Chapter 207 : Am I Blind?
Chapter 207: Am I Blind?
The Great Jin Dynasty’s system separated civil and military affairs.
Although the Six Doors Authority was in charge locally, they only managed martial matters. Civil affairs were handled by civil officials—namely, the Provincial Governor’s Office.
The Provincial Governor was considered the deputy to the Commander of the Six Doors.
Of course, the Six Doors Authority’s office at the prefectural level was vast and naturally required officials to manage logistics. These were considered civil positions.
Aristocratic youths like Gu Xianyu were often arranged into civil posts. This was practically an unwritten rule.
Chen Ming had already heard this from Wu Zhenhang.
At that time, he had already decided what position he wanted, believing that the upper ranks of the Six Doors would also give the Gu Family some face.
Sure enough, he successfully became a Fifth Grade Prison Warden.
For him, this was a dream position.
Back in Qingfeng City, when he was only a Seventh Grade, he had taken advantage of Zhao Xiyan’s connections to spar with prisoners in the Six Doors prison. That was the first time he experienced the explosive surge of experience points.
He had even considered joining the Six Doors then, just to work in the prison as an official.
Unexpectedly, it had now come true.
……
Led by a civil official, Chen Ming completed his onboarding procedures and went to meet his immediate superior. However, the man was not present.
Instead, he saw a white-haired old man, dressed in the attire of a Fifth Grade Constable, dozing off. Hearing that a new colleague had arrived, the old man perked up, looked over, and chuckled.
“Turns out to be a pampered young master. Truly rare.”
“Old Zhang, I’ll leave him to you. Show him around.”
The civil official left him behind and departed without so much as a glance back, as if unwilling to stay another moment.
Still seated, the old man said, “It’s just the prison. No rush to tour it. How should I address you, young master?”
“Gu Xianyu.”
Old Zhang gave him a once-over, then asked, “From the Capital?”
Chen Ming asked in surprise, “How did you guess that?”
“There are no aristocratic families surnamed Gu in Xia Prefecture. With your dragon-like bearing, you could only be from the Capital.”
“Old Zhang, you truly have eyes like torches.”
Old Zhang laughed heartily, a bit smug. “I have no other strengths, only that I’ve lingered in the yamen for so long, I’ve developed a bit of an eye.”
After a bit of small talk, Chen Ming asked, “Where’s our Warden?”
“Didn’t come today.”
“Then when does he usually come? I should pay my respects.”
“That, you’ll be waiting. The Warden, Lord Ruan, only comes once a month, on the first day. And the first has just passed.”
Chen Ming was startled. “That’s allowed?”
Old Zhang chuckled. “Why not? Lord Ruan long stopped caring for the position. Coming once a month is already on account of Lord Duan’s face.”
“……”
Chen Ming was at a loss for words. Clearly, this superior of his was not simple.
Lord Duan must have been that transcendent Scarlet-Robed official.
Old Zhang continued, “But if Lord Ruan learns of your arrival, he might be pleased.”
“And why is that?”
“Because, like you, Lord Ruan is also from the Capital.”
“Ah?”
……
Chen Ming discovered that this highest-grade prison under the Xia Prefecture Six Doors had a pitifully small number of officials.
The Warden, the top authority, only came once a month.
Both deputy positions had been long vacant.
Beneath them were six wardens, each responsible for three regions. Yet three of them barely came to work.
Thus, the daily operation of the prison relied entirely on two wardens.
One was Old Zhang.
The other was a slightly younger man in his sixties, surnamed Li, who happened to be on leave today.
Now, there was also Chen Ming.
Each warden commanded five wardens of cells, all Seventh Grade. These were the ones who actually handled affairs. All matters of this massive prison had to be personally executed by them.
A warden’s role was merely to manage these wardens of cells.
Near noon, Old Zhang summoned all the wardens of cells to introduce their new superior, Warden Gu.
Afterward, he assigned five to Chen Ming as his direct subordinates.
Among these five, there were four men and one woman, all in their thirties or forties, each with a calm demeanor—clearly grassroots managers.
They saluted. “We greet Lord Gu.”
Chen Ming could tell their respect was only surface-deep. Not surprising—he had parachuted in, and was far too young.
“That’s enough. Get back to work.”
He gave no speech, merely dismissed them.
Back when he had worked before, nothing annoyed him more than leaders giving pompous speeches. Now that he was a leader, at least he hadn’t become what he once despised.
……
In the days that followed, Chen Ming reported daily to the prison, first familiarizing himself with the environment and clarifying his responsibilities as a warden.
Soon, he understood why the other wardens avoided coming.
A warden was essentially just a steward. The main work was receiving orders from the yamen—who to bring out for interrogation, processing the paperwork when new prisoners arrived.
If a prisoner was interrogated and tortured, the warden had to ensure he didn’t die. And if he did, the warden had to take the blame.
The post offered virtually no chance to earn merit, only endless drudgery and blame. No wonder few wanted it.
That evening, Chen Ming invited his five subordinates for drinks. He asked, “How did you all end up assigned here?”
He had been dining with them daily to better understand the prison’s workings, and had gotten to know them somewhat.
