Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Jianzhou City.

The rain grew heavier and heavier. Although Jianzhou was not far from Jiangnan, its rain was nothing like the rain there. It came swiftly and violently. A moment ago, the drizzle had been as fine as silk, but in the blink of an eye, it had become a torrential downpour.

Zhao Jiu concealed himself within the curtain of rain. Only after Lord Chen and Eunuch He had left did he emerge from the darkness.

“That bastard is ruthless. No wonder he dared to kill an Imperial Envoy. I raised the price by that much, and he did not even protest. So this was what he had waiting for me.” Zhao Jiu snorted coldly, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.

“Once I collect the remaining payment, I will find a way to send you to the afterlife.”

With that, he vanished into the rain.

Naturally, Zhao Jiu would not return to his original inn. Since they had already traced Wu Xin’s death back to him, his movements within Jianzhou City must also have been exposed. If they intended to silence him, it could not have been a decision made on the spur of the moment.

After weaving left and right through the streets and confirming that no one was following him, Zhao Jiu entered a tavern not far from his former inn and asked for one of its better rooms.

Once inside, Zhao Jiu did not light a candle. He changed his Human-Skin Mask in the darkness, tossed his rain-soaked clothes into his Storage Space, and changed into another set of black clothes.

Only after everything was finished did Zhao Jiu light a candle and adjust the Human-Skin Mask on his face.

If they wanted to silence him, they could not allow him to leave Jianzhou City. The best excuse would be the death of an Imperial Envoy. They could seal the city and search for the murderer under that pretext.

Sure enough, just as he finished adjusting his Human-Skin Mask, several squads of guards rushed past the tavern. It appeared that the city gates were already being sealed.

Zhao Jiu took the Map of Jianzhou from his Storage Space and carefully studied his possible escape routes.

Jianzhou had a river, but it did not pass through the city. Instead, it curved around Jianzhou City, which meant escaping by water was impossible. The forests outside the city were thick and verdant, but they were useless if he could not get beyond the walls.

Jianzhou was not a large city. If the guards searched every household one by one, it was only a matter of time before they found him. Although he possessed several sets of Household Registration documents, he had not had time to create plausible identities for his newly made Human-Skin Masks. That was his greatest vulnerability.

There were too many people and too many watchful eyes within the city. He could not show his true face either. If he left behind even the slightest clue, the pursuit that followed would never end.

Therefore, his objective was clear: he had to leave the city safely without exposing his identity.

Zhao Jiu sat on the bed and swallowed a White Jade Flesh-Regeneration Pill. He circulated the Taiqing Yuxu Scripture, quietly refining the medicinal power and recovering from his injuries.

His wounds from the recent battle were severe. His left hand, in particular, could barely exert any strength. Healing himself first was therefore essential.

After all, a healthy body was the foundation of the revolution!

The following day, Zhao Jiu slept until noon before slowly awakening. After eating, he clasped his hands behind his back and wandered leisurely through the streets.

Jianzhou remained sealed. After making a circuit of the city, he discovered that the number of guards was far greater than he had expected.

According to the Laws of Great Qi, a city was supposed to garrison twelve squads, each consisting of fewer than two hundred men. One of those squads was even composed of constables and similar personnel responsible for maintaining public order.

Yet by Zhao Jiu’s rough estimate, there were at least five thousand soldiers in Jianzhou now.

It appeared that the claim that local powers had grown beyond control was no empty phrase.

“Ah, The Old Emperor has lost his wits. Every local authority commands a vast army. Who would not want a turn sitting upon the Dragon Throne?” Zhao Jiu shook his head.

After making another circuit, he found no opportunity to leave the city.

Never mind a living person—not even a coffin could leave Jianzhou now!

By the time Zhao Jiu returned to the tavern, darkness had already fallen. More than half the tables in the main hall were occupied.

He found an empty table and ordered a pot of yellow rice wine, a whole river fish, and several small dishes. As he ate, he listened to the conversations of the other patrons.

“Who do you think killed Lord Jiang?”

“Who could possibly know? But the city has certainly been sealed.”

“Lord Jiang was rather unfortunate. He had not even reached fifty and was already an Upper Third Rank official. What a pity…”

“A pity? Hah.” A young man looked disdainful.

“Young Master Su, explain it to us. Clear up our confusion.”

“That is right, Young Master Su. Tell us.”

The other drinkers appeared to know the young nobleman and began urging him on. Even the shopkeeper stopped writing. He pretended to be pondering something, but in truth, he was eavesdropping.

“You lot do not understand a damned thing! You know about the Yanyun Rebellion, do you not? It dragged on for nine years. Nine years!”

Young Master Su took a drink before continuing, “When the Governor-General of Hexi was putting down the rebellion, he had only forty thousand soldiers. And now? Hexi commands an army of one hundred thousand!”

“During the early years of the campaign, the army’s pay ran short. Whenever the Hexi Army breached a city, they looted it for three days. Is that an army? Those men are bandits!”

“That was not all. Those men were experts at slaughtering innocent civilians and claiming military merit for their deaths. You remember the Battle of Youzhou, do you not? They besieged the city for an entire year. When it finally fell, they claimed to have annihilated every rebel inside.”

