"Kill them all."
Beneath the veil of night, a single understated and casual sentence from Mister Feng determined the life and death of everyone present.
In the dimly lit Flying Cloud Courtyard, Chen Ji's gaze silently swept across the faces of Zhang Zhuo, Old Yao, Zhang Xia, She Dengke, and the others, before his peripheral vision finally settled on Mister Feng.
In the palm gripping the saber hilt, sweat soaked through the black cloth strip wrapped around the handle.
How to break this deadlock?
It couldn't be broken. No matter how Chen Ji racked his brains, he felt there was no way to break it.
The next moment, Chen Wenzong suddenly grabbed Chen Liqin. "Father, you cannot go!"
Halting his steps at the door, Mister Feng turned his head and looked over with great interest. "Oh?"
Looking at Mister Feng, Chen Wenzong said in a heavy voice, "Only by letting these people go will my father write the Anti-Rebel Manifesto for you!"
Mister Feng burst into laughter. "Do you think you have the qualifications to negotiate terms with me? Men, chop off one of his younger brother's arms."
Chen Liqin blocked in front of Chen Wenxiao. "I will go with you! All you want is a single piece of paper with a manifesto; why create slaughter and sin in vain? Let Lord Zhang and Physician Yao leave, and I will write the Anti-Rebel Manifesto for you right now."
Mister Feng shook his head helplessly. "Lord Chen, you still don't understand. Once you step onto this path, there is no turning back. Those who are unwilling to stand on the same boat as you are all enemies. It's truly a pity for Lord Zhang's talent and aspirations, though."
He shouted out the door, "Men, take Lord Chen and his family dependents to the Jing'an Hall!"
Grabbed by the arms by the armored soldiers who rushed in from outside the door, Chen Liqin struggled while saying furiously, "If you kill them, I will not write this Anti-Rebel Manifesto!"
Mister Feng gave a loud laugh. "When it comes to the matter of compromise, once there's a first time, there will be a second time. Lord Chen, the wind and waves are strong on the Liu Family's boat. Only by being more ruthless can one stand firm."
Having said that, he turned his head and said to Chen Ji, "After you two kill them, come look for me in front of Jing'an Hall; I have another errand waiting for you."
Chen Ji's heart stirred. There was a chance.
He couldn't shake the feeling that something was fishy about this matter, but he couldn't afford to worry about that now.
After Mister Feng and Chen Liqin left, the other armored soldier in the courtyard drew the saber from his waist and slowly began closing in on Old Yao and Zhang Zhuo.
Pulling Zhang Xia and Zhang Zheng behind him, Zhang Zhuo retreated step by step. "This little brother, I am Zhang Zhuo, the Prefect of Luo City. Killing me is a severe crime punishable by Property Confiscation and extermination of up to nine familial relations."
The armored soldier said in a muffled voice, "My apologies, Lord Zhang, but we are also following orders."
Zhang Zhuo said nervously, "How about this: you only kill me and let my son and daughter leave. I will have them fetch a hundred taels of gold to give to you. It will guarantee you three generations of glory, splendor, wealth, and rank..."
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly saw the black-armored warrior who had previously punched his son actually dart behind the other black-armored warrior, tightly locking his arm around the other party's throat.
The choked black-armored warrior struggled with all his might, but to no avail, and he couldn't even cry out.
Zhang Zhuo's expression changed. "This is..."
Before his voice fell, he felt the heavy burden from his hands disappear. Turning his head to look, he saw that Zhang Xia had already rushed over to the black-armored warrior whose neck had been snapped. Without a word, she expertly removed his vambraces, breastplate, faulds, torso armor, and greaves, unwilling to waste a single moment.
Zhang Zhuo and Zhang Zheng exchanged glances, their brains unable to comprehend the situation for a moment.
Paying no mind to what the others were thinking, Zhang Xia looked up at Chen Ji and asked crisply and cleanly, "Who will wear this suit of armor? I can't; the height is wrong, and my voice is too easily recognized. She Dengke won't do; he's too tall and robust. Liu Quxing won't do either; he's too skinny."
Zhang Zheng said dazedly, "A-Xia, what are you guys doing? Who is this?"
