Aoyama

Chapter 465 Hundred Ghosts Night Parade
The city styles of the Jing Dynasty and the Ning Dynasty were completely different.

The Ning Dynasty pavilions are meticulously arranged, exquisite and magnificent, with dougong brackets often decorated with swirling painted designs depicting auspicious grasses, sea vines, grapes, and landscapes. The Jing Dynasty pavilions, on the other hand, are bold and vigorous, grand and imposing, with dougong brackets only in vermilion and tiles that are always black.

If the buildings of the Ning Dynasty are like scholars from Jiangnan, then the buildings of the Jing Dynasty are like armored warriors wielding weapons, their blades stained with blood.

But for Zhang Xia and the little monk, the most important thing was that Baidadan City was much more heavily fortified than Ningchao City.

If they hadn't arrived at the Jeoldang Palace and seen Kang Hyeonjong before curfew, they would likely have been hacked to death.

Under the setting sun, amidst the sound of evening drums.

Zhang Xia and the young monk walked down the street with their heads down. The young monk, hearing the drumbeats, asked anxiously, "How much longer until the curfew?"

Zhang Xia calmly said, "There are still 321 more."

Precise and accurate.

The young monk then asked, "Do you know where the Jietang is?"

Zhang Xia replied, "I know."

The young monk was slightly taken aback; he hadn't expected Zhang Xia to know the layout of Baidadan City.

Zhang Xia ignored the little monk, instead looking up at the distant watchtower before lowering her head again.

There are twenty-four watchtowers in Baidadan City, with archers patrolling the four directions from the towers. The watchtowers communicate with each other by flag signals, drumbeats, and lights.

Below the watchtower is "Wuhoupu".

This Wuhou Post is usually a guard post, used for maintaining public order and for disaster relief and firefighting. It houses anywhere from five to thirty people.

Once enemy activity is detected from the watchtower, the "Wuhou" (military commanders) inside immediately rush out and surround and kill the enemy according to the flag signals and light signals from the watchtower.

The evening drumbeats are about to end, with eighty-two more remaining.

Zhang Xia hurried towards a certain place in the city, counting the drumbeats in her mind. The drumbeats were like the afterglow of the setting sun, also disappearing behind the distant mountains outside the city.

The pedestrians in Baidadan City hurried along, afraid that the drumbeats would end before they got home. It was not unusual for Zhang Xia and the little monk to be traveling among them.

But when the last drumbeat ended, there were no pedestrians left on the street.

On the deserted street, only the two of them remained, standing out starkly.

Just as Zhang Xia was about to walk forward recklessly, he heard two clear drumbeats from the watchtower, boom boom!

Without hesitation, the strategist on the watchtower drew his bow and shot an arrow at her.

After the curfew was imposed in Baidadan City, no matter the reason or identity, anyone who did not return home after the drumbeat ended was to be killed without exception!

An arrow flew through the air.

Zhang Xia pulled the little monk to a sudden stop on the long street. An arrow grazed past her and embedded itself in the rammed earth in front of them, the shaft humming.

Seeing that his arrow had missed its mark, the strategist on the watchtower did not nock another arrow, but instead began to beat the drums rapidly.

Zhang Xia heard the sounds of hurried footsteps, armor, and shouts coming from Wuhoupu below the watchtower. She wondered if she should take out her envoy's badge to prove her identity.

But when she remembered the conspiracy between the capture of the live-in general and the night watchman, as well as the lax checks at the city gate, she immediately suppressed her thoughts.

Zhang Xia whispered to the young monk, "Hurry up and go!"

The two turned into the alley and ran at full speed, with shouts of killing echoing behind them.

Zhang Xia called out in a low voice from a small alley: "Left."

The young monk followed behind, panting heavily, only to find that he and Zhang Xia had quickly left the watchtower in sight.

Zhang Xia seemed exceptionally familiar with Baidadan City, as if he had meticulously studied the city's map.

