Chapter 188 - 187: Despair
The blazing sun hung high in the sky.
Chen Shouye led the escort party, guarding the mule-drawn Silver Carriages as they continued toward the Commandery City.
A cloud of dust suddenly rose at the far end of the road ahead.
Immediately after, several riders on fast horses galloped toward them like a whirlwind.
A commotion immediately broke out in the convoy. After last night’s attack, everyone was like birds startled by a hunter’s bow. They subconsciously gripped their weapons, their faces etched with vigilance.
Only when the riders drew closer did the group see clearly. The man in the lead was none other than the County Captain, Feng Zhan, who had gone to the Commandery City to call for reinforcements.
Three riders followed close behind him. All were dressed in Official’s Daily Uniforms, their auras profound and steady. A sharp glint flashed in their eyes as they opened and closed, marking them all as experts.
Feng Zhan had also clearly seen the convoy from a distance—a convoy that should have been routed by the rebel army, or even completely annihilated. His face was instantly a mask of shock and disbelief.
He yanked hard on the reins. His warhorse reared up, letting out a long neigh.
The convoy halted. A government constable from the County Magistrate’s Office took a few steps forward, bowed, and said in a complicated tone, "I... I greet you, Second Master."
Feng Zhan’s gaze swept anxiously over the convoy, lingering for a moment on the undamaged Silver Carriages. Only then did he suppress the shock and suspicion in his heart and ask in a deep voice, "How... how did you escape? Are the Silver Carriages still safe?"
The government constable replied in a low voice, "Answering the Second Master, last night after you... left, at the moment of crisis, we were fortunate... fortunate that Young Master Chen Shouye of Kao Mountain Martial Arts Hall stepped forward. He fought the two bandits alone and drove them back, allowing us to save our lives and the tax silver."
"What? Chen Shouye? He drove back Xiao Zhong and Ye Buping?"
Feng Zhan was utterly astonished, his voice changing pitch.
He knew of Chen Shouye. He was the leader of the group from Kao Mountain Martial Arts Hall this time and was said to be only at Qi Realm Perfection.
Xiao Zhong and Ye Buping both had Spirit Realm Cultivation and were infamous for their ruthlessness. How could he possibly drive them back, especially when they were working together?
’Wait, could it be?’
His horrified gaze fell upon the youth who had remained silent all this time, as if he were seeing him for the first time.
Amid his shock and doubt, the constable added, his words like a Thunder Shock exploding in Feng Zhan’s ear, "Young Master Shouye... he’s already at the Spirit Realm."
’Spirit Realm?!’
Although he had suspected it, hearing the government constable’s confirmation, Feng Zhan still felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and he sat frozen on his horse.
At this moment, he could no longer find any peace in his heart.
He himself came from a Gentry family. He had apprenticed at a martial arts hall, practiced for many years, and finally managed to pass the examination to become a Martial Scholar before he turned thirty-five.
But lacking opportunity, after his first attempt to break through to the Spirit Realm failed, he could only quietly complete missions for the Court to accumulate merits.
Afterward, he had exhausted his family’s wealth pulling strings and had waited for years as a candidate before he finally obtained the position of County Captain.
Years had been wasted. To this day, he was still just one step away from breaking through to the Spirit Realm.
He still needed to exchange for high-grade Medicinal Cuisine before he would dare to attempt another breakthrough.
Yet this Chen Shouye before him, not even twenty years old, had already quietly reached the Realm he had strived for and failed to achieve.
An indescribable envy, laced with threads of jealousy, began to quietly gnaw at his heart.
The three Spirit Realm experts from the Commandery Magistrate’s Office who had come with him also showed surprise at the news. Their gazes fell on Chen Shouye in unison, and they exchanged surprised whispers among themselves.
