Aoyama

Chapter 457 Palm Prints
Chen Ji scrutinized Zhang Xia before him; she seemed quite different now.

The girl who had come to Taiping Medical Clinic in a bright red dress, riding a chestnut horse at breakneck speed, to make a pact with him, suddenly became like a virtuous wife and loving mother.

It looks good too, but this isn't Zhang Xia.

It's not Rouge Tiger either.

Zhang Xia suddenly looked at Chen Ji with a smile: "Why are you looking at me? Do I look good like this now?"

Caught off guard by the question, Chen Ji could only honestly reply, "It was better before."

Aunt Li came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of water and teased, "Young man, you're too honest. To win a girl's heart, you have to say she's beautiful. First, praise her for her past, then praise her for her present. That's how my husband won me over. Otherwise, with his poverty, who would want to live with him?"

Chen Ji was somewhat embarrassed, but insisted, "It was indeed better the way it was before."

Zhang Xia smiled and said, "Then I'll change back after we leave Baidadan City."

Aunt Li glanced at the two of them, finished her bowl of water, and with a smile, threw the string of coins Ah Sheng had given her onto the stone table: "Master Hong, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now. I won't take the money today."

Hong Zu'er raised an eyebrow: "What, is my money too hot to handle?"

Aunt Li tucked away her mother-of-pearl inlay box: "It has nothing to do with you. I just wanted to see the young couple happy, so this is my gift to them."

Having said that, she didn't give anyone a chance to argue, picked up the mother-of-pearl box, and left the house without looking back.

Looking at the embarrassed Chen Ji and Zhang Xia, Hong Zuer instructed Asheng, "Go and fetch some herbs. There are still some flaws to cover up before we go to Baidadan City."

Ah Sheng understood, turned around, went into the house, and took out a medicine bottle.

Chen Ji asked curiously, "What is this?"

Ah Sheng pulled out the cork and explained, "A person who has been practicing and fighting for many years will inevitably have marks on their body. Weapons will leave marks, and reins will leave marks. The city guard of Baidadan can tell what you do on a daily basis at a glance. This is the juice squeezed from the herbs that Master Hong collected. Apply it to the calluses. Apply it once a day, leave it for half an hour, and then wash it off. The calluses will come off on their own in twelve days."

Hong Zuer slowly added, "Not only do we need to remove some calluses, but the journey to Baidadan City will take about twenty days. Along the way, everyone insists on doing hard work every day to leave natural calluses so that we can enter the city."

Zhang Xia exclaimed, "Master Hong is incredibly meticulous; not just anyone can be a night watchman."

Ah Sheng said proudly, "That's natural."

He tore off a strip of cloth, dipped it in dark green grass juice, and smeared it on the hands of Hong Zuer, Zhang Baishi, and Chen Ji.

When it was Zhang Xia's turn, Ah Sheng naturally handed the cloth strip soaked in herbs to Chen Ji: "Young Master, you can do it now."

Chen Ji looked at the strip of cloth, took a slight breath, and then took it into his hand, bending down to wipe it on Zhang Xia's palm. Zhang Xia didn't usually use weapons, so there were no calluses on his hands.

However, both he and Zhang Xia were farmers from the outskirts of Liaoyang Prefecture, so they shouldn't have calluses on their horse reins.

Chen Ji carefully wiped Zhang Xia's palms and fingers with a strip of cloth. Zhang Xia's fingerprints had seven whorls and three loops, a very long life line that extended all the way to his wrist, and a long career line as well...

In fact, Chen Ji didn't know how to read palms. He only noticed that Zhang Xia's palms were slightly sweaty, glistening in the sunlight.

Zhang Xia suddenly asked, "Is it ready?"

Chen Ji looked up awkwardly: "It's wiped clean."

Zhang Xia looked at Hong Zu'er: "Master Hong, is there anything else we should be aware of?"

Hong Zuer thought for a moment: "This time we will lead a mule caravan to travel. We will first take the mountain road eastward, and then turn towards Baidadan City, pretending that we came from Liaoyang Prefecture. In addition to knowing the local customs and traditions along the way, we also need to be familiar with the temperament of those mules, so that those animals will not cause trouble at crucial moments... But this is not difficult."

He slowly rose, supporting himself on the stone table: "Let's go. We won't eat in the pass today. Who knows how many days it will be before we can have a hot meal. We'll eat at the military market tonight, and we also need to buy some things for our long trip."

