Chapter 282: A Rank Two Official

The shopkeeper and the Qianling fought as thunder and wind surged.

Yuan Zhen, amidst the escort of over a hundred armored guards from the guards' camp, quietly watched the two exchange blows. His eyes were as placid as if he were watching two crickets bumping heads, completely indifferent.

Sitting on his horse, he said in an indifferent tone: "You have fought Li Shen before and never won. Who gave you the courage to come assassinate me?"

The shopkeeper had no leisure to answer.

Again and again, he tried to approach Yuan Zhen, and again and again, he was blocked back by the Qianling, Li Shen.

Originally, he was only seven steps away from Yuan Zhen, but after exchanging blows for a few breaths, he was ten steps away from Yuan Zhen!

When he retreated, layer after layer of armored guards from the guards' camp filled the ten-step gap, like closing one large door after another!

Yuan Zhen slowly recalled, saying: "In the past, when you were a scout and were captured alive, it was I who valued talent and spared your life. At that time, I knew you were only pretending to submit because you were too calm when your face was tattooed, calm as if you were already prepared. You probably don't know that even the most timid person will shed tears of humiliation when being tattooed, but you did not!"

Yuan Zhen suddenly sighed, saying: "Initially, I kept you just to see what that fellow Qing Wen Tao was planning, so I could use his plan against him! Who knew that not long after, he died at the hands of your Southern Dynasty itself! After he died, you drank yourself into a stupor every day in Feng Sheng State without any cover! I admired your loyalty, and thus the thought of subduing you arose. I thought that as long as time passed, you could always be used by me!"

"Later, you did quite a few things for me, killed quite a few people. I sent you back to Gu Yuan to lurk, and you indeed provided quite a bit of useful intelligence! In these past few years, I promoted you to Baili and Qianling, thinking that way you could truly submit to me. Yet, I didn't expect you, like this Gu Yuan, to be both stubborn and unyielding!"

At this time, the shopkeeper and the Qianling were fighting, and the shopkeeper was gradually falling into disadvantage!

Chen Ji watched silently, with no waves on his face!

Yuan Zhen waved his hand and said casually: "Take him down!"

In the guards' camp, an official disguised as an ordinary guard suddenly drew a simple knife from his waist and leaped down from his horse!

This knife came straight and fast to the extreme, chopping down towards the shopkeeper's head!

But just as this knife fell, the shopkeeper's body became ethereal, narrowly avoiding the blade, letting the knife blade stick to his back all the way down, chopping onto the shadow at his feet!

Strangely, in the dust stirred up by the knife edge, the black shadow wriggled like thick smoke, actually instantly transforming into a first-class Fei Yi, six feet long with four wings, flapping its wings and flying up into the night sky, then diving towards Yuan Zhen!

The Qianling's heart was shocked: "Fei Yi, it's the Man Tu Luo secret seal."

Chen Ji heard the words and subconsciously turned his gaze to Xiao Man. Xiao Man also looked at the shopkeeper with a surprised expression!

At this time, the Qianling wanted to return to defend, but was held tightly by the shopkeeper under his arm. The guards' official wanted to return to defend, but was held tightly by the shopkeeper gripping the knife edge. Even though his palm was cut open, he wouldn't let go!

The guards' official abandoned the knife without care, but it was already too late!

The six-foot, four-winged Fei Yi came before Yuan Zhen, opening its blood-red mouth!

But the sudden change was that the black, ink-like Fei Yi, upon contacting Yuan Zhen, actually turned into a handful of light smoke and dissipated!

The shopkeeper stood stunned in place, muttering: "How can it be?"

Yuan Zhen sat motionless on the horse saddle, laughing loudly: "This commander is a second-rank high official of the Jing Dynasty. The destiny of the dynasty is upon me. How can a mere small technique harm me?"

Chen Ji's pupils contracted. He recalled that earlier, the Commander of Jie Fan Wei, Lin Chao Qing, had also said to Yun Yang and Jiao Tu, "This seat has the body of a former Da Ning fourth-rank official. Don't bring out mere small techniques to make a fool of yourselves!"

So it turned out that the official bodies of the two dynasties could indeed ward off all evil.

This was also a kind of official power.

While thinking, the guards' official pressed a palm on the shopkeeper's chest. However, he saw that the shopkeeper's back armor and chest armor shattered simultaneously, and armor pieces flew horizontally. He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and fell heavily to the ground!

The shopkeeper struggled to crawl up and said ferociously: "That's not right, even the most senior second-rank high official should be injured!"

Before he finished speaking, the shopkeeper's eyes widened as he saw Yuan Zhen take out an imperial decree from his sleeve and say lightly: "Second-rank is not enough. Adding His Majesty's handwritten imperial decree is sufficient!"

The shopkeeper sat back on the ground dejectedly: "So that's how it is!"

Yuan Zhen put away the imperial decree and gazed at the shopkeeper sitting on the ground: "You betrayed a country's crown prince just to exchange for a chance to approach me! But you also know that at the distance just now, you couldn't actually kill me! Since you chose to endure, why not always endure?"

