Chapter 942: A Narrow Encounter (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Ministry of Justice, temporary prison.
It was called a prison, but it was really just a dark little room.
The small hut had no windows on any side, except for a skylight running through the roof beam, allowing a ray of sunlight to stream in. This ray of sunlight was the only source of light in the room, and by its light, one could vaguely make out the furnishings. The surroundings were empty; wavy lines of ink left uneven marks on the walls, and there were no gruesome instruments of torture as one might have imagined. Liu Changshi was bound to a wooden frame, her bloodied head hanging low. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of her chest, one would initially mistake her for a corpse.
"Hmm—"
Liu Changshi frowned uncomfortably.
She opened her eyes slightly; she was alone in the small house.
She didn't know what was so strange about the room, but she felt uncomfortable as soon as she was inside. Her breathing quickened uncontrollably, and she could almost hear the sound of her blood surging through her body. When she focused her attention, the sound vanished without a trace, as if it were just an illusion.
She grinned, trying to sense the literary energy within her dantian.
Although Shen Tang's palm strike wasn't delivered with full force, she lacked the robust physique of a martial arts master and couldn't withstand such power. In just one exchange, her meridians and internal energy were thrown into chaos, the energy surging uncontrollably, some even flowing backwards.
In addition to internal organ damage, the injury was compounded.
However, the methods of the Kang Kingdom's Ministry of Justice were renowned, and their sealing techniques were unique. She couldn't sense the presence of literary energy or the Danfu (energy center), and gave up after several attempts. She looked up to observe the room, and when she saw the undulating literary energy on the walls, her heart inexplicably pounded, and an indescribable frenzy surged into her mind. She simply closed her eyes and tried to calm her surging emotions by adjusting her breathing. It had some effect at first, but after only a few breaths, the emotions returned with a vengeance.
Something's wrong with this room!
It's so quiet here!
Even though her dantian was sealed, her hearing was still intact. The sounds of the wind, falling leaves, birdsong, insect chirps, and even the breathing of those nearby—things she usually paid no attention to—had all vanished. Was what she was seeing now reality or an illusion?
Liu Changshi shook his head violently, trying to maintain his composure.
Clearly, this was futile. She bit her tongue again, using the pain of her nails digging into her palm to relieve the discomfort.
Fresh blood dripped down his lips and palms.
After what seemed like an eternity, just when she thought her heart was about to explode, her throat spasmed and convulsed. Her lips turned deathly pale, and she vomited a large mouthful of steaming, undigested vomit. At that moment, even the veins on her forehead were throbbing and twitching.
The objects seen by both eyes overlapped.
She moved her lips, then painfully vomited again.
Just as she was about to forcefully lean back and knock herself unconscious or even kill herself, the door of the small house quietly opened, and a woman in a long purple dress walked in. The woman was strikingly beautiful, but her lips curved downwards, her eyes were sinister and cold, and she exuded an aura that warned others to stay away. The woman raised her hand to the sword at her waist and entered the small house with another man.
The woman in purple lagged half a step behind the man. The young man glanced at Liu Changshi's disheveled appearance, raised his hand to cover his nose with his fingers, and smiled slightly: "How was the Ministry of Justice's silencing torture?"
Physical torture can only torment the prisoner's body; the Ministry of Justice is more interested in tormenting the prisoner's mind and breaking their will without harming them. As long as the prisoner's mental defenses are relaxed, the power of torture can be maximized.
Chief Secretary Liu sneered, "That's it?"
She didn't know when, but her voice had become rough and hoarse. She thought the aggressive provocation was nothing more than a weak murmur.
"The main course hasn't even been served yet, what's the rush?"
As they spoke, the two brought over a shelf.
The shelves were filled with all sorts of brocade pouches, each containing the Ministry of Justice's most feared torture methods. Gu Chi clicked his tongue and said, "Kang Jishou is really getting more and more sophisticated."
She verbally complained that the Ministry of Justice was no place for humans, but in practice, she adapted very well. Gu Chi had a unique approach to scholarship and would frequently visit the Ministry of Justice. Compared to the Censorate, an institution that could offend people, Gu Chi preferred the Ministry of Justice. It was just a pity that her master wouldn't allow it.
Which pouch do you prefer?
As the shelf was placed on the ground, the door to the small dark room closed again.
Liu Changshi had no energy to respond to him.
Seeing that she had given up on self-help, Gu Chi could only help her choose, chatting casually as they did so: "Money is something you can't take with you when you die, it's not worth Your Majesty risking your life for. I know you're a spy sent by the Northern Desert, and your master is Tudege. It's quite a coincidence, Tudege was my previous lord. In that sense, we're colleagues. Do you want to listen to what the predecessors have to say? Tudege has no imperial aura, following him will surely lead to nothing, Your Majesty will be wasting your talents."
