Qingshan

Chapter 53 : Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Delivering Credit

In the pitch-black night of torrential rain, over ten spies rushed forward in silence, letting the rain curtain pour down on their straw raincoats and bamboo hats.

Turning past the Anxi Street intersection, a spy led out over ten warhorses. Everyone mounted up and galloped toward the East Market.

The horse hooves stepped in the accumulated water, making rhythmic splashing sounds, as if blossoms of waves were blooming on the ground.

I had narrowly escaped death, and my heart still couldn't help but palpitate. I could only grip the reins tightly to adapt to the rhythm of the galloping warhorse, barely avoiding falling off.

The pain in my neck almost made me mistakenly believe that the Division Officer was still strangling me.

However, I still had many doubts in my heart...

Jinzhu sat on his horse and turned to look at me: "Today you seem somewhat different from usual, weighed down with concerns. What happened at Taiping Clinic?"

My heart sank. This Jinzhu was skilled at reading people's expressions and wouldn't let any clues slip by.

I mustered my full attention to respond: "Reporting to Lord Jinzhu, earlier I was scolded by my master, who told me not to run out so often and to focus on my studies."

Jinzhu understood I was hinting at "don't come looking for me unless necessary," but pretended not to know and smiled: "Physician Yao, ah, I saw him often in the capital in earlier years. When he was in the capital, he cured Lord Inner Minister's leg ailment. Everyone in our Secret Spy Division was quite courteous to him. It's no matter—you can openly tell the old master about your spy identity; he'll understand."

Seeing me remain silent, he consoled me gently: "Are you worried that capturing Jing Dynasty spies is too dangerous? Rest assured, our Secret Spy Division has elite troops and capable generals. Bailong and Black Snake have beaten the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Division's Lord so badly in the capital that he doesn't dare show his head. Shigou and Baohou have them gasping for breath in Jinling. This empire is still our Ning Dynasty's empire—it won't tolerate their insolence."

Hearing these words, I suddenly fell into contemplation.

The Ning Dynasty's Secret Spy Division had the Twelve Zodiacs in command. Could it be that the Jing Dynasty's Military Intelligence Division only had one Division Officer struggling to support it?

One should know that in the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Division's hierarchy, above Division Officer was the Division Lord. Just these two people supporting such a huge Military Intelligence Division—no matter how one looked at it, it seemed weak and outnumbered.

However, this very matter made me suspicious: the Division Officer I saw today seemed different from the one I encountered last time.

At Hundred Deer Pavilion, that Division Officer deliberately avoided the eyes of the deceased when killing. But tonight, the person stared fixedly at my eyes, seemingly enjoying watching the victim's gaze gradually lose its luster.

At Hundred Deer Pavilion, that Division Officer liked to use knives. Even when dealing with a small fry like myself, he would definitely pull out a short knife. But tonight, this Division Officer never took out a knife.

At Hundred Deer Pavilion, that Division Officer mentioned his uncle several times, but tonight the person didn't mention him at all.

The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Under the Division Officer's mask, was it the same person? If it really was the same person, the daily affairs at Hundred Deer Pavilion alone would be busy enough—where would this Division Officer have the energy to handle the entire Military Intelligence Division's intelligence network?

I suddenly asked: "Lord Jinzhu, is that Military Intelligence Division's Lord hiding in our Ning Dynasty's capital?"

Jinzhu nodded: "Yes, at least that's what the intelligence we received indicates. But the spies we've captured have all been too low-level—no one has seen his true appearance to this day."

I asked again: "Then what kind of person from the Military Intelligence Division is lurking on the Jinling side?"

"Naturally a Military Intelligence Division Officer. But we don't know which one came to Luocheng this time."

I fell into contemplation.

......

......

Jinzhu looked at me and asked with a smile: "Why are you asking about their Division Officers and Division Lord? Do you want to capture them? Ambitious! If you really catch them, you might truly be promoted to the Twelve Zodiacs. When that time comes, you won't lack cultivation paths—Lord Inner Minister will ensure your meteoric rise."

"Oh? Cultivation paths?" I asked doubtfully: "Does Lord Inner Minister have many cultivation paths there?"

Jinzhu laughed heartily: "What kind of person is Lord Inner Minister? Ten years ago when he pacified the martial world, he collected quite a few good things. Otherwise, why do you think Yunyang and Jiaotu want to establish merit? Isn't it because their techniques are stuck at the Innate Realm, and they need to establish great merit to break through to the Path-Seeking Realm?"

I thought to myself, so that's how it is. No wonder the Inner Minister could control all the enforcers.

I asked again: "Lord Jinzhu, since we've already captured the Jing Dynasty spy, he should know who we're trying to arrest and what they look like. Why do you still need me?"

Jinzhu chuckled: "This lord has his own arrangements."

I frowned. I didn't understand Jinzhu's intentions.

Jinzhu was clearly different from Yunyang and Jiaotu. Though his face was always smiling, he was like a bottomless pit—impossible to see through or guess.

Everyone passed through the rain curtain and finally arrived at Red Cloth Lane.

Red Cloth Lane was the liveliest place in Luocheng at night. Brothels, gambling dens, and restaurants stood side by side. If any establishment wanted to make a name for itself in Luocheng, it had to open in Red Cloth Lane.

At this time, on those brightly lit scattered buildings, the rain curtain washed over the roofs, then fell from the eaves forming rain curtains.

Countless young ladies wore bright clothing, waving and teasing the customers coming and going below. Even the heavy rain couldn't stop Red Cloth Lane's fervor.

However, when the Secret Spy Division's dozen riders arrived, all the young ladies and customers saw those somber bamboo hats and straw raincoats and hurried inside the buildings. Some even hastily extinguished the candles in their rooms.

