Chapter 525: A Notch Above |
The Trouble-Resolving Guard came too quickly, unusually fast.
Brother Pao narrowed his eyes. Beside Chen Ji, he said in a low voice: "From when we entered Wenyuan Bookstore to coming out again, it wasn't even the time of a single incense stick's effort. How did the Trouble-Resolving Guard come?"
Chen Ji stood still on his original spot, looking at the Trouble-Resolving Guard killing their way over from dozens of zhang away: "It proves someone has been guarding Lin Chaojing in the dark all along."
Today Chen Ji was like playing chess against an experienced and ruthless chess player. He was skilled at 'Managing Solitary Pieces and Swallowing Dragons', yet the other party calculated without a single missed stratagem. Before he even made a move, the other party had already thought clearly about what Chen Ji could do and what he would do, having prepared all backup plans early on.
Originally Chen Ji braved the risk of being tried and punished for his crimes, escorting Lin Chaojing to seek Meng Ji for a secret interrogation. As long as Meng Ji made a move, the truth would immediately come to light when the water receded (revealing the rocks).
If Chen Ji guessed correctly, then it would be ten thousand matters extremely auspicious. If he guessed incorrectly, then he would be exiled to Lingnan together with Brother Pao.
But Official Ding did not give him this opportunity, nor did he plan to let him leave Liulichang.
Chen Ji turned his head to look at Lin Chaojing: "But the faster the Trouble-Resolving Guard came, the more it proves we caught the right person."
Lin Chaojing was propped up suspended in mid-air by the Stick Bearers, yet remained entirely unafraid: "The Baron of Wuxiang County should still think about how to keep his life! Catching a Hanlin Bachelor from the Hanlin Academy without proof or evidence, do you know what the ending is?"
Brother Pao scratched his scalp: "I'm not skilled at this kind of matter. What do we do?"
Chen Ji walked forward: "Enter Wenchang Bookstore."
They hurried before the arrival of the Trouble-Resolving Guard, arriving before the doors of Wenchang Bookstore. Before waiting for Chen Ji to knock, the door was already opened.
Aunt Ping urged: "Come in. I will block them."
Chen Ji led Brother Pao drilling into Wenchang Bookstore, brushing shoulders with Aunt Ping as they passed: "Aunt Ping be careful of Lin Chaoqing. This person is a Path-Seeking Realm Practitioner."
Aunt Ping stood before the door. No longer disguising as the figure of Wenchang Bookstore's Patron, she straightened her waist: "Relax your heart."
Dozens of Trouble-Resolving Guards flipped off their horses. Among them one person said in a sunken voice: "The Baron of Wuxiang County colludes with Jing Dynasty spies, arbitrarily detaining Hanlin Bachelor Lin Chaojing. Immediately arrest him and bring him to justice, throwing him into the Imperial Prison! If there is resistance, kill without pardon!"
Chen Ji heard the voice and turned his head.
He only saw the Trouble-Resolving Guard drawing their sabers from sheaths, killing their way into Wenchang Bookstore. Yet Aunt Ping's back figure was firm like a pine tree. Between raising her hands and moving her feet, she blocked all of the Trouble-Resolving Guard's offensives.
A Trouble-Resolving Guard shouted in a low voice: "Path-Seeking Realm Practitioner!"
Chen Ji watched as shadows indistinctly swayed outside the door. The appearances of the Trouble-Resolving Guard were blocked by their Bamboo Hats; he could not distinguish whether Lin Chaoqing was inside or not.
He did not look much anymore, but instead took Lin Chaojing from the Stick Bearers' hands, carrying him and walking into the rear courtyard: "Interrogate him."
Er Dao asked: "How to interrogate?"
Brother Pao thought for a bit and said: "First pull out his fingernails and then speak."
Er Dao gave an 'oh' sound. Withdrawing a pair of iron pliers from his waist, he pressed down on Lin Chaojing's wrist, pulling out the fingernails piece by piece.
Lin Chaojing hurt until his heart tore and lungs split, yet did not beg for mercy, allowing sweat to wet his entire body's clothes: "Using Private Torture on a Hanlin Bachelor without a sliver of evidence... you guys think your lives are too long?"
Er Dao's hands did not stop. In just a few breaths he had finished pulling the left hand.
Chen Ji squatted before Lin Chaojing, asking in a concentrated voice: "Is Lin Chaoqing Official Ding, moniker Chang Jing?"
Lin Chaojing dripped with sweat, yet his speech was still tough as usual: "I had even thought what brilliant methods the Baron of Wuxiang County possessed. It's merely wishing to torture me into a confession before the Trouble-Resolving Guard breaks through here. Relax your heart. I will definitely carry this to the very end. As long as I carry it another two incense sticks of time, the one dying ought to be you."
