The firmament above Luo City was densely covered with dark clouds, gradually obscuring the bright moon.
It was as if an invisible giant hand had gathered the clouds like sand. With merely a casual scoop, this giant hand completely enshrouded everyone beneath the overarching shadow of schemes—both hidden and Open Schemes—that had been painstakingly plotted in isolation over the course of several years.
Starting from the winter of the year Mister Feng first arrived by Elder Liu's side, someone had already been hiding offstage from the dark theater, waiting to deliver the most fatal strike to the Liu Family.
The Directorate of Ceremonial making a move to apply pressure, Prince Jing stepping forward to entice them, and Mister Feng lying dormant in wait—step by step, they had lured the Liu Family into an abyss where they would be Doomed Eternally.
Who had laid out this scheme?
Was it Jin Zhu? No. Although Jin Zhu was ruthless and vicious, he lacked such a grand overarching vision.
Was it Tian Ma? No. Tian Ma possessed a heavy killing intent and lacked such enduring patience.
Exactly who possessed the ability, boldness, and patience to lay out this scheme? Was it the man in black whom Prince Jing had secretly met with late at night? Chen Ji remembered that the other party wore a piece of black jade at his waist.
He looked up toward the dark night ahead. Spears shot out whistling from the pitch-black windows like dark maws, easily penetrating even the heavy armor of the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry.
The Spears skewered the front row of armored soldiers, the massive momentum dragging them off their war horses.
However, the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry did not shrink back or evade. General Qian sneered coldly, "Deliberately Mystifying! Kill!"
From within the iron cavalry, black-armored soldiers leaped up from horseback one after another. Like pulling onions from dry ground, they stepped on the horses' heads in midair to borrow force, and with another leap, plunged into the buildings, leaving their war horses neighing in sorrowful agony as they collapsed, unable to rise again.
Clad in layers of heavy armor, the armored soldiers leaped onto the second-floor eaves. Hands pressing on their waist sabers and stepping on the grey roof tiles, they charged toward the windows one by one to slaughter the ambushers!
Practitioners?!
Chen Ji awakened with a start. The strength of these black-armored soldiers' leaps was actually slightly greater than his own.
Dozens of Practitioners were actually hidden within the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry!
This was strange. The Official Path Gateways of the world were like pure white giant clams in the ocean—they could be encountered by chance, but not actively sought out. How could the Liu Family possibly possess so many Official Path Gateways?
No, the Official Path Gateways that these armored soldiers cultivated should all be of the exact same kind!
They had abandoned the pursuit of extreme cultivation speed and never even considered seeking the Great Dao of Longevity. Using years of dormant cultivation, they had forcibly endured and forged this martial strength.
At this time, a Spear from a window crossed the vast sky, shooting violently toward General Qian.
Sitting firmly on his horse, General Qian reached out and grasped it, his hand gripping the spearhead like an iron clamp, while the tail of the spear continued to tremble ceaselessly on its own.
"Go!"
General Qian turned the Spear around and hurled it back into that pitch-black window in reverse. A cry of pain instantly rang out from inside.
Following this, armored soldiers stepped across the grey tiles and charged inside to kill. The sound of metal clashing rang out from the rooms. The Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry on the ground tightly encircled the side buildings where the ambush had been laid, demonstrating not the slightest intention of letting a single secret spy escape.
General Qian said in a cold voice, "Set a fire! Burn down this entire row of side buildings!"
Breathing nervously, Chen Ji silently aimed the eye on his palm at General Qian, and then used the 'Mind's Eye' to scan their surroundings...
Right at this moment, the swift sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from a small alley by the street.
Turning his head to look, Chen Ji was shocked to see Jin Zhu charging out from the dark, narrow alley.
"Fall!"
Jin Zhu abruptly arrived beside General Qian's horse. Breathing, throwing a punch—it was completed in one smooth, uninterrupted motion!
This heavy punch slammed fiercely into the head of General Qian's horse. The war horse collapsed with a loud crash, dragging General Qian's body down as it fell sideways.
"Courting death!" General Qian leaped into the air holding his Spear upside down. He twisted his body bizarrely in mid-air, seemingly executing a back-thrusting spear technique. The Spear stabbed toward Jin Zhu like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.
Jin Zhu turned sideways to dodge this spear thrust, but couldn't defend against General Qian flicking his wrist. The Spear acted like a whip, lashing fiercely against Jin Zhu's chest.
"Aigoo!" Jin Zhu was whipped so hard he flipped backward, tumbling several times like a rubber ball before turning around and running back into the small alley.
