Chapter 74: Surrounded

Du Zigong’s former residence lay near the north gate. When the imperial army stormed in through that gate, the thunderous sounds of slaughter were unmistakable. Within the house, Zhang Chi couldn’t help but wonder, “The Way of Five Bushels of Rice has already killed off the Wang, Xie, and other noble clans—why is there still the sound of killing? Could it be they’re now turning on the common folk?”

The old man shook his head and replied, “If my guess is correct, this is not the slaughter of the Celestial Masters. I fear the imperial army has already counterattacked. I had thought they would wait until tomorrow to assault the city, but I did not expect them to come so soon.”

Only then did Zhang Chi recall what the old man had told him earlier: letting the Five Bushels of Rice followers take Shanyin was merely Sima Daozi’s stratagem—using another’s hand to do his own killing, intending to have Sun Tai destroy the Wang and Xie clans. In truth, the imperial army had long since camped outside the walls, unwilling to come to the rescue unless the Five Bushels of Rice cultists slaughtered those noble families first. Now that their aim was achieved, there was no way they would let Sun Tai hold Shanyin for long.

“This is bad,” Zhang Chi suddenly cried out. “Daoxuan, Santong, and the others got separated from us, and now with the imperial army retaking the city, chaos reigns. I hope nothing has happened to them.”

The more Zhang Chi thought about it, the more uneasy he became, particularly regarding Santong, Miss Ruoshui, and Xie Lingyun. He turned to the Wine Girl and said, “It’s safe here. You should stay put. I’ll go find Santong and the others and return to meet you.”

But as he rose to leave, he found the Wine Girl still clutching the hem of his robe tightly.

Naturally, she would heed his arrangements, but in her heart, she was loath to be separated from Zhang Chi again. It was no wonder—after all the ordeals she had just endured, and finally reunited, how could she bear to let him go off alone? In her mind, as long as they were together, not even a thousand armies could daunt her. Alone, in these troubled times, she would be left with no support at all.

Seeing her silent refusal but firm grip, Zhang Chi understood her feelings. He considered the situation—so volatile, who could foresee what might happen next? If they were parted again, who knew where to search for her? With a change of mind, he said, “Very well, let us search together.”

The Wine Girl broke into a smile at his willingness to let her accompany him.

“If you must go out, young master, be careful,” the old man urged. “Now that the imperial army has stormed the city, Sun Tai and his followers cannot hold it. If you find your friends, there is no need to return here for shelter.”

Zhang Chi nodded. “Elder, how shall we seek you out again? My cousin Ding Yizhi should be in Shu at this time, and since you share a family with him, perhaps, after I find the others, we can all go to Shu together.”

The old man shook his head and smiled, “Thank you, young master, but the Ding clan of Shanyin still has the old mistress and other kinfolk hiding elsewhere in Kuaiji. I should return to serve the old mistress. Go on to Shu as you wish, but rest assured, we may yet meet again one day.”

Zhang Chi was never one for lengthy farewells. Seeing the old man so resolute, he clasped his hands in thanks and said, “Many thanks for your rescue today.” With that, he took the Wine Girl by the hand and departed.

Once outside Du Zigong’s residence, Zhang Chi was struck by the carnage. The devastation wrought by the imperial army far surpassed that of the Five Bushels of Rice cultists’ earlier entry. The cultists had killed only the great clans, if with savage methods—boiling certain noblemen into gruel for food—but they had not murdered indiscriminately. The imperial soldiers, on the other hand, rampaged through the streets, slaying anyone in their path, leaving countless innocents dead.

Of course, these soldiers sought glory. In times of chaos, who could tell whether those they killed were commoners or rebels? Many armies, though tasked with quelling bandits, would in fact slaughter refugees and then report it as a great victory. Pity the common folk, whose lives were worth no more than weeds.

Heading from the north gate into the city, Zhang Chi saw corpses everywhere—there was no distinguishing which were cultists and which were ordinary citizens.

But he had urgent business and dared not attract attention. Cautiously, he led the Wine Girl through deserted alleys toward the city center.

He was not overly concerned for Daoxuan, whose martial skills were formidable, but he worried for Santong, Miss Ruoshui, and Xie Lingyun. Santong’s abilities were limited, and with a woman and a child in tow, any mishap could spell disaster.

Earlier, to save the Wine Girl, Zhang Chi had instructed Santong to hide with Miss Ruoshui and Xie Lingyun in a nearby lane. Now, he hurried with the Wine Girl to the spot where they had parted from Santong.

But search as he might in the vicinity, he could not find any sign of them. Anxiety gnawed at him.

“There are two more of those rice cultists!”

Lost in thought, Zhang Chi was startled by a shout. Looking back, he saw a small squad of imperial soldiers charging toward him.

“Kill them!” The leader, mounted and armed, spurred his horse straight at Zhang Chi.

There was no way to outrun cavalry, not in a crowded street. Zhang Chi quickly shielded the Wine Girl behind him and shouted, “How dare you! I am the imperial general tasked with suppressing the rebels!”

This was no idle boast—after slaying Cang Huai and saving Jiankang, Zhang Chi had indeed rendered great service, and the Prince of Kuaiji had promoted him to this very rank, though he had never formally received the commission.

At his words, the mounted leader hesitated, eyeing Zhang Chi up and down before bursting into laughter. “If you’re an imperial general, I must be the Jade Emperor himself!”

No wonder he didn’t believe him—after all, Zhang Chi was dressed in the garb of the Five Bushels of Rice followers, looking every bit the refugee. How could an imperial general appear so bedraggled?

Seeing their leader unconvinced, his men did not hesitate. One soldier spurred forward, lance leveled at Zhang Chi.

“Brother Zhang, I’ll save you!” Just then, Daoxuan leaped from a nearby alley, stooped to grab a stone, and hurled it with uncanny precision—it struck the mounted officer squarely between the eyes, knocking him from his horse with a cry.

Daoxuan landed beside Zhang Chi in a bound, but by now the squad had surrounded them on all sides.

Unlike the cultists, these were trained soldiers of the imperial army, veterans well-versed in battle—no match for the ragtag cultists or refugees. Daoxuan knew this well: even with his skills, breaking through a disciplined formation would be no easy feat, let alone with the unskilled Zhang Chi and the Wine Girl in tow.

As the soldiers closed in, tightening the circle around them, Daoxuan found himself utterly at a loss.