Green Mountain
Chapter 195 - 150, broken knife

Chapter 195: 150, broken knife

The forest was filled with the scent of ashes, and a light mist floated between the trees. Two lone warhorses were tied up in a deserted area, adding an eerie touch to the scene.

Chen Ji, carrying Bai Li on his back, trekked through the rugged mountain path and came upon the horses. He noticed a leather water bag and a bag of roasted soybeans hanging next to the saddle.

Horses, water, food—all were present.

Chen Ji looked back and abruptly asked, "Did you also hear Mr. Feng’s song earlier? Has anyone heard it before?"

The Princely Heir shook his head, "I’ve never heard it."

Bai Li also answered, "It sounded more like a folk song from the countryside."

After a moment of reflection, Zhang Xia said, "Creating, plotting, marrying, Gen Palace whispers, Kun Palace counters, Xun Palace enters the tomb, Zhen Palace is dominated, endless life... This is the mantra of the Sheng Gate from the Eight Diagrams."

Chen Ji murmured, "Sheng Gate..."

He turned to see a line carved into the tree trunk where the horses were tied—"The agreement is effective."

Zhang Xia, curious, asked, "What does this mean?"

Chen Ji shook his head, "I don’t know."

Zhang Xia glanced deeply at Chen Ji. That line was clearly meant for him.

At this moment, Chen Ji pondered that the so-called agreement was probably referring to what Mr. Feng had previously told him: if he followed the other party and worked for them, they would help him fulfill a wish.

Could it be that leaving behind these horses was a sign of goodwill from the other party? But how could he possibly side with the Liu Family, which was surely doomed to fail in its struggle against the court?

Chen Ji placed Bai Li on the ground and took the water bag from the saddle to hand to her, "Commandery Princess, have some water."

The Princely Heir, suspicious, asked, "What if it’s poisoned?"

Chen Ji shook his head, "If Mr. Feng wanted to kill us, he wouldn’t need such a roundabout method."

During their conversation, Zaozao had already stuck her head into the bag and was chewing heartily on the soybeans inside it. Seeing this, the Princely Heir quickly grabbed a handful of soybeans and stuffed them into his mouth, puffing his cheeks as he remarked, "I never thought I, Zhu Yunxi, would be reduced to stealing food from a horse’s mouth. These beans are surprisingly tasty."

Standing aside, Chen Ji curiously asked, "Second Miss Zhang, are there any more stories about Mr. Feng? After he disappeared following the palace exam, has no one really seen him? What about his parents?"

Zhang Xia thought seriously for a moment, "I haven’t heard anyone mention it."

This only confused him further; the image of Mr. Feng he had in his mind, clear a moment ago, became blurred once again.

Mr. Feng seemed like he was hidden beneath the calm waters of a lake; when you tried to touch him, you would only stir ripples on the surface, obscuring the view of Mr. Feng beneath.

But what was the purpose of him stirring such a massive force? Was it to kill Lord Jin Zhu and the Heavenly Horse?

At that moment, Mr. Feng descended the mountain calmly, which possibly meant that Lord Jin Zhu and the Heavenly Horse...

Wu Yun meowed softly in his arms.

Suddenly, Chen Ji turned towards the direction of the mountain, reaching for Zaozao’s saddle and firmly gripping the hilt of the Whale Blade. Zaozao turned to look at him but was startled by his intense gaze and withdrew a few steps.

Those few steps naturally led Chen Ji to draw the Whale Blade from the saddle.

In the next moment, Lord Jin Zhu’s voice rang out, apparently complaining to the Heavenly Horse: "I told you to run earlier, but you refused. When Mr. Feng appeared beside Official Liu years ago, even Lord Wu Xiu chose to avoid his edge. Why did you rush into trouble? Look at the blood he beat onto me..."

"Chen Ji finally made a breakthrough, and I was close to returning to the Seeking Dao Realm. Don’t stir up trouble now... Who’s there?!"

Lord Jin Zhu’s figure on the mountain paused, and he looked at Chen Ji and the others defensively. As soon as he recognized Chen Ji’s face, he complained, "What are you doing here? You scared me!"

Chen Ji also relaxed and scrutinized Lord Jin Zhu and the Heavenly Horse.

The Heavenly Horse appeared unsoiled in his white attire, unharmed; Lord Jin Zhu, however, was covered in blood with wounds in seven or eight places. It truly seemed a case of deities clashing and the lesser spirits suffering.

Chen Ji hesitated, "Lord Jin Zhu, are you alright?"

Lord Jin Zhu waved his hand dismissively, "I’m fine, just some superficial wounds. That Mr. Feng got a worse beating than I did."

Chen Ji was hesitant, "But, Lord, Mr. Feng just passed by here, and he seemed completely unharmed."

Lord Jin Zhu was startled and became anxious, "Where? Where did Mr. Feng go?"

Chen Ji explained, "We were hiding in the bushes and saw him head down the mountain. It was strange though, he and Jiang Yan left, but they left two warhorses behind."

"Did they go far?"

"They went far."

Lord Jin Zhu sighed, relaxed once more, and sat down with a flop, sprawled on the ground, "Damn it, why am I so unlucky to run into you two!"

Chen Ji, puzzled, asked, "Lord Jin Zhu, weren’t you just fighting with him? How did it end?"

Lord Jin Zhu snorted, "I ran all this way to save you, and you’re hoping I died here?"

"No," Chen Ji explained, "I was just curious. Mr. Feng set up such a large Longmen Array and deployed over a thousand private soldiers. How come it ended so abruptly?"