“The report they submitted claimed thirty thousand enemy dead. Hah! There might not have been thirty thousand rebels in total!”

The faces of everyone present filled with shock.

Young Master Su smiled smugly.

“Jiang Ruhai was nothing more than a scapegoat! Think about the Governor-General of the Northwest. Junior Guardian Feng has even claimed illness and refused to enter the Capital. Do you still not understand?”

“Jianzhou today is no different from Youzhou back then. How could any living person possibly leave the city? Shopkeeper, fill me a flask of wine.”

With that, Young Master Su walked to the counter to settle his bill.

Zhao Jiu, who was sitting nearby, heard every word clearly.

If the living could not leave the city, could the dead not leave instead?

The masses truly possessed boundless wisdom!

Zhao Jiu hurriedly drained the wine in his cup, picked up the pot, and went upstairs.

After closing the door, he eagerly took out the Map of Jianzhou and began searching it carefully. He truly did find a suitable place—the Mortuary.

A Mortuary was roughly equivalent to a funeral home.

This particular Mortuary belonged to the authorities and was used specifically to handle the bodies of condemned prisoners.

Corpses could not remain within the city, lest they spread disease. Therefore, the Mortuary would inevitably transport the bodies of condemned prisoners outside the walls, where they would be held temporarily before burial.

“Hahahaha! Even the most meticulous plan has an oversight. Heaven never bars every road!” Zhao Jiu exclaimed excitedly.

Now that he had a target, everything became simple.

The Mortuary transported a batch of corpses out of the city once every three days. As long as he prepared in advance, no one would notice whether there was one corpse too many or one corpse too few.

For the next four days, Zhao Jiu continuously monitored the Mortuary. He followed one complete corpse-transport run out of the city and recorded every detail of the process.

He also infiltrated the Mortuary and examined the corpses at close range, studying their condition, skin color, hair, fingernails, teeth, and other features.

After returning to the tavern, Zhao Jiu used his Disguise Technique to imitate the appearance of a corpse. He decided that when the time came, he would disguise himself as a condemned prisoner who had died of illness.

Furthermore, he meticulously planned an escape route in case his scheme failed.

All that remained was to wait for the right conditions.

On the fifth night, a fine drizzle fell from the sky, just as it had when Zhao Jiu first entered the city.

Zhao Jiu disguised himself as a corpse and put on the Human-Skin Mask he had prepared beforehand. Under the cover of darkness, he infiltrated the Mortuary, wrapped himself in a straw mat, and lay down on one of the wooden slabs used to hold the bodies.

He activated the Turtle-Breathing Technique. Unless someone examined him closely, it was impossible to tell whether he was alive or dead.

Everything was prepared. All he needed now was the right moment.

The following day, a lame old man entered the Mortuary with a boy.

After looking at the corpses, the boy said, “Grandpa, I think there is one extra.”

“How could there be? Let me count. One, two… nine. There are exactly as many as there should be.”

“Stop trying to shirk your work. Every time I tell you to move a corpse, either your waist aches or your back hurts. You are still a child. Where did you even get an aching back?”

The lame old man took a drink of wine and scolded the boy.

“Oh.”

The boy did not argue. He helped the old man carry the corpses, one by one, onto a donkey cart.

The old man scattered a handful of lime over them and murmured, “Great Emperor Zhenwu, protect us from illness and disaster. Good brothers and valiant heroes, we are setting off now!”

Afterward, he tossed a handful of Yellow Talismans into the air.

The two climbed onto the donkey cart. The old man raised his whip and drove toward the southern gate.

When the captain of the garrison saw the donkey cart carrying the corpses, he hurriedly backed away several steps and covered his mouth and nose.

“None of those died of disease, did they?”

“One did. He probably died of illness in prison. You should keep your distance, sir. It would be terrible if you caught it.”

The lame old man bowed and scraped as he spoke.

“Then hurry through! Do not stand there. Are you trying to get me killed?”

“Yes, yes,” the old man replied.

“Sir, we cannot let them pass. We will have no way to answer to the Prefect,” one of the guards said.

“Come, then. You search for them yourself. One of those damned bodies died of disease. Go on—search it!”

“How much do you earn each month to risk your life like this? Lad, the Prefect will receive the credit, but your life belongs to you, not him!”

“Let them through! What are you standing there for?” the captain roared impatiently.

The lame old man wasted no time. He flicked his whip and drove the swaying donkey cart out through the city gate.

After they had traveled two li, Zhao Jiu pushed aside the corpse lying on top of him and sat upright.

The sight frightened the old man and the boy so badly that they dropped to their knees and kowtowed repeatedly, crying out, “Great Emperor Zhenwu, protect us!”

Zhao Jiu tossed down ten taels of silver.

“Old sir, if you wish to live, return to the city and pretend that you never saw me. Ten taels of silver is more than enough to buy your silence, is it not?”

Without waiting for the grandfather and grandson to respond, Zhao Jiu unleashed his Qinggong and vanished before their eyes.

The sky was high, and birds could fly wherever they pleased; the sea was vast, and fish could leap at will!

Today, freedom was his. To roam unfettered surpassed even immortality!