Green Mountain
Chapter 214 - 169, Lay one’s cards on the table

Chapter 214: 169, Lay one’s cards on the table

"Kill them all."

Mr. Feng’s casually uttered words under the cloak of nightfall determined the fate of everyone present.

In the dimly lit Feiyun Garden, Chen Ji’s gaze silently swept across the faces of Zhang Zhuo, Old Yao, Zhang Xia, She Dengke, and others, before his peripheral vision settled on Mr. Feng.

Chen Ji gripped the handle of his knife tightly, the palm sweat soaking the black cloth wrapped around it, as his tense breath echoed within the mask.

How to break the game?

No matter how Chen Ji thought, he felt there was no way out.

The next moment, Chen Wenzong suddenly grabbed Chen Liqin, "Father, we cannot leave!"

Mr. Feng paused before turning around at the doorway, "Oh?"

Chen Wenzong looked at Mr. Feng, "Release these people, and my father will write the denunciation letter you want!"

Mr. Feng laughed out loud, "You think you’re in a position to negotiate with me? Someone, cut off his brother’s arm."

Chen Liqin stepped in front of Chen Wenxiao, "I will go with you. All you need is a letter, why needlessly commit murder? Let Lord Zhang and Doctor Yao go, and I will write you the denunciation letter."

Mr. Feng shook his head helplessly, "Mr. Chen, you still don’t understand, once you step onto this path there’s no turning back. Those who do not wish to be in the same boat as you are the enemy, it’s just a pity for Lord Zhang’s talents and ambitions."

He shouted outside the door, "Bring Mr. Chen and his family to Jing’an Palace!"

The armored soldiers who rushed in from outside restrained Chen Liqin’s arms, and he struggled while angrily saying, "If you kill them, I won’t write the denunciation letter!"

Mr. Feng laughed, "Compromise once, and there will be a second time."

With that, he turned to Chen Ji, "After you two execute them, come to Jing’an Palace to find me, there are other assignments waiting for you."

A thought struck Chen Ji, an opportunity.

He always felt there was something fishy, but he couldn’t worry about that now.

Once Mr. Feng and Chen Liqin left, another armored soldier drew the waist knife and slowly approached Old Yao and Zhang Zhuo.

Zhang Zhuo pulled Zhang Xia and Zhang Zheng behind him, retreating step by step, "Young man, I am Luocheng City Prefect Zhang Zhuo, killing me would be a crime meriting the extermination of my whole family."

The armored soldier said in a muffled voice, "Sorry, Lord Zhang, we are just following orders."

Zhang Zhuo, nervously, "How about this, you only kill me and let my children go. I will have them bring you a hundred taels of gold as a gift, enough to ensure the wealth and honor of your descendants for three generations..."

Before he could finish, he suddenly saw the Black-armored Warrior who had punched his son before, swiftly move behind another Black-armored Warrior, tightly strangling the other’s throat with his arm.

The strangled Black-armored Warrior struggled mightily but to no avail, and couldn’t make a sound.

Zhang Zhuo was shocked, "What is this..."

At that moment, he felt his hand was empty, he turned to look, only to see Zhang Xia struggling free from his grip and rushing out.

Zhang Xia got to the Black-armored Warrior with a broken neck and silently, efficiently began to remove the Arm Armor, Chest Armor, front armor, body armor, and leg armor, not wanting to waste a moment.

Zhang Zhuo exchanged a glance with Zhang Zheng, his mind not quite catching up, unsure what Zhang Xia was doing.

Zhang Xia didn’t care what the others thought, and looking up at Chen Ji, she straightforwardly asked, "Who is going to wear this armor? I can’t, the height is wrong, and my voice could be easily recognized."

Zhang Zheng, stunned, "Axia, what are you doing? Who is this?"

Zhang Xia glanced at Chen Ji.

Seeing that Chen Ji had no intention of revealing his identity, she also didn’t answer Zhang Zheng but instead turned to urge him, "Brother, put on this armor, and follow him, listen to him, and do not act on your own."

Zhang Zheng still hadn’t caught on, "Follow who?"

Chen Ji said in a low voice, "She Dengke, you wear the armor."

She Dengke was stunned, "How do you know my name, who are you?"

Zhang Zhuo hurried over a few steps, beginning to don the armor, "I’ll wear it. Zhang Zheng is impulsive, She Dengke lacks adaptability, and might botch things up."

Zhang Xia hesitated for a moment, "...Okay!"

As she helped her father don the armor, she whispered, "Father, if there’s a chance to escape, don’t come back."

Zhang Zhuo laughed, "Silly girl, what are you saying? Is your father that kind of person? Rest assured, once I get a chance to go out, I’ll head to Tuoluo Temple for reinforcements. With Xu Shu’s influence, the Buddhist Sect won’t turn a blind eye and will safeguard our lives."

Zhang Xia hummed, "You must listen to this man’s arrangements, and do not act recklessly."

Zhang Zhuo looked at Chen Ji in armor, "All right."

Chen Ji instructed Zhang Xia, "Don’t run around yet. The outside is full of armored soldiers, you’re safer in the already searched Feiyun Garden."

Zhang Xia nodded in agreement.

Chen Ji saw Zhang Zhuo was ready, he immediately walked out, "Lord Zhang, do not speak from now on, leave everything to me. If there is a chance, I will get you out."

...

...

In the rear court of Prince Jing Mansion.

Chen Ji and Zhang Zhuo, holding long spears and strapped with waist knives, walked side by side along the garden’s pebble path toward Jing’an Palace, their armor emitting a cold sound in the quiet, deep night.

