Green Mountain
Chapter 152 - 111, Mask

Chapter 152: 111, Mask

An old man and a cat, alone on a long street.

"Master, what is Healing Solitary Swallowing Dragon?"

"It is the art of using one lone move, ’Solitary Chess,’ to ruthlessly destroy another’s ’Great Dragon’ through unexpected strategy, creating a deadly trap at every step, maneuvering them into a deadlock before revealing a path to life." Old Yao walked slowly across the bluestone road with Wu Yun in his arms, "Chen Ji’s approach to chess is the same as life; people often say, ’judge a person by their play,’ and there’s wisdom in that."

Old Yao sighed, "If there are no surprises this time, I’m afraid Jin Zhu is going to be doomed by Chen Ji."

"You seem to be quite familiar with Jin Zhu, even aware of his Cultivation Path. I heard Chen Ji say that one must never let others know their Cultivation Path, for it can lead to deadly danger."

Old Yao thought for a moment, "Not that familiar, just, when I was in the Imperial Capital, I witnessed him grow from a pudgy child into the fat man he is today; from an ignorant youth to the figure he presents now."

Wu Yun suddenly said, "Master, Chen Ji mentioned that you have many secrets."

Old Yao laughed, "Me? What did he say?"

Wu Yun thought for a moment, "Can I tell you that?"

Old Yao also thought for a moment, "Did he say you can’t?"

"No."

"Then you can say it."

Wu Yun nodded, "He said you clearly know about Forty-nine Heavens, yet you claim ignorance."

Old Yao was startled, "How does he know I know?"

Wu Yun said, "He mentioned that when you first developed gunpowder, you asked him who taught him the alchemy technique, whether it was passed down from Wuji Mountain. Later, when he chatted casually with the Princely Heir, he found out Wuji Mountain is among the Forty-nine Heavens."

Old Yao clicked his tongue, "Talking with this youngster really requires complete discretion; any slight slip, and he’ll catch it. To think he’s so clever, why does he end up using his intelligence in all the wrong places? Still not clever enough."

"Where should he be clever?"

Old Yao said, "If he were truly clever, he should take you and escape far from Jing Dynasty, avoiding all these troubles. A truly clever person would minimize karma, remain unattached, ensuring there are no loose ends."

Wu Yun nodded, "So you are his vulnerability."

Old Yao laughed bitterly, "Forget it, I can’t make you understand, little cat!"

"Master, where are we going now?"

Old Yao thought and replied, "Naturally, we need to check out Mudan Bridge. Chen Ji might have calculated everything accurately, but in using the ploy of ’driving the wolf to swallow the tiger’ to defeat Jin Zhu, he also implicated himself. Jin Zhu is indeed going to be doomed by him, but how can he save himself?"

Wu Yun lifted his head, "Master, Chen Ji said he has a plan."

"Oh?"

Wu Yun recalled for a moment, "He said he has worn a mask from the beginning and will deliberately clash with Jin Zhu at a crucial moment. To prevent him from meddling, Jin Zhu will definitely find someone to switch masks with, as it’s the simplest solution for Jin Zhu."

Old Yao pondered for a moment and sighed deeply, "Why does Jin Zhu have to provoke this youngster?"

"Master, are we still going to Mudan Bridge?"

"Let’s go."

"Are you going there to help him?"

Old Yao responded gruffly, "He’s already so clever; does he need my help? Can’t I just go to enjoy the spectacle?"

Under the intense darkness of night.

Jin Zhu wore a cow head mask, silently staring at the Peony Arch Bridge, feeling as if the bridge before him was a huge gaping mouth, capable of swallowing a giant dragon whole.

Some twenty paces away from the carriage stood five men, difficult to discern in the pitch-dark night.

The carriage was tightly sealed, making it unclear whether it contained people or ghosts.

Jin Zhu took a deep breath and subconsciously asked, "Chen Ji, do you think we should retreat?"

Liu Tiao was momentarily stunned, "My lord, I’m Liu Tiao; Chen Ji is under escort and couldn’t come."

Jin Zhu turned slightly, silently staring at the green tiger mask beside him for a long while.

