Chapter Thirty-Three: Dispersal

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Though Jianzhou City lay under the rule of King Qingjianxi, and its poor were deeply oppressed and exploited, it was nevertheless worthy of being called a royal capital. The privileged walked adorned in gold and silver, living lives of extravagant luxury, while the impoverished toiled at arduous, life-threatening labor just to survive. Unfamiliar travelers, arriving for the first time, could not help but marvel at what seemed to be the prosperous and tranquil order of the city, praising King Qingjianxi’s governance. The streets thronged with patrols of armored soldiers, instilling a sense of security. Yet, unseen, every day someone starved to death in the street, their corpses quietly removed by the iron-armored guards.

Perhaps the wives and children of these poor souls waited in vain, hoping their breadwinner would return safely with food, unaware he might have already been persecuted to death, his body possibly never recovered. To appeal to the authorities was useless; in this era, Jianzhou City cared nothing for the lives or deaths of others.

In Jianzhou City, the surname Wei was law; the power of the Wei King far surpassed even that of the emperor.

With the sun barely risen, Ye Sansi awoke. After washing, he stepped out of his room to find Taiyi already up, waiting at the door. Seeing Sansi emerge, Taiyi approached and said, “Brother Sansi, you’re awake.”

Ye Sansi replied, “Taiyi, were you waiting for me?”

“Yes, though not exactly waiting; I’d only just come upstairs myself when you came out. Brother Sansi, I want to do something big.”

“Something big?”

Taiyi hurriedly pulled Sansi into his own room, closed the door, and motioned for Sansi to sit. He asked, “Brother Sansi, do you dare to kill?”

“To kill? If it’s villains or evildoers, I’d kill as many as I could. Taiyi, what are you planning?”

Taiyi whispered, “Brother Sansi, do you remember those guards at the post station?”

“Of course I remember. They weren’t truly bad men. Though under Wei Xikun’s command, they sought only to survive, some even sacrificing themselves for their families.”

Taiyi continued, “It seems their last hope has been crushed. Early this morning, unable to sleep, I wandered the city and passed a porridge shop, where I overheard two people talking.”

He paused, then went on, “They were discussing the Wei King, so I hid nearby to listen. The gist was that last night, King Qingjianxi had all those guards’ families arrested for colluding with bandits—a vile and treacherous charge. Now that they’re taken, I doubt they’ll ever be released. They might even have their hearts and livers cut out, offering them to the king for his sorcery.”

Ye Sansi said angrily, “That’s despicable. What, shall we go kill King Qingjianxi? But the two of us aren’t enough; we struggled even against Wei Xikun, let alone his father.”

“Brother Sansi, you’re right. From what I know, King Qingjianxi isn’t in Jianzhou at the moment. My idea is to raid the great prison and rescue those people. I’ve heard the prison guards are all Wei’s trusted men, specialists in extracting prisoners’ organs for him. We may not be able to defeat the king, but we can deal with these villains first.”

“Should we go now? Won’t we tell Lingshuang and Nian’er?”

“They’re young women. If they heard we were going to kill, they’d surely be frightened. If the authorities come investigating, they wouldn’t be able to keep it secret, making trouble for us. Just the two of us is enough; we’ll go quickly and return quickly.”

“Alright, let’s do it.”

Ye Sansi and Li Taiyi went downstairs, grabbed a quick bite, and left the inn. Before departing, Sansi deliberately spoke loudly to Taiyi, “Taiyi, I heard the swords and blades at the eastern blacksmith shop are excellent. Shall we go take a look?”

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Li Taiyi was momentarily puzzled, then understood Sansi’s intention and replied, “Sure, my sword’s gotten a bit dull; perfect time to sharpen it.”

On the streets, vendors had already opened for business. In these hard times, making a living meant rising early and working late. The armored patrols would pause for a moment to eat and drink, but no one dared speak. The necks of the poor were as fragile as tofu—one careless moment and their heads would roll.

With the sun just risen, Li Taiyi and Ye Sansi deftly evaded the guards and reached the government office. The yamen was not a vital area compared to the king’s palace; it merely served as the magistrate’s court and had no special guards. The two easily slipped to the prison entrance. Ye Sansi whispered to Li Taiyi, “Are we really just going to barge in? There are plenty of armored soldiers outside the yamen. Even if we rescue people in broad daylight, escaping won’t be easy.”

“Brother Sansi, there’s no time to delay. If we wait until nightfall, who knows how many more will perish. I’ve checked—the only guards here are at the prison. Even if there’s a fight, it’ll be hard to detect. According to the prison’s layout, there are just five guards and seven armored soldiers; the rest are all out patrolling.”

“Alright, I’ll take care of the two at the door—quick and clean.”

Before he finished speaking, Ye Sansi used his blazing capture step, instantly entering the prison. Gripping his sword, Heaven’s Wrath, he struck before the two armored guards could react, beheading them in thirteen swift moves. The sound of bodies hitting the ground alerted the other guards.

