Green Mountain
Chapter 216 - 171, Position of the Zodiac

Chapter 216: 171, Position of the Zodiac

Luocheng City’s sky was cloaked with dense, dark clouds, gradually obscuring the bright moon.

It was as if an invisible giant hand gathered the clouds into sand, casually enfolding the conspiracies nurtured painstakingly over many years—both hidden and overt—over everyone’s heads.

From the winter Mr. Feng arrived by Official Liu’s side, there were already people lurking outside the dark stage, waiting to deliver the Liu Family the most lethal blow.

The Ritual Supervision struck oppressively, Prince Jing enticed openly, and Mr. Feng lay in wait, leading the Liu Family step by step into an irredeemable abyss.

Who was behind this scheme?

Was it Jin Zhu? No, although Jin Zhu was ruthless, he didn’t possess such a grand vision.

Was it Heavenly Horse? No, Heavenly Horse was too impulsive and lacked such enduring patience.

Who then had the capability, courage, and patience to orchestrate this plan? Was it the person in black who met secretly with Prince Jing late at night? Chen Ji recalled the black jade hanging at the person’s waist.

He looked up into the dark night. Spears shot out from the pitch-black windows, and even the heavy armor of the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry was easily penetrated.

The spears pierced through the bodies of the front-line armored soldiers, their massive inertia dragging them down from their horses.

However, the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry neither panicked nor retreated, instead, General Qian scoffed, "Bluffing, kill!"

In the next moment, one-tenth of the black-armored soldiers leaped from horseback, bounding through the air as if pulling radishes from dry land, leaping again using the horse heads as leverage while the horses collapsed beneath them, neighing in agony.

The armored soldiers, clad in layers of armor, leaped onto the second-floor eaves, pressing hands against waist knives, stepping on the grey tiles, and storming towards the windows!

Executive Officers?!

Chen Ji realized in shock, the strength of these black-armored soldiers’ leap even surpassed his own.

Among the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry hid dozens of Executive Officers!

Strange, since the pathways of Executive Officers were like rare giant clams in the vast ocean, scarcely found, how could the Liu Family have so many?

No, the cultivation paths of these armored soldiers must be of the same kind!

They had forsaken the ultimate speed of cultivation and had no intention of seeking the Path of Immortality; instead, they spent years in hiding to cultivate their formidable martial prowess.

At that moment, a long spear crossed the void from a window, shooting towards General Qian.

General Qian, sitting firmly on his horse, caught the spearhead with his hand, gripping it like iron tongs, while the tail end of the spear kept trembling.

"Go!"

General Qian turned the spear around, hurling it back into the dark window, cries of pain echoed from within immediately.

One by one, armored soldiers stepped on the grey tiles and stormed in, sounds of metal clashing resonated inside. On the ground, the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry had surrounded the Covered Building, determined not to let any spy escape.

General Qian coldly ordered, "Set fire to it, burn down this row of Covered Buildings!"

Chen Ji breathed nervously. The appearance of these more than fifty Postnatal Realm Executive Officers was too sudden; he dared not approach General Qian just yet!

He glanced around silently—where were Jin Zhu and Heavenly Horse?

Just then, rapid footsteps echoed from a small alley beside the street. Chen Ji turned his head, only to see Jin Zhu emerging abruptly from the dark alley.

"Overturn!"

Jin Zhu suddenly reached General Qian’s horse side, breathed out, and punched in one fluid motion!

This punch struck heavily on General Qian’s horse’s head, causing the horse to collapse thunderously, dragging General Qian’s body to tilt and fall.

"Seeking death!" General Qian remained composed. He swung his long spear upward from the ground, twisted his body strangely in midair, as if performing a retreating spear technique. The spear struck out like a snake’s tongue towards Jin Zhu.

Jin Zhu dodged the spear thrust sideways but wasn’t prepared for General Qian’s slight shake of the spear, which whipped fiercely onto his chest.

"Ouch!" Jin Zhu was whipped away, tumbling head over heels several times like a kicked ball, then sprinted back into the alley.

Some armored soldiers spurred their horses to chase, but General Qian stopped them, "Don’t follow, the Eunuch Party is full of tricks, don’t fall for their trap."

Chen Ji sighed inwardly, wishing Jin Zhu could have held on a bit longer. Now, General Qian was not to be fooled.

