Altering Another's Fate Lightly (Thanks to Anadiplosis and Snow Leopard for the Alliance Leader Donation!)

"Go ask the county magistrate for protection?"

Out of an instinctive fear of those above him that ran in his bones, Feng Guan shuddered reflexively. The tiny bit of courage he had just mustered instantly withered, and thoughts of retreat sprang up.

Li Shun raised his brows. "What are you afraid of? You're a first-rank noble of Great Qian now!"

Feng Guan froze for a moment, then slapped his thigh as if waking from a dream. "That's right! I'm a Public Scholar now!"

Even so, he paced and wrestled with himself inside the house for nearly half a day before finally gritting his teeth, summoning his courage, and turning toward the county yamen once more.

Perhaps after his elevation in rank, his status truly had become worlds apart.

After hearing Feng Guan's concerns, County Magistrate Fang Xun did not berate him as he would a servant. Instead, in an unprecedented move, he pondered for a moment before nodding. "You have a point. The rebel remnants of the Xiang Kingdom have indeed not been completely eradicated. There are still stragglers hiding in the wilderness. As a newly elevated Public Scholar, having only two postal couriers accompany you on your journey home is indeed not secure enough."

Fang Xun tapped the tabletop lightly with his knuckles and instructed in an even tone, "Yishu, draw a squad from the Black-Armored Army and personally escort Public Scholar Feng. Make sure he reaches his native home safely."

County Commandant Cheng Yishu, standing nearby, clearly froze on the spot. "My lord, this..."

Have the county commandant, who commanded an entire county's troops, personally lead the elite Black-Armored Army to escort a hard laborer who had only just been removed from the rolls? Cheng Yishu had been about to say that it went against all reason, but when he met Fang Xun's profound, unquestionable gaze, his heart tightened. In the end, he lowered his head, cupped his fists, and accepted the order.

"Take Divine Speed Talismans. Go quickly and return quickly," Fang Xun added blandly.

"Understood."

Nine in the morning.

Surrounded by a squad of Black-Armored cavalry, Feng Guan rode out of Cold Mountain County.

Li Shun remained hidden among the crowd as he watched him depart, then returned to the wooden hut and waited patiently until nightfall.

This time, with the Black-Armored Army's iron-wall protection, the journey home seemed to proceed without a hitch. Until deep into the night, no news of his murder came back.

Li Shun was greatly relieved.

Threefold Self-Reflection activated once again.

Time returned to the seventeenth day of the second month.

Li Shun repeated the same method, and everything remained as before.

Escorted by the Black-Armored cavalry, Feng Guan set out on his journey home.

Watching Feng Guan on horseback—somewhat timid from riding for the first time, yet with an unusual flush mixed into his face—Li Shun vanished into the morning mist and thought, Old Feng, this is all I can do for you.

As for what lies ahead, that depends entirely on your own fate.

The mounts of Great Qian's Black-Armored Army were renowned steeds called Moonlit White, capable of covering three thousand li a day. Together with Divine Speed Talismans and the earth-energy blessing unique to Great Qian's official roads, they truly ran as though soaring through clouds and riding mist.

At first, Feng Guan was still somewhat nervous on horseback, clutching the reins for dear life. But as he gradually adapted, watching the blurred scenery race backward beside him and hearing the wild wind howl past his ears, he felt a freedom and exhilaration unlike anything he had ever known. Heroic spirit surged in his chest, and he dearly wished to let out a long howl.

But when he caught sight of the heavily armored soldiers beside him, their expressions solemn as iron towers, Feng Guan obediently swallowed that howl back into his stomach.

The horses galloped at full speed, and by dusk, the escort party had reached the border checkpoint of Cold Mountain Commandery.

Only because they needed to undergo border inspection did the party slow down.

The sudden appearance of these tall, imposing Black-Armored elites, radiating astonishing Killing Intent, immediately set the merchants and commoners on the official road whispering among themselves.

"Where did this Black-Armored Army come from? Their killing intent is so heavy. Could war be breaking out at the border again?"

"Heh, not at all. Did you see that high-spirited young man in the middle of the group? I heard he was originally nothing more than a lowly hard laborer from Cold Mountain County. He stepped in dog shit and stumbled upon the rebels' scheme, then reported it first and earned merit. He seized this heaven-shaking achievement and was granted the rank of first-rank Public Scholar! Now this is a genuine homecoming in brocade robes."

