Green Mountain

Chapter 548 410: Capital Grain Storage

At 7 p.m., the sky had completely darkened.

The citizens of Changping County stayed behind closed doors, leaving only the Jiefan Guard and Spy Department holding torches as the sound of hooves rushed over the packed earth streets, with shouts of killing and the sound of copper whistles rising and falling.

The shopkeeper of Fulai Inn was running in the opposite direction of the grain warehouse; he seemed to know where Mrs. Lu would hide and wanted to buy her more time.

Until he heard the whistling sound behind him, knowing it was Xuan Snake who had arrived, he bit through the poison bag in his mouth and spat at Xuan Snake, "Eunuch Party!"

After speaking, he slowly fell to the ground, his breath completely gone.

Xuan Snake wrapped himself in a large black cloak, slowly walked to the shopkeeper's side, bent down, and looked closely, "A death soldier with poison hidden in his mouth? Whose family? Strange."

While speaking, a fast horse rider quickly reported, "Lord, our colleagues at the inn fell victim to poison; we who were ambushed nearby did not hear their cries for help. Judging from the traces, they came out of the well, and there is a secret chamber at the bottom of the well."

Xuan Snake's expression was grim, "No cries for help... A Seeking Dao Realm executive officer? Then it's not Chen Ji. Could it be Liao Zhong? Are the facial features on the corpses still intact?"

The spy reported, "Still intact."

Xuan Snake fell into doubt, staring endlessly at the shopkeeper's corpse without speaking: "It's neither Liao Zhong, so where did the Seeking Dao Realm executive officer come from? Did the Crown Prince's death soldiers save Liao Zhong? No, the Crown Prince's death soldiers would not save Liao Zhong at this time, only kill him."

He meticulously speculated, repeatedly overturning his assumptions, ruling out one mistaken possibility after another.

The spy whispered, "Could it be death soldiers from another family, unrelated to Chen Ji or Liao Zhong?"

Xuan Snake gave him a sideways glance, "Fool, if unrelated, why hide in the well? Pretending to be a guest in the inn would easily deceive. There must be a reason he had to hide in the well... Chen Ji must be beside him! Strange, how does Changping County have a Seeking Dao Realm officer responding to Chen Ji, could it be the forces of the Chen family's main house? Pursue!"

The spy asked, "Lord, which way should we pursue?"

Xuan Snake fell silent, the situation seemed to return to square one, at this moment Chen Ji, under the protection of the Seeking Dao Realm, was in an unknown hiding place, it seemed they still had to search all of Changping thoroughly.

Just then, he suddenly looked down at the shopkeeper on the ground, then looked in the direction from which the shopkeeper came.

Xuan Snake narrowed his eyes slightly, raised his hand to point in the opposite direction of the shopkeeper's escape: "What's over there?"

The spy paused, "Lord, that's the grain warehouse of Changping County. My lord, this grain warehouse is the Capital Grain Storage, specifically for providing food for the Imperial Three Camps."

Xuan Snake sneered, "Capital Grain Storage? I see, they are in the Capital Grain Storage, surround it for me, and enter the warehouse at dawn tomorrow to catch them."

The spy hesitated, "Lord, the Capital Grain Storage is extremely large, we do not have enough manpower."

Xuan Snake slowly gathered his smile and quietly instructed a trusted subordinate, "Go find Wu Xuange, have him immediately dispatch the Jiefan Guard troops, if I become one of the Top Three, it will also benefit Lord Wu Xiu."

...

...

In front of the Changping County grain warehouse.

Chen Ji silently observed through the wooden fence: this grain warehouse is like a military fortress, with watchtowers between storehouses, crossbowmen with bows inspecting all directions, and occasionally groups of ten infantry passing by to patrol.

It was the first time for Chen Ji to see such tightly guarded grain storage.

Mrs. Lu turned back to glance at him, seeing his curiosity, she explained: "The granary of Changping County is the Capital Grain Storage and Taichang, storing grain specifically for the Imperial Three Camps' military provisions, hence the tight security. There are eight hundred storehouses here, with eight hundred soldiers of the Longevity Army garrisoned, patrolling every thirty minutes, throughout the day and night... This is also why the Eunuch Party doesn't bother to search this place."