In just a few breaths' time, the Secret Spy Division's appearance was like a basin of ice water being poured down. The vast Red Cloth Lane fell silent as a cicada, completely still.

Jinzhu laughed heartily and looked at me: "See that? What is the Secret Spy Division? This is the Secret Spy Division!"

Everyone dismounted before a gambling den named "Chao Cang" and walked straight inside.

I saw that inside the gambling den had somehow already been controlled by dozens of spies. The gamblers and dealers were all crouching to one side. The so-called dealers were the croupier role of this era, also called recorders.

Jinzhu lowered his voice and asked: "Where is that defecting spy?"

A spy cupped his hands and bowed: "Lord, upstairs. He's already willing to confess, but insists on telling you personally, saying he has conditions to discuss with you."

"Lead the way!"

I stood to one side, my heart inexplicably shaken: the Secret Spy Division had already captured that defecting spy?!

If I just went upstairs like this, wouldn't I be recognized on the spot?

What should I do? Fight my way out?

With so many spies here, with my barely entry-level enforcer status, I could handle one or two spies at most. How could I fight my way out?

Jinzhu walked up the stairs and looked back at me doubtfully: "Eh? Why aren't you coming up? There are still many things to do—don't delay."

I said: "Lord, this subordinate wants to check downstairs to see if there are other spies hidden among the gamblers."

Jinzhu waved his hand with a smile: "No need, no need. Come up quickly."

I had no choice but to press down my bamboo hat and steel myself to walk upstairs.

Arriving at the second floor, Jinzhu pushed open a door to the side. I saw a person hanging from the ceiling, hands bound with hemp rope suspended from the beam. Four spies surrounded him with hands on their waist knives standing guard.

I carefully raised my head to look, but was shocked to discover that the hanging person's face had already turned black and blue, with blood flowing from all seven orifices. He couldn't be more dead.

A dead person naturally couldn't identify me!

My palms were somewhat numb from tension, but I pretended to be calm and asked: "Lord Jinzhu, since this is a defecting spy and extremely important, why kill him?"

"This person is not that defecting spy, but rather the spy responsible for capturing that defecting spy... Truly tongue-twisting! Haha, after we caught this person, he bit down on poison and committed suicide," Jinzhu said with a smile.

My heart rose again—that defecting spy wasn't dead yet!

I saw Jinzhu circling the hanged spy and praising: "Jing Dynasty spies are all death warriors. They're cruel to others and even crueler to themselves. Over these years, our Secret Spy Division has found it very difficult to catch even one alive. Do you know why?"

I shook my head: "I don't know."

"On one hand, it's because they purge quickly enough. As soon as they discover someone is exposed, they immediately purge the entire intelligence line from top to bottom, sacrificing pawns to protect the king. Killing a few to preserve the whole is a wise move. As the saying goes, 'righteousness doesn't do business, kindness doesn't command troops'—that Military Intelligence Division Lord is a formidable person.

"On the other hand, they specifically select spies with families to come and infiltrate. Once a spy betrays them, they arrest the spy's entire family in Jing Dynasty. The young ones—males become slaves, females become prostitutes. The old ones—directly executed."

My heart grew solemn. The struggle between the two dynasties' spies was actually this harsh.

I asked: "I wonder what Lord Jinzhu's next plan is. Do you need this subordinate to search for that defecting spy's whereabouts?"

"No rush, no rush. We now only know that the spy was injured. Originally we could follow the scent of blood to find him, but we didn't expect a heavy rain to wash away the traces. Now he's not easy to find, but it doesn't matter..." Jinzhu looked at a spy to the side: "After we came in, did anyone go to pass information?"

The spy said quietly: "It was precisely that spy you suspected, Lord. He quietly went to the latrine."

"Let him go. We'll wait right here for the Jing Dynasty spies to come and silence witnesses!"

I suddenly understood. Jinzhu hadn't caught the defecting spy tonight, nor did he plan to catch that defecting spy.

He had sealed off the entire gambling den and sealed off the information, directly declaring to the outside that he had caught the defecting spy, luring the Military Intelligence Division Officer to come!

What Jinzhu was betting on was that the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Division also hadn't caught the defecting spy and must come to silence witnesses... What formidable adaptability!

This kind of person was much harder to deal with than Yunyang and Jiaotu!

I was silent for a moment: "Why is Lord Jinzhu revealing everything to me?"

Jinzhu smiled and grasped my hands: "You don't know—I'm different from Jiaotu and Yunyang. They like to snatch credit, while I like to deliver credit!"

"Oh?" I was puzzled.

Jinzhu patted the back of my hand: "Those two killers are single-mindedly focused on cultivation, wanting to trade merit for cultivation paths to advance further. But I don't have that ambition, nor do I seek longevity. Sitting in the position of the Twelve Zodiacs is already not easy. To go further up, I'm afraid I'd have to castrate myself and enter the palace to replace Lord Wu Xiu. I don't care about being in the top three or bottom nine positions—bottom nine is quite good. If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up!"

I was speechless. This Lord Jinzhu truly understood the doctrine of the mean.

Jinzhu continued: "I like making friends. Lord Inner Minister personally issued an order to bring you into the Secret Spy Division. I knew you had caught his eye. The last one specially admitted into the Secret Spy Division like this was Tianma..."

"Oh?"

Jinzhu smiled: "Do you know who Tianma worked under when he first became a spy? Under me. At that time, I helped him establish merit step by step, forcibly sending him to the Tianma position. Now that he's achieved a top three position, naturally he remembers my kindness. Rest assured, I'm not afraid of your future status being higher than mine. The higher positions you all sit in, the better... Just don't forget me."

"So tonight Lord summoned me to come here..."

"If we catch Jing Dynasty spies tonight, the credit is half yours, half mine."