Chapter 756: A Blind Cat Catches a Dead Mouse (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Jiang Sheng and the other two all focused their gazes on the scholar's waist.

He had a simple, unadorned knife-fan tucked into his waistband.

The scholar glanced down, then smiled and picked up the fan to cover half his face: "It's neither square nor round. This fan is called Jiuhua. It's not for fanning or cooling, but for covering the face and shading from the sun. It's not valuable, and those jackals probably didn't even notice it."

The knife fan, also known as the Jiuhua fan, is mostly made of woven bamboo strips. Its uses are rather limited, and it's not commonly seen among ordinary people. However, it was quite popular among some unconventional literary figures. Simply put, using this thing is rather pretentious and shows off one's taste.

The bandits who were robbing them naturally looked down on them.

Upon hearing this, Shen Tang looked away, showing no interest.

She wasn't interested, but Jiang Sheng, contrary to his usual behavior, stared intently at the middle-aged scholar for a long time, scrutinizing him so much that the scholar couldn't ignore him. The scholar could only raise his hand to touch his face and ask Jiang Sheng bluntly, "Why are you looking at me like that, sir?"

Jiang Sheng showed no embarrassment at being caught red-handed. Instead, he smiled and struck up a conversation: "When I was young, I learned some physiognomy from some extraordinary people. After studying it for so many years, although I am not an expert, I have learned a few basic skills..."

"Is there something wrong with my appearance?"

Amidst the occasional popping sounds from the campfire, Jiang Sheng said solemnly and earnestly, "There is indeed something strange about it... I've met countless people over the years, but this is the first time I've seen someone as eccentric as you, sir. I wonder if I should speak of it?"

The scholar consulted Shen Tang and the other two, and since none of them minded, he took off his wet outer robe to dry it, then squatted by the campfire in only his inner garment to warm himself. Hearing Jiang Sheng say that his appearance was strange, he asked with a mixture of doubt and hope, "Tell me quickly, sir."

Ning Yan, who was stirring the campfire with firewood to make it burn brightly, paused for a moment, secretly glancing at Jiang Sheng out of the corner of her eye, wondering what the other party was up to. She knew that the three of them were concealing their identities, and it wasn't wise to completely reveal them until they were absolutely safe.

The origins of this middle-aged scholar are unknown...

We should keep our distance.

However, Jiang Sheng's way of the scholar is to "observe aura," to discern a person's fortune at a glance, and now he has reached perfection... Could it be that Jiang Sheng can see something from this person's face? Ning Yan put down the firewood and baked a few more cakes, but secretly perked up her ears to eavesdrop on the conversation.

Jiang Sheng stared intently at the middle-aged scholar for a few moments.

He asked, "Sir, have you been experiencing a period of bad luck these past few years?"

The middle-aged scholar nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, we've been having a lot of bad luck. I don't know which deity we've offended..."

Jiang Sheng asked, "Sir, have you encountered war wherever you go these past few years? Even if you avoid man-made disasters and finally have two years of peace, do you still encounter natural disasters like droughts and floods?"

The middle-aged scholar slapped his thigh with the handle of his sword-fan.

Overjoyed, he exclaimed, "Yes, yes, they're all correct!"

Jiang Sheng looked at his face again, pretended to count on his fingers, and asked again, "Sir, you married young and had a loving relationship with your wife. You had three children. However, you were separated for some reason and have not seen your children for many years, is that right?"

The middle-aged scholar longed to grab Jiang Sheng's hand.

God, that's amazing!

Jiang Sheng then asked, "Judging from your appearance, your career has been unsuccessful these past few years. You've been plagued by infighting among your colleagues, and your employers are unwilling to give you important positions?"

The middle-aged scholar hurriedly asked, "Is there a way to change one's luck?"

Jiang Sheng slowly shook his head.

The middle-aged scholar could not hide his disappointment: "Just now you said that my appearance is strange, what makes you say that?"

Jiang Sheng sighed, "This is what I find strange. With your appearance, you should have achieved great success long ago, yet you still look like a dragon stranded... How could you have fallen to such a state? That's why I have this question..."

Shen Tang only became somewhat interested after hearing these words.

"The flying dragon is stranded?"

