Liubai Camp: Remnants of the army attack northward

Chapter 10 The Price

Shen Bai pushed open the door and went in.

The same tree and the same well were still in the yard. Zhou Bazi sat by the well, his back to the door, as if gazing at the sky.

He turned around when he heard the door open.

"They've arrived."

Shen Bai walked over and sat down on the stone bench.

He didn't speak. He waited.

Zhou Bazi also sat down and looked at him.

The courtyard was quiet. Only the wind rustled through the bare branches of the trees. The moss by the well had dried, revealing the grayish-white stones.

After a long while, Zhou Bazi finally spoke.

"Is the paper repaired?"

"Um."

Zhou Bazi looked at him. His scarred face was expressionless, but something moved in his eyes. It was as if he had taken a long time to decide to speak.

"Your father found out that someone is making a type of soldier."

Shen Bai didn't speak. He waited.

"What kind of soldiers?"

"Soldiers who are not afraid to die."

Shen Bai clenched his fists.

"Soldiers who have been injected with the black stone—only one in a thousand survives. Those who survive know no pain, no fear. They don't cry out when swords cut them, nor do they flinch when horses trample them."

Zhou Bazi's voice was very low.

"Your dad said those weren't soldiers. They were monsters."

Shen Bai remained silent for a moment.

"You've seen it before?"

Zhou Bazi didn't say anything.

He simply turned his head and looked in the direction of the courtyard gate.

There was a figure outside the door. A white-robed man leaned against the wall, arms crossed, seemingly lost in thought.

The sunlight cast his long shadow on the ground.

Zhou Bazi looked away.

"Never seen it before."

Shen Bai didn't ask any more questions.

He remembered the white robe. He remembered the light that had shone in his palm. He remembered him saying, "It'll be soon."

He remembered that night. The shield wall collapsed. His father rushed in and never looked back…

And then there was his brother. Holding a shield, standing in front of his father. Then the shield disappeared.

"Who's doing it?"

"Your dad found out."

Zhou Bazi paused for a moment.

"We found a name. That name is connected to the imperial court—"

He stopped. As if unsure whether he should continue.

Shen Bai waited.

"The Southern Liang is weak."

Zhou Bazi suddenly said three words.

"Too weak to defend the border. The Northern Barbarians invade southward every year, breaching the passes year after year. The court has no choice but to find another way."

He looked at the water in the well.

They call us corrosives.

Shen Bai remained silent.

"You've heard of it, haven't you? In the borderlands, there are always some people who are different. They can see what others can't, and they can do what others can't."

Zhou Bazi's voice was very low.

"Someone is trying to infuse this ability into the bodies of ordinary people. Using mystic stones. Using a reverse infusion method. Only one in a thousand will survive. And the one that survives is no longer human. It becomes a weapon."

Shen Bai clenched his fists even tighter.

Who is using this method?

"Not just one side."

Zhou Bazi looked at Shen Bai.

"The Northern Di are using it. The Rouran are using it. The Xianbei are using it. Along the northern and southern borders, wherever there is erosion, they all want to use black stone to make another batch."

He paused for a moment.

"The Southern Liang dynasty also used it."

Shen Bai remained silent.

"Your father found out and wanted to expose it. But before he could do anything, —"

Zhou Bazi didn't finish speaking.

"My father was silenced?"

Zhou Bazi did not answer.

He simply stood up, walked to the well, and turned his back to Shen Bai.

"Your father discovered a name. That name involves a very important figure in the imperial court."

Zhou Bazi's voice changed.

"The person who accomplished this was not a Northern Barbarian. Not an external enemy. It was one of our own."

Shen Bai clenched his fists.

"One of our own? Who?"

Zhou Bazi did not answer.

The door was pushed open.

The man in the white robe stood at the doorway, panting.

"Young Master Shen."

Shen Bai stood up.

"Something's happened with Iron Shield."

"What is it?"

"Wang Dechang," the man in the white robe said, "led a dozen men to Tie Dun's house. He said Tie Dun was a deserter from the Northern Expedition and they wanted to arrest him."

Shen Bai clenched his fists.

Wang Dechang. That fat man.

I noticed something was off about his gaze during the performance review that day. He was smiling so hard his eyes were practically slits, and he was looking at me like I was a fly.

This is revenge.

"When did this happen?"

"Half an hour ago," the man in the white robe said, "my men saw it and came to report."

Zhou Bazi stood up.

That's all for today.

Shen Bai looked at him.

"That name—"

"We'll talk about it later."

Zhou Bazi's voice was very flat.

"Get them out of there first. If they die, everything is meaningless."

Shen Bai didn't say anything. He turned and walked out.

He paused at the doorway.

"I will come back."

Zhou Bazi did not answer.

Shen Bai went out.

---

Shen Bai walked along the road, his pace quick.

The man in the white robe followed behind, having to jog to keep up.