Before the little monk could even breathe a sigh of relief, the Martial Guard on another watchtower held a long iron pole and hung a lonely white lantern on an iron hook under the eaves.

The lantern wasn't for illumination, but rather hung in the direction they fled. All the nearby warriors came out in droves, following the lantern's guidance in pursuit.

The twenty-four watchtowers within the city were arranged in a very ingenious way, so that no matter where they ran, there would always be a watchtower to see them.

In the gloomy city of Baidadan, the lanterns hanging from the watchtowers resembled dazzling stars, clearly marking the path they had taken, much like the Big Dipper in the sky.

Zhang Xia still had some energy left, but when she looked back at the little monk, he was already panting as if he was about to die.

She asked in a low voice, "Are you alright? Should I lure the pursuers away? Jing Chao is a devout Buddhist; if you reveal your identity as a Buddhist disciple, you should be fine."

The young monk was panting and unable to speak, but he waved for Zhang Xia to continue leading the way.

Zhang Xia said no more.

She stood at the entrance of an alley, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Turn right."

Just as she led the little monk into a narrow alley, a flash of light came straight at them.

It was Marquis Jing of the Ming Dynasty who was lying in ambush here.

Zhang Xia dodged to the side, flicking a wisp of sword energy from his fingertip. The Cloud-Covering Sword Energy didn't harm him, but struck the hilt of the sword, knocking the broadsword from Wu Hou's hand.

Marquis Wu retreated in alarm: "The Innate Official!"

Zhang Xia caught the falling broadsword, held it to the other man's neck, and forced him to rush out of the alley.

But the Marquis of Wu was fearless and, even with a knife to his neck, he still roared, "Kill him here!"

Zhang Xia's eyes turned cold. She rushed out of the alley, kicked the man to the ground, and led the little monk in another direction. Wu Hou, despite having several broken ribs, got up and followed behind, showing no regard for Zhang Xia's mercy. It wasn't that Zhang Xia was afraid to kill, but rather that she wanted to persuade Jiang Xianzong. If she were to wreak havoc in Baidadan City, then negotiations would be impossible.

However, being restrained will only attract more pursuers, making it impossible to ever get close to the Hall of Revenue.

All twenty-four watchtowers were adorned with white paper lanterns, all pointing towards Zhang Xia. Hundreds of martial officers from Baidadan City surged in from all directions like a flood, threatening to engulf the two.

Zhang Xia stood at a crossroads, watching Wu Hou approach from all sides.

There was nowhere to go.

Isolated.

The young monk bent over: "What do we do now?"

Zhang Xia gave an irrelevant answer, only sighing softly, "So this is what it feels like... He's been through this situation many times before."

The young monk asked in surprise, "Huh?"

But at that moment, a shadow fell from above.

The young monk suddenly looked up and saw a burly figure standing on the roof. The figure wore a bamboo hat and a black cloth covering its face, and its eyes were hidden in the shadows under the hat and could not be seen clearly.

Zhang Xia recognized the figure and whispered, "Third Master Hu."

Uncle Hu looked down at the two men and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Zhang Xia said urgently, "Chen Ji is outside the city, held hostage by the Jing Dynasty envoy. I need to go to the Daojie Hall in Xijing to persuade Emperor Jiang Xianzong to support the envoy and send him to Ning Dynasty."

Uncle Hu nodded: "Understood."

He suddenly formed a hand seal and began chanting incantations.

The young monk looked at the hand seal the other person had formed and asked in surprise, "The Great Wheel Vajra Dharani Mudra?"

Reciting this Dharani 37 times will allow you to enter all mandalas, and all your endeavors will be accomplished.

If a virtuous man or woman upholds this Dharani after the Tathagata's passing, they will attain the position of Vajragarbha Bodhisattva. All sentient beings will be freed from their shackles and suffering, and their merits will be dedicated to the karmic paths of the underworld officials. All ghosts, spirits, and sentient beings suffering in Avici Hell will be liberated.