Zhang Xia looked up and cast a glance at Chen Ji.
Seeing that Chen Ji had no intention of frankly revealing his identity, she didn't answer Zhang Zheng either, merely turning her head to urge him, "Brother, you put on this suit of armor. In a moment, follow him and listen to what he says. Absolutely do not act on your own initiative."
Zhang Zheng still hadn't reacted. "Follow who?"
Taking a few quick steps forward, Zhang Zhuo directly began equipping the armor. "I'll wear it. My son Zhang Zheng has an impulsive personality and lacks brains; I fear he'll ruin the matter."
Zhang Xia hesitated for an instant. "...Alright!"
While helping her father equip the armor, she instructed him in a low voice, "Dad, if you find a chance to escape, don't come back. This place is a dragon's pool and a tiger's den; coming back would be useless."
While speaking, tears fell from Zhang Xia's eyes drop by drop, but she kept her head lowered so no one would see.
Zhang Zhuo was amused. "Silly girl, what are you saying? Is your dad that kind of person? Don't worry. The moment I have a chance to get out, I will head to Tuoluo Temple to fetch rescue troops. With Xu Shu's face and reputation there, the Buddhist Sect under the heavens will not sit by and watch without getting involved. It will be more than enough to preserve the lives of the few of us."
Zhang Xia gave a hum of affirmation. "You must listen to the arrangements of the person beside you and not act on your own authority."
Zhang Zhuo cast a glance at Chen Ji, who was draped in armor. "Alright."
Chen Ji instructed Zhang Xia, "Don't run around blindly for now. The outside is full of armored soldiers. Staying here in the Flying Cloud Courtyard, a place they've already searched, will actually be somewhat safer."
Zhang Xia nodded in acknowledgment.
Seeing that Zhang Zhuo was fully equipped, Chen Ji immediately walked outside. "Lord Zhang, from here on out, do not speak. I will handle everything. If a suitable opportunity arises, I will send you out."
...
Within the rear residence of Prince Jing's Estate.
Holding Spears and with sabers resting at their waists, Chen Ji and Zhang Zhuo walked shoulder-to-shoulder along the gravel path in the flower garden toward Jing'an Hall. In the dead of the silent night, their armor let out icy clicking sounds.
A squad of armored soldiers walked toward them from the opposite direction, driving along weeping maids and robust male servants.
Chen Ji silently pulled Zhang Zhuo to step aside and yield the way. Only after this squad of armored soldiers departed did they continue rushing along at a quick pace.
Wearing a face mask, Zhang Zhuo asked in a low voice, "What is the situation outside right now?"
Chen Ji explained, "The Liu Family has already sealed off the city gates. Right now, they should be instigating Prince Jing's defection to rise up in rebellion alongside them."
Zhang Zhuo muttered to himself, "They want to coerce Prince Jing into fighting their way into the Capital City. When that time comes, as long as they kill the person in Renshou Palace, and then have the current empress dowager cooperate by issuing a forged imperial decree passing the throne to Prince Jing, this matter will be accomplished. Luo City is over six hundred miles away from the Capital City. If they launch a long-distance surprise attack, they can arrive in half a month. Cavalry runs faster than news..."
Zhang Zhuo frowned. "But the problem is, relying solely on his tens of thousands of private troops, how can he be so certain they can fight open the gates of the capital's environs? This is bad... there must be other noble clans and armies that have been instigated to defect by the Liu Family!"
Zhang Zhuo continued muttering to himself, "Who could it be coordinating with them from the inside to strike from both within and without? The Hu Family, the Chen Family, the Yang Family, the Qi Family? The Elite Firearms Division, the Fengtai Camp, the Five Armies Camp, the Baobian Camp..."
As he spoke, Chen Ji suddenly reached out, tightly gripping his wrist to halt his footsteps.
Zhang Zhuo looked up and instantly froze in place.
Under the moonlight, Mister Feng, clad in a blue robe, was striding toward them along the gravel path.
Smiling, he looked at Chen Ji and the other man and asked, "Finished killing?"
Chen Ji said in a muffled voice, "Answering Mister Feng: yes, finished killing."
Mister Feng nodded. "You two follow me back to the Flying Cloud Courtyard; I forgot to retrieve something."
