Chapter 677: First Volume, Chapter 677: Dig Three Feet Deep

First Volume, Chapter 677: Dig Three Feet Deep

Qin Feng trusts his subordinates.

But he never puts all his eggs in one basket, always keeping a backup plan for emergencies.

In terms of loyalty, the Brocade Clothing Guard and the Black Riders cannot be mentioned in the same breath as the Tianji Camp Guards.

Precisely because of this, the Tianji Camp Guards are Qin Feng's most unshakable trump card.

Just like…

The Palace Guards beside the Liang Emperor.

No matter how corrupt and decayed the Black Guard Bureau becomes, no matter how incompetent the Imperial Guard grows, the Palace Guards always have the Liang Emperor's back.

Qin Feng checked Han Yuming's condition once again.

As the Physician said, whether he can survive depends entirely on Han Yuming's personal constitution.

As for blood transfusion, it's too risky—if the blood types don't match, trouble will follow.

So after the incident where Xiao Xiangxiang was attacked, Qin Feng never again risked giving blood to anyone.

"Second Sister, Third Sister, let's catch up properly tonight."

Qin Feng blinked his eyes, utterly sincere.

He had little interest in anything outside Mingyue Zhai.

At first, Liu Hongyan didn't think much of it and readily agreed—after all, they'd finally reunited, so wasn't it time to catch up properly?

Only when she realized Qin Feng had also summoned Xiao Xiangxiang and Shu Feng did she sense something was off.

"Feng'er, what dirty thoughts are you concocting now?"

"I'm warning you—don't you dare act up, or I'll let your Third Sister beat you!"

Liu Hongyan's face flushed pink, utterly adorable.

Qin Feng's heart stirred, but he swore on his honor that he was a gentleman and would never overstep.

Yet his body was honest—he casually shut the door.

Watching Qin Feng advance step by step, Liu Hongyan was overcome with shame.

"You rascal…"

"Beat him!"

At Liu Hongyan's command, Xiao Xiangxiang and Shu Feng exchanged glances and immediately rushed forward, faces flushed.

Watching the three of them tussling, Li Xiaolan couldn't help but smile.

For Li Xiaolan, this laughing, shouting, quarreling home was truly a home—far better than the cold, dull Imperial Palace.

…

Night deepened; the entire Jingdu fell into quiet stillness.

Yet the killing intent grew sharper.

A unit of thirty Tianji Camp Guards, fully armed, stood motionless in the center of Jingdu's main road.

Not far away were the City Patrol Bureau personnel.

Over a hundred City Patrol officers stared at the Tianji Camp Guards—standing like pines, imposing without a word—and couldn't help but feel envy.

"Tsk tsk tsk, the Tianji Camp Guards' origin is our very own City Patrol Bureau."

"In terms of seniority, we're their elders, hahaha."

"Even so, the City Patrol Bureau can't be compared to the Tianji Camp Guards."

"If we fought, how many of us hundred would stand a chance against thirty Tianji Camp Guards?"

"It's not even dawn—how are you dreaming of daylight?"

"For small-scale operations, only the Palace Guards can stand up to the Tianji Camp Guards head-on. Us City Patrol? Better wash your face and go to sleep."

"True… back when we stormed the Execution Ground, even the Imperial Guard got slaughtered."

"But say, Colonel, why are these Tianji Camp Guards standing here? It's the middle of the night—creepy."

The City Patrol Bureau Colonel watched the Tianji Camp Guards opposite him with extreme caution.

After a long while, he finally exhaled.

"They're covering the back."

The City Patrol Guards beside him looked puzzled.

"Covering the back? Covering what back?"

The City Patrol Bureau Colonel frowned.

"Some Tianji Camp department is operating in Jingdu. To avoid being spotted by Palace Guards or Black Guard Bureau agents, they've posted Tianji Camp Guards here as a guard detail."

"If a fight breaks out, they'll rush in to help."

"By regulation, whenever anyone in Jingzhong carries Ji Zhan Bing Zhong, we City Patrol must supervise."

"But keep your eyes wide open—no one dares go near and provoke them."

"If a fight breaks out, no one moves without a direct military order!"

At first, the City Patrol Guards were relaxed.

Once they realized a clash might occur, tension surged.

Fighting the Tianji Camp Guards? That's no different from walking into death.

The atmosphere grew heavier by the second.

…

Tonight's operation was led personally by Ning Hu.

Dressed in armor, carrying a bow and arrow, and shouldering a long spear—he was fully armed.

Ning Hu paced before the guards, silently calculating the time.

"In another Envoy, the sewage workers should enter the city."

"When they go door to door with servants to clean the latrines, if they see something they shouldn't, it'll stir up a storm across the whole city."

"Wait one more Envoy. No matter what, we pull out."

As Ning Hu muttered to himself, three brocade-clad guards leapt into a nearby Xiaoyuan.

Immediately, sounds of swords slashing and axes chopping erupted from within.

The patrol officers also saw this scene.

But no one reacted.

The patrol officers understood: the Tianji Camp Guards were on duty tonight to cover for these men in black brocade robes!

In just a few breaths, the three brocade-clad guards pushed open the Gate and stepped out.

In their hands, they dragged a dead man.

But outwardly, he looked no different from an ordinary civilian.

Yet Ning Hu's sharp eyes spotted at once: the man's thighs were thick, clearly from long journeys, and his hands bore "knife calluses."

He must be one of Yexiao's spies hidden in the Capital.

Ning Hu couldn't help but silently marvel.

The brocade-clad guards were indeed Qin Feng's army's most elite covert unit.

Their intelligence was too sharp!

Ning Hu did not know that this same scene was unfolding across Jingdu.

From the start of the operation until now, just one Envoy had passed—and six Yexiao spies had already been dragged out.

Without exception, all were executed, no survivors left.

And the arrests were still ongoing.

Liu Ming stood atop the eaves of a residence, arms behind his back, watching the brocade-clad guards capture targets nearby, his gaze heavy as stone.

His deputy, unable to hold back any longer, whispered quietly.

"Captain, Young Master Qin is here today, yet says not a word."

"Instead, Mingyue Princess is giving all the orders."

"Clearing out all Yexiao spies in one night is nearly impossible—isn't this just setting us up to fail?"

"Though Mingyue Princess is giving the orders, this clearly reflects Young Master Qin's stance."

Hearing this, Liu Ming cast a sidelong glance—his piercing gaze like a blade, striking the deputy directly.

Merely meeting that gaze, the deputy was already filled with guilt and quickly lowered his head.

"Are you questioning the Young Master?"

Liu Ming's voice was ice-cold.

The deputy's head sank even lower.

"Your subordinate dares not."

Without hesitation, Liu Ming seized the deputy's throat and forcibly lifted his head.

Their eyes locked—the sharp gaze seemed ready to kill the deputy on the spot.