The middle-aged scholar stood up, bowed deeply to Jiang Sheng, and earnestly asked for his guidance: "Please enlighten me, sir, and save me."

Jiang Sheng said, "Alas, the one who tied the knot must untie it."

The middle-aged scholar hurriedly asked, "Who is the one who tied the bell?"

Jiang Sheng shook his head: "I don't know."

Judging from Jiang Sheng's expression, it was clear that he wasn't unaware, but rather unwilling to reveal the secret. The middle-aged scholar seemed anxious, but couldn't force Jiang Sheng. The firewood burned quickly, and Jiang Sheng wanted to get up to gather more, but the middle-aged scholar raised his hand and pressed him down, volunteering to do it himself.

There are many refugees, so they have to go far to collect firewood.

Only after the middle-aged scholar left did Shen Tang speak.

Why did Xian Deng tease this person?

Jiang Sheng's path of the scholar can only be judged by a person's fortune, but it cannot discern so many details. Although he obtained the key opportunity to perfect his path of the scholar by beheading Zheng Qiao, the current tense situation left him no time for quiet seclusion to break through.

"This person is better than I have ever seen."

Although I couldn't see the man's face clearly, I remembered his fan. I remember that before Zhao Feng returned to Wu Xian's side, we had chatted about a few brothers and friends. Among them, the one I complained about the most was a scholar who liked to carry a sword and fan around all year round.

Zhao Feng also boasted that this man's talent was no less than Qin Li's, but for some reason, Lord Wu Xian did not like him.

Shen Tang paused in tearing the pancake: "You know me?"

Jiang Sheng said, "Under Wu Zhaode's command."

Jiang Sheng didn't care about the person mentioned by others, but this person had assisted Zhao Wei on the battlefield—Zhao Wei had a special status under Shen Tang, and out of respect for Zhao Feng, he had to take care of him—so he couldn't hide the middle-aged scholar's actions from him.

Shen Tang glanced in the direction the middle-aged scholar had left, then looked away: "Wu Xian's troops shouldn't be nearby, so how come he's here? And how did he happen to run into us?"

Is there something fishy going on here?

Shen Tang asked, "Should we kill him?"

His tone was so flat it was as if he were saying there were no stars tonight.

Jiang Sheng shook his head: "His career is indeed not going well, and he is becoming increasingly estranged from Wu Zhaode. He may not have been sent by Wu Zhaode."

In fact, the possibility is very low.

Jiang Sheng is more inclined to believe that the two have completely broken up.

Shen Tang: "Did he recognize us?"

Jiang Sheng said, "Most likely."

If it's just a coincidence, there's no need to alert them.

Before long, the middle-aged scholar returned carrying a small bundle of firewood, his brows furrowed for some reason. Jiang Sheng asked him why he was sighing, and the scholar sighed, "I was just gathering firewood when I saw several people cooking a pot of minced meat in a pot, which made me sad."

At this point, the meat is hardly any real meat.

Jiang Sheng asked the middle-aged scholar, "Where do you wish to go, sir?"

The middle-aged scholar said, "I'm heading south to avoid disaster."

Jiang Sheng said, "Unfortunately, we are on different paths."

The middle-aged scholar didn't ask the three where they were going; since they had already said they were going in different directions, there was no need to press them. Before they knew it, it was the dead of night, and nearby refugees huddled on the ground, their snores rising and falling. Shen Tang and the other two also closed their eyes to rest.

As a result, in the middle of the night, all three of them opened their eyes at the same time.

The middle-aged scholar had vanished without a trace.

Shen Tang frowned: "When did you leave?"

Even she didn't notice.

The next moment, Shen Tang said, "Someone is coming."

The sound of horses' hooves gradually approached.

Conditions in the wilderness were harsh, and the refugees slept lightly. Soon, some were awakened, hurriedly shoving their companions. They didn't know what was happening, but the sound of horses' hooves was to them as arrows pierced the air as they were to birds…

At the slightest disturbance, they immediately flee the spot.

But the sound of horses' hooves grew closer and then faded away.

It must have been a coincidence that they were passing by; everyone was relieved.

The night wind was chilly, and the stars were sparse.

