Aoyama

Chapter 483 Backer
Outside Ping An Gate, Hong Zuer stared intently at Chen Ji.

In his heart, he had already regarded the successor of that sword lineage as Chen Ji: apart from the Night Scouts, the Imperial Guards, and the Mo Dao Camp, only Chen Ji and a few others remained in the Da Ma Mountains.

Moreover, Chen Ji also had a motive to save the Imperial Guards.

Hong Zu'er murmured, "How could it not be you? Who else could it be but you?"

Chen Ji feigned ignorance, diverting his attention elsewhere: "Master Hong, I don't understand. Who are you looking for? Did the Secret Service do something?"

Hong Zu'er also lowered his head in confusion: "Could it be them?"

He was unwilling to accept it, and looked up at Chen Ji directly: "Since you're not him, then where did you go before?"

Chen Ji remained expressionless: "I am naturally here to escort the Jing Dynasty envoy to Chongli Pass."

Hong Zu'er was still unwilling to give up, saying, "If that's the case, why have you only returned to Chongli Pass now? Logically speaking, you should have returned long ago!"

Before Chen Ji could speak, Zhang Xia explained from the side, "After we parted ways, we walked five miles south and were blocked by a big river. We searched for a long time for a bridge. We first looked to the east, but found it was not right, so we turned back and found the bridge to the west."

Hong Zuer frowned. He knew that the single bridge over the Zhenggou River was indeed hard for outsiders to find... He couldn't find a single flaw in Zhang Xia's words.

Hong Zu'er then questioned, "Did you really only escort the Jing Dynasty envoys the whole way without paying attention to anything else?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "No, my duty is only to escort the envoy; other matters are none of my concern."

Hong Zu'er said in a deep voice, "You and the Imperial Guards were once colleagues. Even others went to save them, but you stood by and did nothing? Do you know how many Imperial Guards died in this battle? Just for that damned Jing Dynasty envoy, you abandoned your own colleagues?"

Chen Ji remained silent.

Zhang Xia looked at Chen Ji with concern, while Xiao Man beside her was furious: "How dare you talk like that? Do you really think you're the only hero in the world, and everyone else is just trash? When my young master was in Guyuan..."

Chen Ji raised his hand, stopping Xiao Man from speaking.

He ignored Hong Zu'er and brushed past him, saying, "I admire Master Hong for his character and know how much he has sacrificed for the border town. However, we are on different paths and cannot work together. You have your duties, and I have mine. Once we leave Chongli Pass, Master Hong can pretend that you have never met me, and I will probably not come back."

Hong Zuer stood outside Ping'an Gate, quietly watching Chen Ji's back as he entered Chongli Pass.

Zhang Xia whispered to Chen Ji, "He actually wants to provoke you, to make you admit it."

Chen Ji hummed in agreement and calmly said, "I know."

Zhang Xia said softly, "But many people will see you that way from now on. They won't know what you did; they'll only remember you as someone who didn't care about the lives of your colleagues."

Chen Ji let out a soft sigh of relief and stepped out of the shadows of the city gate: "It's not important."

……

……

Inside Chongli Pass, people spread the word, telling everyone that the Jing Dynasty envoy had arrived.

One by one, the soldiers of the border town emerged from their barracks, and more and more people gathered in front of Ping'an Gate. After Chen Ji and the others walked out of the city gate, the soldiers of Chongli Pass looked at Princess Liyang with anger in their eyes.

Someone shouted angrily, "Go back to Jingchao!"

"Yuan Cheng must not be allowed to return to Jingchao!"

Someone deliberately instigated this, blocking Chen Ji firmly in front of Ping An Gate, preventing him from taking another step forward.

Chen Ji looked up and saw Wan Sui Jun Gao Yuan standing on his horse behind the crowd, coldly staring at him. Gao Yuan's eyes were red, perhaps he had just lost a comrade in battle and had just cried.

Both old and new grudges were now being settled against him.

Within a step of him, Zhang Tonggou, who had previously taught Chen Ji how to weave straw sandals, spat almost onto Chen Ji's face: "Traitor! What benefits did the Jing Dynasty give you that you treacherous officials would let Yuancheng go back?"

Chen Ji stood silently, offering no rebuttal.

Because rebuttal is useless.

Amidst the roaring and surging waves, the night watchmen watched coldly, while Zhang Lanjin stood in front of the sand table inside the gate tower, showing no intention of restraining himself.

Faced with these infantrymen, the title of Governor-General of the Imperial Guard is no longer of any use. Even if someone were to present the imperial edict at this moment, it would probably be torn to shreds by a mutiny.

Zhang Xia whispered to Chen Ji, "I'll go find the Imperial Guards to suppress the rebellion."

Chen Ji shook his head: "Even the Imperial Guards can't stop them."

However, at this moment, Princess Liyang, sitting on Zaozao's back, with red eyes and on the verge of tears, said: "Don't you Ning Dynasty soldiers put your strength into the battlefield? Do you want to bully a mere woman like me? Yuancheng is utterly wicked, but what does that have to do with a woman like me who is ignorant of the world in the deep palace?"

As she spoke, her tears fell, each one like a pearl.

Princess Liyang was extremely beautiful, but now her embroidered shoes were soaked with blood, her face was covered in grime and dust, and she was crying very sadly.

The previously frenzied howling was gradually suppressed by the tears falling one by one. Princess Liyang continued to sob, "Everyone says that Chongli Pass is the most formidable pass in the world, and that the border troops there are the most valiant. I was forced to come to Ning Dynasty for a marriage alliance. Why are you making things difficult for a weak woman like me? Otherwise, just kill me. I will avenge the sins committed by Yuancheng. I will not fight back."

