Journey Through the Passes and Mountains (6)

"Brother Zhang, what a fine move-striking the mountain to frighten the tiger!"

After Bai Yousi abruptly disappeared, the atmosphere in the hall relaxed, and Qin Bao could not help praising him on the spot. "Now that he's fled, we have something to get our hands on."

"What striking the mountain to frighten the tiger?" Zhang Xing gave a dry laugh, steamed bun in hand. "It only counts as that because he ran. If he'd been just a little more outspoken and come straight over, wouldn't it have been a case of heroes recognizing heroes? As for having something to get our hands on... that still depends on whether he's willing to confess afterward."

"At least you were observant enough to notice the woman's exceptional martial skills, then become wary of Li Ding."

"But why exaggerate so much and insist that the woman's beauty and talent were unparalleled...? Wouldn't the inspector have gone to arrest them even without that? Comparing some ordinary woman to the inspector was going too far!"

For a time, there was both praise and displeasure.

Zhang Xing, meanwhile, had long since lowered his head and gotten down to eating, enjoying steamed buns with large peaches dipped in bean paste.

Yet something interesting happened. Bai Yousi, who had always been overwhelmingly powerful, actually failed to return for a long time, leaving her subordinates in the hall somewhat unsettled. Gradually, some began to lose patience, but Hu Yan returned in time to maintain discipline. After another while, even Zhang Xing, who had finished eating, began to feel uneasy.

After all, Bai Yousi claimed to be in the core-condensing realm, but two people in that realm could be entirely different. Judging by this woman's record and overwhelming strength, the general belief, from top to bottom, was that she had at least reached Great Perfection of Core Condensing, and might even have begun silently contemplating all things in the world, advancing toward the core formation realm.

This was reasonable, too, because only then could she attempt to touch the Grandmaster realm before thirty and barely live up to Sima Second Dragon's assessment that she would become a dragon.

Yet such an expert had gone after two people who had only just fled, and still had not returned after the time it took to eat a meal.

What was going on?

In the end, even Hu Yan began to hesitate, seemingly preparing to organize a search party to provide support in the night.

Just then, however, Bai Yousi finally returned with the prisoners, though she looked rather bedraggled-half her body was covered in mud, and bits of sludge and rotten leaves clung to her hair.

"Inspector! Are you all right?"

"Did you bring a change of clothes, Inspector?"

"Inspector!"

"S-Sister Si..."

"It's fine, it's fine!" Bai Yousi was rather embarrassed herself, but still put on a show of composure. "I was careless... first, I didn't expect Li Ding to be an expert who'd unblocked several orthodox meridians. Second, although this woman's cultivation is only at Great Perfection of Meridian Unblocking, she's extremely skilled at ambushes and knows how to use the terrain."

At this, how could any of them fail to understand? What damned use were Li Ding's several unblocked orthodox meridians in front of her? An expert, indeed! Hadn't that female thief simply landed a sneak attack and embarrassed her?

It was only because her cultivation was so high that the successful attack had not hurt her.

With that thought, though they all grumbled inwardly, they promptly shifted their targets:

"What a villain!"

"What a shrew!"

"What a scoundrel!"

"None more venomous than a woman's... what a venomous woman!"

"Pah!"

The woman in purple with the veiled hat, who had been carried in with her hands bound and thrown onto the floor, finally lost her patience and raised her head. "You Brocade-Clad dogs spend your days serving as the tiger's ghosts, slaughtering loyal and worthy men at will. First you came to terrorize us, trying to force us to frame our own relatives. When that failed, you waited by the stump for a hare, lying in ambush until we fled so you could brand us fugitives from justice... nothing could be more calculated. How dare you spew filth and slander us now!"

The moment the woman spoke, she drew everyone's attention, followed by a brief, awkward silence-only now did they realize that Zhang Sanlang had not exaggerated in the slightest. Beneath the lamplight, this woman's looks truly were first-rate. Coupled with martial skills capable of smearing Bai Yousi's face with mud, it seemed Zhang Sanlang had not been trying to goad Inspector Bai at all.

Faced with such extraordinary beauty, the unmarried men who had just made such a display were indeed rather sheepish. Some even spontaneously developed an urge to protect her.

"I underestimated others. Now that things have come to this, I only wish to know how you intend to frame us." As the room fell quiet, it was Li Ding's turn to speak.

"You fled in the dead of night and confessed without being questioned. What do you mean, frame you?" Bai Yousi countered.

"I fled in the dead of night because I discovered that Bai Yousi and those under her in the Second Patrol Team of the Central Pacification Office of the Jing'an Directorate were taking bribes, perverting the law, and deliberately framing loyal men. Having no other choice, I intended to hurry back to the Eastern Capital overnight and seek an audience with my superiors," Li Ding replied calmly, sporting an enormous black eye. "Some people, however, have confessed without being questioned, and intend to inflict private punishment on an imperial official."

