Qingshan

Chapter 57 : Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Choice

On the rainy night, I tore off the heavy straw raincoat from my body and ran wildly wearing only a bamboo hat.

I looked down to see a wound half the depth of a pinky fingernail, slashing horizontally from my collarbone to my chest.

The wound was still bleeding, the blood mixing with rainwater and soaking through my clothes.

I could even feel that as the blood flowed out, my life seemed to be draining away bit by bit.

"What rotten luck."

My original plan was to take a shallow cut and use this scheme to act my way to escape.

However, I ultimately wasn't someone who had cultivated for years. My control over my body was insufficient, causing this cut to be a bit too deep.

At this moment, the wound drilled into my heart with pain. Even the ice-cold rainwater couldn't reduce the burning sensation in the slightest.

But now wasn't the time to think about the wound. While tearing off my hem to make simple bandages, I looked back: "Hurry and keep up. If we can't catch that defecting spy, neither you nor I can bear the blame when Division Officer punishes us!"

The Jing Dynasty spy: "..."

The two of us charged forward one after another, breaking through layers of rain curtains, getting farther and farther from Red Cloth Lane.

After running far enough, the Jing Dynasty spy suddenly said breathlessly: "Lord, Lord, stop running. You need to tell me what's going on first!"

I ran into a small alley and after confirming there was no one in the alley, said solemnly: "Chao Cang gambling den is a trap. The Secret Spy Division didn't catch anyone at all. Jinzhu claimed he'd already caught someone because he wanted to lure you there."

The Jing Dynasty spy was half-convinced: "But we received intelligence..."

"The undercover spy, right? Jinzhu discovered his identity long ago. That was deliberately fed to you!"

The spy still couldn't believe it. He gripped his knife handle tightly and approached me step by step: "Lord, is there anything else that can prove your identity?"

I pondered for a moment and said: "Hundred Deer Pavilion—is that enough? Last night you received a shipment of goods at 'Jin Fang' in Red Cloth Lane, correct? The code word was 'Luo Tian'!"

The spy didn't know about Hundred Deer Pavilion's existence, so he didn't understand the first half of the sentence.

But he had participated in last night's goods-receiving operation.

The spy knew well that with my level of understanding about this operation, if I were from the Ning Dynasty's Secret Spy Division, they would definitely have been surrounded and annihilated last night.

Therefore, I couldn't be from the Secret Spy Division—I could only be their Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Division's undercover agent.

The spy looked at me with solemn respect: "Brother, you've had it rough. Being undercover isn't easy. I even accidentally cut you just now."

I pressed down with my hand: "We're all serving Jing Dynasty. You didn't know my identity just now—I don't blame you."

The spy asked: "What do we do now?"

I answered: "I already know where the defector is. Come with me to capture him."

However, the spy hesitated for a moment, then said firmly: "No, at this time the Division Officer is still besieging the gambling den. I must first go tell them it's a trap. How about this—you tell me where the defecting spy is, and after I report to the Division Officer, I'll immediately lead people to meet up with you... Wait!"

The next second, I suddenly lunged at the spy. In his panic, the spy tried to raise his knife to resist, but I struck his hand like lightning with a thunderous punch.

With a clang, the knife fell onto the stone-paved road.

"You?!" The spy's pupils contracted. The two of us fought together, fists colliding with fists.

But at this moment, I was nothing like the weak person I'd been at the gambling den. Each movement was extremely fast—not something he could parry at all.

Clearly both of us threw punches at the same time, but his fist was only halfway there when my fist had already struck his face.

Only then did the spy understand—at Chao Cang gambling den, I had been acting!

In a daze, I had already crouched down, using my shoulder and elbow to ram into the spy's chest.

The spy felt like he'd been hit by a warhorse. He staggered backward step by step and fell against the alley wall!

The Jing Dynasty spy had already been seriously injured from falling off the second floor. Now suffering this heavy blow again, he couldn't even catch his breath and could only slowly kneel on the ground.

