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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 16: Parting Ways
The cold night was eerie, and the darkness of Blackstone Village felt even more foreboding.
The candlelight was dim and unsettling as Ji Zichen sat before it.
Jiang Chun had escaped from Zhuque Chenjing, and no one had noticed him yet. Ling Xuan had already sent people to search for him. Based on the time elapsed, Jiang Chun might have already left, but he could also still be nearby. Ling Xuan had also sent a message to the checkpoints in Western King City, instructing them to capture Jiang Chun if he was spotted first.
Ling Xuan looked at the silent Ji Zichen and said, "I can find ways to silence others, but I can't control Jiang Chun. If he escapes back to Western King City, I will have no means to deal with it."
Ji Zichen nodded in understanding and replied, "I understand. We just need to do our best to stop him."
Xia Zhou stood by the window, gazing out into the night. The air here was cool and thin, but Xia Zhou felt no chill. He remarked, "Whether we find him or not doesn't matter. Now that we are on guard, anyone trying to enter Zhuque Chenjing will face dire consequences."
Ling Xuan smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry; I will keep my promise. I will do my best to ensure you are not disturbed."
Xia Zhou looked at Ling Xuan and smiled slightly for reasons unknown. Ling Xuan couldn't decipher the meaning behind Xia Zhou's smile. Xia Zhou turned back to gaze out the window without responding.
A shadow flew over the wall, and Xia Zhou swiftly threw an Eight Desolation Needle, striking the shadow down with a thud. The torchlight illuminated the figure on the ground.
It was a Black-eyed Crow, known for its appetite for carrion, roughly the size of a raven. Xia Zhou did not particularly like creatures that feasted on decaying flesh. While Black-eyed Crows were present in Zhuque Chenjing, they were quite rare there; he hadn't expected to see one here.
The Black-eyed Crow was believed to be a vessel for evil souls, which made it generally unappealing to people. Once, a Black-eyed Crow had secretly eaten some dried meat that Xia Zhou had hung out to dry outside Watchtower. At that time, he hadn't managed to catch it, but now he felt quite satisfied having killed one; it felt like a form of revenge.
As Xia Zhou looked at the fallen Black-eyed Crow, he sighed deeply. He felt some unease about his decision to come out this time; he wasn't sure if it was the right choice. Yet undeniably, he felt a strong curiosity about what lay ahead.
As the night deepened, Ling Xuan yawned and said, "It's late; let's get some sleep. We have a long journey ahead tomorrow."
The house they were currently in was the former Gathering Hall of Blackstone Village, a place for meetings rather than sleeping. After a long journey, Ji Zichen felt somewhat fatigued and said to Xia Zhou, "Let's go rest."
Xia Zhou nodded and left the Gathering Hall with Ji Zichen. As they walked toward the left side of the village, Xia Zhou asked, "Where are we going tomorrow?"
Ji Zichen replied, "We need to ask Lin Chuyu; I have no idea what Management discussed with her."
Although Blackstone Village was not large, the houses were built without any rules, resembling a chaotic pile of stones.
Xia Zhou couldn't help but complain, "This place is really winding and twisting; one turn after another, how many turns have we made?"
Seeing the haphazard construction, it was evident that the people who lived here before were a disorganized bunch. Ji Zichen laughed and said, "If you can't even handle this place, how will you manage in the big city? The alleys there are even more numerous."
Xia Zhou chuckled, "I'm just not used to it."
Ji Zichen understood where Xia Zhou's discomfort came from. In Zhuque Chenjing, the houses were more spread out due to the low population density. Now faced with such cramped quarters, it was only natural for Xia Zhou to feel uneasy.
As they chatted casually on their way to their dwelling, they encountered two patrolling soldiers. One of the Patrolling Soldiers impatiently slapped his neck and muttered, "This place is really filthy."
He opened his palm to reveal a thumb-sized mosquito he had just killed, blood pooling in his hand. Looking at the bloodstain with disgust, he remarked, "These mosquitoes are huge; if a few more come around, I fear my blood won't be enough to satisfy them."
The other soldier laughed and said, "Just bear with it; we'll leave tomorrow." After a sigh, he added, "But we didn't accomplish our mission this time; there's no reward for us. This trip has been a waste."
The first soldier responded, "You should be grateful; we're still lucky compared to those injured brothers. They have nothing. Chief Justice has already instructed us to keep quiet about what happened here. Make sure you don't say too much when you get back; Chief Justice won't spare you."
At that moment, Ji Zichen and Xia Zhou happened to pass by them. The two soldiers fell silent simultaneously, appearing tense as they deliberately avoided eye contact with Ji Zichen and Xia Zhou while they walked past.
Xia Zhou found it amusing and said, "They seem quite afraid of us."
Ji Zichen thought the two soldiers looked very familiar. After a moment of recollection, Kiko remembered where she had seen them before; they had been with Ling Xuan at that time, having narrowly escaped from Elder. Everyone present had witnessed the power of Xia Zhou's Eight Desolation Needles and had also seen Ji Zichen's skills.
It was understandable that these two soldiers held some apprehension towards them.
