Tongji Street was pitch-black.
If it were a normal day, Tongji Street would be bustling around this ti.
Various rchants would have troupes perform at their hos for the entertainnt of their guests, with long lines of carriages and horses in front of their doors, while coachn squatted in corners gambling and boasting.
But today, Tongji Street was eerily quiet, with many rchants having left overnight, fearing that the Spy Departnt might arrest them as Jing Dynasty spies trying to claim rit.
In an abandoned mansion, seven people dressed in black and wearing hats stood solemnly around the body of Manager Yuan, resembling seven statues.
Chen Ji pondered, and the others didn’t dare utter a word, fearing they might interrupt his thoughts.
What happened just earlier at Yingke Restaurant was still vividly in everyone’s mind. With a new superior of remarkable perspicacity, the spies didn’t even dare to breathe heavily, as though a boulder were pressing down upon them.
Chen Ji looked at Manager Yuan’s unmoved body on the ground and suddenly asked, "The stab wounds target the vital points, consistent with the assassin’s thod at Yingke Restaurant, which suggests that both scenes were indeed by the sa person. Among the Jing Dynasty conspirators, is anyone skilled with a short knife? There aren’t many assassins who use a short knife as their weapon of choice."
West Wind hurriedly said, "There is one who is extrely skilled with a short knife. Colleagues in Jinling once attempted to capture him, but after killing more than a dozen of our n, he jumped into the Qinhuai River and escaped... We suspect it’s him, but he has never shown the skill of using a broken knife before, making us sowhat uncertain."
Chen Ji asked, "How long ago was the Jinling incident?"
West Wind replied, "It seems to be three years ago."
Chen Ji nodded, "Three years is a long ti. Perhaps he has developed a unique skill during these years. For now, let’s consider him the pri suspect and issue a wanted notice."
Besides, Si Caogui was returning to the Jing Dynasty to shoulder so of the hatred towards the Spy Departnt for him, which should be no problem.
But West Wind said with difficulty, "No, this person is cautious. During the last fight, he wore a mask with green face and fierce fangs, and no one saw his face. We can’t issue the wanted notice. However, Lord Jin Zhu has already led people out of the city to block all major transport routes. They won’t escape."
Chen Ji’s heart sank; it turned out Jin Zhu had gone out of the city in person to set up checkpoints.
He casually asked, "Are you certain that the Jing Dynasty conspirators have already left Luocheng City?"
West Wind thought for a mont and said, "We can’t be sure, but their main target seems to be stealing our firearms. Now that they have succeeded, it’s urgent for them to return the firearms to the Jing Dynasty. Staying here offers them no advantage. "
Little did Chen Ji know his use of three firearms the previous night had urgently been reported to the Imperial Capital and the border army, being treated as a matter of utmost importance. Both land and water routes leading to the north were being strictly blocked, determined not to let the Jing Dynasty conspirators take the firearms back.
In fact, the Jing Dynasty had not acquired the firearms, but everyone believed they had, and the Spy Departnt was blocking all northern routes with the highest protocols.
Fortunately, Gui had not chosen to head directly north, or he might already have walked right into a trap.
Chen Ji crouched beside Manager Yuan’s body, pondering what to do next.
Firstly, he certainly couldn’t go after Gui and Wu Hongbiao. Catching those two would bring disaster upon himself.
Secondly, he had to capture a group of Jing Dynasty spies; otherwise, Jin Zhu would not let him go.
But whom to capture...
Wait, he thought of whom he should capture.
Chen Ji calmly asked, "West Wind, when you found the body, was he already stripped naked? Is there any clue to prove his identity?"
West Wind crouched next to Chen Ji and responded in a low voice, "This man ca out from Kujue Temple in the Jing Dynasty as an Executive Officer, likely a Jing Dynasty spy. His other identities are still under investigation... There are no other clues for now."
Chen Ji frowned, "No other clues? What have you all been doing today?"
The spies instantly felt more pressure. West Wind hurriedly said, "Today we had all the neighbors on Tongji Street co to identify him one by one, but no one on the entire street had seen him. This estate belongs to a Hui rchant and has been abandoned for over a year... We also brought nearby brokers and village chiefs to identify him, and investigated all day. We’ve checked everything checkable."
The body seed to have appeared out of thin air. Within several miles nearby, there wasn’t a single person who recognized his identity.
It wasn’t for lack of effort by the spies; there simply were no clues.
Chen Ji calmly said, "It’s cold, and this man couldn’t have walked out of the house naked by himself. The assassin must have killed him and then stripped his clothes. Why would the assailant take his clothes? It must be because his clothes were distinctive enough that soone might recognize his identity through them."
West Wind asked, "Sir, have you thought of a way to investigate?"
"How many people from the Spy Departnt are still in Luocheng City?"
"Lord Jin Zhu left forty-two people to guard Luocheng."
"Gather all of them and lock down East Market," Chen Ji said as he stood up slowly, "Since reasoning hasn’t worked, let’s use a more straightforward thod. This man must have lived in Luocheng; his disappearance wouldn’t have gone completely unnoticed. Summon the village chiefs and brokers from East Market to cover the entire area and investigate all missing persons. Whoever has mysteriously disappeared, that deceased person is."
