After the Blades

On the first day of the ceasefire, Bai Jin was still sitting outside Jialing Pass.

He moved a chair and placed it on the rock that had been flattened by the Trident, with a pot of water beside him. When Hu Liena brought the medicine, she saw him holding a map of the Wounded Soldiers' Corridor drawn on both sides, arguing with an officer about which path was shorter.

"You're letting the stretcher climb this slope?" Bai Jin pointed at the map. "The wound hasn't healed properly, and the person carrying it will be exhausted first. We'll take the riverbank; I'll handle the rocks blocking the way."

The officer quickly changed the route.

Hu Liena placed the medicine on the table, took away the nearly empty water bottle, and glanced at his still pale face.

"You get some sleep first, Xie Yue and I will stay here and guard you."

"Wait for another one."

Bai Jin looked towards the riverbank. The Allied Army's Wounded Soldiers' Wagon were approaching, and several Soul Master wearing different military insignia placed their hands on the wagons, watching the gate wall warily. They stopped by the agreed-upon pile of stones, and the Imperial Physician walked over with a stretcher, helping the people on the list who could be returned off the wagon one by one.

People on both sides were crying, and people on both sides were standing still.

An Imperial veteran recognized his younger brother and had just stepped out of the ranks when someone across from him grabbed the hilt of his sword. Bai Jin looked up, and the hand froze in place. The veteran carried his brother, who was too wounded to speak, back to his side, their insignia clinking softly against each other in their arms.

Only after the handover was completed did Bai Jin close his eyes.

The imperial army ceased its pursuit, and the Allied Army of the two countries did not cross the river again. Three days later, the people on both sides who could truly make the decision arrived at the pass. Tang San went with them into the makeshift tent, leaving the Sea God Trident outside.

Bibi Dong did not sit in the main seat.

She leaned back in her chair, a thick coat draped over her shoulders, with an Abdication Order signed by her own hand at her side. Qian Renxue stood before the table, accepting the ceasefire terms on behalf of the Empire, first ordering both sides to return the confirmed prisoners and wounded.

After Bai Jin had settled these matters, he placed the other item on the table.

The Arrest Warrant on the paper had yellowed with age, and next to it was a list of previously identified victims and those who carried out the arrests; the sources, signatures, and responsibilities all matched. Qiu Ren's drug case was closed; what was being addressed now was the part that still required the responsibility of the person who issued the order.

Tang San looked at it for a long time, and finally pushed the top piece of paper in front of Bibi Dong.

Do you acknowledge this order?

"I signed it."

Bibi Dong stretched out her hand, the scar on her wrist pressing down on the corner of the paper.

"I admit it."

Xiao Wu sat beside Tang San, her gaze falling on a few of the names. Her mother was gone, and the piece of paper couldn't make up for what she had lost in her childhood. She didn't reach out, but only asked Bibi Dong a question.

"Would you also leave these responsibilities to your subordinates?"

"I take full responsibility for my orders."

Bai Jin laid out the execution records that had already been verified. The Empire would still investigate the indiscriminate killings and illegal pursuits. The participants would be dealt with according to their actual actions, while ordinary members would remain in their respective Branch Hall and live their lives as usual. No one could use a military badge to kill someone.

Tang San turned another page.

"Public."

"Make it public." Qian Renxue continued, "Errors in the roster can be checked again, but things my mother signed won't be taken back and hidden away."

Bibi Dong did not object.

She pushed the Abdication Order onto the table and personally handed the last few military orders she still held to her daughter. Qian Renxue took them, without saying a word that those old matters were in the past, but simply placed the responsibilities that still needed to be handled aside.

Representatives from both countries kept their eyes fixed on the Abdication Order and also put forward their own claims about the borders they wanted to protect.

Bai Jin tapped the riverbed with his finger.

"Today we're talking about a ceasefire, returning the people, and clearing the way. Anyone who wants to use this meeting to seize another city should first raise their Military Flag again."

The tent was quiet for a while.

Tang San put down the roster and glanced at the people from the two countries. He had already fought that battle and witnessed firsthand what would happen when Divine Power struck an ordinary army. When he raised his Trident again, the first to be thrown into the valley were still the people in front of him.

