Chapter 277: Shelter

The former bustling, extraordinary Kucha Street had lost its vitality. Only the wind, drifting from afar, carrying the smell of ashes, tumbled with red and green silk scarves rolling on the ground. The song girls and dance girls had fled, no one knew where.

War was cruel like a burst of cold wind. In places it visited, tree leaves left their branches, grass became withered and yellow. For vast thousands of miles, all things decayed.

Chen Ji carried his whale knife, his gaze vigilant as he observed his surroundings, his ears listening to the movements on the street.

Qi Zhemian quickly took two steps and approached Chen Ji's side, whispering, "Chen Ji, in the past I was short-sighted and looked down on people. I hope you, with your great generosity, won't argue with me!"

Chen Ji looked at him in surprise, but didn't respond.

Qi Zhemian hesitated for a moment. "Chen Ji, can you teach me fighting skills?"

Chen Ji said calmly, "No."

Qi Zhemian shamelessly said, "Don't worry, later when I work under the Crown Prince, if you point east, I absolutely won't go west, if you point west, I absolutely won't go east. I can worship you as my master!"

Chen Ji frowned. "There are instructors in the Yu Lin Army. Why must you worship me as master?"

Qi Zhemian sighed. "The instructors in the Yu Lin Army mostly teach showy moves, whatever looks good. It's all for inspections, not useful in a real fight!"

Xiao Man, holding Hei Yun in her arms, followed with small steps. "How can you be so shameless? My young master already said he won't teach! You used to dislike my young master. Are you plotting something again?"

Qi Zhemian opened his mouth as if to speak but stopped. The Crown Prince actually spoke up to help. "Qi Vice Envoy's words are true. If we can return to the capital alive, the five thousand Yu Lin Army before the emperor should change instructors. I think you, Right Si Wei, are very suitable."

Chen Ji interrupted, saying, "Your Highness, now is not the time to say these things. Follow me!" Saying this, he turned towards the direction of Taoshu Lane, which was where he had shaken off the divine archer earlier.

Behind him, Chen Li Qin saw the direction he was heading and immediately quickened his steps to catch up. "Chen Ji, we saw clearly from the rooftop just now. That side is full of Jing Dynasty thieves burning, killing, and plundering! It's not that I don't believe you, but I'm worried you didn't go up to the rooftop, so you don't understand what's happening outside!"

Chen Ji didn't answer, only continued on his path.

Things had reached a point where there were no safe places inside Gu Yuan City. The Jing Dynasty iron cavalry would sooner or later trample every corner!

Fleeing towards places that the Tian Ce Army had not yet attacked still made it hard to escape death!

They now had only one way to live, which was to hide in the cellar of the grain and oil shop. But he had no time to argue with people. If they were willing to believe him, then they should follow him. If not, he wouldn't force them!

Seeing Chen Ji walk farther and farther, even the Crown Prince followed without a word. Chen Li Qin hesitated for a moment, and finally followed.

Chen Ji led the group, carefully navigating through small alleys one by one, finally stopping behind an earthen house.

Here, was the boundary between the fighting of the Tian Ce Army and the border army. They came and went, with shouts of killing close at hand!

Everyone heard the shouts of killing and felt anxious and uneasy, yet they didn't know why Chen Ji had stopped in such a dangerous place!

Chen Ji only silently glanced at the sky. The afterglow of the setting sun had just completely disappeared. The orange-red light, like a thin veil covering Gu Yuan City, was being slowly pulled away!

The time it takes to burn one stick of incense!

In another stick of incense's time, the sky would be completely dark! Chen Ji leaned against the earthen wall, listening to the shouts of killing, and slowly closed his eyes. A sense of fatigue, like the rising tide, slowly submerged his heart! Zhang Xia leaned against the earthen wall beside him, turned her head to look at the fatigue on his face, then silently turned her head back to look at the sky and said, "If only I were also an official. It's a pity that my little uncle clearly has official paths in his hands, but he's unwilling to teach them to me!"

