Green Mountain

Pass through Tonghua County, and travel south for another day to reach the Yalu River.

Cross the remaining peaks of Changbai Mountain and pass the Yalu River to arrive at Goryeo Mirror City Port.

Chen Ji and Old Ears rode at the front, while five people behind them pointed their spears at Yuan Xing, arguing relentlessly. Nearly twenty years of friendship, no matter how you look at it, it’s a confusing mess.

Yuan Xi angrily shouted, "Yuan Xing, you cowardly scoundrel, you let yourself get captured and then collaborated with the enemy, causing us all to be imprisoned."

Yuan Xing retorted with conviction, "Back when you were at the Imperial Academy, your father colluded with Korea to smuggle ginseng and furs, and ended up in prison. Who helped you then? Your father almost lost his title, and who resolved that for you? Did a dog eat your conscience?"

Yuan Xi’s face froze.

Zhou Chang angrily scolded, "Address what’s happening now; why bring up old tales from ten years ago? Back when the Eldest Prince led people to trap you in the Academy dormitory for a beating, wasn’t Yuan Xi the first to rush in to be beaten with you?"

Yuan Xing sneered at him, "When you admired Princess Chenyang, who sought the Minister of the Secretariat to help you with the proposal? Otherwise, with your lowly status as a young noble, how could you marry Princess Chenyang? Did Prince Xing even favor you? Take a good look at yourself!"

Zhou Chang’s face froze.

"Didn’t you owe Zhou Chang a favor? When you fell ill at midnight, wasn’t it Zhou Chang who carried you through heavy snow to find the Imperial Physician?" Jiang Chai coldly chuckled, "I’ve never asked you for anything, have I? Explain why you dragged me into this mess too?"

Yuan Xing mimicked his cold laugh, "Do you really think without the Minister of the Secretariat’s intervention that the Martial Arts Hall would grant you the Official Gateway? You wish!"

Jiang Chai’s face froze.

Li Si hesitated, "What about me?"

Yuan Xing pointed at him with his whip, "During the 37th year of Lisheng, when the Su Zi River flooded and submerged your Chengping County, who helped stop the impeachment memorials? You think the Fushun Governor kindly allocated grain for Chengping’s people? No, it was I who petitioned the Minister of the Secretariat for the Inspector to issue the ruling!"

Yuan Xing boasted, leaving the other four dumbfounded.

Moments later, Jiang Chai angrily rebutted, "Even if that’s the case, it doesn’t justify us being prisoners!"

"Why are you looking at me?" Yuan Xing burst into laughter, "Is this all on me? I wasn’t the only one who decided to capture you; the three of them were involved too!"

Jiang Chai looked towards the other three, Li Si, Yuan Xi, and Zhou Chang, who guiltily lowered their heads.

Jiang Chai laughed angrily, "Fine, fine, fine... The year Yuan Xing lost his saber at Martial Arts Hall and got whipped by Yuan Xingzhi like a spinning top, that saber was hidden by Li Si!"

Yuan Xing widened his eyes at Li Si, "You son of a bitch!"

Li Si’s lips trembled, "Back when Zhou Chang secretly met with the Commandery Princess and got caught by Prince Xing, it was Yuan Xi who sneakily reported it!"

Zhou Chang’s face changed, "You bastard!"

Yuan Xi quickly shifted blame, "Back when Jiang Chai got whipped like a spinning top by Yuan Xingzhi, it was Zhou Chang who secretly told Yuan Xingzhi that Jiang Chai disrespected him!"

Jiang Chai’s face changed, "You bastard!"

Old Ears felt a headache as their bickering buzzed around his head, and he immediately turned to scold them, "Go far away and argue!"

The five of them slowed their horses.

Once they were fifty steps away from Chen Ji and Old Ears, Jiang Chai immediately signaled with a glance to Li Si, who approached him, while Zhou Chang and Yuan Xi blocked Chen Ji’s view.

Li Si reached for Jiang Chai’s back, trying to seize the sword seed.

Before this, not a single word was exchanged between the four of them. Yet with just one glance, they united seamlessly in intent.

But just as Li Si’s hand slipped into Jiang Chai’s collar, Yuan Xing suddenly shouted, "What are you doing!"

Li Si’s hand trembled; he hadn’t touched the sword seed and quickly withdrew, looking toward Chen Ji. He relaxed seeing Chen Ji didn’t notice.

Jiang Chai looked at Yuan Xing and whispered harshly, "Why are you shouting!"

Yuan Xing cautioned, "Don’t run; you can’t escape."

Yuan Xi puzzled, "Didn’t you gather us to save you from captivity?"

Yuan Xing explained matter-of-factly, "No, I want us to enjoy good fortune together. When you know the truth later, you’ll thank me."

Jiang Chai’s anger surged, and he acted boldly: "Let’s beat him up!"

Old Ears ambled along the mountain path on horseback, listening to the clamor behind him. He turned to look at the five wrestling men, reflecting, "Life is like a scrap of a story, as with Yuan Xiang and Yuan Cheng. The story starts with everyone ambitious and passionate, longing to be the top scorer, wanting to be the Great Grandmaster, wishing they could be the hero who saves Society, leaving their name in history."