"Iron Shield's injury hasn't healed yet; his left arm is in a sling, and he can't move it."

"I know."

"Wang Dechang brought more than a dozen men."

"I know."

"You can't beat them alone."

"I didn't say I was going to fight."

"What are you planning to do?"

"We'll talk about it when we get there."

Shen Bai turned into an alley.

The man in the white robe followed behind without asking any further questions.

Once outside the alley, Shen Bai suddenly stopped.

I heard footsteps behind me.

It's very light, like a cat. But it follows very closely.

Shen Bai didn't turn around. He placed his hand on the hilt of his knife.

"Stop following."

The footsteps behind him stopped for a moment.

Then—keep following along.

Shen Bai gripped the hilt of the knife tightly.

He knew someone was following him. Was it someone from the Ministry of War? Or someone from Wang Dechang? He didn't know. But he didn't have time to worry about that now.

Iron Shield is still waiting.

He quickened his pace.

Turn into another alley. Turn again. Turn again.

The sound of footsteps followed me. Not too close, not too far.

Shen Bai ignored him. He continued walking.

As he passed through the East Market, the crowds grew. He mingled with the throng, crossed the street, and turned into a narrow alley.

When he came out again, he looked back.

The person who was tracking them has disappeared.

But Shen Bai knew that the person was still there.

It's just a different way of communicating.

He didn't have time for that. Iron Shield was still waiting.

He left the east side of the city and headed towards Iron Shield's residence.

It was completely dark. A wind blew in from the other side of the city wall, carrying a damp smell.

Shen Bai walked very fast.

The footsteps behind me were still there. They were following closely.

He knew that tonight's events would not end easily.

But he must first rescue Iron Shield.

We'll talk about the rest later.

---

Iron Shield's residence was in the east of the city, near the city wall. The house was old, the door was loose, and moss grew at the base of the walls.

When Shen Bai arrived, there were two people standing at the entrance of the alley.

He was dressed in civilian clothes, with a knife at his waist. Seeing Shen Bai approaching, he reached out to stop him.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for someone."

"The person you're looking for isn't here. Let's go."

Shen Bai didn't stop.

He shoved the two men aside and walked inside.

"you--"

Someone called from behind. Shen Bai ignored it. He walked to the broken door and kicked it open.

A fire was lit in the yard.

Wang Dechang stood by the fire, smiling as he looked at him.

"Oh, Young Master Shen. What perfect timing!"

Shen Bai saw Tie Dun leaning against the wall, his left arm in a sling, looking very pale. Shen Anning stood in front of him, blocking his view.

Shen Bai walked over and stood next to the iron shield.

"Iron Shield is one of my men."

Wang Dechang tilted his head.

"Young Master Shen, you have just finished your report for duty and, according to regulations, you cannot interfere with the judiciary. Iron Shield is a deserter, and I am ordered to apprehend him—"

"He is not a deserter."

Shen Bai's voice was very flat.

"He was in the second row when the shield wall collapsed. He didn't run."

Wang Dechang smiled.

"Young Master Shen, according to the rules—"

"Lord Wang."

Shen Bai interrupted him.

The voice wasn't loud, but it drowned out Wang Dechang's words.

Wang Dechang was stunned for a moment.

Shen Bai looked at him.

"The Ministry of War's accounts were just audited three months ago. You handled them."

Wang Dechang's eyes changed.

"The rations and pay don't match. The weaponry is also incorrect. The numbers aren't far off, but enough to warrant investigation."

Shen Bai's voice was very flat.

"Guess how I knew?"

The courtyard was quiet.

The fire was still burning, but no one spoke.

Wang Dechang stared at Shen Bai, his gaze shifting. From disdain to wariness, then to a certain... caution.

"Young Master Shen."

Wang Dechang's voice changed; it wasn't as harsh as before.

"What do you mean by that?"

"It doesn't mean anything."

Shen Bai looked at him.

"I just want you to know that there are some things that you're not the only one who understands."

Wang Dechang remained silent.

He looked at Shen Bai, and Shen Bai looked at him.

Confrontation.

After a long time, Wang Dechang smiled.

"Alright. Since Young Master Shen has pleaded on my behalf, I'll grant him this favor."

He waved.

"withdraw."

The soldiers sheathed their swords and walked away.

Wang Dechang walked to the door, paused, and glanced back at Shen Bai.

"Young Master Shen, you've just returned, so there are some things you may not be aware of. But there are some things—"

He smiled, but it was a cold smile.

"You won't know everything either."

He went out.

The courtyard was empty.

Shen Bai didn't move.

He stood there, listening to the footsteps outside fading into the distance.

Then he turned around and looked out the door.

The footsteps that had been following him were gone.

But he knew that person was still there.

He knew that gaze had been fixed at the alley entrance.

My hand rests on the handle of the knife.

He didn't go out.

He waited.

---

(End of Chapter Ten)