Chen Ji, with his eyes closed, responded, "Thinking about it, the official paths in your little uncle's hands aren't unique, so he's worried that an official with the same path will discover you and assassinate you. Becoming an official isn't necessarily a good thing!"

Zhang Xia lowered her head and sighed. "But if I were an official, today! Today I would have the ability to protect myself, not be so wretched! If I can survive this time, I will go and seek an official path myself. Whether I buy it or trade for it, I must find an opportunity to become an official!"

Chen Ji hummed in acknowledgment.

Xiao Man, holding Hei Yun in her arms, kindly reminded, "Zhang Second Miss, there are indeed official paths for sale in the Pan Family Garden in the capital, but those official paths can only cultivate up to the Innate realm."

Zhang Xia was silent for a moment. "Being able to cultivate to the Innate realm isn't bad!"

Chen Ji's heart stirred. He indeed had an official path with an extremely high upper limit!

As he was thinking, the sky gradually darkened.

Chen Ji immediately gave Hei Yun a look. Hei Yun stepped on Xiao Man's head, lightly leaped onto the rooftop, and darted towards Taoshu Lane!

Chen Ji followed closely behind, listening to Hei Yun's guidance to find his direction!

"Meow!"

The next moment, Chen Ji suddenly stopped at an alley entrance, his right hand raised in a fist!

Behind him, everyone followed suit, not daring to even breathe, afraid of carelessly revealing their tracks!

After a long time, hurried footsteps approached!

Everyone quietly looked out of the alley and saw Li Xuan carrying a seven or eight-year-old girl, with six other fleeing refugees following behind him, running wildly!

Behind these people, the sound of the Tian Ce Army's horse hooves grew more and more urgent!

As they passed the alley entrance, Li Xuan unintentionally turned his head and suddenly saw Chen Ji standing in the shadow of the eaves, calmly looking at him!

Li Xuan was just about to open his mouth to ask for help, but then he saw Chen Ji's indifferent eyes again. In his eyes was alienation, and also a warning!

He hesitated for an instant, but still held back his words, only pretending not to see the people in the alley!

Behind him, a woman ran and fell to the ground. The girl on Li Xuan's back cried out, "Mother, Uncle, save my mother."

Li Xuan wanted to turn back and help the woman up, but when he turned his head, he saw the galloping Tian Ce Army iron cavalry!

The woman lay on the ground waving her hands, urgently urging, "Good man, quickly go, don't mind me, I can't run anymore, please take the girl and go."

Li Xuan's teeth were almost broken from clenching. Finally, he hardened his heart, turned his body, and left!

Qi Zhemian was just about to call out "Brother-in-law", but his mouth was just opening when Xiao Man, as if she knew in advance, came to his side and covered his mouth!

A whistling arrow flew over the heads of the crowd, drawing a sharp sound, and the Tian Ce Army howled past!

On the saddle of every Tian Ce Army iron cavalry, there was a rope full of right ears, all bloody war achievements!

The woman who had just fallen had just climbed up from the ground, when she was immediately knocked down again by the passing Tian Ce Army iron cavalry. The iron cavalry behind stepped over her one by one, almost stepping her into a pulp!

Chen Wen Zong's eyes were about to split, but Chen Ji had come to his side at some point, covering his mouth with one hand and holding his body tightly with the other!

He turned his head to look at Chen Ji, his eyes full of despair and helplessness!

Chen Ji didn't look at him, only quietly waited for the sound of the horse hooves to go far away!

He didn't know how long passed. He gradually let go of Chen Wen Zong, his gaze slowly sweeping over each person's face!

Everyone was plunged into the despair that had just been close at hand, unable to recover for a while!

Chen Wen Zong stared at Chen Ji, yet didn't open his mouth to say anything!

Chen Ji stood in the shadow and softly said, "Brother, you don't need to look at me like this. I was never a good person! I don't care what you all want to do, but don't involve other people!"

