Green Mountain-Chapter 643 - 500: The Remaining Scions of the Second Branch

Outside Changping Post Station, scholars were sitting silently in the street.

Inside Changping Post Station, Chen Ji sat in the main hall, stilling the flames of eight candles with his presence. He held a Whale Blade across his knees, his eyes closed in meditation, breathing evenly.

All station officials and the Crown Prince were held in the main hall, sitting on the floor to prevent anyone from sending messages.

The only female guest, Princess Liyang, had gone up to the second floor. The others, wanting to use the lavatory, had to find a wooden bucket in the main hall, even the Crown Prince wasn't exempt.

At the sound of a rooster crowing in the backyard, 'Princess Liyang' descended the stairs wearing a white veil, and asked Chen Ji, "Is it time?"

Everyone turned to her, not understanding what she meant by 'time.'

Only Chen Ji opened his eyes to look at the sky, "If nothing goes wrong, she should have been sent away by now."

The Crown Prince silently observed Princess Liyang, her face hidden behind a white, thin veil, her identity unclear. What Chen Ji meant by 'sent away' likely referred to the real Princess Liyang and Yuan Cheng.

At this moment, Princess Liyang asked, "What's the next plan, return to the capital or continue forward?"

Chen Ji pondered briefly, "Right now, the nine gates of the Imperial Capital have just opened. Even if someone wants to report to Changping, it would be evening by the time they arrive. We continue forward, and see if anyone can't hold back, baiting a few out."

Princess Liyang nodded, "Alright, we'll do as you say."

The Crown Prince softly said, "The Marquis of Wuxiang's task was to cover the Jing Dynasty Envoy's departure. Since we've achieved that, why not return directly to the capital?"

Chen Ji picked up the Whale Blade and looked back at the Crown Prince, "Is Your Highness afraid of death?"

The Crown Prince stood up, dusting off his clothing, "I'm not afraid of death, just not willing to die needlessly."

Chen Ji walked out, not paying attention to the Crown Prince's concerns, "Your Highness, just follow me, no need to say more. Duobao, call Qi Zhenzhuo to bring the horse, and continue heading north."

Duobao turned to the back yard stable.

Moments later, the Yulin Army led the horses to the door. Qi Zhenzhuo, who had stayed in the stable on guard last night, still had straw from the stable on him.

He handed the reins to Chen Ji, "Master, someone was sneaking around the stable last night, but we didn't catch them."

Chen Ji nodded, "I know."

He hung the horn bow on the saddle, instructing Qi Zhenzhuo, "Later, Li Xuan will lead in front, and you cover the rear..."

Before he could finish, 'Princess Liyang' was helping 'Yuan Cheng' into the carriage, when the Crown Prince suddenly stepped forward and, with everyone watching, lifted the veil off her head and threw it into the air.

Everyone turned to look, surprised that the Crown Prince would expose 'Princess Liyang's' disguise in public, revealing to all that this Princess Liyang was an impostor.

However, the Crown Prince was stunned, as he gazed at the woman before him — who could she be if not Princess Liyang?

The Crown Prince had seen Princess Liyang before; the woman's features were identical to Princess Liyang!

He suddenly looked towards Chen Ji, but found Chen Ji calmly watching him.

The Crown Prince mumbled, "How can this be? How can Princess Liyang be in the group, wasn't she already gone?"

He reached again to pull away the black cloth from Yuan Cheng's head, but this time, Princess Liyang clutched his wrist, "Your Highness, enough is enough."

The Crown Prince gazed at Princess Liyang before him, uncertain and hesitant.

From the crowd in Changping Post Station, a few individuals quietly departed.

Chen Ji brought a horse before the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, mount up."

The Crown Prince took a deep breath, "The Marquis of Wuxiang has a good strategy, fearing the assassin might not take the bait, you wanted to use my hand to verify Princess Liyang's identity."

Chen Ji calmly said, "Your Highness, did I force you?"

The Crown Prince softly replied, "A wise strategist attacks the heart. The Marquis of Wuxiang didn't do anything, yet by exploiting my fear, made me fall into the trap. That's why I said, it's a great strategy. Now everyone thinks the real Princess Liyang and Yuan Cheng are in this carriage. But I don't understand, why does this Princess Liyang resemble her so closely?"

Chen Ji smiled but did not answer, "Someone once taught me, don't let others know your intentions, or they will become your weakness. Let's go, Your Highness, leaving Changping sooner will be safer."

With that, he mounted his horse and led the retinue heading north out of the city.

...

...

As the first garrison north of the Imperial Capital, Changping was a rest stop for traveling merchants. The capital was valuable, and many merchants unwilling to enter the city to pay another tax would offload their northern goods here: furs, caterpillar fungus, ginseng, deer antler, anything from the north could be found here.

This was also why Mrs. Lu was stationed in Changping, unwilling to enter the capital. From here, one could head north to Chongli Pass and Jing Dynasty, east to Guyuan and Datong, and west to Tanggu, reaching everywhere.

The retinue passed Anfu Square, where taverns lined the road, bustling with people.

By the earthen road, merchants had set up stalls with wooden planks, piled high with thick furs, loudly advertising their wares.

Chen Ji rode at the front of the retinue, slowly turning his head to observe his surroundings. The Crown Prince followed closely behind him, keeping a distance from the carriage.

At this moment, an ox cart blocked the road, its owner arguing loudly with another, "Are you blind? I'm driving my cart through here, if you didn't see it and crashed, how is that my fault?"

Li Xuan whispered behind Chen Ji, "What do we do..."

