Aoyama

Chapter 482 Heart Tribulation
Chen Ji slowly changed into clean clothes, and every movement aggravated the pain from all the wounds on his body.

As he fastened his belt, he looked down at the strips of cloth binding his body, then turned to the young monk and asked, "Did you treat my wound?"

The young monk quickly said, "No, no, this is how I saw you..."

Chen Ji seemed lost in thought. His memory was still stuck at the moment he jumped into the water. He had no idea how he got ashore or how he met up with Xiao Man and the others.

But he knew that someone must have suffered for bringing him here.

The young monk whispered again, "When I saw you, it was Benefactor Zhang Xia who carried you here. She frowned when she put you down, as if she had also suffered a serious injury on her back."

Chen Ji paused in fastening his belt, then said into the woods, "All done."

Zhang Xia emerged from behind the tree, walked up to her, and looked her up and down: "How are you? Can you hold on?"

Chen Ji was pale and answered irrelevantly, "How are you?"

Zhang Xia was taken aback, glanced at the little monk, and then smiled and said, "It's alright."

Chen Ji remained silent.

Zhang Xia joked, "If Xiaoman, the little monk, and I were injured, you would do the same... Even though you are seriously injured, I am actually quite happy right now."

Chen Ji asked, puzzled: "Happy?"

Zhang Xia said seriously, "This time, we finally don't have to wait to die."

Chen Ji exclaimed sincerely, "Amazing!"

Zhang Xia led Zaozao to him: "Your injuries are too severe, Zaozao, sit down."

Chen Ji didn't take the reins. Instead, he looked past Zhang Xia's shoulder and at Princess Li Yang behind her: "Although I am the Governor-General of the Capital Garrison and my duty is to take you back to the capital, you have to give me a reason not to kill you now."

Princess Liyang smiled, as if she had planned what to say beforehand: "Over the years, I have secretly killed all the people they wanted me to marry, making it look like they died of illness. One of them was Yuan Xiang's nephew, and the other was the newly appointed top scholar."

Xiaoman's eyes widened: "You killed someone just so you wouldn't get married?"

Princess Liyang said frankly, "Once I get married and have children, I will have a weakness. But I have a lot to do and can't afford to have a weakness."

Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "Not enough."

Princess Liyang laughed and said, "Then let me add another secret. Last year, our second prince, the Prince of Wei, was poisoned and placed under curfew in the capital for three months. Yuan Xiang searched the city thoroughly but could not find the culprit, which enraged the court and the public... I was the mastermind behind this."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ji and Zhang Xia exchanged a glance instinctively.

This is an incredibly big secret.

Princess Liyang continued, "I dispatched the elite troops of Longyou Road to secretly enter Shangjing and guarded the residences of the Ten Princes for a year. Finally, I discovered that Prince Wei often went to Andefang... which is where the two travel permits were registered. It seems that the two substitute Xijing Road assassins were planted there by Emperor Jiang Xianzong to find out the Second Prince's movements."

Princess Liyang recalled: "My second brother kept several male prostitutes in Andefang. Some were kidnapped from Longhua Prefecture, and some were presented by nobles. They were all handsome with red lips and white teeth. After learning about his preferences, I had the elites of Longyou find suitable assassins to deliberately appear in front of him on the night of the Lantern Festival and put the poison hidden under my fingernails into his cup... I originally thought it would take a lot of effort, but I didn't expect my second brother to be so easy to kill."

Xiaoman looked at the little monk with a shocked expression.

Princess Liyang looked at the young monk with composure: "This young monk must have the supernatural ability of telepathy. Whether it is true or false will be clear at a glance."

The little monk pursed his lips and nodded silently.

Zhang Xia asked in confusion, "Why did you kill the King of Wei?"

