Chapter 19: The Wrong Chop

The winding and twisting streets and alleys of Luo City were like the city's palm lines.

The Liu family team, currently chasing Chen Ji and the others, had split into five routes, like a hand closing in, squeezing all the air in the city together.

Secret agents weaved through the shadows between the houses. Several hundred steps behind them were the figures of the Liu family members, holding guns and clubs, their torches raised high.

Jiao Tu turned her head and glanced at Chen Ji, who was at the end of the team. She turned back and asked Yun Yang, "Do you believe that kid's words? If he hasn't found evidence, we two might just miss the opportunity to leave Luo City tonight."

"We can only believe him now," Yun Yang said solemnly. "If we can't find evidence tonight, then it's a hurdle from the Main Criminal Department that none of us can get past."

Jiao Tu said casually, "Inner Minister Dàrén won't really do anything to us. We're still useful. At most, he'll make us kill more people for him."

"Inner Minister Dàrén's subordinates have good people and bad people, but no stupid people. You and I messed this up, and there might not be a place for us in the Secret Agent Department... Maybe that kid really can find evidence?"

Jiao Tu said in a condensed voice, "I hope so. If he can't find evidence, we'll just kill our way back to the capital and beg White Dragon for mercy. Either way, we can't fall into the hands of the Main Criminal Department."

Saying that, she turned her head again to size up Chen Ji.

This little apprentice was panting at the back of the team, his hair wet with sweat. The piece of cloth on his face was completely soaked, but he still wouldn't take it off.

"This kid's physique isn't bad, is it? He can actually keep up with the secret agents," Jiao Tu praised.

The secret agents under the Secret Agent Department, anyone you picked and put them in the Wànsuì Army, would be an elite among elites. So no matter how wretched Chen Ji looked, it wasn't easy for him to keep up with their pace.

At this moment, Chen Ji felt the changes in his body. When he was exhausted, the furnace fire with the three lamps next to his Dāntián actually continuously surged out a warm current, supporting him to keep running.

The furnace fire, like a rushing flood, was causing some mysterious transformation in his body.

It was as if a rusty sword was being wiped clean of rust.

When they passed through Chángníng Street, the sounds of shouting and killing behind them were already approaching. Yun Yang said in a low voice, "The Liu family is more familiar with Luo City than we are. They are taking shortcuts to surround us. If we keep running like this, we'll definitely be caught up."

"What should we do?" Jiao Tu asked.

"Abandon the cart to save the commander."

When they passed by a small courtyard, Yun Yang instructed, "Seven Wàn, you lead everyone to the west side and draw away the Liu family. Consider this a great merit for you!"

The black-clothed secret agent named Seven Wàn said in a low voice, "Yes, everyone follow me!"

Chen Ji stood by the courtyard wall, looking at the backs of the leaving secret agents without speaking. Yun Yang and Jiao Tu had already flipped into the small courtyard. Seeing that he was delaying and hadn't flipped in, they again leaned over the gray tiles and poked their heads out. "What are you standing there for?!"

"Coming," Chen Ji jumped with force, pulled Yun Yang's outstretched hand, and awkwardly flipped into the courtyard.

The three of them stood with their backs against the wall, holding their breath and listening to the movements outside.

They heard dense, chaotic footsteps passing by outside the wall, and they also heard someone saying, "We must not let them escape from Luo City, we must avenge the Old Master."

They were only separated by a wall. Chen Ji could even smell the burning torches outside the wall. That smell was a mixture of cedar bark and pine resin oil, dry and explosive.

A dark mass of people chased in the direction the secret agents had gone. It wasn't until the outside of the wall became quiet again that Chen Ji dared to breathe. "Can the secret agents survive?"

Yun Yang glanced at him and said, "In chaotic times, life and death are fated. It's the same for you, for them, and for Jiao Tu and me. Back when Jiao Tu and I were still small secret agents, we didn't know how many times we were abandoned."

Jiao Tu said, "Stop wasting words, let's go quickly."

When the three of them flipped out of the courtyard wall again, the streets were already empty. They went east, but they stopped at the first intersection.

Yun Yang narrowed his eyes and looked at the bluestone slab road opposite. Lín Cháoqīng and his group of dozens of mounted Fish Dragon Guards were standing there on their horses, just quietly waiting, as if they could always find their prey the first time.

