Green Mountain-Chapter 557 - 419: Jianghu

Chen Ji looked back.

The war horse galloped, the sea of fire already behind him.

He seemed to return to the night in Luocheng City, climbing over the courtyard wall on the ladder made by Yun Yang’s hands, running for their lives with a group of spies with the Liu Family in hot pursuit.

Since then, he became a non-returning guest in the Jianghu.

Chen Ji urged his horse to sprint, still holding the reins of another horse, Liao Zhong was tightly bound on the horse’s back, unconscious.

Mrs. Lu leaned on the horse’s back, the wind occasionally lifting the black veil of her hat, revealing the scar crossing her nose bridge.

Chen Ji glanced back, seeing no Jiefan Guard pursuing, he couldn’t help but say to Mrs. Lu: "I’m sorry for dragging you into being hunted as well."

Mrs. Lu responded without turning her head: "It’s fine, it’s been years since I’ve been hunted, it’s quite novel."

Chen Ji pondered silently for a moment: "Why help me?"

He had already given the Long Whale’s clue to this Aunt Ping, and they had only known each other for a day, the other party could have just walked away.

But she didn’t.

Mrs. Lu glanced at him sidelong: "In the Jianghu, there’s not always a why."

Chen Ji couldn’t help but smile.

Jianghu.

Those two words seemed inherently romantic, they could explain many sudden affections, and obscure many baseless hatreds.

Chen Ji asked curiously: "Aunt Ping, what is Jianghu?"

Mrs. Lu seemed reluctant to answer this question, casually asked: "Was that the Spy Department’s Twelve Signs’ Jiao Tu just now?"

Chen Ji answered while galloping: "Yes, it’s her."

"The other person on the roof should be Yun Yang, those two are always inseparable," Mrs. Lu frowned and asked: "Why are you tangled up with the Eunuch Party?"

Chen Ji fell into memories.

Yes, why did he get involved with the Eunuch Party?

He smiled and answered: "To survive."

Mrs. Lu was slightly taken aback, looking at Chen Ji covered in blood, almost dyeing his gray clothes black.

She paused for a moment: "Cooperating with the Eunuch Party is like plotting with a tiger, those who come out of Wunian Mountain are never good. Especially the Twelve Signs..."

This time, Chen Ji seriously retorted: "Aunt Ping, there are good people among the Twelve Signs."

Mrs. Lu was shocked, this was the first time Chen Ji had seriously argued with her... but who was the good person Chen Ji was referring to?

At this point, the two could already see the East City Gate from afar, but the garrison soldiers on the city wall saw them riding fast, immediately moved the chains, and closed the gate.

The city gate slammed shut, and the iron gate inside also fell down.

Changping County, as one of the northern barriers of the Capital Territory, had extremely sturdy gates. Once they fell, it was impossible to force them open, not even a cannon could blast them apart.

Inside the gate, over a dozen spies mounted their horses, drew hand crossbows hanging from their waists, and came forward. Some even took out a copper whistle and blew it vigorously.

Magpie, two sounds: encirclement!

"Halt!"

Mrs. Lu and Chen Ji tightened their reins simultaneously, this path was blocked off.

She looked around the street, then turned her horse’s head and plunged into a small alley to the north: "This way."

In the alley, there were bamboo poles set up by citizens to dry clothes. Mrs. Lu bent low to avoid the clothes on the poles, not forgetting to remind Chen Ji: "Don’t think about luring the pursuers alone, today I will definitely get you out of the city!"

Chen Ji remained silent.

They had just galloped a hundred feet north when they heard the sound of approaching horse hooves from the north.

They hadn’t yet seen the figures, but could already hear the sound of hooves pounding against the white walls and gray tiles, deep and powerful like drums.

Mrs. Lu turned her horse east again: "This way!"

Chen Ji just planned to turn his horse west, leading Liao Zhong to divert the pursuing soldiers.

Mrs. Lu shouted angrily: "When did you develop this bad habit? Come over!"

Chen Ji reluctantly turned his horse and followed.

They ran a few streets to the east, but from the east came the rolling sound of hooves.

Mrs. Lu tugged at the reins, spinning her horse on the long street, carefully distinguishing the surrounding hoofbeats, but after spinning three or four times, she couldn’t find a way out.

Surrounded on all sides, further away, the sound of copper whistles rose and fell.

