Aolai Pass.
This was the only road leading out of Jizhou and into Qingzhou along this particular official route. In theory, it should have been heavily garrisoned — after all, Gan Daode’s army of slayers had only just returned from Jizhou, and if Ning King Li Chi intended retaliation, this was where the first battle would break out.
Yet the laxness of the guard here left even Li Chi’s group feeling somewhat incredulous — though they had roughly anticipated as much before arriving, it was still hard to believe.
On reflection, however, such laxness was entirely to be expected.
The garrison at Aolai Pass was still the original Chu Army soldiers. Now that the slayer army had risen to dominance, they had no means of resisting.
Gan Daode had simply sent someone to inform them: you’re part of the slayer army now. Those who agree stay and hold the pass. Those who refuse get wiped out. What choice did the garrison have?
But could anyone honestly expect Gan Daode to value these men? To give them generous pay?
He sent in one of his own men to take command. The original garrison’s senior officer was demoted beneath the newcomer.
The man now holding command at Aolai Pass was named Geng Zhong — a section leader from Gan Daode’s personal guard unit who had flattered his way into enough favor to be sent here as the commanding officer. He skimmed generously from the garrison’s resources.
He had arrived with only twenty men of his own. The twelve hundred soldiers inside the pass were all former Chu Army troops.
The original Chu Army Fifth-Rank General Song Mingchun was now reduced to a deputy commander, swallowing grievances on a daily basis.
They had no choice, however. Depending on this pass, they could extract a toll from all who passed through. They could get by. Even if Geng Zhong took most of the take for himself and left them barely enough to drink the dregs, in a world like this, having anything at all was worth enduring.
They had no desire to become mountain bandits. Not because they found it dishonorable, not because they couldn’t bring themselves to do it — it was that twelve hundred men amounted to a small fish. Angering Gan Daode would bring destruction down on them. And beyond that, these were proper Chu Army soldiers. Making the leap to banditry was a threshold their conscience resisted.
When Li Chi’s procession reached the pass, it was mid-afternoon. Traffic was not especially heavy, yet the sounds of grumbling and complaint were already audible from ahead.
The toll was steep — fifty copper coins per person. In times like these, common people had little coin to spare. Fifty copper coins was enough to keep a person going for a stretch. Yet those still traveling the road in this world couldn’t simply stop, so they gritted their teeth and paid.
Yu Jiuling walked to the gate and looked the gate-keeper up and down — a middle-aged man in a petty officer’s uniform — openly and without a trace of restraint.
It had been a very long time since anyone had stared at him so brazenly. The officer was irritated by it.
“The hell are you looking at?!”
The officer stood up and walked over to Yu Jiuling: “Looking at your father, are you?!”
Yu Jiuling showed no sign of anger. Instead, he said quite earnestly: “I was thinking about how much money it would take to skip the line and go straight through. My employer doesn’t like waiting.”
This air about Yu Jiuling gave the officer a momentary pause. In times like these, someone who openly displayed wealth this brazenly was genuinely rare.
Either they’d been sheltered and had no idea what bandits were. Or they had the backing to be confident.
The officer made a noise of contempt: “No amount of money gets you through out of turn. Line up behind everyone else, wait your turn, get inspected, and then you’ll be let through.”
Yu Jiuling sighed: “Then let me ask it differently — how much to change that expression on your face?”
The officer flared with anger.
Just as he was about to erupt — he saw a gold ingot appear in Yu Jiuling’s hand.
Gold and gleaming, bright as sunlight. The sight of it alone set a man’s pulse quickening.
That ingot, converted to silver, would fetch at least a hundred taels. A hundred taels in hard silver was enough to dazzle anyone in this world.
But it was precisely that ingot that caused the officer’s greed to swell beyond measure. His first thought wasn’t to seize the ingot — it was to seize the entire procession.
After all, Aolai Pass had twelve hundred soldiers. Robbing what appeared to be a group of a hundred-odd people would be no difficulty.
And if this person could produce a gold ingot without a thought, the silver and gold in that procession must be considerable indeed.
Seeing the officer’s eyes narrow slightly, Yu Jiuling knew the man’s greed had been kindled. After all, Yu Jiuling had very recently received a thorough lesson — his current sharpness had a certain thirty taels of silver to thank.
