The city walls of Guangwu County were not high.
Beneath the grayish-blue bricks, the wind and sand had worn away the edges, revealing a mottled yellowish-brown underneath.
A group of riders approached, stopping in front of the city gate.
The soldiers at the gate, with swords at their sides, stood not too straight.
One of them seemed to recognize Chen Qingyuan and stepped forward.
"Master Chen, back from Shangpan Village?"
Chen Qingyuan dismounted, showing no trace of arrogance, and cupped his hands towards the soldier, "Thank you for your hard work, brother."
The soldier's gaze moved past him, landing on Jiang Yuechu, who was sitting upright on her horse.
"And this is...?"
The wind and sand in Longyou Circuit were harsh, and the women here often had wheat-colored skin and deep features.
But the one on horseback...
Her skin was delicate, her features gentle, truly a rare sight.
Fortunately, Chen Qingyuan had somehow found a large linen robe to drape over her, covering the striking black and red attire beneath.
Chen Qingyuan lowered his voice, a hint of compassion appearing on his face at the right moment, "This girl was taken by some demon from who knows where. She's a pitiful soul. I thought of bringing her back to the city to see if she could find some work within the sect."
Hearing this, the soldier nodded, not showing much surprise.
In these times, demons crossing the land, destroying families, was not uncommon.
He just muttered to himself.
Lucky old man.
If he had known there was such a catch in Shangpan Village, he would have joined the demon hunt.
Maybe he could have brought one back to warm his bed too.
They entered the city.
There weren't many people on the streets, each with hurried expressions, heads down, as if afraid of getting into trouble.
Most of the shops on either side were open, the wine flags fluttering weakly in the wind, but there were no shouts of selling, making the place seem desolate.
Occasionally, one could see yellowed talismans pasted on the corners of walls, or a peach wood sword hanging above someone's door.
Just a bit of psychological comfort.
After all, when demons wreak havoc, who the hell cares about these things?
A dead silence.
This was Jiang Yuechu's first impression of the county town.
The group stopped in front of a residence.
The entrance wasn't large, but it looked clean.
Chen Qingyuan was the first to dismount, waving to the dozen or so men behind him.
"Disperse."
The men responded in unison, each leading their horse away without asking a single question.
Only then did Chen Qingyuan turn around, bowing to Jiang Yuechu on horseback, "My lady, this is one of the Soaring Eagle Sect's resting places, where we usually entertain friends from afar. It's quite peaceful."
He pushed open the courtyard door, gesturing for her to enter.
Jiang Yuechu dismounted and walked straight in.
Beyond the courtyard door was a clean courtyard.
An elderly woman with graying hair, accompanied by two maids who looked no older than fifteen or sixteen, was already waiting under the eaves.
Upon seeing Chen Qingyuan, she merely bowed without speaking.
Chen Qingyuan coughed and instructed the elderly woman, "Prepare hot water, a set of clean women's clothing, and some food and wine."
The elderly woman acknowledged, glanced at Jiang Yuechu behind her master, a trace of surprise in her eyes, but quickly lowered her head.
Chen Qingyuan turned to Jiang Yuechu, bowing deeply again, "I still need to report to the county magistrate about the situation in Shangpan Village. Please rest here, do not hesitate to ask the servants for anything you need."
Jiang Yuechu responded with a simple "Hmm."
Chen Qingyuan said no more, turned, and left, closing the courtyard door behind him.
In the courtyard, only Jiang Yuechu and the three servants remained.
Though the elderly woman was curious about Jiang Yuechu's identity, seeing her master treat her with such respect, she too bowed, "Miss, this way please."
Before long, a room filled with steam had a large wooden tub set up.
Hot water was poured in ladle by ladle, with some unknown herbs added, giving off a faint fragrance.
"My lady, the clothes will be brought shortly."
After speaking, the elderly woman left with the two young maids, closing the door behind them.
Jiang Yuechu remained motionless, standing silently in place.
A maid peeked in with folded clothes, surprised to see Jiang Yuechu still wearing the robe.
"Miss..."
Jiang Yuechu turned slightly, "Leave it here. No one is to enter without my permission."
"Yes."
The door was gently closed.
Only then did Jiang Yuechu move.
She dragged a bench meant for a washbasin, turned it sideways, and wedged it firmly against the door.
After doing all this, she finally removed the large linen robe, tossing it aside.
Beneath the robe was the bloodstained black and red attire.
She untied her belt, removed her sword, and then took off her clothes piece by piece, revealing a slender yet well-proportioned body.
She stepped into the wooden tub.
"Hiss~~~"
The hot water made her skin tingle.
"Oh~~~~~~"
She slowly sat down, submerging her entire body in the water, leaving only her head above.
She let out a long breath.
Her constantly tense nerves finally relaxed a bit.
She looked at the blurred reflection on the water's surface.
Slender, pale.
Not bad looking.
More importantly, this body had no great ambitions in the chest area, just about the size of buns, not a hindrance when running, jumping, or fighting.
Only the legs seemed longer than she remembered.
Could it be...
Practicing martial arts makes you taller?
She closed her eyes, quietly washing her body.
Suppressing the inexplicable restlessness, her thoughts gradually cleared.
The matter of her household registration was still unresolved, so she set it aside for now.
Another matter, however, was worth discussing.
What crime had her father committed?
The Jiang family, though not the top aristocracy in the capital, was a scholarly family, officials for generations, a noble household.
A quick look at "pawread.com" will leave you more fulfilled.
The original body's father was named Jiang Xun, serving as the Vice Minister of Rites, a third-rank official.
Jiang Xun, in her memory, was a somewhat old-fashioned scholar, who loved tending to flowers and reading.
Jiang Yuechu frowned.
Something was off.
The laws of the Great Tang were strict, and the crime of implicating others must be a major case like treason or collusion with the enemy.
But Jiang Xun, a Vice Minister of Rites, dealt with rituals, ceremonies, and examinations, not military power or finances. How could he commit treason?
Even if, by some chance, the Jiang family was guilty.
According to the laws of the Great Tang, female family members should be sent to the Court of Entertainment.
But why was she, a woman with no ability to even truss a chicken, being transported to the frontier with such effort?
What was even more unusual was the people escorting her.
Ordinarily, the escort of exiled prisoners required an official mandate from the Ministry of Justice, with local yamen runners executing the task.
Even in major cases, where the criminals were fierce, requiring soldiers, it should be the Ministry of War's responsibility.
Yet, her group was personally escorted by the Demon-Suppressing Bureau.
Since when did the Demon-Suppressing Bureau have so much manpower to spare?
Jiang Yuechu slowly opened her eyes, water droplets sliding down her eyelashes.
Damn it.
She had thought the biggest problem she faced was just the household registration and travel permits.
Once that was solved, with her golden finger, the sky was the limit, she could go anywhere.
But now it seemed, the original body's identity was full of mysteries.
"Sigh... difficult, truly difficult..."
Proofreader: Peter Pan