The Reticent Blade

Ye Beizhi and his companions proceeded south along the well traveled roads for over a month before finally arriving in Shaozhou, a city in the eastern part of Guangdong Province.

Eastern Guangdong is a seaside frontier region, far from the Central Plains. Due to the distance from the capital, it is not as prosperous as the heartland. However, it has its own unique advantages. Eastern Guangdong has abundant resources for its population, and every household is self-sufficient.

There are also no ongoing conflicts nearby. The Northern Qiang barbarians invade from far beyond the Three Passes, and the Southern Oirat pirates are only active in the Eastern Yue region, and have never ventured into Eastern Guangdong. Therefore, ever since Ye Beizhi and his companions enjoyed a rare period of peace since entering Shaozhou.

"It’s been a long time since I've seen such a peaceful little town," Fang Dingwu remarked as they walked through the streets of Shaozhou.

Ye Beizhi glanced around from time to time, noticing that the people were mostly dressed in ordinary attire. There were very few martial artists carrying swords or sabers. In fact, the number of martial artists they had seen had steadily dropped since leaving Western Hunan.

Thinking about the decrease of martial artists, Ye Beizhi remembered that after his assassination attempt on Qi Zongbi in the capital, he had not heard of the Ghostbane Association or the Imperial Guardians searching for him. The true reason for this was unclear, but it seemed like the court had put this matter aside after the war in the north broke out.

"It’s getting late," Fang Dingwu said, looking up and then turning to Ye Beizhi. "If we leave the city today, we’ll probably have to spend the night out in the wild again. I think it would be better to find a place to stay in Shaozhou for the night."

Ye Beizhi nodded, indicating his agreement.

"That would be perfect," Chi Nanwei agreed, "I also need to buy some more food and clothes for the journey." She then looked down at her feet.

Ye Beizhi followed her gaze and saw that the deerskin boots Chi Nanwei was wearing had become a little worn. Over the course of the journey, Chi Nanwei had forwent her robes and skirts for lighter traveling clothes. She now wore a short greenish-blue jacket and a matching pair of pants, paired with a pair of deerskin boots. Her hair was tied up at the back, giving her a heroic and graceful appearance. If she had a sword at her waist, she would indeed look like a heroine out of a martial legend.

Ye Beizhi lips parted slightly and he almost imperceptibly averted his gaze.

"Let’s find an inn first."