An armored soldier spurred his horse, wanting to give chase, but was stopped by General Qian. "Do not pursue. The Eunuch Faction is full of deceitful schemes; do not fall into their trap."
Chen Ji sighed inwardly. Jin Zhu should have at least held on a little longer. Now, General Qian was completely unwilling to fall for the trick.
He didn't know what other special abilities Jin Zhu's cultivation Pathway possessed. Clearly, they were both Xiantian-stage experts, yet Jin Zhu's combat ability was significantly inferior to this General Qian's.
Squatting in front of his war horse and seeing that it would never be able to stand up straight again, General Qian pulled a dagger from his boot and stabbed it cleanly into the horse's neck.
Just at this moment, the clattering of horse hooves echoed down the long street. Mister Feng spurred his horse and hurried over all alone.
General Qian stood up and looked over. He did not salute, and absolutely no joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness could be discerned from his expression beneath the fierce tiger face mask. "Why has Mister Feng come?"
Draped in a blue cloak, Mister Feng said with a smile, "I suspected the Eunuch Faction might use deceit, so I came to take a look."
Tapping his Spear on the ground, General Qian said casually, "The Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry laid dormant for several years, waiting precisely for today. Just now, Jin Zhu risked his life to attempt an assassination and has already been repelled by me."
Having said that, he pointed at the two-story side buildings not far away. "Mister Feng merely needs to wait a moment. The Eunuch Faction members inside will inevitably all be executed under the hooves of our iron cavalry."
Mister Feng said with surprise, "Jin Zhu? Where is he?"
General Qian pointed at the small alley. "Escaped."
Mister Feng immediately dismounted and chased into the alley. "General Qian, continue to encircle and kill the Eunuch Faction members; I will go apprehend Jin Zhu. This is a matter of great merit! The Master said that when the great army departs tomorrow, he exactly needs Jin Zhu's head to sacrifice to the banners!"
Gazing attentively at Mister Feng disappearing into the alley, General Qian pondered deeply for a long time before finally giving chase with large, meteor-like strides. "Men, follow me to apprehend Jin Zhu!"
Hearing this, Chen Ji immediately jumped off his horse and said to the armored soldiers on his left and right, "I will go forward and lend the general a helping hand!"
...
Chen Ji turned left and right within the dimly lit small alley. These small alleys in Luo City all consisted of identical white walls and grey tiles. If not for the frictional sounds of General Qian's armor ahead, he would have almost gotten lost inside.
Mister Feng coming here must definitely be to kill General Qian.
But Chen Ji also had doubts. If General Qian died here, wouldn't Elder Liu suspect Mister Feng, who shouldn't have appeared here in the first place?
Before he could overthink things further, General Qian's muffled grunt suddenly rang out from ahead.
Quickening his pace, Chen Ji turned the corner at the fork in the road, only to see Jin Zhu executing a sneak attack with a dagger in the narrow, obscure alley. The blade pierced into General Qian's ribs through a gap in his armor.
General Qian had originally assumed Mister Feng was ahead of him. Even if he encountered Jin Zhu, Mister Feng would encounter him first, and he could reap the benefits cheaply. Who could have expected Mister Feng to suddenly disappear without a trace, causing him to accidentally fall into Jin Zhu's ambush?
No, could it be there was a problem with Mister Feng?
General Qian struck out in anger, raining punch after punch onto Jin Zhu's body.
Disregarding life and death, Jin Zhu forcefully lowered his head and pressed it against General Qian's chest. Gritting his teeth and coughing up blood, he clamped his left arm around General Qian's head while his right hand continuously pulled the dagger out and stabbed it back in. He stabbed three times in succession, but because the armor was tight and secure, he continuously failed to strike a vital spot.
General Qian grabbed Jin Zhu's wrist and wrestled with him, their strengths pitted against each other. The tip of the blade stalled right in front of General Qian's body, unable to pierce any further.
As the two parties were locked in a stalemate, Chen Ji was just about to go help Jin Zhu when he felt something was wrong.
Where was Mister Feng?
Suddenly, a gust of wind brushed past him.
Turning his head, Chen Ji saw precisely Mister Feng, his cloak fluttering wildly as he brushed past him.
Like a phantom or demon, Mister Feng arrived beside General Qian and delivered a kick to Jin Zhu's side.
With a loud crash, Jin Zhu was sent flying sideways, slamming fiercely into the wall of the alley. The bricks and stones exploded, forming a spiderweb-like depression. Accompanied by several cracking sounds of fracturing bones, Jin Zhu crashed heavily onto the ground, vomited a mouthful of fresh blood, and fell unconscious.
