Chapter 254: Expert Guidance

Between the low houses of the dirt road, Old Wu walked ahead in a gray cloth shirt, and Chen Ji followed behind with his hat pulled low.

Old Wu was very alert. Every time he walked two streets, he would seek out a deserted alley and wait for a moment. Only after he confirmed that no one was tailing him would he lower his head and hurry on.

At this moment, the long tolling bell of Guyuan City rang out again.

Old Wu stopped on a long street and looked up. Chen Ji also stopped. All the pedestrians on the entire street stopped and looked towards the direction from which the bell sound came.

The bell sound of Guyuan was different from the melodious sound of a temple bell.

The heavy bell sound broke through the thin fog of the early morning, as if dark clouds were surging down from overhead, pressing so hard that people could not breathe.

Everyone waited for the bell to stop, but it continued for a long time.

Only after it had rung for a full thirty-six strokes did the lingering sound roll and spread towards the edge of the city.

Some pedestrians said in a low voice: "Thirty-six strokes of the long tolling bell. Curfew starts tonight, and alcohol is banned."

"Guyuan hasn't had a curfew in six years."

Old Wu stood on the street in a daze for a long time. Only when border army armored soldiers patrolled over did he come back to his senses. He flashed into the antique shop on the side of the street and pretended to pick up a bronze ware to examine.

After the border army armored soldiers passed, he came out of the shop and continued on his way.

Chen Ji watched from a distance at the corner of the street and secretly thought to himself, Old Wu's actions are indeed contrary to the border army. Even colleagues cannot recognize each other. He also doesn't know how many people in the border army are like Old Wu, and exactly what these people want to do.

He followed Old Wu for several more streets, turned a corner, and suddenly lost the other party's trace.

Ordinary people on the street were just lining up to receive porridge, but Old Wu was not in the queue. The long street could be seen to the end at a glance, but the other party seemed to have evaporated from the world.

Chen Ji's gaze shifted, sweeping over the signboards of the shops one by one. Old Wu must have entered a shop along the street... Did the other party discover him and hide inside, or was the other party's destination originally in one of these shops?

Wait.

His gaze stopped: On the signboard of a street-side shop, four gold-leaf characters were written: "Yang Ji Fur Goods."

Chen Ji pulled a passerby, handed over two copper coins, and asked: "Excuse me, is this Luo Shi Fang Duo Hun Street?"

The passerby looked at him in surprise, put the copper coins into his sleeve, and said: "Yes, this is Luo Shi Fang Duo Hun Street. Why?"

"Nothing," Chen Ji let go of his hand and let the passerby leave.

He gazed at the gold-leaf signboard, his heart heavy. Little Five once said that the apprentice of the South Luo Fang glass shop and the shopkeeper of Yang Ji Fur Goods on Luo Shi Fang Duo Hun Street are both Jing Dynasty spies.

Chen Ji slowly backed up, hid in the crowd lining up for porridge, and approached Yang Ji Fur Goods unhurriedly.

He swept with his peripheral vision from under the brim of his hat and only saw Old Wu at the counter, speaking in a low voice with the shopkeeper.

From Chen Ji's angle, he could only see the back of Old Wu's gray cloth shirt and the shopkeeper's tightly locked eyebrows. The other party seemed to be arguing with Old Wu about something.

Just at this moment, the old grandpa lining up behind Chen Ji patted his shoulder and kindly reminded him: "Young man, why didn't you bring a bowl? The military lords said you must bring your own bowl to receive porridge. If you don't bring a bowl, they won't give you porridge."

Chen Ji said "bad!" in his heart.

He suddenly turned his head to look at the main hall of the Yang Ji Fur Goods shop. Old Wu had already run towards the backyard without even turning his head.

Without the slightest hesitation.

Chen Ji rushed towards the Yang Ji Fur Goods shop. The shopkeeper drew a short knife from under the counter and leaped out, stabbing at him fiercely.

The next moment, Chen Ji took off his hat and threw it forcefully at the shopkeeper. The hat flew quickly in the air, rotating as if it were a curved blade unsheathed.

The hat flew closer and closer, blocking the line of sight between the shopkeeper and Chen Ji.

The shopkeeper subconsciously raised his hand to wave away the hat. The hat shattered and flew in, and Chen Ji had already come close. He used a hand knife strike to chop at the root bone of his hand, in the gap between the radius bones.

The shopkeeper only felt his wrist go numb, forcing him to involuntarily loosen his palm.

