Green Mountain
Chapter 59 - 56. Selection

Chapter 59: 56. Selection

On a rainy night, Chen Ji tore off the heavy raincoat he was wearing and ran wildly with just a conical hat on his head.

He bent over to check and saw a wound about half the depth of a little fingernail, stretching from his collarbone to his chest.

The wound was still bleeding, the blood mixing with the rain soaking his clothes.

Chen Ji could even feel as though, with the blood flowing out, his life was also ebbing away bit by bit.

"Really unlucky."

His original plan was just to suffer a superficial wound, using it as a ploy to make his escape.

However, he was not someone who practiced physical disciplines regularly and lacked control over his body, which resulted in the wound being a bit too deep.

At this moment, the pain from the wound was excruciating, and even the cold rain could not alleviate the fiery sensation.

But now was not the time to think about the wound, Chen Ji, while tearing off a piece of his hem for a makeshift bandage, turned back and said, "Hurry up and follow, if we can’t catch the deserter spy, Lord Si Cao will blame us both, and neither of us can bear it!"

Jing Dynasty spy: "..."

The two of them, one behind the other, broke through the layers of rain, getting further and further from Hongyi Lane.

After running some distance, the Jing Dynasty spy suddenly gasped and said, "Sir, sir, stop running, you must first tell me what’s happening!"

Chen Ji ran into a small alley and, ensuring no one was around, said solemnly, "Chao Cang Gambling House is a trap, the Spy Department didn’t catch anyone, Jin Zhu claimed to have caught someone because he wants to lure you all in."

The Jing Dynasty spy was skeptical, "But we received intelligence—"

"An undercover spy, isn’t it? Jin Zhu had already discovered his identity long ago, that was information he deliberately let you have!"

Despite this, the spy couldn’t believe it, clenching the hilt of his knife, he stepped closer to Chen Ji, "Sir, do you have any other evidence of your identity?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment and then said, "Bailu Pavilion, is that enough? Last night, you guys picked up a shipment in Hongyi Lane at the Golden Workshop, right? The code was ’Luotian’!"

The spy didn’t know about of the existence of Bailu Pavilion, so he didn’t understand the first half.

However, he had participated in last night’s operation to receive the goods.

He deeply understood that, given Chen Ji’s knowledge of the operations, if Chen Ji was from the Ning Dynasty Secret Spy Department, they would have certainly been ambushed and obliterated last night.

Thus, Chen Ji couldn’t possibly be from the Spy Department, he must be an undercover agent from the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department.

With respect towards Chen Ji, the spy said, "Brother, you’ve worked hard, undercover work is not easy, I accidentally wounded you earlier."

Chen Ji pressed his hand down, "We both serve the Jing Dynasty, you didn’t know my identity earlier, I don’t blame you."

The spy asked, "What do we do now?"

Chen Ji answered, "I already know where the deserter is, follow me to capture him."

However, the spy hesitated for a moment, then resolutely said, "No, Si Cao is still besieging the gambling house, I must go tell them first that it’s a trap. Tell me where the deserter spy is now, after I report to Si Cao, I will immediately bring people and meet up with you—wait a second!"

The next second, Chen Ji suddenly lunged at the spy, who in shock tried to lift his knife in defense, but Chen Ji struck his hand with a thunderous punch.

Clang! The knife fell onto the cobblestone pavement.

"You?!" The spy’s pupils constricted, and the two grappled together, their fists colliding.

At this moment, Chen Ji was nothing like his weaker self at the gambling house; he moved with blistering speed, completely beyond what the spy could parry.

Even though both struck at the same time, his punch was only halfway while Chen Ji’s fist had already struck his face.

The spy then understood that, back at Chao Cang Gambling House, the other party had been acting!

In a flash, Chen Ji crouched down, using his shoulder and elbow to rush into the spy’s chest.

The spy, struck like by a charging horse, stumbled step by step backwards, crashing against the wall of the alley!

