Leave it to Danjin

The Exiles obediently explained what had happened.

They had only recently joined the Exiles, but their boss's camp had already been wiped out.

They had figured they might find some work outside and make a little money.

Instead, right after dismantling the scout tower, they had been caught red-handed by Ling An and his companions.

With things having come to this, Ling An thought it was time to teach them a harsh lesson.

Jianxin stepped forward.

Her expression was gentle, with a saintly innocence. "Those who commit evil will eventually face retribution. The rations I gave you should last you all the way to Jinzhou City. Go to the city and become good people again."

Hearing this, Ling An couldn't help sighing inwardly.

That was certainly something Jianxin would do.

These Exiles kept insisting they had only just joined, but that was only their side of the story.

Who knew whether they had blood on their hands?

Let villains go without punishment, and what did you think they would do the next time they ran out of money or food?

Especially in a place as troubled as Jinzhou.

Jianxin had little experience of the world and knew far too little about human nature.

In Ling An's words, she was a bleeding heart.

A bleeding heart.

The sort who often appeared in troubled times.

Some believed bleeding hearts should be the first to die in times of chaos, while others believed people only disliked them because they weren't the ones receiving that compassion.

Ling An had no interest in saying much more about that debate.

Now that Jianxin had stepped forward, Yangyang and Tide Sis felt too awkward to undermine her.

The Exiles knelt on the ground, tears and snot streaming down their faces as they thanked Jianxin for her immense kindness.

Ling An watched coldly, recalling a famous saying-

They hadn't realized they were wrong. They had realized they were about to die.

If not for Jianxin, the Midnight Rangers would never have let them off so easily for their crimes.

Beaming, Jianxin helped them to their feet. "Go on. Return to Jinzhou City and become good people."

Ling An watched in silence, then suddenly caught a glimpse of red out of the corner of his eye.

His eyes immediately lit up.

What a coincidence!

Ling An hurriedly nudged Tide Sis.

Meanwhile, an innocent red-haired girl passing by noticed them and eagerly waved. "Ling An! Rover!"

Tide Sis glanced over. "Danjin?"

"That's me! What a coincidence running into you here." She glanced at the Exiles on the ground and asked curiously, "What are you doing here?"

"These people are Exiles. We happened to catch them," Yangyang explained.

"Oh? Exiles?" Danjin's eyes instantly lit up as she enunciated the words.

Ling An could feel excitement radiating from Danjin.

"Young friend, judging by the direction you're headed, are you returning to Jinzhou?" Jianxin asked Danjin.

"Yes! I'm going back to Jinzhou to get my weapon repaired!" Danjin nodded vigorously.

Ling An froze.

He remembered that it hadn't been long since Danjin's last trip to the city to repair her weapon.

Had she already hacked its edge dull again?

Jianxin's eyes brightened, and she cupped her hands in greeting. "As a fellow Resonator, may I trouble you with a favor? Could you escort these people back to Jinzhou?"

At those words, Danjin swept her azure eyes over the Exiles, a trace of crimson slowly spreading within them.

"Sure! It's no trouble at all. Leave it to me!" she agreed excitedly, patting her chest.

Ling An looked at the Exiles. Their eyes were fixed intently on the Unpolished Jade hanging against Danjin's chest.

One Exile hurriedly agreed. "That sounds great! Let this young lady escort us back. We don't know the way, anyway."

Behind him, the other Exiles nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Danjin smiled at them and nodded. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to send you on your way."

Ling An didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

The hungry wolves thought they had found a fat lamb, never realizing they were the lambs themselves.

"Excellent. You have my thanks." Jianxin bowed respectfully.

"You're welcome! I'll get going, then!" Danjin's innocent smile was utterly adorable.

She leaned over to Tide Sis and rubbed Ling An's head. "Little kitty, I'll come play with you again next time."

Then she set off for Jinzhou with the Exiles.

Ling An could faintly hear her talking to the Exiles-

"Just so you know, I may be a Resonator, but I'm not good at fighting. You'll have to behave yourselves."

"This jade is a family heirloom. It's worth a lot, so no sneaking peeks!"

So said Danjin.

Ling An nearly blacked out and tumbled from Tide Sis's arms.

When it came to baiting criminals, she couldn't have been more professional.

"Will this really be all right?" Tide Sis asked quietly.

"Trust me," Ling An replied softly. "They'll be lucky if they even get to see the city gates."

Now everyone was happy.

Jianxin had satisfied her kind heart;

Tide Sis and Yangyang had repaired the scout tower;

The Exiles thought good fortune had fallen into their laps;

Danjin had more work to do.

As for Ling An-

He had enjoyed the show.

What a perfect happy ending!

Though the Exiles might have a rough time in a little while.

Ling An silently prayed that Danjin's blade would be swift and spare the Exiles too much suffering.

Soon, Tide Sis repaired the second scout tower trapped in thorns, and the group arrived at Fubo Camp.

Before they even entered, waves of agonized cries reached their ears.

Their expressions grew solemn.

Fubo Camp stood just a stone's throw from the front lines.

Those gathered here were either soldiers about to head into battle and face death or wounded men who had been relieved from the front.

The atmosphere was heavy.

The smells of medicine, blood, and Blackstone weapons mingled in the air.

Together, they formed an indescribable odor.

It was the smell of war.

Only upon truly reaching the front could one understand how much its soldiers had sacrificed for Jinzhou's peace.

Some were Resonators, while others were ordinary people wielding Blackstone weapons.

But without exception, they were heroes worthy of Jinzhou, and even Huanglong itself.

Some of the wounded lying on the ground were howling, but on closer listening, their cries were neither screams of pain nor pleas to retreat.

"Why did you pull me out? I can still kill the enemy!"

"It's just a leg! It's not like I lost a hand. How's that supposed to stop me from holding a gun?"

They walked through Fubo Camp, their hearts growing heavier as they listened to the soldiers' protests.

"The Blood-red Tide numbers in the tens of thousands. When it surges in, every soldier is a cornerstone of our defenses. It's their presence on the front lines that has given Jinzhou its lasting peace."

Yangyang spoke slowly, her expression utterly solemn.

Jianxin's face had also lost its earlier gentleness.

Having just released the Exiles, who knew what was going through her mind now?

The front lines were already like this. If the damage to the scout tower had allowed Tacet Discords to invade, it would likely have brought another great disaster upon Jinzhou.

Yet she had not punished the Exiles who had nearly caused such a disaster. Instead, she had treated them with courtesy.

She stood still for a long time before finally speaking slowly. "Only after seeing this do I understand how naive I was. I... was wrong."

Her gaze grew resolute once more. "Once I find Zhiyuan, I believe Danjin and the Exiles won't have gone far. I'll catch up with them and reconsider how I handled things earlier. Please excuse me."

She turned and left, determination evident in her retreating figure.

Ling An felt deeply heartened.

Jianxin was pure and kind by nature. She simply had too little experience of the world to understand human nature.

Ling An wholeheartedly approved of this change in her.

At least, he had never disliked the girl.

People only grew after witnessing certain things with their own eyes.

Still, by the time she found Zhiyuan and headed back, the Exiles would probably have already reached Naihe Bridge.

After all, this was Danjin.

Far away, along the road between Desorock Highland and Jinzhou City.

Danjin sat on a large boulder, humming as she wiped the blood from the Crimson Blade.

The once-sharp Crimson Blade now had a rolled edge. She sighed helplessly, then simply set it aside, braced her hands against the boulder, and idly swung her legs.

In the sunlight, her innocent azure eyes sparkled.

Beneath her gently swinging legs, blood pooled on the ground.