Chen Ji was shocked internally. Wasn't he supposed to kill General Qian? How did it turn into killing Jin Zhu?!
In the gloom, Mister Feng supported General Qian and asked with concern, "Is General Qian alright?"
While speaking, he looked up and said to Chen Ji, "What are you doing standing there in a daze? Come over and support General Qian!"
Chen Ji silently walked forward and draped General Qian's arm over his own shoulder.
Retrieving a small white porcelain bottle from his sleeve, Mister Feng poured some powder out and applied it to the other party's wound. "General Qian, the knife wound missed your organs, so your life should not be in danger. This is a metallic-wound medicine produced by the Mount Laojun Daoist Court. After applying it, it will completely heal in merely over a month."
General Qian hesitated an instant. "Many thanks to Mister Feng. How should this Jin Zhu be handled?"
Casting a sidelong glance at the unconscious Jin Zhu, Mister Feng said with a beaming smile, "Naturally, we escort him back. Tomorrow morning at first light, we will beat the drums, ascend the hall, and sever his head and extract his tendons and bones in front of the commander's platform, draining his blood to sacrifice to the banners! Rest assured, General Qian, this merit belongs to the two of us; I will not swallow it all myself."
While speaking, he intentionally or inadvertently shot a glance at Chen Ji, instantly causing Chen Ji's entire body to run cold.
Mister Feng's goal of seizing power had been achieved. The Liu Family's great army was about to set out, but with General Qian heavily injured, he naturally wouldn't be able to command the troops.
Moreover, General Qian hadn't died and had even captured Jin Zhu alive, so Elder Liu naturally wouldn't suspect anything anymore either.
Mister Feng was using Jin Zhu to exchange for control of the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry.
At this time, Mister Feng ordered Chen Ji, "Go find some hemp rope and tie up the Eunuch Faction member on the ground securely."
Bracing himself, Chen Ji gave an affirmative sound. "Mister Feng, go ahead and help General Qian back to treat his wounds first. After I bind up this beast, I will go meet up with you."
General Qian said in a cold voice, "Impermissible! I must personally escort this beast back to the Liu Family's main residence. Go quickly and find the hemp rope; Mister Feng and I will wait for you right here."
Mister Feng looked at Chen Ji with a smile that was not quite a smile. "Why are you still not hurrying?"
"Yes."
Chen Ji searched out a household in the small alley and broke his way in through the door. After fetching a hemp rope, he returned and tied Jin Zhu up securely. Only at this moment did General Qian finally slowly release his clenched fists and relax his mind.
...
On Ningyuan Street, the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry had captured all the secret spies in the side buildings, killing seventeen and capturing twelve alive.
The armored soldiers neatly mounted their horses and escorted the living captives southward. Because General Qian had lost too much blood, the armored soldiers had no choice but to find a horse carriage to bring him back.
The clattering, heavy sound of iron hooves was incredibly oppressive, feeling as if they were continually trampling right upon Chen Ji's heart.
Chen Ji spurred his horse and walked at the very rear. Right when he was bowing his head in deep thought, Mister Feng actually slowed his horse's pace, moved closer, and said with a low laugh, "What are you thinking about?"
Looking up, Chen Ji carefully observed the other people out of the corner of his eye to ensure they were far away before lowering his voice and asking, "Mister Feng and Jin Zhu are colleagues. Did you just sell him out like that?"
Mister Feng sized Chen Ji up. "As far as I know, you have no friendly relationship with Jin Zhu, do you?"
Chen Ji was stunned for a moment, constantly feeling there was something tricky about the other party's question. He pondered for a moment. "Mhm. No friendly relationship."
Mister Feng said slowly and methodically, "Once matters here are concluded, I will be returning to the Secret Spy Division. Lord Inner Chancellor promised me a Top Three Ranks position among the Twelve Zodiacs, but looking at it now, there are no empty positions. So, I'm just vacating a position for myself. Isn't that fair and reasonable?"
Chen Ji was stunned. A figure like Mister Feng was actually not even a Zodiac yet? How was that possible?!
He said casually, "Yun Yang and Jiao Tu are gone. The positions of Sheep and Rabbit are both empty."
Mister Feng gave a laugh. "They are merely exiled to the frontiers; they will return."
Chen Ji said again, "It is rumored that Lord Bing Hu is going to step down from his position."
Mister Feng answered, "Lord Bing Hu's position belongs to the Top Three Ranks; I don't dare hope for that temporarily. I like the position of the Pig. Sometimes, a pig can eat a tiger."
"What about Tian Ma?"
Hearing these words, Mister Feng seemed slightly distressed. "Yes, what about Tian Ma?"
(End of this chapter)