Gu Chi opened a blind box.
He took out a slip of paper and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Why is Your Majesty so wary of me? I am merely skilled in mind-reading techniques, not some monster that can crawl into people's brains..." Gu Chi listened to the string of foul curses in Liu Changshi's mind, then unfolded the paper and brought it close to her eyes so she could see it clearly. Liu Changshi rolled her tongue, preparing to spit. However, she was weak all over, and bloody saliva dripped from the corner of her mouth to her chin. Gu Chi said, "Your Majesty, do you feel a headache, can't hear, and are your vision blurry?"
"Don't worry, that's how silencing is done."
"No one has been able to last more than two hours so far."
"The female ruler is tenacious; perhaps she can break the Ministry of Justice's record."
Liu Changshi's face was twitching and contorting. To endure the discomfort, her eyes were bloodshot, and a thin, winding red snake emerged from her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth, feeling as if she were about to grind them to pieces.
At that moment, a cold finger touched her brow.
Her attention was uncontrollably drawn to that spot.
Where the coldness passed, the pain receded like the tide.
She opened her eyelids, which were stuck together with thick blood. The sounds around her were sometimes near and sometimes far, sometimes as faint as a mosquito's buzz, and sometimes as loud as a booming bell, accompanied by strong, chaotic echoes. Liu Changshi tried to see what Gu Chi was going to do, but all he could see were the other's lips opening and closing: "...But, if necessary, I, Gu, would not mind transforming into such a terrifying monster."
It took Liu Changshi quite a while to digest this information.
Then, my head felt like it was about to explode from the inside out.
Countless memories flashed uncontrollably.
Including what she desperately wanted to forget, what she thought she had forgotten, and even what had been completely forgotten...
"Stop, stop!"
Prefect Liu's eyes were practically popping out of their sockets!
Only then did she realize why there had been so many informants disappearing over the years; no matter how deeply they hid, they would eventually be unearthed. It turned out that someone really could forcibly read another person's memories! What kind of power of words was this! Liu Changshi bit his tongue, preparing to forcefully end his own life.
Yu Zi quickly removed her jaw.
"Once you're in the Ministry of Justice, your life and death won't be up to you!"
Prefect Liu mumbled a curse: "You wretch—"
Yu Zi did not take her words to heart.
The insults hurled by prisoners in the Ministry of Justice were far more offensive than this; cursing their ancestors for eighteen generations was the bare minimum. Occasionally, when Yu Zi overheard someone uttering particularly scathing insults about her father's family, she would be in a good mood and have someone serve the prisoners more food, letting them hurl a few more insults if they could.
Just as Yu Zi was about to dissuade her from her futile efforts, a strong sense of crisis surged to the top of her head. Without thinking, she instinctively drew her sword, several barriers of spiritual energy hastily rising from the ground beneath her feet. Grabbing Gu Chi's shoulder back with one hand, she thrust the sword towards Liu Changshi's neck with the other. This situation suggested a prison break! According to the Ministry of Justice's rules, it was better to have a prisoner's corpse than to let a tiger return to the mountains, lest the consequences be endless!
However, Yu Zi's actions were ultimately a step too slow.
Or perhaps, the person who came acted too quickly.
Several layers of spiritual energy barriers proved as flimsy as paper, failing to hinder the approaching figure even for a moment. The sword's edge was still an arm's length away from Liu Changshi's vitals before it could advance an inch further! It was a hand, a man's right hand. This right hand wasn't even wearing any protective gear!
In a flash, Yu Zi saw the appearance of the person who had come.
The small house made of the power of words was blown apart from the inside by the shockwave.
Having his scholarly path forcibly interrupted, Gu Chi disregarded the need to suppress his reversed meridian flow and used a [Transplantation] technique to create distance. His eyes pierced through the shockwave to see the man's face clearly: "Gong Yunchi!"
Gong Cheng showed no intention of taking action or responding.
They picked up Liu Changshi and prepared to leave.
This hasty action was already extremely risky. Shen Youli was nearby, and if she arrived, it would be difficult for him to leave. He wanted to leave, but Shen Tang wouldn't allow it.
A bright sword light attacked him as he retreated.
The blade forced Gong Cheng to retreat to his original position.
Shen Tang recognized Gong Cheng as soon as she arrived. She had only met Gong Cheng a few times, the last time being in the first year of Yuanhuang.
After so many years, I had long forgotten his presence.
I never expected that the person who came would be him.
"Gong Cheng, is the Northern Desert preparing for war?"
Gong Cheng shattered the restraints that imprisoned Liu Changshi Danfu with a single palm strike and said calmly, "I, Gong, cannot bear the responsibility of starting a war between two places."
Shen Tang went to see Gu Chi and Yu Zi first.
