Chapter 44: If Only There Were a Little Less Misfortune

The two of them rode on horseback all day, their daylight hours spent in continuous travel. Riding was exhausting, especially with the constant jolting in the saddle; after a whole day, one’s back and waist would ache terribly. Moreover, Ji Huo was anxious about the matters in Hongzhou and did not slow their pace. His whip nearly smoked from overuse. Yet after such a day, Xia Ningshang did not utter a single complaint.

“Tired, aren’t you?”

At night, unable to find a roadside inn or even an abandoned temple, they had no choice but to camp in the wilderness. As they roasted game beside a small fire, Ji Huo finally asked her.

He had thought that if this hardship made the girl realize how arduous it was to travel with him, or that the path of the martial world was fraught with difficulty, she might choose to return home and live as a pampered young lady—and that would be a good deed in itself.

He did not know anything about her family circumstances, but her purple attire did not look cheap, her skin was flawless, and she was strikingly beautiful. When she spoke, her eyes sparkled with clarity and light—not at all like the children of destitute families. After all, those battered by the world and forced into labor would not have such radiance in their eyes.

“It’s all right,” Xia Ningshang shook her head, a trace of fatigue in her gaze. Perhaps her injuries had not fully healed, and the day’s travel had worn her out.

“If you can’t endure it, you needn’t follow me. Perhaps returning home would be best for you,” Ji Huo advised.

“No,” she shook her head again.

Ji Huo hesitated for a couple of seconds, then said, “I have to get to Hongzhou as quickly as possible, so the journey ahead will be like this…”

Suddenly, Xia Ningshang smiled, her charm blooming in an instant. She spoke gently, “I know you are anxious. Don’t mind me—just get there as soon as you can.”

Ji Huo looked deeply at her. In the firelight, her face possessed an indescribable beauty. Xia Ningshang turned away, poking at the flames, and laughed, “Aren’t people from the Central Plains supposed to be reserved? Has no one told you that staring at a girl like that is considered improper?”

Ji Huo snapped out of his reverie, hid his embarrassment by fidgeting with the fire, and chuckled, “Looking at beautiful women more often is said to be good for one’s health and happiness.”

“Then you must have looked at many,” Xia Ningshang replied with a laugh.

“In the past, not so many,” Ji Huo shook his head.

Xia Ningshang’s eyes curved as she gazed into the fire, lost in thought. For a while, they sat in silence.

“Why are you in such a hurry to get to Hongzhou?” she asked.

Ji Huo hesitated, then replied, “To save a brother.”

Xia Ningshang lowered her gaze and said softly, “I heard Hongzhou was slaughtered.”

“I still have to see for myself. If I find his corpse, I’ll avenge him. If not, I’ll keep searching,” Ji Huo said calmly, his tone void of emotion.

Xia Ningshang hugged her knees, resting her cheek atop them, her eyes fixed on the youth calmly stirring the fire.

…

By the time they reached Hongzhou, they saw from afar that government troops had sealed off the entire city.

“What business have you here?” The leading soldiers blocked their path at the gate, shouting at them.

Ji Huo cupped his fists toward the lead officer and said, “I am Ji Huo. Is your superior present?”

The soldier was startled, then immediately sheathed his weapon and returned the gesture, “Are you Second Young Master Ji?”

“I am.”

A look of joy flashed in the soldier’s eyes. He motioned for the others to lower their arms and said respectfully, “What brings you here, Second Young Master?”

“I need to enter Hongzhou. May I trouble you to let us pass?”

“Of course, of course, please proceed!” The soldier ordered the blockade removed and the gates opened, but also warned, “Sir, Hongzhou has suffered a great disaster. Corpses are everywhere inside, and our men are still clearing them out. The sight is not pleasant.”

“I understand.”

Ji Huo entered the city with Xia Ningshang. The soldier signaled a subordinate, “Go report to the Prefect that someone claiming to be Ji Huo has entered the city.”

“Yes, sir!”

Inside Hongzhou, the city was indeed strewn with bodies, blood, and severed limbs. Soldiers busied themselves hauling the dead away. Several days had passed since the massacre. Under the noon sun, the stench of decay was overwhelming, filling the air with its foulness.

“Are you famous in Zhou?” Xia Ningshang asked curiously.

“Somewhat,” Ji Huo replied offhandedly.

“How did you become famous?” she pressed.

“I beat someone up,” he said.

“Oh,” Xia Ningshang replied, thinking it made sense. Ji Huo looked a bit naïve; his reputation was probably built on brawn.

Ji Huo squatted down and began examining the corpses. The perpetrator was not weak; these were ordinary civilians, killed with a single blow.

Such a wholesale massacre was indeed the work of one who had succumbed to madness.

In the distance, several people hurried over, all looking exhausted from days of dealing with the aftermath.

“Are you Second Young Master Ji?” the middle-aged man at their head, dressed in official garb, saluted. “I am Gui Ankang, Prefect of Hongzhou.”

Ji Huo produced the token his elder brother had given him and handed it over, realizing only then that he had left in such haste he’d brought no identification—he could have used his Flying Bear Legion badge if nothing else. If the local officials did not recognize his brother’s token, it would be awkward.

Gui Ankang examined the token, nodded, and said, “Indeed, this is the Great Scholar Ji’s token.” He respectfully returned it. The tension among his attendants eased, and their gazes toward Ji Huo became friendly.

So, his brother’s token carried weight even here in Hongzhou?

Ji Huo asked, “Prefect Gui, you recognized it at a glance?”

Gui Ankang smiled, “Your elder brother visited Hongzhou some years ago. I was fortunate enough to meet him, and we got along splendidly.”

Ji Huo felt a little uncomfortable but quickly suppressed the feeling.

“What brings you here, Second Young Master?” Gui Ankang asked.

“I need to visit the Tang Escort Agency.”

“That’s simple.” Gui Ankang immediately assigned someone to guide them, then said, “Second Young Master, the butcher who slaughtered Hongzhou has fled south and remains at large. Please be careful on your travels.”

“Thank you,” Ji Huo replied.

With a guide, they quickly found the Tang Escort Agency. Hongzhou was so large the corpses had only been half-cleared; at the agency, nothing had been touched. As soon as they pushed open the door, they were met with the sight of countless corpses.

Xia Ningshang’s spirits were low throughout the journey. She said softly, “So many have died.”

There was an emotion in her voice that was hard to describe.

Ji Huo nodded and began checking the bodies one by one, searching for Qian Wu, his tone flat, “Demonfolk at work—many have perished.”

“So many dead, yet you don’t seem saddened. They’re all from Zhou,” Xia Ningshang observed.

Ji Huo replied casually, “Death is inevitable in the struggles of the martial world. Besides, I’ve seen famine before—more died then than now.”

He searched for a while longer, his face calm.

“A butcher slaughters a city and only one city dies. During the famine I witnessed, the authorities ignored the people’s suffering—bones littered the land for a thousand miles, parents ate their children. The deaths then far exceeded this.”

Xia Ningshang watched him quietly, saying nothing.

Ji Huo’s tone remained even, “When poor, one keeps to oneself; when able, one should help the world. If I have the power, I’ll stop such killers sooner and spare more of the innocent. If that lessens the world’s misfortune, so much the better.”