Chapter 22#
The Ten Harms#
In the snowy mist, Ruan Buqi scaled the city wall’s watchtower using two bricks as makeshift handholds.
Each corner of the Royal City had a watchtower, guarded by soldiers. However, the soldiers in this one had collapsed into deep sleep. Chen Shuang leaned against the railing: “You’re too slow.”
“It was that fool He Lan Feng who delayed me,” Ruan Buqi said. Her voice was hoarse from not using it for so long.
The two then looked down from the watchtower at He Lan Feng before the city gate. “He said he can bring Jin Yang back.”
Chen Shuang: “How?”
Ruan Buqi chuckled softly: “Just boasting. He’s injured; he might collapse before Jin Yang even comes out.”
Several soldiers near the city gate approached He Lan Feng. Chen Shuang frowned: “What’s he holding?”
Soon, one soldier turned and rushed into the city gate. The others respectfully invited He Lan Feng to a sheltered spot out of the wind and snow.
“This fool actually has some skill.” Ruan Buqi turned to look at Chen Shuang. “I haven’t properly asked you yet. Since the Hall Master sent me and Yue Lian Lou over, why did he also send you? Does he not trust me, or not trust Yue Lian Lou?”
Chen Shuang bowed to her with cupped fists: “What is the Ghost Hunter saying? How could the Hall Master not trust you two? The most formidable Ghost and Sun Hunters of the Bright Moon Hall are both in Northern Rong, which shows how much the Hall Master values Jin Yang. After all, for such an important matter, he wouldn’t trust anyone else. Only you two could handle it properly…”
Before he finished, Ruan Buqi sneered: “Stop talking with that oily, glib tone. It’s truly disgusting.”
Chen Shuang smiled: “To put it simply, you are a woman, and there are inconvenient times when close protection is needed. I’m merely a supplement to you and the Sun Hunter. I’m not important at all. Don’t be angry.”
“Even if you didn’t say it, I know it must be Yue Lian Lou wagging his fatal tongue. Jin Yang’s escape from Ye Tai last time was poorly timed. The Hall Master blamed me for not taking good care of him. But I tried to notify Yue Lian Lou immediately! At that time, he was right near Ye Tai, but he refused to show himself properly, riding a broken deer in the mountains playing some false immortal. If he had appeared a bit earlier, Jin Yang wouldn’t have had to flee with me in this blizzard. I’m tired too!”
“The Hall Master was angry, but he was angry at Yue Lian Lou, not you. Jin Yang is too stubborn; it would have been hard to persuade him even if you could speak, let alone when you were pretending to be mute.”
“I had to be mute. Unlike you,” Ruan Buqi cracked her wrists, “I haven’t perfected the art of talking to humans like humans and ghosts like ghosts. Inside Ye Tai, surrounded by those foul-smelling Northern Rong people, that Hundeer Duzai, I wanted to start killing more than once.”
“The vicinity of the Imperial Observatory is empty,” Chen Shuang said. “I just investigated; he’s being held there. Do we go save him now, or wait and see?”
Ruan Buqi climbed up the slender pillar to the top of the watchtower. Dawn had broken, but the sky remained a uniform grey-white. The light snow was gradually turning heavier, and the ever-burning fire in the tall tower flickered ceaselessly in the wind.
“Wait and see,” she said. “Unless the Northern Rong dog lord starts killing, we can’t show ourselves.”
The two leaped from the watchtower simultaneously, falling into the Royal City like two light feathers.
Outside Changying Palace, the atmosphere was silent and strange. When Jin Yang arrived with the Great Shaman, they saw palace servants and eunuchs entering and exiting frequently, either carrying basins of bloody water or hurrying about, none daring to speak a word.
A group of people knelt outside the palace. When they saw the Great Shaman approaching with a young man, they all fell silent. Jin Yang spotted He Lan Jin Ying and General Tiger in the crowd. They were too far away for him to see their expressions clearly.
Just as they entered the gates of Changying Palace, a strong scent of blood hit them. The palace interior was spacious, with felt carpets on the floor, exquisite and complex woven tapestries hanging on the walls, and few furnishings. Instead, weapons like swords, axes, and halberds decorated the walls. A stone screen stood before them, carved with towering mountains and Northern Rong verses depicting the ten-thousand-fathom Cloud Terrace and the howling northern gales.
