Chapter 157

Big... sir... The leader of the six constables stammered, "We... we wanted to bring them to hand over to you."

You gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Is that so? Then why didn't you go to the manor but instead go the opposite way?"

"This... this..." The six constables' faces turned pale, they stammered and couldn't explain why.

"Outside the mountains there are already five thousand Longyuan Commandery troops guarding the passes; do you really think you can bring them to escape my grasp and then actually get promoted?" You suddenly put on a stern face, "Damn wretches! I've raised you for nothing!"

"Sir, spare my life!"

The six constables plopped to their knees, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

"I was just momentarily muddle-headed and believed His Majesty... Xiao Qidi's nonsense! I know I was wrong!"

"Please, sir, give us one more chance! Spare our lives, sir!"

You swept a cold gaze over them, snatched a bow and arrow from a nearby constable, and shot one arrow straight into a man's forehead; he cried out and fell dead.

The remaining five were terrified and fled in panic.

You, unhurried, drew the bow again and shot another arrow.

Swish—

Followed by several soft sounds.

Those five also fell one after another beneath his deadly arrows.

Each arrow struck the back of the head, killing instantly.

Such archery already rivals the top archers handpicked from the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army; even Duan Wu can't compare.

You sneered coldly, "This is the fate of betraying me."

Xiao Qidi's expression was gloomy; he secretly sighed, this Longyuan Governor possesses both martial prowess and strategy—if he hadn't taken the crooked path, he would indeed be a rare talent.

A pity, yet hateful.

"Xiao Qidi, now I will personally send you on your way." You drew the long bow again, without hesitation, and released an arrow.

"His Majesty!" Duan Wu's eyes nearly burst, but he had no strength left to crawl up.

Xiao Qidi, too, was barely able to stay upright, with no spare strength to dodge.

The deadly arrow tore through the air and arrived in an instant.

Just as it was about to pierce Xiao Qidi's brow, a shadow flashed past and shoved him into the nearby grass.

You blinked, "What was that?"

"Did you see that clearly?" He turned to ask the constables beside him.

Everyone stared at each other, faces full of bewilderment.

Because it happened suddenly, the shadow was fast, and the grass obstructed view; the constables present simply couldn't make out what was happening.

"His... His Majesty?" Duan Wu stared blankly at the grass where Xiao Qidi had just vanished.

He was the nearest, yet he still hadn't reacted.

It seemed as if His Majesty had been struck by something and flung into the grass, disappearing without a trace.

And the arrow you had shot lodged exactly where Xiao Qidi had been standing.

Obviously, it missed.

"Could it be... a black bear?" one constable said fearfully.

Another constable immediately replied, "How could a black bear be that fast? I think it's a tiger! Only a tiger has that speed when lunging to attack."

"No, no!" someone interjected, "That shadow was nowhere near as big as a tiger; it couldn't be a tiger..."

"Enough talk, hurry over and search!" You barked an order.

The constables felt uneasy, gripped their weapons tightly, and slowly moved forward.

"His Majesty... His Majesty, where are you?" Duan Wu, using all his strength, inched toward the spot where Xiao Qidi had disappeared, while lowering his voice to call out.

"His Majesty—"

Suddenly, his expression froze, his eyes widened rapidly, and a look of joy appeared in his gaze.

Immediately, his hands were seized and he was hauled over as well.

By the time Your constables approached, not only was Xiao Qidi's trace gone, but Duan Wu had vanished too.

The grass only left some obvious drag marks.

The constables followed the tracks, but after only a few steps the trail ended abruptly, as if Xiao Qidi and Duan Wu, having been dragged here by that mysterious shadow, had simply disappeared in place.

"This is... seeing... seeing a ghost?!" someone couldn't help but shout tremblingly.

The other constables' faces instantly changed.

At this moment the mountains were already dark, thick mist rose, adding a gloomy hue to the surroundings.

"Sir... ghosts are haunting, sir!" a constable stumbled and crawled to You to report.

You slapped him, "Nonsense! I've lived here for who knows how many years; when have I ever seen a ghost!"

"But... people just vanished into thin air!" the constable covered his face, on the verge of tears.

You refused to believe it, taking three strides at a clip to go inspect personally.

Yet the scene left you baffled.

The marks in the grass had indeed vanished suddenly; the ground where they disappeared showed no abnormality, and looking higher, the surrounding trees bore no trace either.

Your expression shifted slightly, and you froze in place.

"Sir, do you think this... could be a ghost?" the constable said, shivering.

You came to your senses, gritted your teeth, and said, "Even if it's a ghost, I must find them! Keep searching for me! Have the five thousand elite troops outside stay alert and guard well—no sleeping tonight!"

