Chapter 630: I Never Said I Was the Zhuguo!

"You... you're not Chen Yan?!"

Gao Changjing's pupils suddenly contracted, his clenched fists turning white at the knuckles, and his voice carried a tremor he himself hadn't noticed.

That shock was like a thunderclap, blasting his mind and spirit into turmoil.

Then, he abruptly stepped forward again, pressing closer, and demanded harshly, "Who exactly are you?!"

"Who is he?!"

Cui Yizong and Xu Langwen both cried out in shock at almost the same time, their eyes wide and faces full of disbelief.

They had just been certain this man was Chen Yan, but who would have expected such an outcome?

The remaining Qi State Suicide Warriors exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with confusion, and their grips on their weapons tightened involuntarily, the atmosphere around them instantly growing tense again.

The young Daoist who had peeled off the human-skin mask casually tossed the mask aside, flicked his wrist, and his whisk traced an arc through the air. Looking at Gao Changjing's furious and shocked expression, he smiled contemptuously, his voice dripping with mockery: "I never said I was the Zhuguo!"

He paused, drew out his tone, and every word carried ridicule: "It was always Your Highness Changjing who assumed it on your own!"

"You!" Gao Changjing was choked speechless, his chest heaving violently. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

Someone who could know his evacuation route so thoroughly and dare to intercept him alone was no ordinary nobody.

He stared hard at Yin Shizhi, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes, and barked, "Since you've come, you must not be some nameless nobody..."

"State your name!"

Hearing this, the young Daoist casually tossed his whisk aside. It fell to the ground, its white silk strands stained with mud, but it didn't affect his bearing in the slightest.

He lifted his head and puffed out his chest, his Daoist robe rustling in the wind, and replied loudly, "I am Yin Shizhi, Mirror-Grasping Envoy of the Celestial Pivot Guard of the Bright Mirror Department, under Lord Chen Zhuguo!"

With that, he gave a slight bow to Gao Changjing, the gesture carrying a hint of deliberate respect, but his tone was full of sarcasm: "Greetings, Your Highness Changjing!"

"Yin Shizhi?!"

"It's you?!"

Gao Changjing cried out in shock, as if struck by a thunderbolt.

That name was like a key, instantly opening the floodgates of memory.

He should have seen a portrait of this man—one collected by the Andi of the Chang'an Shijia. In the portrait, the Mirror-Grasping Envoy's brows and eyes were languid yet sharp, exactly as he appeared now!

But he had been so dazzled by the name "Chen Yan" that he hadn't recalled it at the time.

Now, as memory returned, the portrait perfectly matched the real person, and a chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to his Heavenly Spirit Cover.

Yin Shizhi nodded in satisfaction, the smile at the corners of his mouth growing richer: "It is indeed this Yin!"

He looked Gao Changjing up and down, watching the other man's face lose its earlier strategizing and become only shock, anger, and bewilderment. He couldn't help but ask in a sarcastic tone, "Judging by Your Highness's expression, you seem quite surprised?"

But Gao Changjing seemed not to hear him. He suddenly turned his head, his gaze locking like a hawk onto the older Daoist who had remained silent all along, his voice cold as ice: "And him?!"

Before his words faded, the older Daoist slowly raised his hand and peeled off the human-skin mask on his face.

Beneath the mask was a sharply defined face, with resolute features, eyes sharp as knives, and a short beard around his jaw, exuding a fierce and imposing aura.

He stepped forward, his voice like a great bell, and replied loudly, "I am Zheng Yi!"

With that, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and his gaze swept over the assembled Qi State Suicide Warriors, his tone carrying a hint of pride: "Friends in the martial world like to call me..."

"Iron Palm Flying Dragon!"

Gao Changjing's Adam's apple bobbed violently, his gaze fixed on Zheng Yi's resolute face as if all strength had been drained from him. His voice trembled as he repeated in shock, "Zheng Yi?!"

"Iron Palm Flying Dragon?!"

His eyes flew wide, his pupils full of terror, and he cried out, "That... one of the top ten masters of the martial world?!"

At these words, Cui Yizong shuddered, the color draining from his face completely.

He staggered back half a step, staring hard at Zheng Yi, a storm raging in his heart, the surging terror nearly swallowing him: "Chen Yan has actually recruited such a top-tier figure from the martial world into his ranks?!"

"Then just how terrifying is the strength of the Bright Mirror Department?"

Yin Shizhi chuckled softly, stepped forward slowly, his gaze sweeping over Gao Changjing's pale face, his sarcasm almost overflowing as he sighed leisurely, "It seems you, the Qi State prince and defeated foe of Lord Chen Zhuguo, aren't completely ignorant after all!"

