Aoyama

Chapter 423 Traces of the Jianghu

The courtyard quieted down, but Bai Long didn't leave.

Bao Hou asked in a low voice, "Sir, if we just let them go like this, how will we explain it to the imperial court?"

Bai Long didn't care: "It's enough to explain to the Grand Chancellor. There's no need to explain to anyone else. Strange, why is the Black Serpent so slow?"

He held out his hand: "Give it to me."

The monkey obediently handed over the bamboo strips and tattered bamboo paper. The white dragon casually said, "Bamboo paper can't be used to make kites. It will fall apart in the wind. Get silk instead."

"Oh," Bao Hou climbed over the wall to the next house, and when he came back, he was carrying a stack of colorful silk cloths, which were used to clean the coffin in Ninghuang Mausoleum.

The bamboo strips seemed to come alive in Bai Long's hands, and in just a dozen breaths, they were woven into the outline of a macaque holding its baby. Bai Long picked up a red thread from the sewing box and threaded it through the eye of a needle.

The monkey watched longingly as the white dragon made a kite, and just then, a commotion finally came from the secret passage.

The spies filed out, swords at their sides, alert to their surroundings. When they saw Bai Long sitting in the courtyard, they were terrified: "Sir, we've come here to pursue a wanted criminal..."

Without even raising his head, Bai Long continued sewing the kite: "At this snail's pace in arresting criminals, they could easily go home, have a meal, take a bath, change their clothes, and then escape."

The spy knelt on the ground in a panic: "Your subordinate deserves to die!"

Bai Long ignored them and simply picked up the red kite in his hand: "Alright!"

He handed the kite to Baohou, then finally looked at the spies: "Where is Xuanshe?"

The spy whispered, "The master is still behind us."

"Then let's wait for him."

Half an incense stick later, the black serpent leaped out of the secret passage with its arms hanging down. The moment it saw the white dragon, its face turned ashen.

Why is the White Dragon here?

The black snake made a gesture to bow, but the white dragon waved his hand dismissively and teased, "I know your hands are not convenient, so there's no need to bow."

"Thank you, sir." Xuan She bowed her head.

In that instant, a series of thoughts flashed through his mind, as if connecting all the things together.

He was initially misled by the clues and chased after the direction of Guyuan, but was called back by Bailong's men halfway there.

Upon his return, half of his trusted followers had been killed in battle, and he himself had inexplicably run into two Dao Seeking Realm Grand Masters, losing both of his arms. The losses were devastating!
Looking back now, it's clear that Bai Long deliberately brought me back to punish me through the hands of others.

The black snake looked up at the white dragon.

Bai Long smiled and said, "Have you figured it out?"

Xuan She hesitated for a moment: "I understand, my lord..."

Bai Long said calmly, "I told you not to rush, but you wouldn't listen. His Majesty's scribes have changed one after another, but when has the seal of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs ever changed?"

The black snake trembled and said, "This humble servant knows his mistake."

The next moment, a divine and demonic resonance emanated from beneath the wooden monkey mask of the precious monkey: "Kill or not!"

The Monkey King turned to the White Dragon: "My lord, should we kill those who break their promises?"

The loud voice boomed like a great bell, causing the spies to cover their ears and look pained.

The black serpent dared not raise its head; it was now like a fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others: "This humble servant knows its mistake!"

Bai Long raised his hand to stop Bao Hou from speaking, and said earnestly to Xuan She, "Don't be so quick to switch sides. Someone once told me that in this capital, rules and interests don't matter; what matters is whose side you're on. Xuan She, I'll spare your life this time because of your great contributions to the Inner Chancellor, but you won't be so lucky next time."

Xuan She slammed his forehead heavily onto the ground: "Thank you for sparing my life, my lord! I will go and kill Wu Xuange right away, to give you and the Grand Chancellor an explanation!"

Bai Long shook his head: "Who can you kill with those hands now? Stop talking nonsense and do some practical things for the Grand Chancellor."

Xuan She dared not refute, but only whispered tentatively, "Is Chen Ji someone that the master planted in the Chen family?"

While playing with his kite, Bao Hou secretly glanced at Bai Long, while the other spies stood in the courtyard with their heads down, not daring to look up.