Princess Liyang said matter-of-factly, "He wanted to kill my brother, so of course I had to kill him. This matter is an unsolved case in the Jing Dynasty. If it is found that I was the one who did it, I will surely die in the deep palace, and my brother will have no chance of ascending the throne. Gentlemen, now that we have shared our secrets, we can share wealth and honor."

The traces of the past silently weigh the pros and cons.

Xiaoman muttered, "Only sharing wealth and prosperity? What about sharing hardship?"

Princess Liyang said sincerely, "Although I admire your loyalty and camaraderie, I know I cannot do it. So I cannot risk my life for each other like you... But if one day I can catch my breath and have a place in the Jing Dynasty, you will have one more support."

Chen Ji slowly let out a sigh of relief: "Your Highness is indeed an extraordinary person. We will not kill you today, but please remember, Your Highness, you have secrets in our hands. Do not ask what you should not ask, and do not say what you should not say, otherwise you will not be able to protect yourself, and you certainly will not be able to protect your younger brother."

Princess Liyang gave Chen Ji a deep curtsy and smiled, saying, "As you command."

Chen Ji turned to Zhang Xia and said, "I can't sit on Zaozao back. Some people might guess I'm injured. If anyone is to sit, it can only be Your Highness."

Zhang Xia nodded, signaling Xiaoman to help Princess Liyang onto her horse.

Princess Liyang breathed a long sigh of relief: "At least I don't have to walk anymore."

Looking closely, one could see that the blood on the soles of his feet had already seeped through his shoes, yet he hadn't uttered a single complaint.

Princess Liyang asked curiously, "What's the next step?"

Chen Ji looked at the young monk and said, "Please recite the sutra again. I need to look better before we return to Chongli Pass."

Before the young monk could even begin chanting, Xiaoman urged, "Hurry up and chant!"

Princess Liyang sat on Zaozao's back and teased with a smile: "I once heard the old monk 'Chanzhao' of Kujue Temple mention that there was a reincarnated Buddhist disciple in Yunzhou of the Southern Dynasty who had the supernatural power of telepathy. He had reincarnated three times to overcome his mental tribulations, but he used the wrong method."

The young monk was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

Princess Liyang recalled, "The old monk said that when the heart is moved, an extra vertical stroke is the tribulation of the heart; if the heart is unmoved, where does the tribulation come from?"

Zhang Xia suddenly looked up at her: "If falling in love is destined to become a calamity, why fall in love at all?"

Princess Liyang said meaningfully, "Miss Zhang, how can you attain enlightenment without undergoing tribulation?"

……

noon.

On the official road outside Chongli Pass, a man staggered back, collapsing beside the road before reaching Ping'an Gate.

A sharp-eyed guard on the gate tower hurriedly called out, "Master Hong! It's Master Hong!"

Dozens of soldiers rushed out of Ping'an Gate and carried the unconscious Hong Zu'er back inside the pass. The crowd surged back, but then they heard the sound of armor, and the soldiers quickly made way.

Zhang Lanjin, the general of Chongli Pass, who was wearing golden armor, came closer and examined the injuries on Hong Zuer's body.

A knife wound ran diagonally from his shoulder to his waist, and there were countless other fine wounds elsewhere.

Zhang Lanjin said in a deep voice, "Put it on the ground, face down."

Right in front of Ping'an Gate, Zhang Lanjin took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket and removed the red cloth stopper.

Someone whispered, "Is this the wound medicine that the general brought from the Taoist temple on Lao Jun Mountain?"

Zhang Lanjin hummed in agreement, then gently sprinkled the powder on Hong Zuer's back wounds. The deep wounds, which exposed bone, healed at a visible speed. Although not fully healed, they at least covered the bone.

The soldiers marveled, "Why doesn't the general get more medicine for injuries from the Daoting?"

Zhang Lanjin calmly said, "I am no longer a member of the Dao Court."

At this moment, Hong Zuer let out a muffled groan and slowly woke up.

The first thing he asked as soon as he opened his eyes was, "Have all the night guards returned?"