Chen Ji waved his hand to Er Dao: "Continue pulling."
Er Dao completely pulled all the fingernails off both of Lin Chaojing's hands, hurting Lin Chaojing until his whole body shuddered. Er Dao then took off Lin Chaojing's Black Official Boots, pulling out his toenails all together as well.
This time, Lin Chaojing finally couldn't hold back wailing aloud.
Chen Ji stared fixedly at Lin Chaojing, continuing to say: "The Divine Palace Directorate Superintendent is not a person of the Military Intelligence Division. It was only after he was previously detained into the Imperial Prison by Lin Chaoqing that, under your elder brother Lin Chaoqing's intimidation by force and temptation by promise of gain, he came to do affairs for the Military Intelligence Division. Right or not right?"
The blue veins on Lin Chaojing's neck throbbed strongly: "Lord Chen acts entirely depending on conjecture? Where is the evidence?"
Chen Ji said to Er Dao: "Break all his fingers."
Er Dao gave an 'oh' sound. Like breaking chopsticks, he snapped all of Lin Chaojing's fingers.
Lin Chaojing said with a malevolent unyielding face: "Chen Ji, my elder brother will not let you off."
Chen Ji hummed an acknowledgement: "Just as the saying 'Under the might-killing staff there are no good men', an ordinary person suffering this cruel torture would have long cried for father and yelled for mother. Lord Lin can still conversely threaten me! If you are not a spy, who is? You guys assisting Wenyuan Bookstore to run a newspaper, presumably it is also in order to find a place for the Military Intelligence Division to transmit information."
Lin Chaojing sneered coldly: "The Baron of Wuxiang County has Exhausted his Tricks like the Guizhou Donkey."
Chen Ji rose: "Er Dao, break both his legs."
He again walked outward, yet saw Aunt Ping had already shut Wenchang Bookstore's main doors tight. Turning her head back, she said to him: "The Trouble-Resolving Guard did not come in great numbers. Since they couldn't attack in they retreated. Thinking upon it, they must be waiting for reinforcements to arrive before attacking again."
Chen Ji pondered and said: "Aunt Ping, you go."
Aunt Ping wrinkled her brows: "You again want to..."
Chen Ji interrupted Aunt Ping's words, saying solemnly: "This time, I am not having Aunt Ping place herself outside of the matter, but rather entrusting Aunt Ping to bring Lin Chaojing killing out, to go to Taiye Pool to seek Bai Long, to let Bai Long hand Lin Chaojing over to Meng Ji for interrogation. I am absolutely certain this person is a Military Intelligence Division spy. Only when Meng Ji interrogates the results out can the situation be broken. I will charge out in a moment to attract the Trouble-Resolving Guard's attention. Aunt Ping, you just take advantage of the chaos to leave from the back. I entrust this to you!"
Aunt Ping took a deep breath of air: "What if the Trouble-Resolving Guard takes advantage of the chaos to kill you?"
Chen Ji shook his head: "Aunt Ping, I am the Baron of Wuxiang County. The Trouble-Resolving Guard also lacks the authority to kill me. It must first be the royal court stripping away my noble title for it to be fine. If the Trouble-Resolving Guard rashly kills me, they all will have to be buried in accompaniment. Lin Chaoqing has also just come to Capital City not long ago. The people within the Trouble-Resolving Guard willing to accompany him to plot rebellion and revolt are not many. Wait until after you leave and I will just submit to arrest with hands tied. They won't kill me."
Aunt Ping asked again: "Then what if Lin Chaoqing personally makes a move? In his view, you protecting Princess Liyang to send Yuan Cheng back to the Jing Dynasty, and also plotting to kill Official Gui, you are already a great disease in the core (mortal threat) of the Military Intelligence Division. If there is an opportunity to kill you, he definitely will not miss it."
Chen Ji grinned and smiled: "Aunt Ping, life and death are decreed by fate."
Aunt Ping looked at him deeply for a glance, turning around and walking toward the rear courtyard: "Alright, I will definitely bring Lin Chaojing alive before Bai Long."
However, right at this time, an even more hurried sound of galloping horse hooves suddenly transmitted outside the courtyard. The Trouble-Resolving Guard's reinforcements completely surrounded Wenchang Bookstore.
But the Trouble-Resolving Guard did not charge inside killing. Instead, they shot Crossbow Bolts over from outside.
Pine resin wrapped around the arrowheads of the Crossbow Bolts, burning with raging fire. One by one the Crossbow Bolts nailed onto the doors and windows. The white paper windows ignited upon meeting the fire, burning up a roaring great fire.
Chen Ji's pupils suddenly contracted.
Outside from the courtyard transmitted the Trouble-Resolving Guard's shouts of killing: "The Baron of Wuxiang County deliberately plotted rebellion! Arrest him and bring him to justice!"
