Green Mountain

In the dead of night, the heated kang made the room warm and cozy. Before bed, Niu Er even added some wood chips and pine needles to the stove, letting the fire burn slowly.

Old Ears and Niu Er lay side by side on the kang, sound asleep, while Chen Ji opened his eyes and got up to go outside.

He walked quietly on the packed snow, not even disturbing the dogs in the village.

Halfway up the mountain, Chen Ji shouted loudly, "Wu Yun!"

A black shadow darted out from the woods, lunging into Chen Ji’s arms. Chen Ji stroked its head, "Have you eaten?"

Wu Yun meowed, "Jingzhe hunted a sheep; it was quite tasty."

Chen Ji asked again, "How is it when I’m not around?"

Wu Yun replied, "No problem, it’s quite well-behaved."

Chen Ji nodded, holding Wu Yun, he found a large rock to sit on.

Jingzhe slowly emerged from the woods, glanced at Wu Yun for a signal, and, seeing Wu Yun wasn’t hissing, lay down by Chen Ji’s feet.

One man, one cat, and one tiger gazed together from the mountainside at the distant black Shangjing City. Solemn, strong, undeniable.

Chen Ji asked softly, "Do you think Master will be in Shangjing City?"

Wu Yun raised its head, "Master?"

Chen Ji nodded, "The Mountain Lord follows power, so Master should be in Shangjing City... It’s said the old Emperor of the Jing Dynasty won’t live much longer; perhaps Master is in Shangjing City waiting for the old Emperor’s dynasty fortune?"

Wu Yun perked up, "Then let’s go find him, along with Liang Gou’er, Liang Mao’er, and the Princely Heir!"

Chen Ji sighed, "It’s a pity there’s no way into Shangjing City."

However, just then, the sound of a breaking pine branch came from below the mountain.

Chen Ji looked down to see Old Ears slowly climbing up the mountain with a lantern, muttering complaints, "What’s the point of coming up here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? When you’re young, you should sleep well. When you reach my age, with years of hidden concerns, you’ll find it hard to sleep."

Chen Ji glanced at him, "Weren’t you sleeping soundly just now?"

Old Ears sat beside him, gazing at Shangjing City, "Is there someone you really want to see there?"

Chen Ji remained silent.

Old Ears chuckled, "If you want to see someone, just go see them. Do you really need a foolproof plan to go? You and those cabinet ministers and Ministry officials in the Imperial Capital are alike, always looking three steps ahead, even ten steps ahead, before deciding to move. That’s why you’re prematurely old and worn out."

Chen Ji retorted, "Then what should I do?"

Old Ears lifted the lantern he was holding, illuminating the ground, "Just keep moving forward. Although this lantern only lights up one zhang of ground, does it hinder me from going thousands of miles ahead?"

Chen Ji was taken aback.

Old Ears mocked, "You all want to see the ending before moving forward. But life can’t be so secure, and what’s the point of living so cautiously? Do you have to be sure you can defeat someone before you fight them? Whether you can or not, you’ll only know after fighting! I’ve lived a life more interesting than your eight lives. I’ve been a ship runner, a mountain bandit, a Head Chieftain, an escort leader, an Oiran’s guard, and an outside official in Korea."

Chen Ji, curious, asked, "Ever stayed by the Empress or the Empress Dowager’s side?"

Old Ears cursed, "That damn eunuch! Do you think I can’t tell that you’re subtly swearing at me?"

Chen Ji looked at the distant Shangjing City, "So, you want me to force my way into Shangjing City? People will die."

Old Ears patted his shoulder, "Come on, leave it to me, and you’ll see Old Ears’ real skills."

Chen Ji’s eyes lit up and he followed Old Ears towards the dark mass of the city.

Jingzhe was about to follow when Old Ears warned, "You stay put, wait until we’re out of Shangjing City to rejoin me."

Jingzhe sulkily lay back down.

...

...

The city contours on the horizon seemed nearby, but by the time Chen Ji and Old Ears arrived, it was already daylight.

Outside of Shangjing City, the villagers had already formed a long queue, winding its way out from the city gate.

In the line, there was a peddler carrying a pole balanced with half a slab of pork on each end, a thin layer of frost covering the pork. An old man was driving a donkey loaded with two bundles of firewood, the donkey’s hooves slipping on the snow, prompting the old man to curse while tugging at the reins. There was a woman with a basket containing eggs she had saved up for half a month, wrapped in a cotton-padded coat to prevent them from freezing. There were also several young men who looked like scholars, standing hunched in the line, occasionally stomping their feet to shake off the snow from their boots.

