CHAPTER 61: 57, SWORD TIDE_2

No, he had to return to that alley to bring full circle the events of tonight.

Chen Ji struggled to climb onto the rooftop, carefully hunching down to avoid detection. More than a few times, when Spies looked towards the rooftop, he could only lie flat and crawl forward slowly.

As seconds turned into minutes, Chen Ji’s strength was on the verge of running out.

Finally, the alley was in sight, and he quietly slid down the wall. But when he hit the ground, his legs gave out, and he collapsed into a puddle.

He had lost too much blood and was on the brink of passing out.

Chen Ji struggled to his feet and dragged the Jing Dynasty spy from a pile of rubbish, arranging the surroundings to appear as though a fierce fight had taken place.

Then, he manipulated the spy’s corpse, positioning their bodies as if he had strangled the opponent to death with a scabbard before lying on his back on the ground, pretending to have fainted from severe injuries sustained after killing the man.

However, his injuries weren’t severe enough to dispel Jin Zhu’s suspicions!

A resolute glint flashed in Chen Ji’s eyes as he took a dagger in the spy’s hand, then gripped the spy’s hand himself and ferociously stabbed towards the cut on his thigh, driving the dagger in until only the hilt showed.

In an instant, excruciating pain assaulted him.

Chen Ji’s body convulsed, and cold sweat rolled down his forehead like soybeans.

But throughout it all, he clenched his teeth and did not make a sound.

Furthermore, Chen Ji cupped his hands in the water on the ground, continuously pouring it over his wound to ensure the bleeding didn’t show any difference between before and after the rainfall.

Chen Ji endured through the pain, and only when he vaguely saw the flicker of torches outside the alley did he slowly close his eyes and relax his mind, truly passing out.

...

...

It was impossible to tell how much time had passed when Jin Zhu arrived next to Chen Ji, guided by a Spy, and squatted down to examine him.

First, he pried open Chen Ji’s eyelids and waved a torch in front of his eyes: "No twitching of the eyelids, slow pupil contraction... He really has passed out."

Jin Zhu then felt the wound on the neck of the Jing Dynasty spy: "Strangled to death with a scabbard, and before dying, he even stabbed this lad in the thigh... I hadn’t expected that this lad could actually kill a spy by himself; I underestimated him."

Jin Zhu’s tone shifted: "But considering the spy’s skills far exceeded the norm, just how did this lad triumph? Could it truly be that fortune favors the brave... Wait, tear off all of Chen Ji’s clothes; I need to examine his wounds. It’s highly possible he left for a while and then came back to attend to his wounds."

The next moment, the Spies tore Chen Ji’s trousers and shirt, revealing the knife wounds underneath, which had turned white and swollen from being soaked in water for a long time.

Luckily, Chen Ji had previously cut a gash on his leg, allowing it to soak and swell; otherwise, Jin Zhu would have noticed the wound was fresh, which would have blown Chen Ji’s cover.

This was the detail Chen Ji had nearly missed.

The Spy told Jin Zhu: "Lord, the knife wounds have been there for a while and haven’t been tampered with. With such cuts on his leg, he wouldn’t be able to move freely; it seems he fainted here after fighting the spy."

Jin Zhu sighed in relief: "It looks like there really isn’t a problem... Am I simply being overly suspicious?"

"Lord, what should we do now? Should we send him for treatment?"

"No," Jin Zhu shook his head: "Take him to the inner prison and have a doctor treat him there. If he wakes up, notify me immediately; I have some questions for him. People are most likely to spill secrets when they’re weak."

"Understood."

However, at this moment, a voice came from outside the alley: "Honored lords, have you seen my disciple? A thin and tall man dressed in black."

Jin Zhu narrowed his eyes slightly towards the entrance of the alley, only to see Old Yao with white hair standing at the alley’s mouth, questioning the Spies.

As they questioned, Old Yao turned his head towards the alley and frowned: "Lord Jin Zhu, what brings you to Luocheng City?"

"Good evening, Doctor Yao. Out this late looking for your disciple?" Jin Zhu stepped forward with a smile, positioning himself in front of Chen Ji.

Old Yao walked over step by step: "Have you seen my disciple?"

"No," Jin Zhu shook his head: "Doctor Yao, perhaps check elsewhere."

"Who’s that behind Lord Jin Zhu?" Old Yao had approached and looked at Chen Ji lying on the ground: "Isn’t that my disciple? Why would Lord Jin Zhu lie about it? Why is he lying here?"

With some embarrassment, Jin Zhu said: "Hahaha, so it turns out he’s your disciple; I didn’t know earlier. He has been injured by a villain from the Jing Dynasty, and I was just about to take him for treatment."