Ji Zichen smiled lightly in response and said, "I remember them; they retreated to the hill with the other practitioners."
With Kiko's reminder, Xia Zhou suddenly realized, "So they are those soldiers."
Ji Zichen then became very interested in a particular question and asked Xia Zhou, "Why did your divine race leave so many ruins behind?"
Xia Zhou found Kiko's question amusing and replied, "Leave behind? It should be more accurate to say we didn't have time to take them away."
"Didn't have time to take them away?" Kiko had never considered this point. "Why wouldn't you have time?"
Xia Zhou pondered for a moment before shaking his head heavily. "I'm not really sure about that either, but we've all heard how urgently we retreated back then. I don't know what happened at that time; you know how long it's been—it's likely no one remembers clearly anymore."
Kiko took a deep breath. Indeed, after so much time, no one could know the answer. When Kiko's gaze met Xia Zhou's, she smiled slightly and said, "Have you figured it out long ago?"
Xia Zhou awkwardly cleared his throat and chuckled embarrassedly. "Yes, Jiang Tao and I talked about things outside back then; of course, he was also listening to that woman."
At that moment, they reached their own door. Kiko pushed it open and glanced at the opposite room before entering. The candlelight in the opposite room had gone out. Kiko remarked, "Lin Chuyu went to sleep quite early."
Xia Zhou then thought of Jinglun Institute and asked curiously, "Tell me the truth; is she really Zhuque?"
Ji Zichen did not hide anything from Xia Zhou. "Yes, let's go inside. Don't disturb her; I'll tell you about everything we've been through."
Xia Zhou nodded, curiosity evident in her eyes. "Since I have some free time, I’d like to hear it."
Time flew by, and soon it was the next morning. Ji Zichen and Xia Zhou had slept in a bit, and neither of them felt particularly energetic. However, Xia Zhou was quite eager to hear about their experiences.
In Blackstone Village, many soldiers were already cooking breakfast, with smoke rising gently around the camp. Ji Zichen stepped outside and noticed that the door to Lin Chuyu's house was wide open. When she entered, she found that Lin Chuyu was not inside. She made her way to the center of the village, where there was a square.
Lin Chuyu was walking towards Ji Zichen from across the square. "Where did you go so early?" Ji Zichen asked.
Lin Chuyu replied with a light laugh, "Nowhere special, just taking a stroll."
At that moment, several soldiers hurried past them, each carrying a wooden barrel. Ji Zichen glanced into one of the barrels and saw it filled with Flammable Oil.
She realized that these soldiers were following Ling Xuan's orders to prepare for burning down the village. Just then, Ling Xuan emerged from a building to inspect the soldiers' preparations and inadvertently spotted Ji Zichen and Lin Chuyu.
Ling Xuan approached them and pointed at the busy soldiers. "See? I didn't go back on my word. After breakfast, I'll fulfill my promise."
Lin Chuyu had little fondness for Ling Xuan but felt it would be a shame for the village to be burned down. She turned to Ji Zichen and said, "Are we really going to burn this place? It seems a bit regrettable."
Ji Zichen chuckled lightly. "Regrettable? What’s there to regret? The forest is dense; I doubt many people would come here anyway. Although they drove away those from Blackstone Village, who knows if they might return after we leave?"
"Burn it down; it must be done," Xia Zhou interjected from behind them. "This place is not far from the entrance to Zhuque Chenjing; burning it ensures our safety."
A soldier approached to report that the oil barrels were all set up. Ling Xuan nodded in understanding and instructed the other soldiers to quickly eat some breakfast so they could continue their journey.
About half an hour later, everyone was ready. One by one, they filed out of the camp. A soldier holding a torch stood outside the gate. Seeing that everyone had come out, Ling Xuan nodded to signal the soldier to light the fire.
The soldier took a couple of steps forward and threw the torch toward the camp wall. As soon as the torch touched the oil-soaked wall, flames erupted.
At this moment, Ling Xuan mounted her horse, followed by Ji Zichen and the others. Ling Xuan's gaze fell on Xia Zhou as she asked, "So, how do you feel now? Can you relax?"
Xia Zhou did not meet Ling Xuan's eyes; instead, his gaze was fixed on the roaring fire reflected in his eyes. "Let's set off," he replied.
Not waiting for further response from Xia Zhou, Ling Xuan turned her attention to Ji Zichen and asked, "Where will you go after we leave?"
Ji Zichen replied, "What? Do you want to travel with me?"
Ling Xuan teased with a smile, "What’s the point of traveling with you? You only like to burrow underground, and I’m not fond of that."
Ji Zichen urged her horse forward. "Then why do you ask?"
Without any further delay, they all proceeded slowly into the forest.
After half a day, they finally emerged from the woods. Outside the forest were two official roads branching left and right. The left path led to Western King City. Ling Xuan knew that Ji Zichen and the others wouldn’t be heading there, so she could only part ways with Ji Zichen here.
As Ling Xuan's group moved on in the distance, Ji Zichen led his three companions down the right road. "Let’s find a town to settle down for now and then figure out our next steps," he said.
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