Green Mountain-Chapter 558 - 420: Two Cups of Tea

There are no banquets that never end, until we meet again.

When Chen Ji went south, Mrs. Lu turned to look at that small alley.

The man holding a lance finally lifted his head, revealing his left eye, which only had the whites remaining.

Hu Junyuan, Third Master Hu.

He glanced at the pursuers behind him, calmly saying, "Don’t worry, no one will die today, there will be a time to meet again, he..."

Mrs. Lu interrupted, "You and I have roamed the Jianghu for twenty years, what great storms have we not seen? It’s not the time to be sentimental."

"The landlord is still the landlord, making my worry seem unnecessary," Third Master Hu laughed out loud, "It’s been years since anyone hunted me, I’ve almost forgotten how to live the knife-licking days of the Jianghu."

At this moment, the sound of hoofbeats rose from both sides, as if the Spies were encircling from the wings.

Passing by a small alley, Mrs. Lu’s gaze pierced the gap of the alley, seeing spies riding parallel to them on the other side.

There were hoofbeats getting closer behind, she leaned on the horse’s back and looked back, seeing Xuan Snake leading five spies in pursuit. Xuan Snake was shrouded in a black large cloak, his expression sinister.

Dozens of spies seemed like a pocket, wanting to envelop the three of them inside.

Third Master Hu tightened his grip on his lance: "Xuan Snake finally decided to strike. What do you say, shall we turn back and give him a tough fight?"

The young man disguised as Liao Zhong on the horse grew interested: "Sounds like a good idea!"

"If nothing unexpected happens, Chen Ji has already left the city," Mrs. Lu stared at the Xuan Snake behind them, "...Be careful, Bai Long, Treasure Monkey, and Heavenly Horse have yet to show up. Bai Long, in particular, is as wise as he is strange, his absence in Changping County is abnormal in itself."

Third Master Hu understood, they could turn back to kill Xuan Snake, but needed to be careful.

In the next moment, Third Master Hu suddenly turned his horse around, charging straight towards Xuan Snake. He lowered his head, tucking the lance under his armpit, the lance tip, nose bridge, and eyes aligned in a line, pointing directly at Xuan Snake.

The main road of Changping County was only as wide as two cars, with war horses charging, there was no avoiding each other.

Covered in a black large cloak, Xuan Snake sneered: "Mr. Chen has gone mad, hasn’t he? A mere Innate Official dares to challenge me."

Though he said this, a sliver of suspicion crept into his heart, secretly signaling the spy beside him to blow the copper whistle.

Magpie, four sounds, kill!

On the street sides, spies from both wings abandoned their horses and leapt onto rooftops, treading tiles and flipping over ridges.

As the spies were about to draw their hand crossbows and fire, Mrs. Lu suddenly leapt up, lightly tapping the saddle with her toes, gracefully landing on the edge of a roof, her palm striking a spy.

The sound of bones breaking was crisp and neat, the struck spy, like a kite with its string cut, flipped over the ridge only to fly back again.

This time, Mrs. Lu’s palm strike lacked the Eight Diagrams’ phantom image, relying solely on force, perhaps weighing a thousand pounds.

The spies on the roof were startled, turning their hand crossbows towards Mrs. Lu immediately, a web of crossbow arrows crossing, yet Mrs. Lu, like a dancing hare and falcon, twisted and spun through the gaps between the arrows, approaching the spies.

Wherever she passed, spies were swept off the roofs, leaving only Third Master Hu and Xuan Snake on the battlefield, their horses confronting each other.

Third Master Hu approached with his lance, the lance’s friction with the air created sounds of wind and thunder, like the centuries-old yellow sands and fierce winds outside Guyuan City!

Just as he was a mere yard away from Xuan Snake, Third Master Hu suddenly raised his head.

Xuan Snake was startled: "Who are you?"

Indeed, not Chen Ji!

He knew Chen Ji was adept with the lance, he knew Chen Ji rode alone with Liao Zhong. But when Third Master Hu turned to attack, Xuan Snake had been wary.

