Star Trace Gate

Chapter 946 Alien Female Corpse, A Person Who Loves Life and Fears Death

A night breeze blew gently, and willow branches swayed lightly. The entire backyard of the garrison was filled with an extremely eerie tranquility.

Under the soft moonlight, Wang Anquan saw the token in the woman's hand and was shocked. He subconsciously looked around, as if searching for something.

"You don't need to look anymore. Since I dared to come, I naturally have a way to avoid the guards." The gray-robed woman stood behind the fence and reminded him in a clear and melodious voice, "Lord Wang, do you still recognize the token in my hand?"

Wang Anquan didn't look at the token again. He forced himself to calm down and said with a casual smile, "Hehe, who in the world doesn't know about the Fulong Pavilion's Fulong Token? Even if I'm blind, how could I not recognize this?"

Although he appeared relaxed and calm, his heart was in turmoil. He had imagined countless times what forces and people in the Divine Court wanted to kill him, but he never expected that the first person to break into the town's mansion would be a spy from the Dragon Subduing Pavilion.

After the Gu poison case, Wang Anquan was dismissed from his post and lay low for a long time before being reinstated by the Crown Prince, who gave him a second chance to serve. So, in this respect, he can be considered a direct descendant of the Crown Prince of the Divine Court, with very obvious factional characteristics.

The Lord of the Fulong Pavilion holds an astonishing "status" and wields immense power within the Divine Court, yet he and the First Prince are not from the same faction. Although they disagree on many political issues, they are not considered mortal enemies within the same court. It is precisely because of this that Wang Anquan was so surprised when members of the Fulong Pavilion, wielding the Fulong Token, suddenly appeared in the garrison headquarters.

What is this woman doing here? Is she trying to kill me...? Wang Anquan was panicking, but as a seasoned military officer, he was still able to remain calm in the face of this situation: "Hehe, you're the only one admitted to the hospital. If you want to kill me... you're probably not quite there yet."

“You’re right. If I really wanted to kill you, we would never meet under these circumstances, and I would never let you see my true face.” The woman standing behind the fence never moved forward, and only replied in a cold voice, “The Pavilion Master ordered me to come here with a command, just to tell you a message.”

"One sentence? Tell me." Although Wang Anquan looked at the other party with a normal expression, he never dared to release his own aura or do anything underhanded.

"The Pavilion Master said that a gentleman judges by actions, not intentions. What you did before is not important; what matters is what you will do next." The woman said slowly and deliberately, "If you can pull back from the brink in time, then your previous actions of opening the gates and surrendering the city will simply be another way of saying it."

"I opened the gates and surrendered the city, allowing Tianzhao Temple to capture this important town north of Tiandu without bloodshed. Afterwards, I received commendation from the temple and voluntarily led my entire family to shave their heads. Such treasonous acts are already common knowledge. Even if it were a member of the Divine Court's royal family, they would have died a hundred times over. And now you're telling me… you can clear your name with just a different story? That's utterly ridiculous! If I believed you, wouldn't I be even more foolish than you, Madam?" Wang Anquan replied with extreme disdain, "Stop trying to deceive me. Just tell me directly, what exactly do you want?"

"Alas, Lord Wang, after so many years in office, how can you not understand? What you call 'everyone knows' is utterly unimportant. What do the common people understand? What do they know? What can petty officials and clerks possibly comprehend? With a single proclamation from our Divine Court, we can declare you a loyal minister, or a treacherous minister, and so be it." The woman sighed, "You've surrendered, and gone too far, but will your life be easy? Can you even survive? The situation is still unsettled; perhaps you still have a chance to turn back…!"

"Heh." Wang Anquan shook his head and sneered, his words blunt: "You're wrong. It's not that I don't understand, it's just that I don't believe it. There's no trust in this court, especially not with someone like me who betrayed his benefactor and his faith. Perhaps you'll have the reputation of loyalty you speak of, but after that reputation, there will definitely be that pot of poison that could kill my entire family. My life isn't easy right now, but I'm still alive. I don't want to exchange some damn reputation of loyalty for that pot of poison that might appear out of nowhere."

The woman in the gray robe fell silent upon hearing this.

Wang Anquan paused slightly: "I'll give you three breaths to explain your purpose."

After a moment's thought, the woman in the gray robe didn't try to persuade her further, but simply said in a low voice, "I want to be alone."

Wang Anquan was taken aback: "Jiuzhi?"

"Lord Wang is indeed wise." The woman nodded with a smile: "I want him, but there's no rush. Three to five days is fine, three to five months is fine, but he must be brought back to Tiandu."

“Then I’m afraid you won’t get your wish.” After a long silence, Wang Anquan shook his head decisively and said, “I can’t hand him over to you.”

Looking at his resolute expression, the woman whispered, "Lord Wang, if the Crown Prince hadn't given you a second chance, would you have the right to surrender the city today? You wouldn't even have been able to leave the prison from back then... Although there is no trust in this court, there is still the gratitude for saving your life and the kindness of being recognized, right? Do you have to be so ruthless?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Anquan's disdainful expression intensified: "No, do you really think that the First Prince released me from prison and reinstated me back then simply because he admired me and pitied me?"

The woman fell silent again upon hearing this.

"Bullshit!!!" Wang Anquan cursed in a very soft voice, "Back then, I stood up for my master, made a scene in Tiandu, and even blocked his carriage in public and argued with him. This matter became known to everyone in Tiandu. Officials in the same court all called me a stupid fool, but the common people thought I was loyal, righteous, filial, and a man of integrity!"