He walked out, but halfway there he turned back to examine Chen Ji and Zhang Xia: "Everything else is fine, but the two of you aren't acting naturally enough. From this moment on, you two have to pretend to be husband and wife until everyone believes it so that you can fool the guards of Baidadan City."

Zhang Xia replied, "But I've heard that although the Jing Dynasty lacks poetry, books, and etiquette, couples still observe proper etiquette and restraint. They shouldn't need to put on airs for others, right?"

Hong Zu chuckled and said, "You read that in a book, didn't you? That's the life of the scholar-officials, not the life of the common people. The Jing Dynasty is half herdsmen and half Han Chinese, not as restrained as you think. Ah Sheng, go and get the bronze figurines from the house, let them see what kind of life the people of the Jing Dynasty live."

Ah Sheng exclaimed "Eh!", went inside to retrieve a box, and opened it in front of everyone. Inside were five pairs of bronze figurines: "These were brought back by Master Hong from Baidadan City."

Zhang Xia and Chen Ji were taken aback.

Hong Zu'er scoffed: "There are quite a few people in Jingchao who engage in illicit affairs and walk hand in hand. I don't expect you to do anything outrageous, just be a little intimate. We'll have to deal with more than just the guards at the city gates, but also the patrols inside the city. My Chongli Pass is hunting down Jingchao spies day and night, and Baidadan City is also keeping a close watch on my Ningchao day and night. We must be careful at all times."

Chen Ji hesitated, unsure how to act like a married couple.

However, at that moment, Zhang Xia took a deep breath and said with a smile, "Anyway, it's fake."

The next moment, she calmly took Chen Ji's hand and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Hong, we won't make any mistakes."

Chen Ji dared not exert any force in his hand, so Zhang Xia held it.

Hong Zu'er said indifferently, "Make it more natural."

Chen Ji slowly tightened his grip, closing his fingers and holding Zhang Xia's hand.

“Stop dawdling,” Hong Zuer sneered, leading Asheng and Zhang Baishi out of the house with a limp.

Chen Ji and Zhang Xia walked side by side a few dozen paces behind, neither speaking to the other for a long time. Although the spring breeze was cool and pleasant, their palms were sweating profusely with nervousness.

Finally, Chen Ji spoke up and asked, "Why have you come to Chongli Pass?"

Zhang Xia explained absentmindedly, "Xiaoman heard that Your Majesty had banished you to Chongli Pass and refused to take you back that very night, so she came to ask me for help. In addition, matchmakers have been coming to my house in droves these days, so I came to the north to clear my head."

Chen Ji was taken aback: "Many matchmakers?"

Zhang Xia said casually, "What, is it strange?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "It's not surprising. Miss Zhang is both beautiful and talented, so it's understandable that she has many matchmakers coming to propose marriage... Who are they?"

Zhang Xia smiled and said, "The Yuan family of Runan, the Yang family of Hongnong, the Qian family, the Zhou family, and Yang Yuan from the Yang family. Oh, and there are a few others who want to marry into the family." Chen Ji nodded.

Zhang Xia glanced at him: "But my father declined them all."

Chen Ji asked curiously, "How did Lord Zhang refuse?"

Zhang Xia imitating Zhang Zhuo's tone impatiently said, "Don't daydream, you toad from some back alley. Before you come in, take a piss and look in the mirror to see if you're good enough for my daughter!"

Chen Ji smiled and said, "That does suit Lord Zhang's straightforward nature."

Zhang Xia said softly, "Father said that he was exhausted from dealing with people in the Forbidden City every day, and he had no energy to deal with people outside the Forbidden City."

At this moment, Hong Zuer turned around halfway and saw Zhang Xia raise her hand to indicate that she was still holding his hand, so Hong Zuer continued walking forward.

In the Ning Dynasty, it was extremely unusual for men and women to hold hands. The husband would walk in front, while the woman would walk to the side and behind. This was the principle of "the husband being the head of the household" and the law of etiquette.

A court official once wrote a poem to commemorate the act of drawing his wife's eyebrows, but he was impeached by two censors for being shameless and became a laughing stock.

So at this moment, the passing foot soldiers all looked at the two of them.

Chen Ji instinctively wanted to let go: "It won't be good for you if this gets back to the capital."

This time, Zhang Xia clenched her fist tightly: "What's there to be afraid of if it's fake?"

