Green Mountain-Chapter 552 - 414: The Counterattack

In the main room, Liao Zhong was half-sitting, half-leaning in the corner of the kang, resting cautiously with his back fully hidden at the base of the wall.

He was too tired.

From the spring hunt to now, he was severely injured, sleepless and anxious, not daring to close his eyes for a moment.

And at this moment, even while sleeping, he was tightly gripping Ping Er’s wrist, while Ping Er, after eating the sorghum candy from his sleeves, had fallen into a deep, quiet sleep without crying or fussing.

Outside the main room, the woman’s tears flowed uncontrollably, yet she dared not make a sound.

She held the man’s arm, displaying a pleading look, mouthing silently, "Save Ping Er."

The man slowly shook his head.

Liao Zhong was an Executive Officer of the Seeking Dao Realm, even severely injured, how could they handle him? Not to mention, Ping Er was right by Liao Zhong’s side; even a slight misstep would be fatal for Ping Er.

Suddenly, a muffled groan of pain came from the main room, as if Liao Zhong had touched his wound in his sleep.

The man, deep in thought, fetched a packet of medicine from the side room and whispered to the woman, "I’ll go tend to his wounds. Now that we’re all in the same boat, the sooner he recovers, the sooner he leaves."

The woman seemed to think of something, she took out a small bottle from her sleeve and murmured, "Mix this in."

The man shook his head, "He’ll test the medicine on Ping Er."

The woman resolutely said, "Then I’ll cut my own arm to test the medicine, the effect will take four hours, by then I’ll die with him, as long as you and Ping Er can survive..."

The man sighed, "It’s impossible."

He took a deep breath and strode into the main room, respectfully saying, "My lord, I have here a herbal medicine from the Spy Department, it contains Dragon Tooth Grass, White Mallow Root, and more..."

Liao Zhong slowly opened his eyes from sleep.

He was curled up in the kang corner, with sweat soaking his hair, extremely weak.

He ignored the medicine in the man’s hand and spoke to himself, "Lord Li, I dreamed I returned to sixteen years ago, the first day I met the Crown Prince. On the eighth day of the second month of the sixteenth year of Jianing, it was also early spring chill. That year, the Crown Prince seemed to be only twelve years old?"

"I was the second place scholar appointed by the late Emperor at Jianji Hall, just because my father recklessly discussed politics after drinking, all the men in our family were punished with castration and sent to Lingnan, the women sent to the Imperial Music Bureau. On the way to Lingnan, the Liao Family members died from exhaustion and hunger, by the time I reached Lingnan, I was the only one left, only permitted to return to the capital in the sixteenth year of Jianing. I left as a young and graceful man, but returned with gray hair at the temples."

"On the day I returned to the capital, a female servant led me through a long corridor, I saw the Crown Prince wearing an ink-fox large cloak, looking as if he stepped out of a painting. As soon as the Crown Prince saw me, he took off the cloak and draped it over my shoulders, then ordered someone to whip my back fifty times with a thorny stick until it was bloody and raw."

"I was bewildered, but the Crown Prince asked me if I could redress the wrongs of the Liao family for the late Emperor and if, when he ascended the throne, he could clear the Liao family’s grievances. I knelt at the Crown Prince’s feet, tears streaming down my face. The Crown Prince then asked what my wish was. I said, ’Please have all the women of my family in the Imperial Music Bureau killed, lest they continue to bring shame upon the Liao family.’"

Liao Zhong rambled on incoherently, while the man holding the medicine packet felt a chill to his core.

Liao Zhong’s lips were pale, yet his gaze was still like a wolf as he looked at the medicine packet in the man’s hand, "I say these things to remind Lord Li, if you and your wife have any other thoughts, I wouldn’t mind killing a child. You bring out this medicine, no matter what’s in it, I’ll test it on Ping Er."

As he spoke, his left hand twitched, a dagger fell into his hand from the sleeve, about to cut Ping Er’s arm.

"My lord, wait," the man quickly cut a line on his arm with a kitchen knife, letting the blood flow freely from the wound.

He spoke frankly, "My lord, the medicine truly has no problem, I’m willing to test it on myself, if my lord doesn’t trust, observe for a day and night before using it. I have no other motives, I only ask for a chance for our family of three to survive after my lord recovers from serious injury and heads to Datong early."

The man opened the medicine packet, poured the powder on the wound.

Then knelt on the ground, bowing heavily three times.

Liao Zhong looked at the man kneeling before him, unmoved, "I’ve never trusted anyone in my life, I didn’t trust you yesterday, I won’t trust you today, and I definitely won’t trust you tomorrow. I dare use the child to manipulate you and your wife because I know how much you value the child, so I never underestimate your determination to save your child."

He stared sinisterly at the man, "I am an Executive Officer of the Seeking Dao Realm, even without medicine, this wound would eventually heal, though it would ache for a bit longer. Withdraw now, without my summon, don’t come in again, or I’ll gouge out Ping Er’s eyes. Rest assured, I’m merely staying here temporarily, when the Jiefan Guard and Spy Department leave, I will naturally depart. No one expected I’d dare stay here, as long as you two don’t make a fuss, everyone will survive."

At this moment, Ping Er woke up slowly, Liao Zhong asked with a smile, "Ping Er, would you like a pair of wooden eyes carved by Uncle?"

...

...

By the Yongding River, Chen Ji and Mrs. Lu stood side by side.

Chen Ji looked at the slow-flowing river, "If Su Zhou is smart enough, she will realize we haven’t gone far, otherwise, the small boat wouldn’t drift so far downstream... she might even come back."

Mrs. Lu calmly said, "Don’t worry, she’s not that smart."

