The establishment of the Celestial Dynasty began with the bestowal of the title upon the River God.

Meanwhile, Zhang Junyi dragged Zhang Lingbao down the mountain, and they traveled at breakneck speed, arriving at the north gate of Qifeng County in less than a day.

She used the hundred taels of silver notes she had swindled from her half-brother to rent a carriage, had the driver pay the city tax, and they entered the city smoothly.

Thinking about meeting my parents, I felt like a huge rock was pressing on my heart.

Meanwhile, inside the Zhang residence in the western city.

Zhang Ling, the Registrar of Households, sat down on the daybed in the main hall. His wife, standing to one side, looked gloomy and distressed, and couldn't help but sigh repeatedly.

"Bao'er said she was going to find a shop to buy some elixirs, but she's been gone for months without a word!"

His wife said bitterly, "It would be better if he were dead!"

Zhang Ling slammed his hand on the table. "What nonsense are you spouting!"

"I told you, it's better that brat is dead! Why should I believe him just because he says Jun'er died in the tiger's mouth? Zhang Ling, don't forget, who benefits from Jun'er's death!"

Zhang Ling's face flushed with anger. "Bao'er has always been well-behaved. How could you think of him as such a bad person? Bao'er is our only son now, and he's your son too!"

"Pah! I don't have such a heartless son!"

Zhang Ling sighed again, her tone now tinged with pleading, "Why are you so fixated on Bao'er?"

The main hall was noisy, so a woman in a silk robe outside had to slow down and enter the main hall with a similarly distressed expression.

"Master, Madam..."

The woman in the silk robe had few wrinkles around her eyes. Her cheeks were full, her skin was still delicate, and she retained her charm. At this moment, with tears streaming down her face, she looked pitiful.

"Bao'er has been away from home for many days, and hasn't mentioned returning to Qishan to cultivate Taoism. How come we've lost all contact with her?"

Zhang Ling was already annoyed, and seeing the concubine only added to his displeasure. He waved his hand and said, "What are you doing, making things worse!"

The woman cried out, "There are many monsters and demons on the border! Could it be that my son is in danger? I beg you, sir, to send a letter to Qishan and search for my son!"

Zhang Ling's expression was unpredictable. Zhang Lingbao had been out of contact for many days and had not sent a letter to Qishan for help until today. Even he himself could not explain his thoughts.

Now that Zhang Lingbao's birth mother had taken the initiative to ask for paper and pen, it could not be delayed any longer. She immediately summoned a servant and was about to ask for paper and pen when she heard a commotion outside.

Before the three people in the main room could figure out what was going on, a woman, surrounded by attendants, slowly walked into the main room.

Zhang Ling craned his neck to look closely, then jumped to his feet, exclaiming, "Jun'er!"

His wife stared at him intently, then immediately jumped off the bed, lifted her skirt, and ran out, bumping right into Zhang Junyi.

"Jun'er, my Jun'er! You're not dead, you're not dead!"

Zhang Junyi held Zhang Lingbao by the back of his neck with one hand and hugged his mother with the other. He only let go when his father, Zhang Ling, arrived.

Zhang's mother wiped away her tears, with endless questions on her lips, when she suddenly caught a glimpse of something terrifying out of the corner of her eye, and was so frightened that she fell to the ground with a thud.

With his wife no longer blocking his way, Zhang Ling finally saw the person behind his daughter. His eyes widened like copper bells as he pointed at Zhang Lingbao, who had lost an arm, speechless.

Zhang Junyi threw the person to the ground, just in time to see her aunt walking over. She turned her gaze back to her father and said in a flat tone:

"Zhang Lingbao and I were ordered to exorcise the demon, but we were ambushed and sold into the deep mountains, where we nearly lost our lives..."

Seeing her son's miserable state, Zhang Lingbao's birth mother lunged at Zhang Junyi with bared teeth and claws, only to be slapped away by the latter with a nonchalant slap.

Zhang Junyi didn't even glance at her aunt, her tone remaining as calm as still water.

"Zhang Lingbao went to Dahan Mountain a few days ago but failed to kill me. I managed to subdue him, so... my daughter has returned."

Filled with bitterness, Zhang Ling collapsed to the ground, propping himself up with one hand, and questioned the heavens:

"We're all family, why did it have to come to this? Why did it have to come to this!"

Zhang Ling remained silent for a long while. After standing up, he looked indifferently at Zhang Lingbao, who was half-dead, waved away the many servants, and said in a low voice:

"Actually... I had some suspicions, but I never confirmed them. Zhang Lingbao is indeed my son, Zhang Ling. Jun'er... can you..."

Zhang Ling stopped speaking and said dejectedly, "Zhang Lingbao has committed a heinous crime. You may decide what to do with him, Jun'er. I have no objection."