She glanced at the passersby and teased them playfully, "Never seen this before?"

The passing foot soldiers hurriedly turned back.

Rouge Tiger is still Rouge Tiger.

……

……

Chen Ji changed the subject: "This trip to Baidadan City is extremely dangerous. You, Xiaoman, and the little monk shouldn't have gone with us."

Zhang Xia smiled and said, "What, you look down on us?"

Chen Ji quickly said, "That's not what I meant."

Seeing that no one was looking, Zhang Xia raised her hand, and a wisp of cloud-like mist swirled around her index and middle fingers, perfectly complementing the mutton-fat jade bracelet on her wrist.

The next moment, Zhang Xia waved his hand and pointed, and the wisp of cloud, faintly exuding a murderous aura, vanished in a flash.

Chen Ji felt a chill run down his spine.

Zhang Xia turned to look at him and said seriously, "You are a Xiantian (innate) being, I am a Xiantian being, and Xiaoman is also a Xiantian being. Don't look down on people."

Chen Ji asked in a low voice, "When did you acquire innate qualities? I've never heard you mention it before."

Zhang Xia casually replied, "I reached the Innate Realm last month, and today I have reached the first level of the Innate Realm."

Chen Ji had previously calculated that the entire "Zheyun" poem consisted of 239 sentences, totaling 1,673 characters.

Given Zhang Xia's speed in silently reciting the Cloud-Shielding Technique, without a fellow practitioner, he would need to cultivate diligently day and night to reach his current level.

Chen Ji asked curiously, "Why are you cultivating so diligently?"

Zhang Xia was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course I want to reach the Dao Seeking Realm before I turn thirty-six, so that I can live to be a hundred. What woman doesn't want to stay young forever?"

Chen Ji nodded: "That makes sense."

Zhang Xia joked, "You'd better be careful, I might reach the Dao Seeking Realm even sooner than you."

Chen Ji, the mountain lord, cultivated himself at a leisurely pace.

At the eighth level of the Innate Realm, Chen Ji needs to develop eight markings to be considered to have reached the threshold of the Seeking the Dao Realm.

But the way the Mountain Lord cultivated was peculiar. When Chen Ji lit over seven hundred furnace fires at the first level of the Innate Realm, his skills were already comparable to those of a peak Innate Realm cultivator. After lighting seven hundred and twenty furnace fires, the fires would all go out, turning into patterns.

When he had just grown a single mark and before he had rekindled the fire, he was not even as good as a peak-level official.

He has now lit 714 furnace fires, reaching the peak of his innate realm; any further advancement would cause him to fall back to a lower realm. The ice flow within his dantian could elevate him to the sixth level of the innate realm, but it wouldn't make a significant difference.

Only by cultivating the sword technique can he acquire more trump cards as quickly as possible.

Zhang Xia asked in a low voice, "Once we arrive in Baidadan City, how do you plan to bring back the Jing Dynasty envoy?"

Chen Ji remained calm: "How do you know I'm going to bring back the envoy, and not assassinate him?"

Zhang Xia said casually, "His Majesty sent you here first to be received that very night, followed closely by the Imperial Guards. I know your relationship with the Imperial Guards, so I can guess that your purpose is to bring back the envoy together with the Imperial Guards. However, if you really succeed in doing this, the soldiers of Chongli Pass and the soldiers of the three Imperial Guards will probably regard you as an enemy."

Chen Ji calmly said, "I have things to do. As for how others see me before I rescue the princess, that's up to them."

Zhang Xia was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "I will help you."

Just then, Xiaoman and the little monk came towards them. Chen Ji was about to greet them when he noticed that Xiaoman was standing there, staring intently at his and Zhang Xia's hands.

Xiaoman's mouth grew wider and wider as she tugged hard at the little monk's sleeve: "Did you see that?"

Zhang Xia led Chen Ji towards them, casually asking, "Where did you two go just now?"

Xiaoman hurriedly replied, "I went to the east and didn't expect there to be a Buddhist temple and a City God Temple inside Chongli Pass. I saw that there were Buddhist monks and Taoist priests in charge, and the incense was very strong."

Zhang Xia calmly said, "The border troops are all in the nine garrisons. After all, nobody wants to die. Unfortunately, once the war starts, praying to Buddha or the Taoist patriarch will be useless."

(End of this chapter)