Chapter 186: Prison Break

At the hour of Xu, just as people were about to put out their lights and sleep peacefully, an inexplicable sense of solemnity and murderous intent surged through the streets.

White snow covered the long street, with only scattered horse hoof prints, empty and desolate, unlike the human world.

Two *li* outside the prison, in a dimly lit small alley in the south city, Liang Mao'er was sitting on a broken basket, yawning. Liang Gou'er was holding the Liang family long knife in his arms, biting a withered yellow grass stem in his mouth, and leaning against the wall bored. "Hey, kid, how much longer do we have to wait?"

Yu Dengke was sneakily poking his head out, looking at the alley outside. With his back to Liang Mao'er and Liang Gou'er, he said without turning his head, "Wait a bit longer. In another quarter of an hour, it will reach the hour of Hai. Once we reach the hour of Hai, we'll be safe. Gou'er big brother, stand under the eaves where there's no snow and don't move around randomly. More people will come to patrol later."

Liang Gou'er chuckled. "Safe? Trying to fish people out of the Yan Party's prison, how can you talk about safe?"

Just then, Yu Dengke, who was keeping watch, turned around and waved to them. "Quick, quick, quick! More people are coming! Hide well!"

Having said that, he stepped onto the place without snow under the eaves and squeezed himself into the broken basket.

Liang Gou'er turned around and covered Liang Mao'er's mouth. With one grab, he lifted him up and hid behind a pile of broken baskets.

Outside the alley, the sound of horse hooves *da, da, da, da* stepping on the accumulated snow echoed, the hoofbeats approaching little by little, like life-urging drums.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths... ten breaths later, a Jie Fan Guard wearing a conical hat and draped in a robe rode past from outside the alley. He had a long knife horizontally on his back, and his gaze fiercely scanned the inside of the alley. He stood quietly for a moment, confirmed that there were no footprints in the accumulated snow inside the alley, and then rode his horse to patrol elsewhere.

Liang Gou'er loosened his grip, and Liang Mao'er gasped silently. Yu Dengke also lifted open the broken basket, let out a breath on the ground, his legs trembling.

Liang Gou'er turned his head to look at Yu Dengke. "You, a boy from a dock laborer family, your legs are shaking like this, yet you still dare to rush into this dragon's pool and tiger's den trap?"

Yu Dengke was surprised and doubtful. "This is a trap?"

Liang Gou'er pointed with his fingers and calculated. "I pretended to be a pedestrian and strolled around in the morning, not only are there Jie Fan Guards on scattered patrol, but within one *li* around the prison, there are who knows how many secret agents and Jie Fan Guards hiding in the alleys. One *li* outside also has people from the Luo City Soldiers and Horses Office with weapons ready, who could come to support at any time. The Yan Party is clearly waiting for people to throw themselves into the net and take the opportunity to eradicate all remnants of the Jing Wang line."

He looked at Yu Dengke and said mockingly, "A slightly smart person can discover this is a trap with a careful observation, but you few fools still go to deliver yourselves to death."

Yu Dengke turned his head and looked at him. "Aren't you also going?"

Liang Gou'er said impatiently, "Do I want to go myself? I'm being threatened and lured by you all! To me, everyone has their own fate, why must we save someone? In so many years, how many times have close friends in the *jianghu* who had a life-saving grace turned against each other? Friends are temporary, one's own life is the most important!"

Yu Dengke felt a little wronged. "It was so good when we were in the medical hall. You even said that we'd still drink together when we're old!"

Liang Gou'er's expression stiffened, and his voice lowered somewhat. "Anyway, let's agree in advance, as long as I help bring the Shizi and Junzhu out of the prison, I've done my part. After that, I'll take Mao'er and run away. As for whether you all can send the Shizi and Junzhu out of Luo City, that's none of my business."

Yu Dengke said in a bad mood, "Understood, understood."

Liang Gou'er was doubtful. "Aren't you worried that you all can't get out? Now the guards at the four city gates have all been replaced by elite troops from the Wan Sui Army, even the dung carts entering and exiting the city gates have to be opened and stabbed seven or eight times. At noon today, a remnant of the Liu family hiding in a dung cart was caught and died, wailing before he died, and all the gold juice was poured into his mouth. What do you think he was aiming for? It's not as good as choosing a more straightforward way to die."

Yu Dengke imagined that scene and felt a wave of chill.

Liang Gou'er said happily, "Even if you all can bring the Shizi and Junzhu out of the prison,"

"How will you send them away?"

At this moment, a calm voice suddenly rang out from behind the three people. "That matter doesn't need Gou'er big brother to worry about."

Liang Gou'er turned back to look, only to see a person slowly walking out of the darkness in the depths of Wang Chun Alley, their figure slowly emerging.

Liang Gou'er turned his body and slightly raised his eyes to look at the masked person. "Why are you dressed like this, and still heavily injured... How can you still save people when you're wounded like this?"

Chen Ji answered casually, "With you, a great official of the Seeking Dao Realm, you can save them. Right, Gou'er big brother, what cultivation path can tattoo Buddha patterns on the body and bloom with Buddha dharma images behind?"

Ran Gou'er verified. "You fought with Han Tong... Is he the one who injured you? He cultivates the Zang Python path, mixing heart blood with four-leaf grass juice and sprinkling gold emblem ink, tattooing patterns on the body and visualizing daily. Ordinary people only dare to tattoo pythons. It is said that tattooing dragons, tigers, Buddhas, and immortals makes it easy to lose sanity during visualization, so it was originally called Zang Python." He continued, "Several people cultivate this path: when they meet, they will kill each other, not stopping until one dies. I remember, Liu Ge Lao once had two, and the last time they were killed by Tian Ma."