"A first-rank Public Scholar!" The crowd cried out in envious amazement.

Yet some well-informed sharp-eyed people sneered. "He's only a first-rank noble. How can that count as some heaven-shaking achievement? The one who truly benefited this time was Cold Mountain County Magistrate Fang Xun! They say he was originally demoted and sent down from the Sacred Capital, where he had been grinding out seniority in this bitterly cold place. This time, he even took alive the legitimate imperial bloodline of Great Xiang. If you ask me, Lord Fang's return to the central court and meteoric rise are only days away!"

After hearing the full story, the crowd erupted in another wave of uproar, most of them wearing expressions of utter envy.

Yet amid the packed crowd stood an inconspicuous old woman. Beneath her hood, emotions entirely unlike those of the others churned across her face.

It was Yu Niang, disguised and fleeing.

"Fang Xun..."

Yu Niang clenched the corner of her clothes so tightly that her nails nearly sank into her flesh.

"All these years, how many times did you pour out your bitterness to me in bed? How many times did you complain that your ambitions had gone unrecognized, saying you would probably be trapped to death in this remote Cold Mountain County for the rest of your life?"

"Now you've rendered an achievement that overshadows the ages. You're about to return to the capital in glory, receive promotions and noble rank. Yet I... I have to hide in this wilderness for the rest of my life like a rat in a gutter, dodging your pursuit!"

"I gave you all of a woman's finest, most radiant years, and now you want to heartlessly abandon me..."

That immense disparity was like some invisible, vicious curse, instantly igniting the flames of jealousy buried deep in her heart.

Yu Niang's eyes became webbed with blood, overflowing with jealousy and resentment. Torn apart by those utterly twisted emotions, even her exquisite face beneath the disguise became hideously sinister.

Her mind was completely consumed by jealous flames. At that moment, she seemed to have lost all reason.

At the same time, she selectively forgot that she had lost the Cold Mountain Venerable. Only one mad thought remained in her mind—she absolutely could not allow that heartless, faithless man to enjoy that boundless wealth and glory alone!

Looking at the party ahead as it lined up for inspection, Yu Niang turned back to look toward Cold Mountain County.

She hesitated no longer. She abruptly turned around and quietly made her way back against the flow of people.

Li Shun naturally knew nothing of the undercurrents at Cold Mountain Commandery's border.

At this moment, his main consciousness was immersed within the Square Inch Space, methodically controlling stalk after stalk of Cold Mountain Grass to repair that half-damaged stone statue.

Watching the deep-blue light continuously sink into the statue's cracks, Li Shun frowned slightly.

"This repair through the divine ability consumed nearly eighteen more stalks of Cold Mountain Grass. The entire Square Inch Space now only has eighty-seven stalks left in stock."

Although a reserve of nearly ninety stalks could still be considered ample for the time being, such a rate of consumption—nearly all out and none in—left Li Shun, who had always liked to prepare for a rainy day and keep everything in his grasp, with a faint sense of unease.

He cast an imperceptible glance at the brocade box containing the Cold Mountain Venerable not far away.

The frost seal on the surface of the brocade box had already thinned considerably compared with the beginning.

"Almost there. Endure for another ten-odd days, and this seal will be completely undone."

The nineteenth day of the second month.

Li Shun's official reward finally finished crawling through the procedures and was formally issued to him.

Exemption from ten years of Cold Mountain corvée labor, a reward of three hundred thousand coins, and an independent residence in a relatively quiet part of the county seat.

Li Shun did not care much about the first two, but that final independent residence was especially important to him. A private environment belonging solely to him, where others would not barge in at any moment, was like sending charcoal in the snow for Li Shun, who carried a heaven-shaking secret such as Square Inch.

After collecting the key, Li Shun dragged his crippled leg and moved into his new home.

He did not hastily store the deed to the house and land issued by the yamen in the Square Inch Space. He merely placed them properly beneath his pillow.

Then he thoroughly inspected the residence.

"Great Qian's official methods are impossible to guard against, and Fang Xun is an especially suspicious man. There is no way to determine whether this new residence conceals any detection arrays or surveillance methods."

"Even if I haven't aroused suspicion, it is still better to be cautious. The puppet absolutely cannot be let out to show itself again anytime soon."

Li Shun sat in the empty main hall, his gaze flickering as he forcibly suppressed the urge to immediately dig an underground escape tunnel.