In the blink of an eye, Third Master Hu’s lance was already in front of Xuan Snake: "Get down!"

Xuan Snake’s hands emerged from the black large cloak, like twin dragons leaping out to clamp the lance’s tip, the friction between his black gloves and the lance tip produced a screeching sound, like a rusty file scraping over iron.

Yet, the momentum of Third Master Hu’s charge was so overwhelming that Xuan Snake couldn’t keep steady on his saddle, being lifted off and flying backward, as if hanging on the lance.

Xuan Snake pushed off with all his strength, using the lance’s force to tumble backward.

However, at this moment, Third Master Hu shouted deeply: "Thirteen, kill!"

Xuan Snake’s expression changed drastically.

The ’Liao Zhong’ on Third Master Hu’s saddle suddenly moved, the young man disguised as Liao Zhong leapt into the air.

He kicked towards Third Master Hu in mid-air, as if anticipating this, Third Master Hu lifted his left hand onto the youth’s boot sole, forcibly launching him towards Xuan Snake, akin to the crossbow arrow of the Divine Machine Crossbow atop Capital City!

Xuan Snake and Thirteen collided in the air, a hooked knife in Thirteen’s palm rotating towards Xuan Snake’s neck, Xuan Snake narrowly twisted to evade, the hooked knife leaving a streak of blood on his pale cheek!

Xuan Snake’s eyes were furious: "Seeking death!"

His right hand emerged from the cloak, fingers tapping Thirteen’s left ribs, and Thirteen’s eyes immediately became cloudy, his mouth as if glued shut, not a slit left open.

Little Celestial Five Declines, sealing the five senses!

Thirteen hit the ground, raising dust and scrambled up, eyes seeing no daylight, fumbling around on the ground, unable to speak.

Yet, in this exchange of blows, Third Master Hu had already spurred his horse to Xuan Snake once again.

The black war horse reared high, and as it landed, Third Master Hu’s lance, enveloped in immense force, thrust towards Xuan Snake’s chest.

Xuan Snake had no time to dodge. He clasped a black large cloak around himself like a bat folding its wings, wrapping himself tightly.

The lance struck the intersection of his arms, and with a crack, Xuan Snake’s arms broke completely. His body was also sent flying over ten meters, rolling countless times before barely coming to a stop.

Strangely, the black large cloak didn’t even have a single hole!

For others, this lance would certainly pierce the heart and lungs, pinning them to the ground!

Third Master Hu frowned.

No wonder Xuan Snake wore this black large cloak in all seasons; there was another mystery within!

Just then, Third Master Hu realized he could no longer smell anything. The dust rising from the earthen road and the ash drifting from a distant fire, the scents had all disappeared.

This path of the Little Celestial Five Declines was extremely bizarre. Just by stabbing him with the lance, one would lose the sense of smell?

Xuan Snake painstakingly climbed up from the ground, his arms hanging limply at his sides, his eyes staring directly at Third Master Hu: "Who exactly are you people?"

Third Master Hu sneered, "I am your grandfather!"

He pulled the reins to continue the pursuit, but heard the sound of hooves arriving from afar. Mrs. Lu leapt down from the rooftop, lifting Thirteen from the ground and said, "More people are coming, it’s not wise to linger in battle, let’s go!"

Third Master Hu abandoned the lance and the warhorse, following Mrs. Lu into a narrow alley.

Ignoring the injuries to his broken hands, Xuan Snake pursued with others in tow. He watched as Mrs. Lu and her companions entered a house, but then the main building of the house suddenly collapsed, burying the three of them inside.

The spies instinctively looked at Xuan Snake, who angrily said, "What are you looking at me for? Start digging up this house; there must be a tunnel inside!"

The spies sheathed their swords, moving bricks and rubble by hand. However, there were too many bricks and a heavy beam crossed the ruins, making it impossible to clear within an hour.