As Mrs. Lu walked, she continued, "The Capital Grain Storage, Water Station Warehouse, state-county warehouses, and garrison warehouses each have their differences. Once familiar with the Capital Grain Storage, it's the safest; there's a guaranteed provision near the Water Station Warehouses, where one can pay passage money and rely on the Cao Guild's power to escape, but the Cao Guild is the most easily turned for money, eager to slaughter fat sheep; state-county warehouses should not be hidden in, as the Eunuch Party has the right to search them; the border town's garrison warehouses should not be hidden in either, as nine out of ten warehouses are empty."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ji realized that hiding in the most tightly guarded Capital Grain Storage was the most secure, but how to hide amidst the intertwined security of the Capital Grain Storage?

Moreover, an intrigue suddenly arose in his heart: this mysterious veiled woman, was she teaching him?

Su Zhou, lying in the grass outside the grain warehouse, asked Mrs. Lu beside him, "Aren't all the storehouses sealed with labels, where can we hide if we go in?"

He scolded softly, "Stubborn woman!"

The next moment, after a group of guards passed by, Mrs. Lu quickly climbed over the ten-foot-high fence into the Capital Grain Storage. Seeing Chen Ji following her, she went on ahead without looking back, not caring about Su Zhou's life or death.

Su Zhou, still outside the wooden fence, cursing under his breath, hurriedly climbed over the high fence, quietly catching up. None of the three made any noise upon landing, and their steps were soundless.

Mrs. Lu wove through the storehouses one by one.

These so-called storehouse buildings were high-ridge brick houses, gray tiles, blue bricks, without windows, with sealing labels on the doors.

One unit was a house, five units were a storehouse.

Mrs. Lu suddenly stopped by a storehouse, quietly waiting for something.

The next moment, the sound of guards patrolling echoed a few meters away, Chen Ji could not see the guards, only hearing them pass by silently on the other side of the storehouse.

Once the footsteps faded away, Mrs. Lu moved again.

Mrs. Lu's stop-start movement allowed them to avoid seeing any guards along the way. They seemed to be interspersed precisely within the "gaps" of the guards' patrol routes.

Strolling leisurely. These four words suddenly popped into Chen Ji's mind.

At this moment, Mrs. Lu arrived at a storehouse with no seal on its door.

Mrs. Lu pushed the door open and entered: "This is the 'Rat Killing' warehouse, the surrounding brick walls have holes opened specifically for catching rats. The guards do not usually come this way, warehouses are checked by warehouse workers once every seven days, the last check was three days ago, so we can hide here for four more days."

Upon entering the "Rat Killing" warehouse, Chen Ji saw several open large jars inside, with grain scattered inside, waiting for rats, which, when seeking food, would fall in and never come out again.

Su Zhou muttered softly behind her: "Why does it feel like coming back to my own home."

Mrs. Lu ignored her and waited until Su Zhou entered the door before turning around to close the warehouse door.

...

...

A sudden change occurred.

As the warehouse door closed, Mrs. Lu leaned forward in the darkness and pressed her palm towards Su Zhou's face.

Su Zhou's expression changed; she retreated while using her left hand to block the palm. However, Mrs. Lu's palm was like a swimming dragon; it suddenly twisted at Su Zhou's wrist, instead deflecting Su Zhou's hand, leaving Su Zhou exposed with an opening.

Mrs. Lu's left hand suddenly shot out from under her right arm, like clouds parting to reveal the sun, or flowers hidden beneath leaves, and instantly gripped Su Zhou's neck, pinning her against the blue brick wall of the granary.

Chen Ji's heart tightened.

This masked woman, with just one move, rendered Su Zhou powerless to resist. It was both fast and swift.

Su Zhou, her neck clamped, flushed and said, "Hidden beneath leaves... Where did you learn that?"

In the darkness, Mrs. Lu stared straight at Su Zhou: "Why are you still following us? No one is pursuing you, and no one knows you were just at the inn, so you can leave on your own."

Su Zhou drew the Emei dagger from her waist and stabbed at Mrs. Lu's wrist, forcing her to loosen her grip and retreat.

She bent over, panting heavily: "Do you suspect me? But I have been friends with the Shopkeeper for many years!"

Mrs. Lu calmly said, "People's hearts change easily. Who knows if you are a person or a ghost now?"

Su Zhou said firmly, "I, Su Zhou, have worked with the lamp for over ten years. I've seen all sorts of situations. If I wanted to betray the lamp, there was no need to wait until now."