The next moment, the shadow cast by the moonlight at Hu Sanye's feet twisted and disintegrated, and the shadow of his head and the bamboo hat twisted and struggled to transform into a Taotie.

The shadow of his left arm transformed into a ferocious beast, resembling a red leopard with five tails and one horn, its sound like striking a stone.

The shadow of the right arm transformed into a Taotie, resembling a tiger with long fur, a human face, tiger feet, a pig's mouth and teeth, and a long tail.

The shadow of the upper body turned into Fei Yi, the shadow of the left leg turned into Xie Zhi, and the shadow of the right leg turned into Bi An.

These monstrous spirits and beasts shrouded in black mist emerged from Master Hu's shadow, like a hundred ghosts parading at night, causing chaos and disarray among the warriors in the alley, yet without harming any of them.

At the very moment the hundred ghosts paraded through the night, the four watchtowers nearby began to beat their drums in unison, their murderous aura surging forth.

On the watchtower, there is a warrior holding an iron pole with two white lanterns hanging on it: one lantern means to capture ordinary people, two lanterns mean to be innate, and three lanterns mean to be an official in the Seeking the Dao Realm.

The sound of horses' hooves could be heard in the distance; more people were approaching.

Third Master Hu looked down at Zhang Xia: "Go, don't worry about me."

Zhang Xia, pulling the little monk along, ran north through the gap in the Bi'an's charge. In just a few breaths, they broke through the encirclement and headed straight for the Jiedushi's (military governor's) hall in Xijing.

They were getting closer and closer to the most magnificent building in the center of the city.

But when he saw the entrance to the temple, the young monk was startled.

A wide road stretched before the gates of the Hall of Honor, where dozens of armored soldiers, each wielding a long halberd, stood beneath the hall's plaque. The white lanterns cast a soft glow, illuminating the soldiers' solemn and dignified bearing.

When the soldiers saw Zhang Xia and the little monk rush out of the alley opposite the temple, they did not rush forward but just watched them coldly.

The little monk trembled and said, "These so-called envoys are so unreliable, how are we supposed to get in?"

If they can't even get in, how can they test Jiang Xianzong's intentions?
Zhang Xia and the young monk stood opposite the main hall, facing the armored soldiers across the street. Master Hu made a swift attack and fled, helping them escape before hiding again. Wu Hou, having lost his target, pursued Zhang Xia once more.

Armored soldiers were in front, and the pursuing Martial Marquis was behind them.

Zhang Xia closed his eyes to think, and when he opened them again, he suddenly said, "Emperor Jiang Xianzong does not want to kill the envoy."

The little monk's eyes widened: "Huh?"

Zhang Xia said softly, "If he wanted to kill the envoy, the general wouldn't need to make a deal with the night watchmen. With the governor's backing, the general could have openly intercepted and killed him... Someone is doing this behind Emperor Jiang Xianzong's back."

The young monk hesitated: "But these armored soldiers want to kill you."

Zhang Xia calmly replied, "They wouldn't dare."

The next moment, she took out her waist token from her sleeve, walked towards the guards towards the hall, and loudly proclaimed, "I am an envoy from the capital, requesting an audience with Jiang Xianzong, the military governor of Xijing Circuit!"

The armored soldiers coldly watched her approach step by step, then stopped in front of them, holding up their waist tokens. The little monk turned around and saw the military officers following them like a tide, arriving at the front of the hall, glaring menacingly.

At the first command, the two men would be hacked to death.

The armored soldiers in front of the hall remained silent. They stared at Zhang Xia, like a black wall blocking his way, making Zhang Xia's figure appear even thinner.

However, Zhang Xia remained unyielding, holding up his waist token and standing at the foot of the stone steps, he once again raised his voice and said, "The envoy from the capital has come here, but Jiang Xianzong, the military governor of Xijing Circuit, is avoiding seeing him. Does this mean we are going to rebel?"

At this moment, the vermilion gate behind the armored soldiers slowly opened, and a middle-aged scholar stood calmly in the crack of the door and said, "The commander invites you."

(End of this chapter)