Jun Jiuling

then it was sliced by a loud clang and a man ’s complaints.
Obviously, the person in the guest room was tossing about.

Lei Zhonglian did not get up, and the noisy sounds gradually faded away.
The night was dark, and occasionally the night insects would buzz about, but everything soon returned to peace and quiet.

The night did not distinguish between the poor and the wealthy, but covered all the land the same.

Yet there were many people who did not fall asleep on this land.

In the town, there was a street still lit by lanterns.
It looked lonely on a summer night.

There was a stall that sold late-night snacks.
It mainly catered to watchmen and soldiers on patrol and the corvee laborers looking for a refreshment.
The food stall was very simple.
Only two pots were set up: one pot of spicy soup and one pot of mutton noodles.
The bubbling and gurgling in the night was very enticing.

At this time, there was only one man manning the stall.
He looked stick thin, and he was sitting with his head drooping by the stove.

Two watchmen came up while talking and laughing, and greeted him as they always did.

”Old Man Tian, the regular, ” said one of them.

The other person already had put his watchmen ’s drum on the table and was using his sleeve as a fan.

”…you saw the woodman, what he said …. ” he continued their previous conversation.

As he said this, a gust of wind blew forth and a hand gripped his shoulder.

”Old Tian what…. ” The watchman turned his head and complained, but then his statement came to an abrupt end because the hand was on his throat.

”Y-you, who are you? ” stuttered the other man.

The night lights hanging on the stall shone on the stranger.
The one manning the stall this time was not the benevolent and lonely old man that they were familiar with.

He was replaced with a very ordinary looking person.
It was face you wouldn ’t remember again if you saw it in a crowd.

”Which woodcutter? ” he asked.

The two watchmen jerked out of their stupor, and were suddenly overcome with a wave of anxiety, fear, and confusion.

”Who are you? ”

”What are you trying to do? ”

”Where ’s Old Tian? ”

”Killed. ”

They began to scream wildly.

The stranger pressed the men against the table with one hand each, but their screams were still very conspicuous at night.
Just then, a group of soldiers patrolling the city rushed over and pointed their weapons at the man.

”Who are you? ” cried the head soldier.

The man leaned back slightly, raised up his arms, and turned around to face them.

”Someone carrying out a task, ” he said calmly.

Carrying out a task?

The soldiers froze, their eyes glued to the man ’s waist.
An embroidered knife sheath peeked out from his clothes, and all the soldiers faces immediately changed.

”So it was the Lord, ” said the head soldier courteously, but his expression showed his doubts as he looked at the man.
”This small one ’s eyes are poor, I didn ’t recognize Lord… ”

If he was part of the local Jinyiwei, it would be impossible for them not to recognize him, but the person in front of them was very unfamiliar.

”From the capital, ” the man said, planting his leg on the stool.

This action made his robe spread out, revealing an identification plate hanging inside.

The head soldier read it carefully and moved back.

”We will get out of Lord ’s way, ” he said as he straightened up.

The other soldiers withdrew their weapons and stepped back while he was still talking.

During the conversation, the two watchmen were still being cowed into submission.
The two did not even have time to shout before, in a blink of an eye, there were only three of them once more.

Although it wasn ’t explicitly stated who this man was, the two watchmen had also seen the embroidered knife and the identity plate.
They couldn ’t make out the identity plate clearly, but they recognized the knife.
Upon seeing it, they no longer dared to shout.

’Ancestors, how did we provoke you? ’

The two men ’s bodies went limp, and they wanted to cry.

”Now answer the question, ” the man said, continuing to speak calmly.
”What is the woodcutter like? ”

Woodcutter?

The two watchmen were slightly befuddled by the question.

”Is Lord looking for firewood? ” stammered out one brave soul.
”They all live in the countryside.
In the early morning, they will come to the city to sell firewood. ”

”Recently, has a stranger who calls himself a woodcutter come here? ” the stranger asked, looking at the two watchmen.

A painter planted bamboo outside of his house and carefully observed it everyday, rain or shine, for a long period of time.
When people praised his paintings of bamboo, he said, ”I just painted the mature bamboo in my heart. ” In other words, he was very prepared.