While Baili Feng was secretly annoyed and incessantly regretting his actions, Wang Anfeng finally caught sight of Tuoba Yue ahead of him.
To avoid letting Baili Feng notice he was being followed, Wang Anfeng had been maintaining a distance of several dozen ters behind Baili Feng, always separated by one or two corners from the farther ahead Tuoba Yue. Under such circumstances, even with his Pupil Skill no less sharp than an eagle’s, it was impossible to spot the slightest trace.
At that mont, both individuals ahead had co to a stop, and he had seen it clearly just now. After a brief contemplation, he had already guessed the likely reason. Just then, Tuoba Yue, whose mind wandered in dismay for not being able to see his clan mbers one last ti, turned around.
Baili Feng’s body shuddered, and he abruptly turned, pressing himself against the corner of the wall, not daring to breathe loudly.
All the frustration and regret in his heart were cast aside, his complexion slightly pale, as he simply prayed not to be discovered by Tuoba Yue.
anwhile, Wang Anfeng subconsciously pointed his toes, his body as nimble as a willow leaf, and in the blink of an eye, he had retreated several ters backwards, unnoticed by the panicked Baili Feng, until his feet touched solid ground again. Only then did he return to his senses, facing the envious looks from the civilians around him, he couldn’t help but let out a slight chuckle.
He tapped his forehead lightly with his hand, feeling that such sneaky behavior was like that of a thief, and thought to himself: why go to such lengths?
After giving another glance at the corner of the wall, the young man smiled and said softly,
"I really can’t intervene in this matter."
"Good luck, Baili."
Having said that, he shook his head twice, his heart sowhat feeling like the days when he used to listen to stories from Libo about young n and won eting in Jianghu, except that the events that once only happened in stories were now unfolding before his eyes. And the disheveled old man from those days was no longer by his side.
With these thoughts, he beca slightly absent-minded for a mont before regaining his composure. Wang Anfeng exhaled, pushed the distractions from his mind, and looked around to discover he had unwittingly arrived near the market.
The Mid-Autumn Festival had just passed, and the prices of leftover fruits and food had dropped by more than half. After a mont’s think, he decided that since he was already here, leaving empty-handed would not do justice to his sprint here, so he might as well buy so things to take back.
As he turned around, his Pupil Skill was subtly employed to sweep the faces of the people behind him into his view: n and won, old and young, coming and going. When he spotted the middle-aged man dressed in elaborate clothes, carrying a longsword on his back, and with four or five short flying daggers tucked into his waist, Wang Anfeng’s eyes brightened slightly.
He then noticed the man’s face was slightly flushed, his forehead bearing a thin layer of sweat despite the cold autumn weather, as if he had just been running with exerted force. Understanding dawned on Wang Anfeng.
This was the person who had been following him all along.
And it was no coincidence.
In an instant, he made a judgnt in his heart, but Wang Anfeng showed no outward signs, while internally he pondered the stranger’s intentions and his own counterasures. He then turned and headed towards the direction of the market.
The man, unaware that Wang Anfeng had detected his presence, did not hesitate to continue following the youngster as he left.
The man left various marks along the way to notify his subordinates, stealthily trailing Wang Anfeng. He had just relaxed slightly, thinking that the young man ahead seed to have eased up and would not require him to forcefully maintain his energy to keep up, when he suddenly realized that Wang Anfeng’s speed had once again increased.
Despite appearing casual and unhurried, his speed rivaled that of a galloping horse, spanning a distance of over ten ters in the blink of an eye.
Ma Yongchang’s face displayed a bitter expression.
At this mont, his legs were already sowhat weak, feeling this type of brisk walking without being able to stretch his legs to be far more taxing than a full-force dash. He felt the urge to stop and rest, to drink a bowl of hot tea and have so snacks at a nearby teahouse.
However, due to the order he was under, he had no choice but to continue the pursuit. Perhaps because he had briefly rested earlier, the soreness and pain in his legs were now all the more intense and seed to be worsening.
And at that mont, he suddenly realized that the movent technique of the young man ahead was still increasing in speed. Despite exerting his full strength, he found himself gradually being left behind.
Thinking of the consequences should he lose the trail, a sudden chill gripped his heart, and he desperately mustered his energy, feeling a determination he had never experienced even during his youthful martial arts training under his master. His ridians that channeled inner strength were already faintly aching.
Despite it being the chilly days of late autumn, his complexion was flushed red, and his mind was a total blank, with only the thought of catching up to the figure ahead remaining.
At that mont, the figure reached the corner of a grand mansion’s wall and, without stopping, leapt up with a couple of light taps against the wall with his toes, gliding into the estate like a swift swallow. Ma Yongchang, trailing Wang Anfeng, almost instinctively made the sa movent.
He sprang up, and it was only after he had cleared the several-ter-high red wall that his brain, which had been lagging behind due to the frantic chase, finally caught up and cursed incessantly.
All he needed was to confirm the location of the mansion, so why did he follow him inside?
What a disaster!
A sudden realization flashed in his mind; as a martial artist who had battled in the Jianghu, he instinctively responded to the situation.