Before Li Xuan could finish, Chen Ji coolly and without hesitation took the horn bow from his saddle, pulled it back, and loosed an arrow. The feathered arrow shot forth like a thunderbolt, heading straight for the cart owner's face.

Li Xuan was shocked inside; he didn't expect Chen Ji to strike without asking anything: "You..."

In the next moment, the owner of the ox cart's face changed drastically and he lunged out of the cart. He dodged the first arrow but was hit by the second arrow from Chen Ji while in mid-air.

The arrow pierced through his chest, splattering a mist of blood in the air.

In that instant, vendors and merchants on the street scattered in a panic, and some merchants reached under the wooden boards.

Chen Ji kept loading arrows without stopping, shooting one arrow after another without asking the reason. In the time of three breaths, he shot through six people on the street. There were no fights; the assassins hadn't even taken action when Chen Ji slaughtered upon meeting them.

The Crown Prince reminded, "Mr. Chen, if you kill the wrong person, you might be impeached by the Imperial Censor."

"These days, if not a hundred impeachments, there are eighty against me," Chen Ji calmly replied, "Arrow quiver."

Duobao understood and removed his arrow quiver, throwing it across the distance.

However, at this moment, a row of windows on the second floor of the tavern by the roadside burst open. A mass of shadowy figures stood inside, loading bows and shooting arrows. Li Xuan's face changed: "Dodge!"

No one expected that in this Capital Territory, someone would bring out dozens of hard bows for an assassination. Nor did anyone expect that someone in the Capital Territory could actually bring out so many hard bows.

It's not the Military Intelligence Department; the Military Intelligence Department wouldn't act so recklessly!

In the next moment, the archers upstairs directed thirty percent of their shots at the carriage, thirty percent at Chen Ji, and the rest fired indiscriminately to suppress the Yulin Army.

The Yulin Army flipped off their horses simultaneously, using their warhorses to shield themselves.

Arrows rained down.

Over twenty feathered arrows turned the carriage where Princess Liyang and Yuan Cheng were into a porcupine, and a muffled groan of pain came from inside before it fell silent.

In the Yulin Army formation, the warhorses neighed, everyone hiding under the horses' bellies, unable to lift their heads under the rain of arrows.

As more than twenty feathered arrows aimed at Chen Ji, he leapt from his horse, with the Whale Blade in hand, and vaulted onto the tavern's first floor eaves into the windows.

The warhorse fell with a crash; the Crown Prince nearest to Chen Ji was hit in the thigh by an arrow, and he groaned as he fell off his horse.

...

...

The bright Whale Blade flashed through the window, and the rain of arrows inside paused.

Li Xuan looked up and saw Chen Ji's figure passing through one window after another, killing from south to north.

He shouted loudly, "Send me up there!"

Duobao made a bridge with his hands, allowing Li Xuan to step on them and leap up to the second floor. The remaining Yulin Army no longer cared about the carriage, drawing their swords and rushing into the tavern.

The street was left with the Crown Prince, clutching his leg, drenched in sweat, as no one paid him any mind. He could only struggle to move himself to the shadows by the roadside.

But at that moment, the wine banners hanging by the roadside ignited spontaneously, and in the firelight, golden talismans appeared on the banners, rolling out billows of black smoke.

The black smoke swirled in the air over the long street, forming the shape of the Eight Diagrams in the sky.

The black smoke screen descended, enveloping the long street in darkness. At the edges of the smoke screen, countless black hands reached out from the smoke wall, as if trying to drag people into the wall to tear them apart.

Qi Zhenzhuo was instantly shocked by this scene.

This wasn't the first time they had seen this smoke screen; the last time was in the Eight Great Hutongs, during the fight with Heji and Furui Xiang ruffians.

Qi Zhenzhuo looked at Duobao beside him, "It's the remaining members of the Chen family's second branch!"

During the internal conflict with the second branch, the Seeking Dao Realm Executive Officer never showed up. The officer who had set up the talismanic array in the Eight Great Hutongs didn't show, nor did Chen Guang, who had invited Chen Ji to the Mountain and River Altar to watch Chen Lizhi execute the second shopkeeper of the salt.

After the Five Mad Soldiers' assassination attempt, it ended with Wang Daosheng capturing Chen Wenren, and Chen Lizhi hanging himself. But knowing his defeat was certain, Chen Lizhi had already sent an officer to escort Chen Wende away.

Aunt Ping had said that many officials in the Imperial Capital used the secret paths in Changping to escape. It seems Chen Wende had not been captured because he relied on the complicated mine paths beneath Changping County.

Yet, Chen Wende didn't choose to leave. Instead, he hid in Changping.

At this moment, a figure in grey with a bamboo hat emerged from the corner. He ignored the smoke wall and didn't bother with the battle between the Yulin Army and the death soldiers of the Chen family's second branch, heading directly towards the carriage.

Si Caogui.

He reached the carriage and lifted the curtain, wanting to confirm whether Princess Liyang and Yuan Cheng were dead or alive.

Just as he lifted the curtain, a woman's hand reached out and firmly pressed against his chest.

Si Caogui tried to dodge, but the other party was a fraction quicker.

The palm print landed on Si Caogui's chest, his clothes at the back burst open with a roar, and amid the shattering fabric, a specter was blasted out of his body with that palm.

The specter wore no bamboo hat; it was Si Caogui's original appearance.

The person inside the carriage looked at the specter and sighed softly, "So it was you."

Si Caogui flew back a zhang, tumbling to the ground.

He got up, using the back of his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, a peculiar look flashing in his eyes: "So you really weren't dead..."