Qi Zhemian's heart was a tangled mess. "But my brother-in-law, he!!"

Xiao Man laughed coldly. "You were just arguing with your brother-in-law. I heard you saying very unpleasant things!"

Qi Zhemian regretted it so much his intestines turned green. "Those were words I said in anger at the moment! Chen Ji, is there no way to save my brother-in-law? I..."

Just at this moment, Hei Yun on the rooftop meowed!

Chen Ji lowly ordered, "Shut up!"

As soon as the words fell, an iron bow arrow shot straight towards Hei Yun on the rooftop not far away. It seemed that a divine archer on a nearby high platform had heard the cat's meow and didn't even plan to let the cat go!

Seeing that he hadn't hit Hei Yun, the divine archer immediately felt suspicious!

He leaped down from the high platform, quietly and silently rushing towards the place where Hei Yun had just been. As he searched for Hei Yun's whereabouts, he pulled his bowstring taut!

Chen Ji and the others pressed themselves against the wall, standing in a row under the eaves, not daring to even breathe!

On the eaves, the divine archer stopped above their heads, his eyes searching the dark night like a hawk, his bowstring growing tighter and tighter!

Under the eaves, Chen Ji's hand grasped the handle of his whale knife, gripping it tighter and tighter!

At this critical moment, a 'corpse' of a commoner on the ground in the neighboring street quietly climbed up. It seemed he had pretended to be dead to escape the calamity and now, seeing no one around, got up to flee!

With a whoosh, the sound of the bowstring trembling rang out, and the iron bow arrow shot out in response, nailing him dead on the ground!

Li Xuan's angry roar came from afar, seemingly having been caught up by the iron cavalry! The divine archer crossed the rooftop and flew towards the sound!

Chen Ji ignored Li Xuan's angry roar, immediately pulled Chen Wen Zong towards Taoshu Lane, heading straight for the grain and oil shop!

By this time, the grain and oil shop had been burned into ruins by a large fire. The grain piled up like a small mountain in the courtyard had also been burned into charcoal!

Chen Ji came to the wellhead, pulled up the well rope, and handed it to Zhang Xia. "Quickly go down!"

The Crown Prince bent over the wellhead in confusion, but the well was dark inside and nothing could be seen clearly!

Then, he watched with wide eyes as Zhang Xia, halfway down, kicked open several bricks on the well wall and squeezed into the side cave!

The Crown Prince looked up at Chen Ji in astonishment. This well actually held a secret.

Chen Ji urged, "Your Highness, quickly go down and hide well."

After everyone had climbed down the well rope one by one into the cellar inside the well, Xiao Man took out a match, lit the candle in the cellar, illuminating the bags of grain inside.

Wang Gui pounced on the grain and said excitedly, "There's actually such a treasure place! There's water and grain. It's no harm to live here for several months. We're saved, old master, we're saved!"

Liang Shi fell onto the ground, finally daring to breathe heavily!

Chen Li Qin also sat down powerlessly, leaning against a grain bag, closing his eyes and trembling slightly!

The Crown Prince silently surveyed the cellar, his palm slowly stroking over the grain bags. After a long time, he opened his mouth and said, "This time, if not for Chen Ji, perhaps ten of our lives wouldn't have been enough!"

Qi Zhemian suddenly choked up and said, "What about my brother-in-law?"

Xiao Man frowned and said, "Aren't you also an official? If you want to save him, then go save him yourself. Who's stopping you?"

Qi Zhemian was speechless for a moment, finally saying dejectedly and without coherence, "I, I don't dare. I haven't mastered my skills. I'm afraid. I'm useless!"

Zhang Zheng sighed. "Old man originally wanted to scold you, but then I thought about it. If it were me, I wouldn't dare go either. You and I are just ordinary people!"

Xiao Man said from the side, "But don't expect my young master to go save people. My young master may not owe anyone, ah, where is my young master?"

The crowd suddenly looked up. Where in the cellar was Chen Ji's figure?