Green Mountain-Chapter 594 - 451: The Deal

"Lord Zhang?"

Zhang Baishi leaned weakly against a tree, studying Chen Ji under the moonlight, and sneered: "I’m no Lord Zhang. I’m just a Night Patrol at Chongli Pass."

Chen Ji smiled: "Then I’ll follow Ah Sheng and call you Uncle Baisi."

In the forest, they were more than ten paces apart, a distance safe enough.

Chen Ji and Zhang Baishi stared at each other, their eyes never leaving the other. This was the true posture of a fight; a hunter’s eyes should never leave the prey during a hunt.

Ah Sheng and Star both nervously gripped their swords. Zhang Baishi seemed weak but was quietly moving his joints to ensure his old, injured body wouldn’t falter during a fight.

Yet he suddenly noticed that Chen Ji wasn’t nervous at all. On the battlefield, those who remain this calm could be counted on one hand by Zhang Baishi.

He looked at Chen Ji and suddenly asked: "Ah Sheng, who is this?"

Ah Sheng paused for two breaths: "He’s a new small flag officer at our Chongli Pass, got lost while repairing the wall. I met him on the way over and brought him to find you all."

Zhang Baishi paused for a moment, not exposing Ah Sheng’s lie: "No wonder he’s unfamiliar. Since he’s here at Chongli Pass, he’s one of us. Speak up if you need anything in the future."

Chen Ji agreed with a smile: "Alright."

Zhang Baishi propped himself up on the tree to stand straight and walked slowly towards Ah Sheng and Chen Ji: "Let’s go, back to Chongli Pass. I have news to deliver to the General, and it’s a matter of great urgency."

Ah Sheng tightened the grip on his sword.

Zhang Baishi took a step forward, and Ah Sheng stepped back: "Uncle Baisi, did you encounter the Life-catcher General on your way here?"

Zhang Baishi stopped, glanced at Ah Sheng, then at Chen Ji behind him: "No, perhaps we just missed each other. After all, the forest is vast, and it’s common for people to miss each other."

Ah Sheng gritted his teeth and said: "Uncle Baisi, yesterday the Longevity Army’s Gao Yuan said he saw you at Willow Stream. How did you spend the day and night?"

Zhang Baishi explained: "Star and I left the pass nine days ago to investigate the Jing Dynasty’s movements beyond the Dama Mountains. We first scouted east to confirm there were no supplies being gathered at Baidadan City, then headed back. Before we set out, your Mr. Hong mentioned there was an issue with the map around Willow Stream, so I came to redraw it and encountered the Life-catcher General entering the mountains. But he didn’t notice us, and we hid in a cave at Willow Stream the entire day."

Ah Sheng spoke quietly: "Uncle Baisi, you’re injured, aren’t you? How did you get hurt?"

Zhang Baishi looked down at his arm, seeing the blood seeping out of his sleeve: "We hid too urgently, protecting Star, and I tumbled down the slope and scraped myself."

As he said this, he rolled his sleeve up to the elbow. The wound on his arm indeed looked like a scrape.

Zhang Baishi’s account had no glaring problems, except he omitted what happened that day at Willow Stream.

What happened at Willow Stream? No one knows.

Yet at this moment, Ah Sheng suddenly said: "But Uncle Baisi, before you’d never explain these things to me."

Zhang Baishi was silent for a moment and then laughed: "The sword you’re holding was given to you by me. It’s a Life-catcher General’s sword, with the character ’Yuan’ engraved on the hilt, suggesting he was a noble descendant of the Jing Dynasty. So, are you planning to use the sword I gave you to kill me?"

Ah Sheng’s hand holding the sword hilt trembled slightly.

It wasn’t fear; it was because he held it too tightly.

Zhang Baishi said no more and began walking south: "We’ll talk after returning to Chongli Pass. We need to hurry through the night, or we won’t make it to Peace Gate before it closes tomorrow."

