The Azure Mountain

Chapter 124: Mister Feng

Chen Liqin watched coldly from the sidelines, but Jin Zhu was relentless: "Lord Chen, suppressing the civil uprising was originally the duty of your Luo City prefectural office. From the time you arrived here until now, I have not yet heard you say a single word of thanks."

Chen Liqin snorted coldly and kept his mouth shut without answering.

Jin Zhu laughed out of anger. He turned to look at Chen Ji and said loudly: "I told you early on not to get involved in this matter, but you insisted on getting involved. How is it? The other party still doesn't appreciate your kindness. Let's go! If I get involved in the affairs of civil officials again in the future, it will be because my memory is failing me!"

Chen Ji shook his head: "Lord, I cannot leave yet regarding this matter, there are still things unfinished."

Jin Zhu said urgently: "You brought down Liu Mingxian and captured the Jing Dynasty Si Cao; that is already a great merit. Without any accidents, the cultivation Pathway will be delivered to Luo City very soon. Extracting yourself and retreating at this time, whatever they mess up from now on has nothing to do with you. If you continue to stay here, who knows what a bucket of shit these civil officials will buckle onto your head!"

Chen Ji did not answer.

Jin Zhu sneered: "Forget it, forget it. I will no longer care whether you live or die. If you want to stay here, then stay here. If something happens in the future, don't come seeking me to pour out your grievances."

Having said that, Jin Zhu actually turned and left with Tian Ma. Xi Feng turned his head back several times wanting to advise Chen Ji, but ultimately gave it up.

Zhang Zhuo put down the coercion-demonstrating club in his hand and advised Chen Ji: "Actually, he is also doing it for your own good."

Chen Ji responded with an "Mm": "I understand."The white porridge gradually became thick, and Zhang Zhuo ordered people to extinguish the stove fire beneath the pots.

A yamen runner asked: "Lord, shall we distribute the porridge?"

Zhang Zhuo shook his head: "No, we must wait for the porridge to cool down a bit first."

When the time came to distribute the porridge, the disaster victims stepped forward in a line to receive it one by one. Those with bowls used bowls to catch it, and those without bowls used their cupped hands to hold it.

It was only at this moment that Chen Ji understood why Zhang Zhuo wanted to wait for the porridge to cool down a bit: because many disaster victims fleeing from calamity didn't even have a decent bowl.

At this time, a robust man held his bowl and swallowed a mouthful of porridge, then suddenly smashed the bowl onto the ground: "Motherfucker, these officials are fooling us, they actually mixed sand into the porridge!"

As he spoke, he went to pull at a middle-aged man cupping porridge with both hands, smacking the porridge from the other's hands onto the ground: "Don't motherfucking drink it anymore. Grab your weapons and fight them! Let's charge into the city to eat and drink well, we won't suffer this bird anger!"

The robust man still wanted to incite the disaster victims to rebel. However, the next moment, the surrounding disaster victims waiting in line actually rushed over one after another, prostrating themselves on the ground and shoveling the rice porridge on the ground, mixed with mud, into their mouths. Fundamentally no one paid him any attention.

The robust man was momentarily stunned. He turned his head to glance among the disaster victims, then slowly retreated into the crowd.

Among the disaster victims, some robust men who were originally restless and ready for action suddenly fell silent. After receiving their porridge, they silently squatted on the ground, swallowing the sand mouthful by mouthful, pouring the white porridge entirely into their mouths, leaving not a drop.

Time slipped by bit by bit.

The porridge distribution lasted from Mao-shi to Chen-shi, and unexpectedly no one uttered a single word of cursing again. The Liu family death warriors that Chen Ji wanted to catch completely lost their traces.

Seeing this situation, Zhang Zhuo said to Chen Ji: "Your method did not take effect. They are somewhat smarter than imagined; upon seeing the situation could not be exploited, they immediately lay dormant and unmoving. These death warriors raised by the Liu family are not reckless brutes; they are all the elites among elites from the Yanshi Grand Camp, possessing both courage and strategy."

Chen Ji cupped his hands in obeisance toward him: "As stated previously, now we need Lord Zhang to work a bit harder."

"Oh?"

Chen Ji explained: "I've always heard Lord Zhang possesses the ability of photographic memory, able to recite back to front the classics, history, philosophies, and literary collections. The details I exhorted Lord Zhang to pay attention to just now, have You remembered them?"