Jin Yang and the Great Shaman stood at the entrance. People moved in and out, speaking Northern Rong in dialects with heavy accents, so he caught only fragments. Feeling the wind blow in through the door and seeing the Great Shaman sway slightly, he whispered: “Great Shaman, it’s drafty here. Why don’t you find a place to sit?”
The Great Shaman glanced at him: “You don’t even know if you’ll live or die yourself, yet you have the leisure to worry about others?”
“Worrying about my own life and worrying about whether you’ll catch cold don’t interfere with each other,” Jin Yang said.
The Great Shaman chuckled: “Little thing.”
They didn’t wait long before someone emerged from behind the stone screen, inviting Jin Yang and the Great Shaman to enter.
Behind the screen was a similarly spacious hall. The floor was covered with thick ochre-red plush carpet, and dozens of tallow candles hung from the ceiling in exquisitely crafted iron lanterns. Jin Yang quickly glanced up and saw two men dressed in Northern Rong attire sitting on daybeds before him.
The middle-aged man on the left had short, sparse whiskers, an oily-red complexion, and cold, haughty eyes, scrutinizing Jin Yang like examining a criminal. The younger man leaned against a low table on a daybed, his left arm wrapped in thick bandages. He looked at the kneeling Jin Yang with interest and laughed: “The hostage prince is quite different from what I imagined.”
Jin Yang prostrated himself without answering, thinking to himself: The elder must be Northern Rong’s Heavenly Lord, Zhe Weng. The younger one, who dares speak like this in front of Zhe Weng, must be Zhe Weng’s only son, the Cloud Continent King.
The Cloud Continent King appeared seriously injured, which explained the sudden shift in the Royal City’s atmosphere. But why summon him here when the king was injured? Jin Yang couldn’t figure it out and dared not raise his head.
Seeing the iron ball on Jin Yang’s foot, Avaki said: “Everyone in Great Yu knows martial arts. Does the hostage prince as well?”
Jin Yang: “I’ve only learned superficial skills. I dare not claim to understand.”
“Then why put an iron ball on him?” Avaki said to the Great Shaman. “Entering my Changying Palace, there’s no need for these eyesores. Take them off, take them off.”
Immediately, someone stepped forward to release Jin Yang’s bindings. Faced with the Cloud Continent King’s unexpected friendliness, Jin Yang was utterly confused.
“The son of the Loyal and Martial General is actually not skilled in martial arts. How interesting,” Avaki laughed to Zhe Weng. “Father, you’ve never seen him before either?”
Zhe Weng glanced at his injury: “Say less.”
Avaki claimed he was talking because the pain made it impossible to lie down, so he was passing the time here until the pain subsided.
Zhe Weng didn’t understand why Avaki insisted on seeing this slave imprisoned in the Imperial Observatory. His son’s injury made him irritable, and he spoke even more harshly: “How does it feel to be a Northern Rong slave?”
Jin Yang remained silent.
“Raise your head!” Zhe Weng roared.
Jin Yang had to answer: “Like any other slave.”
He couldn’t gauge Zhe Weng’s and the Cloud Continent King’s intentions, so he recounted the slave life he had witnessed in Ye Tai: living in foul-smelling large tents, going barefoot to the frozen river to chop ice and catch fish in the bitter winter, following behind when the Ye Tai people rode horses, his shoeless feet turning red from the cold, nearly dying on the Chiwang Plains.
“Pitiable,” Avaki responded perfunctorily, immediately changing the subject. “By the way, have you seen the Lantern Festival in Northern Capital? What differences do you think there are compared to Great Yu?”
“They each have their merits.”
Avaki laughed, then immediately winced as it pulled at his wound. He steadied himself, gasping: “You’re interesting. Ordinary people would say a few nice things about the Northern Capital’s Lantern Festival. I’ve heard that in Liangjing’s Lantern Festival, there are four-legged monsters as tall as houses?”
He was referring to the elephants tributed by Chiyan. Elephants were a regular feature of the Liangjing Lantern Festival parade. At that time, the palace ministers would form ranks to march through Zhuque Avenue, countless palace maids and eunuchs would hold lanterns and cups, and the elephants would walk at the very end, being the most popular with children. The Chiyan people were skilled at taming elephants and revered them as divine beings. The elephant deities often had beautiful Chiyan maidens riding on them, and large baskets on their backs were filled with countless copper coins. As the elephants walked, they would scatter coins with their trunks, and children following the elephant procession would pick them up, filled with joy.
