Chapter 470: Directly Into the City?

The comrades saw him and shouted, "Xue Ye?"

"Xue Ye is back!"

The steward, hearing this, hurried from the building to his horse and, like beans pouring from a bamboo tube, recounted what had just happened:

"Zhou Gongzi took the impostor bandit leader away, saying he would escort him back to Jingcheng for Qing Wang's personal interrogation."

"Xue Ye, why did you return early?"

Xue Jiangtao gave no reply, his expression gradually darkening.

He bent down, glanced at the still‑stained blood in the stone crevice, then looked up toward the city gate, and doubts surged in his mind.

No!

If it were truly Zhou Jing'an returning for the crossbows, why fight the "impostor" on the street? He would simply escort them to the authorities.

Moreover, he could see at a glance what sort of character Zhou Jing'an was.

Such a pampered, aristocratic playboy from a marquis' household can put on a show of bravado, but lacks the nerve to kill on the street.

Xue Jiangtao straightened, his voice a few degrees colder: "How long have they been gone?"

"Roughly the time it takes two or three incense sticks to burn."

"Quick!" Xue Jiangtao cut him off, a flash of cold light in his eyes, "Twenty men, come with me to chase!"

That batch of crossbows had been ordered by Qing Wang to be handed to the Blood Blade; if anything went wrong in his hands, not even the Incense‑burning Tower could guarantee their lives.

The riders assembled swiftly, and Xue Jiangtao led his men out through the city gate, racing along the official road toward Jingcheng.

Soon, a carriage appeared by the roadside at a fork.

The steward shouted, "That's the carriage!"

"Huh—!" Xue Jiangtao reined his horse to a halt, and the steward hurried down to inspect.

"Xue Ye! The carriage is empty! They've abandoned the carriage and switched horses! Th‑the crossbows…"

Xue Jiangtao felt a weight in his heart, increasingly certain the matter was not simple, and grew more urgent—he had to catch those people!

He cracked his whip, pointing toward the carriage's front, "Chase! Quickly!"

At that moment, on the mountain beside the road, several old trees spread their twisted branches, casting a shaded patch.

A carriage that had its shafts removed stood quietly in the trees' shadow.

Xiao Ningyuan cradled Tuan Tuan on his horse, silently watching Xue Jiangtao and his men chase in the direction opposite Jingcheng.

Lu Qi squinted, "Su Wanyun has already arranged everything; he'll have them run circles everywhere."

"Even if caught, they'll just claim they were paid silver by the living, so they kept running."

Xiao Ningyuan nodded, "Let them chase; the longer the better."

Tuan Tuan watched with relish, patting her little hands, "So fun! Playing hide‑and‑seek with them!"

"Huh?" she turned to Lu Qi, "Uncle Qi, you just called Sister Su's name!"

Lu Qi's old face flushed red; how meticulous the young lady's mind!

Xiao Ningyuan's lips curled slightly as he gently patted his sister's shoulder.

Xiao Er rode closer, "Eldest son, everything's been asked clearly."

"Zhou Jing'an said this batch of crossbows was ordered by Marquis Jinghai on Qing Wang's command, taken from the armory in Chen Zhuang on Jingcheng's western outskirts."

"The marquis' household had long colluded with Qing Wang; on the night Jingcheng fell, it was Marquis Jinghai who sent men to open the western city gate, allowing Qing Wang's five thousand elite troops to enter."

Xiao Ningyuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

No wonder Qing Wang and Prince Chen could seize Jingcheng so swiftly—it was an insider who opened the gates!

His voice was icy, "Why would Marquis Jinghai risk the annihilation of his clan to aid Qing Wang?"

Xiao Er paused, "According to Zhou Jing'an, Qing Wang promised that once the matter succeeded, he would ennoble Marquis Jinghai as Lord of the State, granting them the right to collect the Jiangnan salt tax."

"Salt tax?" Xiao Ningyuan sneered, "What an enormous appetite!"

Tuan Tuan lifted her small face to look at him, "Big brother, are we heading back to Jingcheng now?"

"Back." Xiao Ningyuan replied resolutely, "We'll return immediately!"

"After returning, first we'll go to Chen Zhuang; since Qing Wang hid the crossbows there, there must be other things as well."

"Great!" Tuan Tuan's eyes lit up, then she wrinkled her little nose, poked her big brother's cheek with a tiny finger, "But big brother, can you wash this face off? It's too ugly!"

