Hidden Soldier
Xiao Wujiu shook his head and said calmly, "When I arrived, the place was deserted. But I was able to extract some information from a few people. This incident must have been done by the secret soldiers. According to the information from the third brother, the secret soldiers have been active recently and have had private contact with several unidentified people. The weapons may have been transferred in batches."
He paused and continued, "It's just that the identity of the 'Seventh Master' they're talking about is still unknown and needs to be investigated."
Fang Xingfei raised an eyebrow and glanced at Xiao Wujiu. "Pei Jiming, the commander of the Northern Secret Army, is a man whose whereabouts are elusive and whose identity remains a secret. When did you first meet him, Senior Brother?"
Xiao Wujiu shook his head and replied calmly, "I don't know him. I'm trying to trick them."
Fang Xingfei's expression froze for a moment, then he turned to look at Ren Xuan: "General Ren, you are so familiar with the secret soldiers, do you recognize this person?
Ren Xuan was indifferent: "What's there to recognize about a pervert who kills people without hesitation?"
On the side, Xiao Wujiu spoke again, bringing the topic back to the main topic: "Second Brother, tell the Ministry of War that Yinshu City will have the equipment replenished within three months."
Fang Xingfei's eyes lit up when he heard this. "That's quite a coincidence! General Ren is from the Ministry of War. I can tell him the news directly."
Xiao Wujiu glanced at Ren Xuan with a hint of surprise, then nodded in greeting: "In that case, General Ren can take this news back directly."
As he spoke, he pulled out a green token from his pocket and handed it to Ren Xuan: "This can be used for communication. If there is any news, we will notify the general separately."
Ren Xuan took the token, lowered his head and said nothing. More than ten thousand weapons disappeared - this was not a good thing.
He said nothing more and left.
After watching Ren Xuanyuan go away, Fang Xingfei lazily stretched out his palm, and the tumbler in his palm quietly spun into shape.
Fang Xingfei then reported the matter to Yin Shu.
A cold and melancholy voice came from the other end of the tumbler: "Two senior brothers, are you saying that out of the more than ten thousand weapons, not a single one can be found?"
Xiao Wujiu was silent for a moment, then coughed softly, "Third Brother... you can't say that. At least, we already know that it was done by the secret soldiers."
Fang Xingfei interjected, "Third Brother, you've been stuck in the city all day. You have no idea how hard my eldest brother and I have been working. We've been investigating this matter day and night, and we've even spent all our money to get home."
The tumbler, on the other hand, was emotionless: "Once this matter is over, Second Brother can beg for food all the way back."
Fang Xingfei sighed softly, "Third Brother, respect your teachers, respect your teachers."
···
Ren Xuan left the stone chamber and escaped from the secret soldiers' lair.
He was playing with the green token in his hand, frowning slightly. More than ten thousand weapons was not a small number.
Deep in the pine forest, Ren Xuan stopped, squinted his eyes and looked to the left.
A very thin spider-like object stretched out from between two pine trees, and the line of light was barely visible in the slanting light.
——Poisonous thread, the kind that dissolves flesh and bones.
Ren Xuan stopped moving.
The light was scattered by the fog, like the cold light printed from the edge of a knife, and it was scattered and mottled in the forest.
Ren Xuan's eyes changed slightly and he cursed in a low voice.
Suddenly, the sound of wind broke into my ears from two feet behind me.
Ren Xuan's shoulders suddenly sank, and he pointed his toes, moving his whole body sideways one foot.
As he landed, his peripheral vision caught a glint of metal glint deep into the wood in the distance.
——A hidden weapon, the kind with poison.
The wind stirred the forest, and the silence was eerie. The temperature was dropping.
In the fog, cold light appeared and everything was quiet.
As far as the eye could see, there was no one. Yet he knew that within a hundred meters, there were people everywhere.
In the dark, there is murderous intent everywhere.
In the mist, a figure slowly stepped out. He was dressed in black, with a slender figure. A ray of silver light swayed at his fingertips, like a hook or a blade.
The man flicked his fingertips, and another silver thorn passed over Ren Xuan's shoulder and pierced into an old pine tree several feet away.
The next moment, the tree seemed to have been drained of its blood and bones, and in the blink of an eye it withered from the inside out. Its branches and leaves fell off, its trunk turned to ashes, and finally turned into a pile of dust.
