Green Mountain

The one hundred and eighth drum beat ceased.

The city gates fell shut, the port was blocked.

The vast Yingkou became a cage.

Chen Ji couldn’t chat idly with Su Zhou; he asked gravely, "Have you figured out how many troops are stationed in Yingkou?"

Little Fourteen immediately replied, "We’ve got it clear. Outside the city is the Zhechong Prefecture, led by a Captain of Zhichong with a thousand troops, able to arrive in just an hour. Inside the city, there are eight hundred county soldiers, locally recruited militiamen, usually responsible for gate guarding, city patrol, and countryside theft catching."

Chen Ji asked again, "How many guarding the port?"

Little Fourteen answered, "Over a hundred."

At this moment, the sound of soldiers and horses’ chaotic footsteps resounded in the city, along with the sound of horse hooves passing through the streets. Yuan Xing’s voice shouted, "Mobilize the whole city to capture the thieves. If you let those two people escape, all of you will go to Ningguta to chop wood!"

After Yuan Xing’s voice faded away, someone else shouted, "The village chiefs from each neighborhood lead people to check inside the neighborhood. If there’s anyone suspicious, report immediately!"

Moments later, the village chiefs led people to search door to door. Chen Ji heard knocking and kicking getting closer; soon they’d be searching Denghuo Inn.

Su Zhou looked at Chen Ji, astonished, "You weren’t issued a sea arrest warrant when you arrived in the Jing Dynasty, were you?"

Chen Ji had no time for banter with her, turning to Little Fourteen, "Does Denghuo have any boats docked at the port?"

Little Fourteen hurriedly said, "Yes, there’s a two-masted large boat, our Denghuo’s boat workers have always been on guard aboard!"

Chen Ji instructed, "Prepare to leave by ship, you all must go too."

Little Fourteen hesitated, "Must we also leave? We’ve just managed to establish ourselves in Yingkou. Besides, lately, the Hu Ben Army has been moving frequently around Yingkou and Hai City Posthouse, and many craftsmen have arrived; there are many new businesses."

Chen Ji shook his head, "Business can’t be considered now. We came on horseback, the residents surely heard the hooves and came to the inn; the news can’t be hidden. Once found, the whole inn will be implicated... Listen to me, pack your things!"

Little Fourteen looked at Mrs. Lu, "...Landlord?"

Mrs. Lu resolutely said, "Listen to him."

Little Fourteen hesitated no more, immediately calling everyone to the backyard to pack up; he ignited several charcoal basins indoors, throwing piles of ledgers and documents into the fire.

Mrs. Lu turned to Chen Ji, "Where is my son? I’ll go find him and bring him to the port to meet you."

Chen Ji avoided answering, going alone to the window, closing the shutters leaving only a crack.

Through the gap, he looked outside, seeing the flickering light of torches, with Yingkou’s order-transmitting county soldiers riding swiftly by from time to time.

He also looked up at the distant watchtower, the greatest threat, fortunately, the watchtowers in Yingkou are fewer than those in Shangjing.

While observing, Wu Yun wormed its way out of his collar, ears perked, listening outside the window, "They’re almost here, just seven or eight households away."

Chen Ji acknowledged with a sound.

Su Zhou couldn’t help but lean over to ask quietly, "What have you done? Why did that woman have amnesia, and she has a son too, how come I never heard about it?"

Chen Ji glanced at Mrs. Lu impatiently, casually answered Su Zhou quietly, then looked outside again.

"Fine, don’t tell me," Su Zhou snorted coldly and went to the backyard.

Soon, Little Fourteen came from the kitchen with a bowl of water, handed it to Chen Ji, "Have some water, I see your lips are cracking."

Chen Ji took the pottery bowl, gulped it down, and then handed it to Aunt Ping.

Mrs. Lu drank without question too.

At that moment, Su Zhou led a dozen people back to the main hall, "All packed up, let’s go."

Chen Ji turned to leave, but Mrs. Lu grabbed his arm, asking, "Where is my son?"

Chen Ji remained silent.

Mrs. Lu asked seriously, "Did you never intend to take me to find my son, planning to leave him alone in Yingkou?"

Chen Ji still said nothing.

Mrs. Lu sighed, "I don’t need you to find him, just tell me where he is, I’ll find him myself..."

Before she finished speaking, she suddenly swayed.

Mrs. Lu raised her head sharply, seeing Chen Ji spitting out a mouthful of water, Little Fourteen handed him another bowl to rinse his mouth.

She backed away, staggered, leaning against the counter to stay upright.

Mrs. Lu barely stood straight, looking at Chen Ji, "What does this mean?"

Chen Ji sighed, "Sorry, Aunt Ping, but it’s a desperate measure."

Mrs. Lu reversed her hand, pulling out a hairpin to stab her thigh, but her wrist was grabbed by Su Zhou, snatching the hairpin from her hand.

Mrs. Lu’s palm edge lit up with Eight Diagrams, striking at Su Zhou like thunder.

Su Zhou’s expression changed, but before the palm reached her, it weakened, hanging powerlessly.

"You..." Mrs. Lu slowly closed her eyes, falling sideways, caught by Su Zhou.

Beside them, Little Fourteen and Denghuo’s workers were shocked by this turn, immediately pulling out kitchen knives from their waists, faced off against Su Zhou and Chen Ji, "What are you two doing, let our landlord go!"

Chen Ji explained, "Your landlord lost her memory and is determined to find her son to leave. This is for her salvation, if you’re worried, stay by her side."

Su Zhou snapped, "Listen to me, put down the knives."

