The Azure Mountain

Chapter 122: Matter Concluded

On the city wall, the secret spies took down the hand crossbows at their waists, hiding behind the battlements and staring intently at the darkness below the city.

Jin Zhu walked back and forth with his hands behind his back, no longer possessing his former calmness.

Every now and then, he would lean over the city wall to look down, only feeling briefly relieved after confirming Chen Ji was fine.

Like a gambler at a Pai Gow table, after getting a good hand of tiles, continuously rubbing open his hole cards to check; on one hand worrying he had seen them wrong, and on the other hand worrying the opponent was cheating and would flip the table.

As if what Chen Ji was gambling with wasn't his own life, but Jin Zhu's life.

Fortunately.

Perhaps because of Tian Ma's appearance, the Liu family people hidden among the disaster victims did not make a move to assassinate Chen Ji. Like poisonous insects, they quietly lay dormant, waiting for Mao-shi.

Standing by the battlements, Tian Ma looked down and saw Chen Ji leaning against the city wall alone, resting with his eyes closed as if no one else was present, as if he had fallen asleep.

Tian Ma looked at Jin Zhu, gesturing: A newcomer? He is very bold, like a madman.

Jin Zhu's face instantly turned as bitter as a purple eggplant: I might fall back to the Houtian Stage. This kid is going to play himself to death sooner or later!Tian Ma was surprised: You actually bet on him?

A trace of compassion appeared in his eyes.

Jin Zhu sighed with emotion: The secret report Meng Ji gave to the Inner Chancellor stated that this kid's Practitioner potential is extremely high, Grade A just like you... I originally thought Grade A Geniuses are hard to find and I needed to quickly grasp him in my own hands, but I didn't expect to fall into his hands.

Tian Ma thought for a moment and silently gestured: You want to help him become one of the Twelve Zodiacs?

Jin Zhu nodded.

Tian Ma gestured again: Is he also an orphan?

Jin Zhu shook his head.

Tian Ma hesitated for a moment: Then when do we eliminate his parents?

Jin Zhu lowered his voice and said grumpily: "Being a Twelve Zodiac doesn't necessarily dictate one must be an orphan. In the early years, quite a few Zodiacs weren't."

Tian Ma was confused.

Jin Zhu rolled his eyes and quickly said: "There's really no need!"

Tian Ma calmly glanced at the astrological signs: It's almost Mao-shi.

Jin Zhu was alarmed in his heart. He turned to look towards the inside of the city, but from beginning to end he still hadn't seen a trace of the grain carts.

...

...

The torches had been extinguished.

Chen Ji slowly opened his eyes, seeing the disaster victims before him standing up one after another, like a black, withered forest, boundless and endless.

A disaster victim holding a little girl in his arms asked in a dry and raspy voice: "This Lord, why hasn't the grain arrived yet? The baby of my family is already so hungry she can't even cry out loud."

Chen Ji stood up silently.

The arm of the little girl in the disaster victim's embrace was thinner than a bamboo pole.

Chen Ji asked softly: "The floodwaters have already receded, why didn't you stay in Western Yuzhou to plow the fields?"

The disaster victim said angrily: "After the floodwaters receded, all the farm acreage clearly demarcated by the Government Office Bafflingly became the Liu family's land. Every household has no surplus grain. The Righteous Horse County city does have wealthy households willing to lend us grain, but that nine-in-thirteen-out usury, if we carry it on our backs, we won't be able to turn our fortunes around for generations to come. If there was even a single path to survival, we wouldn't have walked more than two hundred li to Luo City."

The disaster victim said bitterly: "We truly couldn't bear the hunger anymore."

In the crowd, someone suddenly shouted loudly: "Why waste words with him? It's almost Mao-shi, and the grain promised to us still hasn't arrived!"

"Right, where is the grain?"

"Lying, he is deceiving us!"

"Kill him, break the gate!"

On the city wall, Tian Ma immediately wanted to draw his bow fully to shoot the disaster victims leading the mutiny, but his arm was pressed down by Jin Zhu.

Jin Zhu gritted his teeth and said: "Cannot kill. You cannot kill everyone. If the disaster victims are enraged, that kid Chen Ji will truly not be able to live."

Tian Ma looked at Jin Zhu, saying in sign language: No one will listen to what he says anymore, he is dead for sure. If not, should I give him a quick end?