The short knife fell to the ground and was steadily caught in mid-air by a skinny hand, nailed dead in the shopkeeper's chest between the third and fourth ribs.

Completed in one breath, without pause.

The shopkeeper sucked in the cold winter air and emitted a "heh heh" sound. He leaned against the counter and slowly sat down on the ground. He turned his head incredulously, but Chen Ji didn't give him another look and had already chased towards the backyard.

Old Wu flipped onto the roof, jumping between the flat-roofed adobe houses.

He turned his head to look behind him. It was clearly empty behind him, yet he dared not stop in the slightest. He could sense that the person chasing him was already very close.

Very close.

Old Wu probed again, and a figure flashed past in the alley behind him.

The standing adobe houses were like golden-yellow wild grass growing thickly on the plain. A fierce tiger had just run among the wild grass, without a breath, without footsteps.

You could only occasionally catch a glimpse of its brown spots flashing by in the gaps between the clusters of wild grass. Only when it came close could you realize that all your struggles were in vain.

Old Wu leaped over an alley. He saw a figure flashing below the alley, "Not good!"

"Come down!"

Chen Ji used the wall to borrow force, and kicked off forcefully, pouncing towards mid-air.

Old Wu twisted his body in mid-air and whipped his leg, kicking directly at the flying Chen Ji. Chen Ji raised his arm and used his elbow to hard endure this whip kick. He took advantage of the situation to hug Old Wu's calf and bring him down to the ground together.

With a thump, the two people fell heavily on the ground, stirring up dust everywhere.

In the dust, a wisp of knife light suddenly appeared. Old Wu drew a short knife from inside his boot and stabbed it at Chen Ji, who was hugging his leg.

Chen Ji turned his face to avoid the knife edge, loosened Old Wu's calves with both hands, gripped his wrists and reverse-clipped them behind his back, pressing him dead onto the ground.

He pressed Old Wu's face into the dust.

Chen Ji silently sized up the front and back of the alley, confirming that no one had been attracted by the sound of the fight. Only then did he bend down and ask: "Are you doing these things just to avenge Jing Wang?"

Old Wu panted and said: "What are you talking about? I don't understand."

Chen Ji slightly relaxed the reverse clip on Old Wu's hands, and slowed his voice: "I am very close to Jing Wang Manor heir Zhu Yunxi. My becoming Mister Wang's direct disciple mostly relied on Jing Wang's recommendation. If you are doing this to avenge Jing Wang, I can help you."

Old Wu raised his head, spat the soil and saliva on the ground, and said with certainty: "To avenge Jing Wang? I haven't even seen Jing Wang. Avenge him for what? Boy, no need to lie to me. Since I've fallen into your hands, kill or cut as you please."

Chen Ji thought for a moment, then slowly let go of Old Wu's hands. He leaned against the wall and said in a low voice: "The cotton hand warmers that the border army sent at the end of the year, I still used to exchange for them."

Old Wu doubted: "What do you mean used you to exchange for them?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment and said: "The Chen family did business with Jing Wang. As long as Jing Wang was willing to recommend me to Mister Wang, they would allocate this sum of silver to the border army."

Old Wu supported himself with both hands and sat up. He actually didn't run anymore: "You are willing to avenge Jing Wang?"

Chen Ji didn't follow this topic, but suddenly asked: "You burned the grain warehouse. What are your next plans?"

Old Wu rubbed his wrist and sneered: "Chen family young master, do you think I will tell you my plans with just a few words? I'm not running because I know I can't run away, not because I believe your words."

Chen Ji said calmly: "You are colluding with the Jing Dynasty to surround Guyuan City. You want to lead the Jing Dynasty into the pass and destroy the Ning Dynasty. But if you do this, many people will die because of you."

Old Wu sneered: "What business is it of mine? When did they ever care about whether we lived or died? Who counted how many people have lived down these years because of us?"

Saying that, Old Wu moved his body and leaned against the adobe wall opposite Chen Ji. He raised his head and said: "I entered the border army in the sixth year of Jia Ning. First as infantry, then as a scout. I fought seven battles and finally managed to get a set of rattan armor to wear. At that time, I still disliked it a little. Old Zhou promised me that he would get me a set of iron armor when I was promoted to deputy general. But later, when I was promoted to deputy general, I realized that surname Zhou's mother was a liar. The whole Guyuan only had two sets of iron armor left. He wore one, and General Hu wore one."