Seeing that the two were unharmed, he was somewhat relieved.
His gaze fell upon the Ministry of Justice officials lying on the ground, and a surge of murderous intent rose within him: "If I can't bear this responsibility, will the Ministry of Justice cause a scene if I can't bear it?"
Gong Cheng: "It is my duty, and she cannot die. I hope Lord Shen will not make things difficult for me. If we fight here, the final outcome is hard to predict, but the capital of Jinli County will surely suffer a great calamity."
He noticed where Shen Tang's gaze fell several times and calmly explained, "They are just unconscious and their lives are not in danger. If it is not necessary, I, Gong, do not wish to stained my hands with the blood of my own kind."
Shen Tang was indeed hesitant to act rashly at this moment.
She sneered several times, her fingers gripping the sword hilt turning pale, clearly struggling to restrain herself from striking: "Indeed, but even if you don't kill Bo Ren, Bo Ren will die because of you. You're helping Bei Mo, whether it's to restrain me or other generals. Even if you don't kill anyone, every person Bei Mo kills using their morale is a crime committed by you, Gong Yunchi. You can't be clean!"
Gong Cheng didn't react to these words.
He simply said, "If Lord Shen wishes to start a war, the Northern Desert will welcome you."
Shen Tang couldn't just stand by and watch Gong Cheng leave with his men.
"Gong Yunchi, don't even think about leaving!"
Two streaks of light streaked across the sky, one after the other.
Gong Cheng wasn't a nimble martial artist, which put him at a disadvantage in terms of speed. He ran head-on into a sword blade that seemed to tear space apart. Without even flinching, he instantly donned his full armor, telling Liu Changshi to take care of himself first, and faced the attack head-on.
Gu Chi swallowed the blood in his throat: "Stop the lord!"
People who heard the commotion rushed over one after another.
Although Qian Yong was unaware of what had happened, he knew that the commotion was significant when he saw Shen Tang take action personally. He immediately chose to transform his martial energy into soldiers, forming a defensive formation that created a thick barrier to protect the buildings and people below from harm.
Seeing this situation, Gong Cheng dared not delay.
He was confident he could take on one person at a time.
But this is Shen Tang's stronghold.
If you fight, you'll only suffer losses.
"Mr. Shen, please forgive me."
Gong Cheng grabbed Liu Changshi and made a hand seal with his other hand.
The instant Shen Tang's sword struck, the two figures transformed into countless stars, their presence vanishing without a trace.
Shen Tang gritted her teeth: "You think you can escape?"
The next instant, a strange mark appeared on his forehead.
Even a complex incantation like "Shrinking the Earth to an Inch" will leave a trace, making it possible to catch someone by following those traces. Gong Cheng should still be within the territory of Jinli County! Seeing that Shen Tang wanted to chase after him, Gu Chi coughed up blood again in his anxiety.
"No—my lord—"
In his haste, he nearly tumbled off the roof.
Shen Tang, still rational, swiftly grabbed Gu Chi's shoulder.
"Watching the tide!"
Sensing the disorder in his internal energy, she forcibly suppressed it. With Shen Tang's help, Gu Chi's breathing returned to normal in no time: "The most important memory of that person has been obtained. Cough cough cough—it's not very meaningful for Master to catch up with her, and it's easy to fall into an ambush."
Within the territory of Jinli County, there exists a small but elite force from the Northern Desert.
These elites specialize in assassinations.
Help the spies infiltrating the northern desert eliminate their rivals.
If our lord were to give chase, with Gong Cheng in command, he could easily find himself at a disadvantage. Shen Tang looked unwillingly in the direction where Gong Cheng had disappeared, sighed helplessly, and the mark on her forehead gradually faded: "I won't chase after him then. You should focus on regulating your qi."
Gu Chi gripped her arm tightly, afraid she might run away in a fit of anger. Although his face was pale, his eyes shone brightly: "The most important thing right now is to eliminate all the spies that Bei Mo has planted in Kunzhou before these people do... We must be quick!"
The rebels within Kunzhou were so arrogant not only because they tirelessly damaged Shen Tang's reputation and intimidated the local people, who were deceived and aided and abetted their evil deeds, but also because of the secret financial support from the Northern Desert. The royal court had long suspected this, but had been unable to find evidence, which was one reason for sending censors to investigate secretly.
If war breaks out with the Northern Desert, Kunzhou must remain stable.
Shen Tang nodded in agreement: "Okay."
Compared to what's right now, Gong Cheng's situation is less important.
at the same time--
Gong Cheng and his companion appeared in an unfamiliar open space.
The surrounding scenery is not like that of Geumryuk County.
Liu Changshi meditated and regulated his breathing. After circulating the literary energy, the discomfort caused by the silencing punishment subsided considerably, but a lingering fear remained in his heart—Gu Chi was as if he were in her own backyard, and that fear of having no secrets lingered.
