A column of riders halted on a high slope — perhaps thirty or forty men in all. They wore no uniform clothing, and their bearing was not that of soldiers.
Every one of them was covered in the dust of the road. The face-wraps around their mouths and noses were blackened at the nostrils, a clear sign they had been riding hard for a long time.
The man at the front had a deeply furrowed brow. As he surveyed the scene before him, that creased brow carried a faint murderous edge.
“So these rumors really are true — what a pack of frauds and impostors!”
From within the group, a stocky young man of short stature cursed aloud.
He was a vicious man by nature, and once roused to anger, his ferocity only deepened.
In the distance, they could see column after column of cavalry, apparently driving groups of common people away. The people trudged along, hauling their families and belongings — some carrying pots and pans and household odds and ends, others with nothing at all.
The fury in the short stocky young man’s eyes was no longer containable.
“You can’t believe everything you hear. Better to see things with your own eyes.”
A tall, lean man muttered this half to himself. His name was Helian Shang, and he had a fearsome reputation in Daxing City. The short, stocky man beside him looked as though they could not possibly share a drop of blood — yet they were brothers, and close ones at that. The stocky one was called Helian Xia, and he was Helian Shang’s younger brother.
These two were a singular breed among the hidden underworld powers of Daxing City. They belonged to no faction, yet no faction particularly wanted to provoke them.
Their ancestors were not originally from the Central Plains, yet they had lived there for many years. Growing up, their appearance had drawn the contempt and exclusion of many — who found reason to mock and bully them — but the two brothers always struck back on the spot. No one could tell them they were not people of the Central Plains; after enough fights, they built a reputation that no one dared challenge.
After many, many failed attempts to be rid of them, even the hidden underworld powers had no choice but to acknowledge their standing.
In the underground world of Daxing City, these two acknowledged virtually no one’s authority — including each other’s. There was only one person either of them respected… Lord Fang.
Helian Shang stared at the scene ahead, his anger now pouring openly through his eyes.
“Some people say Prince Ning is the reincarnation of a great sovereign, others say only Prince Ning can save the Central Plains — all of it is absolute nonsense.”
Helian Xia, who made a habit of contradicting everything his brother said, offered no rebuttal this time. Because he was seeing it with his own eyes — soldiers herding the common people along in a forced relocation.
“Let us go.”
Lord Fang pulled his face-wrap higher.
The column descended from the slope, skirting around the Ning forces and the more crowded areas, continuing onward in the direction of Yuzhou City.
They dared not expose themselves. Along the entire road they had barely asked for directions at all, because their group had a guide.
This guide was a man in service to Emperor Yang Jing — a eunuch from the palace, a trusted aide to Chief Eunuch Zhen Xiaodao, and his name was Qu Nanhuai.
He was a native of Yu Province. Several years back, during the chaos of war, he had fled Yu Province with his family, and after great hardship and suffering they arrived in the capital to seek out relatives — only to be turned away at the door with a claim of no recognition.
This family of his, lost in that vast capital city, could see not a single glimmer of hope. It was as though they had fallen into an ocean with no one coming to their rescue.
That year, Qu Nanhuai had been only sixteen years old. He performed street acts to earn money, yet barely made enough to survive. It happened that Zhen Xiaodao was passing by and took notice of him.
Zhen Xiaodao could tell that Qu Nanhuai’s skills were genuine — not mere showy tricks without substance.
With assassins repeatedly attempting on the Emperor’s life, Zhen Xiaodao had long been seeking able fighters to reinforce the palace ranks.
But strangers entering the palace were always a source of unease. Zhen Xiaodao’s approach was this: if a person was willing to become a eunuch for the sake of earning a living, they were unlikely to be proud. And a person who was not proud could be managed.
And so Qu Nanhuai, at the height of his youth, entered the palace willingly — for the sake of his family’s survival.
After several years serving at Zhen Xiaodao’s side, he had come to be heavily relied upon. This return to Yu Province was, in a sense, Zhen Xiaodao’s final test of Qu Nanhuai’s loyalty. If Qu Nanhuai truly proved himself unwavering, he would be reassigned to serve at the Emperor’s side.
