Watching a group of people hastily making their way to West City, Tang Ziyue’s heart couldn’t settle down, he thought to himself, could Chen Jie have also anticipated his reaction, setting up this scheme, and willingly watching as he and his men search and retrieve the military equipment from the Mulan people on behalf of the Zoroastrian Sect?
Tang Ziyue felt it wouldn’t be this simple, could this be another one of Chen Jiusi’s traps?
At this moment, he wasn’t confident; he had been trapped by Chen Jie again and again, becoming extremely sensitive, even developing the paranoia of someone who, having once been bitten by a snake, fears the well rope for ten years. He felt that Chen Jie wouldn’t let him easily solve this predicament.
And being in such a trap, the best thing he could do was to do less, as less action meant fewer mistakes, but Nan Batian couldn’t wait; he needed to restore Yelu’s impression of him, so he must find a way.
Yet, after thinking of a plan, he felt a wave of fear, afraid that the plan he considered was already designed by Chen Jie in advance. These repeated blows made him somewhat fearful of Chen Jiusi.
He wasn’t afraid of others whose martial power exceeded his own, but being intellectually overwhelmed was enough to drive him into despair!
He hoped this wouldn’t be another one of Chen Jiusi’s traps.
Thinking this, Tang Ziyue ran to catch up with Nan Batian and the others who had already gone far.
Regardless, he had to find a way to help the Gang Leader get through this tough time!
The Gang Leader treated me sincerely, and I will treat the Gang Leader with the same sincerity.
At Qingshan Pass, Chen Jie was standing in front of a grave with his brothers. In the tomb were twenty-eight large coffins, next to which burned paper effigies and horses, as the funeral band played their somber tones. At this moment, Si Xi said, "Hall Master, it’s time to fill the grave."
Chen Jie said, "Ah, bring the wine."
Hearing this, Zhou Chu brought over a jar of wine. Chen Jie took a sip himself, then poured the rest out onto the ground saying, "Brothers, rest in peace!"
After saying this, Chen Jie personally picked up a handful of yellow soil and covered one of the coffins. He did this for all twenty-eight coffins, personally filling them with soil.
Once everything was done, his brothers began shoveling soil.
Chen Jie touched the tears at the corner of his eyes; these tears were real, a remembrance of his brothers.
Just then, a pigeon suddenly flew over. Chen Jie glanced at it; Si Xi immediately caught the pigeon and removed a bamboo tube from its leg, opened it, and read the message.
He then immediately came to Chen Jie’s side and said, "Hall Master, Nan Batian and his men have gone to West City."
Chen Jie, with a slight curl of his lips, chuckled, "Haha, Tang Ziyue reacts quite swiftly!"
Si Xi said, "Gang Leader, could they possibly not be fooled? After all, Tang Ziyue isn’t a fool; he might see through our set-up, right?"
Chen Jie chuckled and asked, "What if you were in a vast desert, dying of thirst, and in front of you is a bowl of water that might be poisoned, would you drink it?"
Si Xi thought for a moment and replied, "A desperate remedy."
Chen Jie said, "Yes, even knowing it’s poisoned water, if you don’t drink, you’ll die of thirst, but if you do drink, you might survive, maybe the poison won’t kill you."
"So sometimes being clever doesn’t necessarily solve problems; this is an overt scheme. Since Nan Batian has entered the game, don’t expect him to easily escape; this is the greatest gift I can give them."
"And the best tribute I can offer to my brothers."
As Chen Jie spoke, he patted the Green Stone Tablet in front of him and said to Si Xi, "Pass my command, every Qingming, send someone to visit them, the brothers have suffered all their lives, burn more paper money for them."
Chen Jie nodded, then turned and led his men away. What he needed to do had been done.
He was pained by the deaths of his brothers, yet he never regretted it, as the saying goes, ’A single success benefits the bones of thousands,’ Chen Jie’s pursuits were destined to be bloodily sacrificial; people would die now, and even more would die later. Chen Jie would remember them, mourn them, but he wouldn’t stop his progress because of them.
This path was destined to be lonely, and this road was inevitably ever onward.
Chen Jie never regretted, for regret was useless and brought no help.
Of course, along this way, Chen Jie would also receive a lot of help, many brothers would die, and more would join.
Chen Jie marched forward boldly, with Xiao Hu and Zhou Chu flanking him, followed by Si Xi, Chen Zhu, and then ten people, a hundred people...
A group following Chen Jie toward an unknown future.
Meanwhile, at West City Linhe Village.
There was a forest by the water here, dense with trees, and across the forest flowed a river; this river was a tributary of the Mianshui River, leading directly to the Mianshui River.
Previously, this was where the villagers gathered firewood, but now it had become a cemetery for the Mulan people.
Nan Batian and his group rushed in, passed through the forest, and then saw an open space, clearly newly cleared, some roots not even fully removed, and atop this new soil stood several freshly filled graves, the resting places of the Mulan people.
"We’ve come a step too late."
Nan Batian looked at these already filled graves and frowned.
Qin Ying said, "It’s okay, looking at the soil, it seems it hasn’t been long, and the graves haven’t been disturbed. The military equipment is probably still inside."
"Good, someone, dig for me!"
Nan Batian wasted no time ordering the digging, but just then, Tang Ziyue, who had been at the rear, suddenly shouted, "No, Gang Leader, we cannot dig!"
Nan Batian turned and looked at Tang Ziyue, completely baffled.