Avaki listened with growing excitement: “Father, for next year’s New Year’s Eve, shall we also ask Chiyan for two elephants?”
Jin Yang: “Elephants can’t tolerate the cold. They can’t survive in Northern Rong.”
Immediately, he saw the Cloud Continent King smile: “Then we’ll go to Liangjing to see them.”
Jin Yang promptly prostrated himself on the ground, not daring to respond further.
At this moment, a guard entered from outside Changying Palace. After paying respects to the Heavenly Lord, he whispered a few words in Avaki’s ear. Avaki looked both surprised and amused: “He even brought the Wolf Arrow here?”
He didn’t seem angry. He glanced at Jin Yang and whispered to the guard. The guard accepted the order and left. Avaki shifted position, letting out a pained breath: “Jin Yang, do you know what’s happening at the Liexing River right now?”
Zhe Weng had a half-smile and glanced again at the endlessly rambling Avaki.
“I’ve heard something,” Jin Yang answered.
“The twelve cities on the north bank are all good places,” Avaki asked. “Have you been to any?”
“No,” Jin Yang said, knowing that since Northern Rong had chosen him as a hostage prince, they must have thoroughly investigated his past, so he concealed nothing. “I was born in Fenghu City. After returning to Liangjing, I never left.”
Avaki stroked his chin: “Fenghu… the headquarters of the Northwest Army? Then you must know a lot.”
Jin Yang decided to seize the initiative, steering this long, rambling conversation toward what he truly wanted to grasp.
“I was young then, and many things were just casual talk, not deeply understood,” he answered respectfully. “What I know about Northern Rong’s Heavenly Lord and the Cloud Continent King, I heard from common people in Northern Capital.”
Zhe Weng showed interest: “What did they say?”
“The Heavenly Lord is currently establishing eternal achievements for Northern Rong. The common people all look forward to moving the pastures south after spring, so their sheep and horses can have better grass.” Jin Yang paused, pretending to hesitate. “However…”
Avaki immediately echoed: “However what?”
“Some also say that the Heavenly Lord and the Cloud Continent King have become addicted to massacring cities, and this time they’ll kill all twelve cities on the north bank for good measure.”
The smile vanished from Zhe Weng’s face, replaced by coldness: “What kind of people are spreading such poisonous gossip?”
“Mostly from Nushan, Geluntie, or Qisheng,” Jin Yang said softly. “These are just words. You can’t take them seriously.”
Zhe Weng tapped his tea bowl on the low table with a clink: “Why can’t I take them seriously? I did massacre Nushan, Geluntie, and Qisheng. What? You don’t dare talk about it?”
He Lan Feng had been waiting at the city gate for a long time. The soldiers, upon learning he was He Lan Jin Ying’s brother, showed both fear and respect, letting him sit under the stone wall for a while.
His unusual hair and eye color intrigued the soldiers, who couldn’t help stealing glances. The night watch soldiers had all been changed before someone in imperial guard attire came out to speak a few words with the gate commander.
He approached He Lan Feng respectfully: “He Lan Feng, the Cloud Continent King sent me to bring you into the palace.”
He Lan Feng followed him through the large crimson iron gates, then spoke: “I recognize you. You were one of the imperial guards escorting the Cloud Continent King back last night.”
The guard immediately smiled: “I recognize you too! When the Cloud Continent King went out yesterday, he originally had a guard team of over twenty. He thought that was too many, so he picked only the nine closest to him. Who would have thought… Thank you for your generosity, otherwise all of us would have lost our heads.”
Zhe Weng had already killed many guards; the few remaining were only spared because Avaki pleaded for them after regaining consciousness. Still shaken, the guard felt even closer to He Lan Feng upon seeing him. Knowing he was seriously injured and had been out in the freezing snow for so long, the guard specifically brought He Lan Feng a bowl of hot oil tea when they passed the guard barracks.
He Lan Feng was thinking of Jin Yang, gulped down the tea quickly, and urged the guard forward. The guard laughed: “The Cloud Continent King and your slave are talking. No need to worry.”
He Lan Feng: “What about the Heavenly Lord?”
Guard: “The Heavenly Lord is also there.”