“Are you thinking of taking my gold?”
Yu Jiuling asked. The directness of it startled the officer into momentary bewilderment.
The officer smiled: “Of course not. We’re official troops here, not bandits. We don’t rob people.”
Yu Jiuling said: “So one gold ingot is sufficient to buy a change of expression from you.”
He tucked the ingot into the officer’s clothing as he spoke: “Take it. You’ve earned it. Watching someone put on a new face — I’ve always found that enjoyable.”
The officer swallowed his anger and thought: *just wait until you’re through the gate.*
He summoned his smile again: “Go ahead and enter.”
Then turned and waved a hand: “Let the carriages at the rear through first.”
“One more thing.”
Yu Jiuling turned back after a few steps, and looked at the officer: “In this world as it stands, what sort of person would you not dare offend? Court officials, lords and princes, bandits and warlords, or wandering swordsmen?”
The officer frowned: “What do you mean by that?”
Yu Jiuling smiled: “Nothing in particular. Just asking.”
He produced another gold ingot and held it in front of the officer’s eyes: “Answer me, and this one is yours.”
The greed in the officer’s expression flickered again. He came forward and took the ingot, then smiled and said: “This is the Slayer King’s territory now. The only person I don’t dare offend is the Slayer King.”
Yu Jiuling asked: “And the Slayer King’s father?”
The officer was taken aback. He racked his brains as best he could. Did Gan Daode have a father? He genuinely knew very little about Gan Daode, and had no idea whether his father was alive or dead.
Seeing him draw a blank, Yu Jiuling smiled and said: “You’ll find out in time. The Slayer King frightens you. The Slayer King’s father frightens the Slayer King.”
And walked away, leaving the officer in a state of thoroughly confused unease.
After Li Chi’s procession had entered the gate, the officer still had not worked out what connection these people might have to the Slayer King’s father.
If there truly was a connection, he might be in serious trouble.
He hurried to the main barracks to report to the general, Song Mingchun.
Before long, Song Mingchun heard the account and fell to hesitating. If the procession truly had no connection to the Slayer King at all — how could they be so brazen?
“Has that procession left yet?”
Song Mingchun asked.
The officer bowed: “Not yet. Before I came, I made sure to have someone follow them. They went to the largest inn in the city. Looks like they’re staying at least one night.”
“Still here…”
Song Mingchun’s expression shifted through several changes. He paced back and forth, and said: “If it truly is the Slayer King’s father, we must proceed with great caution. But if it isn’t — why would they stay a night?”
The officer said: “General, how about letting that fellow go ask? He came from the Slayer King’s people — he’d know whether the Slayer King has a father.”
Song Mingchun nodded: “Go see him. Explain the situation clearly. Let him sort this out.”
The “fellow” they were referring to was, of course, Geng Zhong — the man Gan Daode had sent.
About half a shichen later, Geng Zhong had heard the whole story from beginning to end — and erupted in fury.
“You idiot!”
Geng Zhong raised his hand and slapped the officer across the face — a sharp, resounding crack.
“The Slayer King’s father died long ago! You were made fools of by those people, and they even insulted the Slayer King to your face, and you actually just politely let them in?!”
He bellowed: “Get the troops assembled! Surround the inn!”
The officer, cheek still stinging, silently cursed Geng Zhong through a hundred and eighty generations of his ancestors, and then bowed, nodded, and ran.
Another half-shichen later, Song Mingchun personally led several hundred soldiers and surrounded the inn until not a gap remained.
Geng Zhong arrived as well, positioning himself at the inn’s entrance. He ordered his men to have their bows drawn, and should anyone resist — kill on sight without exception.
Geng Zhong stepped forward and called out loudly: “Come out here — let me see who’s bold enough to impersonate the Slayer King’s father!”
Yu Jiuling came out of the inn, swept his gaze across the assembled soldiers, and looked entirely unbothered.
“Was it you?!”
Geng Zhong took one look at Yu Jiuling’s manner and found him immediately insufferable. He moved to give Yu Jiuling a good slap.
Yu Jiuling’s martial skills were nothing extraordinary — but they were still more than enough to stop an unannounced hand from making contact.
