In Guyuan City, black ashes swirled in the air, like a black snowfall. Chen Ji bent low on his saddle, turning his head to avoid the smoke and haze blowing against the wind, keeping it out of his eyes.

The Imperial Forest Army pursued him from behind, but no matter how hard they tried to catch up, they couldn’t close the distance.

Qi Zhenzhuo watched Chen Ji ahead, grumbling, “Why is he riding so fast? Just showing off!”

Li Xuan, holding the reins, glared at him fiercely. “Say less. Have you forgotten that you just shook hands and made peace in front of His Highness?”

Qi Zhenzhuo mumbled, stiff-necked, “I admit he’s a man, but I just can’t stand how he acts. Brother-in-law, him riding alone just implies he thinks we’d hold him back, doesn’t it? I don’t believe you don’t see that!”

Li Xuan calmly said, “If you want people to respect you, show them something worthy of respect. He’s riding ahead to clear the way for the Imperial Forest Army, so we don’t fall into an ambush. The vanguard is the most crucial part of a wedge formation, and also the most dangerous. Don’t be ungrateful.”

Qi Zhenzhuo sneered, “Thirty percent of my Imperial Forest Army are experienced officers; do we really need him to clear the way?”

At this moment, Chen Ji paid no attention to the clamor behind him. His gaze was fixed on both sides of the dirt road.

The Jing Dynasty spies chose to act when the main contingent of the Imperial Forest Army left the Garrison Commander’s Residence. If they had another trick up their sleeve, they would likely ambush the Crown Prince on his way back, holding him hostage to coerce the border army, thus putting the border army in a dilemma.

If they were going to act, they would certainly set an ambush in the narrowest part of the inevitable path: Gushi Street!

Now!

The next moment, people suddenly pulled tripwires across the alleys on both sides of Gushi Street. Bowmen and crossbowmen appeared from behind the rooftops on both sides, aiming their arrows at Chen Ji!

Qi Zhenzhuo, sharp-eyed, cried out in alarm, “Look out!”

No sooner had he spoken, than Zaozao leaped forcefully, clearing the tripwire with a high jump. As Zaozao reached the peak of her jump, Chen Ji used the momentum to vault into the air.

As he left the saddle, he smoothly drew his saber. The gleaming long saber reflected the distant flames, appearing like a streak of fire as he cleaved the incoming arrows in mid-air.

The sound of metal clashing rang out incessantly. By the time Qi Zhenzhuo looked again, Chen Ji had lightly landed on the roof to his right, treading on the tiles as he charged towards the ambushers.

Li Xuan roared, “Follow me to the rooftops!”

Qi Zhenzhuo grabbed the long spear hanging beside his saddle and hurled it with all his might. The ten-foot-long spear stuck straight into the wall of an earthen house. One by one, members of the Imperial Forest Army stepped on the spear’s shaft, climbed onto the rooftop, and engaged the ambushers in battle.

Qi Zhenzhuo sneered, “You damn bastards, do you really think my Imperial Forest Army are soft targets?!”

The Imperial Forest Army held the name of the Emperor’s personal guard, yet they were constantly humiliated in the capital. Any of the Three Grand Camps dared to disrespect the Imperial Forest Army. In the eyes of the Three Grand Camps, the Imperial Forest Army was nothing more than a group of pampered young masters whose families had bought them officer positions, hardly worth mentioning.

Yet, in terms of the number of officers, the Imperial Forest Army actually had the most.

After Qi Zhenzhuo, sword in hand, cut down an ambusher on the roof, he triumphantly turned to look at Chen Ji opposite him. To his surprise, Chen Ji had already defeated four bowmen and crossbowmen, leaving the battle to the Imperial Forest Army soldiers who had reached the roof, and continued to run forward himself.

Chen Ji ran faster and faster, and in an instant, he caught up to the tirelessly galloping Zaozao and leaped down.

Qi Zhenzhuo watched as Chen Ji landed steadily on the saddle, deftly sheathed his saber, and without a backward glance, disappeared at the end of Gushi Street.

He asked Li Xuan, who was beside him, “Brother-in-law, what’s his cultivation level?”

Li Xuan, while deflecting a hidden arrow for Qi Zhenzhuo, calmly replied, “He’s just entered the Xiantian realm; he hasn’t even reached the first floor.”

