Sitting on the ox cart, Gu Qingyun devoured the egg flatbreads in just a few bites each. In under a quarter of an hour, all dozen or so flatbreads she had brought had disappeared into her stomach, leaving the people around her dumbfounded.
Good grief, this girl Qingyun could really eat! Even a burly man couldn't finish off over a dozen flatbreads.
She didn't look like she weighed many liang, so how could she pack away so much food? What kind of family would be able to afford feeding her in the future?
A few people noticed her attire, but seeing her close her eyes to rest as soon as she finished eating, they felt embarrassed to disturb her and swallowed back the questions they wanted to ask.
At that moment, Gu Qingyun sat upright on the ox cart, resting with her eyes closed. No matter how much the cart jolted and swayed, she remained sitting ramrod straight, prompting the surrounding aunties to click their tongues in wonder.
After about half a shichen, Gu Qingyun opened her eyes and looked ahead. Traveling from their Shiwa Village to the county seat required passing through a bamboo forest.
Gu Qingyun had accompanied her father to the county seat once or twice before. Every time they passed this spot, the village uncles and aunties would hold their breath.
Fearful of disturbing something, her father Gu He had always kept his body tense as well.
Gu Qingyun gazed at a surge of thick black qi drifting through the bamboo forest, her eyes narrowing.
Ever since she had developed her sense of qi, she had seen white qi in the mountains and gray qi in graveyards, but to this day, she still hadn't figured out what these various forms of qi were.
The black qi before her now made her entire body feel uncomfortable. She casually looked away, pretending she hadn't seen anything.
“Old Zhang, why has the ox cart stopped?”
Seeing the cart halt, the pulling ox also grew restless and agitated. The people on the cart began to panic, urging him continuously:
“Exactly, Old Zhang, what's wrong with your ox? Is it sick?”
Old Zhang’s eyes went wide, his pupils contracting sharply as he snapped at the passengers behind him:
“Shut your mouths! Do you think I want to stop? Are you all blind? Haven't you noticed it’s still pitch black out?”
“Besides, who knows what this ox of mine saw—no matter how much I whip it, it won't budge half a step forward!”
The crowd belatedly checked the sky, squeezing close together and gulping nervously.
“Did we... did we run into something unclean?”
It had been nearly half a shichen since they left Shiwa Village. By rights, dawn should have broken by now, but the sky was shrouded in an oppressive blackness, as if something was blocking it out entirely.
In the entire bamboo forest, there wasn't even the chirp of a bird or the buzz of an insect. The teeth of a few faint-hearted villagers had already begun to chatter, their voices bordering on tears:
“Sob... If I'd known, I wouldn't have gone to the county seat today. I'm afraid we're done for this time. I heard that over the past two years, people have occasionally disappeared in other places. Is it like what we're facing now?”
At those words, even the bolder villagers turned pale with fright, at a total loss for what to do.
From deep within the bamboo forest came the sudden rustling sound of swaying bamboo. The noise sent chills straight down their spines, and several timid folks nearly cried out loud in terror. This was far too frightening.
Sitting on the cart, Aunt Lin glanced at Gu Qingyun, her tone laced with hope.
“Qing-ya, do you have any ideas?”
Aunt Lin’s words made everyone on the ox cart fall silent. That was right—they still had Gu Qingyun with them!
Though this girl could eat a lot, her martial strength was genuine. With her around, they were sure to make it out safely.
As if finding their pillar of support, everyone began crowding toward Gu Qingyun, throwing the cart into chaos in an instant.
“Ouch, stop shoving, you’re stepping on me!” Aunt Lin, who was sitting beside Gu Qingyun, cried out in pain.
“All right, everyone sit still. I’ll go down and take a look,” Gu Qingyun’s voice rang out through the darkness.
Uncle Lao Zhang lit the torch resting on the ox cart, his gaze falling upon Gu Qingyun as she walked past him.
Although Gu Qingyun was only around twelve years old, she stood tall and straight, looking as if she would grow even taller, already comparable in height to the sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boys in the village.