Lord Jin Zhu explained, "Neither Mr. Feng nor the Heavenly Horse could overpower the other. I tricked him by saying that the Jiefan Guard was on their way. Just then, a burning tree fell between us, and he took the opportunity to retreat."

Chen Ji pressed on, "What is Mr. Feng’s Cultivation Path?"

Lord Jin Zhu hesitated for a moment, "I couldn’t tell."

Chen Ji felt something was amiss.

Although the Cultivation Path of an Executive Officer was a great secret, they had clearly struggled life and death; with the Heavenly Horse there, Mr. Feng would surely have exerted his full strength. How could his Cultivation Path remain unknown?

There must be something hidden in Lord Jin Zhu’s words.

Chen Ji asked, "Lord Jin Zhu, what’s the plan next?"

Jin Zhu sat up and cursed, "I need to rush back to Luocheng City with Heavenly Horse immediately and send the Jiefan Guard to raid this military town! Even if the Liu Family dominates Henan Province, they can’t cover this up!"

As his voice faded, a snowflake drifted down from the sky, gently landing on Bai Li’s hair. She reached out to pick it off, but the snow melted at her fingertips.

Chen Ji looked up; the sky had unknowingly been shrouded in gloom. The snow grew heavier, eventually falling in thick clumps, even suppressing the mountain fire.

Jin Zhu stood up, turned around, and walked down the mountain. "Chen Ji, head to Lu Hun Manor and wait for reinforcements. On the way here, I already saw Prince Jing’s Thousand-year Army mobilizing. If I see the Thousand-year Army on my way back, I will definitely inform them of your whereabouts."

With that, he and Heavenly Horse disappeared into the forest.

Chen Ji helped Bai Li mount their warhorse, then turned to Zhang Xia and said, "Second Miss Zhang, would you please accompany the Commandery Princess and take good care of her?"

Zhang Xia smiled. "Don’t worry, no need to remind me."

The four mounted their horses.

Weakened, Bai Li leaned against Zhang Xia and said, "Chen Ji, write a poem."

Chen Ji smiled, "Commandery Princess, how can I write any poem?"

Bai Li softly insisted, "Write one."

"I really can’t."

Chen Ji held onto the reins and looked back, his gaze piercing through the swirling snow, eyeing the widespread devastation on the mountain.

After a long while, he turned back, grasping his knife in one hand and the reins in the other, spurred his horse, and rode into the blizzard.

...

...

In the forest, Jin Zhu, hurrying down the mountain, suddenly stopped, breaking through the snowflakes and creating a massive airflow that disrupted the original direction of the snowstorm.

Heavenly Horse stopped beside him and signed, "What’s up?"

Jin Zhu narrowed his eyes slightly. "This snow is too heavy. I’m worried that some clues will be covered up by the time we return, making them hard to find."

Heavenly Horse, puzzled, signed, "What clues?"

Ignoring the question, Jin Zhu signed back, "Have you ever seen an Executive Officer make a breakthrough in the midst of battle?"

Heavenly Horse signed as a matter of fact, "I’ve made a breakthrough, the night I advanced from Innate Realm to Seeking Dao Realm with Jiang Liuxian."

Jin Zhu continued, "Have you ever seen anyone making two breakthroughs overnight on the battlefield?"

Heavenly Horse: "Impossible, there’s no record of such a feat in the Archive Room of Jiefan Building."

Jin Zhu gritted his teeth: "Damn it, we’ve been tricked by a feigning fool."

Heavenly Horse corrected, "Feigning as a fool eating pigs."

Jin Zhu gave Heavenly Horse a speechless look.

He turned around and took another path up the mountain, where the heavy snow extinguished the mountain fires, leaving only black charred wood and corpses, emitting white smoke.

Circling around, Jin Zhu searched for clues while heading up the mountain.

Heavenly Horse, showing patience, followed without speaking, just frowning at his formerly white boots now stained with soot.

After a while, Jin Zhu suddenly exclaimed, "Found it!"

Bending down, he picked up a piece of a broken knife from the ground.

He held the broken end up against the sky, examining the fracture, "This isn’t a break caused by ordinary chopping; if a common iron knife were to break under force, the fracture would be irregular and bent. But this one has a neat fracture, broken by a skilled hand."

Heavenly Horse: "So?"

Jin Zhu didn’t answer; he pinched the blade and handle, stood up, and continued searching the ground.

Later, he found three broken knives with identical straight fractures.

Heavenly Horse now looked serious: "Impressive sword skill."

Jin Zhu, holding the broken knives, had a fluctuating expression: "Could it be the Liang Family’s Saber Technique? Liang Gou has been staying at the Medical Hall, he might have passed on the technique to this kid... You’ve fought with Jiang Liuxian; did she display such techniques?"

Heavenly Horse denied: "No, the Liang Family’s Saber Technique is dominant, seeking only the essence of the blade, not the skill."

Jin Zhu deeply inhaled, "Then how did a mere apprentice learn such sword skills... Could it be Doctor Yao? Damn it, like losing one’s eyes to the geese one has hunted all day, so humiliating!"

He now recalled the ordeal he suffered yesterday for two hours, clearly due to the conflict of two Cultivation Paths within Chen Ji!

And Chen Ji knew it, yet repeatedly used Shrouding Cloud to torment him! A perfectly good Cultivation Path, and Chen Ji turned it into a thousand-mile sound transmission!

Jin Zhu clenched his teeth: "Beast!"

Heavenly Horse, curious: "Kill him?"

Jin Zhu looked down at the broken knife in his hand, staring intently.

It wasn’t until the heavy snow had formed a layer of white on his shoulders that he took a deep breath, bent down, dug a hole, and carefully buried each of the broken knives in the black soil.

...

...

End of Volume II, Wind Rises.