Feng Zhan, having weathered many storms in his life, quickly suppressed the turmoil in his heart. He forced a strained smile and cupped his fist to Chen Shouye. "I never imagined Young Master Shouye had already broken through to the Spirit Realm. This is truly a blessing for the Martial Dao of our Jingshan. I suppose, like your esteemed brother, you now have a good chance at the Martial Examination. It was thanks to you, my good nephew, for turning the tide last night and protecting the tax silver. I thank you for that."
Chen Shouye’s expression was calm. He simply returned the gesture, clasping his fist. "Lord Feng, you praise me too much. It was merely my duty."
The atmosphere suddenly became subtly awkward.
"Second Master, there is a matter I wish to report to you in private."
The government constable whispered his report. After asking Feng Zhan to step some distance away, he informed him that the silver in one of the boxes was fake.
Feng Zhan’s expression quickly turned cold. "This must be a scheme of those rebels. As long as the other silver boxes are fine, that’s all that matters. Say no more about it."
Feng Zhan returned to the group, conferred briefly with the three experts from the Commandery Magistrate’s Office, and they merged their forces. They continued to escort the Silver Carriages toward the Commandery City.
The rest of the journey was silent.
They traveled for another full day, finally arriving at Liyang Commandery City on the night of the third day.
Once inside the city, Feng Zhan went straight to the Commandery Magistrate’s Office’s official relay post in the western part of the city.
This place was specifically for officials on business to rest, and it also contained a heavily guarded warehouse.
After completing the handover paperwork, the mule carts were driven one by one into the rear courtyard of the relay post. The dozens of silver boxes, all affixed with seals, were carefully unloaded and stored in the warehouse.
Feng Zhan solemnly thanked the three Spirit Realm experts from the Commandery Magistrate’s Office who had escorted them, stating that he would take full responsibility for the subsequent inventory and handover procedures, and that there was no need to trouble them further.
The three men had been sent to provide support. Seeing their mission completed, they did not linger, but cupped their fists in farewell and departed.
After the men from the Commandery Magistrate’s Office had left, Feng Zhan found the group of Martial Artists from the escort and announced loudly, "Everyone, thank you for your hard work! The tax silver has been safely delivered to the relay post. Your duties are complete. However, due to the unexpected circumstances, I must ask you all to stay for two more days. You may find your own inns to rest near the relay post. All expenses for food and lodging will be reimbursed by the County Magistrate’s Office."
As the group of Martial Artists prepared to leave, Feng Zhan called out to Chen Shouye, "Young Master Chen, please wait."
Chen Shouye looked at him. "What are your orders, County Captain?"
"I wouldn’t dare."
Feng Zhan paused, then said, "Although the tax silver has reached the Commandery City, it has not yet been officially deposited. I must ask you, Young Master, to stay here at the relay post with me and help guard it."
Chen Shouye’s expression didn’t change. He just nodded calmly. "Alright."
Inside the relay post.
After a day of rest, Feng Zhan was still on edge, unable to sit or stand still.
He immediately summoned his trusted confidant and ordered in a low, grave voice, "Go and find out at once if the County Magistrate has checked into this relay post recently. If not, go to the docks and the city gate guards and ask if any Official Ship from the Jingshan County Magistrate’s Office has arrived in the last two days. Or if there’s any record of the County Magistrate and his retinue entering the city. Be quick!"
The confidant accepted the order and departed.
Feng Zhan sat alone in his room at the relay post, looking anxious and restless.
Travel by water was smooth and much faster than by land.
According to the original plan, Zhang Heming’s fleet, which was transporting the true silver, should have arrived at the Commandery City yesterday.
Even with a slight delay, they should have arrived this morning at the latest.
So why was there still no sign of them? Not even a single word?
Time trickled by in anxious waiting.
An unknown amount of time passed before the confidant hurried back. The news he brought sent Feng Zhan’s heart plunging into an icy abyss. "My lord, there is no record of Lord Zhang checking into the relay post recently. I’ve also asked at the docks and the city gates. The guards said they haven’t seen any Official Ship from the Jingshan County Magistrate’s Office dock these past few days, nor have they seen Lord Zhang or his retinue enter the city."
