Mansion.

The Crown Prince turned back and said, “Oh, Brother Chen Ji, where are Zhang Zheng and Miss Zhang Er now? General Li will send someone to bring them back to the Dusi Mansion later… Where is he?”

Li Xuan suddenly turned his head. Earlier, while they were expressing their loyalty and flattering the Crown Prince, Chen Ji had quietly retreated to the back of the group. But now, where was a trace of Chen Ji behind them?

Kucha Street, Dragon Gate Inn.

The innkeeper stood behind the counter, tallying the day’s accounts.

Xiao Liu leaned idly against the counter, yawning. “Boss, the Lunar New Year’s Eve is the day after tomorrow. How do you plan to celebrate?”

The innkeeper didn’t look up. “I won’t.”

Xiao Liu’s eyes darted around. “So, is our inn closing?”

The innkeeper gave him a sidelong glance. “What, you have no family and no one to care for, yet you’re still thinking about Lunar New Year’s Eve? You can’t even get a wife; just stay in the shop and work honestly. Now, with all sorts of dubious characters flocking to Gu Yuan City, you still want to close? The biggest business is happening in these next few days.”

Xiao Liu let out a dejected “Oh.”

The innkeeper closed his ledger and leaned back, stretching his neck. “Tonight, send off the ‘fat sheep’ from rooms ‘Earth-C’ and ‘Earth-G’. Remember to send them separately. If I catch you slacking again, I’ll smash your head in. Also, be more nimble with your work. Last time, you left a corrugated black gauze hat in the stable, and someone almost saw it! If you’re careless again, I’ll smash your head in too!”

Xiao Liu pulled in his neck. “Got it!”

The innkeeper gazed distractedly out the window. “I wonder where the boss is right now? And how they’re doing.”

Xiao Liu muttered under his breath, twisting his mouth, “I wonder how the boss is doing.”

With a smack, the innkeeper slapped him on the back of the head. “Get lost.”

At this moment, the heavy cotton door curtain was gently pushed aside, and Chen Ji entered, bringing with him a gust of cold wind. He stood at the entrance, dusting himself off.

Xiao Liu quickly came over, using the white cloth draped over his shoulder to help dust him off, and asked, “You went out in the evening, honored guest, and only returned in the middle of the night. Were you attending to something important?”

Chen Ji smiled. “If you want to inquire about news, you’ll have to pay for it with silver.”

Xiao Liu chuckled awkwardly. “I was just asking casually…”

From behind the counter, the innkeeper looked over and casually asked, “Honored guest, will you be setting up a table tomorrow?”

Chen Ji thought for a moment. “Fireknife liquor. I’ll open a jar. It’s a good chance to taste what Gu Yuan’s fireknife liquor is like.”

The innkeeper’s eyes suddenly narrowed.

“Open a jar?” That means he’s going to sell momentous news!