Chapter 10: The Second Divine Martial Challenge Section 20: Escape

Section 20: Escape

"Bah! You're the one who’s dead!" Qiu Ye retorted, dismissing the ill omen. She then added, "Let's do this: leave the Northern Lord’s business alone; you won’t make it in time if you wait to pay your respects to Bu Jingxian first. As for Bai Ling and her daughter, I plan to strike once they cross the border of Zheng. Why don't you head straight to the Southern Border on horseback immediately after your memorial visit?"

"That works, provided it doesn't delay my visit to Brother Bu. That mother and daughter make my blood boil. Bai Ling deserves to die for her insolence toward my Master, and as for her daughter, I don't know why, but I want to kill her the moment I see her!"

"Naturally. Can a vixen’s daughter ever be anything good? I find her repulsive as well. Bai Ling is a master at feigning gentleness and frailty to deceive men, and her daughter has clearly learned the trade well!"

As she listened, Qi Yue noticed Bu Jingxian glance over. When their eyes met, he offered a faint smile before shifting his gaze toward Zheng Linran.

After the banquet, at the invitation of the King of Zheng, Bu Jingxian accompanied the Emperor of Zhou for a stroll through the Imperial Garden.

"Your Majesty, tomorrow you should bid farewell to the King of Zheng openly and return. Zheng will never dare to trouble you. The Flying Immortal Sect, however, will likely hunt me down, so I must find another way."

"What? Why would Zheng not kill you, but seek to kill me?" Ao Pan asked, clearly astonished.

"I shall explain to Your Majesty in the future."

"Very well."

"I have had too much to drink today, and I wish to retire to the Duke of Xin’s residence now. Please forgive me for not being able to accompany you further, Your Majesty and King of Zheng." Upon hearing this, Ao Pan signaled for him to go, and the King of Zheng hurriedly instructed Ling Luo to escort him.

As they left the garden, they ran into Princess Luo.

"Northern Lord, stay your step!"

"Princess." Bu Jingxian bowed, and seeing her offer a sachet, he realized he could not refuse. He thanked her and accepted it.

"I do not know when we shall meet again after today. Please accept this small token. I beg you to keep it safe and never lose it."

Bu Jingxian noticed that Princess Luo emphasized the word "keep" with particular intensity.

"My gratitude, Princess."

After arriving at the residence of the Duke of Xin with Ling Luo, he went to his room early to sleep. He gambled that the Flying Immortal Sect would not dare break into the Duke's residence to commit murder, so he planned to slip away under the cover of darkness. Recalling the Princess’s demeanor, he took out the sachet, studied it for a moment, and unpicked the stitching.

Sure enough, hidden inside was a note: "Take care of yourself, and do not forget this sentiment."

Whether or not he had the Princess's warning made little difference; before coming to Zheng, Bu Jingxian had already considered various escape routes. However, her warning allowed him to anticipate the exact timing of his enemies' movements, enabling him to prepare more effectively. He silently took this gesture to heart, and thinking of her character, he could not help but smile. She was not a conventional princess, but she was a lovely woman.

Bu Jingxian knew that taking a shortcut was impossible. His original plan was to head west, exit the country via Northern Ling Mountain, and enter Han.

He waited until a maidservant from the residence passed by and called her into his room.

The maid, shy and assuming she was being summoned for the night, dared not refuse and entered obediently. The moment she stepped inside, Bu Jingxian tapped her pressure point to knock her unconscious. He took off his royal robes, hung them over the headboard, and tucked the girl securely under the quilts. He changed into her clothes, applied powder and rouge using the room's mirror, and spent some time on his makeup until, at a glance, he no longer resembled a man. Only then did he push open the door and leave.

With over six hundred servants in the Duke’s residence, Bu Jingxian had no fear of being recognized as a stranger.

He walked out of the residence, responding to anyone who questioned him in a suppressed, calm voice, claiming he was sent by the Northern Lord to deliver a message to the palace. No one suspected a thing.