"Yes... sir..."

However, by now Xiao Qidi, Duan Wu, and An An had already reached inside the county office.

It turned out that the one who rescued the three was none other than Ning Jinli.

She opened a Time-Space Gate through her perception, located right near Xiao Qidi at that time.

The figure who promptly shoved Xiao Qidi aside was her.

Before that, a Time-Space Gate had appeared in the county office's great prison; Ning Jinli first sent the extremely weak Xiao Qidi together with An An to the cell, then quickly turned back to rescue Duan Wu.

It was already night.

Inside the county office, only the several dozen Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army soldiers left on standby remained.

The He Wan County Magistrate, county officers, and constables had all gone home, and with no prisoners in the cell, not even the jailers were present.

It was just right to free up a better room in the county gate for the three who had escaped death to rest.

An An, being young, was exhausted and frightened; Ning Jinli held her, soothed her for a while, fed her some food and drink, then let the little one fall asleep.

Ning Jinli had An An sleep alone in a room, assigning two soldiers to guard her.

In another room, Duan Wu lay prone on the bed, snoring like thunder.

Xiao Qidi, still forcing himself, told Ning Jinli all that had happened today.

Upon hearing this, Ning Jinli's face twisted with anger; she cursed the Longyuan Governor's ancestors eighteen generations over on the spot.

At that moment, a soldier hurriedly reported, 'Your Majesty, Fairy, I have just received news from the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army over the walkie-talkie!'

Ning Jinli knew that the fifty soldiers who had arrived earlier and the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army troops setting out from Xi Tun Guan all carried walkie-talkies.

Since both sides could now communicate, it proved the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army had reached the nearest county entry checkpoint.

Ning Jinli ordered, 'Have them seize the county officers guarding the checkpoint, quickly assemble here at the county office, and be sure not to disturb the populace.'

'Yes, Fairy!' the soldier seized the walkie-talkie and went out.

Xiao Qidi, without a word, tried to get out of bed.

Ning Jinli grabbed him and pressed him down, 'What are you trying to do?'

Xiao Qidi's face was pallid and weak, yet his eyes remained sharp: 'The Longyuan Governor still doesn't know we've escaped; he must still be combing the mountains around the Hot Spring Residence for us—there's no delay… tonight is the best time to close the net… I must… lead the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army to seize him…'

'You're in this state, just rest!' Ning Jinli glared at him.

Xiao Qidi gritted his teeth: 'It's nothing but the so-called Soft Tendon Powder; the medicine's effect has mostly worn off now, I can hold on.'

'All right, all right! Now isn't the time for you to tough it out,' Ning Jinli soothed, 'Just rest honestly; I'll handle what comes next.'

'This…'

'How, you don't trust me?'

'No no no, I…'

'Then don't say more—lie down!'

'……'

Ning Jinli touched his cheek, speaking softly: 'Little brother, sister will go pull in the net and catch the big fish for you; be good and rest.'

Having said that, she lowered her head to his face and gave him a smacking kiss.

A moment of warmth let Xiao Qidi finally relax completely: 'All right, then you must be absolutely careful.'

——

At the He Wan County checkpoint, the two thousand Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army troops, having received the order, immediately stormed the gate.

The few county officers on duty were trussed up like zongzi before they could react, their mouths stuffed.

At the same time, inside the county office, Ning Jinli sent several dozen soldiers racing to the He Wan County Magistrate's home, ordering them to seize full control inside and out of the County Magistrate's Residence, lest this dog official notice the anomaly and slip away to inform the Prefect.

At this moment, the He Wan County Magistrate was at home flying into a rage.

The servant had prepared his dinner, but he didn't take a bite and overturned it all over the floor.

Even the concubines he went to coax were beaten and thrown out of the bedroom.

No choice; the people could only ask the County Magistrate's wife to soothe him, otherwise the household would never have peace.

'Sir, just calm down,' the County Magistrate's wife gently approached the bedside, extending both hands to lightly knead his shoulders, 'You're already wounded; if you get sick from anger, what then?'

The County Magistrate lay on the bed, glaring with a pair of eyes, 'Better to just anger myself to death!'

The County Magistrate's wife said, 'How can that be? You're not going to abandon this whole family, are you? Let this matter pass; didn't you promise to return everything from our storehouse?'

'But I got beaten, madam,' the County Magistrate said, face full of resentment, turning his head with difficulty, 'All these years I've been more loyal to the Longyuan Governor than a dog, handling every task splendidly for him—yet he lets me be publicly humiliated, my buttocks split open, my old face lost, and won't even let me vent my anger!'