Jin Zhu said urgently: "Wait a bit more!"

In a moment's effort, the crowd below the city wall, like a black ocean tide, swallowed Chen Ji in an instant.

Some threw punches, some swung hoes, some raised their feet to kick. Chen Ji could only barely dodge the fatal attacks, retreating step by step towards the city gate, ultimately backing against the round copper rivets of the red-lacquered city gate.

Jin Zhu clung to the battlements and looked down, but discovered that Chen Ji had already been forced into the city gate tunnel and could no longer be seen.

At this time, in the city gate tunnel, Chen Ji grabbed a fist punching towards him, staring fixedly at the other party and saying: "I said the grain would arrive, and it definitely will. My entire net worth and life are bet here, and even I haven't panicked, what are you panicking for? Wait another quarter of an hour; if the grain still hasn't arrived after a quarter of an hour, whether you want to kill or slice me up is entirely up to you!"

But someone in the crowd shouted: "We've already waited all night, what else is there to wait for?"

"Kill him, break the gate! Enter the city to grab things to eat!"

Chen Ji's expression sank. The Liu family people were unwilling to wait any longer!

However, the disaster victims hesitated, delayed and unwilling to strike a lethal blow against Chen Ji.

They were just honest farmers and had never truly killed anyone; previously they were merely putting up a false front and bluffing.

The next moment, a man with a ruthless expression wove through the disaster victims. He quietly arrived at the front row and thrust out a knife from the gap, aiming straight for Chen Ji's abdomen!

In the chaos, if this knife stabbed Chen Ji to death, there would be no room for turning back between the disaster victims and the imperial court.

However, the instant this knife was thrust out, the man was shocked to discover that this knife was actually dodged by Chen Ji. He abruptly raised his head, meeting Chen Ji's ice-cold gaze.

The man only then realized that Chen Ji was absolutely not as weak as he had displayed previously!

However, the man didn't hesitate after seeing his sneak attack fail. He ruthlessly turned the blade around and stabbed it straight into his own abdomen, wailing as he raised his blood-stained hands: "Murder, the government official murdered someone, avenge me! Enter Luo City!"

Chen Ji's expression turned solemn.

This is a death warrior raised by the Liu family!

Where is Zhang Zhuo, why hasn't the grain been dispatched yet? What accident happened? Could the Liu family have a backup plan at the granary side?

For a time, complex and chaotic emotions surged into his mind. Chen Ji only felt that he had fallen into a dead-end situation meticulously designed by the Liu family.

This didn't seem like Liu Mingxian's scheming.

It was more like a shrewd and deeply calculating chess player acting on a sudden impulse, blocking all his paths of retreat with a casual placement of a piece.

Vicious, crafty, leaving no leeway.

The opponent's plan was interlocked ring by ring, as if no matter how you struggled, ultimately it would be hard to escape the destined fate of failure.

At this time, someone shouted: "Make way!"

The crowd successively made way.

Chen Ji looked up, only to see at the end of the passage cleared by the disaster victims, dozens of people were carrying thick hemp ropes on their shoulders, lifting a heavy giant log and ramming towards the city gate!

Once the city gate is broken, civil uprising will definitely occur, and the dead-end situation will be complete!

However, right at this time, the clear clattering of horse hooves came from behind the city gate, lonely yet resolute.

The clamorous voices of the disaster victims were actually suppressed by these lonely horse hooves; the whole world was left with only this single sound.

A creaking sound came. The heavy vermillion-lacquered city gate behind Chen Ji was actually slowly pulled open by someone from the inside.

The disaster victims looked over in shock, their gazes bypassing Chen Ji, looking towards that increasingly large crack in the gate.

In the vermillion crack of the gate, Zhang Zhuo was sitting on a black warhorse; his face and red Official Robe were covered entirely in spots of bloodstains!

Zhang Zhuo gently spurred his horse forward. The warhorse snorted and walked out of the city gate step by step. With every step it took, the disaster victims would retreat a step, until people were squeezed against people and could retreat no further.

The figure of this one person and one horse actually suppressed the Aura of thousands of disaster victims!

Chen Ji looked back. Zhang Zhuo came alone; there were no grain carts behind him!

He abruptly raised his head, finding it hard to believe.

Where is the grain?! What are you coming for without grain, seeking death?