Chen Ji and Old Ears were at the end of the line, quietly observing the area in front of the city gate.

Dozens of villagers drove a cart to the city gate, handing over their travel passes and a piece of yellow paper. A Vice General of the Imperial Guard, clad in golden armor, collected the bundle of travel passes and yellow paper, examining them one by one. Then, his gaze swept over the dozen people: "Are you all from Pang Village?"

A middle-aged man hurried to explain: "Yes, we’re all from the same village. We heard about the rules for entering the capital, so we came together."

The Vice General pointed at a lady, coldly asking a child next to her: "What’s her name?"

The child on the ox cart timidly said: "Aunt Liu..."

The Vice General’s voice grew colder, pressing: "Her real name?"

The child looked confused: "We all just call her Aunt Liu."

The middle-aged man leaned forward: "Lord, the child is too young to know better; that’s all they ever call her. They can’t remember the elders’ real names."

The Vice General sneered: "No need for your explanation. If this child can’t call out her real name, you’ll all be dead today. Get off the cart, and check the luggage."

With that said, several Imperial Guards came forward, rummaging through the luggage, throwing the items on the ox cart to the ground, breaking several eggs in the process.

The lady squatted down, grieving over the broken eggs: "Lord, these eggs are my lifeline. Please be gentle."

While the Imperial Guards searched through the cart, the Vice General intensely watched everyone’s expressions to confirm their distress was genuine, only then waving his hand: "Proceed. Remember that the signed yellow paper must be delivered to the Capital Mansion within three two-hour periods, or face either exile or execution shown to the public."

The middle-aged man quickly nodded: "I understand the rules, sir."

The Imperial Guards at the gate lifted their long spears to let them pass, and from a distance, Chen Ji looked on: "This Vice General verifying identities isn’t rigid; ordinary people can’t bluff their way through. Do you plan to... you?"

Chen Ji, holding Wu Yun, turned to see Old Ears nonchalantly asking a woman behind him for a piece of flatbread, and she actually gave him one.

Old Ears turned back, munching on the flatbread, lowering his voice: "Don’t speak to me, pretend you don’t know me."

Chen Ji slowly followed the line forward, but he had neither a travel pass nor a yellow paper.

Watching as more and more people were pulled out by the Imperial Guards at the city gate, these villagers couldn’t identify each other since none were from the same village, so they had no choice but to stomp their feet in place outside the city. If they couldn’t verify their identity by evening, they would be taken back to the camp by the Imperial Guards.

Getting closer to the gate, Chen Ji was considering if he should leave when Old Ears suddenly stepped forward, cutting in line ahead of him. As their bodies crossed paths, he slipped something into Chen Ji’s hand.

Old Ears spoke through gritted teeth: "Don’t worry about me later, just walk in."

A few more steps, and the Vice General stopped Old Ears: "Travel pass, yellow paper."

Old Ears pretended to search himself, but after a long time, he found nothing.

The Vice General grew impatient: "Found it yet?"

Old Ears grinned cheekily: "Lord, this old man forgot his at home. Could you do me this favor?"

The Vice General’s face darkened: "Where are you from?"

Old Ears’ eyes darted about: "This old man doesn’t remember."

The Vice General stepped back, raising his hand: "Seize him!"

Dozens of Imperial Guards with long halberds surrounded him, but Old Ears did not retreat. Instead, he advanced, getting right in front of the Vice General and, with four fingers together, jabbed at the Vice General’s throat.

The Vice General instinctively bent over in pain, and Old Ears grabbed his armor’s collar, retreating backwards swiftly. This Vice General, man and armor together, weighed around six hundred pounds, yet in Old Ears’ hands, he seemed light as a feather, like a paper figure.

The Vice General struggled to make a sound: "Ignore me, shoot him to death!"

The sound of bows being drawn came from the city wall as dozens of crossbowmen loosed their arrows. Old Ears dragged the Vice General back, and Chen Ji watched in astonishment as Old Ears peeked out half his face from behind the Vice General’s helmet, winking at him.

The next moment, arrows whizzed past, embedding into the ground in pursuit of Old Ears. Unhurriedly, Old Ears retreated several feet, then, once out of the crossbows’ range, turned and ran with the Vice General in hand.

The sound of drums rolled urgently from the city tower, and the sound of horseshoes echoed in the city gate tunnel. The Imperial Guards stationed inside the city charged out, chasing after Old Ears towards the mountains.

Hiding in the shadowy corner between the city gate and the tunnel wall, Chen Ji held his breath, waiting for the Imperial Guards to pass on horseback. He took a deep breath, turned, and walked into Shangjing City.