He Lan Feng’s heart immediately clenched. After walking a while, he spoke: “I know the Heavenly Lord is not an unreasonable king who kills indiscriminately. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let us Gao Xin people live in Ye Tai and even made my eldest brother a general.”
The guard immediately laughed: “The Heavenly Lord is a wise lord.”
“However…” He Lan Feng lowered his voice. “The Heavenly Lord’s suppression of the internal chaos among the five major tribes was indeed somewhat cruel.”
Within Northern Rong’s territory were the five major tribes: Green Deer, Nushan, Geluntie, Qisheng, and Ye Tai. Green Deer was the largest, Nushan the second, and Ye Tai the smallest. The old Heavenly Lord was from the Green Deer tribe, and the internal conflict among the five tribes began just before his death.
Before dying, the old Heavenly Lord insisted on sending troops to Great Yu but was defeated by Jin Mingzhao at the border, suffering heavy casualties. At that time, Northern Rong’s rear lines were empty. The Nushan, Geluntie, and Qisheng tribes, which had always been rebellious, seized General Tiger of Ye Tai. The four tribes jointly sent troops to pressure Northern Capital, forcing the old Heavenly Lord to abdicate.
Zhe Weng returned to Northern Capital injured from the border, only to learn that the old Heavenly Lord had already died. He took over as Heavenly Lord amid the chaos, rallied over twenty thousand remnant troops, first crushed the Geluntie tribe with the fewest soldiers, broke the alliance of the three tribes, and released General Tiger of Ye Tai. Once freed from the three tribes’ control, Ye Tai allied with Zhe Weng to jointly attack the Qisheng tribe. Qisheng suffered over half its casualties, and the three-tribe alliance completely collapsed.
Afterwards, the remaining forces of Geluntie and Qisheng were left at Zhe Weng’s disposal. He gathered nearly sixty thousand troops from four tribes to completely crush the Nushan tribe, which had been the first to raise the banner of rebellion.
Nushan tribe was backed by mountains and possessed vast grassland pastures second only to Green Deer, with a large population. But during the two years of war, the Nushan people suffered countless deaths and injuries. After the dust settled, Zhe Weng slaughtered all the soldiers in Nushan’s camps.
Legend had it that behind the mountains of the Nushan tribe was a huge pit filled with Nushan bones. Zhe Weng forbade any Nushan rituals or worship, leaving them for wild beasts and birds of prey to devour. Thus, on quiet summer nights, one could often hear the mountains weeping at night, and vengeful spirits lurking on roads and ghost lanterns dominated the paths, a truly terrifying sight.
Because of this, many in the Nushan tribe harbored deep resentment toward Zhe Weng and the Cloud Continent King, leading to continuous assassination attempts.
The guard greatly admired the Cloud Continent King, and at this point, felt compelled to defend him: “To quell rebellion, one must be ruthless. Otherwise, we who followed the Cloud Continent King through life and death wouldn’t know where we’d end up dying.”
As they spoke, the guard brought him to a side door of Changying Palace. The side door couldn’t see the vast crowd before the palace. The guard signaled He Lan Feng to lower his voice and remain silent. After passing several twists and turns, they had just stepped through a door when He Lan Feng immediately heard Jin Yang’s voice.
“…massacring the twelve cities on the north bank is a hundred harms with no benefit. If the Heavenly Lord wants to establish eternal achievements, he would never do something both fruitless and damaging to heaven’s will.”
His heart suddenly relaxed, then clenched again.
After Jin Yang finished speaking, no sound came from within the palace. He Lan Feng only heard the clink of a tea bowl meeting a tabletop. The atmosphere was frozen, as if stuck in a bind.
One wall away was the main hall where Zhe Weng, Avaki, and Jin Yang were conversing. The Great Shaman and the Cloud Continent King’s consort stood to the side, silent.
“A hundred harms?” Zhe Weng chuckled lightly. “Northern Rong has controlled the Chiwang Plains for so many years, but I’ve never heard that massacring cities is harmful. Great Yu man, if you can name one hundred harms today, I’ll spare you and the Great Yu people of the twelve northern cities.”
Jin Yang’s heart tightened: A hundred?! But he quickly calmed himself. This was at least a hope he had fought for.
