Zhou Gu moved swiftly. After pronouncing his decision to descend the mountain, he didn’t hesitate for a moment and practically flew down the slope.
Ziye followed behind him, wanting to ask why they were descending the mountain once they heard about the secret tunnel instead of apprehending the culprit. However, he was barely able to keep pace with Zhou Gu, let alone raise his question.
No sooner did the two of them depart than a group of men barged into the courtyard where Zhou Gu was staying. Seeing the empty yard and room, and the still-warm tea in the teapot, the man leading the group arched his eyebrows, "Where’s the man? Why isn’t he here?"
The man asking the question was in his forties, named Lin Hai, sporting a pair of goatee, with a sharp face and an unmistakable air of someone not easily bullied.
Another man, also in his forties, with a broad, square face and thick eyebrows named Feng Jiang, upon seeing the steaming tea, remarked, "Go and look for him. He came for redemption. He won’t abandon his mission halfway through. He is close to Jiang Zhu of the Eleventh Fortress, I guess he might have gone to look for him."
"Let’s go!" Lin Hai motioned, leading his men out of Zhou Gu’s house.
A party set forth for the Eleventh Fortress, where Jiang Zhu was found practicing calligraphy. Despite being in his early twenties and looking frail and scholar-like, his force was palpable when the pen touched the paper.
On hearing the crowd’s chatter, he paused his brush, asking, "Why are there so many people? Who are they?"
"My Lord, it’s Lin Hai from Thirteenth Fortress and Feng Jiang from Fourteenth Fortress," someone replied. "They’ve brought quite a few men with them."
Jiang Zhu put down his brush, crumpled up the paper, and tossed it into the hearth. Covering his mouth with his hand, he started to cough. As he coughed, he walked outside.
Just as he reached the door, he saw Lin Hai and Feng Jiang who obviously weren’t here with good intentions. With taut faces, they paid their courtesies to Jiang Zhu, "Master Jiang, is Zhou Gu present?"
Jiang Zhu was taken aback, "He left to rest an hour ago."
"Are you sure?" Lin Hai eyed Jiang Zhu.
While continuing to cough, Jiang Zhu replied helplessly, "How could I be unsure about this? He indeed left an hour ago. Are you looking for him?"
Lin Hai fixed his gaze on Jiang Zhu, "Master Jiang, our Lord invited Zhou Gu for negotiations at Thirteenth Fortress. We just visited his residence, and he was not there."
Jiang Zhu shook his head, "He’s not here either. If you don’t believe me, you’re free to search." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
Lin Hai replied: "If Master Jiang insists, then allow me to be forthright."
He gestured to his men behind him, "Search!"
The followers glanced at Jiang Zhu, who was coughing and showed no objections, and quickly entered the house, searching every room and the whole courtyard, leaving no stone unturned.
After the search, not a single trace was found.
Lin Hai bowed, "I apologize for the intrusion, Lord Jiang."
Jiang Zhu shook his head, did not say anything, and waved off Lin Hai.
Lin Hai set off swiftly with his men.
Jiang Zhu faintly heard Lin Hai ordering as he left, "Let’s go, search elsewhere. We will comb through the whole Eighteen Fortresses. I refuse to believe we can’t find him."
He turned to his men and asked, "What happened? Why are Lin Hai and Feng Jiang suddenly searching for Zhou Gu everywhere? And they don’t appear benign?"
The man behind him shook his head, "My Lord, I will investigate immediately."
Jiang Zhu nodded, "Go."
Lin Hai led the men to comb through one mountain after another, seemingly determined to turn the entire Eighteen Fortresses upside down. He was certain that Zhou Gu was hiding somewhere within the Eighteen Fortresses, as he didn’t believe Zhou Gu would leave before accomplishing his mission.
But ironically, Zhou Gu had indeed left, taking the shortest path and moving at full speed, he descended the mountain and exited the Eighteen Fortresses.
