Chapter 226: Cursed Place

Guyuan’s sunset was somehow more vast than Luocheng’s.

A single fiery-red sun in the distance dyed the yellow earth, the city walls, and the clouds an orangey-red, like a fire burning on the horizon, resembling potent wine poured down the throat.

Only when the sun sank behind the city walls did the temperature suddenly drop.

Chen Ji stood quietly by the window, looking through the gap at the street downstairs, until the last sliver of light vanished from his face. Only then did he slowly close the window.

Chen Liqin had been summoned away by the Crown Prince three hours ago and hadn’t returned yet.

Chen Ji looked towards the other window beside Zhang Xia: "How is it?"

Zhang Xia frowned: "In half a day, over a thousand people have come and gone in front of the Guyuan relay station. Among them, thirty-four people have deliberately lingered multiple times, and seventeen people have stayed in front of the door for more than a *xiang* of time. There were old people, children, men, and women. Additionally, nine people entered and exited the Guyuan relay station."

Chen Ji looked at her in surprise: "Second Miss Zhang can really remember so clearly?"

Zhang Zheng laughed heartily: "Scared, aren't you? When she plays chess with Father, they don't even use a board; they can call out where to place pieces with their eyes closed. You should all be careful not to provoke her. People with good memories remember favors and grudges. I provoked her once when I was six, and she still remembers it now. However, if you help her, she’ll also remember it deeply in her heart, for a very long time."

Zhang Xia glared at him: "Brother, you talk too much."

Chen Ji said seriously: "During our time in Guyuan, when you sleep at night, make sure to close the doors and windows tightly. If you encounter danger, you must immediately call for help loudly."

Zhang Xia lowered her head and thought: "So many people are watching the Chen family, and they’re definitely not the same group. It’s strange, how many forces are actually keeping an eye on us?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "It's not clear. Just be careful."

Zhang Zheng slumped in the chair and sighed: "The weather in Guyuan is really strange. During the day, the sun makes you sweat; you wish the sun would burn off your skin. But as soon as the sun sets, it's cold to the bone."

Xiao Man whispered: "Some people say Guyuan is a cursed place. The vengeful souls of the soldiers from two dynasties who died in battle here haven't dispersed. There are no flowers in spring, no rain in summer, no fruits in autumn, and no one survives in winter. It’s destined for perpetual war and chaos."

Chen Ji looked at her: "Did Auntie say that?"

Xiao Man hummed in response: "I heard Auntie and Li Momo talking about it when I was a child."

Chen Ji smiled: "It’s not like that. The large temperature difference between day and night in Guyuan is caused by the dry climate. There are no cloud layers, and the earth cannot store the heat from the daytime. Of course, that's just one reason."

Xiao Man pouted: "Young Master, where do you get all these weird reasons? It makes no sense that light floating clouds can store the earth's heat. I still believe what Auntie said."

Chen Ji was left speechless and just laughed.

*Dong dong dong*, a knock on the door.

Chen Ji was about to get up to open the door, but Xiao Man blocked him: "I'll go, I'll go!"

The door opened, and a minor official in short attire came in with a charcoal basin held by two tongs. He politely said: "Sirs, it gets cold at night in Guyuan, so I’ve brought you a basin of charcoal fire."

Zhang Zheng exclaimed: "You came just in time!"

He stretched out his hands, palms towards the charcoal basin, baking them. Waves of heat rushed towards his face, making his cheeks swell.

Chen Ji pointed at Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia and asked the minor official: "My two friends live in room Tianzi Wu and room Gui. Can you not give them a charcoal basin as well?"

The minor official hesitated for a moment, then said awkwardly: "Please forgive me, our relay station is empty for most of the year. Not only is there not enough charcoal for heating, there isn't even enough firewood to cook meals. This charcoal was allocated by General Zhou from the *Dusi Fu*, and it was explicitly for your use only."

Zhang Zheng rubbed his palms together, then put his palms back towards the charcoal basin, complaining: "I've been to several official relays, and yours is the most dilapidated and simple."

Zhang Xia frowned: "Brother, don't talk nonsense when you're outside. No one asked us to come."

Zhang Zheng laughed heartily: "I was just saying... I won't say it again."

The minor official said awkwardly: "Sir, this is a poor and remote village. Usually, hardly any officials are willing to come. The relay station is just for show. Even military reports from the Military Department are sent directly to the *Dusi Fu*. Originally, there were eunuchs investigating Jingchao spies, but they disliked the hardship and all withdrew."