“Please give me the time of one cup of tea, Heavenly Lord…”
“No, say it right now,” Zhe Weng said with a smile. “I hear Great Yu people are quick-witted. I wonder if Jin Mingzhao’s son has such intelligence?”
Avaki suddenly coughed twice, as if enduring severe pain, and raised his hand: “He can speak, but I can’t listen to that much. Ten will do. If you can give ten well-reasoned harms, I’ll let you go.”
Zhe Weng turned to look at him. Avaki had his eyes half-closed, brow furrowed tightly, groaning softly. The consort stood beside him, looking worried. Zhe Weng thus relented: “Ten harms. Say them now.”
The palace was brightly lit by candles. The scent of burning tallow mixed with medicinal herbs, fresh blood, and strong spirits, thoroughly surrounding Jin Yang. He felt like he was lost in a mist, the exit blurred, and he had no choice but to grope forward.
Kneeling for so long, his knees ached, and his feet were numb. Avaki propped himself on the low table watching him, suddenly saying: “Stand up and speak. Stop kneeling; kneeling doesn’t look good.”
Zhe Weng couldn’t help looking at him again: “Avaki, you know this slave?”
“No,” Avaki said very openly. “First time meeting him today.”
“Then you…”
Zhe Weng’s words were cut off as the now-standing Jin Yang began speaking: “The first harm is the loss of common people’s lives. Water has a source, so its flow never ends; wood has roots, so its life never ends. The common people are the foundation of a nation. Harming the common people is like cutting trees and severing water, destroying the root.”
Zhe Weng sneered: “Nothing special.”
“The second harm is the destruction of order in the twelve northern cities. The northern cities are far from Liangjing. Although the city governors haven’t achieved much, for years they’ve kept the corridor between Northern Rong and Great Yu open without obstruction. Once a massacre occurs, the order within the cities will certainly be severely disrupted. Establishing order is difficult, breaking customs is easy. Especially with internal city order, once destroyed, re-establishing it is even harder.”
He paused briefly, then added: “It’s just like rebuilding order after the chaos among the five tribes. The Heavenly Lord and Cloud Continent King must understand the difficulties better than I.”
Avaki sat up straight, and Zhe Weng also set down his tea bowl.
“The third harm is damage to the city’s architecture,” Jin Yang stood ramrod straight, his voice clear and clean, without a trace of tremor or hesitation, as if all the words were already in his heart. “The twelve northern cities are close to Northern Rong. After years of cultural exchange, the towns’ architecture stands in rows. Major cities like Bishan, Pingzhou, and Sangdan have a dignified atmosphere, possessing both Great Yu’s style and Northern Rong’s character. A massacre will inevitably be accompanied by the destruction of the city. Burning, looting, and smashing will be unavoidable. The city’s architecture wasn’t built in a day. If damaged, restoration would be extremely difficult.”
He took a deep breath, hands clenched tightly inside his sleeves: “The fourth harm involves ships.”
At these words, Zhe Weng and Avaki indeed showed interest. Jin Yang became more certain that Northern Rong remained frustrated by their lack of shipbuilding and river-crossing capabilities.
“Bishan City’s suburbs have the largest port on the north bank of the Liexing River. And the vast majority of those working at Bishan’s port, building ships, navigating, and transporting goods are Great Yu people. If they were gone, and Northern Rong wanted to build large ships capable of crossing the Liexing River again, it would take at least ten years.”
Zhe Weng let out a long sigh, and for the first time, a look of keen interest appeared on his stern, unsmiling face: “Continue.”
Jin Yang nodded: “The fifth harm is that it would hurt Northern Rong people’s hearts. Great Yu and Northern Rong interact extensively, and there are naturally many cross-border marriages in the twelve northern cities. Great Yu husbands, Great Yu wives, or children born to Great Yu parents—should they be killed or spared? If the massacre order is given, who will be responsible for distinguishing who should be slaughtered and who shouldn’t? During the massacre, who can guarantee that no Northern Rong person will be harmed?”
Avaki turned to look at Zhe Weng: “I’ve thought about the first four harms he mentioned, but this fifth one is indeed unexpected.”
Zhe Weng ignored his interruption, repeating: “Continue.”
