Chapter 166: Face Armor

The sun sank towards the horizon, the fiery clouds burning like fierce flames in the sky, gradually fading away.

Chen Ji stood at the entrance of the dim sum shop outside Cuiyun Alley, wearing a bamboo hat. On one hand, he pretended to select dim sum, while on the other, he cautiously scanned the alley with his peripheral vision.

The steward of Chen Fu stood at the door, shouting loudly, "Hurry, hurry, hurry! Get that box into the carriage! Who knows when the Liu family soldiers will arrive, we absolutely can't let them get their hands on this!"

Two young servants carried a large box out the door. As they crossed the threshold, one of them accidentally tripped, and the box spilled open, scattering gold, silver, and fine silks everywhere. Among them, a "phoenix crown blue flower dian headpiece" was particularly conspicuous.

The steward's face changed. He rushed forward, cursing, and gathered the valuables back into the box. "Are you all trying to die?! If you break this, your lives won't be enough to compensate!"

Chen Ji counted out twelve copper coins from his sleeve and handed them to the shopkeeper. While chewing the golden-fried hemp flowers from the paper bag, he expressionlessly watched the alley.

At this moment, the heavy sound of horse hooves approached from a distance.

Chen Ji turned his head to look and saw Zhang Xia galloping on a bay horse, thundering into Cuiyun Alley. He slightly lowered his head to avoid being recognized.

Zhang Xia stopped her horse in front of Chen Fu's gate and looked curiously at the steward and the others. "What are you doing?"

The steward said awkwardly, "We heard there's military trouble in the city, so we're quickly packing our valuables to move them elsewhere, to avoid being harmed by the soldier ruffians."

Zhang Xia raised her eyebrows from the saddle of her bay horse. "Lord Chen and my father are under house arrest at the yamen right now, and you're not trying to rescue them? Instead, you're packing valuables first?!"

The Chen Fu steward had a bitter expression. "Second Miss Zhang is joking. How can we powerless servants save anyone? Preserving the family's valuables is all we can do for the masters."

Zhang Xia coldly snorted. "As you wish!"

Saying that, she urged her horse towards the Zhang Fu gate in Cuiyun Alley, handed the reins to the servant, and hurried inside.

The entire alley originally had twelve large residences. Later, after Zhang Zhuo and Chen Liqin came to Luocheng, they successively bought other mansions to connect them, gradually leaving only four households of officials and nobles.

Chen Ji couldn't find the golden pig now and couldn't leave Luocheng, so he could only come to seek Zhang Zhuo to discuss countermeasures. Unexpectedly, the Liu family acted faster, directly placing Zhang Zhuo and Chen Liqin under house arrest at the yamen, rendering them immobile.

He turned to leave, but then saw a mass of black cavalry charging down the long street.

This cavalry unit was completely different from the earlier elephant armor soldiers and infantry. Everyone wore black heavy armor and iron helmets with white tassels moving in the wind. Beneath the helmets, black lacquer face armor covered their faces, making them appear fierce and unknown, their presence imposing.

This was the Liu family's elite Tiger Armor Cavalry.

Chen Ji stood still, watching as this cavalry unit, holding their long spears upside down, charged into Cuiyun Alley, recklessly scattering the idlers.

A young servant spread his arms and blocked the horses. "What are you doing? This is the Luocheng Assistant Commissioner's residence, you can't act so presumptuously!"

A Tiger Armor Cavalry rode forward and, without warning, pierced the young servant with a spear, then rode over the corpse. The steward was scared witless and quickly hid to the side.

The leader of the Iron Cavalry stopped his horse in front of Chen Fu's gate. He didn't even glance at the gold and silver valuables, and an icy voice came from under his face armor. "Search! Take all of Zhang Zhuo's and Chen Liqin's family members alive!"

With those words, the Tiger Armor Cavalry divided into two teams. One team rushed into Zhang Fu, and the other rushed into Chen Fu.