Qi Zhenzhuo’s eyes widened. “Then how does he seem so powerful?”

Li Xuan thought for a moment. “His superb saber skills compensate for his lower cultivation level.”

Qi Zhenzhuo hesitated before asking, “So, if I were to compare myself to him…”

Li Xuan blocked another surprise arrow for Qi Zhenzhuo, and roared, “Focus on killing the enemy, stop talking nonsense!”

When Chen Ji arrived in front of the Garrison Commander’s Residence, the entire residence was engulfed in flames. The Chen family members and the Imperial Forest Army stood outside, stunned and at a loss.

They watched as the roof beams cracked crisply in the fire, and the roof collapsed downwards.

Chen Ji reined in his horse and stopped. His gaze swept over the faces of Chen Liqin, Chen Wenzong, Chen Wenxiao, Lady Liang, Wang Gui, and others, then he asked loudly, “How did the fire start?”

The Imperial Forest Army did not answer, nor did Chen Liqin. Only Chen Wenzong replied, “The fire likely started in the Garrison Commander’s Residence’s armory and side buildings. The flames spread extremely fast and were accompanied by cracking and booming sounds. Someone must have already planted explosive napalm inside before we took over the residence!”

Chen Ji’s heart sank. If explosive napalm had been planted beforehand, then the border army’s granary and armory would certainly not be saved. In this era, there was no way to extinguish a fire fueled by such a substance.

An isolated city without food was doomed.

The Jing Dynasty’s Tian Ce Army would only need to besiege the city for a month. The border army wouldn’t even have the strength to fight, and Guyuan City would fall without a direct assault.

Chen Ji asked, “Did anyone see who set the fire?”

He looked around, but no one answered.

At this moment, the Imperial Forest Army arrived, escorting the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince stared blankly at the Garrison Commander’s Residence. “The White Tiger Hall has been burned down. How can we explain this to the border army?”

Li Xuan said gravely, “Your Highness doesn’t need to explain anything to them. No one other than the border army could have set such a silent fire in the Garrison Commander’s Residence. The border army should be explaining this to us!”

Ashes swirled in the air. Everyone remained silent, with only the crackling flames of the Garrison Commander’s Residence breaking the quiet.

The Crown Prince looked at Li Xuan. “Minister Li, what should we do now?”

Li Xuan hesitated. “Well…”

He had wanted to say that they should immediately use the secret passage in the City God Temple to leave, but he knew the Crown Prince would never agree.

It was a dilemma.

The Crown Prince sighed ruefully, “In the 17th year of Anzheng, Crown Prince Zhaowu died a martyr at Chongli Pass. It seems I am to be the second Crown Prince to die a martyr. I suppose I’ll be remembered in history.”

Li Xuan spurred his horse forward and said anxiously, “Your Highness, please follow me!”

Just then, Chen Ji calmly said, “Your Highness, it’s not yet time for martyrdom. There’s no need for such discouraging words.”

Chen Liqin stepped out from the crowd. “Chen Ji, do not be disrespectful to His Highness!”

Chen Ji ignored him and continued, “Regardless of whether Guyuan City can be defended, the immediate priority is to find all the Jing Dynasty spies and identify who among the border army is collaborating with them. Unless these individuals are eliminated, Guyuan is certain to fall.”

The Crown Prince smiled faintly. “Brother Chen Ji is right to remind me; I was indeed out of line. Even if I am to die in Guyuan City, I should at least drag some Jing Dynasty villains down with me.”

With that, he suddenly proclaimed loudly, “Brother Chen Ji, in this time of crisis, I bestow upon you the position of Right Commandant. You will assist Minister Li in commanding five hundred Imperial Forest Army soldiers to uncover the whereabouts of the Jing Dynasty villains within three days. Are you willing to accept this?”

Chen Ji dismounted, cupped his hands, and replied, “Your humble servant is willing.”

The Crown Prince asked in a low voice, “And if you fail to find the Jing Dynasty villains?”

Chen Ji calmly replied, “I will present my head.”

The Crown Prince let out a laugh. “You are quite the spirited individual… However, there’s no need to present your head. If you fail to uncover them, I fear we will all be buried together in this borderland of Guyuan.”