Chen Ji didn't know why Old Wu was saying these things. Was he trying to delay time to wait for rescue, or did he have other plans?

Old Wu changed to a comfortable posture and continued: "One shi of grain from Yu State, collected in Jiangnan and sent to the court, was already only nine tenths left. Escorted to Guyuan via Luo City, Yun City, Wei South, Tong Chuan, Qing Yang, on this road, officials and merchants colluded, jointly changing the new rice and new wheat into old grains and wheat and corn. By the time it reached our hands, those grains were all moldy. If not for a high person in the border army guiding, operating this border military town into a place where merchants come and go, all of us border army officers and soldiers wouldn't know what to eat."

Chen Ji asked without changing his expression: "Who is the high person?"

Old Wu smiled but didn't answer, and continued: "You say, we eat moldy corn and wheat everyday. What are we guarding this Guyuan for?"

Chen Ji doubted: "Since Jing Wang is looking after it, why can the grain still be quietly changed?"

Old Wu laughed heartily: "Jing Wang is also powerless. Thousands and tens of thousands of people deceive and conceal. He's not immortal."

Chen Ji was even more doubtful: "Aren't the border army people from the Jin Party? And Cabinet Elder Hu also doesn't manage everything. He must let people live, right?"

Old Wu mocked: "In the eyes of the border army's Ministry and Cabinet Elders, we are just their chips. Guyuan hasn't been lost in several hundred years, so naturally there is no need to worry. They don't know the situation of the border army? They just pretend not to see it."

Chen Ji didn't deeply research history. He only knew that the problems of the border army were always a catalyst for the collapse of dynasties. The problems of the border army were not in the border army, but in the corruption of the system and the crisis of the state treasury.

Every dynasty was like this, and the Ning Dynasty was no exception.

He gazed at Old Wu and asked: "So, you all want to hand Guyuan over to the Jing Dynasty?"

Old Wu didn't speak, not knowing what he was thinking.

After a long time, he grabbed a handful of yellow soil from the ground and sighed: "But even so, we still have to continue guarding it. Chen family young master, you guessed wrong, all wrong. I advise you not to continue investigating. You can't investigate this matter clearly. Maybe before you investigate clearly, the truth will come out by itself."

Chen Ji was startled. What did these words mean?

He thought for a moment and said: "Old Wu, I won't make things difficult for you, but this matter is very broad. I must first take you away and imprison you. If you are innocent, I will definitely return your innocence."

However, just at this moment, Old Wu smiled: "Chen family young master, you are a good person. You are indeed Mister Wang's direct disciple, benevolent!"

Saying this, Old Wu suddenly said: "Chen family young master, thank you."

Chen Ji doubted: "Thank me for what?"

Old Wu grinned: "Thank you for your cotton hand warmers. This is the first time I, Old Wu, have worn such warm hand warmers in my life."

Chen Ji suddenly realized something was wrong!

But before he could react, white intense flames actually ignited behind Old Wu out of nowhere. The flames came suddenly, completely engulfing him in a few short breaths.

Chen Ji was startled and went forward to pick up the yellow soil and pat it on Old Wu's body, but the fire on the other party's body could not be extinguished no matter how hard he tried.

Old Wu gritted his teeth and said: "Don't waste your effort. That person said, this fire cannot be extinguished!"

Who is that person? And where did this fire come from?

Chen Ji only felt that his head was about to explode. He quickly asked before Old Wu died: "Why did you want to poison and kill thirty-four members of the Chen family?"

Old Wu cried out in pain: "I didn't!"

Chen Ji's pupils shrank: "Then why did you go to the Guyuan station that afternoon?"

Old Wu was curled up into a ball on the ground by the burning fire, struggling to say: "I went to the station to instruct the station officer to prepare red spiral charcoal for you!"

Chen Ji's pupils shrank. So Old Wu went to the Guyuan station that day because of this matter. At the point of death, in pain, it was impossible for him to think of a plausible answer temporarily.

This answer must be true!

Who was the real culprit behind the poisoning of the thirty-four members of the Chen family?

Chen Ji ignored the flames, picked up the short knife that had fallen on the ground, and cut open the clothes behind Old Wu. He only saw a yellow paper talisman with red cinnabar stuck on his back, which had already burned to only a corner.

At this moment, Old Wu curled up his body, trembled his right hand, and used his last strength to grab a handful of yellow soil from the ground and stick it on his forehead: "Guyuan ah Guyuan..."

Old Wu made no sound. Gradually, even his bones burned to ashes.