“The first five harms relate to the twelve northern cities. The next five directly impact Northern Rong’s military and the Heavenly Lord’s eternal achievements.” His expression was solemn, as if this were not a foreign palace but a court where he could speak freely. “The sixth harm is that a massacre will inevitably lead to lax military discipline. In fact, on the Central Plains, throughout thousands of years, land has changed hands many times, and massacres of cities and villages are recorded in history books. After long battles, soldiers are already extremely exhausted. The massacre order is an outlet for venting; it does allow angry men to release their fury, but what about the soldiers and generals in the army who are unwilling to massacre?”
Avaki pressed: “How so?”
“Those who don’t want to kill will be forced to kill hundreds and thousands, while those who enjoy killing will treat the massacre as practice. These two types of people must return to the same military camp to live together, making the hidden crisis impossible to eliminate.”
Before him, Zhe Weng and Avaki had completely lost themselves in listening.
And He Lan Feng, separated by one wall, couldn’t see Jin Yang, only hear his voice. He had never heard Jin Yang speak in this manner and tone; it seemed like not his friend, not the Great Yu hostage prince he knew.
“The seventh harm is that massacring cities will stain the Heavenly Lord with sin. The Heavenly Lord is the divine son of the Chiwang Plains, born to experience mortal affairs. The divine son will eventually return to the gods; he cannot bring sin and blood debt with him.”
Zhe Weng suddenly laughed heartily and said to the Great Shaman: “Is this what you said?”
The Great Shaman’s aged eyes fixed on Jin Yang, a smile hidden beneath his messy white beard: “I just mentioned it casually. He actually remembered it.”
Jin Yang cupped his fists toward the Great Shaman, then straightened again: “The eighth harm is that massacring cities will damage the friendship between Great Yu and Northern Rong. The two nations are neighbors with longstanding trade and exchange. Even if the twelve northern cities are ceded to Northern Rong, commerce, politics, and entertainment can still flow between them. But once a massacre occurs, Northern Rong and Great Yu will become eternal enemies. This wound will be like a chasm or abyss, irreparable forever.”
He suddenly stopped, because he saw Zhe Weng actually nod slightly.
“The ninth harm is that massacring cities will make the Heavenly Lord a symbol of fear.”
“Fear? What’s wrong with fear?” Zhe Weng asked.
Jin Yang thought for a moment, then answered: “Great Yu has a saying: ‘Those who govern must not forget the fishermen and woodcutters.’ Fishermen and woodcutters are of humble status, but if a ruler can keep the lives, warmth, and wealth of even the humblest people in his heart, the people will respect and look up to him, rather than fear him. Fear breeds resentment, and resentment brings turmoil. Therefore, a ruler should make the people respect him, not make the world fear him.”
Avaki, completely forgetting his injured arm, actually started clapping.
Zhe Weng asked: “What about the tenth harm?”
“The tenth harm is closely related to the Heavenly Lord’s eternal achievements.” Jin Yang slightly raised his head, gazing into Zhe Weng’s eyes. In this moment, he actually imagined himself as his father Jin Mingzhao, or that tutor who loved to slap his palm yet secretly gave him roasted chestnuts. “Those who look up cannot neglect what is below; those who look ahead cannot neglect what is behind. The common people are the source of flowing water, the root of enduring trees. The Heavenly Lord is like the vast ocean, the brilliant sky. If you have the heart to establish eternal achievements, water will forever flow toward you, trees will forever grow toward you. Only when the people’s hearts unite can there be eternal achievements. If the massacre order is issued, the people’s hearts will scatter, and the foundation will collapse.”
Jin Yang spoke all ten harms in one breath, quietly awaiting Zhe Weng and Avaki’s reactions.
Zhe Weng’s eyes narrowed slightly, fixed unblinking on Jin Yang, like a wolf watching its prey. Avaki’s clapping had reopened his wound. Blood flowed from his hand, yet he remained excited: “Father, what he said is much better than Long Tuqin! No, our deliberation council doesn’t have anyone like him at all.”
“Long Tuqin’s eyes must be too old,” Zhe Weng laughed. “How could he have misjudged so badly?”
Jin Yang sensed the atmosphere was wrong and quickly knelt. He remembered the name “Long Tuqin”—the one who had negotiated the Pingzhou Accord with Great Yu in Pingzhou City and specifically demanded him as the hostage prince.