The Emperor could hardly rely on men from the jianghu to come to his rescue every time he faced danger.
Over the past three years, the Emperor had been attacked by assassins several times. Qu Nanhuai had never intervened — not because he didn’t want to, but because his rank simply did not allow him anywhere near the Emperor’s person.
By now Qu Nanhuai had come to terms with his situation. His mind held only one goal: to do his duty well. If he could one day become close to the Emperor, as Zhen Xiaodao had, then his family’s life would be far more comfortable in the years to come.
Before leaving the city, Zhen Xiaodao had charged him: under no circumstances were these jianghu men to come into contact with local people along the road — he was personally responsible for everything. Their mission was to assassinate Prince Ning Li Chi, and he was the group’s leader. No mishaps could be permitted.
So throughout the entire journey, every interaction with other people had been handled by Qu Nanhuai.
They had ridden hard the whole way, each man thinking only of finishing the task as quickly as possible and returning home safe and sound.
Two days ago, when Qu Nanhuai had gone to ask for directions, he had in fact already learned what had happened in Yu Province.
The person he asked told him: it was Yang Xuanji, the Heavenly Fate King, who had sent men to break the dikes and flood the land, causing the disaster.
Yet when he returned to the group, what he told Lord Fang and the others was: in order to deal with the Heavenly Fate King’s army, Prince Ning Li Chi had ordered the dikes broken.
As Qu Nanhuai descended from the slope, he instinctively looked again toward the Ning Army column in the distance.
He knew those were Ning soldiers relocating disaster victims. As he looked at them, there was a complex expression in his eyes.
The one who had broken the dikes was Yang Xuanji. Yang Xuanji was of imperial blood…
“Everyone.”
Qu Nanhuai called out loudly: “We are nearly at Yuzhou City. Please avoid all contact with others. Prince Ning Li Chi rules with brutality — near Yuzhou there are countless spies in his employ watching over the people, and anyone overheard speaking ill of Prince Ning Li Chi is seized by those spies and put to death. Our identities are special — we must not be exposed.”
Everyone responded with a sound of acknowledgment. The resentment in each person’s voice was unmistakable.
“If…”
Qu Nanhuai struggled inwardly for a moment, but spoke on: “If I am captured by Prince Ning’s spies while gathering information, none of you need come to my rescue. Simply complete the task His Majesty entrusted to you and go home…”
Everyone looked toward him. Qu Nanhuai spurred his horse and rode out ahead.
—
At the same time, some hundred-odd li from Yuzhou City, in Xing County.
The Gate Master of the Sacred Blade Sect entered the county town. He intended to rest here for a while. With Yuzhou City no great distance away, he needed to gradually restore his strength.
Along his journey from Anyang City to Yu Province, he had witnessed many things involving many people, yet not a person and not a thing had managed to touch his state of mind.
The common people all spoke of how wonderful Prince Ning was — all called Prince Ning a reincarnated sage.
In his view, to call Li Chi a sage was an insult and a desecration of the Grandmaster himself.
No one could move him and no one could change him. What he had set out to do, he would accomplish.
A man so entirely self-directed could never believe himself to be in the wrong, no matter what he did.
It was the same as when he had been young, and his master was agonizing over who should inherit the position of Gate Master. He had knocked on his master’s door.
He told his master: you are troubled?
His master said: you are outstanding. Whether in martial skill or in strategy, you are the finest candidate. But you are too solitary, your nature too cold. I fear that if I hand the Sacred Blade Sect to you, it will come to ruin.
He said: Master, there is no need for you to be troubled. No one is better suited than I. Every person’s ability falls short of mine. So allow me to decide in your stead.
His master’s face changed at once. He reached for the Grandmaster’s Sacred Blade nearby — but the Gate Master struck first and split him with a single blow.
His fellow disciples came running at the news. Seeing their master slain, all were seized with terror. They called out to kill him in vengeance.