With a self-mocking thought, he then asked, "What do you think? Could the Liu family have anticipated our identities with this ambush?"

West Wind maintained a proud posture and whispered from behind his mask, "My lord, the Liu family’s ambush might just be a precaution, not specifically against us. If we were handling such an important matter, we’d also arrange manpower in advance."

Liu Tiao murmured, "Makes sense."

Jin Zhu quietly countered, "At stake are our lives and fortunes; how can we afford to take chances?"

West Wind paused briefly, "My lord, perhaps we should retreat for now? There could still be a chance to catch him later."

Liu Tiao said, "My lord, as long as there are green hills left, there’s no worry about firewood."

Jin Zhu remained silent, undecided.

This was the reason he had previously sought out Chen Ji: he found himself without anyone nearby to offer strategic advice.

At that moment, the curtain of the carriage was lifted from the inside, and Liu Mingxian, draped in a black fox fur cloak and holding a small copper hand warmer, slowly stepped down from the carriage.

He and Jin Zhu looked at each other across a distance, Liu Mingxian smiling and calling out, "Since you’ve come, why don’t you cross the bridge to chat?"

On and below the bridge, the two sides stood off, the air increasingly tense, even the Luo River below fell eerily silent.

The next moment, Jin Zhu whispered, "The arrow is on the string, we must strike, on the bridge! Liu Mingxian has shown himself, wait for my command!"

West Wind stepped onto the bridge.

Liu Mingxian saw them ascending the bridge and smiled, "Why must you all be so cautious?"

Following West Wind, Lord Jin Zhu sneered, "After you handed over the Deputy Director of the Craftsmanship Supervisor to us, you had the Luocheng Military Department take him back, violating our agreement. That we still chose to come tonight is a great favor to the Liu Family."

Liu Mingxian’s smile slowly faded, "With the status of my family, who is qualified to talk about favors?"

Lord Jin Zhu laughed, "Oh? Years ago, your Liu Family relied on having both the Empress Dowager and an Official to act tyrannically and arrogantly, creating many vulnerabilities. In recent years, the situation at court has reversed; many of your family’s followers and former officials have been impeached by the Imperial Censors. Seeing the situation worsen, you’ve been forced to confine yourselves to Henan Province, and in a few more years, you might not even be able to hold onto that, eventually leading to the extermination of your clan."

Lord Jin Zhu’s voice grew colder, "If it weren’t so, why would your Liu Family think to reach out to our Jing Dynasty?"

Liu Mingxian suddenly sneered, "The Jing Dynasty... Are you really from the Jing Dynasty? Lord Jin Zhu, when did you become a spy of the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department?"

Hearing his own name, Lord Jin Zhu immediately changed his expression and pulled West Wind and Liu Tiao to retreat.

Liu Mingxian suddenly bellowed, "These three are traitors of the Jing Dynasty, and I, as the Luocheng City Judge, must eliminate them for the court. Kill them, no mercy!"

The face-off had begun!

Zhang Guo’er, who was behind Liu Mingxian, took out a copper whistle from his waist and blew it, its shrill sound tearing through the night.

Instantly, several quiet residences burst open, and hundreds of elite soldiers clad in brown leather armor rushed out, engaging in combat with spies scattered in narrow alleys!

As Lord Jin Zhu retreated, he saw more than a dozen men crawling up from under Mudan Bridge with long knives clenched in their mouths, blocking their path.

West Wind quickly said, "My lord, these are the elites hidden in the Yanshi Camp by the Liu Family!"

Lord Jin Zhu attempted to pull West Wind and Liu Tiao to jump into the river but was blocked by Zhang Guo’er, who was holding Mountain Flower Ghost Money, and two tattooed men.

Listening to the clashing sounds of metal in the night, he turned to Liu Mingxian, "Lord Liu, moving armored soldiers into the city privately, are you planning a rebellion?"

Liu Mingxian responded meaningfully, "I am merely capturing Jing Dynasty traitors; how could this be a rebellion?"

Lord Jin Zhu sneered, "You call us Jing Dynasty traitors, but do you have proof, Lord Liu? Without evidence, indiscriminately killing members of the Spy Department is no different than rebellion."

