The Funiu Mountain Range stretches over 800 li, forming the watershed between the Huai and Han rivers. This time, the Konghejun trial was set in Baiyun Mountain, deep within the Funiu Range, about 700 li from Kaifeng. Though mostly connected by official roads, the terrain near the mountains was treacherous. Even riding fast horses without rest would take six to seven days.
On a fine day with smooth roads, a person could only ride for three hours straight before tiring. Yet the Konghejun soldiers had to march urgently for four hours continuously. By the time they reached the relay station, even their horses were foaming at the mouth.
An Jiu’s body was still too weak. She forced herself to reach the station through sheer willpower, collapsing into bed without eating.
Though sleeping heavily, An Jiu remained somewhat alert. She sensed someone enter but couldn’t even lift her eyelids to see who it was.
The person sat by her bed. An Jiu caught a strong scent of ginseng.
“Open your mouth,” Chu Dingjiang said softly.
An Jiu’s tightly pressed lips parted.
The characteristic bitterness of ginseng spread across her mouth. Chu Dingjiang fed her slowly, making it easy for her to swallow.
After drinking a small bowl of ginseng soup, An Jiu fell into a deep sleep.
When she awoke, she saw someone standing by the window. As she was about to call out “Chu Dingjiang,” she heard a gentle voice: “You seem quite familiar with Lord Chu?”
It was Gu Jinghong.
An Jiu sat up on the bed, rubbing her temples with a frown. “What do you mean, Vice Commander?”
“You’re under my command now. I need to understand the situation clearly. Don’t worry, I won’t disclose this,” Gu Jinghong saw through the wariness and unease behind her question.
An Jiu stared into his clear eyes, enunciating each word: “Did I ask you to choose me as your subordinate? If you think my secrets make me unsuitable for the Dragon Guard, you’re welcome to discard me.”
Most people would be angered by such prickly words, but Gu Jinghong smiled. “Fragile child.”
When An Jiu didn’t know how to respond or wanted to protect herself, she would use this questioning or aggressive tone. Gu Jinghong saw through her facade the truth underneath in an instant.
“How terrifying!” This was An Jiu’s current assessment of him. She remembered Lou Mingyue saying that mind-reading and mind-bewitching arts were closely related. It seemed Gu Jinghong was not only skilled in mind-bewitching but also surpassed Xu Zhi of Konghe Academy in mind-reading.
Indeed, one must understand the human heart to bewitch it.
“You’ve slept for a day and a night. The others have gone ahead. Can you travel now?” Gu Jinghong gently changed the subject.
An Jiu stood up, realizing an important issue. “I haven’t eaten yet.”
Gu Jinghong left without a word. A quarter-hour later, he returned with a bowl of noodles, sparsely topped with a few vegetable leaves and no trace of oil.
With no table in the room, he placed the bowl in An Jiu’s hands. “Eat.”
An Jiu stared at the bowl, hesitating for a moment before picking up the chopsticks and shoveling the noodles into her mouth.
After a few bites, she asked with a strange expression, “Did you make this?”
Gu Jinghong stood by the window, his back to her. Hearing her question, he turned his head. “Hmm?”
Sunlight filtered through his black cloak, outlining the delicate profile of his face.
An Jiu said, “Nothing. The taste is… unique.”
Gu Jinghong chuckled softly. “That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”
An Jiu quickly finished the bowl of noodles, frowning as she said, “That’s because you’re self-aware.”
She suddenly thought to herself that Chu Dingjiang’s cooking tasted much better.
“Rest for half an hour, then we’ll depart,” Gu Jinghong said as he walked out of the room.
He stood in the courtyard, tilting his head to gaze at the morning light, closing his eyes to enjoy this moment of tranquility.
They were now approaching the Funiu Mountains. The sun had just parted the thin morning mist, its spring rays particularly warm. All around, the scenery was full of life, a sight to gladden the heart and refresh the spirit.
An Jiu got up to stretch, feeling even more sore all over, but no longer as heavy.
From experience, she knew she couldn’t stop for long periods of rest now. Otherwise, it would take ten to fifteen days to recover, and she’d be sore again the next time she moved. If she could grit her teeth and push through this period, things would gradually improve.
Half an hour later, the two mounted their horses and set off for Baiyun Mountain right on schedule.
The Funiu Mountain Range was known for its frequent rain. Morning dew and evening showers were common in the mountains. Chu Dingjiang, leading the group, encountered a sudden downpour and led everyone to seek shelter in a cave.
As the group entered the cave, a delicate female voice complained, “We’re soaked through! Why did it have to rain now of all times?”
Among the group, besides An Jiu and Lou Mingyue, there was another woman named Sun Dixian. Her martial arts had only reached the fourth level, yet she had survived the previous trial while many at the fifth and sixth levels had perished.
Often, the level of martial arts skill wasn’t the absolute determining factor between life and death.
Sun Dixian hurriedly wiped her clothes. Looking up, she saw Chu Dingjiang in his black cloak tying up the horses outside the cave. The torrential rain was blocked by his energy barrier, forming a circle of white mist around him. As he approached, his imposing presence was like a great mountain. Even though his face was obscured, Sun Dixian’s heart couldn’t help but flutter.
Chu Dingjiang entered the cave without a drop of water on him.