Old Yao nodded: "Then I’ll trouble you to dispatch two Spies to carry him back to Taiping Medical Hall."

Jin Zhu reflexively rejected: "No."

Old Yao puzzled: "In Luocheng City, where could possibly be better for treating injuries than my Taiping Medical Hall? Did my disciple commit some offense?"

Jin Zhu hesitated for a moment: "He has not offended, rather he merits commendation."

Old Yao let out a sigh of relief, yet his tone became grave: "If he has committed an offense, Lord Jin Zhu, you may handle it as you see fit, but if he has not, then I must write a letter to Lord Prime Minister to enquire why the Spy Department is holding my disciple without reason."

Jin Zhu was silent for a long while, ultimately waving to the Spies: "Help Doctor Yao take Chen Ji back."

He stood in the alley, watching Old Yao’s receding figure, frowning.

Moments later, Jin Zhu muttered to himself, "I always feel like there’s something wrong..."

...

...

In a deep slumber, Chen Ji lay in the carriage, swaying as if adrift at sea.

The sixteen stove fires near his Dantian flickered ceaselessly, like dying lamps that might extinguish at any moment, and the long-silent Ice Flow within him was stirring.

Chen Ji seemed to be swept up by the Ice Flow into the black sea of clouds, drifting aimlessly like a solitary boat, until once more he floated toward that ancient battlefield.

The clamor of battle cries, the clanging of metal, sounded as if gods were fighting.

Chen Ji saw countless ancient birds spiraling in the sky above, dragging long, splendid tails!

Chen Ji saw human formations advancing on the ground, with human cavalry seated atop great warhorses, no, to be accurate, those were not horses. Below eight feet were ponies, above eight feet were dragons!

On the other side of the human formations, an uncountable number of giant beasts seemed to be surrounding something, incessantly wailing.

Chen Ji plummeted from the sea of clouds, landing on a Qingshan near the edge of the battlefield. He saw a towering figure in golden armor, holding the Royal Banner, taking resolute steps amid the legions.

Beside him, a blue shadow circled like a shooting star, piercing through each attacking enemy.

After a long time, Chen Ji finally made out that dazzling meteor, which turned out to be a "sword seed" without a hilt!

However, at that moment, the towering figure suddenly looked toward Chen Ji on the mountain, "Return my divine path!"

"Return my sword seed!"

"Return my Qingshan!"

"Or else, give me your life!"

The next moment, a sky-obscuring sword light spread like a tidal wave, oppressively suffocating.

The mountain wind howled, whipping Chen Ji’s clothes into a noisy flutter.

But this time Chen Ji wasn’t afraid. He faced the towering figure and the overwhelming tide of swords, calmly asking, "Why should I?"

His voice boomed like a colossal axe striking the mountains, echoing thunderously.

As the echoes faded, the stove fires within Chen Ji suddenly ignited one by one, one, two, three...six hundred eighteen, seven hundred twenty!

The light of the stove fires shone through his body, as brilliant as stars!

In the presence of these stars, the sword light tide split as if encountering an island, parting in two!

The towering figure was silent for a brief moment and then burst into a loud, joyous laughter that spiraled into the sky, "You have returned, it is actually you who have returned!"

...

...

"Chen Ji? Chen Ji!"

"Why are you calling him? He’s still unconscious, don’t yell at him!"

"But I saw his eyelids move... hey, hey, hey, look he’s opening his eyes... Master! Master! Chen Ji has awakened!"

Chen Ji slowly opened his eyes to find himself lying in the apprentice dormitory of the Medical Hall.

The first thing he did was to feel inside his body, only to find that there were still only sixteen stove fires; it had all been just a big dream.

He then looked up and saw a cluster of heads hovering over him... She Dengke, Liu Quxing, Liang Gou’er, Liang Mao’er, the Princely Heir, Princess Bai Li, the little monk?

Chen Ji couldn’t figure out why these three were also in the dim apprentice dormitory.

He tried to prop himself up on his elbow to sit up but was pushed back down by Liu Quxing, "Don’t move, don’t move, the master told you not to move."

Chen Ji looked outside at the dark night sky and wondered, "How long have I been unconscious?"

"A whole day!" Liu Quxing declared, "You scared us to death!"

Chen Ji’s heart skipped a beat, he had been unconscious for a full day?

Had he managed to fool Jin Zhu?

What about Wu Hongbiao? Had he escaped, or had he been found by the Spy Department or the Military Intelligence Department?

But at least when he awoke, he was not in the inner prison... that was good news.