Dozens of warhorses galloped past, so fast they seemed to stretch into a line, but upon closer inspection, one could see specks of blood in their wake. Drip, drip, steaming. The riders were all wounded, the most severely injured being the man in the middle. He gripped the reins with one hand, while his other hand occasionally pushed his protruding intestines back into his stomach.

Despite frowning, he didn't utter a single sound.

Finally, after running for an unknown amount of time.

The man on horseback let out a muffled groan and fell off his horse.

"General!"

The others stopped, and the nearest soldier jumped off his horse and struggled to help the man up from the ground. The man's intestines had stopped flowing out, and the wound was showing signs of shrinking, but at this rate of bleeding, he would die sooner or later.

"Don't make a sound—"

The injured man struggled to open his heavy, leaden eyelids.

He said in a barely audible voice, "Help me to the side."

Dozens of people stopped at a secluded spot by the stream.

They laid the man flat, and those who still had strength grabbed his wrists and channeled their martial energy into him. Before long, the man stopped them, saying, "No need to bother... I know my own body. I'm afraid I won't be able to get through this."

Everyone was covered in dried or semi-dried blood, and chunks of flesh, seemingly from unknown individuals, could be discerned from their bodies. Anyone with eyes could tell what a fierce battle they had endured. For men, the injuries themselves weren't the main problem; high-level martial artists possessed phenomenal regenerative abilities. The real trouble was the relentless pursuit. Once they caught up, their fate would be to meet their maker.

As he spoke, the man pounded the ground and cursed.

"That old bastard Zhang Yongqing, I underestimated him!"

His attendants asked, "General, what should we do now?"

The man swallowed the blood that welled up in his throat and forced himself to tell the others, "This Imperial Seal is dangerous. After I die, you can throw my body far away and then run in the opposite direction... that should be enough to shake off the pursuers..."

"But the Imperial Seal..."

The soldiers were still somewhat hesitant.

That thing is the Imperial Seal.

Where can I put it without it getting fought over?

The man roared, "National Seal my ass! Damn it, this is a death trap! That bastard Zheng Qiao... not many people died in the campaign against him, but his death wiped out all my soldiers... I've never seen such a treacherous person!"

When the Imperial Seal appears in one's own forces, even a fool would know it's a calculated move by Zheng Qiao—forcing them to devour each other, the big fish eating the small fish, and the small fish eating the shrimp. Once everything settles down, it's hard to say how many members of the Dragon-Slaying Bureau's allied forces will be left alive.

Zheng Qiao is dead...

But he also successfully dragged hundreds of thousands of people down with him!

Thinking of this, the man felt like cursing again.

He had barely uttered a single word when he was choked by the blood rising in his throat, coughing repeatedly. One of his trusted aides advised him not to get too angry, while the other helped him push the protruding intestines back in. It took the man a while to suppress the burning pain in his throat.

At that very moment—

The man, feeling weak all over and his head spinning, suddenly opened his tiger-like eyes and shouted, "Who's there? Show yourself!"

Exhausted soldiers drew their swords in preparation for battle.

"Don't panic, Cui has no ill intentions."

A sword fan brushed aside the drooping vines, and a person stepped out.

A seemingly frail middle-aged scholar.

The injured man conjured a weapon, struggled to his feet, and squinted at the middle-aged scholar, asking, "Who are you?"

"My surname is Cui, and I originally served under Lord Wu."

The man sneered: "Wu Zhaode's subordinate."

The middle-aged scholar shook his head: "It's not like that anymore."

The man, with a fiery temper, yelled: "I don't care if you're just passing by or not. If you're not just passing by, get lost. If you're not, then leave your life behind!"

The middle-aged scholar said, "General Qian is probably willing but unable to do so."

The man groaned, then collapsed back to the ground, exhausted. The soldiers who were still able to move held their knives at the middle-aged scholar.

The two sides stood in a stalemate for a while.

The middle-aged scholar said, "I, Cui, can resolve the general's predicament."

The man just sneered, clearly not believing the other person's words.

But he asked aloud, "How can you solve this?"

The middle-aged scholar said, "General Qian's current predicament stems from the Imperial Seal. You may entrust the Imperial Seal to me, Cui, for safekeeping."

The man yelled, "Bullshit!"

The middle-aged scholar remained unperturbed: "General Qian, if the Imperial Seal is in your hands, it will inevitably bring you death sooner or later. If it's in my hands, I can guarantee that no one will be able to track it down. Believe it or not, it's up to you!"