The area in front of Ping An Gate gradually quieted down, and the foot soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment.

Xiaoman, holding the reins, stared wide-eyed as she looked up.

Mutiny is a major taboo in the army. With such a commotion just now, even Zhang Lanjin would probably have had to put up with some effort. But unexpectedly, he was intimidated by Princess Liyang's tears.

Princess Liyang emphasized only two things from beginning to end: first, she was just a weak woman; second, Yuancheng had nothing to do with her, and if she had a grudge, she shouldn't take it out on a woman, but should go find Yuancheng.

Just as he was pondering this, Hong Zu'er said coldly from inside the city gate of Ping'an Gate, "Get out of the way, or people will think that the men of Chongli Pass are bullying women!"

The foot soldiers exchanged glances again and had no choice but to slowly part to make way.

Hong Zuer said in a deep voice behind them, "Zhang Tonggou, take them to the barracks where they joined the army and settle them in properly. Don't make Chongli Pass seem stingy."

Chen Ji walked through the crowd until he was out of the throng, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Once out of sight of the crowd, he slowed his pace and calmly said to Princess Liyang beside him, "I admire you."

Princess Liyang casually wiped away her tears, and her crying stopped abruptly.

She leaned down and whispered, "Lord Chen will understand my ally better in the future. I've said it before, I only do the right thing. Look, Jiang Xiansheng died, but in the end, it was I who survived and arrived in Ning Dynasty."

Chen Ji sighed softly and said again, "I admire you."

Zhang Tonggou led the way, taking Chen Ji and the others to a secluded two-courtyard house in the west of the city. He said coldly, "You shall rest here and not wander around, or the military law of Chongli Pass will be merciless."

After saying that, he left without looking back, as if he had never known Chen Ji.

Chen Ji pushed open the courtyard gate and had just entered the courtyard when Zhang Xia immediately turned back and closed the gate: "Xiao Man, quickly help your young master find a place to sit down."

Just as the door closed, Chen Ji bent over in pain, panting.

Throughout the journey, he dared not show any abnormality in front of outsiders, and could only pretend to be fine despite his injuries.

At one point, even those around him almost forgot that he was seriously injured.

Xiaoman stepped forward to help him, but he pushed her away and slowly straightened up on his own: "It's alright. Please trouble the little monk to chant some more sutras. Although the healing will be slower, the wound will not hurt so much when the sutras are chanted."

Princess Liyang climbed off Zaozao's back and asked curiously, "Why are you hiding your injuries? What happened on this trip that you have to keep secret?"

Chen Ji sat down on a stone bench in the courtyard. He glanced at Princess Li Yang and knew that this matter would eventually reach the capital. He should let the other party prepare in advance: "I tried to kill Yuan Heng Li Zhen with my sword seed but failed. I was chased into the Zheng Gou River by Jiang Liu Xian. They did not know my identity."

"What's the big deal about assassinating Yuan Heng Li Zhen..." Princess Li Yang froze on the spot, her pupils suddenly contracting: "Wait, you said you use a sword seed? Your official path is a sword seed?"

She instinctively took a step back: "Now I suddenly feel that it's only right for you to kill me... but if you don't kill me, I will definitely keep quiet."

Chen Ji looked up at her: "Are there things you're afraid of too?"

Princess Liyang said warily, "It's not shameful to be afraid of death. If I were to cultivate the Sword Seed Path, I would definitely kill everyone who knows about it."

This time, she was truly scared.

She had previously thought that she could use her eloquence and intelligence to give Chen Ji a reason not to kill her.

But things are different now. No reason can outweigh those two words: Martial Temple.

As everyone knows, besides the lineage of the Changbai Mountain Martial Temple, there is still another lineage of sword techniques that has been lost to the outside world.

For centuries, the Jing Dynasty searched, the Ning Dynasty searched, and the Martial Temple searched, but no one had ever found it. It was this very lineage of sword cultivation that had trapped generation after generation of Martial Temple abbots, preventing them from achieving Dao and ascending to immortality.

Now that the sword technique has been revealed, countless people from the Martial Temple will descend the mountain to Ning Dynasty, leaving no stone unturned.

When Headmaster Lu Yang comes to challenge you, what good will your silver tongue do? If a Grandmaster of the Divine Path Realm is determined to kill someone, unless you live in the palace forever, you will surely die.

During the sixty years of the Jiazi Demon Suppression, tens of thousands of people died at the hands of the abbot!
Chen Ji said breathlessly, "Now you know how much courage it took for me to spare your life, so I ask you again, what reason do I have not to kill you?"

Princess Liyang hesitated for a long time: "I can go back to Jing Dynasty and be your spy, I can..."

Chen Ji shook his head: "Not enough."

Princess Liyang took a deep breath: "Actually, last winter, my assassination attempt on Lu Jin was exposed, and my father stripped me of my title as Princess Liyang and placed me under house arrest in the Tenth Prince's residence. It wasn't until this marriage alliance that I was remembered again. Now I'm going all in and determined to return to Jingchao with great merit. To me, you all are a lifeline... If my brother ascends the throne one day, what will you all want?"

Chen Ji gazed at her: "If one day someone comes to Jingchao looking for you and mentions my name, hoping that you can protect them for the rest of their lives."

Princess Liyang smiled and said, "No problem... But speaking of which, considering that our new ally is cultivating the Sword Seed Path, I suddenly feel like I have a new backer."

She gave Chen Ji a solemn curtsy: "Lord Chen, I entrust this matter to you from now on."

(End of this chapter)