The city walls of Guangwu County were not tall.
Beneath the greenish-gray stone bricks, the wind and sand had worn away the edges, revealing the mottled earthen yellow underneath.
Guangwu County
The group rode up on horseback and stopped in front of the city gate.
The soldiers at the gate, carrying sabers, were not standing perfectly straight.
Seeing Chen Qingyuan, one of them, who seemed to recognize him, stepped forward.
"Sect Leader Chen, returning from Shangpan Village?"
Chen Qingyuan dismounted.
Without a trace of arrogance on his face, he cupped his hands toward the soldier and said, "Thank you for your hard work, brother."
The soldier's gaze passed over him and landed on Jiang Yuechu, who was sitting upright on the horse."And this is..."
The Longyou Circuit is windy and sandy; women here mostly have wheat-colored skin and deep features.The person on horseback... fair-skinned, delicate features—truly rare.
Fortunately, Chen Qingyuan had found a large burlap robe from somewhere and draped it over her, concealing the attention-grabbing black clothes with red patterns.
Chen Qingyuan lowered his voice, displaying a timely hint of pity on his face. "This girl was abducted by that Demon from who knows where. She's pitiful. I figured I'd bring her back to the city to see if she could find work within the Sect."
Hearing this, the soldier nodded, showing little surprise.In these times, it was not uncommon for Demons to cross borders, causing families to be destroyed and sects wiped out.
He just muttered something under his breath inwardly.
That old bastard got a good deal.If he had known Shangpan Village had such a beauty, he would have gone along to suppress the Demon too.
Maybe he could have picked one up to warm his bed.They entered the city.There were few pedestrians on the street.
Everyone looked hurried, keeping their heads down, as if afraid of getting into trouble.Most shops on both sides were open, and the wine banners floated weakly in the wind, but there were no calls from vendors, making it seem desolate.
Occasionally, one could see yellowing Talismans pasted on corners of walls, or a Peach Wood Sword hanging above a doorway.
They were merely for psychological comfort.
After all, when Demons commit crimes, who the hell cares about these things?
Lifeless.
This was Jiang Yuechu's first impression of the county town.The group stopped in front of a residential compound.The entrance was small but looked clean.
Chen Qingyuan dismounted first and waved his hand at the dozen or so men behind him."All of you, disperse."
The men loudly agreed, led their horses away, and didn't ask a single question.
Chen Qingyuan then turned and bowed to Jiang Yuechu on horseback, saying, "My Lord, this is a resting place for my Flying Eagle Sect. We usually host friends who travel north and south here, so it is relatively quiet."He pushed open the courtyard gate and made a gesture to invite her in.
Jiang Yuechu dismounted and walked straight inside.Passing through the courtyard gate, they entered a clean courtyard.
A gray-haired old woman, leading two maids who looked no older than fifteen or sixteen, was already waiting under the eaves.
When they saw Chen Qingyuan, they only bowed and remained silent.
Chen Qingyuan coughed and instructed the old woman, "Prepare hot water, a set of clean women's clothes, and some wine and dishes."
The old woman responded, "Yes." She glanced up at Jiang Yuechu behind her Sect Leader, a flicker of surprise in her eyes, but quickly lowered her head.
Chen Qingyuan turned around and gave Jiang Yuechu another deep bow. "I still need to report to the County Magistrate and clearly explain the matter of Shangpan Village. Please rest here and make yourself completely at home. If you need anything, just instruct the servants."Jiang Yuechu responded with a simple
"Mm."Chen Qingyuan said no more, turned and retreated, closing the courtyard gate behind him.In the courtyard, only Jiang Yuechu and the master-servant trio remained.
Although the old woman was surprised by Jiang Yuechu's identity, seeing how respectful her own master was to her, she also bowed and said, "Miss, please come this way."
Before long, a huge wooden tub was placed in the steamy room.
Hot water was poured in ladle by ladle, and some unknown herbs were sprinkled in, giving off a faint, clean fragrance.
"My Lord, the clothes will be brought shortly." After the old woman finished speaking, she led the two young maids out and closed the door.
Jiang Yuechu made no move, still standing silently where she was.
"Miss..." A maid, holding a stack of folded clothes, poked her head in and was stunned to see Jiang Yuechu still wearing the robe.
Jiang Yuechu turned half her face toward her. "Leave them here. Without my command, no one is allowed to enter.
""Yes Miss." The door was softly closed.
Only then did Jiang Yuechu move.
She dragged the long bench used for holding washbasins, turned it sideways, and firmly braced it against the door.
After doing all this, she untied the large burlap robe she was wearing and tossed it onto the floor.Beneath the robe were the black clothes with red patterns, stained and mottled with blood.
She unbuckled her belt, took off her Hengdao, and then stripped off her clothes piece by piece, revealing her slender yet well-proportioned body.
She lifted her leg and stepped into the wooden tub.
"Hiss~~~"
The hot water stung her skin.
"Oh~~~~~~"
She slowly sat down, submerging her entire body in the water, leaving only her head exposed.She let out a long breath.
Her constantly tense nerves finally relaxed slightly.
She looked at the blurred outline reflected in the water.
Slender, pale.
She looked decent.
What was even more precious was that the chest of this body held no great ambition; they were barely the size of steamed buns able to fully be grasped in her palm barely overflowing.
At least they wouldn't get in the way during running, jumping, or fighting.
Her legs seemed longer than they were in her memory.
Her bottom had also filled out by a sizable margin surely making her chest jealous.
Could it be... that practicing martial arts makes you grow?
She closed her eyes and silently scrubbed her body.
Suppressing the inexplicable restlessness, her thoughts gradually cleared.There was still no sign regarding the household registration matter, so she would set that aside for now.
The other matter, however, was worth discussing.
What crime exactly did her father commit? Although the Jiang Family was not considered top-tier nobility in the capital, they were a scholarly family, serving as officials for generations—a family of esteemed gentry.
The original owner's father was named Jiang Xun, who served as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, holding the rank of Third Grade, Junior.
Jiang Xun, in her memory, was a somewhat rigid scholar who loved tending to flowers and plants and always had a book in hand.
Jiang Yuechu frowned.
Something was wrong.
The laws of the Great Tang were strict. Crimes involving extended family punishment must be enormous cases like treason or collusion with the enemy.
But Jiang Xun was a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, managing sacrifices, rituals, and imperial examinations.
He had no military authority above him and didn't handle money or grain below him. How could he commit treason?
Even stepping back ten thousand paces, even if the Jiang Family was truly convicted.According to the Great Tang Law, female dependents should be confiscated and sent to the Imperial Entertainment Bureau.
But why was she, a woman without the strength to truss a chicken, taken through such trouble to be escorted to the frontier?
What was even stranger were the people escorting her.Ordinary escort of exiled criminals was always handled by the Ministry of Justice issuing documents and local yamen runners being responsible.
Even in the case of an enormous crime where the criminals were ferocious and required the use of soldiers, that should still be the Ministry of War's business.
Yet, her group was personally escorted by the Demon Suppression Division.Since when did the Demon Suppression Division have so many available personnel?
Jiang Yuechu slowly opened her eyes, and water droplets slid down her eyelashes.
Damn it.
She had thought that the biggest problem she currently faced was just the household registration and travel permit.
Once that was solved, relying on her Golden Finger, the world would be vast, and she could go anywhere.
But now it seemed the original owner's identity was strange in every aspect.
"Sigh... it's difficult, truly difficult..."
Sinking back in the water to relax longer she drifted off temporarily forgetting her problems.