Aunt Ping turned her head back to look at him: "It's too late. The Trouble-Resolving Guard has completely surrounded this place, and there are raging fires on all four sides. Even I couldn't charge out killing."
About to be defeated.
In the end, it was still Official Ding who was A Notch Above.
Chen Ji stood amidst the firelight, the firelight madly dancing in his eyes. The suspicious clues one by one since entering the capital resurfaced in his mind once again.
Where was the evidence of the Military Intelligence Division?
Chen Ji had flipped through books in Wenchang Bookstore for a month yet never once found a trace of the Military Intelligence Division transmitting messages. Then through what channel did the other party rely on to transmit messages in Capital City?
Amidst the firelight, Chen Ji abruptly raised his head, rapidly running toward the rear courtyard.
Aunt Ping's expression shifted: "What's wrong?"
She followed Chen Ji to the rear courtyard, watching helplessly as Chen Ji tore off the hem of his clothes to cover his mouth and nose, charging into the sea of fire.
Aunt Ping was anxious: "What are you doing?"
She subconsciously went to pull Chen Ji's arm. She only heard the sleeve give a tearing noise and break apart. Even if the sleeve tore apart, it couldn't retain Chen Ji.
Aunt Ping could only helplessly watch Chen Ji charge into the midmost of Wenchang Bookstore's storeroom, his figure submerged by the roaring fire on the doors and windows.
Brother Pao was stupefied: "Has the Patron gone crazy? What is inside there?"
Aunt Ping recalled and said: "Only the carved blocks that Wenchang Bookstore has used before..."
Before the sound of her words fell, she only saw Wenchang Bookstore's main door being smashed into pieces by someone, wood splinters flying in all directions.
The Trouble-Resolving Guard drew the Horizontal Sabers from behind their waists, surging inward to kill: "Arrest the Baron of Wuxiang County!"
Aunt Ping said in a sunken voice to Brother Pao: "Go hide behind me!"
Aunt Ping stood before the door of the main room leading to the rear courtyard, one person blocking all paths of arrival.
A Trouble-Resolving Guard charged killing to close range, slashing over with a single saber slash. Aunt Ping smacked her palm on the body of the blade, yet the saber seemed to stick to her palm instead, traveling along the power of her palm strike.
Aunt Ping guided the body of the blade with her left hand, pulling the Trouble-Resolving Guard before her. Her right hand pressed a palm strike onto the other party's chest. The Trouble-Resolving Guard spat out a mouthful of blood. The coir raincoat on his back was actually pierced through by this palm strike, bursting out a hole.
She did not use Eight Trigrams Swimming Dragon, nor did she strike at the Trouble-Resolving Guard's soul. She only used the purest martial arts to face the enemy.
The Trouble-Resolving Guard before Aunt Ping slowly collapsed. She carried the Trouble-Resolving Guard's long blade into her own hands, Glaring like a Tiger looking at the dense dark mass of Trouble-Resolving Guards within the bookstore's main hall.
Someone behind the Trouble-Resolving Guard shouted in a high voice: "Use crossbows!"
The dense dark mass of Trouble-Resolving Guards unfastened the crossbows and bolts at their waists, shooting in volleys toward Aunt Ping like a torrential downpour of heavy rain.
Aunt Ping had no alternative but to flash her body to evade, yet yielded the pathway leading toward the rear courtyard.
For a time, the Trouble-Resolving Guards charged inside, Fierce And Unafraid Of Death. Over a dozen people advanced wave upon wave, surrounding Aunt Ping in the middle. Another six people killed their way toward Brother Pao, shouting loudly: "Submit to arrest with your hands tied and there is still a path of life! Otherwise kill without pardon!"
Brother Pao turned his head to look at the sea of fire. The raging fire first burned up the doors and windows, and now had already thoroughly burned into the room. But he could faintly still see a human shadow swaying inside. Chen Ji seemed to be looking for something.
Brother Pao gritted his teeth, rolling up his sleeves and saying to Er Dao: "Risk it all against them!"
He lifted Lin Chaojing, clutching him into his embrace. Using a dagger pressed against the other party's jaw, he roared angrily: "Every motherfucking one of you step back for this Laozi! Otherwise this Laozi will do him to death right now!"
The Trouble-Resolving Guard pressed closer step by step holding their sabers, in a fan shape forcing Brother Pao and the others to retreat step by step.
Brother Pao could even feel the waves of fire surging over from behind him, scorching his back hot... he could no longer retreat.
In the nick of time, Chen Ji's figure charged out from the sea of fire. In his embrace he still hugged a dozen-plus Pearwood Carved Blocks with scorched edges: "The evidence of Lin Chaoqing and Lin Chaojing colluding with the enemy and betraying the country is right here. Apprehend and stand down!"
(End of this chapter)