Mrs. Lu gripped the reins tightly, said in a deep voice: "I’ll open a gap for you from the south later, you take Liao Zhong southwards, don’t look back."

Chen Ji carelessly said: "And you?"

Mrs. Lu was silent for two breaths: "Once you’re gone, I’ll find my own way to escape, there is still a mine tunnel here in Changping County, can escape the city."

Chen Ji grinned and said: "Then why don’t we go through this mine tunnel together?"

Mrs. Lu was speechless.

At this point, over a dozen spies pursued, firing their hand crossbows from a distance.

More than ten arrows were shot towards Chen Ji, one unexpectedly shot towards Liao Zhong.

Their purpose was extremely clear, even if they couldn’t kill Chen Ji, killing Liao Zhong would be just as effective, since if Liao Zhong died there would be no evidence.

Can’t let Liao Zhong return to the Imperial Capital for trial.

At the critical moment, Chen Ji leaped to Liao Zhong’s horse, kicking away the cold arrow for him, but his own war horse was turned into a target, collapsing with a loud crash, stirring up clouds of dust.

What to do?

Chen Ji’s patterned sword seed stirred restlessly.

Suddenly, a voice came from another street to the south, like the shout of bandits descending the mountain: "Got hurt?"

Mrs. Lu was startled, this was someone asking if she was hurt.

While dodging the crossbow arrows, she shouted angrily across the street: "Get lost! Or I’ll shave your bald head!"

Someone on the neighboring street laughed heartily: "How could I? Overturn mountains and seas!"

Mrs. Lu urged the newcomer to leave, or their relationship would be severed and they’d never contact again, but the other party didn’t care, wanting to make a big move!

Seeing that persuasion was futile, Mrs. Lu stopped hesitating and shouted to Chen Ji: "Follow me!"

She spurred her horse and slipped into a narrow alley, heading south to rendezvous with reinforcements.

The crossbow arrows of the Spies pursued the two, intertwining. The blade in Chen Ji’s hand swept through, causing the arrows to clatter to the ground.

Just as the two exited the alley, they saw two gray-robed, masked figures wearing bamboo hats locked in combat with the Spies.

One of the slender gray-robed figures abandoned his warhorse and lunged at the Spies.

The Spy drew his sword to slash, but the gray-robed figure somehow lifted off again mid-air, as if he had stepped on an invisible ladder, soaring over the Spy’s head and landing gently behind him.

It was as if the two of them were riding a horse together, perfectly in harmony.

The gray-robed figure laughed heartily and patted the Spy’s shoulder, "Brother, I’m right behind you!"

The Spy wanted to stab backwards with his hand, but the gray-robed figure’s hooked knife, no longer than a palm, sliced across his neck, spraying blood.

This hooked knife spun in the gray-robed figure’s hand like a crescent moon.

The Spies were shocked, raising their crossbows to shoot at the gray-robed figure.

But their vision blurred, and when the crossbow bolts flew, they all struck the throat-slit Spy. The previous gray-robed figure had somehow ended up hanging under the horse’s belly, pointing at the Spies with laughter, "Grandpa’s here!"

This person’s agility was as exquisite as a long-armed gibbon!

The Spies pulled the trigger again, but the gray figure flashed back onto the horse’s back, "Come on! Come on!"

Before the Spies could pull the trigger a third time, yet another gray-robed figure charged forward, a lance sixteen feet long tucked under his arm, rushing into the Spy battle formation!

The first Spy was caught off guard, getting literally skewered by the incoming lance, and with a twitch of the attacker’s arm, the Spy’s corpse was flung away, knocking down other Spies like dominoes.

The lance is the ultimate cavalry assault weapon, not wieldable by the unskilled.

A good fighter might not be able to wield a lance, but one who can wield a lance is certainly a formidable fighter.

The Spies called out in alarm, "Seeking Dao Realm! Do not engage directly!"

The Spies attempted to ride away, but the long street was only two cart-widths wide, and there was no escaping the sixteen-foot-long lance!

The lance swept across like a steel whip, knocking all Spies off their horses.

In just a few breaths, the two had caused more than a dozen Spies to lose their helmets and abandon their armor.

The man holding the lance gestured to Mrs. Lu, "This way!"

The two forced their way through a breach in the Spies, leading Mrs. Lu and Chen Ji south across the streets, while numerous Spies followed them like a giant black serpent.

As they passed through a small alley, the strong smell of liquor filled the air.

