Chapter 16: Chapter 16
By the time they returned to the inn in Bingzhou, the snow was falling more heavily than ever.
Zhao Jiu changed out of his Night-Raiding Clothes and pushed open the window. As he watched the snowflakes drifting down, he considered the problem with their route.
Dragging the Embroidered Uniform Guard into this could not possibly end well. Although he had never dealt with them personally, he had heard how relentlessly they clung to their targets. Worse still, the Embroidered Uniform Guard wielded immense authority. If they sealed the city again, there was no way he could get himself and Liu Rouwei out safely.
His plan to rest for three days had already fallen through. He had no choice but to act decisively. Tomorrow, he would stock up on supplies, then leave the city after nightfall. He could only hope that no further trouble would arise.
Zhao Jiu put the matter out of his mind, blew out the candle, and went to sleep.
The snow eased slightly the next day, but the weather became much colder.
Zhao Jiu rose early. With so many matters weighing on him, he had little need for sleep.
Without waking Liu Rouwei, who was still asleep, Zhao Jiu wrapped himself in a padded robe and went to have breakfast alone.
After finishing two bowls of noodles, he finally managed to drive away some of the chill. He ordered four steamer baskets of meat buns and instructed the proprietor to deliver them to the inn before walking back with his hands clasped behind his back.
By the time the buns arrived, it was almost noon. Zhao Jiu bought the steamer baskets as well, tossed down fifteen taels of silver, and carried everything back to his room.
He had just stored the buns in his Storage Space when Liu Rouwei, having finished washing up, emerged and asked when they would eat.
Zhao Jiu did not waste any time and ordered a full table of dishes.
Only after all the food had arrived did he slowly say, “We cannot stay in Bingzhou any longer. Go back to sleep after we finish eating. We will leave the city after dark and head straight for Chang’an through Linfen.”
Liu Rouwei’s eyes widened at once. “Are we leaving in such a hurry?”
“Yes. The Embroidered Uniform Guard is in the city. I am afraid that if something happens, we will not be able to leave.”
Zhao Jiu did not hide anything from her. He told her everything he had seen the previous night.
When he finished, the two exchanged a glance. Neither spoke, but each understood what the other was thinking.
At the same time, Gu Yuan was listening to his subordinate’s report inside the Prefect’s yamen.
When he heard that someone had paid respects at the grave of Jiang Ruhai’s mother, he raised a hand and interrupted his subordinate’s rambling. He vaguely sensed that something was amiss, yet he could not grasp the connection.
“Who could it have been?” Gu Yuan murmured, stroking his chin.
“My lord, this subordinate believes it must have been an old acquaintance of Lord Jiang.”
“Nonsense. Would a complete stranger visit his mother’s grave?” Gu Yuan snapped. He then ordered, “Jiang Ruhai served in the army for more than ten years. Find out who visited that grave!”
His subordinate bowed and acknowledged the order, but his face was filled with confusion. Jiang Ruhai had tens of thousands of former comrades and colleagues. Where was he supposed to begin, and how could he possibly investigate them all? He had no idea.
Gu Yuan naturally did not know what his subordinate was thinking. He waved him away, but his own thoughts remained like a tangled ball of thread. He could not find the loose end, yet he could not stop thinking about it.
It was not until night had completely fallen, when his subordinate brought him dinner and remarked, “Even an expert has to eat,” that Gu Yuan suddenly understood.
The expert from last night had gone out after midnight dressed entirely in Night-Raiding Clothes, and today, there were signs that someone had paid respects at the grave of Jiang Ruhai’s mother.
It was far too great a coincidence.
“Has anyone left the city within the past two hours?” Gu Yuan asked hurriedly. His subordinate froze for a moment before thinking it over. “Yes. A wealthy young master and a maidservant rode out through the south gate.”
“After them!”
Gu Yuan shot to his feet.
With that, he snatched the Embroidered Spring Saber from the table and rushed out the door. His subordinate had no time to notify anyone else and could only run after him.
The two men mounted their horses and hurried out through the south gate.
After galloping for an hour, they finally caught sight of Zhao Jiu and Liu Rouwei on horseback.
“Halt at once! The Embroidered Uniform Guard is conducting an investigation!” Gu Yuan shouted.
