Chapter 909: Chapter 111: Trouble Comes Knocking (Double-Length)

The government officials who didn’t have the qualification to carry swords were running in the corridors and courtyards, then knocked on every door in each courtyard. Inside the rooms, the Ministry of Punishment’s Martial Soldiers, who were lightly sleeping with their swords in their arms, opened their eyes, their pupils filled with bloodshot veins and fatigue.

Upon hearing the command from the officials, accompanying the fatigue was a sense of relief that it was finally over, mixed with the excitement and anticipation of revenge.

The excitement of finally reeling in the big fish.

After shouting twice, the young officer, no older than sixteen or seventeen, ran out again, his footsteps light and agile like a young deer, as if there was endless energy surging within his young body.

After all, he was young.

However, young people often neglect this asset.

A middle-aged arrest officer, with wide shoulders and long arms, smiled, a mix of nostalgia and warmth in his eyes, followed by a hint of regret. He once had such a young man under his command, though delicate in appearance, he seemed to have endless strength every day, never feeling tired.

Unfortunately, the favor given by heaven to the young seemed to have finally run out a few days ago, unable to bear the increasing pressure, and he took sick leave.

This matter was originally against the rules, but no one knew where Zhang Xiaoyu found an influential person. It was someone from the Ministry of Households who requisitioned him, without going through Wuxin, the chief officer, and disposed of it according to usual practice, granting him three months’ wages, allowing him to go home.

He should have treated him to a good bowl of wine that day, such a pity…

The thought flashed through the middle-aged arrest officer’s mind, along with the image of the shy young man who spoke little, as he sighed.

He raised his hand and slapped his cheek, producing a crackling sound, and then splashed with cold water to moisten it with a towel. The towel, originally soft, was imbued with the piercing coldness of the autumn night, heavy.

Then, holding the towel with both hands, he slapped it on his face, the cold stimulating his pores to contract, his brain instantly becoming much clearer, even the Inner Qi within his body which was previously sluggish seemed to gain some sort of aid, beginning to accelerate, bringing along the circulation of blood, stimulating muscles, awakening from symptoms brought by light sleep.

He casually tossed the towel into the iron basin, picked up a lantern in one hand, and pressed against the sword with the other, pushed the door open, and saw clusters of flames.

Like sparks emerging from every small courtyard of the Ministry of Punishment, soon converging, like a silent long snake.

He took a deep breath, icy cold, like a blade’s edge.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, over a hundred Martial Soldiers of the Ministry of Punishment extinguished the flames, formed ranks, and marched out.

Like a tiger hunting at night, silent, while simultaneously, a wholly gray, exquisite and small bird flew out from the main hall of the Ministry of Punishment, flapping its wings like an arrow, shooting toward the North City direction, without any hesitation.

……

Tie Lin and Wuxin walked at the front.

Or rather, the order received by everyone in the Ministry of Punishment was to stand by in the middle position between the two District Markets. Once the order was given, they would immediately act according to the original plan, enclosing together, along with many arrangements previously set up by Wuxin, to launch collectively.

And the two of them moved faster, their martial arts skills high enough to discern the details of two gamblers within this time, confirming which one was the real ‘victim.’

At the moment, the two Martial Artists were moving swiftly in the night wind, avoiding connecting with Heaven and Earth through Qi Mechanism to be as hidden as possible, their speed still very fast.

The closest place to the Ministry of Punishment’s courtyard was the March Market. If the two points were connected, the distance might not exceed thirty li, but according to the route, it would be double.

Wuxin’s steps were extremely steady, without hesitation regarding which direction to head next, as if he had already memorized the large map of Liangzhou City in his mind, while Tie Lin followed right behind him.

In no time, the two arrived at the March Market.

In the night, the archway of the March Market appeared somewhat eerie and strange, the black and red pillars pasted with couplets from the Spring Festival. Over the past half a year of wind and sun exposure, rain and frost has faded the original red color, turning it pale.

The bluestone road stretched straight, reflecting the cold moonlight, a stretch of forest white.

Wuxin entered first.

Though March Market wasn’t the most bustling place in the city, its architectural style was quite simple, mostly residences, but in reality, it’s not far from all the major government offices, with hidden high land prices, no less than the very center of Liangzhou.

To have a house here, at least one must belong to a fairly affluent family, not worrying about the struggle for food and warmth. It would be hard for ordinary people to believe that someone would gamble away their entire family fortune here.

But both Tie Lin and Wuxin were members of the Heaven Capital City Ministry of Justice, reading cases day by day, stranger things were not unheard of, knowing that among the younger members of such wealthy families who don’t need to toil for food and clothing, they are instead the most prone to gambling addiction.

The empire decrees repeatedly, yet gambling dens are often difficult to eradicate, today it’s a certain Zhao, tomorrow it would be a Wang or a Li, like spring grass, emerging one after another, because of these people’s ‘support.’

After entering the March Market, the two remained silent along the way, their steps continuous, first turning right into a small alley, walking to the end, then westward, and then again folding west, finally stopping at the entrance of a courtyard.

Tie Lin saw this courtyard was no different from others, though small inside, it was quite scenic, with stacked stones forming a mountain, one side of the wall embedded with large white stones, inscribed as a stele and vines hanging down from above.