[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming":3,"chapter-the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-9":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Unorthodox Sword of Ming",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2337214,4570,"Chapter 9: Concealment","the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-9",9,"\u003Cp>Liu Jing was a veteran of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, with ample experience; seeing the monk also pacing endlessly within the plum grove without finding a way out, he knew the man had fallen into the trap too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jing frowned, hand resting on his sword hilt. “This plum garden belongs to your temple, doesn’t it? Such a small garden—why is there a confusion barrier?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monk, drenched in cold sweat, hurried to explain: “Though the garden belongs to the temple, the abbot said beauty should be shared with all, so only two walls were built; the other two sides were left open, allowing anyone to enter and admire the view.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We monks only prune, fertilize, and water. The rest of the time, we let the plum trees grow freely and never interfere with what happens inside the grove. We truly have no idea when the confusion barrier arose—it has even trapped me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jing snorted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s thought, the monk said: “All confusion barriers rely on external objects. These plum trees can’t move, but the movable things in the grove are mostly stones. Why not move every stone we can see? Perhaps that will break the barrier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jing’s chest burned with suppressed rage. He kicked the stones within sight—this method might not work, he knew; powerful confusion arrays often used invisible materials for their setup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After kicking away several stones, he spotted a large rock near the roots of a plum tree ahead, one that required manual removal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He scowled as he moved it, then straightened up—only to find the plum tree roots he’d seen earlier were now far away. Behind the moved rock lay a wide gap between two plum trees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jing’s brow tightened. He scanned the suddenly altered surroundings, hands gripping his sword hilt as he stepped slowly forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The space opened up—a flat, unmarked clearing between two rows of plum trees, and naturally, not a soul in sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could there be a place with not even a single footprint?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jing turned to look back at where they’d come from, then at this spot—it felt deeply strange. He ground his boot into the soil, then crouched to examine it closely. Strange—the earth was a mix of fresh and old.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He crawled forward, sniffed the soil, and his expression changed. He rose instantly, scanning the surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monk hurried over, curious. “Sir, what’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jing’s face was grim. “Who came to the plum garden today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monk looked bewildered. “Sir, this garden lies outside the temple. Our back gate is usually closed. Today, none of our monks came here—we truly don’t know who entered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jing scanned the area, his gaze locking on one spot. He pushed past the monk and approached a plum tree for closer inspection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monk saw it too and cried out: “Oh no! Who cut this? They’ve carved a huge gash into the tree!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wound on the plum tree was chaotic—bark and wood torn outward—but the color was fresh, clearly cut not long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jing examined the cut closely. Whoever struck it had used tremendous force—the blade had sunk deep, making it hard to withdraw. The attacker must have rocked it up and down to pull it free, which caused the ragged edges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After searching a long while, Liu Jing found a small pile of wood shavings on the opposite side of the tree’s roots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He frowned at the ground—it looked unnaturally clean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wound showed the cutter and the one who pulled the blade were different people. The puller lacked strength, even height, forcing multiple up-and-down motions to extract the blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under such conditions, the ground should be littered with wood shavings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jing paced in circles, then dug into the soil directly beneath the wound. Soon, he unearthed numerous wood shavings and larger chunks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He held the debris in his palm, but his gaze involuntarily drifted back to the spot he’d sniffed earlier…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he pondered, the monk asked cautiously: “Sir, is there something wrong with this tree?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No,” Liu Jing lowered his eyes, masking all emotion. He stood. “This tree won’t survive after such damage. It’s useless. Have someone cut it down and plant a new one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monk glanced at the gaping wound, wanting to say plum trees were hard to kill—even this deep cut might heal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But meeting Liu Jing’s gaze, he hesitated, then nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jing stared into his eyes, each word deliberate: “Cut it down immediately. This wound looks too ugly—it’s frightening.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monk hurriedly agreed. “I’ll cut it down right away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jing gave one final look around. “I’ll come back later.” Meaning: cut it before I return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monk sighed and acquiesced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jing re-entered the temple through the back gate—this time, he paid closer attention to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But beyond the gate lay paved blue stone, and many people passed through—he found nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sought out the temple’s reception monk to inquire about visitors. “Did a little girl, around seven or eight, come in or out today?