Young Jiang Ziya

The next morning, Ji Fa and Lü Shang rode out of the gates of Xiqi and headed straight for the forest in the northern suburbs.

"If that old man dares to show himself, I'll demand an explanation." Ji Fa gripped the reins tightly, his voice filled with suppressed anger. "Playing tricks and causing Xiqi to become like this—"

Before he could finish speaking, a white shadow suddenly flashed past among the trees a dozen feet away.

"It's him!" Ji Fa's pupils contracted, and he suddenly pulled on the reins.

The horse reared up and neighed. Ji Fa had already landed on his feet, his long sword drawn, and he quickly gave chase.

"Your Highness, wait!" Lü Shang hurriedly dismounted and tried to catch up, but his feet were tripped by the tangled tree roots.

By the time he regained his balance and looked up, Ji Fa's figure had already disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

"Damn it..." Lu Shang gritted his teeth and quickly chased after Ji Fa, following the footprints he had left behind.

***

At the same time, in a relatively open clearing in the woods.

Chang Xu was humming a little tune as he slowly started a fire and set up camp.

He was surrounded by all sorts of food—piles of fruit, ears of wheat, and several pieces of smoked meat wrapped in oil paper. A pot of meat broth was simmering in the iron pot, filling the air with its aroma.

Footsteps came from the woods.

Chang Xu looked up and saw Ji Fa rushing out of the bushes with a sword in hand, grinning with a mocking smile.

"Oh, isn't this Your Highness?" He picked up a fruit, took a big bite, and said, "You've come at the perfect time. The soup is just cooked. Would you like a bowl?"

Ji stood there stunned, her gaze shifting from Chang Xu's face to the mountain of food piled up beside him, and then back to that face with a mocking smile.

"You..." Ji Fa's breathing became heavy, "Yesterday... was it all an act?"

"Otherwise what?" Chang Xu tossed the fruit pit aside, stood up, and dusted off his hands. "You really think I have three starving children at home? Hahahaha—"

He laughed so hard he almost fell over: "Your Highness, you're so easily fooled!"

Every word was like a slap in the face, landing hard on Ji Fa's face.

His hand holding the sword trembled, his knuckles turning white from gripping it so tightly.

But Chang Xu hadn't finished speaking.

He strolled slowly around Ji Fa and said, "But to be honest, I really admire you."

"After being so swindled, they still gave me food—tsk tsk, that's truly touching."

"Shut up," Ji Fa uttered through gritted teeth.

"What, did I say something wrong?" Chang Xu stopped in front of Ji Fa, his smile full of sarcasm. "Your father, the Marquis of Xibo, would never be so easily fooled."

He mimicked Ji Fa's tone from the previous night perfectly, then burst into laughter: "With your mannerisms, I'm afraid even the veteran generals under your father's command couldn't keep you in check, could they?"

Ji Fa's eyes, etched with anger, began to turn red.

Seeing that the time was right, Chang Xu drew a short sword from his waist.

The sword was ordinary, even somewhat rusty, but he twirled it in his hands with a beautiful flourish.

Chang Xu tilted his head. "How about this, we fight. If you win, I'll do whatever you want with me, kill me or torture me, I'll have no complaints. If you lose..."

He paused deliberately, his smile turning malicious: "So you admit you're a piece of trash, how about that? Fair enough?"

Ji Fa stared at him, at that face filled with mockery.

After a long while, he slowly raised the sword in his hand, the tip of the sword pointing at Chang Xu.

"Take this." Ji Fa's voice was icy cold, devoid of any warmth.

Chang Xu laughed: "That's more like it."

Before he finished speaking, Ji Fa had already rushed forward.

The sword flashed like lightning, aiming straight for Chang Xu's throat.

This sword strike was swift and ruthless, carrying the pent-up anger of the entire night.

Chang Xu hurriedly raised his sword to parry, and with a crisp "clang", the short sword was shaken and almost slipped from his hand. He took three steps back before regaining his balance.

"Oh, young master has quite a temper." Chang Xu shook his numb wrist, but his words were still sharp.

Ji Fa did not answer, and the second sword was already upon him.

This time it was a diagonal slash; the sword's edge sliced ​​through the air, emitting a sharp whistling sound.

Chang Xu barely managed to dodge to the side, the sword blade grazing his clothes and cutting a gash.