Sun Dixian, after a moment’s hesitation, approached him. “My Lord, how much longer until we arrive?”
Her boldness had a reason. The relay stations they had passed were small, and despite Chu Dingjiang’s extraordinary martial arts, he couldn’t avoid everyone’s gaze while feeding An Jiu ginseng soup. Through this incident, Sun Dixian felt that this seemingly cold and stern Lord Chu was gentler and kinder than Lord Gu.
No one answered.
Just as the others thought Sun Dixian was about to embarrass herself, Chu Dingjiang finally spoke. “Seven days.”
Early spring wasn’t like midsummer; the vegetation wasn’t lush enough to hold the soil. With such heavy rain, if it continued for long, there might be mudslides. Moreover, the mountain paths would become muddy and difficult to traverse. Even seven days was an optimistic estimate.
“That long? Wasn’t it supposed to be only six or seven days in total?” Sun Dixian knew why, of course. She just wanted to talk to Chu Dingjiang.
Chu Dingjiang didn’t dislike ambitious women; in fact, he admired them. But he looked down on clumsy attempts to engage him in conversation for no apparent reason, like now.
Despite his disdain, he still gave the girl some face. He turned around, seeming to sweep his gaze over everyone, and said, “The mountain paths are difficult. Rest while you can, or the coming days will be even more challenging.”
At least he didn’t embarrass Sun Dixian.
Everyone responded with a “Yes” and sat down against the cave walls to rest with closed eyes.
Sun Dixian finally regained some sense, inwardly chiding herself for losing her head earlier. How could she have approached him so recklessly? She feared others might think less of her. She glanced at Chu Dingjiang once more before quickly sitting down to rest with her eyes closed.
Chu Dingjiang stood at the cave entrance with his arms folded, his figure nearly blocking half of the small opening.
An hour later, Sun Dixian secretly glanced again and found him still in the same position, seemingly unmoved, while outside, the sky had almost darkened completely.
Lou Mingyue got up and went to the cave entrance to look. The rain was almost over.
“We’ll wait for Vice Commander Gu tonight and set out at dawn,” Chu Dingjiang said.
The heavy rain had lasted for a full hour, and now it was nightfall. They wouldn’t be able to cover much ground overnight, so everyone agreed with this decision.
“My Lord, what kind of trial will we face this time?” a man asked carefully in the darkness.
“Trial?” There was a hint of amusement in Chu Dingjiang’s voice. “If you treat such matters as mere trials, you’re bound to die young without a doubt.”
Chu Dingjiang was noticeably more at ease conversing with the men, his entire attitude different. He seemed like an older brother joking with them. His relaxed manner made him appear quite approachable, and the young men present began to pepper him with questions.
Chu Dingjiang answered what he could and joked his way around what he couldn’t.
Everyone knew he was deflecting, but they didn’t mind. After all, the Konghejun had strict rules, and some things couldn’t be discussed carelessly. They felt that Chu Dingjiang was principled but not rigid about the rules.
At first, they were just probing for information to survive, but as they chatted, they were infected by Chu Dingjiang’s bold and unrestrained manner. Some of the youthful spirits that had gradually disappeared as they were steeped in bloodshed began to return.
The group of men chatted animatedly, with Sun Dixian occasionally chiming in. Lou Mingyue leaned against the rock wall alone, gazing out at the rain, lost in thought.
“My Lord must have been in the Konghejun for a long time. Are all the people in Konghejun terrifying?” Sun Dixian asked.
Everyone fell silent, looking towards Chu Dingjiang, clearly eager to know the answer.
“It’s not much different from ordinary armies,” This wasn’t a secret, so Chu Dingjiang didn’t conceal it. “In a battle between two armies, a soldier who doesn’t kill isn’t a good soldier. Our combat isn’t particularly special. It’s just that as the Great Song’s secret weapon, we often can’t appear in the open.”
Hearing this, Lou Mingyue’s gaze sharpened slightly.
“My Lord’s words have opened my eyes,” Qiu Yunran sighed.
He spoke from the heart. Previously, he had felt like he was living like a rat, shrouded in gloom all day. Now, he felt full of passion.
Chu Dingjiang said, “This trial is said to allow two people to survive, but let me be frank with you all here.”
Everyone listened intently, even Lou Mingyue turned her head.
He continued, “The rule of Konghejun is to complete the mission at any cost. As long as the mission is accomplished, whoever among you can survive is based on your ability. Do you think Konghejun would kill the extra survivors? If you all cooperate fully and all manage to survive, I guarantee no one will harm a hair on your heads.”
“So Lord Gu was deceiving us…” Sun Dixian said.
“Not exactly,” Chu Dingjiang said calmly. “It’s also a kind of test, to see if you can still cooperate to complete the mission successfully when your own lives are in danger.”
Someone started to say, “My Lord, isn’t this…”
Isn’t this revealing secrets? He stopped mid-sentence, afraid that speaking too bluntly might anger Chu Dingjiang.
“Everyone has self-interest and a desire to survive. Without any reason, why should one sacrifice everything to complete a mission?” Chu Dingjiang, however, didn’t seem to mind. “Such sacrifice is unnecessary. If you were asked to go to battle, to protect your home and country, would you be willing to risk your lives?”
He smiled, “You don’t need to answer me. Just keep the balance in your hearts.”