She also had refined features and clear, bright eyes; anyone with discerning eyes could tell she was an upright, good-natured child.
“Qing-ya, take this torch.”
Holding her father’s saber in her right hand, Gu Qingyun shook her head.
“Uncle, no need. Keep it for yourself.”
She walked toward the depths of the bamboo forest, prepared to draw her blade at any moment. As she drew closer to the black mist, she unsheathed her saber and struck directly at the dark mass.
To be safe, she directly circulated her cultivation technique, channeling the qi in her dantian straight onto the blade. With a single slash, as if meeting its natural predator, the mass of black qi instantly disintegrated into flying ash, dissipating into nothingness between heaven and earth.
With the dispersion of the black qi, a ray of light broke across the sky, and gradually, the entire sky brightened.
Gu Qingyun looked at the blade in her hand, still somewhat baffled. Handled so easily? What on earth was this black qi? It felt like something unclean.
Seeing Gu Qingyun return unharmed, Uncle Zhang and Aunt Lin breathed a sigh of relief.
“Qingyun, you’re truly incredible.”
Gu Qingyun offered a faint smile:
“Uncle Zhang, let’s hurry on. I still have to report to the yamen.”
“Right, of course. Sit tight!”
Gu Qingyun held the sidearm saber. Weathered by the passage of time, the edge bore several notches, yet it remained exceedingly sharp. It was clear its previous owner had taken great care of it.
Gripping the saber tightly, Gu Qingyun let out a quiet breath. She had to train diligently; she couldn't afford to lose another member of her family.
The ox cart halted outside the county gate. Gu Qingyun climbed down from the cart, hoisted a person-tall bundle onto her back, and walked straight toward the city gates. Aunt Lin grabbed hold of her arm.
“Qing-ya, wait a moment.” Aunt Lin took two eggs from her basket and thrust them into Gu Qingyun’s hands.
“Take these to eat. This auntie doesn't have anything fancy, but these eggs can count as a bit of nourishment. Take them and brew them with boiling water; practicing martial arts takes a heavy toll on the body.”
No sooner had Aunt Lin spoken than the others chipped in—some thrust steamed buns into her arms, some offered cornbread wotou, and one even pressed a crisp, juicy cucumber into her hand.
“Qingyun, we’re all from the same village, so don’t be polite with us. Just take what we give you—it's our goodwill. Serve your post well and keep yourself safe.”
Looking at the simple, honest villagers, Gu Qingyun nodded.
“Mm. I’m off then.”
Jiangyin County was not large. Gu Qingyun had had the fortune of accompanying her father here to buy New Year goods in the past.
Aside from the marketplace and the yamen, she was unfamiliar with other places. Since her purpose today was to take up her post, she headed straight in the direction of the yamen.
The yamen was located on the northern section of the main thoroughfare, Qingli Street, in Jiangyin County. The distances from the yamen toward the southeast, northwest, and all four cardinal directions were roughly equal, allowing Constables to rush to the scene at the earliest moment in the event of an emergency.
The entire yamen covered an area of roughly ten mu. The ranked officials, such as the County Magistrate, County Vice Magistrate, and Registrar, all resided within the county yamen.
The compound was divided into outer and inner residences, and most of these officials' families lived right inside the county yamen.
Lower-level functionaries like Constables and Jailers mostly lived at home, but there were exceptions. Those like Gu Qingyun’s family, who lived far away, would reside in the yamen’s clerk quarters.
When Gu Qingyun arrived at the yamen, Li Yuan, who was standing by the entrance, waved at her.
“Qing-ya, why are you here?”
Gu Qingyun smiled in return.
“Uncle Li, it’s me. I’ve come to take over my father’s post.”
“Nonsense! A young girl like you should stay properly at home. What kind of place is this for you? Go on home quickly and have your older brothers come instead.”
Li Yuan could not fathom what the Gu family was thinking, sending a girl barely in her teens to serve on duty. How could a young girl endure this kind of hardship?
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