Zhang Zhuo laughed heartily: "So you had long plotted to utilize my photographic memory ability... Rest assured, this official has long memorized those people you mentioned! Follow this official to arrest people!"

Having said that, he led the yamen runners and charged into the crowd to arrest people. In the short span of several breaths, he yanked a person out from the disaster victims and knocked him to the ground.

The robust man was pressed onto the ground by a yamen runner's knee, shouting hoarsely with all his might: "Lord, for what reason are you arresting me?"

"Do you have parents here?"

"No, this grassroots commoner's parents died in the floodwaters."

"Do you have a wife and children here?"

"No, my wife and children also died in the floodwaters."

Zhang Zhuo sneered: "The disaster victims have starved for several days; upon receiving the porridge, they all drank it completely on the spot, wishing they could receive another bowl. You have no wife, children, or parents, yet you received the porridge but didn't drink it on the spot. How do you explain this?"

The robust man cried foul: "Lord, just relying on this, you are going to convict me? I am wrongly accused!"

Zhang Zhuo said indifferently: "This method might arrest the wrong people, but the matter is urgent so we must act according to circumstances. We will just arrest all of you and put you into the main prison first. If there truly is an injustice, this official will naturally release you to leave."

He would rather kill the wrong person than let one slip away; he had no choice but to use this special measure.

However, right at this moment, the Liu family death warriors, seeing Zhang Zhuo take a risky move, surprisingly held nothing back anymore.

They pulled out Short Blades from their sleeves and scattered, detouring around Zhang Zhuo and the yamen runners, weaving through the disaster victims and charging straight for the porridge sheds!

Zhang Zhuo abruptly turned his head back. These people surprisingly weren't aiming for him, but wanted to kill Chen Ji!

He roared angrily at the yamen runners: "Stop them!"

The yamen runners, however, shrank back.

Their Monthly Salary was only a few coins, why exchange their lives with this kind of death warrior?

More than twenty death warriors were Murderous Spirit Rising. Chen Liqin suddenly turned his head to look, only to see Chen Ji standing expressionlessly under the porridge shed, coldly watching the death warriors.

The death warriors drew closer and closer, yet Chen Ji neither retreated nor yielded.

The next moment, however, shooting stars were seen shooting fiercely from atop the city wall, piercing through the thighs of the Liu family death warriors one by one like galloping thunder.

The death warriors abruptly raised their heads; Tian Ma had unexpectedly departed and returned.

Tian Ma, dressed entirely in white, stood upon the battlements. Both his hands gripped an invisible bow, drawing the string and shooting with great force!

When the shooting star arrows erupted, violent winds churned up, stirring his lapels and sleeves to flutter wildly!

Chen Liqin said with astonishment and uncertainty: "Just now you hinted to Jin Zhu to leave after quarreling with me, and also deliberately mentioned in front of the disaster victims that it was you who brought down Liu Mingxian, precisely to use yourself as bait?"

Chen Ji glanced at him calmly, and then turned his gaze back to the battlefield.

Under the rain of shooting star arrows, the Liu family death warriors had nowhere to hide.

Someone shouted: "Raise shields!"

The Liu family death warriors possessed immense strength; they actually forcefully grabbed the clothes on the disaster victims' backs and lifted them in front of their bodies as shields, wanting to use the disaster victims to force Tian Ma to Hesitate To Pelt The Rat For Fear Of Smashing The Vase.

But who could have imagined, Tian Ma drawing the bow did not stop. Those erupting shooting star arrows actually pierced Mercilessly through the disaster victims' chests first, and then pierced through the death warriors' chests.

Without the slightest hesitation.

The hostage dilemma did not trap Tian Ma in the slightest, as if the blood in this person's bones was naturally cold.

And as if there were never any disaster victims in his eyes, only the death warriors behind the disaster victims.

This was precisely the aspect of the Directorate of Ceremonial that suffered the most criticism. Just as Jin Zhu said, the Inner Chancellor raised people like raising Gu Insects; there were no Gu Insects under the heavens more venomous than them.

"Retreat!" The Liu family death warriors turned and fled for their lives. With a Top Three Rank Zodiac acting coldly without any scruples, they couldn't muster even half a shred of fighting spirit.

Zhang Zhuo picked up a waist saber and roared angrily: "Don't let them escape!"

The sound of iron hooves rang out from the city gate tunnel. Jin Zhu charged out leading the way, arriving with the secret spies in a charge to kill. From behind, they caught up to the death warriors one by one and hacked them down onto the ground.

