Night.
High walls, gray tiles, cobblestone alleys.
At both ends of the alley, over ten armored soldiers wielding long knives stood solemnly, trapping Chen Ji and the Spy tightly between them. Chen Ji flexed his wrists, removing the cloth strip from his mouth.
One of the armored soldiers looked down at the uneven cobblestones, where a freshly severed hemp rope lay quietly, its cut clean and neat.
The soldier’s face abruptly changed. He slowly placed the blade in front of himself, cautiously and seriously sizing up Chen Ji before him.
The strike he delivered just moments ago was meant to be lethal, but it unintentionally saved a life. The blade had not even nicked Chen Ji—not too much, nor too little.
That instant had been extremely fast, and while others might not have seen clearly, he knew precisely where his blade was aimed.
A coincidence?
Impossible.
He slowly angled his blade toward Chen Ji, whispering to his colleagues, "There’s a master among them."
After speaking, he added, "Those who tied him up might be even more formidable!"
The armored soldiers slowly closed in.
In the narrow alley, the Spy tried several times to break through but failed, and he suddenly felt that the Elephant Armor Guards seemed to be targeting him specifically, each attack delivered with full force, exceptionally fierce.
The Elephant Armor Guards stepped closer, like looming mountains, shrinking the space for the Spy and Chen Ji to maneuver. In just a few rounds of probing combat, the Spy had already taken a slash to his left arm and another to his chest, with blood flowing freely.
The soldiers exchanged glances, this man didn’t seem as formidable as they had imagined!
Something was off!
Kill!
The next moment, the soldiers once more swung their blades down. Chen Ji sidestepped to dodge the blows while asking in a hushed voice, "Where’s the Spy Department’s copper whistle to call for backup..."
Without even a handle to his knife, Chen Ji felt awkward in this skirmish.
Earlier, he had delayed, reluctant to approach Mudan Bridge for fear of getting caught up in the melee between the Liu Family and the Spy Department. Little did he expect that the Liu Family, resolute in wanting Jin Zhu dead, had secretly brought so many elite forces.
Just in this one alley were over ten men—how many could there be throughout the entire Alley district?
Now was not the time to ponder these details; escape was critical!
Chen Ji continued, "Hey, your..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly froze.
He saw the Spy grabbing his clothing, actually using him as a shield to attempt a breakout.
As the armored soldiers were about to pounce, they suddenly slowed their pace.
Chen Ji then seized the back of the Spy’s long knife, and with a gentle flick of his wrist, the Spy involuntarily loosened his grip, the strange vibration from the blade feeling like an electric shock.
Before the Spy could react, the soldiers saw Chen Ji suddenly turn, holding the back of the knife, and drive the tip diagonally into the Spy’s lung.
The Spy looked at Chen Ji in disbelief, only able to emit a raspy gasp.
In the dimly lit alley, Chen Ji pushed against the Spy’s chest with his left hand, slowly withdrawing the knife from the Spy’s lung.
In the quiet, he looked at the soldiers and asked after a moment’s silence, "Did Lord Liu send you to rescue me? Take me out of here."
The soldiers saw his composure, which didn’t seem feigned.
Just as the other armored soldiers were about to sheath their knives, one of the Elephant Armor Guards suddenly said, "Lord Liu has never ordered this. Seize him! Tie him up and we’ll talk later!"
Suddenly, a light from a fire appeared in the distance.
A raging inferno illuminated the entire Alley district, like a hand smeared with scarlet paint brushing casually across a black canvas, both decrepit and magnificent.
The firelight spilled over white walls and gray tiles, casting quivering shadows in the alley, and everyone felt the heat wave sweeping in.
Breathe.
Chen Ji’s blade swung like the Milky Way upturned, light flowing along the shiny knife as if it too caught fire.
The first Elephant Armor Guard lifted his knife to block, but Chen Ji’s knife was too fast, striking his shoulder before he could raise his hand.
The sound of leather tearing echoed, and after slicing through the leather armor, the knife left only a half-inch deep wound on the soldier’s shoulder, not fatal.
Chen Ji frowned and stepped back, glancing at his blade and then at the opponent’s leather armor.
The knife in his hand was far inferior to the one from Qingshan.
The Spy, already fallen, coughed up blood foam, desperately watching the scene, eyes filled with unwillingness. He wanted to tell Jin Zhu there was indeed an issue with this man. But it was too late for him.
The Elephant Armor Guard glanced at the wound, his face expressionless, and said, "Able to slice through Elephant Armor, he’s an Executive Officer, but his martial prowess isn’t too high. Form up, execute him on the spot."
Amid the flickering firelight, the soldiers stepped over the fallen Spy, their shadows passing over his face in succession, like the last reflections of his life.
The great fire was advancing, and in winter’s grip, flames merged into a sea of fire throughout Luocheng.
Heat roared through the alley, curling hair in the scorching air.
Chen Ji advanced instead of retreating; at the instant of contact, the Elephant Armor Guards relied on their sturdy leather, attacking without holding back.
But Chen Ji no longer forcibly resisted, his blade moving through the gaps in the leather armor at odd angles, elusive like a hanging antelope horn leaving no trace.
A hiss, the tip of the blade drew a trail of fresh blood, splattering on the white wall.
The soldiers were shocked by the strike, retreating backward.
The wounded man lifted his leather armor to check his injury, discovering a deep cut under his armpit, blood gushing out.
A major artery was ruptured.
At first, it didn’t seem deadly, but after three breaths, the soldier felt his strength draining away like a breached dam.
This strike shattered the confidence the leather armor gave the soldiers, the brave Elephant Armor could no longer block blades!
They were all battle-hardened and knew the caliber of that strike.