Ah Sheng froze; he’d already torn through the paper-thin pretense, yet the other party still insisted on heading to Chongli Pass. Is he planning to find a trap along the way?

Zhang Baishi walked ahead, knowing his path well.

Star tried to assist him but was pushed away: "I’ve walked this road dozens of times myself, never with help."

Ah Sheng motioned for Chen Ji to follow behind: "If we encounter a trap, you should take a detour back to Chongli Pass and make sure to bring back news of what happened here... I beg you."

Chen Ji responded indifferently: "After all, he’s your Uncle Baisi."

Ah Sheng turned and walked forward: "Mr. Hong said every Night Patrol should remember, Chongli Pass doesn’t belong to anyone; it belongs to many. If you make a mistake, many will die."

From Birch Stream to Hemp Ground, then to Tile House Stream, Zhang Baishi’s injuries were definitely more than a single place, yet he walked quickly.

Ah Sheng and Chen Ji followed behind, cautiously keeping a distance of ten or so paces.

They all thought Zhang Baishi would find an opportunity to act on the road, but until dawn approached, they saw the outline of Chongli Pass from afar, and Zhang Baishi had yet to turn his head, focused solely on the road.

...

...

As Chongli Pass drew closer, Ah Sheng couldn’t hold back any longer: "Uncle Baisi!"

Zhang Baishi stood on the mountain dirt road, turned around, and looked back.

Only to see Zhang Baishi’s face pale, behind him was Chongli Pass where he had lived for more than forty years, towering like a mountain.

He looked straight at Ah Sheng: "What’s wrong?"

Ah Sheng seriously looked at Zhang Baishi, as if wanting to memorize his face: "Uncle Baisi, you should take Xingxing and leave."

Zhang Baishi laughed casually: "You want me to leave? Is this the best solution you’ve come up with after thinking all night?"

Ah Sheng lowered his head: "Uncle Baisi, you should take Xingxing and leave, there’s still time now."

Zhang Baishi asked casually: "Where should I go?"

Ah Sheng thought for a moment and said: "Mr. Hong cannot tolerate deceit, and you can’t fool him. If you leave, I’ll pretend I never saw you and Xingxing tonight, Mr. Hong won’t be disappointed in you either. Let’s just pretend you died at the hands of the Life-catcher General, the court might even posthumously honor you... at least it’s better than leaving a name as a traitor."

A gentle breeze blew through the mountain forest, rolling flower petals along the ground.

Zhang Baishi stood in the wind, looking steadily at Ah Sheng: "What realm is that kid behind you in, that makes you dare to confront your Uncle Baisi without fear that I might kill you?"

Ah Sheng shook his head: "It has nothing to do with him, I know you won’t kill me."

Zhang Baishi was startled, then found a stone to sit on: "Tired of walking, anyway, Peace Gate isn’t open yet, let’s rest a while then continue."

Ah Sheng was stunned: "You don’t intend to leave?"

He didn’t understand, once the truth was revealed, Zhang Baishi’s collusion with the Jing Dynasty was certain, why wouldn’t he leave?

Zhang Baishi turned to look at Chongli Pass in the distance: "I’ve lived here for most of my life, where else can I go? If I die, it must be in these mountains."

Ah Sheng hesitated: "But I will definitely tell Mr. Hong about tonight, the direction the Life-catcher General left in is the same as the direction you came from, you will definitely meet. You must still have other injuries, I guess they’re from the Life-catcher General’s torture. I heard from Mr. Hong that the Life-catcher General likes to start by peeling off the skin on the inside of an arm, which is the most painful... Uncle Baisi, do you dare roll your sleeve up and let me have a look?"

Xu Xingxing hurriedly said: "Ah Sheng, it’s not what you think, it’s..."

"Let me speak," Zhang Baishi raised his hand to stop Xingxing, looked at Ah Sheng, and pointed at Chen Ji: "The kid you brought, can you trust him?"

Ah Sheng pursed his lips and remained silent for a moment: "I can trust him, he just killed two Life-catcher Generals today, can’t be wrong."