A troop of armored soldiers approached, herding weeping maids and strong servants toward the rear garden.

Chen Ji silently pulled Zhang Zhuo to the side to make way, and once the troop of armored soldiers had passed, they quickly continued on their way.

Zhang Zhuo, wearing a mask, asked in a low voice, "What’s the situation outside now?"

Chen Ji explained, "The Liu Family has already sealed the city gates. By now, they should be trying to persuade Prince Jing to join them in their uprising."

Zhang Zhuo muttered to himself, "They plan to force Prince Jing to march on the Imperial Capital. Once they kill the one in Renshou Palace and the current Empress Dowager issues a forged imperial edict to transfer the throne to Prince Jing, their plan will be successful. Luocheng City is more than six hundred miles from the Imperial Capital. If they press on, they could reach it in half a month..."

Zhang Zhuo furrowed his brows, "But the problem is, how can they be so sure they can break through the Capital’s gates with just these tens of thousands from his private army? This is bad; other clans and armies must have been turned by the Liu Family!"

Zhang Zhuo continued to speak to himself, "Who could it be to work together from inside and out—The Hu Family, the Chen Family, the Yang Family, the Qi Family? Divine Machine Camp, Fengtai Camp, Five Armies Camp, Leopard Transformation Camp..."

Mid-sentence, Chen Ji suddenly grasped his wrist tightly, halting in his steps.

Zhang Zhuo looked up and immediately froze in place.

Under the moonlight, there was Mr. Feng in a pale blue robe, striding toward them from the path ahead. He smiled at the two of them and asked, "Done killing?"

Chen Ji replied in a muffled voice, "To report to Mr. Feng, it’s done."

Mr. Feng nodded, "You two, come with me back to Feiyun Garden, there’s something I forgot to fetch."

In an instant, Chen Ji felt a chill rise from his feet to the top of his head, the world becoming so silent that only his heartbeat could be heard, the air itself seeming to freeze.

Seeing that he did not move, Mr. Feng asked with a smile, "What, did you not kill Lord Zhang and Doctor Yao? Surely you don’t need me to do such a trivial task?"

Zhang Zhuo slowly reached for the hilt of his waist knife, but Chen Ji held his wrist in place, unyielding as iron.

In the presence of such a Grand Official, the use of force equated to seeking death. Even Jin Zhu and Heavenly Horse could not kill the man; how could he and Zhang Zhuo possibly succeed?

But then, what other way was there to break the game?

Mr. Feng walked step by step, finally stopping in front of Chen Ji, "Not talking?"

The next moment, Chen Ji gently removed his mask, "Mr. Feng, let’s talk."

Zhang Zhuo was taken aback; he had guessed Chen Ji’s identity just now, but he didn’t expect Chen Ji to dare confront Mr. Feng openly!

Mr. Feng looked at the face revealed beneath the mask, then suddenly burst into guffaws, "It’s you, I was wondering who had the guts to bluff their way to me! But you had already escaped using Dao Court’s carriage earlier; why did you come back?"

Chen Ji took a deep breath, "Obviously, there’s a reason I had to return."

Mr. Feng asked with interest, hands clasped behind his back, "You dare to remove your mask, aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment before replying, "If Mr. Feng had wanted to kill me, you would have done so long ago."

Mr. Feng must have realized something was amiss with his identity back in Cuiyun Lane, yet chose not to expose it and instead kept him close.

If keeping this ’spy’ wasn’t useful to him, Mr. Feng would have already killed him.

Mr. Feng nodded satisfactorily, "So, tell me, what do you want to talk about?"

Chen Ji pondered for a moment, "Mr. Feng, since you spared my life, there must be something you can’t do yourself and need me to do for you, correct?"

Mr. Feng looked at Chen Ji with an amused expression, "You’re in my hands now, your life and death dictated by my whims. The reason I kept you is because I need you to kill someone. Let’s play a game, you guess who I want to die. Three chances—if you guess correctly, I’ll not only spare your life but also promise you vast riches and honor."

Chen Ji frowned, "Prince Jing?"

He had always suspected that Mr. Feng’s identity was dubious. If Mr. Feng had wanted to stop the Liu Family’s coup, then killing Prince Jing would naturally foil half of the Liu Family’s schemes.

He looked up to gauge Mr. Feng’s expression, only to hear him leisurely say, "Incorrect, two more chances."

Chen Ji unconsciously tightened his grip on Zhang Zhuo’s wrist, his mind racing: Mr. Feng is keeping him around for a reason, surely to utilize some unique aspect... such as a unique identity.

And what was his unique identity? A spy from the Spy Department.

Chen Ji voiced his thought, "Does Mr. Feng want to kill Heavenly Horse?"

Mr. Feng just smiled and shook his head, "Incorrect again. This is your last chance."

Chen Ji’s pupils contracted, he hadn’t guessed correctly?

Wait, Mr. Feng didn’t know who was under the mask earlier, so the person Mr. Feng wanted to kill had nothing to do with the Spy Department...

Who exactly did Mr. Feng want to kill?

Zhang Zhuo, sensing Chen Ji’s grip on his wrist growing stronger, looked at him with concern. The young man who should have been cleanly reading in the academy was now furrowing his brows, struggling to survive.

However, in the next moment, Zhang Zhuo saw the youth’s brows suddenly relax.

Chen Ji looked resolutely at Mr. Feng, "Mr. Feng wants to kill General Qian of the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry."

Mr. Feng raised his eyebrows, then said approvingly, "It was a good decision to spare your life back in Dragon King Village."