In the thick fog of midnight, when Mrs. Lu promised to help Chen Ji catch Liao Zhong, the small boat silently turned back towards the mine path from which they came.

Chen Ji gazed at Mrs. Lu, "Why are we coming back?"

Mrs. Lu explained from the riverbank, "I initially intended to trick you into going to Datong. There, we could attack or retreat as needed, and if things went south, we could always leave the Ning Dynasty. But now that I promised to help you catch Liao Zhong, we have to return to Changping to capture him... because Liao Zhong must still be in Changping County."

Chen Ji was somewhat surprised, "Why?"

Pride tinged Mrs. Lu’s words, "Not everyone can leave Changping at this moment, I wager that Liao Zhong can’t either."

Chen Ji understood suddenly.

Mrs. Lu continued to speculate, "Liao Zhong is insidious, extremely skilled in endurance. I guess he’ll stay in Changping County until the storm blows over, but you can’t wait that long. The Spy Department and Jiefan Guard have been diverted, we’ll catch him in Changping."

To the south of Yongding River, the midday sun was intense.

Reflecting on yesterday’s events, Aunt Ping first leisurely strolled through Capital Grain Storage and then calmly escaped during the encirclement, leaving preparations at every step.

He decided to trust Aunt Ping.

But...

Chen Ji turned to look at the mine tunnel: "Aunt Ping, how do we get back to Changping County?"

Mrs. Lu also looked back at the mine tunnel, hesitating.

Chen Ji suddenly became certain that it was indeed a last-minute decision by Aunt Ping, otherwise, she wouldn’t have erased all the marks in the mine tunnel...

The two remained silent for a long time; this was the first mistake "Aunt Ping" had made.

Mrs. Lu thought for a moment and said, "This time, we’ll go back through the main gate."

Chen Ji frowned: "Through the main gate?"

Mrs. Lu affirmed: "Through the main gate." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

At dusk.

Chen Ji and Mrs. Lu walked side by side on the official road, both using a piece of gray cloth as a scarf to cover their mouths and noses, shielding from the pervasive dust of the northern spring day.

In front of Changping County city gate.

Inside the city, merchants were lined up waiting to exit, and outside, only the two of them were walking towards the city.

In the archway of the city gate stood over a dozen spies, carefully inspecting the passes of all passersby, then comparing with the wanted documents’ images, allowing passage only when there were no discrepancies.

Chen Ji looked up and saw dozens of garrison soldiers from Changping County standing atop the city gate, holding crossbows.

Mrs. Lu approached the city gate calmly and unruffled, while Chen Ji, though appearing calm, tensed his body.

Mrs. Lu glanced at him: "No need to be nervous, no one expects you to dare come back to Changping County."

As they got closer, a spy glanced at them: "Pass."

As he spoke, six spies had already surrounded them, enclosing them in the center, some silently reaching for the hand crossbows hanging from their waists, others grasping their sword hilts.

This was entirely different from what Mrs. Lu had said; the spies didn’t miss any opportunity regardless of whether entering or leaving the city.

In the minds of all the spies, there was only one thing, to gain merit.

Sparrow Rank rises to Pigeon Level, Pigeon Level rises to Hai Dongqing, Hai Dongqing rises to Twelve Signs, only by becoming a member of the Twelve Signs can one obtain the official gateway of the Seeking Dao Realm.

Chen Ji took slow breaths, balancing his body, ready to spring into action at any time.

If a fight breaks out, capture one person first, then raise the body to shield against overhead arrows, and flee north.

Just as he was observing the retreat route, Mrs. Lu unexpectedly took out a Hai Dongqing domino from her sleeve and held it up to the spies: "On Lord Bai Long’s orders, here for a covert investigation."

Chen Ji was startled in his heart.

A Hai Dongqing domino? He also had one, identical to the one in Mrs. Lu’s hand.

The spies scrutinized the domino closely, seeing the twelve characters engraved on it: "Imperial Inspection, Major Matters Report, Minor Matters Decide Immediately."

All six spies were taken aback: "How many strokes in ’Chang’? Return order."

Mrs. Lu answered casually: "Sun beneath without mountain."

This was not the end, as Mrs. Lu countered: "How many layers in a rat’s hole? Return order."

The spies hurriedly replied: "Bottom of the urn see ten... So you are indeed Lord Hai Dongqing. We apologize, Lord Bai Long did not inform us beforehand, hence we did not know of your presence and have offended you."

Mrs. Lu said calmly: "No harm. Have you found Chen Ji and Liao Zhong’s traces?"

Inside the gate arch, the spies lowered their heads in shame: "Reporting to you, not yet."

Mrs. Lu’s tone was stern: "Lord Bai Long suspects that the fugitives are still in Changping County. If there is any news, report immediately to Lin Mansion, Clothes Washing Lane, Gongji Square. Anyone harboring them will have their entire family implicated."

The spies cupped their fists and said: "Yes!"

Mrs. Lu led Chen Ji swaggering into the city, brushing past the merchants queued to leave the city, all of whom averted their eyes, not daring to meet the gaze of the ’big figures’ from the Spy Department.

It wasn’t until then that Chen Ji was still somewhat dazed, had they really entered just like that?

Once they were some distance away, he couldn’t help but ask with curiosity: "How do you have a Hai Dongqing domino? Are you a spy from the Ritual Supervision?"

Mrs. Lu took out the domino again: "This? It’s not hard to carve one myself."

Chen Ji was puzzled: "Then how do you know the Spy Department’s passwords?"

Mrs. Lu glanced at him but didn’t reveal much: "I have my ways."

Chen Ji pressed further: "What if it was exposed?"

Mrs. Lu said nonchalantly: "Just run, with Bai Long not being here, they can’t stop me."