Chapter 189: Escape

In the night, amidst the heavy snow, Bai Li was no longer that lively. Her hair was disheveled, and her white clothes were stained with gray dust.

The apricot trees, the mountain fire, the person who led her horse – all were left in yesterday. Tomorrow would hold no more surprises, and when she looked up again, her eyes would no longer need to hold any light.

Han Tong stood atop the mast, looking at Bai Li for a long time without speaking. He didn't think the Secret Spy Department would actually use Bai Li to threaten him. Who had betrayed him?

Yun Yang held a torch, illuminating Bai Li's face with the firelight, so that Han Tong could see more clearly. "Sect Master Han, in the 24th year of Jianing, you secretly appeared outside Jing Wang Mansion, looked at the county princess, and then left. In the 25th year of Jianing, during the Shangyuan Festival, you secretly waited in the City God Temple, looked at the county princess, and then left. In the 26th year of Jianing... you have looked at the county princess a total of twelve times. Seven of those times were on the county princess's birthday, and the other five were during the Shangyuan Festival and Chongyang Festival. Tell me, why is this?"

Han Tong's pupils contracted. He thought his visits to Bai Li were very secretive and never imagined they would be noticed by others.

This wasn't a betrayal; not even A Yun knew when he secretly visited Bai Li. It was even more impossible for the young man who had plotted against him tonight to know.

Yun Yang looked at Han Tong with a seemingly smiling yet not-smiling expression. The swaying torch illuminated his face half bright, half dark, making him look particularly fierce. "Sect Master Han, our Secret Spy Department monitors the world; all goblins and monsters have nowhere to hide. It's only a matter of time before we arrest you and bring you to justice. Why don't we make a deal now and save the county princess's life?"

Bai Li heard Yun Yang's words and was stunned. She looked up at Han Tong on the high mast. She had told Chen Ji that this person had secretly looked at her four or five times, which were the times she had discovered.

But in corners she hadn't noticed, he had actually secretly visited her so many times.

Han Tong stood straight on the mast and asked from afar, "Tell me, how do we save her?"

Yun Yang smiled and said, "Sect Master Han, your life in exchange for the county princess's life."

Han Tong was silent for a long time. "Do you think I'm that foolish? She and I have no connection. Is your Secret Spy Department mistaken?"

The next moment, Jiao Tu drew a short knife from his sleeve and cut a wound on Bai Li's thigh. Blood immediately soaked her pants.

But Bai Li's expression didn't change. She only stared blankly at the river surface, as if she didn't feel the pain.

Han Tong's body moved slightly, then stopped again.

Jiao Tu turned his head to look at Han Tong. "Come down and exchange people. You come with us, and our Secret Spy Department will allow your people to escort her away."

Jin Zhu coldly glanced at the backs of the two. He knew they were lying again. Even if they were part of the Twelve Zodiacs, they didn't have the authority to release the county princess, not even the Inner Minister.

He looked at Han Tong, unsure in his heart if Han Tong would surrender. He looked again at the wound on Bai Li's leg.

Just as he watched, Jiao Tu swung his knife again, intending to cut Bai Li's arm. Just as the knife was about to fall, his wrist was caught by Jin Zhu.

Jin Zhu said with a grim face, "That's enough. The county princess is, after all, a member of the imperial family. His Majesty hasn't yet decided whether to kill them or not. Don't be too willful."

Jiao Tu slanted a look at him. "You want to interfere?"

Jin Zhu sneered, "I just feel that the two of you might foolishly lose your zodiac positions and your lives, so I'm kindly reminding you."

Jiao Tu snorted and slowly put away the knife.

Yun Yang looked at Han Tong again and said loudly, "Sect Master Han, do you really not want to exchange your life for the county princess's?"

However, Han Tong only looked at Bai Li quietly for a long time. He saw the wound on Bai Li's leg and her stubborn, silent expression. Suddenly, he dug his fingernails into his palm, drawing blood.

But in the end, he didn't exchange his life. He only said coldly, "Do you think I'm that stupid? There's no exchange of lives, only dying together. The Secret Spy Department's actions today will definitely be repaid tenfold someday."

After speaking, he looked at Bai Li again, turned around, and leaped, disappearing into the icy river water.

Yun Yang and Jiao Tu were stunned, while Bai Li slightly lowered her head.

Jin Zhu said to Jiao Tu, "Why aren't you quickly helping the county princess bandage her wound? Whose terrible idea was this? What connection could the county princess and Han Tong possibly have?"

Yun Yang coldly looked back. "If there's no connection, why would he secretly visit the county princess so many times? Do you believe it yourself when you say they have no connection?"