In an instant, Chen Ji felt a wave of cold intent rise from the bottom of his feet to the crown of his head. The world became so silent that only his heartbeat remained, and even the air seemed to gradually congeal.
Seeing that they didn't move, Mister Feng asked with a smile, "What? Could it be that you didn't kill Lord Zhang and Physician Yao? Surely you don't need me to personally handle such a minor matter, do you?"
Zhang Zhuo reached out and slowly felt for the hilt of his waist saber, but Chen Ji gripped his wrist like an iron clamp, rendering him unable to move.
In front of a Grand Guild Agent like Mister Feng, attempting to use martial force was tantamount to courting death. Even Jin Zhu and Tian Ma couldn't kill the other party; how could he and Zhang Zhuo possibly manage it?
But... what other method was there to break this deadlock?
Mister Feng walked over step by step, finally coming to a halt in front of Chen Ji. "Not speaking?"
The next moment, Chen Ji gently removed his own face mask. "Mister Feng, let us talk."
Zhang Zhuo was stunned. He had guessed Chen Ji's identity earlier, but he hadn't expected Chen Ji to actually dare choose a showdown with Mister Feng!
Looking at the face beneath the mask, Mister Feng suddenly burst into loud laughter. "So it's you! And here I was wondering who had the massive guts to try and fool me to my face! But you already borrowed the Daoist Court's carriage to escape; why did you come back?"
Chen Ji took a deep breath. "Naturally, there is a reason I had to come back."
Crossing his hands behind his back, Mister Feng asked with great interest, "You dare to take off your face mask; aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
After thinking for a moment, Chen Ji responded, "If Mister Feng wanted to kill me, you would have done so early on."
This Mister Feng had discovered the problem with his identity way back in Emerald Cloud Lane, yet chose not to expose him, instead keeping him by his side.
If not for keeping this 'spy' because he was useful, the other party would have killed him long ago.
Mister Feng nodded in satisfaction. "Go ahead and speak. What do you want to talk to me about?"
Chen Ji pondered for a moment. "Mister Feng, since you spared my life, there must certainly be matters inconvenient for you to do yourself, so you need me to help you do them. Right or wrong?"
Looking at Chen Ji with a smile that was not quite a smile, Mister Feng said, "Right now, your life is in my hands. The power to grant life or deliver death all rests upon a single thought of mine. The reason I kept you is because I need you to go help me kill someone. Let's play a game. You guess who I want to kill. Three chances. If you guess correctly, not only will I spare your life, but I will also promise you overwhelming wealth and rank."
Chen Ji frowned. "Prince Jing?"
He had constantly felt this Mister Feng's identity was doubtful. If the other party wanted to obstruct the Liu Family's mutiny, then simply killing Prince Jing would naturally cause half the Liu Family's schemes to fall through.
He looked up to observe Mister Feng's expression, only to hear the other party say slowly and methodically, "Incorrect. Still two chances."
Chen Ji subconsciously tightened his grip on Zhang Zhuo's wrist, his thoughts flashing like lightning. The other party keeping him naturally meant wanting to use his special nature... such as his special identity.
What special identity did he have? A secret spy of the Secret Spy Division.
Chen Ji opened his mouth and said, "Mister Feng wants to kill Tian Ma?"
Mister Feng smiled and shook his head. "Still incorrect. Last chance."
Chen Ji's pupils slightly contracted. He had actually guessed wrong?
Wait... Mister Feng hadn't known from the beginning that it was him hiding beneath the face mask, so the person the other party wanted to kill had nothing to do with the Secret Spy Division...
The other party wanted him to act as an 'infiltrator' and kill someone from the Liu Family!
Sensing that Chen Ji's grip on his wrist was growing stronger and stronger, Zhang Zhuo immediately looked over with a deeply worried expression.
Yet in the very next moment, Zhang Zhuo saw the young man's tightly knit brows suddenly relax.
Looking at Mister Feng, Chen Ji said with absolute certainty, "Mister Feng wants to kill General Qian of the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry."
Mister Feng raised an eyebrow, then praised him in admiration. "Leaving you alive previously at Longwang Village was indeed the right decision."
(End of this chapter)