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monk thought, then shook his head. “No young female visitors today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jing frowned, thinking he’d been mistaken, and returned to the plum grove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monk had already had the tree cut down. Branches lay scattered haphazardly on the ground—the scene was a mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The already hard-to-find evidence was now completely obscured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jing stood silently beside it for a long while, until the monk ventured cautiously: “Sir, this plum tree has deep roots—it’ll take time to dig out. We’ll do it tomorrow…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need,” Liu Jing said. “The roots look healthy. They’ll sprout again. Leave it.” The monk: … You should’ve said that sooner—I’d have left more branches. Now there are only two stumps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the monk dared not defy the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He nodded, promising to make it sprout quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jing turned and returned to the Garrison Command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yong had not returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yong had been absent for three days. The Garrison Command finally sent men to his home—learned he hadn’t returned there either. Only then did they sense something was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Liu Jing said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He placed the wood shavings, small wood chunks, and a paper bird together in a box, closed it, and put it in his drawer. After a moment’s thought, he picked up the paper bird and went to the Pan household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Pan family was packing their luggage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The events three days prior had terrified them—they decided to move back to their hometown and leave Beijing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the Embroidered Uniform Guard return, Pan Tao’s face darkened, but he forced himself to respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jing walked through their home, his gaze sliding over each face. “Who made this paper bird that hung on the veranda?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!. Read\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Tao saw the paper bird in Liu Jing’s hand, his heart pounding. He laughed nervously. “Sir, what paper bird? That day was chaos—my family was terrified. I don’t remember any paper bird.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jing gave a half-smile, tapping his sword hilt. Pan Bai quickly spoke: “Sir, I hung that paper bird. I saw it at a roadside stall, thought it interesting, bought it, and hung it up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rushed inside, returned with a bag of silver taels, and pressed it into Liu Jing’s hand. “Sir, does the paper bird offend you? Shall I buy another one…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Jing took the money, snorted at them, kept the paper bird, and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one knew whether he’d simply invented an excuse to extort money—or truly found something in the paper bird and just happened to collect payment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either way, the Pan family couldn’t afford to risk it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Liu Jing left, Pan Tao said: “We can’t stay. We leave tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shi: “But our belongings…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Give what we can’t carry to neighbors—or leave it for the next owners. We depart at dawn,” Pan Tao cut in. “Our lives matter. The Embroidered Uniform Guard is clearly watching us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shi frowned, lowering her voice: “If we leave like this, what if she comes back and doesn’t find us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Tao: “Be silent. Never mention her again. Watch your tongue—walls have ears.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Tao felt a deep sorrow, as if ants gnawed inside his chest. Three days—had she been able to return, she would have come back by now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Tao entered the room to tell his mother they’d depart at dawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Pan matriarch opened her mouth, then closed it, afraid to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Embroidered Uniform Guard was everywhere. No one knew where they hid, watching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Tao knelt beside her knees, whispering: “Mother, we’re returning to our hometown. Once there, everything will be fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman’s tears fell. “Changzhou is a thousand li away. We have little wealth, and we’re old and weak—how will we travel?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the child left, she’d been too panicked to prepare even travel funds. If it’s hard for us to return home, how could a little girl manage alone?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old woman kept asking: “Have we prepared silver? Have we prepared travel permits?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Tao knew she wasn’t asking about them—she was asking about Pan Yun. His own tears fell. He nodded, voice choked: “Everything’s prepared, Mother. Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. Everything will be safe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of her eldest son’s family exiled to Datong, the old woman finally gathered her strength. She joined them in packing, preparing dried rations for the journey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, the Pan family bid farewell to neighbors and boarded a carriage rented from a transport firm, heading south.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With heavy luggage and elderly travelers, the journey was slow—estimating ten to fifteen days to reach Changzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In contrast, Pan Yun and her two companions, traveling only on foot with occasional rides, moved far faster—three days brought them from Beijing to Great Ming Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three now sat at a riverside stall eating noodles. Pan Yun looked up at the bustling canal nearby. “Why don’t we take a boat?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tao Ji: “We have no money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun: “True. A Daoist priest staying in a Buddhist temple—obviously broke.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tao Ji suddenly lost his appetite. He set down his chopsticks and stared at her. “Are you eating or not? If not, we leave. We must reach Kaifeng tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun, legs aching from walking, stared blankly down and ate. She’d never walked so far in her life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black cat, having finished the noodles picked from its bowl, calmly wiped its paws, then meowed twice at Pan Yun and extended a paw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun, expressionless, pulled out a handkerchief and wiped its paws. Seeing its mouth gleaming, she reached to wipe that too—the cat jerked its head away, pushing her hand off with clear disgust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1789,"2026-06-20T22:03:57.478Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","29174b7a71715fe59b1fc9a54e8d203078b8f7d7c707161f5352f119e3d0a731","the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-10","the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-8",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-cover.jpg"]