Jin Zhu retorted, "What kind of person is Han Tong? He's a notorious bandit who has dominated Jianghu for many years, with countless subordinates. How could he possibly risk his life for a momentary emotion?"

Yun Yang sneered, "Someone just broke into prison and took away the Sheng Zi. Who knows where he's hiding now. You also saw that Han Tong just secretly summoned a fast boat. Clearly, he intended to send someone away. I think he wanted to send away the Sheng Zi."

Bai Li turned her head to look at Yun Yang. Breaking into prison? Sheng Zi? Who did it?

An answer emerged in her mind, just like the answer that subconsciously appeared every time. Only, she was very certain before, but this time she denied it again.

Jin Zhu pretended to be ignorant and said, "Han Tong only summoned one boat. How is that connected to the Sheng Zi?"

Yun Yang slanted his eyes at him. "We'll know if you wait and see."

"Wait for what?"

"Wait for Zhang Zhuo, Master Zhang."

The heavy snow made the road slippery. The garrison soldiers of Luo City swore and grumbled as they escorted grain to the dock. Everyone's ears and hands were frozen red, and their feet were also chilled through.

Someone complained in a low voice, "It's snowing so heavily. How good would it be to go home, have two drinks, and hug my wife and child on a warm kang? Why did the prefect have to transport grain today?"

"Exactly. It's snowing so heavily. Wouldn't it be better to wait until the snow stops? We still have to go so far!"

"Don't say anything. The dock is just ahead. Let's finish our duty quickly and go home to sleep... Quiet, the prefect is coming."

Beside the grain team, the prefect, dressed in a scarlet official robe, rode on a horse. He had a large red fox fur cloak draped over his shoulders and held a copper hand warmer. He looked worriedly at the bright lights of the dock ahead, feeling that something wasn't quite right.

Zhang Zhuo thought for a moment. "Wait, stop the grain!"

The garrison soldiers turned their heads in doubt, only able to stop all the ox carts.

Zhang Zhuo waved his hand. "We're not transporting grain today. We'll transport the grain back to the grain warehouse!"

The garrison soldiers suddenly erupted in protest. The deputy general said loudly, "Master, we've been walking from evening until now. We're almost at the dock. Why aren't we transporting it?"

Zhang Zhuo looked at him with cold eyes. "Or would you like to be this fifth-rank prefect?"

The garrison soldiers shrank their necks. "This humble official has spoken too much."

Zhang Zhuo waved his hand. "Go!"

However, just then, a laughing voice came from the rooftop. "Master Zhang, where are you going?"

Zhang Zhuo suddenly looked up, only to see Yun Yang and Jiao Tu standing on the eaves by the roadside, overlooking the long grain team.

As they spoke, countless Troublesome Guards emerged from a small alley near the grain team, their hands on their waist knives, surrounding the grain team!

The garrison soldiers wanted to draw their knives to confront them, but they heard Yun Yang casually say, "There aren't many people who dare to draw their knives in front of our Secret Spy Department."

The garrison soldiers' expressions froze, and they awkwardly loosened their grip.

Zhang Zhuo said in a deep voice, "What? Do you all want to rob my grain team? Even the Secret Spy Department cannot arbitrarily invade and disrupt official grain transport! The seventh article of the eighteen volumes of the Great Ning Law states that anyone who invades, disrupts, or steals more than twenty-five strings of tax grain will be given one hundred strokes with a cane, tattooed with the words 'stealing official money and grain,' and exiled three thousand li!"

Yun Yang smiled and said, "This humble one knows that Master Zhang is fluent in reciting the Great Ning Law. There's no need to casually bring it out to scare people. We also received a message that there might be suspects hidden in this grain team, Master Zhang. Since you are familiar with reciting the law, do you know the crime of harboring rebels?"

Jiao Tu sat on the eaves, smiling cheerfully. "Master Zhang, harboring rebel party members, won't that also lead to the extermination of the entire family?"

Zhang Zhuo stared coldly at Yun Yang. "You say I'm harboring rebels. What evidence do you have?"

Yun Yang smiled. "Simple. We'll search the grain team and then we'll know. Get to it!"

"Wait!" Zhang Zhuo looked nervously at the grain carts. He raised his right hand high, stopping the Troublesome Guards. "This is official grain from the court. I'd like to see who dares to act rashly!"

Yun Yang raised his eyebrows. "What, Master Zhang, do you not cry until you see the coffin?"

With that, he took out the King's Order flag from his bosom. "Master Zhang, do you know what this is? Our Secret Spy Department holds the King's Order flag and can act on behalf of heaven, executing first and reporting later!"