"You do have some knowledge!"

"Knowledge?" Gao Changjing suddenly raised his head, his terror replaced by fury. He sneered, his murderous aura surging abruptly, a flicker of disdain in his eyes. He pointed behind him at the more than fifty elite Suicide Warriors, weapons in hand and murderous intent blazing, and shouted, "So what if you're the Celestial Pivot Mirror-Grasping Envoy? So what if you're Iron Palm Flying Dragon?"

"There are only two of you, and fifty of us. Today, I'm afraid you won't have a complete..."

"Who said there are only two?" Yin Shizhi's light, airy words cut off Gao Changjing's speech.

Zheng Yi stepped forward, his voice like a great bell, shaking the leaves in the forest, and declared, "We are merely the Zhuguo's vanguard!"

Before his words faded, the morning light happened to pierce through the dawn mist, slanting onto the forest clearing.

At that moment, from the dense woods to the side, a rustling sound suddenly came, as if countless people were stepping on fallen leaves, approaching this spot.

Gao Changjing and the others' expressions changed drastically, and they all turned to look, their eyes full of vigilance.

Xu Langwen gripped his long saber tightly, his knuckles white from the force, staring hard at the surging thicket, his heart filled with doubt: "There are people hidden there?"

"How did I not sense them at all just now?"

Logically, with his perception, even the slightest disturbance would be caught, let alone an ambush...

The noise grew closer, and soon, under everyone's gaze, more than seventy figures slowly emerged from the shadows of the dense forest.

The two at the front were both dressed in dark brocade robes, the hems embroidered with dark gold cloud patterns, exuding a natural noble air as they walked.

The young man walking at the very front had sword-like brows and starry eyes, a handsome face—it was Chen Yan, whom Gao Changjing had seen countless times in portraits.

The man beside him had gentle brows and eyes, but with a hidden sharpness—it was Yuwen Ze.

Following behind them were a uniform line of Embroidered Uniform Envoys, clad in flying-fish robes and wearing Embroidered Spring Knives at their waists, each with an upright posture and lightning-like eyes.

The Embroidered Spring Knives at their waists gleamed with a chilling light in the morning sun.

Further back were Zhu Yi, holding a sword in his arms, Lu Cangfeng, holding a saber in his arms, and Hongye, dressed in red and holding a long sword...

As well as the solemn-faced Jade-Faced Rakshasa Gao Guiyan, the Night-Wandering Lord Yan Zixian, and others.

Chen Yan walked at the front and stopped ten paces away from Gao Changjing.

He stood with his hands behind his back, looking Gao Changjing up and down with interest, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips. He slowly spoke, "Gao Changjing, we finally meet!"

When the words fell, the embroidered‑cloak emissaries immediately scattered, moving as fast as lightning, and in the blink of an eye they surrounded the fifty Suicide Warriors from Qi State that Gao Changjing had brought.

They formed an airtight encircling circle.

The rest all stepped forward together, shielding Chen Yan and Yuwen Ze, their gazes cold and fierce as they stared at the people opposite.

Gao Changjing's eyes were fixed tightly on Chen Yan and Yuwen Ze, the two faces he had seen countless times in paintings now standing alive before him.

He felt a chill surge from his soles straight up to the Heavenly Spirit Cover, clenched his teeth, and forced two names out between his teeth: "Chen Yan! Yuwen Ze!"

Chen Yan, one hand resting behind his back, fixed his gaze on Gao Changjing's face, his expression tinged with an ineffable sigh, and slowly remarked, "Brother Gao, we have been spiritually acquainted for a long time!"

"Indeed!"

A half‑smile tugged at Gao Changjing's mouth corner; he looked up at Chen Yan, his tone carrying an indescribable complexity: "I never expected we would meet, under these circumstances....."

His words paused, then his tone abruptly shifted, his gaze heavy on Chen Yan, he sincerely exclaimed, "But, Brother Chen, you are indeed far more formidable than Gao imagined!"

His gaze swept over the upright, motionless embroidered‑cloak emissaries around him; they stood tall, their aura dense, clearly the elite of elites, and he couldn't help but sneer, "To set a silent ambush here and strike, Brother Chen, what a skillful tactic!"

"That's not all!"

Chen Yan, hearing that, slowly shook his head, looked at Gao Changjing's bewildered expression, then let out a light laugh and leisurely named several places: "Yonghe Lane, Zhaoxing Lane, Shengdao Lane, Tongshan Lane....."