Chen Ji nodded. "Understood. What's the situation near the prison?"

Liang Gou'er said, "Now there's a troop of Jie Fan Guards stationed near the prison, approximately two hundred people. How do you plan to go in? Let me tell you first, I might not be able to fight that many. There are officials hiding among the Jie Fan Guards. If you haven't thought of a good way to deal with them, I advise you to go back home."

Suddenly, Chen Ji raised his hand to signal him not to speak.

Liang Gou'er was slightly surprised, and the next moment, fast horses stepped on the snow in the distance, and the secret agent on horseback intermittently blew a copper whistle. "Magpie," sounded, which was the secret agent office's summons whistle.

After the time it takes for one incense to burn, horse hooves galloped on the long street outside the alley. Chen Ji and the others stuck to the shadows under the eaves, hiding well, only to see team after team of Jie Fan Guards, wearing conical hats, draped in robes, and with long knives horizontally on their backs, galloping past, rushing towards the east side.

After the night became quiet again, Liang Gou'er suddenly looked at Chen Ji. "What did you do to actually be able to lure away the Jie Fan Guards from here?"

Chen Ji didn't answer.

Liang Gou'er frowned and thought. "If they were capturing ordinary characters, they wouldn't need so many Jie Fan Guards to be dispatched, unless it's a great official of the Seeking Dao Realm... But in this Luo City, the Seeking Dao Realm cultivators are only me and that person surnamed Feng. Wait, did you use Han Tong as bait? As far as I know, he has no grudges or enmity with you..."

Chen Ji said calmly, "This is what he should do."

Liang Gou'er sized up Chen Ji for a moment, and finally sighed. "You are already a bit unscrupulous. Don't end up with the whole world as your enemy and regret it too late."

Chen Ji shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

Liang Gou'er looked at him, surprised and doubtful. "After you save the people later, you won't sell me and Mao'er too, right?" Chen Ji said expressionlessly, "No."

Having said that, he took out masked gray cloth from his bosom and handed it to the three people. Just as he raised his hand, he suddenly coughed. He untied his own masked cloth and coughed out a mouthful of blood at the base of the wall.

Liang Mao'er said with concern, "Chen Ji, are you alright?" Chen Ji wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "I'm fine."

He lightly leaped onto the gray tiles of the roof, then crouched down and reached out to pull Yu Dengke up as well.

Liang Gou'er followed suit and pulled Liang Mao'er onto the roof, muttering, "You want to pass from the roof and not leave footprints on the snow ground, so no one will discover you, but let me remind you, going further, there are still people from the secret agent office hiding in the alleys one by one, you can't avoid them."

Chen Ji led the way forward without changing his expression. "I have my own method."

One by one, the low roofs of the residential houses, the roof ridges like sharp mountains. A Jie Fan Guard stood in the shadow of a small alley, like an armored sculpture with his hand on his waist knife. He pulled his conical hat down a bit, closed his eyes to rest, waiting for prey to throw itself into the net.

Just as the Jie Fan Guard closed his eyes, his right ear under the conical hat trembled slightly, and he suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze shooting out like lightning.

Only to see inside the alley, a calico cat was stepping on the accumulated snow, walking into the alley step by step, looking left and right as if searching for food.

The Jie Fan Guard's sharp gaze softened a bit. He thought for a moment, took out a piece of cake from under his masked clothing, broke off a small piece, held it in his palm, and bent down.

The calico cat timidly meowed, hesitated for a moment, then slowly approached, swallowed the cake, and rubbed against the Jie Fan Guard's palm.

The Jie Fan Guard smiled and broke off another piece of cake.

Not far away, Chen Ji listened to the sound of the calico cat and didn't stop his footsteps, leading Liang Gou'er to turn around and go in another direction. As long as he heard a cat meowing, he would avoid it altogether.

Several people shuttled and jumped among the gray mountains, continuously approaching the direction of the prison.

Liang Gou'er, masked with gray cloth, had doubt flashing in his eyes above the gray cloth. Where did all the Jie Fan Guards hiding in these alleys go? How come they didn't bump into a single one?

Besides, in this residential area, there seem to be a lot of wild cats?

At this moment, they saw Chen Ji suddenly crouch down, raising his right hand into a fist.

Liang Gou'er bent down and approached. The two of them used a roof ridge as cover and quietly looked outwards.

Chen Ji said in a low voice, "That iron door by the house ahead leads to the prison. The tunnel behind the door goes underground and connects to the underground river."

Liang Gou'er frowned. "How do we get in? If we want to chop open the iron door with a knife, the nearby Jie Fan Guards will definitely hear the sound!"

Chen Ji scooped up the accumulated snow from the roof, rubbed off the blood on his cheek, then turned his head to look at Liang Gou'er. "You all wait for me here."

Liang Gou'er, crouching behind the roof ridge, saw Chen Ji lightly leap down from the eaves, standing on the snow ground, silent as a calico cat.

Liang Gou'er frowned. "What does this boy want to do?" Yu Dengke shook his head. "I don't know."

But they saw Chen Ji walk straight to the iron door and knock three times. Liang Gou'er suddenly gripped his knife sheath tightly.

The next moment, the small window on the iron door was pulled open, and the jailer inside said doubtfully, "Chen adult, how did you come?"

Chen Ji showed the waist badge in his hand. "I have a prisoner to interrogate. Open the door." The iron door opened.

Just as Chen Ji was about to make his move to kill, the jailer had already quickly retreated into the tunnel, entering the darkness of the prison.

Chen Ji moved to chase, but saw a supervision arrow shoot out from inside the door. He barely avoided it by moving to the side, and the arrow cut a shallow blood mark on his cheek.

The next moment, the jailer blew a sharp copper whistle. "Magpie," sounded, a summons!