"What?!"
Feng Zhan shot to his feet, his face instantly turning deathly pale. "How is that possible?! Investigate again! Did you miss them? Or perhaps they used another, less-traveled gate?"
"I asked everyone carefully, my lord. There’s been no sign."
The confidant kept his head down, not daring to look at Feng Zhan’s face.
Feng Zhan sank weakly back into his chair and waved the constable away.
He was left alone in the duty room. The heavy silence was so oppressive he could barely breathe.
A strong sense of foreboding coiled around his heart, tightening its grip.
’The river route is much faster than the land route,’ he thought. ’They should have arrived long ago. Even if they were a day late, there should have been some news by now.’
’Could it be... that something happened?’
Once this thought arose, it could not be suppressed.
The more he thought, the more terrified he became. Cold sweat gradually soaked his inner shirt.
"No! I can’t just wait!"
He shot to his feet again and summoned his confidant, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly. "Send more men! Have them watch the docks and all the city gates immediately! Around the clock! The moment you find any trace of the County Magistrate or the County Magistrate’s Office ships and personnel, report back at once by fast horse!"
Another day passed in torment.
The confidant did not return with any news about Zhang Heming.
Instead, he brought back a piece of news that made Feng Zhan’s heart leap into his throat. "My lord, I was on duty at the city gate today and saw the Commandery Magistrate’s Office and the Jingwu Bureau leading a large, intimidating group out of the city. I heard them tell the gate guards that they were heading for our Jingshan."
"The Jingwu Bureau? Going to Jingshan?!"
Hearing this, Feng Zhan’s expression changed drastically, and he shot to his feet.
’For the Commandery Magistrate’s Office and the Jingwu Bureau to mobilize such a large force and head straight for Jingshan... this is no small matter!’
’Could some earth-shattering case have occurred in Jingshan? Could it be related to the County Magistrate, who still hasn’t arrived?’
He could no longer sit still. A feeling of impending doom enveloped him.
He immediately ordered, "Quick! You, prepare a fast horse at once and ride back to Jingshan tonight. You must find out what has happened there. And especially... find out the County Magistrate’s whereabouts."
That night, Feng Zhan did not sleep a wink.
He paced back and forth in his room, his thoughts a tangled mess.
All sorts of terrible speculations churned in his mind. Every footstep outside the door made him jump in alarm.
「On the morning of the third day」
The sky was a dreary gray, and a light, drizzling rain began to fall.
Exhausted, Feng Zhan leaned back in his chair, his eyes bloodshot. He was just about to force his eyes shut for a moment.
Suddenly!
The door to the duty room was slammed open with a BANG.
One of the confidants sent back to Jingshan to gather information stumbled into the room, drenched by the rain. His face was as pale as a sheet, his lips trembled, and he collapsed to the floor, his voice strained and unnatural. "My lord! It’s terrible! The sky is falling!! The County Magistrate... he... he... inside the County Magistrate’s Office... he’s dropped dead!!"
"What?!"
A loud BUZZ filled Feng Zhan’s head. He shot up from his chair, then collapsed back down as if all the bones had been removed from his body.
CRASH!
The teacup he had been clutching to calm his Heart Spirit slipped from his grasp and shattered on the floor. Hot tea splashed onto the hem of his official robe, but he didn’t even notice.
"Dropped dead... died... Zhang Heming... is dead?"
His eyes were wide, his pupils dilated. He muttered to himself in a daze, the last trace of color draining from his face, leaving only ashen despair.
’It’s over!’
’It’s all over!’
’The true tax silver is missing, its fate unknown.’
’And now the chief official has suddenly dropped dead!’
’The enormous responsibility for these missing eight hundred thousand taels of tax silver has now fallen completely and utterly on my shoulders alone!’
’Losing my post would be a light punishment!’
’Confiscation of property, execution, even bringing disaster upon my entire family... all of it is possible.’
His last shred of hope was completely shattered.
Overwhelming fear and despair swallowed him whole.