Xiao Ningyuan was startled, only then remembering he was still wearing Zhou Jing'an's face.

Lu Qi and Xiao Er both laughed.

Xiao Ningyuan awkwardly touched his face, dismounted, retrieved a Water Bag and cloth from his pack, and washed the Thousand Faces off his visage.

Lu Qi sighed, "Eldest son, when you speak wearing it, your features shift slightly, your expression natural. This Thousand Faces surpasses any human‑skin mask I've ever seen by more than tenfold!"

Xiao Er agreed, "Indeed! Thanks to the miss finding this Thousand Faces, otherwise we couldn't have…"

Tuan Tuan laughed happily, watching her brother regain his original face, nodding contentedly, "Mm! Big brother looks good like this!"

She turned to Xiao Er, "Uncle Er, what about that diaper‑wearing scoundrel?"

Xiao Er's expression remained calm, "I took all the silver from his body, confiscated his token, didn't even leave him his outer robe, and let him go."

He paused, "He's penniless and thin‑clothed; hehe, I doubt he could even get out of this great mountain."

Tuan Tuan imagined Zhou Jing'an shivering in the mountains, searching for a way, and giggled, "Great! Let him just keep doing bad deeds!"

Xiao Ningyuan gave Xiao Er a glance, and Xiao Er closed his eyes toward him.

Xiao Ningyuan understood in his heart that Zhou Jing'an would never walk again in this life.

He smiled faintly, justice served!

The Marquis Jinghai's manor, having chosen this path, should have foreseen today.

"Are the crossbows buried?"

Xiao Er replied, "All deeply buried, Eldest son, rest assured."

"If we bring those repeating crossbows and get stopped for inspection, it won't be easy to enter the city." Xiao Ningyuan nodded, tightened the reins, "Let's go! Meet up with the brothers!"

The horse, like an arrow loosed from a bow, galloped swiftly toward Jingcheng.

At the same time, Xibei Daying.

Dust and smoke rose on the Training Ground, and shouts thundered.

Hundreds of soldiers were dividing into two squads to drill a siege.

One team wielded wooden shields and bamboo swords as the defending force, while the other team, clad only in precious armor, bare‑handed, climbed by hand up a wooden scaffold wall several zhang high.

"Up! Don't freeze!"

"Protect the head! Protect the head! Use your arms to block!"

The wooden sword struck the soft armor, producing a muffled "pup" sound, but it left no mark.

The men scaling the wall used hands and feet to scramble upward; soon someone vaulted over the parapet and tore down the red flag planted atop it.

"Good!"

The watching soldiers roared in cheers.

Xiao Yuanhang and Xiao Ningchen stood aside, and the father and son both wore satisfied smiles.

The soldier who took down the red flag shouted, "Prince! This armor is truly divine! It's as thin as layers of silk, yet a sword slash leaves no mark!"

Other soldiers chimed in:

"Indeed! In the past, to guard against arrows you had to wear heavy armor and get winded after running half a li. Now with this on, I can run alongside a horse!"

"Right, right, right! Heavy armor is fine, but after swinging a sword dozens of times your arms get sore. This armor is light; it protects the head and face, and fighting feels exhilarating!"

Xiao Yuanhang's smile deepened, and his gaze swept past the bustling Training Ground toward the distance.

Tuan Tuan, where are you now? Father is really hoping you can return in the next moment so I can hold you tightly.

Xiao Ningchen glanced at his expression and understood: "Father, rest assured, wherever Tuan Tuan goes he won't suffer loss; he will surely return safely."

Xiao Yuanhang gave a soft "hm".

"Father! Second brother!" Xiao Ningxun walked over with a beaming face.

"Third brother, why are you so happy?"

Xiao Ningxun stepped closer: "Just now, the sixth indentation on the Heavenly Son Sword lit up."

Xiao Ningchen blurted, "That fast?"

Xiao Ningxun nodded, "Only the final one remains; Tuan Tuan will be back soon."

Xiao Yuanhang's smile suddenly stretched into a huge grin, startling his two brothers.

The two exchanged a glance and silently shook their heads; their father only shows such joy when it comes to Tuan Tuan.

In the carriage, Xiao Er brandished his whip and asked, "Eldest son, shall we go straight into the city?"