Green Mountain
Chapter 324 - 264. Prevent problems before they arise

Chapter 324: 264. Prevent problems before they arise

The sound of horse hooves faded away, the Jing Dynasty’s Divine Archer struck with one shot and left immediately, resolute, ruthless, and decisive.

Chen Ji turned his head to look at the arrow slit above the city gate. The arrow was so powerful and heavy that it split a crack in the wooden beam above the gate. And on the same entrance gate structure, there were two more new arrow holes.

The Jing Dynasty’s surrender appeal was not the first.

He turned to see Hu Junxian holding the surrender plea scroll, silently staring into the distance at the Jing Dynasty’s main camp.

The next moment.

Hu Junxian threw the scroll into the night, fluttering towards the distance: "If you were me, would you open the gate and surrender the city?"

Chen Ji did not answer; it was not a question he could answer, nor should he.

Seeing him not answering, Hu Junxian asked again: "Not surrendering, I, as Hu, would die for my country and certainly be renowned through the ages. Historians would say that I, Hu, maintained both loyalty and righteousness. By surrendering, I, Hu, would be despised by historians for thousands of years, but the people of Guyuan behind me might be saved. If you were in my place, what would you do?"

Chen Ji was silent for a long time, still unwilling to answer that question: "General Hu, I am just a bastard son of the Chen family, of little significance and influence; isn’t it better to call Deputy General Zhou to discuss together?"

Hu Junxian, leaning against the crenel, said indifferently: "Wang Daosheng wasn’t wrong about you, indeed you’ve grown to be extremely cautious, always hiding and concealing things. People like you should be in the Imperial Capital, where even stone lions have watchful eyes, not staying in the borderlands."

Chen Ji did not rebut.

But he heard Hu Junxian continue: "As for Zhou You, I have already imprisoned him."

Chen Ji was slightly startled: "What crime has Deputy General Zhou committed?"

Hu Junxian turned and entered the city gate tower, sitting on a chair in a grandiose posture, as imposing as a mountain: "I misplaced my trust in him, which gave him the chance to burn the provisions."

Could it really have been Zhou You playing act for real?

Chen Ji hesitated and asked: "Why would Deputy General Zhou turn against us?"

Hu Junxian chuckled sarcastically: "Half of my border army soldiers think of revolting night and day; it’s not surprising he wants to revolt, it would be surprising if he didn’t."

Chen Ji was stunned, not expecting such a response: "Could it be that General Hu also wants to revolt?"

Hu Junxian responded expressionlessly: "That is not something you should concern yourself with."

Chen Ji tentatively asked: "General Hu, how long can our provisions last?"

Hu Junxian answered calmly: "If we kill the seized camels, we can last another five days; by killing the war horses, we can hold out for three more days."

Chen Ji then asked: "When can the reinforcements arrive?"

Hu Junxian replied: "Possibly within twenty days, or perhaps never."

Chen Ji fell into deep thought; from this perspective, whether or not Hu Junxian opened the gate, Guyuan was doomed. The Jing Dynasty just needed to surround Guyuan for another fifteen days, and by then the border army wouldn’t even have the strength to defend the city.

At this moment, a trusted aide served tea to both, and Hu Junxian gulped his tea down: "Stay farther from the Crown Prince these days. When the Jing Dynasty Heavenly Strategy Army enters the city, they will surely capture all border army commanders and followers of the Crown Prince immediately. Disguising as civilians might help you escape this calamity. That’s all I have to say, consider it a favor to your teacher."

Having said that, he called for someone to bring over a household registration document: "This document can help you avoid detection. When the Jing Dynasty Heavenly Strategy Army sees this document, they will just assume you are an ordinary citizen of Guyuan and won’t think twice."

Chen Ji felt a chill in his heart; Hu Junxian was about to open the gate and surrender the city. His summoning was to teach him how to evade the Jing Dynasty’s city-wide manhunt.

But there were four of them, and only one identity document.

He clutched the identity document in his hand and stood up to take his leave.

Just as he was about to exit the city gate tower, Hu Junxian suddenly asked: "If your teacher Wang Daosheng were here, would he open the gate and surrender the city?"

Chen Ji stood at the threshold of the city gate tower and turned back, calmly saying: "How the teacher would decide, I do not know... but I would not."

Hu Junxian silently scrutinized Chen Ji, who met his gaze without flinching.

After more than ten breaths, Hu Junxian said indifferently: "I see. You may go."

After Chen Ji left, he went to the crenel and ran his calloused hands over the even rougher city wall stones, sighing deeply: "Guyuan, oh Guyuan..."

...

...

Chen Ji galloped his horse, urgently pressing on.

Hu Junxian had not explicitly stated whether he would open the gate and surrender the city, but Chen Ji had a vague feeling that he would.

If that moment came, whether the Jing Dynasty would keep its promise not to massacre the city or follow ancestral instruction to carry out a massacre, no one could be sure. Before that, Chen Ji still had things to do.

He crouched low, moving through the disordered streets of Guyuan, and upon reaching the Dragon Gate Inn, he dismounted, patting Zaozao on the back: "Go back to the stable on your own."

After saying this, Zaozao, holding the reins in his mouth, headed back to the backyard while Chen Ji, dusty and weary, pushed open the door curtain.