The streets outside were silent. After walking for a stretch, Bu Jingxian scaled a wall into a courtyard, "forcibly purchased" a set of women's clothes drying on a rack, discarded the maid's outfit, and found an inn near the West City Gate. By then, the gates were locked, and his cultivation was not yet sufficient to leap over the city walls in total silence, so he had to wait until dawn.

Before daybreak, from the second floor of the inn, he saw many disciples of the Flying Immortal Sect patrolling the streets.

When the gates opened at dawn, over twenty disciples of the Flying Immortal Sect were stationed at the West Gate, rigorously searching everyone who left, regardless of age or gender. Even those who had applied makeup were subjected to having their faces inspected and compared against portraits, as they feared someone might have used a disguise.

Watching this from the inn, Bu Jingxian realized the Flying Immortal Sect was determined not to let him escape. With such thorough security, he could not possibly slip through. The West Gate was impassable.

He immediately left the inn, bought a black cloth robe typical of a wanderer, changed back into men's clothing, attached a long beard to his chin, donned a bamboo hat, and hung a long sword at his waist. He headed straight for the Divine Martial Arena.

Last night, the King of Zheng had hosted martial artists from across the land, many of whom were staying in city inns and official courier stations, only departing Zheng today. The streets were filled with martial artists from various nations; one more person would not draw any attention. However, even these travelers were subject to the same rigorous searches.

Bu Jingxian realized the only way to avoid inspection was to join a foreign diplomatic envoy. Among them, only the Chu delegation offered a chance to slip through. The Chu Imperial Guards wore helmets with faceplates that obscured their identities.

After reaching the Divine Martial Arena, he spent some time stalking until he caught a lone Chu guard. He knocked the guard unconscious in a secluded spot, stole his armor, and then ended the guard's life with a single strike. He dressed the corpse in his own wanderer's clothes; if discovered, people would assume it was a case of a wandering grudge, as the identity would be impossible to verify. If he had left the guard alive, the man would surely have sought help from the Zheng authorities, and the Flying Immortal Sect would have discovered he had escaped by impersonating a Chu guard. Leaving the capital would have been easy then, but leaving the territory of Zheng would have been impossible.

Wearing the heavy armor of the Chu guard, Bu Jingxian joined the ranks as Chu Gaoge prepared to depart, marching with the same vigorous, rhythmic step as the other soldiers.

Chu Gaoge traveled in a carriage, while the martial artists he had invited either rode in carriages, on horses, or walked.

Although the performance of these experts on the Divine Martial Arena stage had been a great disappointment to him, they still showed him great respect in their words and actions, never once mentioning the events of the tournament. Feeling both grateful and ashamed, they were even more deferential to him, the Crown Prince.

When the diplomatic envoy exited the Imperial City, the gate guards and the Flying Immortal Sect members dared not stop or question them.

The Chu army maintained strict discipline; the guards did not dare to whisper or gossip while on the march, and thus, the presence of Bu Jingxian, the fake guard, aroused no suspicion whatsoever.

Qi Yue left the capital of Zheng at dawn on the second day. Carrying a large parcel, she exited through the West Gate and headed straight for Pi County. To her, the anniversary of Bu Jingxian's death was of the utmost importance, and everything else had to be set aside. This year, only she was left to pay her respects; both Ling Luo and Princess Tianlai had been tasked with duties by the King of Zheng and could not get away, though both had specifically entrusted her to offer respects on their behalf.

Zheng Linran had been busy with something since the banquet, and Qi Yue couldn't be bothered to ask, knowing that Zheng Linran would certainly find an excuse to avoid going. She didn't bother speaking, though her dissatisfaction with Zheng Linran only grew.

When she arrived west of Pi County, at the precipice where Bu Jingxian had fallen years ago, there was still one day left before the anniversary. Unfazed by arriving early, Qi Yue carefully arranged the offerings, lit the incense, and knelt on the ground to kowtow.