It was unclear what special abilities Jin Zhu’s cultivation path held. Although both were innate masters, his combat capacity was far less than General Qian’s.

General Qian watched his steed unable to stand straight and pulled out a dagger from his boot, decisively stabbing it into the horse’s neck.

At that moment, the sound of galloping hooves came from the long street.

General Qian rose and looked, seeing Mr. Feng come riding alone. Under the tiger mask, his expression—indifferent to joy or sorrow—was imperceptible. "Why have you come, Mr. Feng?"

Mr. Feng, draped in a green large cloak, smiled and said, "I was on my way back to Liu Mansion and suspected the Eunuch Party might play tricks. Hence, I came to see."

General Qian paused his spear for a moment, casually spoke, "The Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry has been lying low for years, waiting for today. Jin Zhu just made a desperate assassination attempt but was repelled by me."

Pointing to the second-floor Covered Building nearby, he continued, "Mr. Feng, if you could wait a moment, the Eunuch Party within will surely be annihilated under our cavalry."

Mr. Feng, surprised, asked, "Jin Zhu? Where is he?"

General Qian pointed towards the alley, "He escaped."

Immediately, Mr. Feng dismounted and chased into the alley, "General Qian, continue the slaughter of the Eunuch Party. I’ll go capture Jin Zhu. This is a significant achievement. The Lord mentioned that the army deploys tomorrow, needing his head to signal the start!"

General Qian watched Mr. Feng vanish into the alley, pondered for a long while, and then strode briskly into it as well.

After briefly contemplating, Chen Ji dismounted and informed the nearby armored soldiers, "I’m going to lend a hand to the General!"

...

...

Chen Ji turned left and right in the dimly lit alley. The alleyways of Luocheng City were all alike with white walls and gray tiles. Had it not been for the sound of General Qian’s armor rubbing ahead, he nearly lost his way.

Mr. Feng’s arrival here must indicate his concern that he and Jin Zhu together couldn’t kill General Qian.

Chen Ji also harbored suspicions. If General Qian were to die here, wouldn’t Official Liu suspect Mr. Feng, who wasn’t supposed to be here?

Before he could think further, a muffled grunt from General Qian suddenly came from ahead.

Chen Ji quickened his pace and turned the corner, only to see Jin Zhu in a narrow, obscure alley, holding a dagger and launching a sneak attack. The blade pierced into General Qian’s ribs through a gap in his armor.

General Qian had thought Mr. Feng was ahead of him, and even if they encountered Jin Zhu, Mr. Feng would meet him first. Little did he expect that Mr. Feng would take a wrong turn, leading him into an ambush unwittingly.

Could it be that Mr. Feng was compromised?

In anger, General Qian lashed out, punching Jin Zhu repeatedly.

However, ignoring his own life, Jin Zhu kept his head down against General Qian’s chest, gritting his teeth and coughing up blood, his left hand holding General Qian’s head while his right hand continuously pulled out and thrust the dagger back in. He stabbed three times in succession, but the armor was so tightly fitted that the blade couldn’t reach any vital point.

General Qian stopped pounding on Jin Zhu and instead grabbed his wrist, struggling for control of the knife, which then hovered just in front of him and could no longer penetrate.

As they grappled with each other, Chen Ji was about to help Jin Zhu but suddenly felt something was wrong.

Where was Mr. Feng?

Suddenly, a gust of wind brushed past him.

Chen Ji turned his head, just in time to see Mr. Feng’s large cloak fluttering as he brushed past him.

Like a specter, Mr. Feng arrived beside General Qian and kicked Jin Zhu in the side.

With a loud crash, Jin Zhu was sent flying sideways, slamming hard against the alley’s wall, which exploded into a web of cracks. Accompanied by a few snaps of breaking bones, Jin Zhu fell heavily to the ground, coughing up fresh blood and passing out cold.

Chen Ji was shocked. Wasn’t the plan to kill General Qian? How did it turn into killing Jin Zhu?!

In the dimness, Mr. Feng supported General Qian and asked concernedly, "Are you alright, General Qian?"

Speaking, he looked up at Chen Ji, "What are you dazed for? Come help General Qian!"

Silently, Chen Ji went forward and helped General Qian’s arm over his shoulder.

