Chapter 242: Secret Passage

Beside the window lattice, Chen Ji's face was solemn.

The Jing Chao siege of the city was imminent, yet the secret path was only a decoy used by Longmen Inn for 'black eating black,' with no escape route.

At this moment, Xiao Man and Zhang Zheng were still squabbling, Zhang Xia didn't bother to stop them and simply stood up and moved away.

She came beside Chen Ji and asked curiously, "What are you thinking about?"

Chen Ji suddenly asked, "Second Miss Zhang, after the Jing Chao break the city, is it possible they will massacre it?"

Zhang Xia was silent for a moment: "Jing Yuanzong once personally led an imperial expedition to conquer Gu Yuan, and was ambushed in Long Mountain, hit by an arrow and fled. The arrow head was poisoned, and even the monk from Ku Jue Temple that Jing Chao invited to treat him was useless. He died two months later without being cured. Before his death, he left his last words, 'If heaven blesses my son, he should thoroughly conquer Gu Yuan land, search and kill the remaining people, build a capital view, make its white bones cover the fields, a thousand li of red ground.'"

Chen Ji's heart trembled. Even Xiao Man and Zhang Zheng stopped bickering and looked uneasily at Zhang Xia.

Xiao Man looked at Chen Ji worriedly: "Young Master, Gu Yuan hasn't fallen in several hundred years, this time it should be able to defend itself, right?"

Chen Ji didn't answer, nor could he answer.

What happened in Luo City seemed to have happened a long time ago, but Jing Wang's death was like a butterfly flapping its wings on the other shore of the great ocean, stirring up a storm in an unknown place. He didn't know how many people in the Gu Yuan border army wanted to take revenge for Jing Wang, and how many people were plotting rebellion and colluding with the enemy.

Before Gu Yuan was broken, no one could be certain now.

Xiao Man asked in a low voice, "If Jing Chao really massacres the city, how many people in Gu Yuan can survive?"

Zhang Xia stood by the window lattice and turned to look at her: "One or two out of a hundred."

Xiao Man asked again, "Is there any way to survive?"

Zhang Xia recalled: "Officials who show sincerity can survive, but they must be tattooed on the face, with the word 'surrender' stabbed into it. This way, they also cut off the idea of returning to Ning Chao."

Xiao Man doubted: "Such humiliation for officials, who would still be willing to show them sincerity?"

Zhang Zheng sneered: "Better to live badly than to die well, right?"

Xiao Man glared at him: "If Jing Chao breaks the city, you'll be the first one to show sincerity!Too bad you're not an official, they won't want you!"

Zhang Zheng raised an eyebrow: "I, a man, would rather die than surrender!"

Xiao Man laughed coldly: "You have the backbone to rather die than surrender."

Zhang Zheng said happily: "If I surrender, my dad, that official-addict, will definitely be dismissed by His Majesty and investigated. I can't pit him."

Xiao Man ignored him and turned to ask Zhang Xia, "Jing Chao tattoos officials' faces, aren't they afraid that the officials will take the opportunity to take revenge later?"

Zhang Xia sighed: "In fact, tattooed officials are fiercer when killing their own people than Jing Chao people. The Jing Chao Tian Ce Army once had a tattooed surrendered general who killed quite a few Ning Chao people. After the battle of Qu Wu Mountain, his whereabouts were unknown."

Xiao Man lowered her head, not knowing what she was thinking.

Chen Ji saw the tense atmosphere and smiled to comfort them: "Maybe it's just a false alarm. You should all rest early. There are still proper matters to attend to tomorrow. Xiao Man, you can guard the latter half of the night."

"Oh..."

The night was deep and quiet.

Xiao Man, who was guarding the night by the window lattice, quietly looked around. Chen Ji and Zhang Zheng were sleeping on the floor in the outer room, Zhang Xia was sleeping on the floor alone in the inner room, with a curtain hanging in the middle.

She turned her head and was suddenly startled. She saw Wu Yun lying on the windowsill with her hands tucked in, staring at her coldly.

Xiao Man suddenly felt a little strange. As Wu Yun breathed, the rhythm of her body's movement went from fast to slow, as if following some rhythm, and her tucked hands seemed to hide a knife.

She shook her head, thinking what she was thinking, just a solitary fox slave.

Xiao Man tiptoed out the door, careful not to make a sound.

She came downstairs along the stairs, but saw a candle burning on the counter and the shopkeeper just holding a brush to record accounts.

The shopkeeper saw her come down and asked curiously, "Guest official, if you want hot water, go back and find Xiao Wu."

However, Xiao Man suddenly flipped her palm, and a gleaming 'lamp fire' copper coin appeared: "Shopkeeper, please look at this."

The shopkeeper's eyes narrowed slightly: "Since you are a colleague, why didn't the guest official say anything earlier when I asked 'use copper coins or silver taels'?"

Xiao Man came to the opposite side of the counter and said calmly, "Others don't know my identity, so I didn't reveal it."

The shopkeeper said 'oh': "It seems that the other three guests have no relation to my 'lamp fire'. Guest official, since you have come to my 'lamp fire' inn with a shining copper coin, what matter are you seeking?"

Xiao Man asked in a low voice, "Does your inn have a secret path to leave Gu Yuan or not?"

The shopkeeper hesitated.

Xiao Man calmly asked, "Even a colleague is concealing the 'lamp fire' inn, holding a copper coin, you must respond to what is sought!"

The shopkeeper smiled and put down the brush in his hand: "Naturally there is. My Dragon Gate Inn has two secret paths. If you come with silver taels to buy a road, you'll be fleeced dry. If you come with copper coins, you can pass without obstacle."

"Where does it lead?"

"Jing Chao, Xijing Road, Fengshengzhou."

"Only this one road?"

"Only this one."