Zhang Zheng said, "Oh," then: "Then we can go out and buy some charcoal ourselves, right? Where can we buy it?"

The minor official quickly said: "Noble sirs, let me speak frankly, it's best not to go out yourselves to buy things. After dark, it might not be peaceful outside... Right, do you sirs want to have supper? Our Guyuan relay station only has coarse tea and plain food today, corn porridge, pickled salted vegetables, all things that common people eat. I'm afraid it won't suit your tastes."

Chen Ji smiled: "No need, we ate mutton at noon, and we're still full."

"Alright." The minor official bowed to Chen Ji and left.

Xiao Man wanted to keep him and said she wanted him to bring several bowls of porridge to taste, but seeing the others, she had to give up.

Zhang Xia said to Zhang Zheng: "Brother, we've been traveling all day. Let's all go back and rest."

Zhang Zheng sprawled in the chair, unwilling to move: "I'm not going back. My room is like an ice cellar. I'm staying in Chen Ji's room tonight. I'll sleep in the same bed as him."

Xiao Man was anxious: "How are you like a hooligan? Don't disturb my Young Master's rest."

Zhang Zheng didn't think it was inappropriate: "Or I can just sleep on the chair. Anyway, wherever there's a charcoal basin, I'll be there. A Xia, you shouldn't go back either. Why don't we roll out our bedding and sleep on the floor in Chen Ji's room tonight? It'll be good to look out for each other."

Xiao Man's eyes widened: "Is this appropriate? Second Miss Zhang isn't married, and leaving aside that my Young Master is an outsider, even siblings can't live in the same room, right?"

Zhang Zheng laughed happily: "As long as we don't tell anyone, who would know? Our Zhang family dislikes red tape the most. Now that the situation is urgent, it's better for everyone to stay together and be safer."

Chen Ji thought for a moment: "That's fine too. It's more reassuring if we live together. Second Miss Zhang can sleep on the bed, and the rest of us can sleep on the floor."

Xiao Man muttered unwillingly: "The ground is so cold. What if you get sick... Young Master, I'll go get you another quilt to spread underneath."

Zhang Zheng said happily: "Little girl, I thought you were going to keep driving us away."

Xiao Man rolled her eyes at him: "Who are you looking down on? If Young Master has decided, I certainly won't say anything more."

Having said that, she turned and went out the door.

Not long after, a series of footsteps came from outside. Someone was walking on the wooden floor of the relay station's second floor, making creaking sounds.

Zhang Xia got up and said: "I'll go open the door for Xiao Man."

She walked to the door and pushed it open, but was stunned where she stood. Outside the door was only a dark corridor, empty of anyone.

Zhang Xia didn't hesitate for a moment and quickly retreated back into the room: "Chen Ji, something is wrong!"

As she retreated, Chen Ji had already picked up his whale knife and brushed past her to check the corridor.

There was no one on the left, no one on the right, and no one on the rafters.

The sound of footsteps just now seemed to have come from the air and disappeared into the air.

Chen Ji gripped the whale knife and slowly untied the cloth strip wrapped around it. Before he could finish, he heard Xiao Man's cry from downstairs!

He immediately grabbed the whale knife and rushed out the door, untying the cloth strip as he ran. The door to the room beside the stairs opened, and Chen Wenzong, wrapped in fox fur, said anxiously: "What's wrong?"

Chen Ji passed by him without looking back, just throwing the just-untied cloth strip to the ground: "Brother, go back to the room, don't come out."

Downstairs, Xiao Man stood beside the counter, startled.

Chen Ji asked in a low voice: "What happened?"

Xiao Man glanced at the whale knife in his hand, then pointed inside the counter: "I just came to find that minor official to ask for a new quilt, but I found him fallen inside the counter, bleeding from his seven orifices."

Chen Ji wanted to go check, but Xiao Man grabbed his arm tightly: "Young Master, don't go! This person is bleeding from his seven orifices. Perhaps it’s the vengeful souls of Guyuan taking lives. It’s unclean!"

He turned his head to look, only to see the minor official who had just brought them the charcoal basin lying on the floor, purple blood flowing from his eyes and nostrils, like unwilling bloody tears.

Chen Ji's heart sank, knowing something was wrong. He picked up the oil lamp on the counter with one hand and held the whale knife with the other, passing through the corridor and pushing open the doors to the large beds in the Renzi rooms one by one.

The Chen family's maidservants and young servants were all bleeding from their seven orifices, dead on the beds!