The shopkeeper sat on the ground, not saying a word!

He only heard Yuan Zhen ask lightly: "Working oneself to death for those officials and nobles of the Southern Dynasty, is it worth it?"

The shopkeeper coughed up a few mouthfuls of bloody foam: "This old man doesn't sell his life to the Zhu family, but to this Gu Yuan!"

Yuan Zhen was startled, then raised his head and sighed: "Gu Yuan! I and Gu Yuan have fought a lifetime. All of you and I have fought a lifetime. Everyone is wasting time here. Why bother, why bother to throw away your lives for this city!"

The shopkeeper grinned a miserable laugh: "I said that during the battle of Qu Wu Mountain in the 25th year of Jia Ning, I had no chance to kill you, but some people didn't believe it; I said I was sent by General Wen Tao, they also didn't believe it! As if as long as you're a spy for one day, you become a ghost. The enemy doesn't believe you, and your own people don't believe you. Living also has no meaning! I won't live anymore. Today, I'll go to the underworld and ask the general why he specifically chose me back then. It was too unfair!"

Yuan Zhen was silent for a moment: "Say hello to him for me. Kill!"

The Qianling, Li Shen, carried his spear to the shopkeeper's front and fiercely stabbed through the shopkeeper's heart!

Chen Ji silently watched the shopkeeper slowly close his eyes. The torchlight was blown by the wind, flickering lightly on his face!

Yuan Zhen no longer looked at the shopkeeper. He pulled his horse and continued to go north. His confidant whispered beside him: "Great Commander, just now the vanguard camp encountered a branch of elite infantry at the northern Du Ku Workshop. This humble officer is worried there are still ambushes there!"

Yuan Zhen asked calmly: "Have the scouts from the west side returned yet?"

The confidant said: "They have returned. That side is empty, as if they specifically made a way for us!"

Yuan Zhen smiled: "What does Hu Jun Xian want to do by putting on such a show? Test my Yuan someone's wisdom and courage, guess which side is the way of life?"

The confidant no longer spoke!

Yuan Zhen's expression gradually became arrogant: "I don't believe that the hidden soldiers in this city can block my Jing Dynasty's world cavalry. We will break through the northern defense line and kill our way out from the north city gate!"

The confidant asked in a low voice: "Great Commander, during the rush and kill, the people from the Ning Dynasty crown prince's side will become a burden due to fear. Which ones shall we take, and which ones shall we leave?"

Yuan Zhen turned his head and looked towards the crown prince, Chen Li Qin, Chen Wen Xiao, Zhang Xia, and Zhang Zheng!

He suddenly said: "Leave the crown prince as bait. Take the others away!"

The confidant was startled: "Great Commander, it was hard to capture the crown prince, why leave him again? Among this group of people, he is the most important!"

Yuan Zhen burst into laughter: "What can a crown prince who is treated as an abandoned son be exchanged for, even if we take him away? Instead, the Chen family and Zhang family are more useful! Leave him, leave him in the Ning Dynasty. A crown prince with hatred in his heart will be of great use! He must live, only by living and returning to the Ning Dynasty court!"

Having said that, he raised his whip and urged his horse, rushing north under the escort of the guards' camp!

Chen Ji was surprised and doubtful in his heart. This Yuan Zhen's way of thinking was completely different from ordinary people. He actually let go of the crown prince he had in his hands.

He clamped his horse's belly and blended into the Tian Ce Army iron cavalry, coming to the front of Chen Li Qin and others!

The Tian Ce Army dismounted, threw ropes, and tied the hands and feet of all the captives, preparing to have one horse carry one person!

Chen Ji's gaze circled around the captives. Which captive should he take?

Chen Wen Zong, Zhang Xia, Zhang Zheng, Xiao Man—he wanted to save them all, but he had to save Xiao Man first.

Xiao Man was an official. If there was chaos later, they could cooperate with each other!

But just as Chen Ji went to take Xiao Man away, he turned his head and saw that a Tian Ce Army soldier had already stepped forward and used hemp rope to tie Xiao Man's hands and feet!

Chen Ji frowned, just pondering what to do, when that Tian Ce Army soldier looked over at Chen Ji and nodded slightly!

Li Xuan, after taking over the body of a Tian Ce Army soldier, had also changed into good armor and had blended in while the shopkeeper was assassinating!

Chen Ji's heart was slightly at ease. Without any change in expression, he came to the front of Zhang Xia and, without a word, tied the hemp rope on the other party's hands and feet!

Zhang Xia tacitly closed his mouth and let his hands and feet be bound!

When Chen Ji bent down to tie Zhang Xia's hands, he saw that the other party's hands were slightly trembling!

He straightened up and said in a low voice: "Don't be afraid!"

Having said that, he carried Zhang Xia up and placed him horizontally on the horse saddle!

Chen Ji turned his head and looked at the shopkeeper sitting on the ground, only then flipping onto his horse!

The Tian Ce Army iron cavalry took away all the captives, leaving only the crown prince alone in the night!