As the horses entered the alley, their hooves hit the ground, splashing the liquor pooled there, like breaking a thin sheet of glass.

The liquor was instantly compressed and torn, the calm surface exploding suddenly.

The water surface shook violently, distorting and shattering the gray tiles, narrow alley, and the people and horses reflected in it.

After the four burst out of the alley, the man with the lance took a fire inch from his robe, blew it until it sparked, and casually tossed it behind him.

With a whoosh, the fire engulfed in Fire Saber roared, swallowing the Spies pursuing behind.

Amidst cries of pain, the Spies retreated, desperately putting out the flames on their bodies.

The sea of fire separated them from each other.

...

...

Shaking off the pursuers, the four headed south for a few more blocks, ducking into an alley.

Mrs. Lu suddenly halted her horse and asked coldly, "Why have you two come?"

The gray-robed masked man holding the lance lowered his bamboo hat, as if knowing he was in the wrong, he said nothing. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Mrs. Lu snapped, "Speak!"

The young, monkey-like gray-robed man shrank his neck, "You came, why can’t we? Children of Jianghu, there’s not so many whys!"

Chen Ji was astounded. It was the second time today he had heard this sentence, first from Mrs. Lu to him, now from someone else to Mrs. Lu.

Using Jianghu as an excuse was just too convenient.

Mrs. Lu was furious, "Nonsense about Jianghu, what do you know about Jianghu?"

The gray-robed man stiffened his neck, "But we can’t just watch you run into trouble!"

Mrs. Lu was about to scold him again, but the man with the lance spoke hoarsely, "Twenty years ago, you got us drunk and said Jianghu is the wind of the desert, the broken edge of a knife, the throat-splitting liquor. That’s your Jianghu."

Mrs. Lu was taken aback.

The man lowered his head, hiding his face with his bamboo hat, "Of the four who drank at the inn back then, only you and I are left. I promised someone I would protect you, it was his dying wish. So if you’re going to die, we’ll die together, if you’re leaving, we’ll leave together. Otherwise, I have no face to find someone to drink with on the road to the underworld. That’s my Jianghu."

Unrelated to fighting and scheming, everyone’s essence has their own Jianghu.

Mrs. Lu was silent for a long time, then suddenly beamed under her black veil. She turned to Chen Ji, "Chen Ji, you asked earlier what Jianghu is... this is Jianghu. Where friends are, Jianghu is."

Jianghu is like the vermillion in an ink pad, but instead of using the stamp to ink it, you dip your thumb in the vermillion and swipe it boldly across the white Xuan paper.

That bold, unruly stroke of red is Jianghu.

In the next moment, Mrs. Lu tore off the brownish robe from Liao Zhong’s body and draped it over the young gray-robed man’s shoulders, "Give your horse to Chen Ji, and you, wearing this robe, lie on your uncle’s horse, pretending to be Liao Zhong."

The young man was dumbfounded, "Huh?"

Mrs. Lu said sternly, "Do as you’re told."

Reluctantly, the young man threw off the bamboo hat, revealing a coarse, dark forehead and untidy topknot. He donned Liao Zhong’s robe and lay across another horse, grumbling, "Always getting bullied by the older generation, what kind of world is this!"

Mrs. Lu ignored him, turning to Chen Ji. Her eyes were complex behind the veil.

She solemnly instructed, "Hide here. Once we draw the Spies away, then head..."

The man with the lance said hoarsely, "Go south, the garrison there won’t stop you."

Chen Ji began to shake his head.

But Mrs. Lu’s voice grew firm, "Go! Return to the Imperial Capital, go back and quietly have a few bowls of liquor, have a good dream! You’re able to fight your way out, so surely you have a trump card, if you have one, use it! Remember, trust no one, many along the way won’t want you to return. If you both die, then only you two die. If you make it back to the Imperial Capital, lots of your enemies will die!"

Chen Ji paused a moment, then solemnly bowed, "Until we meet again!"

Mrs. Lu smiled brightly, "Until we meet again!"

With those words, Mrs. Lu, her companions, and the two horses exited the alley. She shouted, "Hyah!"

The clatter of hooves drew the Spies’ attention, causing them to turn and converge toward the three.

Chen Ji hid in the alley, silently watching the trio’s retreating figures. It seemed to be the first time someone helped him divert his pursuers. Once the sound of hooves faded, he led Liao Zhong southward out of the alley, not looking back.