Zhang Baishi looked at Chen Ji with a smile: "A skilled person, neither Mr. Hong nor I dare to simultaneously fight two Life-catcher Generals. Alright, since Ah Sheng trusts you, I trust you too."

Zhang Baishi gazed at the distant Chongli Pass with emotion: "I still remember when Hong Zuer first brought you out of the house, you were so small. Hong Zuer left the pass and left you at my house, my wife helped take care of you. She washed your diapers... in the blink of an eye, both you and Xingxing have grown up. Growing up is good, soon you’ll be in Night Patrol."

Ah Sheng whispered: "Uncle Baisi, stop talking, either roll up your sleeve and let me see, or leave."

"Not leaving, nowhere to go," Zhang Baishi did not roll up his sleeve to prove himself this time but continued: "Grew up in Chongli Pass, in the 9th year of Jianing, I became an infantryman, in the 11th Year of Jianing, I became Night Patrol, for twenty-one years, spent more time outside the pass than inside. Being in Night Patrol for so many years, people around me are dead or injured, these great mountain ranges are indeed eerie, the birch trees grow like bones, quite creepy when you look at them... To be honest, I never thought I’d fall into the Life-catcher General’s hands, but this time they came with too many people."

Ah Sheng was shocked, Zhang Baishi actually admitted he had fallen into the Life-catcher General’s hands.

Zhang Baishi chuckled: "There were outsiders earlier, I wanted to hide the fact that I was captured alive, quite shameful, but in hindsight, paper can’t wrap fire, might as well come clean."

Ah Sheng asked in confusion: "Why did the Life-catcher General let you return, what did you promise?"

Zhang Baishi remained silent for a long time, gazing at Chongli Pass and said: "The Jing Dynasty envoy has already set out from Shangjing’s Liaoyang Prefecture, heading to our Ning Dynasty’s Imperial Capital for negotiations with Your Majesty. They are bringing the youngest daughter of the old Jing Dynasty Emperor, hoping to marry her to Your Majesty as a consort, using Baidadan City as dowry, agreeing to a century of peace between the two dynasties... in exchange for Yuan Cheng’s return."

Ah Sheng was taken aback: "The Jing Dynasty old Emperor’s daughter? Isn’t she said to be the Jewel of the Jing Emperor’s heart?"

Zhang Baishi sneered: "When they can give Baidadan City, what is a daughter worth?"

Then he changed the topic: "But if they really negotiate successfully, trade Yuan Cheng back, what of the blood feud our Chongli Pass soldiers have for so many years?"

Ah Sheng hesitated, speechless.

Zhang Baishi said calmly: "There are also those in the Jing Dynasty who do not want Yuan Cheng returned, but they dare not act themselves, so they wish to borrow our Night Patrol’s blade to accomplish this. But it’s fine, we’ll let them borrow the blade once, the people they dare not kill, we will kill."

Chen Ji’s heart sank.

Zhang Baishi’s words confirmed his suspicions, the Life-catcher Generals indeed came for the Jing Dynasty envoy, but chose to negotiate with Ning Dynasty Night Patrol rather than act directly.

The Life-catcher Generals who were purged earlier probably died opposing this matter.

The undercurrents of the Jing Dynasty were intense, and if Yuan Cheng cannot return, the greatest beneficiary would be his uncle Lu Jin... but Chen Ji also had reasons to facilitate this matter.

He frowned, pondering how to send the Jing Dynasty envoy to the Imperial Capital amidst so many Night Patrol members.

At this moment, Zhang Baishi slowly stood up: "Ah Sheng, your father died in Yuan Cheng’s southern campaign, so did your second uncle, and my son as well, Chongli Pass’s soldier families hate them to the core. I will go back to Chongli Pass and explain this to Mr. Hong, the blood debt Yuan Cheng carries cannot just be forgotten."

"Once this matter is done, you can do whatever you want with me, I will have no complaints."