Little Fourteen was skeptical: "You are just the Fire General of Yingkou, I am the General, why should I listen to you? Aunt Li, carry the Landlord and don’t let these two get close."

Su Zhou rolled her eyes and handed Mrs. Lu to Aunt Li: "I’m not eager to carry her anyway!"

She turned and complained to Chen Ji: "You brat, you’ve gotten me into trouble. When she wakes up, she’ll still hate me."

Chen Ji turned and opened the main door, ensuring that the village chief hadn’t searched here yet, then led Zhaolei outside: "Let’s go."

Wu Yun emerged from his embrace, stepped on his shoulder, and lightly leaped onto the roof, quietly paving the way forward.

...

...

A group of more than ten people stuck to the shadows, moving through streets and alleys. Chen Ji listened to Wu Yun’s guidance, avoiding the county soldiers searching the city.

Chen Ji stopped at a crossroads, looking up at the watchtower several steps away, where two crossbowmen were patrolling the surroundings.

Su Zhou approached from behind, whispering: "As long as this watchtower remains, there’s no way to silently cross this intersection."

However, at that moment, two flashes of silver light simultaneously crossed the watchtower, and the two crossbowmen’s necks spurted blood, causing them to slump over on the watchtower.

Su Zhou’s pupils contracted abruptly: "What was that?"

Before he finished speaking, Chen Ji had already led Zhaolei across the intersection: "Follow up."

From a few streets behind, shouting erupted. Someone fired a signal arrow into the sky, and the drums on the city wall sounded again.

Little Fourteen panted: "It was the arrow shot from the inn side, they’ve found the inn."

Chen Ji continued forward without a word. In the time it took for thirty minutes, they saw the distant, pitch-black harbor densely packed with sails, like a poplar forest under the night sky.

Chen Ji’s gaze shifted closer, seeing more than a dozen fire pits burning at the entrance of the harbor, with over a hundred county soldiers stationed there.

Little Fourteen spoke from behind Chen Ji: "We can’t storm through."

Chen Ji asked impassively: "If we break through, can you ensure leaving the harbor before the pursuers arrive?"

Little Fourteen pondered for two breaths: "Almost."

Chen Ji turned back to Little Fourteen, staring directly at him: "Almost is not enough. I’ll ask again, can you ensure the Landlord’s escape?"

Little Fourteen gritted his teeth: "I’d like to say I’m sure, but how do we charge through this harbor?"

Chen Ji asked again: "What if I say we can break through?"

In the darkness, Little Fourteen’s eyes shone brightly: "If you can break through, even at the cost of my life, I’ll definitely get the Landlord out!"

Chen Ji calmly said: "Leave it to me."

In the next instant, Little Fourteen and the others widened their eyes, watching Chen Ji mount a horse, driving Zhaolei straight towards the harbor: "Follow up!"

The county soldiers at the harbor heard the sound of hooves and immediately formed a line of spears at the gate, but Zhaolei, far from fearing it, ran even faster.

As Zhaolei reached the spear formation, it leaped, soaring over the spears.

The county soldiers looked up, stunned, as the imposing warhorse flew over their heads, landing amidst their battle formation.

The rear-row county soldiers were just about to thrust their spears when Chen Ji’s six sword seeds burst forth, sweeping around.

Several county soldiers had just raised their spears when sword seeds pierced their chests. The soldiers were all in cloth armor; the sword seeds entered through their fronts and exited their backs, spraying blood onto the cobblestones.

Chen Ji bent down, grabbed a spear, pulled Zhaolei’s reins, and charged back into the fray, carving a bloody path through the formation in just three breaths.

Little Fourteen and the others shielded Mrs. Lu, charging into the bloody path Chen Ji had cut. As they passed by Chen Ji, Su Zhou saw blood marks from the spear forest on Chen Ji and immediately wanted to stay behind to cover his left flank.

Chen Ji swept away the right flank’s county soldiers with a spear, shouting: "Go! Protect Aunt Ping!"

Su Zhou hesitated briefly before rejoining Little Fourteen and the others to guard the rear.

With dozens more county soldiers ahead, she had thought it would be extremely difficult to break through, but when confronting them, she felt less pressure than imagined.

Su Zhou focused, observing the six sword seeds weaving around them: "Sword seeds?"

Looking back again, she saw Chen Ji controlling the sword seeds to guard everyone while he fought and retreated with only a spear, covered in blood.

Su Zhou pondered for just a moment, then resolutely abandoned the rear, charging to the forefront to tear apart the county soldiers’ formation.

In the next moment, Little Fourteen and Su Zhou broke out together. He pushed and shoved Aunt Li, carrying Mrs. Lu deeper into the harbor, while he turned back to hold off the pursuing county soldiers, becoming the rearguard: "Board the ship, move quickly!"

Before the words were even finished, a county soldier suddenly thrust a spear, piercing his right shoulder. Little Fourteen gritted his teeth, dropped the kitchen knife, and gripped the spear with both hands, forcefully stepping back to snatch it.

He pulled the spear from his right shoulder, glanced back to see everyone boarding the ship, and only then breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Turning back, Little Fourteen shook the spear with both hands, blocking the path of the county soldiers: "The 25th year of Jianing, Guyuan vanguard, Zhang An!"

Before he could reengage with the county soldiers, Chen Ji, leading Zhaolei, broke through, standing between Little Fourteen and the soldiers: "It’s not your time to die yet, you go too."

Little Fourteen was stunned, looking up at blood-drenched Chen Ji.

As a few county soldiers charged forward, Chen Ji swept away the thrusting spears with a roar: "Get out of here!"

Little Fourteen dropped the spear and turned, fleeing frantically.

...

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