Mr. Feng took out a small white porcelain bottle from his sleeve, sprinkling some powder on the wound, "General Qian, the stab didn’t hit your lungs or entrails, so your life shouldn’t be in danger. This is golden sore medicine from the Laojun Mountain Dao Court, apply it and you should recover in a month or so."

Hesitating for a moment, General Qian clenched his fist tightly, "Thank you, Mr. Feng. How should we deal with Jin Zhu?"

Mr. Feng glanced at the unconscious Jin Zhu, smiling insidiously, "Naturally, we’ll bring him back for interrogation. Tomorrow morning we’ll beat the drums to assemble the court, behead him at the General Selection Platform, flay his bones, and bleed him for the flag ceremony! Don’t worry, General Qian, this merit is ours together, I won’t monopolize it."

During the conversation, he glanced at Chen Ji, sending a chill through him: Mr. Feng’s purpose in seizing power had been achieved. The Liu Family’s forces were about to march, and with General Qian severely wounded, he naturally couldn’t lead the troops. Moreover, with General Qian not dead but having captured Jin Zhu, Official Liu would naturally not suspect anything.

Mr. Feng intended to trade Jin Zhu for control of the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry.

But what about Jin Zhu?

At that moment, Mr. Feng ordered Chen Ji, "Go find some hemp rope to tie up that eunuch on the ground."

Chen Ji grimly replied, "Mr. Feng, you help General Qian to get treated, I’ll tie up this villain and come join you."

General Qian said coldly, "No, I want to personally escort this villain back to the Liu Mansion. You quickly find the rope, Mr. Feng and I will wait here."

Mr. Feng looked at Chen Ji with a half-smile, "Well, aren’t you going?"

"Yes."

Chen Ji broke into a nearby house to fetch some hemp rope, and then returned to securely bind Jin Zhu.

He was always looking for a chance to give Jin Zhu a way out, but with Mr. Feng and General Qian watching closely, he found no opportunity. Only at this moment did General Qian slowly unclench his fists and relax.

After finishing the binds, Mr. Feng, still smiling, took out a dried quebracho walnut from his sleeve: "Place this in Jin Zhu’s mouth, it’ll paralyze his mouth temporarily to prevent foul language in front of the master."

Chen Ji shivered inside. Mr. Feng was well-prepared to prevent Jin Zhu from realizing he’d been betrayed and spilling everything about the Ritual Supervision’s plans, dragging everyone down with him.

...

On Ningyuan Street, the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry had captured all spies within the Covered Building, killing seventeen and capturing twelve.

The armored soldiers mounted and escorted the captives southward. General Qian, having lost too much blood, had to be taken back in a carriage found by the soldiers.

The clattering of iron hooves was heavy and oppressive, as though tramping directly on Chen Ji’s heart.

From the moment the Liu Family initiated their action, it seemed as if one thing after another ensnared everyone in a vortex of right and wrong, incapable of escaping.

Riding at the very back, Chen Ji was deep in thought when Mr. Feng unexpectedly slowed his horse and came closer, laughing softly, "What are you thinking about?"

Chen Ji glanced around cautiously to make sure others were far away, then lowered his voice and asked, "Is Mr. Feng from the Spy Department?"

Mr. Feng laughed heartily, "Let’s just say I am."

Chen Ji continued, "You and Jin Zhu were colleagues, yet you sold him out like this?"

Mr. Feng sized up Chen Ji, "As far as I know, you have no relationship with Jin Zhu, right?"

"Hmm, no."

Mr. Feng drawled, "Now that this affair has wrapped up, I’m heading back to the Spy Department. The Lord Prime Minister promised me a spot among the Twelve Signs, but currently, there are no vacancies. So, I helped myself clear a spot, isn’t that reasonable?"

Chen Ji spoke softly, "Yun Yang and Jiao Tu are gone; the positions of sheep and rabbit are vacant."

Mr. Feng chuckled, "They’ve only been exiled, they’ll return."

Chen Ji then said, "It’s said that Lord Binghu is stepping down."

Mr. Feng replied, "Lord Binghu’s position is among the Top Three, I wouldn’t dare aspire to that just yet. I like the position of the pig, sometimes a pig can eat a tiger."

"What about Heavenly Horse?"

Hearing this, Mr. Feng seemed troubled, "Yes, what about Heavenly Horse."