Chapter 15 Preparations
In the wake of recent events, rumors began to spread through the town about Bai Xiao's connection to Commander Dong Li and the Duke of Ran. Was Bai Xiao related to the Duke? Or perhaps he enjoyed special favor? Why else would a commander wipe out an entire clan—and on Bai Xiao's orders, no less?
Su Zhen had the same questions. But in the end, it wasn't his business—he had secrets of his own. So he didn't ask. Out of respect—and because Bai Xiao never pressed him about his own secrets—he didn't ask.
"Old Ge gave me a lot of instructions during our last meeting. It's time to start carrying them out," Su Zhen recalled.
Besides opening the Heavenly Eye—which required careful preparation and had to be done on the first try, since damaging the spiritual implant would immediately draw the attention of demons—there were other tasks to complete.
Elder Ge had told him to have the tanner make a large, sturdy backpack—about two feet tall and a foot wide and deep, with a lid.
And from the carpenter, a wooden box: 14 by 14 by 8 inches, with rounded edges so it could fit neatly in the pack.
"Must be for artifacts from that chamber," Su Zhen thought, a sly grin spread across his face.
"How much gold... how many secret techniques are waiting in there? This will be my reward for a whole year of suffering." He looked up at the sky and clasped his hands in prayer. "Still, I shouldn't be so greedy. The fact that Old Ge is teaching me at all is a huge stroke of luck. I'm grateful to the Heavens. Forgive my greedy thoughts, Buddhas and Immortals!"
There was one more thing—he needed a belt from the tanner, with loops for his sword's sheath.
Su Zhen made his way through the market and craftsmen's quarter, picking up some items for the house and placing the necessary orders.
When the balding old tanner began measuring the sword, sweat formed on his tall forehead. He seemed afraid to even touch the sheath—which looked like it alone was worth more than the whole town.
Money wasn't an issue. His master, Bai Xiao, was far from poor—in fact, he might well have been the richest man in town. Ever since he started selling his new pills—through his contact Wen Haoran—for an absurd amount of money to martial artists, merchants, and aristocrats alike, Bai Xiao had amassed a fortune in just a few months.
"If this keeps up, my master could become the wealthiest man in all of Southern Hou," another greedy thought crept into Su Zhen's mind. He shook his head to chase it away.
A group of girls nearby started whispering and giggling when they saw him.
Su Zhen frowned. "Time to get out of here." The moxibustion Elder Ge prescribed helped prevent nocturnal emissions, but it couldn't safeguard the purity of his mind. The allure of beautiful women still posed a real threat, tempting him to stray. Because of this, Zhen remained vigilant over his thoughts and avoided any direct contact with girls.
A man bowed to him with palms pressed together and said, "My respects, Master Su…"
"Master Su? Since when?" Su Zhen thought, his smile crooked. He responded with a shy nod, pressing his palm to the fist wrapped around his sword. Then he quickened his pace, eager to escape the stares that followed him.
As he neared the master's residence, his eyes caught dark stains on the road. The bodies had been cleared, but the blood hadn't faded yet, even though people had tried to wash it away with buckets of water. The superstitious townsfolk now avoided the spot, keeping to the roadside instead.
Stepping inside, he called out toward the kitchen, "I'm back!" and heard Auntie Sun reply, "Good, lunch is soon." As he passed the moon gate, he heard a horse galloping down the street.
---
That gallop had come from a messenger's horse—sent by the Duke to Ironstream Fortress. Messengers had been dispatched to every stronghold in the duchy with news of mobilization and the beginning of war.
The foam-flecked horse, panting heavily, its mane braided and a tag swinging from its neck, slowed as it approached the fortress, where a hundred-man garrison was stationed.
"Halt!" the guards on the wall raised their crossbows. Halberds bristled at the gates, and the warning gong began to sound from within the fort.
"Wind number is five!" the messenger shouted.
"Let him through!" came the junior officer's reply.
The rider entered the inner yard and, out of superstition, circled the perimeter three times before dismounting.
A soldier immediately grabbed the reins and led the horse toward the stables.
The messenger spoke to the gate officer:
"Secret dispatch. For the garrison commander's eyes only."
"Shut the gate!" the officer ordered, then marched quickly alongside the messenger toward Commander Dong Li's quarters.
Inside, the messenger dropped to his knees and, holding the sealed case with both hands, said:
"By order of the Son of Heaven, under the seal of the Duke of Ran—secret message for the commander of Ironstream Fortress, Centurion Dong Li."
"Received in service," Dong Li replied and took the case.
The messenger and two guards withdrew, shutting the door behind them.
The centurion ritually washed his hands in a basin of water. Then he took a cipher book from a safe, pulled a military manual—The Three Tactics—off a shelf, opened the case, and began decoding the symbols on the letter.
On rough yellow paper, stamped with the seal of the Duke of Ran:
"The ninth day of the fifth moon, Year 21 of the reign of the Son of Heaven, Ji Hu.
By decree of the Son of Heaven, Emperor of Southern Hou, war is declared on Northern Hou, and the Kingdoms of Yu and Yuan.
Implement wartime protocols.
I, Duke of Ran, hereby order the garrison of Ironstream Fortress to dispatch 50 soldiers with a month's supplies to defend Black Fang Pass.
Mobilize a militia of 300 men.
Deliver five tons of steel to the auditor."
Dong Li ran his finger inside the case and found a thin strip of rice paper stuck to it.
He laid it across a marked page in another book. The perforations in the paper revealed hidden characters from the text beneath. The secret message from the Duke read:
"not... send... steel... men... kill...auditor... secretly"
Dong Li took a bronze bowl and burned both messages. Then he changed into ceremonial robes and called to the guards outside:
"Sound the general assembly!"
Soon after, Commander Dong Li stood in the fortress courtyard, dressed in red ritual garb, a clay jug of wine in both hands and a bronze sword at his waist. The soldiers already knew what was coming.
Looking over the ranks, he declared in a booming voice:
"Peace is over. War has been declared."
Then he smashed the jug on the ground, drawing his sword and pointing it toward the border with Northern Hou.
"Glory to the Son of Heaven! The enemy will fall! Long live the Emperor—ten thousand years!" the soldiers shouted in unison, pounding their spear shafts against the stone.
Dong Li kept his sword unsheathed and thrust it into a nearby log, blade pointing in the same direction as before.
"Tonight, we offer tribute to the gods of war. Dismissed."