A sharp crack — Geng Zhong’s wrist was caught by Yu Jiuling’s raised left hand before he could follow through. Without giving Geng Zhong a chance to react, Yu Jiuling’s right hand came up and dealt him five or six solid slaps across the face.
The sound was clean and decisive, and satisfyingly loud.
The officer who had taken a slap earlier witnessed this and felt a deep and resonant joy… *Yes. That’s exactly the feeling. I have a very vivid sense of this.*
After finishing, Yu Jiuling narrowed his eyes at Geng Zhong and said: “Kneel.”
“You’re looking for death!”
In a surge of fury, Geng Zhong raised his knee to drive it into Yu Jiuling’s midsection. Yu Jiuling sidestepped it effortlessly, then drove his own knee directly into Geng Zhong’s vulnerable region.
The blow landed squarely. Geng Zhong’s face contorted completely.
Yu Jiuling said: “Fools rush into action before understanding the situation — without asking a single question first. Or do you think that because the Slayer King’s father has passed away, the Slayer King no longer has one?”
This riddle left Geng Zhong momentarily stupefied.
Father was gone — didn’t that mean no father?
Yu Jiuling looked at him with undisguised contempt: “I’ll give you one more chance. Think carefully — the Slayer King’s father is dead. Does that mean the Slayer King has no father at all?”
Geng Zhong was caught off guard once more by Yu Jiuling’s framing.
Seeing his expression, Yu Jiuling offered what appeared to be a helpful hint: “Does a father-in-law count as a father?”
Geng Zhong was thrown off again.
Yu Jiuling spoke calmly: “The person staying inside this inn is the father of the Shanhai Army’s chief — along with the chief’s sister, who is the Shanhai Army’s young mistress. The Slayer King personally sent men to Yanzhou to propose a marriage alliance, seeking to unite the two armies and make a joint push on Jizhou. Do you need me to explain it any more clearly?”
Geng Zhong was thoroughly bewildered.
He genuinely did not know about any of this. Because Gan Daode didn’t know about any of this either.
Li Chi’s group had calculated correctly: a man like Gan Daode — would he spend meaningful time with a minor gatekeeper at some frontier pass? He likely hadn’t said more than a few words to anyone here. He probably hadn’t even glanced at the people of this pass as he passed through.
Yu Jiuling reached into his coat and produced an iron token, handing it to Geng Zhong: “I am the Shanhai Army’s Seventh Chief, Iron Rampart Invincible Supreme Marshal Yu. This is my command token. If you don’t believe me, we will wait here while you send someone to Wulai City to inquire with the Slayer King directly — ask him whether there is such a matter.”
This entire performance left Geng Zhong genuinely at a loss for what to do.
Because Yu Jiuling did not look, in the slightest, like someone bluffing.
Inside the inn, seated in the main hall, Dantai Yajing lowered her voice and asked Li Chi: “What are your thoughts on Ninth Sister’s performance?”
Li Chi smiled: “Well worth the education I’ve given her on the road here. I ought to go back and charge Ninth Sister a bit of tuition.”
Dantai Yajing said: “Ninth Sister puts on quite a convincing act.”
Li Chi said: “As for putting on an act — I could casually teach anyone to be unbeatable at it. I take a certain satisfaction in that.”
Dantai Yajing sighed: “Suddenly I miss Old Tang.”
Li Chi made a dismissive sound.
He smiled: “This acting opportunity was purchased with thirty silver taels of Yu Jiuling’s money. I’ll give you a discount — twenty taels, and next time you can be the one to perform.”
Dantai Yajing asked: “Never mind that — I don’t look anything like the Slayer King’s father-in-law. So then… who’s playing the Slayer King’s father-in-law?”
Li Chi looked toward Old Zhang Zhenren. Old Zhang Zhenren gave an immediate nod, drew a long breath, and then rose and strode through the door with purpose.
“I want to see — are these the Slayer King’s people? Is this how they welcome their elder’s arrival?!”
Dantai Yajing lowered her voice and asked Li Chi: “Why didn’t you ask Old Zhenren for thirty silver taels?”
Li Chi sighed: “Because I have no wish to hear one thing. A certain… *Infinite Heavenly Venerable*.”
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