The Chen family members watched this scene from afar, their hearts filled with mixed emotions. Wang Gui, in particular, was churning with disbelief, never expecting this illegitimate son to transform into a favorite of the Crown Prince, holding a rank of sixth-grade official.

Chen Ji pondered for a moment before asking, “Your Highness, the Garrison Commander’s Residence is no longer habitable. Do you intend to move into the border army’s camp? The Jing Dynasty spies within the border army should only be a few individuals; there’s no need to worry.”

The Crown Prince shook his head. “We will not stay in the border army camp.”

Li Xuan asked, puzzled, “Your Highness?”

The Crown Prince smiled and pointed at Chen Ji. “We’ll do as Chen Ji does and stay at the Dragon Gate Inn.”

At Chou Shi (1-3 AM), Xiao Wu was dozing at the counter when the sound of numerous footsteps outside the door startled him awake.

The next moment, someone pushed aside the cotton curtain, and dozens of people streamed inside, startling Xiao Wu into drawing a cleaver from behind his waist and shouting, “Innkeeper, save me!”

The Crown Prince said with amusement, “Innkeeper, there’s no need to panic. We’re here to stay.”

Xiao Wu looked at the dense crowd behind the Crown Prince, his eyes wide with suspicion and uncertainty. “Aren’t you here for revenge from earlier? I’m telling you, the innkeeper told me to chop you just now; it had nothing to do with me…”

Before he could finish, a slap landed on the back of his head.

The innkeeper walked past him and cupped his hands to the Crown Prince. “Honored guest, this inn has a total of sixty-six rooms. Currently, there is one ‘Heaven’ class room, ten ‘Earth’ class rooms, and seventeen ‘Human’ class rooms remaining. I’m afraid we cannot accommodate so many people.”

The Crown Prince replied, “No matter. We’ll take whatever rooms are available, and the rest can inquire at other inns.”

The innkeeper smiled. “With several hundred people accompanying you, I’m afraid you’ll have to book out several inns…”

As they spoke, another commotion arose from outside the door.

Hearing the noise, the Crown Prince turned around and quietly asked Li Xuan, “What’s happening outside?”

Li Xuan quickly went out and returned just as swiftly, leaning in to whisper to the Crown Prince, “Zhou You is leading border army soldiers, going house to house to collect grain. He says all grain must be surrendered, or it will be treated as an act of treason.”

The Crown Prince frowned. “The border army must be desperate; otherwise, they wouldn’t be collecting grain overnight. But if they take all the grain, how will the city’s common people survive?”

As they spoke, several border army soldiers entered the inn’s main hall. They casually pushed aside the Imperial Forest Army soldiers and politely approached the innkeeper, saying, “Second Master, there’s an order from above to collect all grain. I won’t make things difficult for you; I’ll only take eighty percent of the Dragon Gate Inn’s grain. But please don’t make things difficult for me, alright? If it weren’t an absolute emergency, I wouldn’t bother you.”

The innkeeper remained silent for a moment, then finally gave Xiao Wu a look. “Go, lead these military gentlemen to the grain.”

Li Xuan suddenly said, “Hold on!”

The border army soldiers turned to look. “What is it?”

Li Xuan displayed his Imperial Guard’s waist token and said, “This inn’s grain need not be collected. His Highness will be staying here, and it is to be reserved for his use.”

The border army soldiers looked troubled and did not dare to speak.

Just then, the cotton curtain was pushed aside again, and Zhou You entered the hall with a sneer. “The Imperial Guard’s waist token isn’t effective with my border army, Minister Li. You might as well put it away. I am certainly taking the grain.”

Qi Zhenzhuo angrily said, “If you seize all the grain, what will we eat?”

Zhou You slowly replied, “Gruel stalls will be set up in every district; you can collect your gruel there. Your Highness, it’s not that your humble servant intends to disrespect you, but General Hu and I also have to eat and live together with the border army soldiers. Whatever watery gruel they drink, we must drink the same, and that includes Your Highness.”

Li Xuan said coldly, “I don’t believe you.”

Zhou You scoffed, “Of course, a lord from the capital wouldn’t believe that we share the same food and living conditions as our soldiers. But you can come to my border army tent every day and watch. If I, Zhou You, eat even a single grain of rice more than anyone else, my head will fall!”