The man stopped, smiled slightly, and said in a contemptuous tone: "General Ren, you are unlucky today - you have encountered a murderer like me."
Ren Xuan's eyes twitched, and he cursed this guy's ancestors in his heart.
He said in a bad tone: "When did you start following me?"
"How could I ask you to follow me? I came here earlier than you. Otherwise, why do you think Lao Qi ran away?"
The visitor said casually, "This formation was originally used to deal with the young man in white inside. But now—Qiqi."
Ren Xuan looked at the face that looked like a human and took a deep breath: "You set up the formation, does this count?"
"Of course," the man said nonchalantly. "I'm saving you, so of course it counts, even if I set up this killing array. Otherwise, are you going to get through it on your own?"
A true man never suffers a loss. Ren Xuan took a deep breath and raised his hand to admit defeat: "Seven counts."
The visitor nodded in satisfaction, the corners of his lips raised: "You saved me seven times, I saved you seven times, now we are even."
He waved his hand gently, and the murderous aura in the forest disappeared without a trace.
Ren Xuan patted the corner of his clothes and said calmly, "It just so happens that I have something to talk to you about."
The man leaned against an old pine tree and said in a gloomy voice, "No, I don't know you. I've killed people like crazy."
Ren Xuan: "..."
He endured it again and again, lowering his voice: "Otherwise, what do you want me to say? Tell the people in Yinshu City. I know the leader of the secret army very well. Come, I will take you to challenge him."
Pei Jiming paused, then slowly raised his eyes and said, "Old Ren, don't force me to kill someone to silence them."
Pei Jiming's eyes casually swept over the hilt of the knife on Ren Xuan's waist, and he said lightly: "Where's your knife?"
Ren Xuan said coldly: "I haven't seen you for many years, and you are blind?"
Pei Jiming raised his eyes, but his tone remained indifferent: "You know, I'm not asking about that broken iron on you."
Ren Xuan glanced at him and said provocatively, "New is naturally better than old. Haven't you heard that people are worse than old, and clothes are worse than new?"
Pei Jiming angrily laughed at him: "Why are you talking so much nonsense? Don't I know how many books you've read?"
"This is the benefit of entering the civil service," Ren Xuan said slowly, as if genuinely feeling sorry for him. "You know what it means to be influenced by what you see and hear. You've seen a few top and third place winners. Forget it, you'll never have a chance in this lifetime."
Pei Jiming's mouth twitched, and he was a little defensive: "Fuck, don't go too far!"
"Are you anxious now?" Ren Xuan raised an eyebrow, half-smiling, "Don't worry—the matter is settled. I'll introduce two people to you."
Pei Jiming stared at Ren Xuan, snorted, and changed the subject: "I'm also investigating the matter of those knives."
He paused for a moment, then took out a silver token engraved with the word "Qin" from his bosom and threw it to Ren Xuan: "Everyone who needs to know already knows. I don't have any extra information."
Ren Xuan caught it, and the moment he saw the pattern on the token clearly, his breath hitched, and he said in surprise: "...You voted for Qin Shu?!"
Pei Jiming glanced at him sideways, his tone lazy: "What? Only you are allowed to work for the government, and I am not allowed to find a backer? You have good vision. Qin Shu is indeed a superior who is quite suitable for people like us."
Ren Xuan took a deep breath. He understood why Qin Shu knew about "Wujia Village".
Ren Xuan frowned slightly.
He and Pei Jiming were on two different sides of the same coin. Letting Qin Shu know that they had a personal relationship wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Ren Xuan was silent for a moment, then changed the subject: "Forget it, let's not talk about weapons. Do you have anyone named Zhao An under your command? He was killed, and everyone is suspecting his eldest disciple."
Pei Jiming leaned against the tree trunk, his eyes narrowed slightly: "You are always like this. Do you know that I am short of people? I am a god, how can I remember everything?"
He fiddled with a fallen leaf with his fingertips. "But I've heard of Zhao An. His methods aren't very good. Seventeen's stake isn't mine."
Ren Xuan tilted his head: "How come Zhao An's methods are not up to par? He kidnapped someone?"
Pei Jiming sneered: "More than that."
He stood up straight. "Zhao An has produced several batches of 'products', and there are many talented seedlings among them. But they have one thing in common."
Ren Xuan raised his eyebrows, said nothing, and let the other party speak slowly.