The Main Criminal Department was in the east, and the Secret Agent Department was in the west. They looked at each other from a distance across the air but didn't speak. Both sides stood in the shadows, waiting for the other side to speak first.

The Fish Dragon Guards wore raincoats and bamboo hats, and everyone had their hand on the hilt of the knife at their waist, the oppressive feeling like mountains pressing down.

In this silence, Lín Cháoqīng drove his horse forward and slowly approached Yun Yang.

His expression was hidden under his bamboo hat, and no one could see it clearly. "We both work in the Directorate of Ceremonial. We are colleagues. We also don't want the people of the Secret Agent Department to be overthrown by civil officials. Letting you go just now gave you an opportunity. An hour has passed, can you produce evidence now?"

Yun Yang's face was solemn and he didn't answer. At this time, bluffing wouldn't work.

"Looks like still not," Lín Cháoqīng urged his warhorse forward. "Capture them..."

His words weren't finished, but they were interrupted by a wave of noise from a distance. "Liáng Máozǐ, where are you carrying me to? Yàn'ér girl is still waiting for me in the Red Banner!"

"Brother, the Liu family seems to be angry. We have to quickly go kill the eunuch party people, otherwise your wine money will be gone, and the medicine you practice will also be gone!"

"What! My wine money gone?"

"Brother, medicine is more important!"

The Main Criminal Department and the Secret Agent Department simultaneously looked to the left. They saw a fat young man carrying a drunk middle-aged man running over.

The middle-aged man's clothes were open, draped loosely over his body, and his head was leaning crookedly on the young man's shoulder. This person had disheveled hair and was sloppy, but only the knife at his waist seemed to be frequently wiped and was particularly exquisite.

When Lín Cháoqīng saw this person, he pulled the reins, and all the Fish Dragon Guards of the Main Criminal Department stopped for a moment.

Jiao Tu said in a low voice, "It's Liáng Gǒuzǐ."

The crowd silently watched the fat and thin figures. In the strange silence, they saw Liáng Máozǐ carrying Liáng Gǒuzǐ, muttering and staggering closer.

When they passed by the intersection, the fat Liáng Máozǐ saw the Main Criminal Department and the Secret Agent Department in the shadows by the roadside and was suddenly so scared that he didn't dare to breathe, his fat body shaking.

"Brother, brother, wake up quickly! I think I see them!" Liáng Máozǐ said.

Liáng Gǒuzǐ opened his drunk eyes. "Found the eunuch party?"

A layer of sweat seeped from Liáng Máozǐ's forehead. He wished he could throw Liáng Gǒuzǐ down and run. He lowered his voice and said, "Brother, they can hear..."

Liáng Gǒuzǐ's gaze turned towards Lín Cháoqīng. When he saw the neat bamboo hats and raincoats on the other side, he suddenly said happily, "These watery raincoats and bamboo hats are indeed the eunuch party! But we haven't offended anyone. Remember to tell the Liu family when we go back that I have drawn my knife..."

In an instant, Liáng Gǒuzǐ lay on Liáng Máozǐ's back, casually hooked the hilt of his knife with his middle and index fingers together, and lightly flicked it.

With a clang, the long knife was unsheathed.

The majestic knife light chopped towards Lín Cháoqīng. The crowd hadn't reacted yet when the knife was already back in its sheath.

With a crack, the bamboo hat on Lín Cháoqīng's head split in two and fell to the ground, revealing his angular, firm face. This single knife in the air was wonderful to the extreme. The knife energy stopped after shattering the bamboo hat, and Lín Cháoqīng's face was not injured at all.

The long street was quiet. Everyone was shocked by this scene.

Liáng Máozǐ looked at the Main Criminal Department on the right and then at the Secret Agent Department on the left. "Brother, you chopped the wrong person..."

"Ah?" Liáng Gǒuzǐ narrowed his eyes and looked towards the Secret Agent Department side, then looked towards Lín Cháoqīng again.

Lín Cháoqīng sat on his horse as steady as a rock, and said coldly, "Liáng Gǒuzǐ, open your dog eyes wide and see who I am."

"Ah!"

The next second, Liáng Gǒuzǐ jumped down from Liáng Máozǐ's back and rolled and crawled to Lín Cháoqīng's horse, fawning, "Isn't this Commandant Lín? Sorry, sorry. It's all the Liu family's fault. I said I wanted to drink in Red Clothes Alley, but they insisted I come and chop you all!"