The white dragon slowly rose, looking down at the black serpent with a condescending gaze: "Since when did it become your place to speculate about me?"

Xuan She hurriedly said, "This humble servant has no other meaning. It's just that Wu Xuange parted ways with this humble servant after leaving Changping County. He didn't go to Guyuan, but instead led hundreds of Jie Fan Guards to guard outside the capital... If Chen Ji wants to clear his name, he must bring Liao Zhong back to the capital. As long as we wait outside the capital, we will eventually be able to wait for him."

With over a hundred guards to relieve troubles, Chen Ji alone could not possibly defeat them.

There is no doubt that he will die.

The question of the Black Serpent is actually very crucial.

If Bai Long cares about Chen Ji's life or death, it means that Chen Ji is very important to Bai Long, and this can be used to deduce Bai Long's true identity; if Bai Long doesn't care about Chen Ji's life or death, it means that Bai Long's previous confrontation with the Crown Prince and Jie Fanwei was just to use the Chen Ji matter to thwart the Crown Prince and Wu Xiu.

Xuan She tentatively said, "This subordinate will immediately lead men to rescue them..."

Bai Long smiled, turned and walked out: "My secret service is not some servant of the Chen family, why should we care about him? Everyone stay in Changping to clean this place up and put out the fire, lest the censor find something to use against us."

The black serpent was stunned, unable to fathom the white dragon's thoughts for a moment.

Bai Long stepped out, mounted his horse, turned it around, and slowly rode into the city.

After Bai Long walked away, a spy tried to help Xuan She, who was kneeling on the ground, but Xuan She gave him a cold look, which frightened the spy into retreating.

Xuan She rose alone, letting the secret agent brush the dust off his knees. He watched the departing figures of Bai Long and Bao Hou, his eyes calm as a deep pool, lost in thought.

In Changping County, Bailong slowly patrolled the streets, unhurried and unhurried.

Bao Hou rode alongside Bai Long, his hoarse voice, hidden beneath a mask, speaking steadily: "My lord, does the Grand Chancellor know that you have joined forces with Deng Huo? The Grand Chancellor has always disliked the martial world, and those who use martial arts to break the law..."

Bai Long glanced at him sideways: "When did the Grand Chancellor stop liking the martial world?"

Bao Hou recalled, "The Grand Chancellor once said that he wanted to eradicate nine-tenths of the chivalrous spirit in the world."

Bai Long said meaningfully, "Didn't you still leave one portion?"

The Monkey King was taken aback. The White Dragon laughed heartily: "You all don't understand the inner workings. The martial world he desires is one where the false is discarded, the dross is removed, and all those who seek fame and fortune are wiped out."

A woman's voice came from beneath the monkey mask: "Sir, are you really not going to save that boy? We can go in your place and we will never let the Black Serpent know. You said we are your friends."

Bai Long turned and stared at Bao Hou for a moment, then said nonchalantly, "No need, he has his own world."

……

……

Traces of the past extend southward along the official road.

Liao Zhong was still unconscious on his saddle. Chen Ji, alone on two horses, returned to the capital at top speed, traveling from dawn to noon, and then from noon to sunset.

Just as the outline of the capital city appeared on the horizon, a group of dozens of people lined up on the official road, wearing straw raincoats and bamboo hats, their dark figures resembling mountains.

Jie Fanwei, Wu Xuange.

The guards' piercing gazes were hidden beneath their straw hats, like swords concealed in their sheaths.

Chen Ji slowed his horse and quietly looked at the "mountain" in front of him. Jie Fanwei took out a copper whistle and blew it to sound like a falcon. He looked back and heard the sound of horses' hooves in the distance behind him, and a line of black lines on the horizon pressed in.

Wu Xuange laid a trap here, never intending to let Chen Ji return to the capital alive.

Chen Ji turned his warhorse and rode back and forth on the official road, observing the surrounding terrain.

Hundreds of health workers relieved their worries.

There is only one of him.

Wu Xuange calmly and loudly said, "Lord Chen, stop doing pointless things and surrender."

Chen Ji ignored him, and simply stopped his horse and silently looked up at the sky.

Sometimes, he wondered if it was just his imagination or if it was real. He always felt that the sky in the capital wasn't as blue as in Luoyang, and the clouds weren't as white.