At this mont, there was no longer a Manager Yuan inside Bailu Pavilion, the only clue pointing towards Bailu Pavilion.
By confirming that Manager Yuan was missing, he now had a reason to raid Bailu Pavilion and detain people for interrogation, in order to explain to Lord Jin Zhu. Writing answers from the answer sheet, there could be no mistake in copying them wrong.
Chen Ji knew that Si Caogui took away Manager Yuan’s clothing because he didn’t want the Spy Departnt to trace back to Bailu Pavilion, as it would harm the Revenue of the Military Intelligence Departnt.
But what did it have to do with Chen Ji? Bailu Pavilion hid so many ginsengs, just what he needed.
...
...
In the dead of night, the village chief was pulled from his ho by a spy, trembling with fear as he followed behind the spy, afraid that the group of ferocious devils at his side might tear him to pieces at any displeasure.
West Wind held a torch in his hand, leading the spies to knock on each storefront door forcefully, conducting a thorough search store by store.
The previously quiet stores erupted with cries of terror. The shopkeepers and assistants, who were caught in their sleep and didn’t even have ti to put on their cotton jackets, were rcilessly dragged onto the street by the spies, shivering from the cold.
West Wind and others wore solemn expressions until the village chief confird that no one was missing from the stores. Only then did the spies allow the shopkeepers and assistants to return to sleep.
Without uttering a word, Chen Ji followed behind the spies. His mind was not on these irrelevant stores, but rather, he was just waiting for the search from store to store to bring him closer and closer to Bailu Pavilion.
In order to avoid the Jing Dynasty traitors inside Bailu Pavilion fiercely fighting back in a desperate situation, he always remained at the very back.
However, as they were about to reach Bailu Pavilion, Chen Ji felt sothing amiss... It was too quiet.
It seed as if Bailu Pavilion was unaware of what was happening outside, with no one attempting to escape, just like an ordinary store.
The next mont, West Wind stepped forward and knocked on the main door of Bailu Pavilion.
Inside, soone removed the door bolt.
With a creak, the door was pulled open from the inside. A young clerk appeared sleepy, blinking against the bright light from the torch, raising his hand to shield his eyes, "Who is it? What’s wrong at this late hour?"
West Wind said nothing, but watched as the village chief walked forward with a census register, smiling and saying, "There’s been a murder on Tongji Street, but we can’t confirm the identity of the deceased. We are going house by house to see if anyone is missing. Young man, I would trouble you to call out everyone from the store; after we verify everything, we will leave."
"Oh..." The young clerk turned and shouted into the house, "Shopkeeper! The village chief brought people here, saying they want to check if our store is missing anyone."
Tension tightened every muscle in Chen Ji’s body, ready to kill or retreat at any mont.
However, he was suddenly stunned.
A portly figure led five associates to the doorway, smiling and saying, "Village chief, these are all the people from our Bailu Pavilion, everyone is here."
Manager Yuan!
Chen Ji almost thought he was seeing things wrong, but after confirming several tis, the portly figure wearing a bright red satin robe and a golden crown was undoubtedly Manager Yuan!
For a mont, he even felt a bit dizzy.
Inside Bailu Pavilion, Si Caogui had severed the neck of one Manager Yuan, and on Tongji Street, Chen Ji himself had also cut off the neck of another Manager Yuan; yet now inside Bailu Pavilion, another Manager Yuan appeared!
It seed as if he could never be killed, like a lingering spirit that couldn’t be dispelled.
He wanted to grab the man by the collar and demand, "Are you a man or a ghost?!"
Chen Ji stared fixedly at Manager Yuan’s pale face, knowing that it was a new human-skin mask. After discovering the death of Si Caogui, the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Departnt must have found a new person to replace him, even preparing a human-skin mask in advance.
Should he expose the human-skin mask now?
But what after exposing it? How could he explain to West Wind how he knew the other was wearing a human-skin mask? West Wind was no fool; the other side might even realize Chen Ji had specifically co for Bailu Pavilion tonight!
In front of Bailu Pavilion, however, he heard the village chief tell West Wind, "Sir, Bailu Pavilion is an old shop in East Market, always with the sa people, there’s no mistake."
West Wind looked at Manager Yuan, "These days have been restless in Luocheng City, if you notice anything strange, you must report it to us promptly."
Manager Yuan smiled amiably, "Certainly, certainly, we are all law-abiding good citizens of Luocheng City; assisting you in catching criminals is our duty."
West Wind nodded, simply reminding them to "lock the doors and windows well" before continuing to the next shop.
Chen Ji ultimately did not expose them. He turned and followed West Wind away, leaving Manager Yuan and his associates calmly standing within the threshold of Bailu Pavilion, their expressions calm, showing no sign of joy or sorrow.
At that mont, suddenly a spy ca running from a distance. Upon approaching, the spy said to West Wind, "Sir, while investigating with the broker at Li Ji’s Clothing Store, we obtained a significant clue. The shopkeeper there stated that last night, when we were sealing off Hongyi Lane, he saw four Jianghu individuals with swords stealthily running out from the back of Hongyi Lane. These people might be the Jing Dynasty traitors!"
Chen Ji’s heart sank. Could it be the four who abandoned the Princely Heir and Bai Li?
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