Chapter 378

"You're messing with me!" The bearded man raised his hand to strike Chen Guanlou across the face.

Chen Guanlou turned his head. Damn it, playing for real? Tonight, am I really going to get slapped?

The expected slap never came.

A second man stepped out from the shadows—young, around thirty, with a light beard, appearing refined and courteous. But Chen Guanlou thought he was more like a refined scoundrel.

"Chen the jailer is a scholar. Don't lay hands on him."

Chen Guanlou spat, ejecting a mouthful of saliva.

The refined scoundrel sat across from him and asked, "I believe you don't know Ning Zecheng. But I still want to ask—have you ever heard of someone called Er Dan?"

"Er Dan?" Chen Guanlou looked even more confused.

"Yes, Er Dan. That man used to be called Er Dan. Do you have any recollection of him?"

Chen Guanlou shook his head. "Whether it's Ning Zecheng or this Er Dan you mentioned, I've never seen them, never even heard of them. Tonight is the first time I've heard these names. You've definitely come to the wrong place and the wrong person.

I came here with official documents to retrieve prisoners—they were locked in the jail, and you've already seen them. Aside from that, the jailers I brought from the capital, the escort company I hired in Suizhou, and the transport guild—all goods belong to Hou Fu.

These are all public, open facts. Anybody can check them. I have no one to hide. I don't have the two people you're looking for. I don't know where you got your information, but I can tell you with certainty: the people you seek are not here."

The refined scoundrel frowned, his expression darkening, his whole demeanor turning gloomy and sinister. His demeanor shifted from refined to frenzied, like a bloodthirsty beast just on the verge of awakening.

The refined scoundrel suddenly smiled—a chilling smile, his white teeth bared as if ready to gnaw flesh, radiating a stench of blood.

"As a jailer of Tianlaomiao, I understand that Tianlaomiao never sends men on external missions—especially outside the capital, which is always handled by Liushanmen. Yet this time, you not only went on an external mission, but one a thousand li away, just to escort a few prisoners and some cargo. Do you believe that? I certainly don't."

"I don't believe it either." Chen Guanlou met his gaze directly. "To be honest, even now my head is still foggy. This mission—I won't hide it from you gentlemen—was arranged by the chief steward of Hou Fu. As a member of the Chen clan, when Hou Fu gives orders, can I refuse? I can't! Despite all my doubts, I had to go.

Before tonight, I couldn't figure it out. Now, I have a suspicion: Hou Fu likely used me as a decoy, setting up a diversion. The people you're looking for are certainly not here. Perhaps another group is racing toward the capital right now, already nearly there."

"They won't go to the capital," the refined scoundrel said firmly. "Hou Fu wants to deceive heaven and earth to smuggle them out—they won't take them to the capital. That's walking into a tiger's mouth."

"But my mission's destination is the capital," Chen Guanlou coughed lightly. "So you've truly made a mistake. If you let me go now and slip away quietly, it's still not too late. I'll pretend nothing happened. I won't report this to the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard? What a joke," the bearded man sneered.

Not even fearing the Embroidered Uniform Guard—definitely a bandit, bold to the point of stupidity. They've clearly never experienced the Embroidered Uniform Guard's tortures. Had they ever heard of or suffered them, they'd never treat the Embroidered Uniform Guard like a joke.

The refined scoundrel frowned in deep thought. He seemed to have taken Chen Guanlou's words to heart—could it really be a diversion?

"You're not seriously thinking of letting him go?" the bearded man asked the refined scoundrel.

The refined scoundrel said nothing.

The bearded man blurted out: "Just kill him. Teach Chen Guanfu that brat a lesson. He dares to play us? Fine, as long as he stays in the barracks, we'll let him be. But the moment he leaves, we'll cut him down."

The refined scoundrel was still thinking.

The bearded man was clearly the muscle, bad at thinking, and snapped angrily: "When has Mount Wanfeng ever hesitated before killing someone? I'll kill him right now."

"Wait—you're from Mount Wanfeng?" Chen Guanlou exclaimed, startled, then more than startled—thrilled.

For two years he'd been searching for Mount Wanfeng, but found nothing. It seemed the martial world had never heard of such a sect. Had the information not come from the Kuai family, the kidnapper clan, he'd have doubted its accuracy.

He clearly remembered Grandpa Kuai saying: Qi Boss came from Mount Wanfeng—a very mysterious sect.

"Oh? You've heard of our name?" The bearded man chuckled coldly. "Too late! Tonight is your death."

"Do you know a man surnamed Qi? He's also from Mount Wanfeng."

"You know Uncle Qi?"

Uncle?

So high a rank?

Multiple sources indicated Qi Boss wasn't old—he was roughly the same age as these men—yet he was already an "uncle." That meant Qi Boss had exceptional talent and high martial cultivation.

Chen Guanlou grew excited.

He feared enemies too weak.

Only strong enemies were worth challenging.

"I don't know him, only heard of him. He owes me several debts and I can't find him. Gentlemen, could you introduce me?"

"Dream on," the bearded man snapped. As soon as he spoke, his axe swung toward Chen Guanlou. This time, the refined scoundrel made no move to stop him—he silently approved. The third man in the shadows remained motionless and silent.

The refined scoundrel expected to see a bloody mess. He rose, stepping back to avoid splatters, unwilling to soil his clothes.

But when he stood firm, the chair before him was empty—the ropes were severed.

Where was he?

His heart lurched. He tensed instantly, leaping backward while hurling countless hidden weapons.

Thud!

A heavy body crashed to the ground.

The bearded man's corpse lay twisted on the floor, his axe buried in his skull, brains splattered.

"Hidden Meridian?"

"This guy's dangerous!"

"Retreat!"

All three shouted at once. No time to think, no time to recall how this had happened—why had an insignificant jailer suddenly become a martial powerhouse? Survival came first. Two figures shot upward and toward the back courtyard—once outside this room, they'd live.

"Think you can escape? Did you ask me?"

Chen Guanlou appeared like a ghost.

Thud!

Another heavy body hit the ground.

The refined scoundrel dared not turn back. His feet moved faster. He never imagined—after years in the martial world, having killed countless experts, having escaped imperial armies—he'd be brought down by an insignificant jailer.

"Still holding back? You want me dead?" The refined scoundrel roared toward the doorway. At a life-or-death moment, calling for help wasn't shameful.

Suddenly, his body froze—ice-cold dread spread through every inch of him.