However, Zhang Zhuo sat calmly on his horse, raising his voice Neither Hasty nor Slow: "This official is the Luo City Prefect, Zhang Zhuo. The disaster relief grain is on the way, it won't take a quarter of an hour to arrive here! Everyone retreat a hundred zhang back. This official will set up porridge sheds below the city; when the time comes to line up to distribute porridge, everyone will get a share!"

The disaster victims didn't move. Without grain, even talking until the sky breaks won't work.

They silently confronted Zhang Zhuo. The oppressive sensation of thousands of people in silence was as heavy as a city wall, condensed as if tangible.

Chen Ji's heart sank, and he said in a low voice: "Lord, slowly retreat backwards, our Secret Spy Division will cover You..."

But he heard Zhang Zhuo sneer coldly through his nose, and actually spurred his horse forward to continually press forward again!

The black tide of disaster victims was boundless and endless, while the wipe of red figure was upright, firm, and unquestionable.

Clack.

Clack.

Clack.

Clack.

The slow sound of iron hooves struck at the hearts of the disaster victims. Zhang Zhuo said calmly: "This official is the Luo City Prefect conferred by the Son of Heaven, Zhang Zhuo! Those who do not retreat, shall be beheaded according to the law."

It was also precisely at this moment that some disaster victims saw through the city gate that Xi Feng and the others were pulling carts after carts of grain, appearing at the end of the long street: "The grain has come!"

"The grain has come!"

"Quick, don't hinder Lord Zhang from setting up the porridge sheds!"

Like a routed army, the disaster victims suddenly receded like tide water.

Chen Ji let out a long breath of turbid air.

Zhang Zhuo halted his horse beside him, laughing cheerfully: "I thought you were really not afraid of death!"

Chen Ji said tiredly: "Lord Zhang, where in this world is there a person who truly doesn't fear death? I was extraordinarily scared."

Zhang Zhuo lowered his head and carefully sized up Chen Ji, only to see the youth's clothes were torn, and his face had bruises; incomparably battered and exhausted.

A moment later, he said solemnly: "Thank you."

Chen Ji said casually: "Lord doesn't need to thank me, as long as everything is fine."

Zhang Zhuo said solemnly: "Without your reminder, I wouldn't have discovered there was a civil uprising tonight; without you delaying for time, the disaster victims wouldn't wait until the grain arrived. This official thanks you firstly for preserving mine and Lord Chen's black gauze hats; secondly thanks you for preserving the thousands of households of commoners behind this city gate; thirdly thanks you for not letting these disaster victims turn into rioters, saving these pitiful people."

Saying that, Zhang Zhuo jumped off his horse and made a deep bow with clasped hands to Chen Ji.

Chen Ji slightly turned his body sideways, only feeling that the Zhang Zhuo tonight was somewhat different from the Zhang Zhuo of past days.

He slowly opened his mouth: "Now that Lord Zhang is here to take charge of the overall situation, I should also leave."

"Wait a moment!"

"Hmm?"

Zhang Zhuo looked at Chen Ji and asked seriously: "I have great ambitions, can you assist me?"

Chen Ji smiled: "Many thanks for Lord Zhang's flattering favor. I know how much weight I have. I can risk my life, but I cannot mingle in officialdom."

Zhang Zhuo looked at Chen Ji's eyes, not angered by the refusal, but instead breaking into a smile: "No matter, a forcibly twisted melon is not sweet. But if one day you change your mind, you can come find me anytime."

Chen Ji was puzzled; he always felt he had heard this sentence somewhere before. He answered with absolute certainty: "I will not change my mind."

Zhang Zhuo laughed heartily: "Young man, do not speak with absolute finality; the only constant in this world is 'change'."

Having said that, he proactively changed the topic: "This matter was indeed masterminded by the Liu family behind the scenes?"

Chen Ji replied: "Confirmed without a doubt."

Zhang Zhuo looked towards the dense crowd of disaster victims: "Don't be in a rush to retreat after success just yet. There are still Liu family people hiding among the disaster victims. If we allow them to continue hiding, I'm afraid unforeseen circumstances will also arise. Let me ask you, do you have a method to find them out?"

Chen Ji closed his eyes in deep thought.

When he opened his eyes again, he answered: "There is a method, we can give it a try."

(End of Chapter)