Lín Cháoqīng whipped his horsewhip across Liáng Gǒuzǐ's shoulder. "I won't make things difficult for you today. Get lost."

"Good, good, good, I'll get lost now!" Saying that, Liáng Gǒuzǐ actually really rolled to the side.

Lín Cháoqīng raised his head and looked to the opposite side.

At this time, Yun Yang, Jiao Tu, and Chen Ji, who were on the opposite street, were already gone without a trace.

"Chase, they haven't gone far."

Dozens of mounted Fish Dragon Guards urged their horses to chase. Liáng Gǒuzǐ then staggered to his feet. Liáng Máozǐ walked over with a pained heart and patted the dust off him. "Brother, why bother suffering their bird nonsense?"

Liáng Gǒuzǐ happily tied his scattered hair together with a hairpin at the top of his head. "Máozǐ, wasn't I smart just now? Cleverly resolved a crisis!"

Liáng Máozǐ mumbled in a wronged voice, "Not clever at all!"

"Let's go, the work is done, let's continue drinking!"

"I'm not drinking! How much have you already drunk? You shouldn't drink either!"

Liáng Gǒuzǐ: "I still haven't drunk enough... Vomit!"

...

...

"The Main Criminal Department's nose is too sharp, how do they always find us?" Jiao Tu complained.

Yun Yang carried Chen Ji on one shoulder and ran madly while saying, "Everyone says we are Inner Minister's hounds. We are eagles, they are dogs. The Main Criminal Department's nose is famously sharp. Even if you hide to the horizon, they can pull you out."

Just as he was running madly, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Jiao Tu said in surprise, "You're injured? I'll carry him."

"I just exchanged hands with Lín Cháoqīng. It's nothing, just a minor injury," Yun Yang said. "This kid is a man, what are you carrying him for... We're here!"

When they came to the door of a residence with a sealed strip, Yun Yang threw Chen Ji down. "It's here, act fast, the Main Criminal Department will be here immediately!"

Chen Ji walked forward, tore open the sealed strip, and pushed open the big red lacquer door with force. He walked around the rockery and fish pond in front of the door towards the inside. "Where is the study?"

"Inside!"

From a distance, they could already hear the sound of horse hooves, galloping like drums!

They saw Chen Ji walk into the study, take down books from the bookshelf, roughly flip through each book with only the moonlight, and then throw it on the ground, exactly the same as when he was in the Zhou residence earlier!

Yun Yang took a fire starter from his bosom and lit the candles inside the roof, holding it in front of the bookshelf. He suddenly felt like Chen Ji's book boy and wanted to get a little angry, but at this time, with great disaster looming, he could only endure.

Yun Yang said in doubt, "What exactly are you looking for? Why do I feel like you're a headless fly trying your luck?"

Chen Ji said, "Sometimes, luck is also a part of strength."

As he spoke, the sound of horse hooves had already stopped outside the door. They heard the sounds of raincoats and horse saddles rubbing, the Main Criminal Department wanted to kill their way in!

Jiao Tu's face sank. Her agile, petite body blocked the door, her hand on the short knife at her waist.

She faced the rushing Fish Dragon Guards and said, "The Secret Agent Department is at a critical moment capturing spies. Anyone who takes another step will die."

However, Lín Cháoqīng ignored her threat and continued to press forward step by step. "Kill your way in. Resistors will be executed without mercy."

A fight was imminent. Jiao Tu suddenly drew her short knife and cut open the center of her brow. At the center of her brow, a mass of black mist seemed about to drill out.

Inside the solemn residence, Lín Cháoqīng walked forward step by step with the long knife hanging at his waist. The knife was drawn little by little, cold light penetrating from under the raincoat, a chilling seep.

The sturdy, burly middle-aged man was like a fierce tiger, his eyes always fixed on the red wound in the center of Jiao Tu's brow. Unexplained power seemed to surge from within that wound.

Lín Cháoqīng sneered, "This seat has the fourth-rank official body of Great Níng. Don't bring out such a small technique to lose face."

Jiao Tu said calmly, "Whether it's a small technique, you'll know when you try."

Just at this moment, Chen Ji's voice suddenly came from inside the room. "Found it!"

The youth walked out of the room, a volume of book in his hand.