Green Mountain
Chapter 342 - 282, Second-rank official

Chapter 342: 282, Second-rank official

The shopkeeper and the chiliarch clashed, wind and thunder swirling around them, leaving no room for others to intervene.

Yuan Zhen, surrounded by more than a hundred armored soldiers of the Guard Camp, quietly watched the two exchange blows, his gaze indifferent, as if observing two crickets wrestling—utterly devoid of interest.

Seated on horseback, he spoke in a dispassionate tone, "You’ve fought Li Shen before and lost every time. Who gave you the courage to attempt to assassinate me?"

The shopkeeper had no time to respond. Each attempt to get close to Yuan Zhen was thwarted by Chiliarch Li Shen.

Initially, only seven steps separated him from Yuan Zhen. But after just a few breaths of combat, that distance widened to ten steps.

As he was pushed back, layers of armored soldiers from the Guard Camp filled the ten-step gap, like closing one gate after another.

Yuan Zhen reminisced lazily, "Years ago, when you were captured alive as a scout, I spared your life, appreciating your talent. Even back then, I knew your allegiance was feigned—you accepted facial branding too calmly, so calm it seemed you were prepared for it. Perhaps you didn’t know this, but even the most cowardly of men would shed tears of humiliation when branded. You, however, did not."

Yuan Zhen suddenly sighed, "Initially, I kept you around just to see what Qing Wentao was planning, so I could turn his schemes against him. Who would have thought that not long after, he’d die at the hands of his own people in the Southern Dynasty? After his death, you drowned yourself in wine daily in Fengsheng State without hiding your debauchery. I pitied your loyalty and decided to recruit you, thinking that with enough time, I could make you truly mine."

"Over time, you carried out many tasks for me, killed many people, and when I sent you back to Guyuan to lie low, you brought back lots of useful intelligence. Through the years, I promoted you from centurion to chiliarch, thinking that would win your allegiance. But instead, you turned out to be every bit as stubborn and foul as Guyuan itself."

By now, in his duel with the chiliarch, the shopkeeper increasingly fell into disadvantage.

Chen Ji watched silently, his expression unmoved.

Yuan Zhen waved his hand dismissively and spoke indifferently, "Take him down."

From within the Guard Camp, a seemingly ordinary officer disguised as a guard suddenly drew a broadsword from his waist and leapt down from horseback.

The blow was swift and straightforward, impossibly quick, aimed right at the shopkeeper’s head. Yet just before the blade struck, the shopkeeper moved with eerie agility, narrowly dodging the edge. The blade grazed past his spine and sliced downward, hitting his shadow on the ground.

Strangely, amidst the dust stirred by the blade, the black shadow writhed like thick smoke, rapidly transforming into a six-legged, four-winged flying serpent. Its wings flapped as it soared into the night sky, then it dived toward Yuan Zhen.

The chiliarch exclaimed in shock, "Fei Yi—It’s the Mandala Seal!"

Chen Ji instinctively turned his gaze toward Xiao Man, who also stared at the shopkeeper in astonishment.

At this moment, the chiliarch tried to shift to defense, but the shopkeeper trapped his arm tightly under his armpit; the officer attempted to defend as well, but the shopkeeper gripped the blade of the broadsword firmly, refusing to release it even as blood streamed from his palms.

The officer abandoned the sword, but by then, it was already too late.

The six-legged, four-winged Fei Yi reached Yuan Zhen, its gaping jaws opening wide.

But in a sudden twist, the ink-black Fei Yi dissipated into a faint puff of smoke the instant it touched Yuan Zhen.

It dissipated.

The shopkeeper froze in place, muttering to himself, "How could this be?"

Yuan Zhen remained unmoved atop his saddle, laughing loudly, "I am a second-grade official of Jing Dynasty, protected by the dynasty’s fortunes. Such petty magic cannot harm me!"

Chen Ji’s pupils contracted as he recalled the Jiefan Guard Commander Lin Chaoqing’s previous remark to Yun Yang and Jiao Tu: "I bear the fourth-rank official status of Daning; don’t embarrass yourselves with trivial magic."

So it was true—official status from the two dynasties could indeed repel all evils!

Was this, too, a form of Official Gateway?

As Chen Ji pondered, the officer from the Guard Camp struck the shopkeeper’s chest with his palm. The shopkeeper’s chest armor and back armor shattered simultaneously, sending fragments flying. He spat a mouthful of blood and crashed heavily onto the ground.

Struggling to rise, the shopkeeper snarled, "No, even a second-grade official should suffer some harm..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the shopkeeper saw Yuan Zhen pull an imperial decree from his sleeve and casually remarked, "Second-grade isn’t enough? Add one imperial decree personally penned by His Majesty—problem solved."

The shopkeeper collapsed back onto the ground in despair, saying, "So that’s how it is."