At the foot of the mountain, ten miles away, was the ten thousand strong troops allocated to him by Ning Chi.
He instructed the commander, "From now on, station men to guard all exits and have them search for secret passages into the fortresses. I want results before dawn."
The commanding officer, Cheng Mu, gave Zhou Gu a surprised look before hurriedly complying.
Thus, that night, while the people of the Eighteen Fortresses were searching for Zhou Gu, ten thousand troops at the foot of the mountain were not only guarding all passages but were also searching for secret access points into the fortresses.
Ziye finally got an opportunity to ask Zhou Gu, "Young Master, is the situation on the mountain dangerous now?"
"Yes."
Ziye took a deep breath, relieved that they had descended. He speculated, "Who could possibly change the mind of that old man Chen Qi and make him consider taking action against you in the Eighteen Fortresses? Could it be someone from the Second Prince’s party?"
The only other person that could potentially cause trouble in Capital City at this time was the Second Prince.
"It’s Zhang Ping’s people," Zhou Gu added. "Over the years, someone in the Eighteen Fortresses must have been conducting secret dealings with Zhang Ping."
Ziye speculated, "I wonder what Zhang Ping promised the Eighteen Fortresses that managed to stir their ambitions and outdid the Crown Prince’s strategy of redemption?"
Zhou Gu chuckled, "If Zhang Ping has revolutionary ambitions, he could have offered plenty more, like a kingship or a duchy, nothing is out of question."
Ziye realized that the Eighteen Fortresses was a tough nut to crack. The Crown Prince wouldn’t possibly offer a kingship or a duchy. Although the Eighteen Fortresses were righteous bandits, they were still bandits with no significant contributions to the Imperial Court. Did they dare to dream of a kingship or a duchy? How would those who had devoted themselves to the court feel? When it comes to official rank, there are plenty of fourth and fifth rank officials.
He asked Zhou Gu, "Master, so what is to be done now?"
"I presume, the person Zhang Ping sent who could convince Chen Qi and make him believe he should stand against the Imperial Court, must be someone influential in the Pingxi General’s Residence, at least someone who can represent Zhang Ping himself. It must be..." Zhou Gu smirked, "Zhang Ping’s legitimate son, Zhang Mao."
Ziye was taken aback, "Master, if this man really came to the Eighteen Fortresses, we must keep him here."
"Naturally," Zhou Gu’s brows grew stern, "He won’t be able to escape, nor will I allow him to."
He instructed, "Alert our men to stay vigilant. As soon as they uncover a secret passage, guard the exit. As soon as Zhang Mao hears that Su Rong is coming, he won’t linger."
Ziye sighed, "Master, Lady Su Qi’s fearsome reputation now precedes yours. Zhang Mao isn’t afraid of you but fears Lady Su Qi."
Zhou Gu smirked, "The situation in the capital has been stirred up since her arrival, even the rise of the Crown Prince was due to her resolving the situation. Anyone who isn’t a fool could see her prowess. Zhang Mao, unlike his father Zhang Ping, can only be seen as the student surpassing the master, making him no good-for-nothing."
Ziye nodded.
The soldiers searched all night but found no secret passage into the Eighteen Fortresses. Inside the Eighteen Fortresses, Lin Hai-led men searched all night and didn’t find a trace of Zhou Gu. Only after dawn did the people inside realize that Zhou Gu must have descended the mountain.
Lin Hai returned to the Thirteenth Fortress and reported to Chen Qi, "Master, we couldn’t find Zhou Gu, he must have descended the mountain."
Chen Qi was in his fifties, with a round face, his complexion not too well. He glanced at a young man by his side, a man in his early twenties, handsome and dashing, it was Zhang Mao.
He looked at Chen Qi expressionlessly, "The mighty Eighteen Fortresses, not just anyone managed to slip away, but Zhou Gu, and he did so without a sound. Master Zhou, don’t you find that laughable?"
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