A soldier whispered, "They're back. Gao Yuan and Zhou Fang led their men to kill seventy-two Mo Dao soldiers and led the Shenji Battalion and Yulin Army to break through the encirclement... The Night Scouts lost more than thirty men, and the Yulin Army lost more than sixty men. They are currently recuperating in the barracks."

Hong Zu'er's expression darkened, but he quickly concealed it in his eyes: "Where are Asheng and Baizi?"

The soldier replied, "Asheng and Baizi are fine. After they came back, they led the body collection team out again, saying that it was too hot to leave the brothers' remains outside."

Hong Zuer struggled to sit up and looked expectantly at Zhang Lanjin: "The eunuch faction is hunting down Yuan Henglizhen. If Yuan Henglizhen wants to get out of the Dama Mountains, he can only go through Mani Dam. Now that we're sending troops through Huangtuzui, we might be able to stop him in Laozhanggou Forest. He dares to venture deep into the mountains alone, so this is the best opportunity to kill him. If we kill him, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry will be severely weakened within three years."

Zhang Lanjin turned and walked up the gate tower: "Take good care of your injuries. No one is allowed to move without a document from the Ministry of War."

Hong Zu'er hesitated and said, "By the time the ministers in the capital found out what happened at Chongli Pass, it would be half a month later. By then, Yuan Hengli and Zhen would have already returned to the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry camp."

Zhang Lanjin stood on the stone steps and looked back at him: "Come back and join the army."

Upon hearing the words "join the army," Hong Zu'er hesitated.

Zhang Lanjin asked calmly, "What?"

Hong Zu'er shook his head: "I killed hundreds of brothers in just two months as a military advisor, I can't do it."

Zhang Lanjin said no more: "The position of military officer has been vacant. Come and find me when you've thought it through."

After Zhang Lanjin's figure disappeared into the gate tower, someone asked curiously, "Master Hong, what happened to your injuries?"

Hong Zu'er suddenly remembered something, straightened up, and asked the soldiers around him in a deep voice, "Has Chen Ji returned?"

The soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment: "Traces of the past?"

Hong Zuer asked in a deep voice, "Has the Jing Dynasty envoy arrived at Chongli Pass?"

As they were talking, the sound of horses' hooves came from beyond the pass.

Hong Zuer looked up and saw Chen Ji and Zhang Xia walking side by side, with Xiaoman leading Princess Liyang's horse behind them, passing through the shadow of the city gate of Ping'an Gate.

He pushed through the crowd to Chen Ji, grabbed Chen Ji's arm without saying a word, and led him out of the Ping An Gate.

Once they were alone, Hong Zu'er asked, "Is it you?"

Chen Ji remained calm and asked, "What does Master Hong mean by this?"

Hong Zu'er stared straight into his eyes: "The person who went up the mountain in armor was you, wasn't he? I misunderstood you before. You saved dozens of lives in my Bianzhen Night, giving them a chance to live. I, Hong Zu'er, would gladly kowtow to you and admit my mistake."

Chen Ji shook his head: "Master Hong has mistaken me for someone else. Although I also want to claim this credit, I escorted the Jing Dynasty envoy back and did not do what Master Hong is talking about."

Hong Zu'er didn't believe it. He looked at Chen Ji's complexion and found that although the other party looked tired, he didn't look like he had been seriously injured.

Without saying a word, he rolled up the sleeve of the old man, remembering that Jiang Liuxian's blade energy had once scraped this place until it was a bloody mess.

But when Hong Zuer rolled up his sleeves, he froze in place: Chen Ji's right arm was completely unharmed.

Undeterred, he rolled up Chen Ji's left sleeve, only to find it completely unharmed.

Chen Ji remained calm as he was examined, his face as still as a lake, showing no sign of pain even when his wounds were aching.

Hong Zu'er murmured, "It wasn't you..."

(End of this chapter)