At this moment, Zhe Weng indeed wanted to drag Long Tuqin over and give him a hard slap. Long Tuqin had seen Jin Yang in Liangjing. He said Jin Yang looked nothing like Jin Mingzhao—not only cowardly and timid, but also lacking grand strategies. Due to illness, he appeared pale and frail, always surrounded by the Renzheng Emperor’s princes and princesses who pinched his hands and rubbed his cheeks, and he dared not resist.
Jin Mingzhao fathered a useless son—this was what Long Tuqin had said.
Zhe Weng slowly spoke: “Jin Yang, do you know that He Lan Jin Ying was Northern Rong’s first foreign general?”
Jin Yang hurriedly answered: “I know.”
“What do you think of it?”
“General He Lan is brave and invincible. Truly worthy.”
Zhe Weng smiled: “I’m asking you what you think about Northern Rong letting a foreigner be a general. Good or bad?”
Jin Yang’s heart tightened. He couldn’t immediately decipher what signal this was, but… praising the Northern Rong Heavenly Lord could never be wrong.
“To attract talent without regard to convention, the Heavenly Lord truly has the bearing of a divine son.” He tried to make this overly obvious flattery sound sincere. “Any capable person can display their talents in Northern Rong. The Heavenly Lord is so…”
“Then what about you?” Zhe Weng didn’t want to hear him lie any longer and interrupted.
Jin Yang was stunned: “…Me?”
Zhe Weng looked down at him from his seat: “Jin Yang, are you willing to join my deliberation council and assist me in achieving eternal achievements?”
Jin Yang knelt on the ground, feeling his entire body turn cold and his bones tremble. This was a consequence he had never imagined!
The blade was right above his head; he could almost feel the sharp edge pressing against the skin at the nape of his neck. Zhe Weng was waiting for his answer. He immediately recalled clearly the Great Shaman’s words—he was someone who should be killed.
Perhaps this was a lifeline Zhe Weng offered him, but he couldn’t possibly grasp it. Becoming an official in Northern Rong, enjoying wealth and honor there—such things had never crossed his mind for even a moment.
“The Great Shaman says you should be killed,” Zhe Weng said slowly. “He sensed the scent of a young eagle on you. But I think he misjudged. Jin Yang, you are a young wolf, destined for great things. But if a young wolf cannot serve me, why should he live?”
Jin Yang’s fingers unconsciously clenched the carpet beneath him. The carpet’s complex patterns were dizzying. He heard Zhe Weng speak again: “I never intended to massacre the cities, but the harms aren’t as profound as you said.”
Jin Yang’s heart relaxed for an instant, then immediately tightened again.
“I gave you this chance because I wanted to see if you really had any of Jin Mingzhao’s shadow. Jin Yang, I truly admire you. I’m giving you a choice: die right here on the Chiwang Plains, with no one to even collect your bones, or enter the deliberation council, eat well, dress well, and return to Great Yu gloriously as a Northern Rong counselor, showing the people of Liangjing just how formidable you are.”
When he stopped speaking, his voice seemed to vanish completely. He Lan Feng had to press against the door to hear the words from the other side.
“I will not enter the deliberation council,” Jin Yang said.
“Won’t you consider it carefully?”
“There’s no need to consider,” Jin Yang knelt on the ground, back straight, utterly unafraid. “I am a Great Yu person.”
Zhe Weng sat back on the daybed, expression dark, clearly not intending to give him another chance. But just as he raised his hand, Avaki suddenly interrupted him.
“Father, I forgot something. The Ye Tai herder who saved me last night happens to be He Lan Jin Ying’s brother.” Avaki smiled, looking at Jin Yang who had suddenly raised his head. “I also have a Wolf Arrow in his possession. To save my life, he was seriously injured himself.”
“You are the Cloud Continent King. Of course he would risk his life to save you.”
“At the time, he didn’t know my identity. We had only just met,” Avaki said. “He fought with his life on the line. I haven’t yet figured out how to repay this kindness, and you want to make his little slave die? That’s not right.”
Zhe Weng had a half-smile: “I was wondering why you were suddenly so enthusiastic tonight, wanting to see this little slave and dragging out so much nonsense. …Fine, then let him remain a slave. He’ll be my Northern Rong’s slave for life.”
With that, he rose to leave. As he passed Jin Yang, he suddenly stopped.
Jin Yang lay prostrate on the ground, hands extended flat—the etiquette for a slave to meet the Heavenly Lord.