The Jing Dynasty spy, already severely injured from falling off a second floor, now overwhelmed by this new blow, could hardly catch his breath and could only slowly kneel on the ground.

Chen Ji gradually approached, as the spy mustered his last energy, drawing a dagger from his boot and thrusting it.

However, Chen Ji kicked away the dagger and pulled out the knife sheath from the spy’s waist, circled behind, and strangled the spy fiercely with the sheath across his neck.

Both fell backward together, lying on the bluestone pavement, looking up as raindrops fell from the sky into the narrow alley.

It was as if they were lying in a courtyard, with only a small view of the world remaining.

Chen Ji squeezed hard, the sheath crushing the spy’s throat and blocking his windpipe.

The spy was completely silenced, and till his death, he couldn’t understand why a Ning Dynasty spy would know so much about their Military Intelligence Department.

After a moment, Chen Ji weakly stood up, hiding the spy among the clutter in the alley.

He stood in the rain for a while before picking up the spy’s knife and walking out of the alley.

He was running out of time tonight.

...

...

Shops lined Anxi Street, and there were always those who moved out due to poor management, replaced by new businessmen moving in.

Half a month ago, a fabric store went bankrupt, and the store had yet to be leased out.

At this time, Chen Ji slowly climbed onto the roof next to the fabric store, crouching carefully as he walked on the ridge, overlooking the fabric store’s backyard.

This whole night’s efforts were just to protect himself, not to get betrayed.

Now, the target was right in front of him.

Chen Ji quietly asked Wu Yun beside him, "Are you sure it’s here?"

Wu Yun nodded and meowed, "I asked that Li Hua cat, it was originally sheltering here with its little brother, but they were disturbed by that person and had to run onto the street to avoid the rain."

Chen Ji looked puzzled, "How did you convince the Li Hua cat to show you the way, wasn’t it said to have a bad temper?"

Wu Yun raised his head, waving his paw, "Knocked hard! But, I promised it, next time they fight with the cats from Anton Street, I’ll help it out once."

Chen Ji: "..."

Cats have such complex social relationships, too?

Wu Yun looked at Chen Ji with concern, "Your complexion looks terrible; is your wound okay?"

"It is," Chen Ji said honestly, "but right now, there are more important things than the wound. Let’s go and end this."

He clung to the eaves, gently dropping into the backyard of the cloth shop, and crouched on the ground like a cat, quietly observing his surroundings.

The front door was wide open, with a bloody handprint on the open door.

Chen Ji pointed at the window to Wu Yun, and they split up, each heading toward the main house from different directions.

Raindrops hit the gray-tile roof, making a tapping sound. If there hadn’t been a fight, it would have been a great day to wrap up in a blanket and sleep.

Chen Ji came to the entrance of the main house, holding a long knife... There was no ambush inside.

He only saw a haggard figure lying on the ground in the dim light, breathing faintly. The floor inside was covered in blood, and the person lying there had at least ten wounds.

As Chen Ji approached, the person on the ground suddenly rolled over, pulling out a dagger, and like a snake striking, he slashed at Chen Ji’s neck!

Chen Ji raised his hand with the long knife to block the dagger, but the other party was relentless and vicious with continuous attacks.

This person was clearly not an executive officer, but his killing intent far exceeded any Jing Dynasty spy or secret spy Chen Ji had ever encountered!

Chen Ji could only retreat step by step, waiting for Wu Yun to sneak up from behind.

At this moment, with one chasing to kill and one retreating, they reached the side of the main house’s door.

But when the betraying spy saw Chen Ji’s face under the fighting hat in the light outside, he unexpectedly cried out in alarm and instantly withdrew his dagger.

In astonishment, the other party fell to the ground unguardedly, weak as if the oil had run out and the lamp had dried up, and said, "Chen Ji, your uncle failed in the political struggle in the Jing Dynasty; someone is secretly cutting off all his affiliates! Lord Si Cao is Lu Guanwu’s man; they have already started, you must be careful!"

After saying this, it was as if the person had used up all his strength and lay back down.

Chen Ji: "..."