Mrs. Lu calmly said, "Most people avoid arrest warrants like the plague, yet you deliberately approach. What's your intention? Even if you didn't betray him, as you said earlier, this kid offended you and it's hard to guarantee you don't bear a grudge and seek revenge at any opportunity."

Chen Ji was slightly stunned.

Su Zhou was also surprised: "Did you misunderstand? Although I previously complained about him and that dead girl Xiaoman ignoring me, they both actually saved my life. If it weren't for them, I would've been caught by the Spy Department. Besides, I'm at least his elder. How can I stand by and watch him suffer now?"

Mrs. Lu looked at Chen Ji: "Saved your life?"

Only when Chen Ji nodded did she say to Su Zhou, "I can spare you, but after dawn, we part ways and don't get entangled anymore."

"Whether I leave or stay isn't up to you," Su Zhou scrutinized Mrs. Lu suspiciously, "Rather, what about you? Hiding your face... how come I've never heard of someone like you in the lamp? And why are you helping him?"

Mrs. Lu was silent for a moment: "There's a lot you don't know about the lamp."

She leaped onto the beam, lifting a piece of gray tile, allowing a sliver of moonlight to penetrate through the gap and shine into the granary.

In the dim granary, Mrs. Lu chose a corner to sit down.

Su Zhou sat far away from Mrs. Lu in another corner; Chen Ji did the same. Although the three were companions, they sat far apart from each other.

In the granary, silence lingered for a long time. Su Zhou glanced at Mrs. Lu, who was resting her eyes, then at Chen Ji, who was also keeping to himself, feeling that these two were very alike in nature, both carrying an aloof demeanor.

Su Zhou couldn't help but ask Chen Ji, "Nowadays, the arrest warrants are posted everywhere. What do you plan to do, leave the Ning Dynasty?"

Chen Ji opened his eyes but didn't speak.

Su Zhou teased, "What, can't bear to leave the Chen family's foundation? Rumor has it that you're going to be adopted into the main branch of the Chen family and marry the third miss of the Qi family, thus overturning your status as a bastard."

Chen Ji didn't speak.

Su Zhou chuckled, "Just kidding with you. When I went to Luocheng City, I inquired about you and heard about your fallout with Chen Liqin. You're not one to covet vanity."

She leaned against the wall, sighing, "Your mother died early..."

Mrs. Lu suddenly opened her eyes to glance at her, then slowly closed them again.

Su Zhou continued talking to herself, "Your legitimate mother couldn't tolerate you, and your father is a master of feigning ignorance. Chen Ji, why don't you join my lamp? Do you know what the lamp means? Where there is a lamp, there is home."

Chen Ji still didn't speak.

Su Zhou glanced at Mrs. Lu, "Though there are women like her in the lamp, most people are good."

Suddenly, Chen Ji softly said, "She didn't really suspect you. She didn't want you to get involved in this mess, so she wanted to force you to leave. If she genuinely suspected you, considering her style, she would've taken your life promptly. Facing the Innate Realm while being in the Seeking Dao Realm gives you no reason to survive."

Mrs. Lu opened her eyes again, staring straight at Chen Ji.

Chen Ji continued to Su Zhou, "Once dawn breaks, we'll each go our own way. This trip is indeed a life-and-death matter."

Mrs. Lu spoke, "Since you know this is a life-and-death matter, why do you still stay in the Ning Dynasty? Could it be you're truly enticed by the Chen family's power?"

Chen Ji leaned against the blue brick wall, looking at the sliver of moonlight shining through the roof, "Of course not."

Mrs. Lu looked at Chen Ji, "I can help you capture Liao Zhong, but not in Changping. Liao Zhong has surely come to Changping with Death Soldiers to aid him, to heal him, and help him leave. You can't go back to the Imperial Capital, and neither can he, so he must flee outward."

She drew a map on the ground in front of her with her index finger, "There are three routes out of the Ning Dynasty: one through Guyuan, another through Datong, and one via the sea. The sea route is controlled by the Chen and Xu families, so he can't use it; he has no base in Guyuan either, so that route is also impassable; he can only head to Datong and escape via the smuggling routes used by the Eight Great Jin Merchants."

Mrs. Lu looked up at Chen Ji, "Don't implicate more people here. You should follow me to Datong, wait there like a hunter waiting for prey, and you will surely catch him."

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