On the official road outside Luocheng, a long caravan was heading north into the wind. Gusts of wind made the brass bells around the necks of the old oxen jingle. The escorts pressed down on the brims of their conical hats with one hand, bending their backs against the wind and sand, each step proving exceptionally difficult. Maids and servants huddled together in the drafty oxcarts, while officials and nobles took refuge in carriages, clasping warm copper hand-stoves. Only Chen Ji, cloaked in a black greatcoat, rode his horse alongside the caravan, lost in thought.

Inside the carriage, Xiao Man secretly pulled back the cotton curtain and whispered, “Don’t you think my young master looks like a chivalrous swordsman from the jianghu?” When no response came for a long time, she turned to Su Zhou in the carriage. “Say something!” Su Zhou, sitting in a wooden box and leaning against its edge, weakly rolled her eyes. “Your young master’s lips tremble when he sees blood. And he wants to be a jianghu swordsman?”

Xiao Man recalled last night; her young master had indeed been very flustered, far from the image of a jianghu swordsman. But she stubbornly retorted, “No one is incredibly powerful from the start. You and I are officials, so of course we don’t need to be afraid. If the young master became an official, perhaps he wouldn’t be afraid either… Wu Yun, don’t you agree?” Xiao Man looked at Wu Yun, who remained lying in the carriage, but Wu Yun didn’t even lift an eyelid, simply listening silently to their conversation. Its mission in the carriage was to eavesdrop; this was why Chen Ji had kept Su Zhou. Otherwise, it would have long since run out to lie on Zao Zao’s head, which would have been much more impressive.

Su Zhou calmly stated, “I need to correct something. The jianghu is just the jianghu. Nowadays, there are only jianghu people, no true swordsmen.” Xiao Man looked puzzled, her small mind turning for a long time without grasping the distinction. Finally, she gave up trying to understand. “Do you know how to find a path to cultivation?”

“You want to find a cultivation path for him?” Su Zhou glanced at her. “Give me your hand-stove, and I’ll tell you.” Xiao Man hesitated. Su Zhou sneered, “You keep saying it’s for your young master’s good, yet you can’t even part with a hand-stove?” Xiao Man gritted her teeth. “Fine! But you tell me first!” Su Zhou leaned back against the wooden box, speaking lazily. “Aren’t cultivation paths easy to come by, practically on every street?” Xiao Man was inexplicably shocked. “What nonsense are you spouting?”

Su Zhou scoffed. “You’re just ignorant. Haven’t you seen people practicing Tai Chi or Baduanjin for health in the mornings?” Xiao Man rubbed the small hand-stove in her hand, utterly bewildered. “Are you kidding? That counts as a cultivation path?” Su Zhou calmly replied, “It does. Originally, the founder of Tai Chi was a Grandmaster of the Divine Path realm, without equal in the entire Ning Dynasty. But somehow, his direct disciple’s grandson betrayed the sect and made the cultivation method public. As a result, everyone in the jianghu practiced it, and no one could ever reach the Innate realm again. Later, ordinary people also began practicing Tai Chi for health, and not only did no one reach the Innate realm, but even reaching the peak of the Acquired realm became impossible. Only some jianghu charlatans remained.”

Xiao Man thought seriously for a moment. “So if all the Tai Chi practitioners were killed, the only remaining one would have hope of reaching the Divine Path realm?” Su Zhou opened her mouth, hesitated for a long while, then replied, “Probably.” Xiao Man sighed. “That sounds a bit difficult.”

Su Zhou snapped, “What are you thinking? Are you crazy? There are many similar cultivation paths in the jianghu and the military. If your young master is willing to spend money, reaching the peak of the Acquired realm in cultivation is still easy.” Xiao Man clutched her purse tightly. “How much does a cultivation path cost? And where can I buy one?” Su Zhou thought for a moment. “They’re occasionally sold at the Midnight Ghost Market in Panjiayuan, Beijing. As for the price of a cultivation path, it depends on what realm the most powerful practitioner of that path has reached. If the path only has Acquired realm masters, it’s worth five hundred taels of silver. If it has Innate realm masters, it’s worth three thousand taels of silver.” Xiao Man asked, “What about the Dao Seeking realm?” Su Zhou scoffed, “Who would sell something that can lead to the Dao Seeking realm? Someone who cultivates to the Dao Seeking realm before age thirty-six can live for over a hundred years. Such things cannot be bought with money. I advise you not to think about cultivation paths. With your young master’s timid nature, he’d only be completely devoured if he tried to mingle in the jianghu. Alright, give me the hand-stove now.”

Xiao Man stuffed the copper hand-stove back into her embrace and stubbornly said, “You’ve only told me things everyone in the jianghu already knows. You haven’t actually found me a cultivation path, so it doesn’t count.” Su Zhou was so amused she laughed. “It’s a pity you’re not a crooked merchant.” Xiao Man’s eyes lit up. “You think so too?” Su Zhou: “…Do you think I’m praising you?” “I’ll take it as a compliment.”

Su Zhou was silent for a moment. “As an official, why would you willingly serve him as a maid?” “It’s not willingly at all,” Xiao Man turned, calmly looking at Chen Ji on horseback. “I promised someone that I can only leave the Chen family after the young master marries and settles down. Then, I’ll take a large sum of money and live anonymously.”