In an instant, the inn’s main hall had multiple gazes on him, like beams of light focusing on Chen Ji.

He calmly surveyed his surroundings and noticed that half of those seated in the hall were from the Yulin Army, while the other half were strongmen from Guyuan who came to buy and sell information, all wearing worried expressions.

Seeing Chen Ji return, a Han man surnamed Li who had previously bought information from him stood up anxiously and asked: "Is there any news to sell today?"

Another person stood up, "Do you know what movements the Jing Dynasty is making? What are the border army’s plans?"

"How much longer can Guyuan hold out?"

The crowd bombarded him with questions, like grabbing at a lifeline.

Lixuan originally wanted to ask Chen Ji what had happened after he was taken away by the border army, what Hu Junxian intended to do, and whether the border army still had food supplies, but now he couldn’t get a word in.

Chen Ji parted the crowd that had gathered around him and walked directly to the counter, "Excuse me, let me through, I am just like you, I know nothing."

He squeezed through the crowd and approached the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper, dressed in a black cloth robe, was still calmly noting down accounts with a brush, and said with interest, "Guest, if you sell some useful information at this time, you could probably make a good sum of silver. These people are desperate, they might be willing to trade all they have for a way out."

Chen Ji shook his head: "Now is not the time to make silver, shopkeeper, I need to find Third Master Hu, do you know where he is?"

The shopkeeper smiled, "Are you looking to buy information from me, guest?"

Chen Ji glanced at him, "Yes."

The shopkeeper shook his head, "Third Master Hu is in Room A, you can go and find him yourself."

Chen Ji was slightly taken aback, then turned and ran upstairs.

The shopkeeper watched his figure and then signaled Xiao Wu with his eyes, "You watch the counter."

After speaking, he took advantage of the distraction to bend over, lift the wooden board under the counter, and squeeze into the underground tunnel.

At the door of Room A, Chen Ji gently knocked with his knuckles.

The door opened, and Third Master Hu opened a crack, saw it was Chen Ji, and immediately popped his head out to check the hallway left and right, confirming no one was around, then spoke softly, "Come in and talk."

Once the door was closed again, Third Master Hu asked curiously, "What is it you’re looking for me for?"

Chen Ji lowered his voice and said, "Third Master Hu had once said he could help me buy ginseng, I wonder if that was true?"

Third Master Hu smiled, "Of course it’s true."

Chen Ji took a deep breath, "But I can’t wait any longer than four days, Third Master Hu, can you move up the timing? I need that batch of ginseng tomorrow."

"So urgent?" Third Master Hu frowned, his mind racing, "Is the Jing Dynasty Heavenly Strategy Army going to attack?"

Chen Ji was silent for a moment, "Sorry, I cannot say."

Third Master Hu calmly said, "In this Guyuan City as of now, only this matter can be considered extremely urgent. But the only person who could make Guyuan fall tomorrow is Hu Junxian. Did Hu Junxian plan to open the gates and surrender the city, right or not?"

Chen Ji casually said, "General Hu is loyal to his country, I don’t think he would do such a thing."

Third Master Hu smiled, "I know my cousin better than you, he can’t wait for the Jing Dynasty to march straight in and take Emperor Ning’s head."

Chen Ji was startled, "Why?"

Third Master Hu firmly sat at the square table, poured two cups of tea, "Sit down and let’s talk."

Chen Ji sat down but didn’t touch the tea.

Third Master Hu glanced at the cup, then began speaking, "Hu Junxian originally devoted himself to cultivation, holding a minor military position in the Longevity Army. He entered the Innate Realm at sixteen, and the Seeking Dao Realm at twenty-seven. At that time, he felt that the threshold to the Divine Realm was only a step away. He disregarded all social gatherings among his colleagues, and also dismissed the matters of marriage and having children. But someone couldn’t bear to see the Hu Family possibly producing two Divine Realm Executive Officers."

Third Master Hu continued, "Hu Junxian, and Hu Junyan from the Observatory—if both entered the Divine Realm, many found them threatening. So someone came up with a way to remove the hidden threat that was Hu Junxian."

Chen Ji curiously asked, "Did someone poison him?"

Third Master Hu scoffed, "Why bother with the trouble of poisoning? Jianing 22nd year, an imperial edict arrived at the Hu Family, appointing him as Deputy General of Guyuan, a position of Standard Third Rank."

A chill ran down Chen Ji’s spine.

The Princely Heir once said, once an official reaches the Standard Third Rank, it contradicts the Cultivation Path and dissipates one’s Cultivation Realm.

For Hu Junxian, not accepting the edict meant disrespecting an imperial order, but by accepting, the moment Hu Junxian accepted the edict, all his cultivation would vanish and he would be left no different from an ordinary man.

This decree of official appointment was incredibly malicious, yet no one could find fault with it.

Chen Ji asked, "Did Hu Junxian accept it?"

Third Master Hu remarked, "If he didn’t, the Hu Family would bear the crime of defying an imperial command. How could he stand by and do nothing? If you were him, wouldn’t you harbor resentment?"

Chen Ji frowned, "Advancing to the Divine Realm is as difficult as ascending to heaven, Hu Junxian might not have been able to take that step. Why bother?"

Third Master Hu slowly said, "Preventing problems before they arise."