Yun Chang POV

Even though we hadn’t gotten a grasp of what was happening, we had already entered Xingyang city. After rounding a corner, and going past the residential district, we came to the Administrator residence.

To prevent what happened in Luoyang from happening again, we left Gan Qing, Mi Zhen and Hua Tuo with all of our troops elsewhere.

I raised my head and surveyed the Administrator residence. It wasn’t very big but it was much better than the few small buildings in Luoyang or the hastily put together brick houses in Sishui Pa.s.s.

Whether it was the outskirts or the heart of the city, Xingyang city on a whole felt rather peaceful. While we were on the way in, the pa.s.sers-by we saw were typically in high spirits and were engaged in various activities and business. Whenever the ordinary citizens met someone they knew, the conversations were polite and the mood was cordial. This sort of atmosphere wouldn’t be out of place back when the world was more peaceful.

“Please wait here for a moment while I go in and notify the Administrator.” The aide spoke for the first time since he led us in as he saluted and bowed before entering the residence,

We stood at the door with feelings of trepidation, and didn’t know what to say so we just waited silently.

“Yun Chang.” Wen Yuan poked my back as she looked at me with a slight frown and a baffled look. “What did the soldiers at the tower mean by all that?”

— Your permit has just arrived!

The words we just heard reverberated once more in my ears at Wen Yuan’s question. “Could we perhaps have done the necessary paperwork for applying for the permit before?”

Perhaps we just forgot about it.

“No, impossible. I helped my foster father attend to the paperwork for permits when we roamed the land. The procedures are notoriously complicated and aren’t the sort of thing you can do in a hurry.” Lu Bu shook her head as she frowned at the memories of dealing with permit applications.

“And as Bian Xi said before, you all have caused quite a bit of trouble so there’s no way that the permit can be sent over in such a short time.” Liao Hua who was diagonally behind added while she rubbed her scar with a calm expression, and sighed at not being able to understand what was going on.

“Apologies for keeping everyone waiting.” Just then, the aide came out at which we all hurriedly stopped our discussions and awaited her next instructions.

“Please follow this path to the inner residence. It’s only a short journey.” The aide gestured and made way for us to enter.

On entering, there was only one path and we followed it and arrived at the main hall.

“You’ve come.” Just as we entered the main hall, a high, aged voice came from inside.

We slowly entered, and found the Administrator, w.a.n.g Zhi, sitting in the center of the hall and looking at us. He only looked at us with a stormy expression and neither got up to receive us nor did he invite us to sit.

w.a.n.g Zhi looked exactly like an ordinary old man and did not have any imposing aura nor did he feel domineering. As I looked at him, I decided to speak up first, “May I ask…”

“You need not ask anything. Nor do you need to explain the cause and effect of your actions. I can more or less guess as to what happened from the rumours and reports that have come my way.” He immediately interrupted me when he heard me begin to speak and then he calmly picked up a piece of silk that was covered in words and threw it toward us.

When I saw this, I hurriedly stepped forward and leapt up to catch the piece of silk.

“That is the permit issued by the Imperial Chancellor. With it, you can cross the pa.s.s immediately, and we will not hinder you.” w.a.n.g Zhi explained just as I landed.

I opened up the piece of silk and inspected it, and found that it was indeed as he said it was. But… Why?

“I had a discussion with Bian Xi, Administrator of Sishui Pa.s.s, before, and we decided that we would obstruct you while simultaneously checking with the capital if you did indeed have the express permission of the Imperial Chancellor.”

“Bian Xi did that?” I was very surprised at hearing this. Bian Xi did indeed try to hinder us as best as she could, but I didn’t think that she was helping us behind all that.

“Administrator Bian Xi is a fair and upright person who will do what her duty requires her to. I just never expected that the c.u.mbersome permit would be delivered so quickly, almost as if it was already prepared beforehand.”

Eh? When I heard these strange words from w.a.n.g Zhi, I hurriedly looked at the silk in my hands once more and inspected it closely.

In the lower left corner, [Yun Chang’s Lost Property] was written. Clearly, this was something Lord Cao Cao added on.

… Lord Cao Cao, this was something you forgot to give us…

“If the permit hadn’t reached me before you lot came, I would have sent every soldier I have to meet you in battle for my son-in-law Han Fu.” w.a.n.g Zhi’s face grimaced when he said this, and the lines of age seemed ever deeper, making his expression look even more hateful.

So there was this relations.h.i.+p huh. Even though it was like that, he still suppressed the fury in his heart…

When I realised this, I hurriedly saluted and bowed, “… We did not consider things too deeply then. I seek your forgiveness for our acts.”

“No need for apologies. This is what it is like in times like these.” He waved his hands melancholically and stood up with great effort.

“If you wish to stay for a few days, then stay. If you don’t, then you can head for the crossing immediately. The crossing is not far, and it shouldn’t be a long journey.” w.a.n.g Zhi didn’t pay us any heed after he finished, and left the main hall.

As I looked at his aged figure from the back, a bad taste filled my mouth. I hated myself, and I hated the times we were in.

But in the end, it was just hatred.