His left hand swept across his waist, drawing three short-handled flying daggers, which he held between his fingers. His right hand rose to grasp the hilt of the longsword at his back. With a clanging sound, he drew the sword an inch, ready for any eventuality. This series of actions took place in the blink of an eye.
At the sa ti, he saw that the young man in blue had not gone far, standing just a short distance ahead.
While feeling pleasantly surprised, he also noticed six or seven young n standing beside him, saw the martial artists were dressed in crimson vigorous attire, noticed they wore official hats made of soft gauze, saw that each of them carried a Great Qin saber at their waist, with copper-colored waist badges embossed with a blood-red arrest character.
Ma Yongchang’s complexion had gone completely rigid.
This was...
In midair, he stiffly looked up to see the characters for "Ministry of Punishnt" hanging above the main hall.
Clatter.
He landed on the ground.
Staggering forward a few steps, he finally lifted his face, just in ti to see the blue-robed young man lifting his hand, pointing at him, and heard him speak with an extrely gentle and polite deanor:
"Yan Ling, brother, this is the man who has been following ."
The clanging of tal was incessant, and in an instant, six or seven longswords were drawn, emanating a sharp and frosty threat.
A shiver ran down Ma Yongchang’s spine, and he relaxed his grip, allowing his weapon to fall to the ground as he chuckled awkwardly:
"Misunderstanding, this is all a misunderstanding."
"I—I—I, I just entered the wrong door."
Working cases overnight, Yan Ling, with dark circles under his eyes, rubbed his brow and waved a hand, saying:
"Stalking a citizen of Great Qin, ard with sharp blades, trespassing on the grounds of the Ministry of Punishnt."
"Two cris to be punished together, you all know what to do, right?"
"We do!"
The vigorous chorus was followed by six or seven patrol officers approaching with a sinister smirk, casting a large shadow, covering the collapsed Ma Yongchang on the ground.
"I’m innocent ahhh!!!"
Accompanied by a scream like that of a pig being slaughtered, Ma Yongchang was bundled up and dragged away. Yan Ling yawned, then turned around and asked Wang Anfeng,
"What happened? Why were martial artists tracking you?"
Wang Anfeng himself was puzzled and shook his head,
"I don’t know."
Yan Ling frowned, thought for a mont, and said,
"In Great Qin, we don’t allow the abuse of private punishnt. Interrogation takes so ti. Do you want to wait here for a while or leave first?"
Wang Anfeng thought about the three different sets of footsteps behind him earlier, surmising that there were at least three trackers, and at the mont only one had been caught, surely to notify his accomplices. He shook his head,
"Thanks for the offer, big brother Yan."
"I think I’ll head back to the Academy first. There’s likely more than one person following , and it’s always risky if it takes too long."
Yan Ling nodded and said,
"That sounds good. Then be careful on your way back. Once the interrogation yields so results, I’ll visit the Academy and inform you who was behind all this."
Wang Anfeng bowed with his hands clasped and said,
"If that’s the case, many thanks, big brother Yan."
Just as he turned to leave after speaking, he had only taken a step when Yan Ling’s palm rested on his shoulder. Turning back curiously, he saw an open palm.
Yan Ling’s lips curved into a slight smile and waved his hand, saying,
"Your earlier actions amount to trespassing in the Ministry of Punishnt’s office."
"Five taels of silver as a fine, hand it over."
Wang Anfeng’s mouth twitched slightly and he said,
"Big brother Yan, that was an impromptu action out of necessity. Could you, perhaps, show so understanding..."
Yan Ling smiled with a hint of mirth and shook his head, saying,
"When enforcing the law, we cannot afford to be sentintal, you know that, right?"
Wang Anfeng opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything, and eventually hung his head dejectedly,
"I know..."
Monts later, Yan Ling, tossing the silver coins in his hand, smiled as he watched Wang Anfeng walk away. The two arrest officers guarding the Ministry’s gates saw Wang Anfeng leaving and were a bit curious. One of them scratched his chin and asked,
"Was that the library guardian just now?"
"Yes, that was the library guardian."
"But when did the library guardian go in?"
The other arrest officer shook his head and said,
"I don’t know."
"But it seems sothing must have happened..."
The first person to speak, driven by curiosity, asked,
"How do you know that?"
The latter scoffed, pointing at Wang Anfeng’s retreating figure, and said confidently,
"Just look at the library guardian’s deanor; he looks just like one of those gamblers who have lost everything. How could you not tell?"
The initial questioner looked intently and saw that Wang Anfeng’s steps were indeed sluggish. He couldn’t help but feel impressed and said,
"That’s true."
After a slight pause, another thought struck him, and he turned to look at his smug companion with curiosity,
"But, old Zhang, how co you are so familiar with what gamblers who’ve lost everything look like?"
"How can you tell at a glance?"
Without thinking, the latter blurted out,
"That’s because I..."
At that point, he paused, coughed twice, and said righteously,
"Experience! It’s because of my rich experience in handling cases, you know."
"You, young fellow, still have a long way to go..."
............
Walking along the street, Wang Anfeng held his money pouch in his right hand and gave it a swing with his left.
The last copper coin fell out and spun in his palm as if mocking.
The young man was disheartened.
"This ti, I truly made a wasted trip."
PS: First update
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