He had imagined there would be a fight after entering the house, and he had also imagined that the other party might have already died of severe injuries.

He had come to kill and silence the person, but the development of the story completely overturned his expectations.

No wonder this person did not flee to the countryside or to crowded, mixed places, but came to Anxi Street as if delivering himself to death: it was to pass him a message...

But was what the other person said true, or was it a lie concocted for survival? Chen Ji could not be sure.

He observed the injured person, who was about twenty-seven years old, pale-faced and weakly breathing, dressed simply, looking like an ordinary sedan bearer or laborer.

Chen Ji felt dizzy from blood loss; he leaned on his knife against the door frame and calmly asked, "How did you get yourself into this state, and why would Si Cao send someone to kill you?"

Lying on his back, the injured person grimaced in pain and laughed: "I was cultivated by your uncle and sent to the Ning Dynasty; of course, Si Cao would want to have me killed first. Those few rotten fish and shrimps were just no match for me."

Saying this, he struggled to lift his hand and opened his fingers: "I killed five of them; they couldn’t manage to kill me. Impressive, right?"

Chen Ji remained unmoved, "How can I believe you?"

After a moment of silence, the injured person chuckled breathlessly, "Not bad, over the years of teaching you, I’ve always taught you not to trust anyone’s words, and you’ve finally taken it in."

Chen Ji was silent.

This person was actually his mentor after he had joined the Military Intelligence Department?

If the current clues were correct, this person seemed to be someone his uncle had specifically sent to the Ning Dynasty to lead him into the Military Intelligence Department.

But Chen Ji was no longer the same person he used to be; he couldn’t even call out the other’s name, nor could he believe what the other had said.

He had also never met his uncle.

Moreover, there were many logical inconsistencies in what the other had said: If Si Cao really wanted to kill him, why hadn’t he done it tonight at the Taiping Medical Hall?

Wait, if as he had previously judged, there was more than one person behind Si Cao’s mask, could it be that some wanted to kill him while others did not?

Too much uncertainty, Chen Ji felt his mind was muddled like murky water.

Chen Ji asked, "You’re nearly dead, why would you still risk all these injuries to pass me this information?"

The injured person was clearly stunned. He slowly looked at Chen Ji, somewhat incredulously, "We’ve been partners for years, like brothers; do you even need to ask? What kind of person do you think I, Wu Hongbiao, am?"

Chen Ji: "..."

There was really no way to respond to that.

He didn’t even know what kind of relationship he had once had with this Wu Hongbiao.

At that moment, Wu Hongbiao slowly said, "I might not be able to return to the Jing Dynasty, can I ask you for a favor?"

Chen Ji calmly said, "Go ahead."

"I’ve mentioned before, my sister is still in the Jing Dynasty, if you ever have a chance to go back there, please ask your uncle to save her. Though he has stepped down, he is still capable of handling such a small matter, can you do that?"

Chen Ji was silent; he couldn’t promise.

Seeing him not responding, Wu Hongbiao became emotionally agitated, his injuries affecting even his breathing, which strained his entire body.

After a long while, he glared at Chen Ji impatiently, "Chen Ji, how have you changed?! I used to joke that once we returned to the Jing Dynasty, I’d help you two get together. Chen Ji, please, after I defected, the Military Intelligence Department won’t let her off, if your uncle doesn’t save her, her life is finished."

Chen Ji still did not respond; he picked up his knife, slowly walked up to Wu Hongbiao, and rested the blade against his jugular vein.

Wu Hongbiao’s eyes widened, looking at him in disbelief.

In the dim room, all of Chen Ji’s expressions were hidden in the shadow of his hat.

Suddenly the rain stopped outside, and the world fell silent.

It was as if even fate was waiting for him to make a decision: whether or not to kill a man who ’might’ have risked his life to pass him information but ’might’ have exposed him.

Eventually, Chen Ji sheathed his knife and slowly walked out of the house.

He stood in the courtyard, took a deep breath, and said softly, "Wu Yun, keep an eye on him."