The scene froze awkwardly. No one actually refuted him.

It was not that they could not refute him, but that his assertions were so outrageous their minds had yet to catch up.

"Li Ding." After a long while, it was Black Sash Hu Yan who sternly rebuked him. "You think we're framing you, and we think you're fleeing from your crimes... may I ask which side has authority over this investigation? Are you investigating under an imperial decree, or are we? Are you the one under suspicion, or are we? And between you and our inspector, whose office is greater and whose rank higher? Finally, did your attendant not attack just now? That last point alone, whatever the reason, would justify executing you on the spot. What could you say to that?"

Li Ding said nothing more.

Li Qingchen, however, caught on and answered mockingly, "Are you afraid of being humiliated, sir? Have you now remembered that our inspector comes from a distinguished family, and decided to exploit his principles?"

"Even so, he's still from the Li Clan of Longxi, and a nephew of the Han Clan. We should show him some consideration," Qian Tang said with a sneer. "We can't strip him and hang him from the woodshed too, can we? Besides, there's a woman with him."

"This woman has at least reached Great Perfection of Meridian Unblocking and begun attempting to condense her core." Bai Yousi sighed, interrupting their conversation. "I'll have to watch her myself. As for Li Ding, you must keep a close eye on him."

"Just break his legs," Zhang Xing helpfully reminded her. "Say he fell and injured himself while fleeing."

"Enough of that nonsense." Bai Yousi shot Zhang Xing a cold look. "Zhang Sanlang, you stirred this up out of nowhere, so you can interrogate him. I'll question the woman."

Zhang Xing promptly shut his mouth.

And so, the two men who had just spoken once resumed their conversation after no more than the time it took to eat a meal. This time, however, their positions as host and guest had plainly reversed.

Li Ding sat with his hands bound on the couch at the far end of his original room. Li Qingchen and Qin Bao sat drinking tea at the table outside, while Zhang Xing simply climbed onto the other man's couch and sat cross-legged-there was no helping it. Barring any surprises, Zhang Xing would probably have to lie down and sleep beside him tonight.

Those who shared a couch were not necessarily close friends or brothers. They might very well be an officer and a suspect, or, to put it another way, an imperial running dog and a loyal man.

"Li Ding, confess truthfully. How did you get the Han rebel out?" Zhang Xing made a show of setting a sheet of paper on his legs and scribbling on it with a charcoal pencil.

"I never even saw my cousin," Li Ding replied calmly. "He escaped the day before I arrived at the post station... sir, I underestimated you before. Whatever else I considered, I never thought to credit a Brocade-clad Patrol Cavalryman with any depth. But now that things have come to this, why keep up this act? Haven't you long since decided how this case should be resolved?"

Qin Bao and Li Qingchen turned in surprise.

"You actually haven't told your colleagues?" Realizing something, Li Ding pressed him in astonishment.

"Told us what?" Li Qingchen rose and questioned Zhang Xing. "Zhang Sanlang, you already have a way to solve the case?"

"Not a way to solve the case, but a way to resolve the situation," Zhang Xing replied, turning back helplessly. "They're different."

"What's the difference?"

"Solving the case means finding Han Shixiong and handing him over to complete our assignment. Resolving the situation is like our killing in the southern ward last time: recognize what those above us actually want, then use a move outside the board to give them an account they can hardly refuse, and everything will be fine," Zhang Xing answered earnestly.

"Tell us, then." Li Qingchen seemed rather restless. "What do those above want? Didn't we do quite well in the southern ward last time?"

"Those above-at the very least, the sovereign in Ziwei Palace and the Intendant currently presiding over the great case against Yang Shen-want to weaken the great clans as much as possible, especially their military commanders... after Yang Shen's rebellion, that's only natural for the central government and the ruler. That's the larger backdrop to this case," Zhang Xing replied helplessly. "So if we really want to complete our assignment, we needn't even find Han Shixiong. We can just lean on those three guards and force them to write confessions naming Supreme Pillar of the State Han Changmei as the instigator... those above would certainly accept that. In fact, that may have been their intention all along. They've merely brought their methods to bear and insisted on making the Bai Clan play the villain and draw everyone's wrath."

"Why Han Changmei, not Han Yingong?" After hesitating, Qin Bao asked frankly.

"Because Han Yingong is right at Tong Pass and can slaughter us, while Han Changmei can't reach us," Zhang Xing answered just as frankly.

"Then..."