Chen Ji gently let out a breath of turbid air.

The overall situation was determined.

Who knows how long passed, when Zhang Zhuo and Jin Zhu escorted the Liu family death warriors back to the porridge shed, showing off triumphantly: "There are six living captives remaining. Kid, hurry and interrogate them to see who their mastermind behind the scenes is... Eh, where is he?"

At this time under the porridge shed, where was there still Chen Ji's figure?

Zhang Zhuo looked at Chen Liqin: "Where is he?"

Chen Liqin replied: "He said he still has important matters to attend to, and left first."

Zhang Zhuo stroked his beard and said regretfully: "What a pity, what a pity, I still wanted to chat with him a few more words."

Chen Liqin was somewhat puzzled: "Is Lord Zhang familiar with him?"

Zhang Zhuo thought about it and said: "I feel like I'm a bit more familiar with him than you are."

Jin Zhu turned around and right there in the porridge shed, forcibly pulled out all the fingernails of a Liu family death warrior, surprisingly extorting a confession through torture on the spot: "Speak, who dictated this matter? Was it Liu Mingxian!"

The Liu family death warrior did not say a single word, merely glaring fiercely at everyone present. When his gaze swept to Jin Zhu, he spat forcefully with all his might: "Eunuch Faction, eagle dogs!"

Jin Zhu chuckled: "Tough enough. Men, pull out this mouthful of yellow teeth of his, so that in the future he can only eat soft rice!"

But right as his voice fell, the sound of carriage wheels rolling over the flagstone road was heard from the city gate tunnel.

Jin Zhu turned his head to look, only to see a carriage slowly driving out of the city gate and stopping in front of the porridge shed.

A middle-aged scholar dressed in a cyan scholarly robe sat at the driver's position, smiling and saying: "Lord Jin Zhu, long time no see."

Jin Zhu narrowed his eyes, as if facing a formidable enemy: "Mister Feng."

Mister Feng in the cyan scholarly robe hopped off the carriage and cupped his hands in obeisance: "There is a gift inside the carriage specifically for the Lord. Please look at it yourself."

Jin Zhu looked up and glanced at Tian Ma on top of the city wall. Only then did he slowly lean forward, using the tip of his saber to lift the carriage curtain: "Liu Mingxian?!"

Mister Feng cupped his hands, his smile warm and gentle like a spring breeze: "My family's master said, this rebellious son single-mindedly wished to execute Jing Dynasty thieves, yet nearly brewed a grave disaster, and has committed suicide out of fear of punishment at home."

...

...

On Anxi Street, Chen Ji took off his bamboo hat and sprinted wildly. He clearly passed by Taiping Medical Clinic but didn't enter, instead continuing his journey with his head down.

He stopped in front of a small academy, looking up at the "Zhixing Academy" inscribed horizontal board. From inside the room came a sonorous sound of reading aloud: "The Book of Odes says: 'The royal domain of a thousand li, is where the people stop and rest...'"

Chen Ji adjusted the clothing on his body, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and raised his foot to step over the threshold.

Walking to the backyard, he saw a middle-aged man in a blue scholarly robe holding a canonical scroll, his voice clear and sonorous as he paced.

This should undoubtedly be Wang Daosheng.

In the courtyard, Chen Wenzong, Chen Wenxiao, Zhang Xia, the Prince Heir, and Commandery Princess Baili knelt and sat on straw mats. Commandery Princess Baili turned her head and saw it was Chen Ji rushing in; her expression immediately changed, and she shot him a meaningful glance.

At this time, Wang Daosheng raised his eyes to look at Chen Ji, put down the canonical scroll in his hands, and asked Neither Hasty nor Slow: "You are Chen Ji?"

Chen Ji responded with an "Mm": "Mister, my apologies. I had important matters to handle, so I am late."

"What kind of important matters?"

"Mister, my apologies. I cannot say."

Wang Daosheng waved the canonical scroll indifferently: "Go stand facing the wall in the front hall."

"Alright."

Chen Ji walked back to the front hall and faced the wall. Smelling the scent of canonical scrolls filling the room, he only felt exhaustion invading his mind.

Two days and two nights; even a Practitioner's physiological body couldn't withstand it.

At some unknown time, listening to the sound of reading in the courtyard, with his forehead resting against the wall, he slowly closed his eyes.

(End of Chapter)