"Dig! Everyone, start digging!" Xuan Snake’s face darkened: "The scoundrels have been operating in Changping County for who knows how many years. Arrest the County Magistrate, County Chief, and County Officials and bring them to the Imperial Prison for interrogation. I don’t believe they know nothing!"

...

...

The tunnel was dimly lit, the air stifling.

Mrs. Lu handed Thirteen to Third Master Hu, then groped in the darkness for an oil lamp, lighting it, and proceeded bent over with the lamp held high.

She had not lied to Chen Ji; there indeed was a mine tunnel in Changping County.

However, this mine tunnel was just a short blocked path within the Changping Coal Mine, with the end still within Changping County, making it a last resort.

Mrs. Lu calmly said, "We have the time of three incense sticks; they shouldn’t expect that the secret tunnel we found with such effort still exits into the city."

Third Master Hu looked at the Thirteen in his hands: "Is he alright?"

Mrs. Lu replied without turning her head, "He’s fine, except now he can’t hear, speak, or see, but his life is not in danger. Pour water into his nose to drink, and the Little Celestial Five Declines will resolve by itself in three days. Perhaps you also lost your sense of smell, but don’t worry, the magic will unravel itself in three days."

Third Master Hu slowly exhaled a breath of impure air: "You’ve dealt with Chen Ji before, you should know I’m not lying to you."

Mrs. Lu was silent for two beats: "Your disposition is indeed reliable."

Third Master Hu suddenly suggested: "...Why not reunite with him? He won’t let this matter slip."

Mrs. Lu maintained a calm demeanor: "Strange, you’re even more anxious than I am."

Third Master Hu leisurely said, "Did you think I didn’t see the couplet in front of your main house? These years, after finishing daily ledgers and sending messages by pigeon, you sit in the courtyard in a daze till late into the night, drinking jar after jar. Landlord, it’s not sustainable to drink like this."

Mrs. Lu paused momentarily, then continued forward: "Old Third, since all these years I haven’t helped him, nor raised him, I have no face to acknowledge him now. Otherwise, if he asks where I’ve been all these years, why he didn’t see me, and why I didn’t save him, I wouldn’t know how to answer."

Third Master Hu knew where Mrs. Lu’s heart was knotted, so he could only sigh: "You will see him again in the future, can you hold back then?"

Mrs. Lu softly said, "These years I’ve lived in Changping County, avoiding the Imperial Capital, afraid that in a momentary carelessness I might run into him in the Imperial Capital."

She knew her own nature; the more she saw, the harder it was to let go.

Third Master Hu was about to say more but heard Mrs. Lu change the topic: "Chen Ji brought clues about Long Whale. This person is now in hiding with a high position of authority within the Ritual Supervision. Once we escape, we must find him. Whether we can clear the General’s name depends on this person."

Third Master Hu perked up: "Truly?"

"Truly, after this task, we kill one more person, you and I will be free." Mrs. Lu reached the end of the secret passage and lifted the iron plate covering the tunnel’s top.

She leapt lightly out of the tunnel, but froze in place as if facing a great enemy: "Don’t come up yet, someone is here."

The end of the tunnel was in a small private courtyard, which should have been stacked with paper figurines and golden paper treasures for the Tomb Households, waiting to be delivered to Ning Imperial Tomb for the Ministry of Rites’ sacrificial ceremony.

But now, they were all gone.

There was a stone table in the courtyard, with a pot of tea and two cups set on it.

Beside the stone table, Bai Long stood immaculate in his white robe.

Behind Bai Long, the Treasure Monkey wearing a wooden monkey mask was seated cross-legged on the ground, using bamboo strips and bamboo paper for making paper figurines to fashion a kite.

The Two Seeking Dao Realm zodiac members of the Spy Department were guarding the tunnel’s end, and no one knew why they appeared here.

"Good morning," Bai Long turned his inscrutable dragon-patterned mask towards Mrs. Lu, smilingly pushing the teacup on the table towards her: "This lady hero, have a cup of tea, it’s still hot."