"Yet as the tale unfolds, it becomes a hodgepodge of mundane worries. No longer aspiring to be a hero, nor saving the people, nor supporting Society, they only care about keeping more concubines and accumulating more Silver Coins. Looking back at youth, no one can answer for the life they envisioned... Back then, they didn’t picture this outcome."

Chen Ji suddenly spoke softly, "So, you desire a conclusion to justify your earlier life?"

Old Ears was startled, then laughed loudly, "Exactly so, as it should be!"

...

...

January 29th.

The people put away lanterns and remove festive decorations. The New Year festivities are entirely over, and now follows a long and tedious period until the next festival arrives.

Chen Ji and Old Ears were hiding in the mountains and forests outside the Mirror City Port, quietly watching the Zhongwu Guards under the port’s archway, numbering over a hundred.

Old Ears muttered softly, "With so many Zhongwu Guards at the port, I suspect the Shouyang Great Monarch is in Mirror City. Kid, perhaps we should wait, otherwise, if thousands of Zhongwu Guards charge, none of us will be able to handle it."

But Chen Ji had no plans to delay further: "I have a way."

Old Ears and the others had no choice but to follow him straight to Mirror City Port.

Chen Ji instructed Old Ears, "Later, don’t speak; leave everything to me."

Old Ears thought for a moment and agreed: "Alright."

When they reached under the archway at the port, the leading Zhongwu Guard placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, mumbling something unintelligible.

Old Ears translated, "He’s asking where we’re from and what we’re doing at the port. What’s your strategy? If it’s useful, use it quickly."

Chen Ji did not answer and continued to ride forward. The closer he got, the more severe the Zhongwu Guards’ tone became.

Old Ears lowered his voice, "Don’t go forward anymore; they’ll kill without mercy if you do... think of a strategy quickly, don’t dawdle."

Chen Ji approached the Zhongwu Guards, and just as both sides were tense and wary, he suddenly guided a sword seed across the necks of the Zhongwu Guards, then wheeled his horse to retreat.

Blood splattered, and the Zhongwu Guards shouted and drew their swords.

Old Ears turned his horse, wanting to retreat with Chen Ji, but his horse was an ordinary one, unlike Zhaolei’s, which was agile and swift. Before he could turn around, the Zhongwu Guards had surrounded him.

Old Ears pulled at the reins to control his horse, shouting in the direction Chen Ji had escaped, "Wait, he’s the one who acted, not me!"

As the Zhongwu Guards raised their spears to stab, Old Ears sighed, "Turns out I was the plan..."

As the spear was about to stab him, he flipped backward off the horse, kicking a Zhongwu Guard behind him with such force that bones broke, sending him flying and collapsing a group.

At this moment, Yuan Xing and others had just arrived. Seeing Chen Ji trap Old Ears among the crowd, Yuan Xing was momentarily speechless: "Foster father, probably only you would dare to do this in the Ning and Jing Dynasties."

Chen Ji said calmly, "No more talking, rush over there and hijack that Japanese ship!"

He turned his horse back toward the port. A Zhongwu Guard thrust a spear at him; he seized it backhandedly and swept it across, clearing the Zhongwu Guards ahead of him.

Yuan Xing and others followed, charging in a formation, with Yuan Xing at the point, Zhou Chang and Li Si as wings, Yuan Xi and Jiang Chai covering the rear, and they charged through the battle formation surrounding Old Ears as if it were unguarded.

They arrived at the Japanese ship flying a Red Bottom Golden Sun Flag. Seeing them intending to seize the ship, the Japanese withdrew the gangway and shouted loudly to intimidate them to retreat.

Yuan Xing sneered, "Been itching to vent, we’ll kill our way up!"

Zhou Chang and Li Si bridged their arms, and as soon as Yuan Xing stepped up, they threw him onto the deck with great effort.

On the deck, Yuan Xing went on a killing spree, forcefully driving the Japanese back into the cabin, leaving a trail of corpses behind.

As the remaining four arrived on deck, they used the corpses as shields, forcing their way into the cabin, turning it into a river of blood.

Moments later, Yuan Xing returned to the deck and lowered the gangway: "Foster father, the ship is cleared, leaving only about ten rowers. There are six scantily clad women in the cabin, likely taken by the Japanese for their pleasure."

Chen Ji rode up the gangway onto the ship: "Set sail."

The large twin-masted sail rose quickly. Glancing at Old Ears, who was amidst the chaotic battle formation, he withdrew the gangway immediately and used a sword seed to cut the hawsers.

Old Ears, realizing the situation, quickly broke away from the Zhongwu Guards and ran toward the dock: "Wait for the old man!"

Yuan Xing hesitated, "Foster father..."

Chen Ji firmly instructed, "Make the Japanese row faster."

Old Ears, seeing the large ship with Chen Ji and the others slowly leaving the dock, immediately leaped onto a large ship anchored there, jumping from ship to ship until he caught up with Chen Ji and the others just before they left the port.

He irritably asked, "Were you trying to ditch me?"

Chen Ji said with regret, "But you managed to catch up, didn’t you?"

"Kid, I’ll remember this," Old Ears said as he grabbed a rope under the mast and shook it, instantly filling the sails.

He looked back at the dock growing distant, with the Zhongwu Guards in chaos, and turned to Chen Ji: "Kid, where to next?"

Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "Jinling."

...

End of Volume Ten: One Night of Fish and Dragon Dance.

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