Zhang Junyi remained expressionless, uttered a "good," and extended her hand, saying, "Daughter wishes to borrow Father's sword."

Zhang Ling was stunned for a moment, then shakily went back into the house, took off his sword, and handed it to his daughter.

Zhang Junyi drew his longsword, stepped on Zhang Lingbao, and with a swift, cold slash from his right hand, a head was severed from the body.

Zhang Ling stared at the head of the illegitimate son, feeling a mix of melancholy and a strange sense of satisfaction.

He glanced at the unconscious concubine, summoned the steward, and whispered:

"Take care of her too, and later choose an auspicious burial site to bury the mother and child together."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Meanwhile, Li Yi and Li Erhu had been down the mountain for two or three days.

"Old man, how much longer until we reach the city?"

Li Erhu, sitting in the donkey cart, said worriedly.

It took him and Li Yi a whole day to get to the county town at the foot of the mountain.

We found a donkey cart that was willing to go, and waited for half a day.

It's getting dark, and if we don't head into the city soon, we'll have to spend the night in the wilderness.

The old man turned his head and said in a deep, hoarse voice, "Our Hanshan County is at the northernmost part of the county seat, it will take at least two more days. Don't worry, there's a post station ahead, you can stay the night in the woodshed."

Li Erhu shook his head helplessly, "It's freezing cold, and I'm so glad you dared to take on this job for us."

The old man chuckled twice, "There's no other way, there are three people in my family waiting for food."

Li Erhu ignored him and pressed Li Yi for details, "Brother Yi, tell me more about what's going on in the army."

Li Yi didn't want to speak, and rolled his eyes, saying, "What else is there to say? Now that I've already absorbed Qi and opened my acupoints, I'll eventually become a squad leader. You'll be under my command then, so you don't need to worry about all the complicated stuff."

Li Erhu chuckled awkwardly, "Just curious—if Yi-ge doesn't want to talk about it, then forget it."

Li Yi looked disdainful. "If you have that kind of mindset, you should try to absorb Qi. It's been more than ten days, and you haven't had any external symptoms."

Li Erhu immediately became indignant and complained, "Li Family Village has only had one Li Yi in over a hundred years. You can't compare me to you."

"I don't care, just hurry up and absorb the Qi."

"I want to too!"

Listening to the two bickering, the old man hummed a little tune and leisurely made his way to the post station before nightfall.

A group of men dressed in coarse linen clothes, with leather belts around their waists, came carrying guns.

"Stop!"

The old man quickly got off the donkey cart, bowed and said cautiously, "Reporting to the officer, this old man and these two young masters are from Hanshan County and are heading to the county town. We would like to stay at the post station for the night."

Having said that, he opened his hand and handed over five copper coins.

The servant weighed it in his hand. "The woodshed is empty. Go in and don't make a sound, or you'll disturb the postmaster and you'll be in trouble."

"I understand, I understand."

The old man bowed repeatedly, when suddenly he heard the sound of horses' hooves in the distance. Looking up, he saw three people riding towards him, tightening their reins in front of the post station.

The leader was handsome, wearing a crown and carrying a sword, and had an outstanding demeanor.

The man looked down at the gatekeeper and asked loudly, "Is there anything unusual at the post station?"

The voice was clear and bright. Li Yi, who was watching from the side, thought to himself, "It's probably a girl."

The disciple was somewhat bewildered. "No, nothing."

Among the three horsemen, one of the men with a sword dismounted and stepped forward, whispering, "Young master, there's no use rushing to catch the demon. The wilderness lies just ahead. Why don't we stay here for the night? That fox demon shouldn't have gone far."

The handsome young man, addressed as "Young Master," lowered his head in thought, his scrutinizing gaze sweeping over Li Yi and Li Erhu before dismounting and saying:

"Then let me stay the night. Tell the postmaster to prepare some food and wine. I'll write you a note, and you can get reimbursed by the city gate guard post later."

The gatekeeper was taken aback and waved his hands repeatedly, "We wouldn't dare trouble the garrison. Although our post station doesn't have anything good, we wouldn't dare to let the three of you suffer!"

He called his colleagues to help the three officials lead their horses inside. After waiting for a while, he came out to settle Li Yi and the other two.

After much fuss, we finally settled down.

Li Erhu distributed the coarse flour flatbread to Li Yi and his father-in-law, laid out the mattresses, and closed his eyes to sleep.

The old man ate half of the baked bun, stuffed the other half into his bosom, and fell into a deep sleep.

Only Li Yi was worried. He had sharp ears and eyes and had heard it clearly, so he dared not fall asleep easily.

After nightfall, the post station was unusually quiet, but Li Yi still sat on the ground, silently circulating his qi to nourish his body, until he heard a very faint sound. Finally, he could not hold back any longer and got up to look outside the woodshed.