"So, given the will of the people, if the Crown Prince were to show leniency towards me now and reinstate me, a military officer who has no record of wrongdoing in the Gu-breeding case, what would he gain? Let me tell you, he would gain a reputation among the people as benevolent, wise, discerning, broad-minded, and worthy of the title of Crown Prince of the Divine Court."

"He used the reputation of loyalty and filial piety that I fought so hard to obtain to easily elevate himself to the position of a wise crown prince. Do you think this is a beautiful story of a first meeting between a ruler and his subject, filled with gratitude for saving a life and being recognized for his talent? Haha, what a joke! This is nothing more than a political exchange where each party gets what they want."

"When I first came to Beifeng Town, I was also full of ambition and wanted to make a name for myself. But in the end, what I saw was rampant corruption in the army, with every general having a powerful backer. If you punished Wang Mazi, Li Mazi would immediately make trouble for you behind your back; the Star Source supplies allocated by the Divine Court were also embezzled at every level. One day, a large cartload would arrive, and the next day, a small cartload would be secretly transported away. When it came to rare treasures that could stabilize the city's defenses, others would pick and choose first. After everyone had taken their share, all that was left for me was to burn the midnight oil and try every possible way to balance the books."

"Corruption is rampant in the military, and new policies are even harder to implement in government offices. Everyone knows the benefits of the new policies, but they also know that seeking innovation and change means breaking the old order, redistributing profits, and re-planning interests. I'm just shouting slogans and working myself to the bone, but all I've gotten is officials resigning and giving up. What am I supposed to do? If I report this to the Divine Court, they'll say, 'You can't even manage your subordinates properly, so what kind of governor are you? You might as well go home and take care of your kids...!'"

"Heh, is the fall of Beifeng Town really just because I, Wang Anquan, was greedy for life and surrendered the city? Bullshit! If it were truly the will of the people, I would have been hacked to death by my men the moment I surrendered the city."

Wang Anquan, with his hands behind his back, said fiercely, "It's the trend of the times, the trend of the times! I've figured it out. Even if I, a garrison officer, smash my bones and make them into hidden weapons to throw, I can't save Beifeng Town or this era."

The woman in the gray robe seemed somewhat lost in thought as she listened to his words, and asked in return, "Isn't there corruption in Tianzhao Temple? Isn't there a corrupt bureaucratic system?"

"Tianzhao Temple?! Ha, it might be worse, darker, and more incomprehensible than the Divine Court. But what does that have to do with me?" Wang Anquan spread his hands: "I don't want to be a Buddha, much less open the door to eternity and welcome the tides. This Tianzhao Temple, it exists today, it doesn't exist tomorrow... but that won't stop me from living my life, will it? It's just a change of government office, a change of job. Even if there's no government office, I can still make a living in the secret realm."

Upon hearing this, the woman in the gray robe was speechless and had no way to refute it.

"Stop thinking about saving Jiuzhi. I can tell you, the people from the Divine Monk's Mansion have already come. They are determined to take him. Countless eyes in the entire North Wind Town are watching my Garrison." Wang Anquan turned to look at her: "Even if I secretly cooperate with you to rescue him... it will only result in another pile of corpses."

He paused briefly, then looked at the gray-robed woman with a very sincere expression, and said, word by word, "Considering your reputation as the leader of the Fulong Pavilion, and the countless capable men under your command, I will spare your life today, and I will not notify anyone else to kill you. You should leave now, take your spies and henchmen, and leave Beifeng Town as quickly as possible. Otherwise... when we meet again, I will absolutely not admit that I have met you, that all your memories are fabricated... and when Lord Niu proposes the option of paying to buy your lives, I will do my utmost to offer suggestions to make your deaths more gruesome... more tragic...!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around without hesitation and headed straight for the main gate of the backyard.

As the night breeze blew, the woman stood behind the fence, pondered for a long time, and then decisively turned and left.

She strolled among the tall trees, her figure gradually blurring and shrinking, but her voice, clear and cold, transmitted to Wang Anquan: "If one day you come to your senses, or need me... you can hang two more lanterns in the main courtyard of your house. At that time, the people left in Beifeng Town will notify me. If I am still alive outside, I will come to see you."

As soon as she finished speaking, her figure vanished completely, as if she had instantly merged into the soil.

Before long, Wang Anquan stepped back and glanced down at the flower bed. He finally discovered that a small hole had quietly appeared under a tree, and the soil next to the hole had become much softer.

He paused for a moment, then muttered subconsciously, "Is she from another race? Sigh, there are quite a few capable people in the Fulong Pavilion..."

……

Before long, Wang Anquan, with his crotch tucked in, hurriedly returned to his dormitory.

Upon entering, he saw his wife, Zhuzhu, who had prepared a medicinal bath for him and had thoughtfully placed some snacks on a small table for him to enjoy while taking the bath.

Inside, the room was filled with steam. Lady Zhuzhu, the Iron Tower Lady, sat drowsily by the stove, brewing a nourishing soup for Wang Anquan.

"Tap tap...!"

Wang Anquan's face turned pale, his brows furrowed, and as soon as he entered the room, he sat down alone at the tea table, looking extremely frightened.

The Iron Tower lady's name is He Zhuzhu, which sounds very cute and bouncy.

But Madam Zhuzhu had a rather volatile temper and a loud voice. Seeing her husband return looking like this, she grumbled, "What? Niu Dali sent people to bully you again?! I've told you before... you can't be so soft, so obsequious to him... that will only embolden him. Here's what we'll do: find a suitable opportunity another day and let me have a match with him... I guarantee three punches will cure his incurable mood swings."

Sitting at the table, Wang Anquan said with lingering fear, "Niu Dali's men didn't come, but someone...someone I never expected did."

"Huh?! Who is it?" Mrs. Zhu blinked her bright tiger eyes and asked like a curious child.