Guangwu County

The walls of Guangwu County were not tall.

Beneath the blue-gray stone bricks, wind and sand had worn away their edges, exposing the mottled earthy yellow within.

A group of riders came galloping over and stopped before the city gate.

The soldiers at the gate wore sabers at their waists and did not stand particularly straight.

When they spotted Chen Qingyuan, one of them seemed to recognize him and stepped forward.

"Sect Master Chen, back from Shangpan Village?"

Chen Qingyuan swung down from his horse. There was not a trace of arrogance on his face as he clasped his hands toward the soldier. "You've worked hard, brother."

The soldier's gaze passed over him and landed on Jiang Yuechu, sitting upright on horseback.

"And this is...?"

Longyou Circuit was plagued by fierce wind and sand. The women here generally had wheat-colored skin and sharply defined features.

But the one on horseback...

She had delicate skin and understated features—truly a rare sight.

Fortunately, Chen Qingyuan had found a loose hemp robe from somewhere and draped it over her, concealing the eye-catching black garments streaked with crimson beneath.

Chen Qingyuan lowered his voice, and a timely trace of pity appeared on his face. "This girl was kidnapped by that monster from gods knew where. She's a pitiful soul. I thought I'd bring her into the city and see whether I could find her some work in the sect."

Hearing this, the soldier nodded, not looking particularly surprised.

These days, demons and monsters passing through and wiping out whole families was hardly uncommon.

He merely muttered to himself inwardly.

That old bastard sure got lucky.

If he had known Shangpan Village had goods like this, he would have gone along to hunt demons too.

Maybe he could have picked one up to warm his bed.

Once they entered the city.

There were few pedestrians on the streets. Every one of them hurried along with lowered heads, as if afraid of inviting trouble.

Most of the shops on either side were open. Tavern banners drooped listlessly in the wind, yet there were no cries of hawking, making the place seem desolate.

Now and then, yellowed talismans could be seen pasted in corners of walls, or a peachwood sword hanging over someone's doorway.

They were nothing more than a little comfort for the heart.

After all, when demons and monsters committed murder, who the hell cared about such things?

Lifeless and bleak.

That was Jiang Yuechu's first impression of this county town.

The group stopped before a residence.

Its frontage was not large, but it looked clean.

Chen Qingyuan dismounted first and waved at the dozen-odd men behind him.

"Dismissed."

The men answered in unison, each leading away his horse without asking a single question.

Only then did Chen Qingyuan turn around and bow to Jiang Yuechu on horseback. "My lord, this is one of the Flying Eagle Sect's lodgings. We usually entertain friends traveling north and south here. It is fairly quiet."

He pushed open the courtyard gate and made a gesture of invitation.

Jiang Yuechu dismounted and walked straight inside.

Beyond the gate lay a clean courtyard.

A gray-haired old woman, accompanied by two maids who looked no older than fifteen or sixteen, had long been waiting beneath the eaves.

At the sight of Chen Qingyuan, they merely bowed without speaking.

Chen Qingyuan coughed and instructed the old woman, "Prepare hot water, a clean set of women's clothes, and some food and wine."

The old woman answered yes. She glanced up at Jiang Yuechu behind her master, surprise flashing through her eyes, but quickly lowered her head again.

Chen Qingyuan turned to Jiang Yuechu and gave another deep bow. "I still need to report to the county magistrate and give a full account of what happened in Shangpan Village. Please rest here for now, and do not stand on ceremony. If you need anything, simply instruct the servants."

Jiang Yuechu gave a hum in response.

Chen Qingyuan said no more. He turned and withdrew, closing the courtyard gate behind him.

Only Jiang Yuechu and the three mistress-and-servants remained in the courtyard.

Though the old woman was surprised by Jiang Yuechu's identity, seeing how respectfully her master treated her, she bowed as well. "Miss, this way, please."

Before long, a huge wooden tub was set inside a room wreathed in mist.

Pail after pail of hot water was poured in, along with some unknown herbs that gave off a faint fragrance.

"My lord, the clothes will be delivered shortly."

After saying that, the old woman withdrew with the two young maids and closed the door.

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you won't lose it next time.

Jiang Yuechu did not move, remaining silently where she stood.

A maid carrying folded clothes poked her head in. Seeing Jiang Yuechu still wearing that robe, she froze for a moment.

"Miss..."

Jiang Yuechu turned half her face toward her. "Put them there. Without my permission, no one is allowed to come in."

"Yes."

The door was gently closed.

Only then did Jiang Yuechu move.

She dragged over the narrow bench used for setting washbasins, turned it sideways, and jammed it firmly against the door.

Only after doing all that did she remove the loose hemp robe and casually toss it onto the floor.

Beneath the robe were those black clothes streaked with crimson, mottled with bloodstains.

She untied her belt, removed the Horizontal Blade, then took off her clothes piece by piece, revealing a lean but well-proportioned body.

She lifted a foot and stepped into the wooden tub.

"Hiss~~~"

The hot water made her skin go numb from the heat.

"Oh~~~~~~"

She slowly sat down and sank her whole body into the water, leaving only her head outside.

She let out a long breath.

The nerves that had been taut all this time finally loosened a little.

She looked at the blurry outline reflected on the water's surface.

Lean and pale.

The face was actually rather pretty.

More precious still, this body did not have grand ambitions upon its chest. They were only about the size of buns, hardly an inconvenience when running, jumping, or fighting.

Only, her legs seemed longer than they had been in her memories.

Could it be...

Could practicing martial arts make one taller?

She closed her eyes and silently scrubbed her body.

Suppressing the inexplicable restlessness, her thoughts gradually cleared.

There was still no lead on the household registration matter, so she would set it aside for now.

But there was another matter worth discussing.

What crime, exactly, had her father committed?

Though the Jiang Family was not among the Capital City's foremost noble houses, it was still a scholarly household. Its members had served as officials for generations, a family of pure and lofty standing.

The original owner's father was named Jiang Xun. He held the post of Vice Minister of Rites, Subordinate Third Rank.

In her memories, Jiang Xun was a somewhat old-fashioned scholar. He loved tending flowers and plants and never put down his books.

Jiang Yuechu frowned.

Something was wrong.

The Great Tang Code was strict. Crimes that implicated an entire family had to be earthshaking cases such as treason or colluding with the enemy.

But Jiang Xun was merely a Vice Minister of Rites. He managed sacrifices, ceremonies, and the imperial examinations. Above, he had no military authority; below, he did not touch money or grain. What could he possibly use to commit treason?

Taking ten thousand steps back, even if the Jiang Family truly had been convicted.

Under the Great Tang Code, the female relatives should have been consigned to the Music Conservatory.

Then why had she, a woman too weak to truss a chicken, been escorted to the frontier with such great effort?

Even more wrong were the people escorting her.

Ordinarily, documents for exiled prisoners were issued by the Ministry of Justice, while the yamen runners of local governments handled the escort.

Even in a case of immense magnitude, where the criminals were fierce enough to require soldiers, that should have fallen under the Ministry of War.

Yet her batch had been escorted personally by the Demon Suppression Bureau.

Since when had the Demon Suppression Bureau had such abundant manpower?

Jiang Yuechu slowly opened her eyes, droplets sliding down her eyelashes.

Fuck.

She had thought that her greatest problem right now was merely household registration and a Travel Permit.

As long as she solved that, with her cheat, the sky was high and the sea vast—where could she not go?

But now, it seemed that every part of the original owner's identity was strange.

"Ah... difficult. Truly difficult..."