The County Magistrate's wife sighed, 'There's nothing to be done; after all, he's the Prefect—you can be angry all you like, but you can't do anything to him. Besides, if he hadn't pulled strings above, how could our family enjoy fine clothes and food? Just relying on your pitifully small salary, how could we have our current good life? You tell me, isn't that so?'

The County Magistrate snorted a muffled breath through his nose, 'I do understand that… but… sigh, today Duan Wu cozied up to the Prefect; seeing the Prefect's attitude, he will surely be heavily relied upon—otherwise he wouldn't have been invited to the Hot Spring Residence as a guest. I, to this day, have never received such treatment; I'm both angry and worried—what if Duan Wu someday rides over my head? Wouldn't I then have to curry favor with him? And even fork over some silver to share with him?'

'Enough, enough, you're just imagining things now; the matter isn't settled yet,' the County Magistrate's wife said, smiling, 'I believe the Prefect Sir knows your importance; that little border commander is merely a martial man, capable only of doing grunt work for the Prefect Sir—how could he compare to you?'

Hearing these words, the County Magistrate felt somewhat eased in his heart.

'Madam, it's still you who can comfort me,' he slowly turned sideways, 'Go bring me something to eat; I'm hungry.'

The County Magistrate's wife was delighted, immediately going to the kitchen to bring a bowl of ginseng meat congee.

'Come, I'll feed you.'

The County Magistrate's wife sat at the bedside, scooped with a spoon, blew on it, then brought it to the County Magistrate's mouth.

Smelling the aroma, the County Magistrate felt even hungrier, hastily opening his mouth.

Just then, a commotion suddenly sounded outside the door.

'Who are you?!'

'Who gave you the guts to barge into the County Magistrate's residence at night?!'

'Seize them! Tie up this bunch of clueless dog—'

The steward's reprimand hadn't finished when a clamorous melee erupted.

Frightened, the County Magistrate's wife trembled, spilling the scalding hot porridge in the bowl all over the County Magistrate's chest.

'Ah!' the County Magistrate screamed, leaping up from the bed, flailing his hands and feet to pat his chest, only to tear the wound on his buttocks, causing excruciating pain; his whole body jerked about like a monkey struck by lightning, shouting and scrambling wildly.

The magistrate's wife wanted to help but didn't know where to start, and hearing the commotion outside growing louder, she had no choice but to first set aside the magistrate, rush out of the bedroom, and shout at the top of her voice: "What's going on?! Who's so unafraid of death to come cause trouble in our magistrate's house! Are you looking to die!"

Bang!

A muffled thud.

The steward flew backward from a distance, landing at the magistrate's wife's feet, clutching his chest as he spat blood.

The magistrate's wife stared, then finally took in the situation around her.

The household guards lay scattered on the ground, while the maidservants and attendants panicked and scrambled everywhere.

And the cause of this scene was, shockingly, a group of armored soldiers.

"What do you want?!" the magistrate's wife shouted, both frightened and angry, summoning her courage, "Is there any law left! This is the magistrate's home!"

"Where is the magistrate?!" a soldier brandishing a battle blade charged at her, killing intent radiating.

The magistrate's wife's legs went weak and she collapsed onto the ground, trembling as she pointed toward the bedroom behind her.

Without a word, the soldiers broke down the door, dragged the magistrate out like a chick, and flung him into the courtyard.

Soon, everyone in the magistrate's household, from top to bottom, dozens of people, were all tightly bound, with not a single one missed.

"Outrageous…… you…… you are utterly outrageous! Lawless!" the magistrate cursed, spitting blood from rage, "You're Duan Wu's men, aren't you?! I will report you to the Longyuan Governor! The Governor will not let you off! Wait for me!"

The leading soldier gave him a cold glance, "Stuff this dog official's filthy mouth."

"You…… mmph!" the magistrate tried to shout, but a rag was shoved into his mouth.

Afterward, the soldiers shoved all of them into several carts, swiftly escorting them to the county office, where they were all thrown into the cells.

He Wan County never imagined that one day they would be locked up in their own county office's jail, so angry they nearly fainted.

At the same time, two thousand Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army troops arrived at the street outside the county office.

The mighty throng of troops occupied an entire street, a spectacular sight.

Ning Jinli selected five hundred from their ranks, gave them a roster and address she had found in the county office's study, and ordered them to immediately arrest everyone serving in the county office according to the information.

The five hundred soldiers received the order and immediately set out to act.

Ning Jinli mounted a tall horse, rode to the front of the remaining fifteen hundred Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army, and declared in a short, strong voice:

"Everyone, follow me as we set out!"