“Lord Zhang?”

Zhang Baishi leaned weakly against a tree, examining Chen Ji in the moonlight, and sneered, “I am no Lord Zhang; I am merely a Yebushou of this Chongli Pass.”

Chen Ji smiled, “Then I shall call you Uncle Baizi, as Ah Sheng does.”

In the forest, separated by more than ten steps, they maintained a perfectly safe distance.

Chen Ji and Zhang Baishi gazed at each other, their eyes never leaving the other. This was a true fighting stance; a hunter’s eyes should never stray from their prey during a hunt.

Ah Sheng and Xingxing both gripped their sabers tensely. Zhang Baishi appeared weak, but he was secretly moving his joints to avoid any mishap with his old, ailing body when he had to move.

But he suddenly realized that Chen Ji was not nervous at all. Zhang Baishi could count on one hand the number of people who could remain so calm on a battlefield.

He looked at Chen Ji and suddenly asked, “Ah Sheng, who is this?”

Ah Sheng was silent for two breaths, “He’s a new Qiguan at our Chongli Pass. He got lost repairing the city wall. I met him on my way here and brought him along to find you.”

Zhang Baishi was silent for a moment, not exposing Ah Sheng’s lie, “No wonder I haven’t seen him before. Since he’s come to Chongli Pass, he’s one of us. If you need anything in the future, just say the word.”

Chen Ji smiled and agreed, “Alright.”

Zhang Baishi straightened himself against the tree trunk and slowly walked towards Ah Sheng and Chen Ji, “Let’s go, back to Chongli Pass. I have urgent news to deliver to the Zongbing.”

Ah Sheng tightened his grip on the saber.

Zhang Baishi took a step forward, and he took a step back, “Uncle Baizi, did you encounter any Zhuosheng Jiang on your way here?”

Zhang Baishi stopped in his tracks, looked at Ah Sheng, then at Chen Ji behind Ah Sheng, “No, we might have just missed them. After all, the forest is vast, and it’s common for a few people to miss each other.”

Ah Sheng gritted his teeth again, “Uncle Baizi, yesterday Gao Yuan of the Wansui Army said he saw you at Liutiao Gou. How did you spend the past day and night?”

Zhang Baishi explained, “Xingxing and I left the pass nine days ago to investigate the movements of Jing Dynasty outside the Dama Qunshan. We first went to the east to confirm there were no grain or military supplies gathering in Baidadan City, then we started heading back. Before this trip, your Uncle Hong said the map of the Liutiao Gou area had problems, so I came myself, intending to redraw the map. That’s when we encountered Zhuosheng Jiang entering the mountains. But the Zhuosheng Jiang didn’t find us. We hid in that cave in Liutiao Gou for an entire day.”

Ah Sheng whispered, “Uncle Baizi, you’re injured, aren’t you? How did you get hurt?”

Zhang Baishi looked down at his arm; blood was seeping through his sleeve, “I hid too quickly, protecting Xingxing, and fell down the hillside, scraping myself.”

As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeve to his elbow. The wound on his arm indeed looked like a scrape.

Zhang Baishi’s explanation had no glaring flaws, except that it omitted what happened at Liutiao Gou that day.

What happened in Liutiao Gou? No one knew.

However, at this moment, Ah Sheng suddenly said, “But Uncle Baizi, you never used to explain these things to me.”

Zhang Baishi was silent for a moment, then laughed, “That saber you’re holding, I gave it to you. It was a Zhuosheng Jiang’s saber, with a character ‘Yuan’ carved on the hilt. He must have been a descendant of a Jing Dynasty noble. What, are you planning to kill me with the saber I gave you?”

Ah Sheng’s hand, gripping the hilt, trembled slightly.

It wasn’t fear, but that he was gripping it too tightly.

Zhang Baishi said no more and walked south, “Let’s return to Chongli Pass first. We need to travel through the night, or we might not make it through the Ping’an Gate before it closes tomorrow.”

Ah Sheng was stunned. He had already broken the silence, yet the other person still wanted to go to Chongli Pass? Was he planning to set a trap along the way?