I approached bit by bit. The spy mustered his last strength and pulled a dagger from his boot to stab at me.

I saw this and kicked the dagger away, then pulled the scabbard from the spy's waist, moved behind him, and pressed the scabbard horizontally against his neck, gripping it tightly.

The two of us fell backward together. We lay on the stone-paved road, looking up at raindrops falling from the sky into the narrow alley.

Like lying in a courtyard well, our field of vision reduced to just this small square of the world.

I exerted force with both hands. The scabbard crushed the spy's Adam's apple and blocked his windpipe.

The spy completely lost his breath. Even in death, he couldn't understand why a Ning Dynasty spy would know so much about their Military Intelligence Division.

A moment later, I weakly got up and hid the spy in the alley's pile of debris.

I stood in the rain for a moment, then finally picked up the spy's knife and walked out of the alley.

My time tonight was very tight.

......

......

Shops lined Anxi Street. There would always be people who moved away due to poor business, then new businesspeople would move in.

Half a month ago, a cloth shop went bankrupt, and the storefront still hadn't been rented out.

At this time, I slowly climbed onto the roof of the building next to the cloth shop, crouching on the ridge and carefully observing the cloth shop's rear courtyard from above.

This entire night of going through so much trouble was only for self-preservation—to avoid having my identity betrayed.

And now, my target was right before my eyes.

I asked Dark Cloud beside me quietly: "Are you sure it's here?"

Dark Cloud nodded and meowed: "The tabby cat I asked originally had his little brothers staying here, but they were disturbed by that person and had to run to the street to avoid the rain."

I looked strange: "How did you convince the tabby cat to give you directions? Didn't you say it has a bad temper?"

Dark Cloud raised her head and waved her paws to gesture: "Beat it fiercely! However, I promised it that next time it fights with those cats on Andong Street, I'll help it once."

I: "..."

Cat society was this complicated too?

Dark Cloud looked at me with concern: "Your complexion is terrible. Is your wound okay?"

"It's not okay," I said frankly. "But right now there's something more important than the wound. Let's go—let's end this matter."

I grabbed the eaves and lightly dropped into the cloth shop's rear courtyard, crouching on the ground like a cat, quietly surveying the surrounding environment.

The main room's door was wide open, and there was a bloody handprint on the open door.

I pointed at the window for Dark Cloud. One person and one cat split into two directions to approach the main room.

Raindrops fell on the gray tile roof, making pattering sounds. If there were no fighting, this would definitely be good weather for wrapping oneself in a blanket and sleeping.

I held the long knife in a reverse grip as I came to the main room entrance... There was no ambush inside the room.

I saw that in the darkness, a wretched figure lay flat on the ground, breathing weakly. The floor inside was covered with blood, and the person lying there had at least a dozen wounds on his body.

When I approached, the person on the ground suddenly turned over and rose. A dagger appeared in his hand, slashing at my neck like a venomous snake!

I raised my hand to deflect the dagger with my long knife, but he clung to me like a maggot on bone, striking viciously and ruthlessly in continuous attacks!

Although this person clearly wasn't an enforcer, his killing intent far exceeded all the spies and secret agents I'd ever seen!

I could only retreat step by step, waiting for Dark Cloud to ambush from behind.

At this time, one chased and killed while the other flew backward, arriving at the main room entrance.

But when that defecting spy borrowed the outside light to see my face clearly under the bamboo hat, he actually cried out in shock and instantly withdrew his dagger.

In my shock, he collapsed on the ground completely defenseless, as if his lamp oil had run dry, and said weakly: "Chen Ji, your uncle failed in Jing Dynasty's political struggles. Someone is secretly eliminating all his subordinates! The Division Officer is Lu Guanwu's man. They've already started moving. You need to be careful too!"

Having said this, he seemed to have used up all his strength and lay back down.