In short, it's not good-looking.

We should get that lance back...

Chen Ji silently lowered his head and used his left hand and teeth to tighten the bandage on his forearm.

The next moment, he spurred his warhorse and charged towards the dozens of people in front of him.

Wu Xuange stopped his horse and stood quietly watching Chen Ji's charging momentum. He narrowed his eyes slightly, then suddenly drew his waist knife from under his raincoat and pointed it at Chen Ji: "Kill him without mercy!"

But at this moment.

The sound of hooves also came from behind Wu Xuange. He turned around and saw more than fifty men dressed in plain clothes galloping towards him.

On the official road, dust billowed up behind the men and flew into the sky.

These men arrived extremely quickly. Only when they got close did Wu Xuange realize that they were Li Xuan, Qi Zhenzhuo, Duo Bao, Lin Yanchu, and others.

The Imperial Guards were the emperor's personal guards; to leave the camp without authorization, donning armor and carrying weapons, was a grave crime of treason. Yet Li Xuan and his men arrived in plain clothes, clearly disregarding their status as Imperial Guards.

Wu Xuange sneered, "The Jie Fan Guard is here to apprehend the wanted criminal. All irrelevant personnel, please stand aside!"

Li Xuan shouted, "Lord Wu, we are just passing by. Our horse has been startled and we can't control it. Please make way!"

Wu Xuange pointed his longsword at the enemy, furious: "Take another step forward, and I will kill you without mercy! You're just a bunch of spoiled brats, how dare you test my might?"

Qi Zhenzhuo urged his warhorse to speed up again, slowly overtaking Li Xuan. He roared at Wu Xuange, "Try it! My head is right here. If you can take it, you can have it!"

The distance of a hundred zhang was covered in an instant, and more than fifty Imperial Guards arrived at the front of the battle before Chen Ji.

Wu Xuange snarled, "I don't believe they dare to harm Jie Fanwei! Take them all down..."

Before he finished speaking, Qi Zhenzhuo had already charged into the battle formation of Jie Fanwei!

There was a bang.

The two horses collided, both neighing loudly as they fell to the ground. Qi Zhenzhuo then leaped into the Jiefan Guard.

One by one, the Imperial Guards' warhorses clashed with the Jie Fan Guards' warhorses, like towering waves crashing together, turning the battle formation into a chaotic mess!
Both sides chose to dismount and fight on foot. A guard swung his sword, but Li Xuan caught the blade with both hands: "Let go!"

The blade in Jie Fanwei's hand was simply taken away!
Li Xuan seized the sword and charged into the battle formation, completely disrupting the Jie Fan Guard's formation. The Seeking Dao Realm official moved through the battle formation as if it were empty.

Behind him, Duo Bao and Lin Yanchu were unarmed and could only hold Jie Fanwei's knife-wielding hand, pushing him to the sides of the official road.

Wu Xuange suddenly realized that the Imperial Guards were trying to forcefully repel the Jie Fan Guards to make way for Chen Ji.

He ignored the Imperial Guards and rushed towards the official road, intending to block Chen Ji's path.

Before he could take two steps, Wu Xuange suddenly felt unable to move. He turned around and saw Li Xuan grabbing his clothes from behind in the crowd.

Just then, Chen Ji arrived alone, carrying Liao Zhong on two horses. He watched as the Imperial Guards fought the Jie Fan Guards on the official road, and managed to clear a path for him: "You..."

Li Xuan grabbed Wu Xuange and roared at Chen Ji, "Don't worry about us! Go! Today we'll be famous throughout the world!"

Chen Ji was slightly taken aback.

These were the words he had said to Li Xuan in Guyuan, and now the other party had returned them verbatim.

"Thank you." Chen Ji rushed across the battlefield without stopping.

Unable to break free from Li Xuan, Wu Xuange angrily threw his long sword at the hoof of Chen Ji's warhorse. The sword spun in the air and severed the horse's front hoof as well.

The warhorse lost its front hooves and tumbled headfirst into the ground.

At the critical moment, Chen Ji braced himself on the saddle with both hands, leaped into the air, flipped over in mid-air, and landed on Liao Zhong's horse, then rode away without looking back.

(End of this chapter)