Chen Ji hesitated for two breaths, then immediately dropped the hemp flowers in his hand and turned to leave.

He came to the small alley outside the back yard of Zhang Fu, raising his head to assess the two-person-high gray-tiled, white-walled building. In the narrow alley, he jumped up and kicked the opposite wall, using the force to lightly float over the high wall into Zhang Fu.

In the courtyard, screams and wails rose and fell. Servants, maidservants, concubines, and relatives fled in all directions in chaos.

Chen Ji crouched low behind the rockery, quietly observing. He saw a flash of fiery red figure being chased by an Iron Cavalry rushing into the back residence; it was Zhang Xia.

Chen Ji closed his eyes and thought for a moment. When he opened them again, he had already quietly crept over under the cover of night.

In the back residence, Zhang Xia fled for her life while looking back in panic. The black-armored warrior behind her, despite wearing heavy armor, ran faster than she did.

Forced to, she, in panic and without a clear path, could only dart into a pavilion building.

Zhang Xia turned back to close the door and pulled an eight immortals table from the room to brace against it.

Before she could catch her breath, the black-armored warrior outside the door kicked hard. With a boom, the door burst open, and Zhang Xia was knocked to the ground by the table bracing the door!

She looked up in horror, only to see the black-armored warrior standing solemnly outside the door. Moonlight streamed into the room, and she could only see his black silhouette.

Zhang Xia pretended to be calm and said, "According to Article 1, Volume 18 of the Da Ning Law, all those who plot rebellion, regardless of whether they are the main offenders or accomplices, shall be executed by lingchi! Grandfathers and grandsons, fathers and sons, brothers, uncles and cousins of different surnames shall all be beheaded!"

The black-armored warrior ignored her. His cheeks covered by the face armor showed no expression. He held the long spear upside down and stepped over the threshold, approaching step by step.

Zhang Xia continued, trembling, "All those who plot rebellion, their mothers and daughters, wives and concubines, and sisters shall all be sold as slaves to the teaching workshop! All those who know and do not report shall be caned one hundred times and exiled three thousand li!"

The black-armored warrior's steps did not stop, his shadow gradually covering Zhang Xia's face.

However, just at this moment, he suddenly noticed that in his shadow cast by the moonlight, something seemed to be added...

Focusing his eyes, on either side of the head of his shadow, black shapes seemed to be slowly wriggling, like two hands growing out from beside his head.

Wrong, there's someone behind him!

The black-armored warrior subconsciously wanted to lift his spear to turn and sweep horizontally, but it was already too late.

Chen Ji reached out from behind him, clamped his neck, and twisted with force. A crisp bone-cracking sound echoed, the black-armored warrior's body went limp, and he fell towards the ground.

Chen Ji supported the black-armored warrior and slowly laid him down on the ground. Zhang Xia was still in shock. She lowered her voice and said, "Chen Ji, how are you here?"

He explained lightly, "I came to seek Lord Zhang to discuss matters. I just happened to see the Liu family's private army rushing into Zhang Fu."

Zhang Xia asked, "So you came in to save me?"

"No."

Zhang Xia was startled. "Ah?"

As he spoke, Chen Ji lifted open the corpse's black lacquer face armor. Beneath the armor was a young and inexperienced face, at most only twenty-one or two years old.

He stood up to untie his outer clothes, removing his clothes piece by piece until only his inner white undergarment remained.

Zhang Xia asked suspiciously, "What are you going to do?!"

Chen Ji did not answer, only silently squatted down and untied the corpse's armor.

Zhang Xia immediately understood and helped him strip off the black-armored warrior's heavy armor, helmet, shoulder armor, body armor, chest armor, front armor, arm armor, and leg armor, piece by piece, placing them on the ground.

She said with concern, "You want to blend in with them? What if you're exposed?"

