When it was time to change shifts, Chen Jin trudged back to the guards' barracks with his fellow soldiers.
The rain had stopped, but leaden clouds still hung low over Langya City. The air was thick with the metallic tang of rust mingled with damp earth.
The barracks stood against the base of the city wall, a row of low, dimly lit, semi-subterranean huts. Straw mats covered the ground, and dozens of men crowded together, their foul breath gathering into a haze beneath the roof.
Chen Jin found a corner by the wall and sat down, closing his eyes as if to nap.
The wounds from the flogging had long since healed, but the agony that had seeped into his bones lingered like dying embers, faintly burning at the ends of his nerves. He had to endure it.
His fellow soldiers noisily shared coarse flatbread and sipped muddy wine. Not one of them paid him much attention.
Heifu had always been ill-tempered and had few friends. Chen Jin was glad to be left in peace.
Only when snores began rising all around him did he slowly open his eyes and pull from his robes the Identity Tablet belonging to "Heifu."
It was a wooden slip about half a palm wide, its edges worn smooth. Its surface was covered in fine Qin Seal Script and runes, and a small piece of something neither jade nor bone was embedded in its center. It felt cold to the touch.
A faint radiance turned across it, clearly drawing on the power of the Law Eye.
"Fu"—that was his real name.
"Heifu" was his nickname, probably because his skin was dark, or perhaps because he was dark-hearted.
In the lower-right corner of the Identity Tablet, a few glimmers outlined a small seal-script character: seven.
He had only seven Spirit Coins. He was so poor that he couldn't scrape two coins together.
Chen Jin ran a fingertip over the number and silently tugged at the corner of his mouth.
The Identity Tablet also held other personal information about Fu, but that no longer mattered. Chen Jin glanced over it and put it away.
As he pondered, the Bronze Edict Board hanging in the center of the barracks suddenly began to hum, its blue light blazing!
"On your feet!" the Centurion barked.
Every guard sprang up at once, quickly donning armor and taking up their halberds before standing at attention facing the board.
Chen Jin joined the ranks, copying the others' posture and lowering his gaze.
Light and shadow shifted across the edict board, and a phantom slowly appeared. It wore a dark robe and a law official's cap. Its features were indistinct as it looked down upon all below.
"An order from Chancellor Li Si—" A voice devoid of emotion rang through the barracks, every word like a copper nail driven into their eardrums. "Effective today, Article Seventeen of the Forced Labor Law is amended: any garrison soldier who encounters a violent criminal resisting the law and harming a fellow soldier may kill him on the spot, as a warning to others. The Spirit Coin costs incurred shall be reimbursed by the local garrison."
"Article Nine of the Gold and Cloth Law is amended: anyone who reports the private hoarding or theft of tribute goods shall, once the facts are verified, receive a reward of one hundred Spirit Coins."
One cold, newly issued law after another was read out, detailed and strict, covering every eventuality.
The phantom vanished, and the blue light faded.
"The laws have been made clear! Have you all memorized them?" The Centurion's gaze swept over them like a hawk's.
"Yes!" they answered in unison, their voices echoing through the low barracks.
"Drill!"
The guards filed out and formed ranks in the open ground outside the barracks.
The earth was a muddy mess after the rain, but every step they took was precise and in unison. Their long halberds rose and fell with a rush of wind, and their shouts shook the water from the eaves.
Chen Jin imitated the movements expected of an ordinary soldier, deliberately reining in his strength and slowing his pace.
Even so, his physique, tempered by more than a dozen Yanfu Events, and his extraordinarily precise control over his body still made his movements stand out.
Every block, thrust, and step was more coordinated than the others'.
The Squad Leader's gaze fell on him several times, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Heifu had always been lazy. Had capturing the criminal last night somehow opened his eyes?
The order to end the drill sounded. The guards' tense nerves finally relaxed, and they scattered, dragging their tired bodies away to polish their armor and maintain their weapons.
Chen Jin was about to leave with the crowd when a low voice called out to him.
"Fu, wait a moment."
Chen Jin stopped and turned around to see the Squad Leader walking toward him.
The Squad Leader's surname was Wang, and his given name was Wu. Supposedly, he was distantly related to the great general Wang Jian—so distantly that they were practically unrelated. Whether that was true was anyone's guess; he might have been bragging.
"Squad Leader." Chen Jin dipped his head slightly.
Wang Wu came up to him and casually wiped the sweat from his neck with a towel. "You were pretty nimble on your feet during today's drill. Those thrusts of yours had some bite."
"What, did doing a good deed yesterday suddenly open your eyes?"
"You're joking, Squad Leader." Chen Jin forced a smile. "I risked my life to take down that criminal yesterday. Afterward, when I thought about it, I got a little scared. Then I thought... thought I couldn't keep loafing around like I used to. I ought to live up to the effort you've put into me, right?"
Wang Wu laughed twice and patted Chen Jin's arm, not too hard and not too lightly. "Good! That's the spirit! You're finally showing some promise."
Wang Wu's gaze lingered on his face for two seconds. Then, as if nothing were amiss, he stepped half a pace closer. "Speaking of which, do you have plans for the next day off?"
Chen Jin was already on his guard, ready to spring into action, but his face revealed nothing. He simply played along. "Not yet... Is there something you need, Squad Leader?"
"Need? No, it's something nice. It happens to be my little girl's birthday, and your sister-in-law's been saying she wants to liven up the house. You've made some progress lately, too... So come along. Have a cup of wine and get to know our place."
At that moment, a line of small text appeared before Chen Jin's eyes—Walker, please note! Squad Leader Wang Wu's only daughter passed away last month. Fu attended the funeral.
Ren Tu's reminder came at just the right time!
The eight million Ren Tu truly lived up to their reputation. Even when they descended in a hurry, they could still prepare the Walker's identity as thoroughly as possible.
Now it was time for Chen Jin to put on a performance.
His lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out. His face turned visibly pale.
"Squad... Squad Leader..." His voice was dry and trembling, as though he were forcing the words out of his throat. "Please... please don't joke with me... Your daughter... Your daughter clearly... passed away last month..."
Wang Wu stared at him for a moment, then his voice returned to its usual coldness. "I got my dates mixed up. Forget what I just said."
Just then, the Centurion suddenly called from a distance, "Fu, come here!"
Chen Jin stepped forward, moving away from Wang Wu.
"You were the main contributor to the capture of the criminal today. By law, you're awarded one hundred and fifty Spirit Coins."
The Centurion took out his own Identity Tablet and lightly tapped it against Chen Jin's.
Light swept across Fu's Identity Tablet, and the number in the lower-right corner rapidly changed, finally settling at: one hundred fifty-seven.
"Thank you, sir!" Chen Jin lowered his head, his voice deliberately hoarse with barely suppressed excitement.
Countless gazes fell on him from behind, mingling envy, jealousy, and disbelief.
To these low-ranking guards, one hundred and fifty Spirit Coins was a staggering fortune.
The Centurion waved for him to return to the ranks and said solemnly, "This is His Majesty's great grace. The Law Eye sees all, rewarding merit and punishing transgression. You must all take this as an example and fulfill your duties faithfully!"
"Yes!"