I: "..."

I had imagined there would be a fight after entering the room. I'd also imagined he might already be dead from severe injuries.

I had come to silence him, but I never expected the story's development would completely overturn my imagination.

No wonder this person didn't flee outside the city, nor to crowded places where it would be easy to hide. He came to Anxi Street as if seeking death—it turned out he was trying to tip me off...

But was what he said the truth, or was it a lie fabricated to survive? I couldn't be certain.

I examined him and saw the wounded man was about twenty-seven years old, with a pale complexion and weak breathing, dressed simply, looking like an ordinary sedan-chair bearer or laborer.

I felt dizzy from blood loss. I leaned on the door frame with my knife and asked calmly: "How did you end up like this? Why did the Division Officer send people to chase and kill you?"

The wounded man lay on his back and laughed bitterly: "I was cultivated by your uncle and sent to Ning Dynasty. Of course the Division Officer would immediately send people to kill me. Unfortunately, those rotten fish and shrimp really weren't much of a match."

As he spoke, he laboriously raised his hand and spread five fingers: "I killed five of them. Five of them couldn't successfully kill me—impressive, right?"

I remained unmoved: "How can I trust you?"

The wounded man was silent for a moment, then laughed breathlessly: "Not bad. All these years teaching you, I always told you not to believe anyone's words. You've finally taken it to heart."

I fell silent.

This person was actually my instructor after entering the Military Intelligence Division?

Based on the current clues, he seemed to be a figure my uncle specifically sent to Ning Dynasty to lead me into the Military Intelligence Division.

But I was no longer the Chen Ji of before. I couldn't even call out his name. I also couldn't trust what he said.

I had never even met that uncle of mine.

Moreover, there were many things in what he said that didn't add up logically: If the Division Officer really wanted to kill me, why didn't he kill me at Taiping Clinic tonight?

Wait—if it was like I deduced earlier, that more than one person was playing the role of Division Officer under the mask, could it be that some wanted to kill me while others didn't?

Uncertain—too much was uncertain. I felt like my brain had been stirred into muddy water.

I asked: "You're about to die. Why did you still risk your injuries to come tip me off?"

The wounded man was obviously stunned. He slowly looked at me, somewhat incredulous: "We've been partners for years, brothers through thick and thin. You still need to ask? What do you take me, Wu Hongbiao, for?!"

I: "..."

There was really no way to respond to this.

I didn't even know what kind of bond I once had with this Wu Hongbiao.

At this time, Wu Hongbiao said slowly: "I might not be able to return to Jing Dynasty. Can I ask you for one thing?"

I said calmly: "Go ahead."

"I've mentioned that younger sister of mine to you before. She's still in Jing Dynasty. If you ever have the chance to return to Jing Dynasty, please beg your uncle to save her. Although he's out of power, he can still handle this small matter. Can you?!"

I fell silent. I couldn't promise.

Seeing I didn't answer, Wu Hongbiao immediately became agitated, pulling at his wounds. Even breathing took all his strength.

He recovered after a long while, glaring at me furiously: "Chen Ji, how have you changed?! I even joked before that when we return to Jing Dynasty, I'd set you two up. Chen Ji, I beg you—after I defected, the Military Intelligence Division won't spare her. If your uncle doesn't save her, her life is finished."

I still didn't answer. I gripped my knife and slowly walked to Wu Hongbiao's side, pressing the blade against his neck artery.

Wu Hongbiao's eyes widened, looking at me in disbelief.

In the dim room, all my expressions were hidden beneath the bamboo hat's shadow.

Outside, the rain suddenly stopped. The world fell silent.

As if even fate was waiting for me to make a choice—whether or not to kill someone who 'might' have risked his life to tip me off but 'might' cause my exposure.

Finally, I sheathed the knife and slowly walked out of the room.

I stood in the courtyard and let out a long breath, saying quietly: "Dark Cloud, help me watch over him."