His arms were smooth and clean, without any brand marks.
“…You don’t have a slave brand?” Zhe Weng asked. “Without a mark, how can you be a Northern Rong slave?”
Jin Yang’s heart suddenly began pounding wildly.
“Avaki, your lifesaver is his master? Right here in Changying Palace?” After receiving confirmation, Zhe Weng laughed long and loud. “Then let him brand this Great Yu person.”
When the Cloud Continent King’s people brought He Lan Feng out, Jin Yang was being held by the shoulders, unable to move.
The hall’s floor furnace burned brightly, with a branding iron heating inside.
“The Ye Tai He Lan family—do they have a family crest?” Zhe Weng asked.
He Lan Feng hadn’t even heard Zhe Weng’s question; he only gazed at Jin Yang. Jin Yang stared back at him, those eyes like black pearls filled with emotions He Lan Feng couldn’t comprehend.
“No,” Avaki answered for He Lan Feng. “His entire family are Gao Xin people. How could Gao Xin people in Northern Rong have a family crest?”
“That works perfectly then. Since you’re in Changying Palace, brand this slave with the Cloud Continent King’s crest,” Zhe Weng laughed. “Even as a slave, he’ll be a level above other slaves.”
He Lan Feng replied stiffly: “He doesn’t need to be branded.”
Avaki bit his lip. Zhe Weng scrutinized He Lan Feng: “You do look like your father. I heard he has three children? Besides you and He Lan Jin Ying, who else is there?”
A guard behind He Lan Feng shoved him, forcing him to kneel before Zhe Weng.
“Not even listening to the Heavenly Lord’s words now? Do the people of Ye Tai He Lan family want to rebel?” the man scolded, then whispered to He Lan Feng as he bent over: “Don’t be stubborn! The Cloud Continent King wants to help you, but the Heavenly Lord is furious. Your family’s three hundred lives aren’t enough to die for.”
He pressed the branding iron into He Lan Feng’s hand.
The iron was fixed to a wooden handle, and the branding head was only the size of a copper coin, glowing red hot. He Lan Feng took the iron, stood up, and walked to Jin Yang. He grabbed Jin Yang’s hand and found the slender arm trembling in his grip.
“Please… don’t…”
Jin Yang begged him for the first time. Those once-happy black eyes were now brimming with thin tears. The look in his eyes as he gazed at He Lan Feng had grown unfamiliar, filled with fear and intense pain, his arm shaking in He Lan Feng’s palm.
He Lan Feng wanted to pull his hand back, but the guard had already rolled up Jin Yang’s sleeve, revealing his pale, smooth arm.
Zhe Weng drained his bowl of oil tea and said to Avaki as if in casual conversation: “Already my Northern Rong’s slave, yet still thinking of himself as a Great Yu person. What Great Yu people, what Northern Rong people—how can slaves be considered human?”
He smiled: “Once branded, he’ll be nothing but livestock on the Chiwang Plains.”
Jin Yang closed his eyes tightly. He Lan Feng held the branding iron suspended over his arm, very close. But the iron never descended; only its searing heat roasted his skin.
He opened his eyes, colliding with He Lan Feng’s wolf pupils.
In the room’s thick, complex scents, Jin Yang suddenly smelled the scent of blood and medicinal herbs on He Lan Feng. Only then did he notice that He Lan Feng’s chest was torn by a knife, wrapped in thick cloth, and his leg was even soaked with blood through his clothing. The Gao Xin man, who always moved like the wind, now looked pale, weak, and ready to collapse.
He had injured his leg and couldn’t ride a horse—he had walked to the Royal City. He had coincidentally saved the Cloud Continent King’s life. The Cloud Continent King said he had “fought with his life on the line.” He Lan Feng’s “fighting with his life” had made the Cloud Continent King try his hardest tonight to save his own life. Tears fell from Jin Yang’s eyes. He had ten thousand kinds of pain in his heart, but in the end, he only managed a whispered: “Does it hurt…”
The branding iron remained suspended, unable to fall. He Lan Feng bit his lip; he couldn’t brand Jin Yang with a slave mark—he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Zhe Weng chuckled and slapped the table, rising.
Just then, a figure flashed behind He Lan Feng. The Great Shaman seized He Lan Feng’s hand and pressed down hard—the branding iron immediately fell onto Jin Yang’s arm!