In the cold wind, a scout from the Liang Escort Agency, responsible for clearing the path, shouted, “Mengjin County is here! We’ll stay here tonight.” Chen Ji patted Zao Zao’s neck. Zao Zao immediately understood, turning through the biting wind to reach the side of the Liang Escort Agency’s team. There, the escort leader stood by the official road, unfolding a parchment map and speaking to Zhang Zhuo: “Lord Zhang, we’re stopping in Mengjin today. Next, we’ll pass through Jiyuan, Changzhi, Licheng, Handan, Xingtai, Shimen, and Baoding. If we want to reach the capital before New Year’s Day, I’m afraid we’ll have to travel two extra hours each day. We can’t afford to be as leisurely as today.” Zhang Zhuo’s finger traced the parchment map, his eyes narrowed as he silently calculated the time. “Can your men handle it?”

The Liang escort leader chuckled merrily. “This is a minor matter for us. On this escort trip, there are even post stations where we can stay, and having two bowls of hot soup daily is quite comfortable. Back when we escorted goods to Ganzhou, we even had to sleep curled up in the snow.” Zhang Zhuo pondered for a moment. “What about the Taihang Mountain bandits? Will this alarm them?” The Liang escort leader cupped his hands. “Rest assured, Lord Zhang, our Liang Escort Agency has earned its reputation. When the Taihang Mountain bandits hear my scouts announce our escort, they wouldn’t dare descend the mountain.” Zhang Zhuo grunted in acknowledgment. “Very well, then proceed as you’ve planned.”

The Liang escort leader tucked the map into his robe, then waved to the escorts behind him. “Into the city!” After speaking, he took a sack from an oxcart and walked from the front to the end of the caravan. Each time he passed an escort, he would pull out a string of copper coins from the bag and hand them over. This was the escort agency’s rule: wages were distributed each time they reached a resting place. The purpose of this staggered payment was that if paid all at once, the escorts might blow it all in brothels or gambling dens. If delayed too long, there was a risk of them abandoning their duties.

At this moment, Chen Ji dismounted, leading his horse by the reins to Zhang Zhuo’s side. “Lord Zhang, I fear these escorts alone might not be enough. I observed that, apart from the Liang escort leader, none of the others are officials.” Zhang Zhuo nodded. “There are also over twenty Zhang family loyalists hidden among the servants. If a critical situation truly arises, you only need to shout ‘Wind and Snow Over a Thousand Mountains,’ and they will be at your command.” He continued, “I also have another matter to ask of you.” “Please, Lord Zhang.” Zhang Zhuo looked into the distance. “If you truly encounter danger, I mean, if, even you cannot handle it, I hope you will immediately protect Zhang Xia and Zhang Zheng and help them escape. Do not worry about the goods.”

Chen Ji looked back at the long caravan. “Lord Zhang, would you be willing to sacrifice all that?” Zhang Zhuo chuckled wryly. “Money can be re-acquired through avarice, but a life, once gone, is truly gone.” “I understand,” Chen Ji said, then turned to leave with Zao Zao.

But Zhang Zhuo called out to him, “Chen Ji.” Chen Ji turned back. “What is it, Lord Zhang?” Zhang Zhuo stroked his beard. “Don’t take what your aunt said to you this morning to heart.” Chen Ji smiled broadly. “Lord Zhang, you worry too much. I know what I’m doing.” Zhang Zhuo suddenly changed the subject. “The reason she said those things to you is because I repeatedly brought it up with her, hoping to arrange a match between you and Zhang Xia. However, I now know your feelings for the princess. There’s no need to mention past matters again. If you don’t fail the Zhang family, the Zhang family will do everything to help you.” Chen Ji smiled, cupping his hands. “Thank you, Lord Zhang.”

With that, he led his horse away. Behind him, Zhang Zheng quietly leaned in beside Zhang Zhuo. “Father, that’s not what you told me before.” Zhang Zhuo glared at him, then flicked his sleeve and boarded the carriage. “Do you understand what a delaying tactic is? Go play in the mud.”

Chen Ji walked slowly, oxcarts passing him one by one. He overheard one escort say in a muffled voice, “Brother, we just returned to Luocheng from Runan, and we were doing fine here. Why do we have to take this escort trip? The leader even said we didn’t have to.” Another escort, leading an ox by its nose ring, calmly said, “This escort is going to the capital. Once we reach the capital, we’ll part ways with the agency and stay there. I heard the capital is incredibly prosperous; wouldn’t it be a shame not to make a name for ourselves?” As this escort passed Chen Ji, he smiled politely, then continued to brave the wind, leading the oxcart and tossing the recently received copper coins to his younger brother. “Keep these coins safe. This is my capital for a comeback, brother.” The muffled-voiced escort asked, “Brother, why should I hold onto them?” The escort sighed. “I haven’t been with a woman in over two months, brother. I’m afraid I won’t be able to walk past a brothel later. This is my one weakness…” The muffled-voiced escort asked, “Okay, where should I put the coins?” The escort scratched his eyebrow. “Put them in the satchel on your shoulder.” “Front or back of the satchel?” “Front.” “Oh.”

In that instant, Chen Ji, who was behind the two escorts, looked at their retreating figures and suddenly stopped. A very familiar… feeling.