Zhang Zhuo said in a deep voice, "It's true that you hold the King's Order flag, but you cannot act arbitrarily. I remember the two in front just made a big mistake, right? If you make a mistake again this time, I wonder if you'll lose your zodiac positions?"

Yun Yang and Jiao Tu exchanged glances, both showing hesitation in their eyes.

They weren't afraid of exile or impeachment by civil officials, but at the Inner Minister's place, he had always refused to give people a third chance to make a mistake.

Zhang Zhuo saw an opportunity and quickly added fuel to the fire. "The two of you hold the King's Order flag, so you can search the grain carts yourselves. But if the two of you find nothing, this official will go to the imperial court and impeach you two. At that time, I'm afraid you won't be able to keep your fourth-rank official positions."

Jiao Tu covered her mouth and laughed. "Master Zhang, why are you so nervously threatening us? The more you threaten us, the more I feel there's a criminal hiding in the grain team. Master Zhang, you're shooting yourself in the foot."

Yun Yang waved his hand at the Troublesome Guards. "Search!"

The Troublesome Guards ordered the garrison soldiers to unload the bags of grain from the carts and pile them on the snowy ground.

Time passed bit by bit. All the grain carts were unloaded, but no one was seen hiding in the carts.

Yun Yang paced back and forth irritably on the eaves. He shouted, "Look, look inside the hemp bags to see if anyone is hiding!"

The Troublesome Guards drew their waist knives and stabbed open the grain bags. As Jiao Tu turned her head, she suddenly saw a mocking cold smile appear at the corner of Zhang Zhuo's mouth. She suddenly felt something was wrong. "Wait, don't stab anymore. The grain hemp bags are only that big; it's fundamentally impossible to hide people!"

But now it was too late. More than twenty bags of grain had already been stabbed open, and the grain flowed out, scattering all over the ground.

Zhang Zhuo laughed heartily, stroking his beard. "The two of you, is there a criminal in the grain?"

Yun Yang and Jiao Tu lightly landed on the ground. Jiao Tu said loudly, "All garrison soldiers, take off your helmets and check one by one to see if any rebel party members are hiding among them!"

Zhang Zhuo no longer pretended and said lazily, "Everyone, take off your helmets and let the adults look. Let them look enough."

Yun Yang and Jiao Tu didn't trust others and personally identified the garrison soldiers one by one, but there was fundamentally no trace of the Sheng Zi among them.

Yun Yang said in a low voice, "It's over."

His heart gradually sank to the bottom of the valley. He only felt that since he came to Luo City, nothing had gone smoothly. Where exactly had he gone wrong?

Jiao Tu said in doubt, "Could they have gone to other places halfway?"

Yun Yang said fiercely, "Search! Tonight, even if we have to turn the entire Luo City upside down, we must find the Sheng Zi!"

The Troublesome Guards retreated like a tide. Zhang Zhuo looked coldly at their retreating figures and said loudly, "The two Secret Spy Department adults, this time you might really not become zodiacs."

In front of the Tuo Luo Temple gate, thirty-two monks recited scriptures as they carried the enormous Sumeru Seat back into the temple.

They shook the copper Vajra bells, their eyes lowered, as if all the events happening in Luo City tonight didn't concern them.

After entering the temple, the monks carried the Sumeru Seat and the statue of Avalokitesvara into the Great Hero Treasure Hall.

A small novice closed the eight vermilion-painted doors of the Great Hero Treasure Hall, blocking the wind and snow outside.

At this time, Zhang Xia, dressed in fiery red clothes, walked out from behind the scripture curtain. She lifted a finger and ordered the small novice, "Release them."

The small novice looked at the aged abbot. The abbot waved his hand. "Do as instructed."

The small novice clasped his hands together. "Yes."

The novice went to the back of the Avalokitesvara statue and opened the place used for everyday storage.

When sculpturing Buddha statues, monks would first leave an empty hole at the back of the statue. During the consecration ceremony, the abbot, a high monk, would seal inside seven treasures, eight treasures, flowers and plants from holy lands, scriptures, jewels, five grains, and metal lungs and livers. This ritual was called 'installing the treasures'. Everyday, Tuo Luo Temple used this method to transport gold and silver, escorted by thirty-two official monks, which was very safe.

And at this time, the Sheng Zi, She Deng Ke, Chun Hua, Liang Gou'er, and Liang Mao'er were all hiding inside. Five people were actually hidden inside that huge Avalokitesvara statue.

The aged abbot said softly, "Second Miss Zhang, please take your friends and leave the city through the secret path within the temple. From now on, our Tuo Luo Temple no longer owes Benefactor Xu Shu karma. I hope he cultivates well, no longer stains himself with worldly affairs, and returns to the forty-nine heavens soon."