Xiao Man suddenly relaxed: "How is the road money calculated?"

The shopkeeper picked up a bamboo stick and brightened the lamp wick a little, then said slowly and deliberately, "Two copper coins per person."

Xiao Man hesitated. She only had two copper coins, but there were four people to go.

The shopkeeper put down the bamboo stick and asked with a smile, "When does the guest official plan to go?"

Xiao Man was silent for a moment and asked, "I only have two copper coins. One copper coin can be exchanged for two hundred taels of silver. Then I can spend not a thousand two hundred taels, and buy three people to leave Gu Yuan from the secret path."

"There is no such rule." The shopkeeper eyed Xiao Man suspiciously: "Are you really a 'lamp fire' person or not? How do you not even understand these rules? Where did this copper coin come from?"

Xiao Man hurriedly said, "Why are you asking these things... Then I can't let others use the 'lamp fire' copper coin."

The shopkeeper said meaningfully, "Guest official, other people's lives, where are they as important as your own life? You are willing to spend two 'lamp fire' copper coins to buy lives for others, but in the eyes of others, are you worth these two copper coins? In this Jianghu world now, if people are not for themselves, heaven and earth will be destroyed."

Xiao Man was slightly startled: "Also, oh."

The shopkeeper smiled slightly: "The secret path can be taken at any time, but the guest official needs to remember that this matter cannot be told to anyone beside you, otherwise 'lamp fire' will not tolerate you."

"I know the rules!"

Saying that, Xiao Man lifted her skirt and ran up the stairs thump thump thump. Until she entered the room, she just leaned against the closed door and breathed a long sigh of relief.

A moment later, she calmed her breath, tiptoed to the wardrobe, and quietly fumbled through Chen Ji's clothes. The next moment, she pulled out two strings of Buddha Gate treasures from the wardrobe. This was Chen Ji's entire family property.

She bit her lower lip, seemingly struggling. She first looked at the Buddha Gate treasures in her hand, then looked at the sleeping Chen Ji on the floor, not knowing what she was hesitating about.

Finally, Xiao Man gently sighed and put the Buddha Gate treasures back into Chen Ji's sleeve.

Early in the morning, there was no dog barking, no rooster crowing.

Gu Yuan was restless at night, with song girls and dance girls displaying their beauty, and a cacophony of voices. The morning, however, was quiet, as if the thin morning mist blocked the sounds coming from afar.

In the first-class room of the 'Tian Zi' character, the remaining warmth of the charcoal fire was still there.

Chen Ji sat up from the floor and turned to look at Xiao Man, who was guarding the night by the window lattice.

At this time, Xiao Man's face was full of thoughts, and she was muttering something under her breath, not knowing what she was chanting.

Chen Ji looked at Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia, who were still in deep sleep, and asked in a low voice, "Xiao Man, what are you muttering about?"

Xiao Man was startled by his voice: "Ya, Young Master, you're awake! I, I, I... I wasn't muttering anything ah."

Chen Ji eyed her suspiciously: "If you weren't muttering, why are you panicking?"

Xiao Man hurriedly stood straight, stiffening her neck and saying, "I'm not panicking ah."

Chen Ji smiled and didn't expose her.

Xiao Man pursed her lips and hesitated for a moment: "Young Master, today you're going to sell the news of the Jing Chao siege of the city."

Chen Ji said 'um'.

Xiao Man looked straight at Chen Ji and asked, "Can't you give me a thousand taels of silver? No, no, no, five hundred taels is fine."

She quietly observed Chen Ji's expression. Seeing that Chen Ji was unmoved, she changed her mind and said, "How about four hundred taels, that's also fine."

Chen Ji asked curiously, "What do you want so much silver for?"

Xiao Man said in a low voice, "Nothing, just pretend I said something wrong when I was dizzy."

Saying that, she lowered her head and walked outside: "I'll go find the waiter to get hot water for you to wash. Young Master, wait a moment."

Chen Ji called out to stop her: "Xiao Man."

Xiao Man turned her head in doubt: "Um."

Chen Ji thought for a moment and took out a string of Buddha Gate treasures from his sleeve: "This is one thousand one hundred taels of silver."

Xiao Man was stunned: "Young Master dares to give me so much silver, aren't you afraid I'll run away?"

Chen Ji stood up, tidied his clothes, and said casually, "The whole city of Gu Yuan is sealed, where else can you run?"

Xiao Man looked at the Buddha Gate treasures in Chen Ji's hand, her eyes flickering: "Then what if I really run?"

Chen Ji thought about it and replied, "I promised you earlier that when we reach the capital, I will get your contract back from Madam and prepare a dowry for you. If you run, this will count as preparing your dowry in advance."

Xiao Man smiled until her tiger teeth were visible, but still complained in a low voice: "Young Master, even if you're preparing a dowry for me, you don't need to give so much ah. Other families give maidservants fifty taels of silver for a dowry, which is considered a top generous big household. Young Master, you give out more than a thousand taels at once, you don't know how to live, a败家子 (baìjiāzǐ)!"

Chen Ji made a gesture to take back the Buddha Gate treasures: "Don't want it, forget it."

"Want, want, want," Xiao Man reached out and snatched the Buddha Gate treasures, turned around and took out her light green cross-collared jacket from the wardrobe and put it on.

Chen Ji said curiously, "Are you going out?"

"Um."

Chen Ji didn't understand: "Where are you going?"

"You'll know later," Xiao Man said mysteriously, "Young Master, before I come back, please don't open the altar to sell the news. Be sure to wait until I come back to sell it!"

Saying that, she left without looking back.

But as soon as the door closed, Xiao Man pushed it open again and poked her head out: "Young Master, you must wait until I come back, you promise!"

Chen Ji said impatiently: "Go quickly and do your business."