"Is that all the accuracy you have?" Chang Xu continued to mock while parrying. "Your Highness's swordsmanship is nothing special, to me."

"Shut up!" Ji Fa roared, his sword strikes suddenly accelerating.

Seven sword strikes in quick succession, each aimed straight for vital points. Chang Xu was struggling to defend himself, sustaining several more wounds, but his verbal assault never ceased:

"Getting anxious? Did I hit the nail on the head?"

"If it weren't for His Highness Ji Kao being held hostage in Chaoge, with your skills, you probably wouldn't even have the chance to lead the soldiers of Xiqi."

"If you ask me, you're not just inferior to your elder brother—you're not even a qualified prince. If Xiqi were handed over to you, it probably wouldn't last three years before it's all over."

Every word he uttered struck Ji Fa's most painful wounds with pinpoint accuracy.

Ji Fa's eyes turned completely red.

"I told you to shut up—!!"

With his final strike, Ji Fa gripped his sword with both hands, leaped high into the air, and brought it down with all his might.

Chang Xu raised his sword to parry.

The moment the two swords clashed—

Chang Xu's figure vanished like a bubble.

Ji Fa's sword missed its target, striking the ground heavily and splashing up dirt and grass clippings.

He remained frozen in his chopping posture, his heavy breathing particularly jarring in the silent forest.

Why kill him?

An aged voice came from behind.

Ji Fa suddenly turned around.

Yuanshi stood three zhang away, his eyes devoid of any emotion—no anger, no disappointment, not even pity, only a serene calm that seemed to see through everything.

"He humiliated me," Ji Fa said through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse with anger.

"So you're going to kill him?" Yuan Shi's voice was soft, but it struck Ji Fa's heart like a heavy hammer. "Just because someone was verbally humiliated, you're going to take their life? There are far too many people in this world who deserve to die."

Ji Fa opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

"Shut up!!!"

Ji Fa completely lost control.

He swung his sword at Yuanshi like a madman. One sword, two swords, three swords... each sword strike was delivered with all his might, each sword aimed straight for the vital points.

But Yuan Shi's figure was like a ghost, always disappearing the instant before the sword touched him, and then reappearing in another location.

After more than a dozen sword strikes, Ji Fa collapsed to his knees, panting heavily, his hands trembling from the excessive force.

The voice of the Primordial One echoed in the air, seemingly coming from all directions, "It's a pity, Your Highness. You have lost."

Blinding white light surged in from all directions, engulfing Ji Fa, engulfing the forest, engulfing everything.

***

"Your Highness... Ji Fa!"

Lu Shang's voice pulled Ji Fa back to reality.

Lu Shang squatted down beside him, asking worriedly, "What happened to you? When I found you, you were lying like this..."

Ji Fa tried to sit up, but his limbs felt weak.

Lü Shang quickly helped him up and handed him the water bag.

Ji Fa took it and gulped down a large mouthful.

"I... ran into that old man." He wanted to say something, but didn't know how.

In the end, he simply shook his head: "Go back."

The two men silently led their horses out of the forest. Ji Fa didn't say a word the whole way, and Lü Shang didn't dare to ask any questions either.

As soon as we entered the gates of Xiqi, suppressed cries and screams came rushing towards us.

The direction of the granary was crowded with people, but not in a line to receive grain—the crowd was in turmoil, pushing and shoving, and screaming in despair.

"What's wrong?" Ji Fa grabbed an old man who had squeezed out of the crowd.

The old man wept uncontrollably: "The grain...the grain is all rotten! The last bit of wheat went moldy overnight!"

Ji Fa froze.

He pushed through the crowd and squeezed to the entrance of the granary, where a strong musty smell hit him.

Ji Fa stood there, watching all of this, and suddenly felt a chill run through his body.

"Your Highness..." Lü Shang called to him softly.

Ji Fa didn't react. He turned around and walked towards the Marquis's residence like a walking corpse.

***

The atmosphere in the Marquis's council hall was even more somber than in the granary.

Ji Chang sat in the main seat, his face ashen, as if he had aged ten years overnight.

"...The palace kitchen still has some food reserves." Lei Kai's voice was as cold as ice. "But that's the last ration reserved for the royal family and the army. If even the soldiers go hungry, who will maintain order in the city? Who will defend against potential enemies?"

Xiqi is like a piece of fat meat; everyone wants a bite. Without an army to keep it in check, chaos will erupt within three days.