Pei Jiming smiled and said calmly, "His so-called 'disciples' all had their families robbed. He was left with only one orphan. And then Zhao An 'kindly' took him in as his disciple."
Pei Jiming said in a playful tone, "Actually, it's not unreasonable to suspect that Zhao An's apprentice committed the murder. Who knows if this apprentice was legitimate?"
Ren Xuan tutted, "Don't worry about his apprentice. If Shi An says it's not true, then it's not true."
Pei Jiming spread his hands: "I didn't say that, why are you so anxious?"
He raised his eyebrows and lowered his voice: "Zhao An, was purged by Seventeen."
Ren Xuan narrowed his eyes: "Silence?"
Pei Jiming nodded: "Zhao An didn't deliver the goods two days ago when the deadline came. He might be afraid that Seventeen would kill him, so he stole the life-saving sword 'Linyuan'."
"Holding the knife in front of the abyss, a thought becomes a demon." Pei Jiming sneered: "If Zhao An wants to recognize the master of the world, he doesn't even look at himself to see what he is like."
Ren Xuan was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "Zhao An shouldn't fail to deliver. I came from Wujia Village, and his eldest disciple is one of the most talented."
Pei Jiming raised his eyebrows upon hearing this and casually smiled, "That's weird. Do you really treat me like your own son? Would you rather confront Seventeen than deliver the goods?"
He tutted his words and said in a playful tone, "In our line of work, the worst thing we can do is to get attached to the 'goods'."
Ren Xuan's fingertips slowly stroked the hilt of the knife: "It doesn't matter, as long as there is a murderer, do you have evidence?"
Pei Jiming shrugged lazily, "You'll have to find the evidence yourself. Seventeen has been really mad these past few days. He's number seventeen on the Dark List, and he killed Zhao An and came back covered in wounds, making people laugh at him."
Ren Xuan didn't want to work: "I'm too lazy to run. Just give me some evidence and I'll be fine."
Pei Jiming paused, gave him a meaningful look, and then spoke again, his tone already playful: "Is this how you help others investigate a case?"
Ren Xuan was too lazy to respond and just raised his chin.
Pei Jiming sighed, then searched his memory, his tone finally becoming more serious: "There was a witness. Yes, it seems... a young disciple was present. According to the secret report, Seventeen was originally going to be completely wiped out, and the two disciples should have been killed as well. But something went wrong, and the young disciple almost killed Seventeen."
Ren Xuan has already faced off, and the one who almost got hit by Seventeen was Yuan Feng.
He raised the knife: "Okay, I got it."
Ren Xuan paused and reminded, "By the way, don't provoke that little disciple. If we fight him head-on, that brat will dominate the leaderboard."
Pei Jiming raised his eyebrows and said teasingly, "Why are you in such a hurry? There's a secret camp ahead. Don't you want to have a drink?"
Ren Xuan: "I'll come see you in two days."
Pei Jiming nodded and casually took out a small jade talisman from his pocket: "Use this to contact."
Ren Xuan took it. The surface of the jade talisman was green, and there was a full moon pattern carved on it. There was an eagle flapping its wings under the moon. It was an entry-level dark soldier signal talisman.
He tutted in dissatisfaction: "Are you afraid that others won't know that I was a secret soldier?"
Pei Jiming disagreed: "What are you afraid of? It's just a beginner. I didn't give you the Black Jade Crescent Moon."
At this moment, Pei Jiming's eyes froze and his expression suddenly became serious.
Ren Xuan looked at the other person's eyes focused on the empty space in front of him, and realized what kind of communication he had received.
Pei Jiming's expression was stern, no longer as gentle as before: "Tell Seventeen that if he doesn't want to be investigated, damn it, he should just hide on his own."
His voice suddenly turned cold. "If he dares to touch the investigators, I, Pei Jiming, will skin him alive."
A tangible murderous aura emanated from Pei Jiming's body.
"I don't care if he did it or not. We're on his territory, so if anything goes wrong, I'll hold him accountable."
The commander of the secret troops received the message and turned to Ren Xuan, his eyes hard to describe: "You are just going to let Lu Shi'an investigate the secret troops?! Your people have been found out about Seventeen's face, and Seventeen is desperate. He can't bear it anymore. Seventeen and your mermaid are going to fight to the death!!"
Ren Xuan's pupils trembled: "Where is he?!"
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