Dimensional Supermarket - Chapter 98

“Longxiong Pass is just ahead.”

After traveling under the stars for days on end, Marquis Chen nearly bursts into tears at the sight of the city gates. Still some distance away, he dismounts, walking forward while shouting, “Ancestors above, bless us—Ji is home!”

Ye Zhou, watching him cry from horseback, can’t help but comment, “Chen Hou, you should enter the pass first before you start crying.”

Sniffling, Chen Hou gets back on his horse and leads the soldiers toward the city gate.

It has taken them over a month to get here. Ye Zhou is both physically and mentally exhausted—not because anyone gives him trouble, but because the roads are terrible. In fact, they can barely be called roads. He is jolted so badly on horseback he begins questioning his life choices. If he isn’t too embarrassed, he would prefer to sit in the carriage with the children.

At night, when they rest, he asks Zou Ming to massage his lower back.

As for his buttocks—he can’t bring himself to ask Zou Ming for that kind of help, so he does it himself.

The skin on the inside of his thighs is rubbed raw. Although it heals quickly after applying ointment, the irritation keeps returning, and it still hurts. But Ye Zhou doesn’t complain. He grits his teeth and endures, cursing himself in his mind for ever getting on a horse. Why doesn’t he take a carriage? It would be much better. If he buys a few more carriages, the shockproofing would make the rough roads much more bearable.

He and Chen Hou ride up to the city gate together.

Chen Yan goes ahead, takes Chen Hou’s waist badge, and calls out to the gate: “The king has returned! Open the gate and let him through!”

A shout comes from the city wall: “Don’t talk nonsense! The king is dead, and his coffin was sent back by Zuotu. Who are you? Why are you wearing my Chen country’s military uniform?!”

Chen Yan is stunned, and so is Chen Hou.

It has been several months since he left, so it’s understandable that the country might think he’s dead. But what is this about his body being sent back first?

Chen Yan shouts, “Open your eyes and look carefully! This is the Lord’s badge! The Lord is right here! Are you blind?!”

The guard on the wall is dismissive: “I’ve never seen His Majesty. And if I don’t trust Lord Zuotu, why would I trust you?”

“Call Zhang Rong!” Chen Yan demands again.

Guard: “Wait there!”

Ye Zhou turns to Chen Hou and asks, “Is someone trying to harm you?”

Chen Hou’s expression grows serious. After a moment of silence, he says, “I’m afraid someone in the court is trying to take advantage of this situation to seize control.”

“Your wife?” Chen Shu asks.

Chen Hou shakes his head. “It can’t be her. She’s the daughter of a noble family, and her family is the largest in Chen. If she wants power, our son—whom she gave birth to—is already crown prince. With me alive, she doesn’t need to be constrained by her clan. Without me, even if she becomes Dowager Consort, she’ll wield less actual power than when I’m around.”

Chen Hou speaks more about their relationship in terms of political advantage than personal ties. But this straightforward approach makes Chen Shu believe him. She then asks, “What will you do if they won’t let you in? You can’t just lead an attack, can you? Fight them yourself? That would make the State of Chen a laughing stock.”

Chen Hou frowns. “The general guarding this pass is an old friend. He shouldn’t betray me.” Sighing, he adds, “I’ll have to trouble you, Lord immortal, to wait with me.”

Ye Zhou replies, “It’s fine.”

Waiting isn’t a problem, but they wait for nearly two hours, and still, no one comes from the city gate.

Chen Yan calls out again, but there’s no response.

His face flushes with anger, and he clenches the token tightly, gritting his teeth. “This is too much, too much!” Chen Yan, frustrated, turns to Chen Hou and says, “Your Majesty, I ask for permission to break open the city gate!”

Chen Hou remains calm. “No, we don’t have the tools to break it open. The city gate is too heavy, and we can’t force it.”

They have fewer than 2,000 soldiers, while over 1,000 guards are stationed at the pass. If they fight, they would be damaging their own strength.

Had he not been on horseback, Chen Yan would stamp his feet in frustration.

“I’ll go.” Sarah, who has been silent and wearing a hat, suddenly dismounts. She looks up at the height of the city wall, then at the guard who seems more like a block of wood. Turning to Chen Hou, she says softly, “Tell me where the general of the garrison lives, and I’ll hold him hostage to open the city gate.”

Chen Hou looks at Sarah, surprised. Although she has been riding with them like the rest, not using a carriage, and has a peculiar appearance, she hasn’t said much or interacted with them. He assumes she’s just an ordinary girl of Hu descent. Now, hearing her suggestion, he is taken aback. “You’ll take him hostage?”

Chen Hou turns to Ye Zhou.

Ye Zhou has full confidence in her. “Let her go.”

Only then does Marquis Chen say, “Then… be careful.”

He gives her the location of the general’s residence and starts to say, “Wait until nightfall—”

Before Chen Hou can finish, Sarah has already walked to the base of the city wall. She briefly gauges the height, then leaps up with an unexpected grace. Chen Hou stares in shock as she clears a height higher than the wall.

Not just him—everyone watching, including the guards, is stunned.

Sarah lands lightly on her toes, stands atop the wall, and looks at the guards standing there. Impatiently, she asks, “Which way is west?”

Only after jumping up does she realize she can’t tell directions, and mentally curses Marquis Chen for not just saying “up,” “down,” “left,” or “right.”

Not wanting to jump again, she simply approaches one of the guards to ask.

The guards are so shocked by her inhuman agility and foreign appearance that no one reacts at first.

Sarah walks toward the closest guard.

When she gets near, the guard raises his spear and points it at her, shouting, “Stop! If you take another step, I’ll kill you!”

At his shout, the other guards come to their senses and raise their spears, aiming at the small girl in front of them, whose height doesn’t even reach their waists.

Sarah ignores their threats and suddenly lunges forward.

In the blink of an eye, no one sees how she moves. When they realize what has happened, Sarah is already perched on the guard’s shoulder.

Her legs are tightly clamped around his neck, and one hand rests against his throat. Her nails elongate, sharp and glinting in the sun.

“Take me to your commanding general,” she whispers in his ear. “Or I’ll kill you. Want to know how you’ll die? I can pierce your skull right now and stir your brain. At first, you’ll still be conscious, still alive—but when I touch your brain…”

The guard trembles. He doesn’t dare turn his head but sees the cold gleam at his neck from the corner of his eye.

He assumes it’s a dagger—not realizing it’s her fingernails—and doesn’t even dare to struggle or try to shake her off.

The other guards, however, can see clearly—and the sight of those suddenly lengthened claws chills them to the bone. Terror ripples through them. This isn’t a human! This is a monster!

Sarah’s nails lightly brush the guard’s neck, drawing blood with just the smallest touch. The guard shakes uncontrollably.

Sarah’s impatience grows. “Hurry up, or I’ll kill you and leave just one person to guide me. You can choose—live together or die together.”

After a tense moment, the guard finally begins to move. It’s as though he’s carrying a massive weight, but he begins to take small steps forward.

“Don’t move!” one of the other guards shouts. “If you want to see the general, you’ll have to step over our bodies!”

Sarah raises an eyebrow, turning to face the speaker. She smiles and asks, “Is this your opinion alone, or is it what all of you think?”

The others don’t dare speak, their hands trembling on their spears.

Sarah leaps off the guard’s shoulder and walks toward the one who shouted. Her pupils shift from deep red to bright red, and she grins, revealing sharp canine teeth as she swallows a mouthful of saliva.

“You want to die that badly? I’ll make your wish come true.”