Yuan Zhen tucked away the decree and gazed at the fallen shopkeeper. "You betrayed your nation’s crown prince just to get close to me. But surely you knew, even from that distance, you couldn’t kill me. Since you chose to endure, why not endure to the end?"

The shopkeeper sat defeated, saying nothing.

Yuan Zhen asked softly, "Was serving those Southern Dynasty officials worth it?"

The shopkeeper coughed up blood and replied, "I didn’t sell my life to the Zhu family; I sold it to Guyuan."

Yuan Zhen paused, then looked up and sighed, "Guyuan... I’ve dealt with Guyuan my entire life, and all of you have wrestled with me for just as long. We’re all mired in this endless struggle. Why throw away your life for this city?"

The shopkeeper grinned bleakly. "I told people I didn’t have the chance to kill you at Quwu Mountain during Jianing’s twenty-fifth year, but no one believed me. I said I was sent by General Wen Tao, and they doubted that too. It’s like spending a single day as a spy turns you into a ghost—your enemies don’t trust you, and neither do your allies. What’s the point of living anymore? I’ll go to the afterlife today and ask the general why he chose me for this task. He sure played favorites."

Yuan Zhen fell silent for a moment before saying, "Send him my regards... Kill him."

Chiliarch Li Shen stepped forward with a spear and pierced it through the shopkeeper’s heart.

Chen Ji watched quietly as the shopkeeper’s eyes slowly closed, the flickering torchlight swaying gently across his face.

Yuan Zhen spared the shopkeeper no further glance, turning his horse northward. One of his confidants whispered, "Commander, just now the Vanguard Camp encountered an elite infantry unit from the North at Duoku Fang. I fear there may be more traps ahead."

Yuan Zhen asked calmly, "Have the scouts from the west returned?"

The confidant replied, "They have. The western region is empty; it seems they intentionally cleared a path for us."

Yuan Zhen chuckled, "Is Hu Junxian trying to test my wit and bravery, forcing me to guess which path leads to survival?"

The confidant did not reply further.

Yuan Zhen’s expression grew increasingly arrogant. "I don’t believe the hidden forces in this city can stop Jing Dynasty’s Iron Cavalry. Break through the northern defensive line. We’ll go out through the North City Gate."

The confidant asked in a hushed voice, "Commander, during the charge, should we leave behind some of the people from Ning Dynasty’s crown prince entourage? Some of them might be a burden."

Yuan Zhen turned back to look at the Crown Prince, Chen Liqin, Chen Wenxiao, Zhang Xia, Zhang Zheng...

He suddenly said, "Leave the Crown Prince. Take the rest."

The confidant was stunned. "Commander, the Crown Prince was hard-won; why leave him? Among them, he’s the most crucial."

Yuan Zhen laughed heartily. "A Crown Prince treated like a pawn won’t fetch much even if we take him. Instead, the members of the Chen family and Zhang family are far more useful. Leave him here. A Crown Prince with hatred in his heart will be more valuable. He needs to live—live to return to Ning Dynasty’s court."

With that, he spurred his horse onward, charging north under the protection of the Guard Camp.

Chen Ji watched in shock and doubt, marveling at Yuan Zhen’s unconventional thinking. He had really decided to let the captured Crown Prince go?

He nudged his horse forward and blended into the Heavenly Strategy Army’s cavalry, moving toward Chen Liqin and the others. The Heavenly Strategy Army dismounted and bound all the prisoners’ hands and feet with ropes, each soldier prepared to lead one captive.

Chen Ji scanned the prisoners, considering who he should take with him. Chen Wenzong, Zhang Xia, Zhang Zheng, and Xiao Man all needed saving, but Xiao Man had to come first.

Xiao Man was an officer, and if chaos erupted later, they could coordinate and assist one another.

Just as Chen Ji was about to lead Xiao Man away, he turned and saw a Heavenly Strategy Army soldier tying Xiao Man’s hands and feet with rope.

Chen Ji frowned, considering his options, when that same soldier tilted his head toward Chen Ji and nodded slightly.

Li Xuan!

Li Xuan, after taking the armor of a dead Heavenly Strategy Army soldier, had disguised himself and infiltrated during the shopkeeper’s assassination attempt.

Chen Ji felt slightly reassured and calmly walked over to Zhang Xia, silently binding his hands and feet with the rope. Zhang Xia cooperated, keeping silent as his limbs were restrained.

As Chen Ji bent to tie Zhang Xia’s hands, he noticed the faint trembling in the other’s fingers.

He straightened up and whispered softly, "Don’t be afraid."

With that, he lifted Zhang Xia, laying him across his saddle.

Chen Ji glanced back once more at the shopkeeper’s lifeless figure before mounting his horse.

The Heavenly Strategy Army’s cavalry took all the prisoners but left the Crown Prince alone in the darkness.