She stood up as soon as she recovered slightly: "Let's go back quickly."
Gong Cheng sat not far away, closing his eyes and regulating his breathing.
Chief Secretary Liu asked him, "Why are you so late?"
Gong Cheng said, "I met an acquaintance."
He rushed over as soon as he received the news.
Chief Secretary Liu laughed in exasperation: "Met someone I know?"
Gong Cheng avoided mentioning the acquaintance, only warning: "If you hadn't insisted on rushing back and been caught red-handed, none of this would have happened. Originally, Shen Youli had no direct evidence to prove that Bei Mo was involved in Jinli County, but you, on the contrary, delivered the evidence to her doorstep."
Even in war, there is a need for a just cause.
Now, we don't even need to find an excuse to start a war against the Northern Desert.
Chief Secretary Liu's expression changed, and he took a deep breath: "A traitor has emerged. I originally intended to spare her life, but I didn't expect..."
She had already investigated the female soldier.
This person was never considered a threat from the beginning.
Unexpectedly, he betrayed her at the crucial moment.
Gong Cheng said calmly, "Given Shen Youli's personality, she wouldn't do something like whipping a corpse to vent her anger. And your elder sister doesn't want to go to a place like the Northern Desert. What's wrong with letting her be buried here?"
Liu Changshi did not respond.
Gong Cheng was used to it: "Let's go."
Although he didn't know the details of Gu Chi's scholarly path, judging from the situation at the time, it seemed there had been a leak, though the extent of the leak was uncertain. Now, he could only try his best to salvage the situation, salvaging whatever he could. Even the Northern Desert probably hadn't expected that their years of planning would be breached during the final stages. With Shen Youli's ruthless methods, as long as the internal threat was eliminated, Kunzhou wouldn't descend into complete chaos.
Bei Mo's plan is about to fail.
As for the rest, let fate decide.
Liu Changshi forced out a mouthful of stagnant blood, feeling a bit better. His eyes darkened as he said, "How could someone as all alone as you understand how important my sister is to me?"
Gong Cheng gave a mocking laugh and said, "Of course I understand, but I also understand that while she is important, you are not as important as she is."
Liu Changshi staggered to his feet.
"What's the difference between you and me?"
She disliked Gong Cheng very much.
It's not that Gong Cheng is a bad person; on the contrary, he lives a secluded life in the Northern Desert and has no grudges against others.
Her dislike for Gong Cheng stemmed from the fact that everyone was in the same quagmire, so why did he pretend to be so high and mighty? Shen Youli's question was truly satisfying—his betrayal wasn't thorough, his loyalty wasn't thorough, his hypocrisy wasn't thorough, and his sincerity wasn't thorough either, so what was there for him to be so high and mighty about?
Gong Cheng said, "There's no difference."
Chief Secretary Liu choked for a moment.
My calmed emotions surged up again.
Even though she was eager to return to Jinli County to clean up the mess in the shadows and avoid being hunted down by Shen Tang, she could only suppress her desire for the moment. However, after two breaths, she still didn't sense any change in the space, so she couldn't help but look up at Gong Cheng.
What are you deliberately delaying for?
Gong Cheng was certainly not deliberately delaying.
His gaze fell on a tree, a tree with a giant reticulated python coiled around it. The snake was wrapped around one of the thick branches, and its eyes were looking in their direction.
Chief Secretary Liu said, "It's just a snake."
Gong Cheng said, "Snakes don't understand human speech."
The snake in front of me can understand, but it's not a snake.
The other party is a person.
Gong Cheng asked the python in a calm voice, "How much did you hear?"
The python raised its head, its tongue flicking in and out, and it spoke in human language.
"Do you know Mama?"
"What do you mean, 'Mama' or 'Papa'? Confess honestly, or I'll kill you and stew you into snake soup!" Liu Changshi had no interest in watching a python that could talk, nor did she know what was wrong with Gong Cheng, making him argue with a python. She lowered her voice and warned Gong Cheng, "Don't let a small thing cause a big loss!"
Time is precious right now, and we can't afford to delay.
Gong Cheng's eyes sharpened: "Mama?"
This is a term commonly used by the Gongxi people.
The tribal emblem of the Gongxi people is the snake.
"You have ill intentions towards me."
The python swam down with an agility that belied its size.
This python is Gongxi Chou in totem form.
Once a martial artist reaches his level of strength, using a totem form allows him to better sense the energy of heaven and earth, making his cultivation twice as effective.
He was sleeping soundly when he was startled awake by a sudden breath, followed by the sound of two people talking and hearing familiar names.
The moment he moved, the man became aware of his presence.
|ω`)
Let's add some more words to the mushroom character.
PS: It's fixed now.
(End of this chapter)
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