The troops on both sides eventually retreated to their respective lines.

Before the withdrawal order was sent out, someone in the tent mentioned that Bibi Dong still possessed Soul Power. As a level 94 Twin Martial Souls expert, even with her Second Martial Soul temporarily sealed, she was still capable of regrouping a force in many places.

Bai Jin placed the military order she handed over on the table.

"She will no longer lead troops or issue arrest warrants. Anyone who uses her name to gather people will be the first to violate this Ceasefire Order."

"Can the empire guarantee that?"

Qian Renxue signed her name on the order.

"I guarantee it. The lost land, embezzlement, and compensation from the old case will be repaid from the Empire's identified assets. Everything she can use will be taken out first. Those on the list can come and check; there's no need to ask anyone to relay their messages."

Bibi Dong took another piece of paper and wrote down the location of the seals and private treasury that needed to be handed over. Someone tried to reserve one of the places as a place for her to recuperate, but she crossed out that line and only kept the Medical Shelter that had already been arranged in the south of the city.

After reading all this, Xiao Wu crossed her mother's name off a compensation list.

"I don't want this. Make the Hunting Ban clause clear."

Qian Renxue took another sheet of paper and, using the terms she had already researched, separated the Transformation, autonomous Soul Beast from ordinary Soul Hunting, prohibiting the use of humans as Soul Ring that could be dismantled at any time. Xiao Wu stood by the table watching her finish writing before leaving her name on her own line.

Outside the tent, the Soul Master in charge of relaying the orders divided these items into two parts and sent them to both armies. Bibi Dong's abdication, ban on leading troops, and responsibility for old cases were read aloud along with the Ceasefire Order. Initially, there was discussion Pass Tower, but later someone took off their helmet and heard the page where their loved ones were.

A wounded soldier leaned on his comrade to stand up and asked if he could leave the list in the medical tent.

Qian Renxue walked to the door and had the messenger hand him the document she had read aloud. She also set the location for the public verification as the Branch Hall. Bai Jin watched them carry the paper away, clutching it to his chest, and casually pushed the piece of gravel blocking their way out of the tent.

The Spirit Hall Empire continues to exist, and the border between Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empire has not been completely severed. Advances to the old territories requiring verification have been halted at their original garrison positions; disputes remain unresolved, and the Wounded Soldiers' Corridor and Coastal Trade Route are reopened first.

Ning Fengzhi's letter was delivered after the second meeting.

Seven Treasure's Five-Year Pact has expired. He is willing to continue sending doctors on the wounded soldier route, but he has not handed over the sect to any party. Blue Lightning has also opened his Mountain Gate, willing to take back his scattered clansmen, but he still will not send his disciples to fight for any country.

Qian Renxue read the two letters and wrote replies to both.

Bai Jin left the locations of the two sects on the map in their original positions, without adding the imperial flag to them.

When Tang San and Xiao Wu left the tent, they stopped by the river.

Bai Jin followed and walked closer. The smell of medicine on his shoulder hadn't dissipated, but his Right Hand could already steadily lift the teapot. He poured a cup for Tang San, and Xiao Wu took another cup. The three of them looked at the tire tracks being filled in, and no one spoke first.

After a moment, Tang San looked down at the wound on his Right Arm.

"Thank you for Xiao Wu's matter."

"It's good that she's back."

Xiao Wu placed the cup on the rock and gave Bai Jin a serious look.

"If anyone comes after me again, I will fight them back myself."

"If you need to fight, then fight. Don't mistake someone else for someone else."

She nodded and glanced again in the direction of the tent.

I will not forgive her.

Bai Jin didn't try to dissuade her, and Tang San didn't say anything else on her behalf. He took Xiao Wu's cup, took her hand, and walked along the newly cleared riverbank towards their companions.

Qian Renxue came out of the tent and walked to Bai Jin's side.

"You can finally go back."

"There's one more thing."

Bai Jin handed her the military merit certificate he had just received. The last page was blank, so he picked up a pen and wrote a few lines there.

After Qian Renxue finished reading, she turned to look at him.

"You're asking for leave at this time?"

"I'm already Level 99."

Bai Jin put down his pen and reached out his hand to her.

"It's time for me to take care of my own things."