Chapter 242: The Secret Passage

By the window lattice, Chen Ji's face was solemn.

The Jing Chao siege was imminent, and the secret passage was only used as a facade for illicit activities at Longmen Inn; there was no path for retreat.

At this moment, Xiao Man and Zhang Zheng were still bickering. Zhang Xia, not wanting to stop them, simply stood up and moved away.

She came to Chen Ji's side and asked curiously, "What are you thinking about?"

Chen Ji suddenly asked, "Second Miss Zhang, after the Jing Chao break the city, is it possible they will massacre the city?"

Zhang Xia was silent for a moment. "Jing Yuan Zong once personally led troops to attack Gu Yuan, encountering an ambush at Long Mountain. He was hit by an arrow and fled. The arrowhead was poisoned, and the Jing Chao inviting monks from Ku Jue Temple to treat him was useless; he died of illness two months later. Before his death, he left a last will: 'If heaven blesses my son, he should fully take the land of Gu Yuan, search for and kill the remaining people, build a capital view, make its white bones cover the fields, a thousand li of red ground.'"

Chen Ji's heart was shocked. Even Xiao Man and Zhang Zheng stopped bickering and looked uneasily towards Zhang Xia.

Xiao Man looked worriedly at Chen Ji. "Young master, Gu Yuan hasn't been lost for several hundred years. This time it should also be defended, right?"

Chen Ji did not answer, nor could he.

The events in Luo Cheng seemed to have happened a long time ago, but the death of Jing Wang was like a butterfly flapping its wings on the other side of the ocean, stirring up a storm towards an unknown place. He didn't know how many people within the Gu Yuan border army wanted to avenge Jing Wang, and how many were plotting rebellion and colluding with the enemy.

Before, Gu Yuan had not been broken, but now no one dared to be certain.

Xiao Man asked in a low voice, "If the Jing Chao really massacre the city, how many people in Gu Yuan can survive?"

Zhang Xia stood by the window lattice, turned her head, and looked at her. "Not one or two out of a hundred."

Xiao Man asked again, "Is there any way to survive?"

Zhang Xia recalled, "Official surrender can allow one to live, but they must tattoo their face, stabbing the word 'surrender.' This way, they also cut off any thought of returning to the Ning Chao as an official."

Xiao Man was puzzled. "Humiliating officials like that, who would still be willing to surrender to them?"

Zhang Zheng sneered, "Better to live badly than die well, right?"

Xiao Man glared at him. "If the Jing Chao break the city, you'll definitely be the first to surrender! It's a pity you're not an official; they won't want you!"

Zhang Zheng raised his eyebrows. "This grandfather would rather die than surrender!"

Xiao Man laughed coldly. "You have the backbone to 'rather die than surrender'?"

Zhang Zheng said happily, "If I surrender, my dad, that official fanatic, will definitely be dismissed and investigated by His Majesty. I can't implicate him."

Xiao Man ignored him and turned to ask Zhang Xia, "The Jing Chao tattoo the faces of officials, aren't they afraid the officials will wait for an opportunity for revenge afterward?"

Zhang Xia sighed. "In fact, tattooed officials kill their own people more fiercely than the Jing Chao people. The Jing Chao's Tian Ce Army once had a tattooed surrendered general who killed quite a few Ning Chao people. After the battle of Qu Wu Mountain, his whereabouts were unknown."

Xiao Man lowered her head, not knowing what she was thinking.

Chen Ji saw the tense atmosphere and smiled to comfort them. "Perhaps it's just a false alarm. Let's all rest early. We still have proper things to do tomorrow. Xiao Man, you take the second half of the night watch."

"Oh..."

The night was deep and quiet.

By the window lattice, Xiao Man, who was on watch, quietly looked around. Chen Ji and Zhang Zheng were lying on the floor in the outer room, and Zhang Xia was lying alone on the floor in the inner room, with a curtain hanging between them.

She turned her head and was suddenly startled, only to see Wu Yun, with her hands tucked in, lying on the windowsill, staring coldly at her.

Xiao Man suddenly felt something strange. As Wu Yun breathed, the rhythm of her body went up and down, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, as if following some rhythm. Her tucked-in hands seemed to be hiding a knife.

She shook her head, thinking what was she thinking? Just a fox slave.

Xiao Man tiptoed out the door, careful not to make a sound.

She followed the stairs down and saw a candle burning on the counter. The shopkeeper was holding a brush and recording accounts.

The shopkeeper saw her come down and asked curiously, "Guest officer, if you want hot water, you can go back and find Xiao Wu."

However, Xiao Man's palm suddenly flipped, showing a lamp fire copper coin. "Shopkeeper, have you seen this object?"

The shopkeeper's eyes narrowed slightly. "Since we are colleagues, when I asked earlier 'use copper coins or use silver taels,' why didn't the guest officer say anything?"

Xiao Man came to the opposite side of the counter and said calmly, "The others don't know my identity, so I didn't reveal it."

The shopkeeper said "Oh." "It seems the other three guests have no relation to my 'lamp fire.' Guest officer, since you have come to my lamp fire inn and shown the copper coin, what matter are you seeking?"

Xiao Man asked in a low voice, "Does your inn have a secret passage to leave Gu Yuan?"

The shopkeeper hesitated.

Xiao Man calmly asked, "Even to a colleague concealing the lamp fire inn, holding a copper coin to come, a request must be answered!"

The shopkeeper smiled and put down the brush in his hand. "Naturally. My Longmen Inn has two secret passages. If you come with silver taels to buy passage, we'll take everything cleanly. If you come with a copper coin, you can pass without obstacle."

"To where?"

"Jing Chao, Xi Jing Dao, Feng Sheng State."

"Only this one road?"