As Taiyi predicted, there were ten men inside. All grabbed weapons and rushed over to fight Ye Sansi and Li Taiyi. The five guards were manageable, but the armored soldiers were formidable; Taiyi’s sword couldn’t harm them at all, though Heaven’s Wrath could. Taiyi dealt with the five guards first, while Sansi engaged the five armored soldiers.

These armored men, the Wei family’s iron army, were well-trained, their skills rivaling Wei Xikun’s. Ye Sansi was soon on the defensive, struggling even to parry. After Taiyi finished off the guards, he hurried to assist, discarding his sword to use his Nirvana Flame technique, immobilizing an armored man’s arm for Sansi to strike.

Heaven’s Wrath’s icy poison coursed through the veins, causing instant collapse, freezing the body.

Though their technique was superb, the armor slowed them down. Taiyi and Sansi were agile, their cooperation flawless—Taiyi immobilized with Nirvana Flame, Sansi struck with Heaven’s Wrath. Gradually, the last four armored soldiers fell, all transformed into frozen blood, their corpses shattered hideously.

Ye Sansi used his Sword Rain technique, opening all the prison doors with Heaven’s Wrath. The prisoners were freed and knelt in gratitude. Ye Sansi quickly said, “Don’t kneel yet; we’re still in danger. Wait until we’re clear, then thank me.”

Turning, he said to Taiyi, “Taiyi, I’ll go out first and draw the patrols away. You use the chaos to lead them out of the city.”

“Brother Sansi, that’s too dangerous. Let me draw the guards instead, you take them out.”

Ye Sansi replied loudly, “Taiyi, you know the roads better than I do, you handle situations more calmly, and your martial skills surpass mine. At the city gate you’ll need to face the gate guards, who are tough and dangerous. I’ll escape with my blazing capture step; I’ll be fine, but you must be extra careful.”

With that, Sansi dashed out onto the main street, killing several armored soldiers with Heaven’s Wrath.

Cries of “Assassin! Quick, pursue!” echoed, then faded.

Taiyi waited a moment, then led the group to the west gate. Slapping his forehead, he realized Ye Sansi had tricked him.

Because Sansi had stirred up chaos in the city, most gate guards had left to pursue him, leaving only a few behind. Li Taiyi quickly dispatched them and led everyone out.

On the road, Taiyi thought: Brother Sansi, I never expected you to be so noble, tricking me so you could face those armored men alone. The look in your eyes as you left made it clear you were going to your death. Alas, I shouldn’t have let you sacrifice yourself. There will surely be many pursuers; I can’t go back to help you. Brother Sansi, may heaven watch over you and aid your escape.

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Within the city, Ye Sansi fled using his blazing capture step. As he anticipated, the city was teeming with armored soldiers, all well-trained and organized in pursuit. No matter where he ran, he was spotted, and before long he found himself surrounded.

Ye Sansi stood alone, encircled by more than ten armored men, with reinforcements steadily arriving. Sansi summoned swords; exhausted from earlier exertions, he could only conjure nine. Heaven’s Wrath gleamed, and the armored soldiers dared not advance rashly. Sansi was tense, knowing that if he died, he would have failed many people.

Suddenly, five armored men attacked together. Sansi dodged, countering with Heaven’s Wrath. Eight swords hovered in the air, one in his hand. In the wide space, Heaven’s Wrath could be fully unleashed. Against the five, Sansi’s agility outmatched their sluggishness; every move was evaded, and his swords struck in concert. All five were wounded, frozen, their blood shattering on the ground.

Sansi remained fearless, while the armored men grew hesitant. Thus, a standoff lasted nearly an hour, until noon, with the sun blazing overhead. Ye Sansi was utterly spent; if they attacked again, he would be overwhelmed. He forced himself to appear capable of taking on a hundred, though he was barely holding on.

“Hyah!”

A faint cry of horses echoed from all sides. The ground began to tremble; hoofbeats grew louder. Ye Sansi smiled, “At last.”

From each city gate, riders surged in—many dressed in black, wielding long swords. It was clear the gate guards had been dealt with. The outer armored soldiers turned to resist, but their defense was overrated. In an instant, the horsemen struck them down, trampling them beneath their mounts, each finishing blow delivered swiftly.

Breaking through, one horseman reached out to Ye Sansi, who grabbed his hand and leaped onto the horse.

Where the riders passed, only armored corpses remained. After escorting Sansi out, the group split into five teams—one to protect him, the others to eliminate remaining armored soldiers inside the city.

Once outside, the horsemen stopped. Ye Sansi dismounted and cupped his fists in thanks. Without a word, the riders returned his gesture and rode back into the city.

Ye Sansi scratched his head, watching their retreating figures, worrying aloud, “This business really required more thought. I should have explained things to them. I wonder how Lingshuang and Nian’er are doing. Jianzhou City is out of the question now; I’ll have to take things step by step. Perhaps I should head to Lingzhou City. If Lingshuang is safe, she’ll surely return there, and I can wait for them.”

And so, Ye Sansi set off alone, unsure of the road to Lingzhou City, forced to ask directions along the way.

One man, one sword, beneath the blazing sun—how profoundly lonely it seemed...