"Then why are you still hesitating, sir?" Li Ding suddenly interjected, folding his arms and fixing his gaze on Zhang Xing. "Now that I've been captured, you have another close relative to testify against him. Surely my second uncle will find it even harder to escape this calamity?"

"Why else?" Zhang Xing likewise folded his arms and turned back, suddenly rather stifled. "On the one hand, as a man living in this world, when I see the court's policies and the great plans of state and army reduced to private schemes for individual houses, I naturally find it intolerable, even contemptible. On the other, I know that this is how the world is. Great hereditary clans bar the way, boundlessly greedy and base. A lone scholar of humble birth who wants to accomplish anything has to endure for a time, bow and scrape, then make further plans once he has room to straighten his back... in my place, wouldn't you hesitate and waver?"

The room fell silent, with only the four men's heavy breathing.

"People say that failing to judge others clearly only brings humiliation upon oneself." After a moment, Li Ding recovered and cupped his hands. "But to misjudge someone twice in one night, and the same person at that, makes me look all the more disgraceful."

"Don't cup your hands at me," Zhang Xing replied coldly. "This whole affair is fallout from the struggle between the sovereign and the great clans. Our journey was always meant to ease the Bai Clan's troubles; we were always carrying out a house's private schemes. And our inspector happens to be someone who has treated us with kindness and loyalty. There's no question of us subordinates making things difficult for her. Otherwise, I wouldn't have half-reluctantly pushed things forward... now I'm telling you sincerely: you had better truly be capable and find your cousin for us, or you won't escape implication."

"Difficult!" Li Ding folded his arms and leaned against the couch, sitting cross-legged with a bitter smile. "First, I truly had nothing to do with this. Second, if I must suspect someone, I can only guess, as you do, that it was my third uncle at Tong Pass. But he commands several thousand elite troops there. If you go looking for him, given his temperament, he really might leave every one of you dead without a burial place..."

At this point, Li Ding raised his head and cupped his hands toward Zhang Xing. "I recall your name is Zhang Xing?"

"Yes."

"They call you Zhang Sanlang?"

"Yes."

"Zhang Sanlang." Li Ding sighed and cupped his hands again. "This world is dangerous by its very nature. In your place, I probably would have acted as you described long ago. I can hardly blame you... but there are two things. First, I consider myself a man of ambition too, and I'm unwilling to be reduced to mud beneath the wheels of mighty houses. Second, that younger sister of mine..."

"Younger sister?" Zhang Xing sneered. "A younger sister with a different father and mother?"

"She is my confidante." Hearing this, Li Ding instead grew calm. "If being born Han Bolong's nephew means this calamity was fated for me, then my confidante is entirely innocent... her name is Zhang Shiniang. She was a concubine in Yang Shen's Residence, and an assassin too, the sort raised from childhood within the inner quarters of a great house... back when Yang Shen oversaw the military and civil affairs of the Central Plains, I went to build roads, paid a visit to his house, and offered a few suggestions. She stood beside us holding the wine pot. Seeing that I had some ambition, she abandoned Yang Shen that night and came to me alone... I'm ashamed enough that I haven't been able to fulfill my ambitions. How could I let her innocently lose her life and future as well?"

Zhang Xing looked thoughtful, while Qin Bao and Li Qingchen were also moved.

After all, in these times, a concubine of a great house fleeing by night was quite a stirring affair. Conversely, although Li Ding was currently destitute and his official career had stalled, he was still a scion of a hereditary clan. That he could remember their bond at such a moment and plead for Zhang Shiniang, who had come from the ranks of household entertainers, meant he was not a heartless man.

Now Li Ding also bowed deeply on the couch, almost making a full ceremonial obeisance. "Zhang Sanlang, and you other two gentlemen, the emperor and his imperial uncle now wish to pluck the melons and comb through the vines, making the Bai Clan clash with the Han Clan. As their respective dependents, we've collided down here below. There is no right or wrong in that. Besides, you are the knives and chopping block, and we are the fish and meat. We have no right to ask for fairness or reason. Still, I wish to ask you to show compassion, either by acting impartially for once and saving us, or by speaking reason to Inspector Bai and asking him to raise his hand a little in mercy. If we escape this calamity, I will surely repay you in the future."

Qin Bao and Li Qingchen both wanted to speak, but both lost heart.

Zhang Xing alone remained immovable, arms folded. "Li Ding, you've spent all this time boasting, your mouth full of bitter criticism of the world. But what insights and abilities do you actually possess, that a woman like that would hear you speak once at a banquet and flee to you that very night? How about this? Tonight is long, and I have no desire to sleep. Why not tell me again, and see whether I, Zhang Sanlang, can recognize quality-or whether I fall short of your Zhang Shiniang?"

P.S. Everyone, keep enjoying the second day of the New Year!