Zhang Baishi walked in front, familiar with the route.

Xingxing tried to support him, but he pushed her away, “I’ve walked this path dozens of times, always by myself, never needed help.”

Ah Sheng motioned to Chen Ji to follow, “If you encounter a trap, take a detour back to Chongli Pass. You must bring back what happened here… please.”

Chen Ji said casually, “He’s your Uncle Baizi.”

Ah Sheng turned and walked forward, “Uncle Hong said every Yebushou must remember that Chongli Pass doesn’t belong to any one person; it belongs to many. If you do something wrong, many people will die.”

From Huashu Gou to Madi Gou, then to Wafang Gou, Zhang Baishi’s injuries were definitely more than one, yet he walked incredibly fast.

Ah Sheng and Chen Ji followed behind, cautious and alert, keeping about ten steps away.

They both expected Zhang Baishi to look for an opportunity to strike along the way, but until the sky gradually brightened and they saw the outline of Chongli Pass in the distance, Zhang Baishi still hadn’t looked back, focused only on hurrying.

As Chongli Pass drew nearer, Ah Sheng finally couldn’t help but say, “Uncle Baizi!”

Zhang Baishi stopped on the mountain path and turned to look back.

Zhang Baishi’s face was pale, and behind him lay Chongli Pass, where he had lived for over forty years, towering like a mountain.

He looked directly at Ah Sheng, “What is it?”

Ah Sheng looked earnestly at Zhang Baishi, as if to imprint his face in his mind, “Uncle Baizi, please take Xingxing and leave.”

Zhang Baishi laughed freely, “Let me leave? Is this the perfect solution you thought of all night?”

Ah Sheng lowered his head, “Uncle Baizi, please take Xingxing and leave. There’s still time if you go now.”

Zhang Baishi said casually, “Where would I go?”

Ah Sheng thought for a moment and said, “Uncle Hong doesn’t tolerate any deceit, and you can’t fool him either. If you leave, I’ll just pretend I didn’t see you and Xingxing tonight, and Uncle Hong won’t be disappointed in you. We’ll just assume you died at the hands of the Zhuosheng Jiang. Maybe the imperial court will even bestow a posthumous title on you… at least that’s better than having a reputation for defection.”

A gentle breeze stirred in the forest, blowing petals along the ground.

Zhang Baishi stood in the wind, staring fixedly at Ah Sheng, “What level is that kid behind you that makes you dare to challenge your Uncle Baizi? Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?”

Ah Sheng shook his head, “It has nothing to do with him. I know you won’t kill me.”

Zhang Baishi was startled, then simply found a stone and sat down, “I’m tired. Anyway, the Ping’an Gate isn’t open yet. Let’s rest a bit before continuing.”

Ah Sheng was stunned, “You’re not going to leave?”

He didn’t understand. The truth was out; Zhang Baishi’s collusion with the Jing Dynasty was undeniable. Why wouldn’t he leave?

Zhang Baishi turned to look at Chongli Pass in the distance, “I’ve lived here for most of my life. Where else would I go? If I’m going to die, I’ll die in these mountains.”

Ah Sheng hesitated, “But I will definitely tell Uncle Hong what happened tonight. The direction the Zhuosheng Jiang left is exactly the same as the direction you came from; you must have met. You have other injuries, don’t you? I guess they are injuries from the Zhuosheng Jiang’s interrogation. I heard Uncle Hong say that during interrogation, Zhuosheng Jiang like to peel the skin from the inside of the arm first, because that’s where it hurts the most… Uncle Baizi, do you dare to fully roll up your sleeve and let me see?”

Xu Xingxing urgently said, “Ah Sheng, it’s not what you think, it’s…”

“Let me speak,” Zhang Baishi raised his hand to silence Xingxing, looked at Ah Sheng, and pointed at Chen Ji, “Can you trust this kid you brought?”

Ah Sheng pursed his lips and was silent for a moment, “I can trust him. He just killed two Zhuosheng Jiang today, there’s no mistake.”