“Failed a task, got demoted.”
“Offended someone.”
“Me too, back when I was foolish…”
“My superior tried to drug me, so I cut off his balls.” This was the only female subordinate. Clearly, anyone who could survive in the prison was not ordinary.
At last, only one had not spoken—the quietest of them all.
Chen Ming called on him. “Deng Wei, what about you?”
Deng Wei smiled faintly. “I asked to come.”
“And why?”
“It’s the safest here.”
“Well said.”
Chen Ming toasted him. Deng Wei, flattered, replied, “Many thanks, my lord.”
After eating and drinking, Chen Ming parted ways with them.
On the way back, the fiery woman, Lei Chun, suddenly remarked, “I feel this Lord Gu is different from the others.”
Deng Wei agreed. “Indeed. Few of such noble birth are so approachable.”
Another added, “A pity, he won’t be here long.”
The others fell silent.
They had seen it often: aristocratic youths sent here, only to leave after a few months at most.
Or, like the other wardens and the Warden himself, they shirked duty entirely, holding the title but never showing up.
How long could this Lord Gu endure?
……
When Chen Ming returned to Jiang Wushuang’s residence, night had already fallen.
He was greeted by the maid Xiaohé, who had arrived two days prior with the Jiang family’s servants.
He asked, “Where’s Wushuang?”
“Young Master Jiang seems to have gone out.”
“Go ask where he went.”
“Yes.”
Naturally, Xiaohé went to inquire from the Jiang household staff.
Soon, she returned. “They said he went to see a friend and may not be back until late.”
Chen Ming frowned, worry rising.
Ever since he reported to the Six Doors, he hadn’t seen Jiang Wushuang. Each time he came back, she was gone. By the time he left in the morning, she had already departed.
Before coming to Xia Prefecture, she had said she was here to kill someone.
Over the past few days, Chen Ming had learned much about the local Six Doors’ strength and the situation in Xia Prefecture. It made him uneasy.
Two great powers loomed in Xia Prefecture City: the Six Doors, and the Eight Righteous Gates.
The Six Doors aside, they might not interfere with martial vendettas. But the Eight Righteous Gates were infamous for meddling. Back in Wanlei City, He Zhixing had been just such a person.
Within the Eight Righteous Gates, the most representative lineages were Bitter Righteousness, Killing Righteousness, and Living Righteousness.
The Bitter Righteousness Lineage pursued ascetic cultivation. Their disciples wore old clothes, lived in shabby huts, ate plain vegetables and tofu. Some even looked like beggars.
The Killing Righteousness Lineage believed in ending killing with killing. Whenever they learned of a murder, they would stop at nothing to hunt down the killer and execute him—warning the world never to kill again!
The Living Righteousness Lineage was entirely different. They believed all lives were equal, and anyone had the right to learn martial arts. They traveled everywhere teaching the gifted.
Truthfully, the Eight Righteous Gates had many extremists—radical, fanatical, yet immensely powerful.
The climate of Xia Prefecture today owed much to them.
Xia Prefecture City had always been their stronghold. For Jiang Wushuang to kill someone here was incredibly dangerous. If discovered by the Killing Righteousness disciples, death was certain.
The Killing Righteousness disciples acted without hesitation. Even if a member of the Six Doors killed someone, they would execute him just the same. In Xia Prefecture, they were feared by all.
Chen Ming resolved to find an opportunity to persuade Jiang Wushuang. Revenge could wait ten years—it was not worth throwing her life away for a single kill.
……
That night, Chen Ming was meditating on the Visualization Diagram, immersed in its imagery, when suddenly a voice called out:
“Young master!”
The voice seemed to come from another world.
His mind snapped back, and he gripped the “Po Jun Sword” beside him. Almost immediately, he heard commotion in the courtyard.
He pushed open the door and saw Jiang Wushuang, half her body soaked in blood, the “Dragon Abyss Sword” in her hand dimmed, barely supporting herself.
It was obvious—she was gravely wounded.
Xiaohé rushed forward to help.
But Chen Ming darted ahead, carrying Jiang Wushuang back into the room. He ordered, “Xiaohé, keep watch outside. Any sign of movement, tell me at once.”
“Yes.” Xiaohé remained outside.
Chen Ming checked her pulse. From her pulse alone, her condition was dire. A destructive force rampaged through her body, devouring her life force.
The attacker had to be at least Second Grade!
On her shoulder near her chest was a sword wound, blood flowing endlessly.
He had to stop the bleeding first.
Laying her on the bed, he tore her upper garment.
Suddenly, her face changed, and she weakly cried out, “Don’t—”
Around her neck hung a silver pendant on a red string. The sword energy had severed the string, and Chen Ming’s tug pulled it off entirely.
In that instant, his vision blurred. When he focused—(·)(·)!
Chen Ming was stunned. Wasn’t she a man? How could she have those?!
He looked up at Jiang Wushuang’s face. Delicate brows, skin like jade, every feature radiated feminine charm and beauty.
She was clearly a woman—an incomparable beauty, no less than Su Zhi Ning or Yu Haitang!
“Was I blind all this time? How did I ever think she was a man?”