Liu Mingxian, toying with a copper hand warmer in his arms, said with a smile, "I still have the secret letter you sent to meet at Mudan Bridge. It clearly uses the secret letter hiding techniques of the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department. That is proof enough. Even without it, I could fabricate plenty of evidence. You need not worry about this, Lord Jin Zhu."

Lord Jin Zhu slowly removed his mask, only to see Liu Mingxian turning to a person beside him, "Lord Yuan, earlier, leaks from our side nearly caused your department to be surrounded, which was indeed our Liu Family’s fault. Tonight, the head of Lord Jin Zhu is a generous gift from the Liu Family as a token of loyalty. Is this sincerity enough? I wonder if the Division Head would consider coming south, as my Liu Family has urgent matters to discuss."

A deep voice leisurely replied, "Lord Liu, your sincerity is substantial. If you truly can take Lord Jin Zhu’s head, the Division Head will certainly come south to meet."

Lord Jin Zhu’s pupils dilated, suddenly turning towards the speaker: a portly figure beside Liu Mingxian wearing a conical hat.

He tried to see the person’s face, but not only was their head lowered, their face was also covered with a gray cloth.

The Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department!

No wonder Liu Mingxian had exposed their identities; it turned out he had reestablished contact with the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department!

But crucially, the Liu Family had clearly not reestablished contact with the Jing Dynasty just three days ago. How had they suddenly managed this?!

What exactly had gone wrong!?

Lord Jin Zhu watched as the Liu Family’s elites slowly encircled them and ferociously ordered, "Fight our way out!"

Liu Tiao glanced at the three Liu Family executive officers in front of him and then back at the elites behind.

He suddenly regretted suggesting that he wear the tiger mask himself; otherwise, it should have been Chen Ji dying on this bridge, not him!

...

...

A quarter-hour earlier.

In a narrow alley, Chen Ji stumbled forward as he was pushed by a spy.

To prevent any mischief, the spy had tied Chen Ji’s hands behind his back with a rope.

Chen Ji suddenly stopped moving forward, and the spy kicked toward him, but Chen Ji skillfully dodged like he had eyes on the back of his head.

The spy kicked the air and stumbled, nearly falling, "Damn you..."

He steadied himself and tried to grab Chen Ji, but like a slippery eel, Chen Ji could not be grasped.

With his hands tied behind his back, Chen Ji staggered and ran, the pair chasing each other out of the alley and along the banks of Luocheng, getting farther and farther away.

Seeing no hope of reconnecting with his colleagues, the spy in desperation drew his knife, "Stop running, or I’ll stab you!"

Chen Ji stopped. He stuttered as his mouth was gagged, and he couldn’t utter a coherent sentence.

The impatient spy removed the cloth from his mouth, "What on earth do you want to say?"

Chen Ji moved his jaw, still with hands tied behind, and asked in a deep voice, "Sir, don’t you feel something’s off?"

"Off? What’s off?"

Chen Ji hastily explained, "There must be hundreds of homes in this area. With an average of three in ten homes in Luocheng owning dogs, but with hundreds of spies infiltrating this area, not a single bark can be heard. Where have all the dogs gone?"

He continued, "Also, not just the absence of barking. It’s the fourth watch night and still dark, but those who collect night soil and go to market should be setting out now. Sir, we’ve been walking for so long, have you seen a single person leave their home?"

The spy thought deeply and was terrified—they weren’t a fool, and everything Chen Ji said made sense!

However, just then, a piercing whistle sounded from afar. Before they could react, the doors of two residences in the alley burst open, and five or six leather-clad elites from each raced out!

The spy gasped at the sight of these dozen or more elites, "The Elephant Armor Guards from the Yanshi Camp!"

In the cramped and dark alley, one of the Elephant Armor Guards shouted and swung his blade, "Kill!"

However, as the long knife swung down, Chen Ji, with his hands tied, quickly turned around, and the blade neatly cut through the rope between his bound hands.

With a swish, the rope severed.

...

The next Chapter will be quite late; everyone can read it tomorrow morning.