Zhang Baishi looked at Chen Ji, smiling, “A master. Even Uncle Hong and I wouldn’t dare fight two Zhuosheng Jiang at the same time. Alright, since Ah Sheng trusts him, I trust him.”

Zhang Baishi looked at Chongli Pass in the distance and said with emotion, “I remember when Hong Zu’er first carried you out of the house, you were just a tiny thing. When Hong Zu’er left the pass, he left you at my house, asking your aunt to help take care of you. Your aunt washed your diapers… In a blink of an eye, you and Xingxing have grown up. It’s good that you’ve grown up; you’ll be Yebushou soon.”

Ah Sheng whispered, “Uncle Baizi, stop talking. Either roll up your sleeve and let me see, or leave.”

“I’m not leaving; there’s nowhere to go,” Zhang Baishi said, this time without rolling up his sleeve to prove himself, “I grew up in Chongli Pass. In the ninth year of Jianing, I became an infantryman. In the eleventh year of Jianing, I became a Yebushou, and I’ve been one for twenty-one years. I’ve spent more time outside the pass than inside. After being a Yebushou for so many years, people around me have died or been injured. These Dama Qunshan are also eerie; the birch trees look like bone shards, quite unsettling at first glance… Honestly, I never thought I’d fall into the hands of the Zhuosheng Jiang one day, but too many of them came this time.”

Ah Sheng was startled. Zhang Baishi actually admitted that he had been captured by the Zhuosheng Jiang.

Zhang Baishi smiled, “Earlier, with outsiders present, I still wanted to hide the fact that I was captured alive. It’s quite embarrassing. But now that I think about it, how can paper contain fire? I might as well tell everything.”

Ah Sheng asked in confusion, “Why did the Zhuosheng Jiang let you return? What did you promise?”

Zhang Baishi was silent for a long time, looking at Chongli Pass, and said, “The Jing Dynasty envoy has already departed from Shangjing Liaoyangfu, heading to our Ning Dynasty capital to negotiate peace with His Majesty. They are bringing the Jing Dynasty old emperor’s youngest daughter, hoping to marry her to His Majesty as a concubine, with Baidadan City as her dowry, agreeing that the two dynasties will not start border conflicts for a hundred years… in exchange for Yuancheng.”

Ah Sheng was shocked, “The Jing Dynasty old emperor’s daughter? Didn’t everyone say she was the Jing Dynasty Dog Emperor’s treasured pearl?”

Zhang Baishi sneered, “If they can give Baidadan City, what’s a daughter?”

Then he changed his tone, “But if they really succeed in their negotiations, and they exchange Yuancheng back, then what about the blood feud of our Chongli Pass soldiers for so many years?”

Ah Sheng hesitated, unable to speak.

Zhang Baishi said calmly, “There are also people in the Jing Dynasty who don’t want Yuancheng back, but they don’t dare to act themselves, so they want to borrow our Yebushou’s blade to accomplish this. But it doesn’t matter. We will let them borrow our blade once. We will kill those they dare not kill.”

Chen Ji’s heart sank.

Zhang Baishi’s words confirmed his suspicions. The Zhuosheng Jiang indeed came for the Jing Dynasty envoy, but they were unwilling to act themselves and instead chose to make this deal with the Ning Dynasty Yebushou.

And the Zhuosheng Jiang who were liquidated earlier were probably killed for opposing this matter.

The Jing Dynasty was turbulent. If Yuancheng didn’t return, the biggest beneficiary would be his uncle Lu Jin… but Chen Ji also had reasons to ensure this matter succeeded.

He frowned, wondering how he could get the Jing Dynasty envoy to the capital, surrounded by so many Yebushou.

At this moment, Zhang Baishi slowly stood up, “Ah Sheng, your father died during the southern campaign for Yuancheng, so did your second uncle, and so did my son. The military families in Chongli Pass hate him to the bone. I will return to Chongli Pass and explain this matter to Uncle Hong. The blood debt Yuancheng carries cannot be simply forgotten.”

“After this is done, whether you want to kill me or torture me, I will have no complaints.”