"Only this one."

Xiao Man suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. "How is the passage fee calculated?"

The shopkeeper picked up a bamboo stick, brightened the lamp wick a bit, and then said leisurely, "Two copper coins per person."

Xiao Man hesitated. She only had two copper coins, but there were four people who needed to go.

The shopkeeper put down the bamboo stick, smiled, and asked, "Guest officer, when do you plan to go?"

Xiao Man was silent for a moment and asked, "I only have two copper coins. One copper coin can be exchanged for two hundred taels of silver. Then can I spend one thousand two hundred taels and buy passage for three other people to leave Gu Yuan through the secret passage?"

"There's no such rule." The shopkeeper suspiciously sized up Xiao Man. "Are you really a member of my lamp fire? How do you not even understand these rules? Where did your copper coin come from?"

Xiao Man hurriedly said, "Why are you asking these things? ...Then can I give the lamp fire copper coin for others to use?"

The shopkeeper said meaningfully, "Guest officer, compared to your own life, how important are the lives of others? You are willing to spend two lamp fire copper coins to buy lives for others, but in their eyes, are you worth these two copper coins? In the current Jianghu world, if a person isn't for themselves, heaven and earth will punish them."

Xiao Man was slightly startled. "You're right."

The shopkeeper smiled. "The secret passage can be taken at any time. Just remember, guest officer, you cannot tell others about this matter again, otherwise the lamp fire will not tolerate you."

"I know the rules!"

Having said that, Xiao Man lifted her skirt and ran up the stairs with a thump, thump, thump. Until she entered the room, she just leaned against the closed door and let out a long breath.

A moment later, she calmed her breath, tiptoed to the wardrobe, and quietly felt Chen Ji's clothes. The next moment, she took out two strings of Buddha gate treasures from the wardrobe. This was all of Chen Ji's possessions.

She bit her lower lip as if struggling. She first looked at the Buddha gate treasures in her hand, then looked at Chen Ji sleeping on the floor, not knowing what she was hesitating about.

Finally, Xiao Man lightly sighed and put the Buddha gate treasures back inside Chen Ji's sleeve.

In the early morning, there were no dog barks, no rooster crows.

Gu Yuan's night was restless, with singing girls, dancing girls, and noisy crowds. The morning, however, was quiet, as if the thin morning fog blocked the sounds from afar.

Inside room Tian Zi Jia Number, the leftover warmth of the charcoal fire was still there.

Chen Ji sat up from the floor and turned his head to look at Xiao Man, who was on watch by the window lattice.

At this time, Xiao Man's face showed her thoughts, and she mumbled to herself, not knowing what she was muttering.

Chen Ji looked at Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia, who were still in deep sleep, and asked in a low voice, "Xiao Man, what are you mumbling?"

Xiao Man was startled by his voice. "Ah, young master, you're awake! I, I, I... I wasn't mumbling anything!"

Chen Ji suspiciously sized her up. "If you weren't mumbling, why are you so flustered?"

Xiao Man hurriedly stood up straight and said with a stiff neck, "I'm not flustered!"

Chen Ji smiled, but did not expose her.

Xiao Man pursed her lips and hesitated for a moment. "Young master, are you going to sell the news about the Jing Chao siege today?"

Chen Ji said "Um."

Xiao Man stared straight at Chen Ji and asked, "Can you give me a thousand taels of silver? No, no, no, five hundred taels is enough."

She quietly sized up Chen Ji's expression, and seeing that Chen Ji was unmoved, she changed her words again. "At least four hundred taels will do."

Chen Ji asked curiously, "What do you want so much silver for?"

Xiao Man said in a low voice, "Nothing. Just pretend I was dizzy and said the wrong thing."

Having said that, she lowered her head and walked out. "I'll go find a waiter to get you some hot water to wash. Young master, wait a moment."

Chen Ji called out to stop her. "Xiao Man."

Xiao Man turned her head in confusion. "Um?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment and took out a string of Buddha gate treasures from his sleeve. "This is one thousand one hundred taels of silver."

Xiao Man was stunned in place. "Young master, you dare to give me so much silver? Aren't you afraid I'll run away?"

Chen Ji stood up, tidying his clothes as he casually said, "Gu Yuan city is already sealed. Where else can you run?"

Xiao Man looked at the Buddha gate treasures in Chen Ji's hand, her eyes light and dark uncertain. "Then what if I really run?"

Chen Ji thought about it and replied, "I promised you earlier that when we reach the capital, I will get your body contract back from madam and prepare a dowry for you. If you run, consider this as giving you the dowry in advance."

Xiao Man smiled so much that her tiger teeth couldn't be hidden, but she still complained in a low voice, "Young master, even if you're preparing a dowry for me, you don't need to give so much. Other families give their maids fifty taels of silver as a dowry, which is considered a top generous family from a wealthy and influential household. Young master, you just gave out over a thousand taels. You really don't know how to live; you're wasteful!"

Chen Ji made a gesture to take back the Buddha gate treasures. "If you don't want it, forget it."

"Want it, want it, want it," Xiao Man reached out and snatched the Buddha gate treasures. She turned around and took out her light green cross-collared jacket from the wardrobe to put on.

Chen Ji asked curiously, "Are you going out?"

"Um."

Chen Ji didn't understand. "Where do you want to go?"

"You'll know later," Xiao Man said mysteriously. "Young master, you must not open the altar and sell the news before I come back! You must wait until I come back to sell it!"

Having said that, she didn't turn her head and went out the door.

But just as the door closed, Xiao Man pushed it open again and poked her head out from outside the door. "Young master, you must certainly wait until I come back! My word counts!"

Chen Ji said in exasperation, "Hurry up and go do your business."