Chen Ji explained, "Only by blending in with them is there a chance to rescue Lord Zhang. He is a significant figure, smarter than you and I, and clearer than you and I on how to deal with this military mutiny."

He picked up the arm armor to put on, but the structure of the Ning Dynasty armor was complex. Just one arm armor required three straps to tie.

Zhang Xia pursed her lips and finally mustered the courage to pick up the body armor. "You're putting it on wrong. Put on the body armor first, then the chest armor, front armor, arm armor... Spread your arms, I'll help you."

Chen Ji stood still and spread his arms.

Under the moonlight, Zhang Xia then endured her fear, her fingers slightly trembling as she helped him put on each piece of armor.

While tying the armor straps, she asked, "Chen Ji, why aren't you afraid?"

Chen Ji said calmly, "I am also afraid, but being afraid is useless."

Zhang Xia asked again, "After blending in, what's the plan?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment. "No plan. Just follow them. As for where we'll go, I can't decide."

Zhang Xia hummed in response.

Silence fell in the room, only the sound of friction from the armor pieces remained.

A moment later, Zhang Xia stepped back to assess Chen Ji, confirming there was no mistake before saying, "It's on properly."

Chen Ji picked up the helmet from the ground and put it on his head. "Stay hidden in this room, absolutely do not go out. Wait until the Liu family's private army withdraws, then you can climb out the back window, go around behind the rockery in the southwest corner, there's a place to use for leverage to climb over the mansion wall. Remember to change your clothes, your clothes are too conspicuous."

As he said this, Zhang Xia watched as Chen Ji fastened the black lacquer face armor, held the long spear upside down, turned, and strode away. She opened her mouth but said nothing.

However, after Chen Ji left, he hadn't gone far before he saw a team of black-armored warriors approaching from the distance.

As they drew near, the voice of the leader, muffled under his face armor, said, "Why did you take so long? Did you find any of Zhang Zhuo's family members in the pavilion behind you?"

Chen Ji silently tightened his grip on the long spear in his hand and responded in a muffled voice, "No."

The black-armored warrior opposite him fell silent, his eyes behind the face armor seemingly staring intently at him.

The black-armored warrior looked at Chen Ji again, then at the pavilion. "Are you sure?"

"Sure."

The black-armored warrior laughed coldly. "Move aside, I'll go take a look."

Saying this, he pushed Chen Ji's shoulder to move him aside, then led more than ten black-armored warriors towards the pavilion, their black iron armor clanking.

Chen Ji's eyes slowly turned cold. The corpse in the pavilion hadn't been dealt with in time. If the other side entered the room, they would surely discover the corpse and Zhang Xia, and he would also lose the chance to blend into the Liu family's private army.

Chen Ji silently counted the backs of the black-armored warriors: one, two, three, four... Twelve black-armored warriors. He couldn't kill all these people.

At this critical moment, however, sounds came from the flower bed outside the pavilion, and the tall shrubs kept shaking.

For a moment, all the black-armored warriors raised their long spears and shouted angrily, "Who's there? Get out!"

A flash of red figure hurried out from the flower bed and ran wildly towards the distance.

Chen Ji was startled. How was Zhang Xia appearing there?

Wait, this girl heard the commotion outside, was worried that the black-armored warriors discovering the corpse in the room would affect his plan, so she secretly climbed out the back window and helped him draw away the attention of all the black-armored warriors.

Chen Ji took a deep breath and followed the black-armored warriors to pursue Zhang Xia. The crowd in the courtyard dense with rockeries dispersed, surrounding and chasing.

Zhang Xia ran while looking back, finally, 'in panic and without a clear path,' she ran towards Chen Ji's direction!

The two met. Chen Ji grabbed her hands and pinned them behind her back, saying loudly, "I caught her!"

Saying this, while the black-armored warriors gathered in front of him, he lowered his voice and asked, "Aren't you afraid of death?"

Zhang Xia, with her back to him, lowered her eyelids. "I must find a way to save my father, please."