"Our people are starving to death, where did this Xiqi come from?" Ji Fa's voice came from the doorway.

Lei Kai turned around, his eyes sharp as knives: "Your Highness, you are too naive."

If the soldiers are hungry, the first thing they'll point their swords at won't be the enemy, but His Majesty.

Only then will Xiqi truly be finished.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Ji Fa stared directly at Lei Kai. "Just watch the people starve to death?"

"We can borrow grain from neighboring countries," Ji Fa said, turning to his father. "The states of Chong and Yu have had a good harvest this year and have surplus grain. We can use the taxes from the next three years as payment; they should be able to—"

"No way," Lei Kai interrupted decisively.

Ji Fa glared at him angrily.

Lei Kai refused to back down: "First, neighboring countries might take advantage of the situation. Once they realize that Xiqi is so weak, the next thing to come won't be food, but an army."

"Secondly," Lei Kai raised his voice, "the mighty Western Qi, established for a century, has always been the leading state among the northern lords. Now, to have to bow down and borrow grain from others—where is its dignity? Where is its prestige?"

"Is face more important or human life?!" Ji Fa's voice rose as well.

"Both are important!" Lei Kai practically roared. "Losing face means losing prestige! If that happens, morale will collapse—and Xiqi will perish just the same!"

The two men stood facing each other in the council chamber like two angry lions.

Ji Chang rubbed his temples wearily, and after a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice hoarse like sandpaper: "Stop arguing... We'll discuss this matter later."

"Father--"

"I said, we'll discuss this later!" Ji Chang slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup on the table to jump up, smash on the ground, and shards to fly everywhere.

Ji Fa was stunned.

He had never seen his father so distraught.

Lei Kai lowered his head and stopped talking.

Only a deathly silence remained in the council chamber.

***

As evening fell, the lines to collect grain were still forming beneath the city walls, but the hope on people's faces had been completely extinguished.

Lu Shang silently walked to Ji Fa's side and followed his gaze.

Ji Fa murmured, his voice as soft as a sigh, "Xiqi... is going to be destroyed in my hands."

"Your Highness, this is not entirely your fault—"

"It was me." Ji Fa interrupted him, turning his head with empty eyes. "It was I who killed the Nine-Colored Deer, it was I who broke the seal, it was I who brought this curse upon us."

He gripped the bricks of the city wall so tightly that his fingernails cracked and blood seeped into the cracks: "I'm a bastard. A selfish, stupid, arrogant bastard."

Lu Shang wanted to say something, but all the words of comfort stuck in his throat.

***

Late at night, Lü Shang quietly got up and slipped out of the back door of the Marquis's residence.

He traveled quickly and arrived at the forest in the northern suburbs once again.

He knelt down in the open space where he met Yuanshi, clasped his hands together, and closed his eyes.

"Senior Yuanshi... Junior Lü Shang, please show yourself."

no respond.

"I don't ask you to take back the curse," Lü Shang continued, his voice exceptionally clear in the silence. "I only ask you... to give Ji Fa another chance."

Time passes little by little.

The old man's figure slowly coalesced in the moonlight.

He looked down at Lü Shang kneeling on the ground, and after a long while, slowly said, "Let him go to the 'Jade Void' maze."

Lü Shang suddenly looked up: "The Jade Void Maze?"

"Thirty li north of Xiqi lies a basin between two mountains," Yuanshi's voice was calm and undisturbed. "That is the final test."

"Can he go alone?" Lü Shang pressed.

"Remember, only him."

***

When Lü Shang rushed back to the Marquis's residence, it was already dawn.

The light in Ji Fa's room was still on. Lü Shang pushed open the door and went in, seeing that Ji Fa was already dressed and polishing his longsword.

"Where are you going?" Lü Shang asked knowingly.

"The Jade Void Maze." Ji Fa didn't even look up. "Yuanshi gave me one last chance."

He stood up and fastened his sword to his waist: "If I don't come back... take good care of my father. And Xiqi."

"Your Highness—"

"No buts." Ji Fa interrupted him, his voice soft but unusually firm. "This all started because of me, and it should end with me. Lü Shang, you stay in Xiqi. This is an order."

He patted Lü Shang on the shoulder, turned and walked out of the room.

Lü Shang stood there, listening to Ji Fa's footsteps gradually fade into the distance until they disappeared at the end of the corridor.