Zuo Sheng’s heart skipped a beat as he stared wide-eyed ahead, only to find that the figure had already disappeared.
“Never mind, it’s not important anymore.”
“The urgent matter at hand is to catch Cheng Yi quickly.”
This was the reason he came to the checkpoint.
He knew Cheng Yi. Zhang Ye was also dragged into the mix by him, with Xing Laoliu’s apprentice stationed at the South City’s Anding Gate.
“Better not to complicate things unnecessarily.”
His own cheap senior brother was a tough nut to crack.
As he turned around, he suddenly froze, his expression turning sour as he looked at Xing Laoliu, “You said that as long as it isn’t bone shaving and facial modification, you guys can spot any other face-changing technique?”
“Yeah,” Goat Beard replied, puzzled.
Heh…
…
“What’s the matter, Hall Master Zuo, did you run into an acquaintance?” Zhuo Rufeng sidled up quietly, a playfully mocking look on his face.
Zuo Sheng glared at the bemused Xing Laoliu and then cast a sideways glance at Zhuo Rufeng, “Whether it’s someone I know, don’t you already know that?”
To deal with him, the Zhuo father and son had spared no effort in investigating his social connections.
“That’s hard to say, what if it’s an old acquaintance from Qingshan County?” Zhuo Rufeng said meaningfully, “Just like that little Taoist boy, Cheng Ming.”
Zuo Sheng’s complexion changed.
Cheng Ming had accompanied Zuo Family’s caravan to Nanyang.
Had it not been for his master’s mediation, he would have surely been implicated.
“Should I remind the envoy to check on Cheng Ming’s fellow travelers more thoroughly?” Zhuo Rufeng’s eyes gleamed maliciously.
Zuo Sheng’s face immediately turned unsightly. He turned and stomped off with a flick of his sleeves.
“Heh heh…” Zhuo Rufeng couldn’t help but laugh outright.
“Was that person just now really no trouble?” Zhuo Rufeng glanced at Xing Laoliu.
“No…probably not,” Xing Laoliu was made to doubt himself by their exchange.
“Is there a problem or not!” Zhuo Rufeng snapped impatiently.
“So, there is…no problem?” Xing Laoliu ventured tentatively.
“Are you asking me or am I asking you?!”
“Then there’s no problem!”
“Hmph!” Zhuo Rufeng glared at Xing Laoliu.
“Maybe we really should check on Cheng Ming’s companions,” Zhuo Rufeng mused thoughtfully.
Severe torture can turn no problem into a problem. Just the slightest connection to Zuo Sheng would be enough for this master and apprentice to suffer. Zhuo Rufeng’s eyes suddenly brightened.
“Du Huaibai and Bai Miaojin come from a prominent Nanyang family; they can’t be touched.”
“Zhang Ye? The guy with the dumb luck.”
“Seems there’s also a horse carriage driver, a silver-booted guard, heh…”
“It’s him!” Zhuo Rufeng decided, once again looking mockingly towards Zuo Sheng.
When you’re my prisoner, let’s see how I’ll deal with you.
Right, there’s also that person from just now. Zhuo Rufeng looked toward the place where the figure had disappeared.
After some thought, he shook his head, “Never mind, just a common scholar.”
…
Chen Mu strolled leisurely on the official road.
Feeling the gaze on his back disappear, he immediately broke into a run.
That was way too scary; he had almost blown his cover in front of that old man.
“The proficiency really comes in handy,” he mused.
Chen Mu looked at the grey wall.
Shape-shifting Technique: 63/10000/Second Rank;
“Turns out it’s not just about fixing the face, I can also avoid detection methods like bone reading.”
Previously, he could only change his face for an hour, needing to revert to his original appearance to rest before continuing.
But after reaching the Second Rank, as long as he fixed the face, he didn’t want to change, he could maintain it indefinitely.
Now, being able to evade Xing Laoliu’s scrutiny was an unexpected pleasure.
“Shape-shifting Technique has a lot of potentials,” Chen Mu thought.
Maybe one day he could become a man of a thousand faces.
…
Hurrying along, Chen Mu headed straight for the Jinshui River’s Lanhe Ferry.
He was going there to catch a passenger boat, to hasten to Lijiang Guard City.
With more than ten miles to cover and Chen Mu’s pace, the ferry soon came into vague view.
Chen Mu heaved a sigh of relief.