The Gate Master said at the time: Master was wrong. And all of you are wrong as well.
Then he began the slaughter.
His fellow disciples were all direct-line heirs of the Grandmaster, all bound to him by blood and kinship — yet when he killed them, there was not the slightest hesitation or reluctance.
So many brothers and sisters in the sect — only the youngest, barely ten years old, cowering and trembling in a corner, managed to escape with his life.
He had said to that child: you are too young to know better. I will teach you better in time.
The disciples of the Sacred Blade Sect today had no idea why their Gate Master had only one brother disciple: the Gate Master himself and one younger martial uncle.
The most frightening thing of all was that the Gate Master felt not a shred of guilt or remorse for having killed his master and his fellow disciples.
Those who are wrong are not deserving of sympathy.
The Gate Master stepped into a small eatery, sat down, and ordered some food. When the young server tried to make conversation, he paid no attention.
When he finished eating, he sat with his eyes closed in quiet rest. The server, seeing that he had not settled the bill, assumed that a traveler had come to the end of his money.
It was only a bowl of soup and a steamed bun, after all — so the server came over to say that if the guest had run into difficulties he needn’t be embarrassed about it, for Prince Ning had said that the people under his rule, whether from Jizhou or Yu Province, were all fellow countrymen, and when a fellow countryman was in need, you helped when you could.
At this, the Gate Master opened his eyes. He looked at the server and asked a single question: “You also believe Prince Ning is a reincarnated sage?”
The server laughed. “Prince Ning is no reincarnated sage — Prince Ning is a sage. What manner of person could be reincarnated that would be worthy of Prince Ning?”
The Gate Master frowned slightly. “You are wrong.”
He placed a few copper coins on the table, rose, and left.
After he had gone, the proprietor found the server slumped on the floor — calling out several times brought no response. When he came closer to look, he discovered that two chopsticks had been driven into the server’s chest.
The proprietor ran outside to look — no trace of the man was to be found. He rushed to the county yamen to report the murder. The yamen officials, hearing of the killing, dared not delay, and a city-wide manhunt was launched — equally without result.
—
At the same time, in the Ning Army’s main camp.
Li Chi looked toward Master Wu and said, “We must get back to Yuzhou City as quickly as possible, arrange everything for Luo Jing, and delay no further.”
Master Wu nodded. “Once I return, I will first recruit militia volunteers, then see where combat soldiers can be drawn from.”
Li Chi nodded and turned to Tang Pidi: “On the matter of provisions — I will do my utmost to secure three months’ worth. If there is anything else you require… I will likely not be able to provide it.”
Tang Pidi said, “I said it already — what happens on the battlefield is my concern.”
Li Chi laid a hand on Tang Pidi’s shoulder. “Since the campaign began, in every battle you have always fought with fewer men against more, from a position of weakness against strength. Not once have I been able to give you an engagement where you had the advantage in numbers, in logistics, in any of it…”
Before he could finish, Tang Pidi smiled and said, “Everything you’ve said is true — but in which battle have you not given me absolutely everything you had?”
Li Chi said, “One day, I will see that you fight battles of pure dominance — where no matter the soldiers, the finances, the materiel, you will never have to calculate like this.”
Tang Pidi said, “You’d better work hard then.”
Li Chi smiled. “I’ll work hard.”
Li Chi mounted his horse. Looking back at the Ning generals who had come to see him off, he could see in the eyes of every one of them absolute, unwavering faith in him.
From the saddle, Li Chi clasped his fists together: “I am returning to Yuzhou City to secure provisions. I will personally escort the grain and supplies back within a month at the latest. The affairs of the battlefield — I entrust them to all of you.”
Every general raised their right fist to their chest: “Hu!”
Li Chi wheeled his horse. “Let’s go!”
Yu Jiuling, Master Wu Naiyu, and the others spurred their horses and followed. They needed to find a way, and quickly, to secure at least some portion of the provisions. The summer ahead would be critical for the Ning forces.
—