"It would be a ghost if I believed your nonsense!"

"Since the general doesn't believe me, then what about the yellow sparrow..."

He didn't continue, but the man sneered, "So many sneaky bastards, what are you hiding for?"

"Hey, Mr. Qian, who are you calling a dead dog?" Shen Tang appeared, looking at Qian Yong, who was covered in blood and had suffered countless wounds, and mocked him without any politeness. "Oh, Uncle Qian, you've finally met your match. Is this what you call a homeless dog?"

The man, Qian Yong, had a face that was so sour it was unbearable to look at.

He never expected that the person in the shadows would be Shen Tang.

He asked, "Hey, Mr. Chen, what are you doing here?"

Qian Yong and Shen Tang's relationship was really not good.

There's still a grudge between the two.

Judging from the other person's attire and the fact that he was accompanied by only two people, he immediately assumed that Shen Tang was in the same boat as him. However, before he could even gloat, Shen Tang interrupted him: "I'm not as unlucky as you, being chased to the brink of death. I just heard that you have the Imperial Seal?"

Qian Yong narrowed his eyes: "What, you want it?"

Shen Tang said, "If I want it, you'll give it to me?"

Qian Yong chuckled coldly.

"Prefect Shen wants to be buried with me, how can I refuse?"

Shen Tang: "..."

Even if Qian Yong dares to offer it now, Shen Tang wouldn't dare to accept it.

Once she accepted the offer, her location would be exposed.

She abruptly changed the subject: "Uncle Qian, it's been a few days, how come you look so disheveled? Only a few people left?"

Mentioning manpower, Qian Yong fought back tears and said bitterly, "It's all because of that bastard Zhang Yongqing!"

When the Imperial Seal was being distributed, his troops were very close to Zhang He and were ambushed before they could react.

His family business, which he had painstakingly built up over many years, was completely gone!

Qian Yong countered, "And you?"

Shen Tang said, "We're splitting up because of some things."

Upon hearing this, Qian Yong revealed a slightly malicious smile, but Shen Tang ruthlessly extinguished his inner ecstasy: "Do you think everyone is as stupid as you? All the literary scholars under my command can't even be considered honest and straightforward, so they won't suffer any losses."

Qian Yong: "..."

He probably didn't die from blood loss, but from anger!

Looking at the remnants of his army, Shen Tang sighed, "Hand over the imperial seal, and at least you'll save your life."

The next instant, a bloody object came crashing down on them.

Shen Tang: "..."

Good grief, are they serious?

The moment the Imperial Seal detached from Qian Yong, it transformed into a small, ethereal dragon. With a roar, it swiftly entered Shen Tang's palm.

result--

Snap!

Xiao Long was bounced back by a dazzling light and slammed to the ground.

Silence, awkwardness, and silence.

Guo Xi was rejected, and Xiao Long curled up in grievance.

Qian Yong looked at Shen Tang with a deep gaze and said meaningfully, "You, Shen Youli, you've been hiding it really well!"

Shen Tang didn't know why this was happening, so she could only give an awkward smile.

At this moment, a pair of deep eyes fell on Shen Tang.

The person whose gaze was directed at the middle-aged scholar.

He said, "If you trust me, then leave it to me."

The pursuers arrived unnoticed, and this hot potato was ultimately taken over by the middle-aged scholar. He didn't absorb the national seal; he simply tapped the small dragon lightly with his fan, and the dragon coiled onto the fan handle. Shen Tang looked at the fan handle but felt nothing.

Shen Tang asked in surprise, "What is this?"

The middle-aged scholar said, "This is the way of the scholar, Cui."

Qian Yong clicked his tongue in amazement: "Wu Zhaode has suffered a huge loss."

The middle-aged scholar said, "His losses are far more than just these."

With the Imperial Seal secured, Qian Yong and his group's escape became significantly easier. The thought of Zhang He's current expression filled him with satisfaction; his stomachache and headache vanished. As long as the Imperial Seal didn't fall into Zhang He's hands, any Tom, Dick, or Harry would do!

ヽ(ー_ー)ノ

The scholarly ways of a middle-aged man should be quite easy to follow.

(End of this chapter)