“You, scholar, really have a problem!” a voice suddenly rang out from behind.
Chen Mu turned his head to look, and it was a young nobleman dressed in black with a jade belt. He seemed to have seen him at the Startling Swan Gang checkpoint.
“Are you talking about me, young master?” Chen Mu asked with a puzzled face.
“No ordinary scholar has your skills,” Zhuo Rufeng’s eyes lit up.
A scholar, and a martial artist at that?
“You can’t be from Qingshan County, can you?” Zhuo Rufeng suddenly asked.
“I hail from Liangpu County, not…”
“No no no, you are from Qingshan County!” Zhuo Rufeng’s eyes suddenly lit up with excitement: “You are, even if you’re not!”
“Right, that’s it. And you are called Chen Mu, and you are close friends with Zuo Sheng.”
“Not only that, but you are also friends with Zhang Ye!”
“And you have heatedly chatted with the little Daoist boy Cheng Ming!”
“Exactly, exactly, now everything connects!”
“My name is Chen Jia, not…” Chen Mu couldn’t help but start to argue, but he was interrupted before he could finish speaking.
“You’re all in this together!” Zhuo Rufeng pointed at Chen Mu and shouted, then spread his hands, looked up into the sky, and crazily exclaimed, “Why can’t we find the murderer in the entire city search?”
“Because we have a mole amongst us!”
“Zuo Sheng is that mole! Ha ha ha!” Zhuo Rufeng opened his mouth wide, laughing out loud.
“I’m from Liangpu County, not Qingshan…” Chen Mu tried to speak up once again, but was cut off yet again.
“And another thing,” Zhuo Rufeng placed a hand on his waist and pointed to the sky as he paced back and forth.
“Zuo Sheng and Zhang Ye’s sudden defense of the checkpoint wasn’t to capture people, but to secretly let people go!”
“You, Chen Mu, who was let out of the city, are the proof!”
“I’m really not Chen…” Chen Mu said with a face full of grievance, trying to convince the other party.
“I’m downright a genius!”
“Jin Wuduan shields the mole, Zuo Sheng secretly releases the criminal, you’re doomed! Both master and apprentice are doomed! Ha ha…”
As he spoke, Zhuo Rufeng suddenly stopped, turned his head to look menacingly at Chen Mu, and slowly drew up the corners of his mouth, revealing an excited, sinister smile: “You’ll cooperate with me, won’t you?”
Chen Mu opened his mouth.
“It’s a pity, you’ve made the wrong decision,” Zhuo Rufeng said with a disappointed look on his face.
Chen Mu: “…”
“I am truly sorry, but I really am Chen Jia,” Chen Mu said earnestly, suppressing his impulses.
Zhuo Rufeng chuckled lightly: “Who cares?”
“Don’t blame me, I only want to catch the culprit.”
“Is it really good for you to twist right and wrong like this?” Chen Mu sighed.
“Not content? Save it for when you meet the King of Hell,” Zhuo Rufeng said indifferently.
“Someone once told me about the treacherousness of the world, but I didn’t believe them,” Chen Mu said, his head drooping in disappointment.
“But it turns out, I harbored no ill will towards others, yet others harbored ill intent towards me,” he murmured with his head down.
“The world is treacherous; not a single good person!” He looked up at Zhuo Rufeng.
“If the world only offers me malice, then I can only repay it with a sharp knife,” he lifted his foot and walked towards Zhuo Rufeng.
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Zhuo Rufeng frowned.
“Killing the wicked is the way to protect the good,” Chen Mu suddenly had a realization: “To kill to protect life, to cut down karma, not people… I see.”
Zhuo Rufeng sneered: “I didn’t expect him to be crazy.”
“Alright, just come along quietly with me. It might spare you some pain…”
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A mist of red fog suddenly exploded from Zhuo Rufeng’s mouth and nose.
Zhuo Rufeng’s scalp tingled immediately, and he backpedaled while holding his breath.
Yet, he still felt dizzy and disoriented.
But he had only taken one step back.
Shick!
The tip of a grey sword pierced through his chest from the front.
Zhuo Rufeng looked down at the sword tip emerging from his chest in disbelief.
Struggling, he turned his head only to see that, without knowing when, Chen Mu had already calmly arrived next to him.
“You…”
“You were right, I am Chen Mu.”
Zhuo Rufeng: “…”