Zhao Jiu pulled on the reins and turned his horse around, telling Liu Rouwei to continue ahead.
When he saw the two men approaching, he cursed his rotten luck. He had gone to such lengths precisely to avoid encountering the Embroidered Uniform Guard, yet they had still managed to catch up with him.
Seeing Zhao Jiu stop, Gu Yuan also reined in his horse.
“I am Gu Yuan, Pacification Commissioner of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I am afraid the two of you will not be leaving today. Please dismount and return to the yamen with me. You will explain why you paid respects at the grave of Lord Jiang’s mother.”
Zhao Jiu curled his lips into a cold smile. “And what if I refuse to go with you?”
“Then do not blame my blade for showing no mercy!”
Before Gu Yuan could even finish his threat, Zhao Jiu had already hurled several Hidden Weapons at him.
He was only a Fourth Rank martial artist. It was not as though Zhao Jiu had never killed a Third-Rank Official before.
Gu Yuan was startled. He had never imagined that anyone would truly dare attack the Embroidered Uniform Guard. However, he had no time to dwell on it. He hurriedly drew his saber and knocked the Hidden Weapons aside.
One slow step left him lagging at every turn, and Zhao Jiu had no intention of giving him a chance to catch his breath.
Zhao Jiu stamped his feet against his horse’s back and leaped toward Gu Yuan, bringing his saber down with the momentum of his charge.
Gu Yuan had only just deflected the Hidden Weapons and hastily raised his saber to block.
How could such a rushed defense withstand a downward strike strengthened by Zhao Jiu’s momentum? Unable to disperse the force, Gu Yuan braced his feet in the stirrups and allowed his horse to retreat, using its backward movement to absorb the impact.
Zhao Jiu’s attacks came one after another like unbroken waves, leaving Gu Yuan with no choice but to defend continuously. The moment Zhao Jiu landed, Gu Yuan hurriedly dismounted.
A martial artist was different from a soldier. Gu Yuan lacked experience fighting on horseback, and neither his techniques nor his methods of exerting force were suited to mounted combat. He had therefore dismounted at once rather than continue fighting at a disadvantage.
The instant Gu Yuan reached the ground, his entire bearing changed. His Embroidered Spring Saber whistled through the air with tremendous force, preventing Zhao Jiu from advancing even an inch.
Zhao Jiu feared that reinforcements might be following behind them, so he decided not to allow Gu Yuan to delay him any longer.
His Internal Qi surged. His Tang Saber swept aside the web of saber strikes and thrust directly toward Gu Yuan’s centerline.
Gu Yuan was exceptionally experienced. He turned his saber and blocked the Tang Saber, then retreated two steps to widen the distance between them, neutralizing Zhao Jiu’s offensive in a single movement.
“Questioning the Heavens!”
When Zhao Jiu saw Gu Yuan retreat, he circulated his Internal Qi and unleashed the first form of the Heavenly Origin Saber Art.
The Saber Qi surged forward like a ferocious tiger descending a mountain and a towering wave crashing across the sea.
Gu Yuan did not dare block it head-on. He could only use his Qinggong to retreat several steps before turning sideways to evade the Saber Qi.
The Saber Qi struck the snow-covered ground, blasting snow into the air and leaving behind a gash nearly a foot deep.
Gu Yuan’s expression changed.
Although they were both at the Fourth Rank, he could clearly sense that Zhao Jiu’s mastery of the realm far surpassed his own. Zhao Jiu’s Internal Qi was deep and enduring, while his saber techniques were vicious and decisive. If the battle dragged on, Gu Yuan would undoubtedly die.
After unleashing that strike, Zhao Jiu paid no attention to Gu Yuan’s reaction. He vaulted back onto his horse, turned around, and rode after Liu Rouwei.
Gu Yuan’s subordinate was about to spur his horse after them when Gu Yuan reached out and stopped him.
“Do not pursue them,” Gu Yuan said helplessly. “That man may technically be at the Fourth Rank, but he already has one foot in the Third Rank. If we continue chasing him, the two of us will most likely die here.”
“Then Lord Jiang…” his subordinate began uneasily.
“How could anyone advance from the Sixth Rank to nearly the Third Rank in only a few months? If Jiang Ruhai possessed that kind of talent, would he have needed to risk his life assassinating the Imperial Envoy?”