He elongated his tone, his eyes burning as he stared at Gao, and asked meaningfully, "Brother Gao, are you familiar with these places?"

"What?!"

Gao Changjing froze entirely, as if struck by a bolt of thunder; the composure on his face vanished in an instant.

Along with him, those behind him—Cui Yizong and others—also turned ashen, all drawing a sharp gasp of cold air together.

Those place names, without exception, were all hideouts they had used earlier in Chang'an!

That means their every move is probably under the other's surveillance?!

Gao Changjing snapped back to his senses, staring fixedly at Chen Yan, his voice carrying a tremor he hadn't even noticed, and instinctively asked in shocked disbelief, "You… how could you know our movements so precisely?!"

Chen Yan smiled, took a few more steps forward, shortening the distance between him and Gao Changjing.

His face brimmed with smile, but his eyes were icy; he asked softly, "What do you think, back then, how did you—those fish that slipped through the net—escape from Chang'an?"

"You really think it was the Duke's negligence?"

Those words were like an ice spear, piercing Cui Yizong's heart.

He felt a chill repeatedly, his body involuntarily trembling, a terrifying thought exploding in his mind: "Everything is under Chen Yan's control!"

"It wasn't negligence at all, but a deliberate letting us escape, so there would be a scapegoat!"

The chill in Gao Changjing's eyes grew stronger, his fists clenched tightly, he thrust his head up and shouted loudly, "Further words are useless!"

His gaze first swept over the surrounding embroidered‑cloak emissaries, then over the murderous aura of the elite Suicide Warriors behind him; a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes as he loudly declared, "With such over‑confident reliance on these embroidered‑cloak emissaries, you, Chen Yan, may not be able to keep us today!"

Chen Yan, unflustered, looked at Gao Changjing and the more than fifty Suicide Warriors beside him, swords drawn and ready to pounce for a death‑match; his sleeves brushed his robe, a barely perceptible smile curling his lips, and he asked with interest, "Is that so?"

The tone was gentle, as if casual conversation, yet it carried a chilling certainty.

Gao Changjing's fury blazed in his chest; hearing that, his eyes turned Red Eyes, his fingertips dug deep into his palm from the force, a low roar rolled from his throat, and he was about to utter the command "Fish dead, net broken, kill out!"

But at that hair‑trigger moment, an indescribable sour‑softness surged from his limbs and bones.

It was as if countless fine needles silently pierced his marrow, and as if all his strength had been drained, even standing became a luxury.

Gao Changjing suddenly saw darkness flash before his eyes, his legs went limp, and with a muffled "Ugh!" he collapsed straight forward.

Instinctively he reached for the sword at his waist, but lacked the strength to grip the hilt; his whole body crashed heavily onto the cold Mudi, kicking up a spray of leaf‑strewn dust.

A sudden turn of events.

Immediately after came a series of muffled thuds and startled cries.

The Suicide Warriors who moments ago radiated murderous aura and fierce gazes now fell as if their spines had been ripped out; the swords in their hands clanged "clang clang" onto the ground, their bodies collapsing like soggy mud.

But within an instant, the forest clearing that had just been tense was now strewn with bodies lying in every direction, moans, angry shouts, and bewildered cries interweaving in chaotic disarray.

Xu Langwen barely supported himself with his long sword, the tip braced on the ground, stabilizing his wobbling body.

His complexion was as pale as paper, cold sweat streaming down his forehead, his gaze a little unfocused.

Looking at the toppled companions around him, and at the opposite side where Chen Yan remained composed and the embroidered‑cloak emissaries stood motionless, his throat churned, his voice filled with bewildered terror, "What… what is happening?!"

Just a moment ago they could still brandish knives and fight, how did it suddenly turn into this?

Gao Changjing lay on the ground, clenching his teeth, propping himself up with his arms, but the sour‑soft force clung like maggots on his ankle bones, impossible to shake off.

He lifted his head, his murky gaze fixed on Chen Yan standing a short distance away with his hands behind his back, turmoil roiling in his eyes; his voice trembled with extreme shock, each word staggered, "You… what have you done?!"

Before Chen Yan could speak, Yuwen Ze could no longer hold back, stepped forward, looking down at the disheveled Gao Changjing, a half‑smile at his mouth corner, his tone full of playful mockery, "Gao Changjing, after all this time, you still have a bit of sense, but not much!"

Speaking, he bent down to pick up a long sword that had fallen on the ground, his fingertips casually grazing the cold blade, a hint of sarcasm flashing in his eyes, "Since you know my brother A Xiong knows you like the back of his hand, why then do you think he would give you any chance to fight hard?"