Chapter 43: Capture
Wen Youqing, like a cold, statue-like figure, huddled in the gnarled shadows of a massive tree that could be hugged by three men. Her dark, tight-fitting attire blended seamlessly into the darkness. Only her eyes, sharp as quenched blades, pierced through the layers of night, their gaze fixed fixed on the muddy, wheel-beaten forest path below. In the distance, a night owl let out a few short, shrill cries, adding to the awe-inspiring atmosphere.
Here it comes.
Several heavy carts, their wheels stuck deep in the mud, groaned under the heavy load, breaking the dead silence in the forest.
In front and behind the car, a dozen men held their swords vigilantly, their eyes moving restlessly, scanning the dense forests on both sides of the road where ghostly shadows were everywhere.
On the shaft of the middle cart sat a lean man wrapped in a thick fur coat, seemingly clutching something in his arms. It was Zhu Shisan. His face, furrowed by the mountain wind, held a look of almost numb ferocity.
Wen Youqing's hand silently rested on the hilt of the narrow sword at her waist, a cool sensation spreading across her fingertips. Just as she was about to swing her arm, signaling the long-planned attack, something unexpected happened!
“Ouch—!”
A shrill, almost exaggerated wolf howl suddenly erupted from the hillside on the other side of the forest path! It was followed by a few short cries of surprise and the crisp sound of weapons clashing, with a faint, lazy, and somewhat playful complaint: "Tsk, disturbing my sleep..."
Zhu Shisan's gang was instantly furious!
"There's an ambush!"
"Get your weapons!" The terrified roar tore through the tense atmosphere. The men drew their swords one after another and rushed towards the direction where the wolf howls came from like frightened birds, causing the formation to become chaotic.
Wen Youqing's heart suddenly sank, and a surge of inexplicable anger shot up her spine. Her plans were disrupted! Who was it?
A cold glint flashed in her eyes, and like an enraged female leopard, she dashed out from the shadow of the giant tree without hesitation. A dark figure traced a blurry trail in the dim moonlight. With a tap of her toe on the tree trunk, she was like an arrow shot from a bow, darting straight towards the center of the chaos below—Zhu Shisan!
"Catch him!" Her clear shout was unusually clear in the chaos.
The jianghu men lying in ambush on the side rushed out from all directions like tigers descending from the mountains, their swords flashing like sharp snow, and went straight for the disturbed guards. The sound of weapons clashing, roars, and screams suddenly filled the air.
Wen Youqing had only one goal. Knowing she had no martial arts skills, she skirted the chaotic crowd, her movements nimble as a ghost, dodging a randomly slashing dagger. With lightning speed, she thrust her scabbard forward, striking precisely on the wrist of a sturdy man attempting to kill Zhu Shisan.
The man screamed and the steel knife fell out of his hand.
Zhu Shisan's reaction was also extremely fast. A fierce light flashed in his eyes, and his fat body shrank back unusually flexibly. At the same time, he took out a short dagger with a cold glow from behind his waist, and slashed viciously at Wen Youqing's wrist!
His actions were ruthless and cunning, definitely not those of an ordinary peddler, and he was well prepared.
"Looking for death!" Wen Youqing snorted coldly, and turned his wrist. A hidden weapon that had been hidden on his wrist silently pierced Zhu Shisan's wrist holding the dagger.
There was a "ripping" sound of flesh and blood being torn, and Zhu Shisan howled like a pig being slaughtered, and the dagger fell to the ground with a clang.
Wen Youqing's other hand had already grasped his intact left shoulder like an iron clamp, twisting and pressing it with force!
"Ugh!" Zhu Shisan's huge body was like a heavy bag of grain, and she threw it hard onto the cold mud ground, splashing mud.
Wen Youqing thrust his sword into Zhu Shisan's other hand, pinning him to the ground. Then, he stamped on his chest with his deerskin boots. The force was so great that Zhu Shisan's eyes popped out, and a strange hoarse sound emanated from his throat, rendering him unable to move.
"Tie him up!" she ordered sternly, but her eyes were like icicles shooting towards the hillside where the wolf's howling came from.
On the hillside, the battle was drawing to a close. Several men in threadbare hunter garb lay groaning on the ground, held firmly by men in ordinary cloth but with unusually sharp eyes. A figure slowly strolled down the slope.
The moonlight was sparing in outlining his outline. He was wearing a half-new, moon-white scholar's robe, stained with grass debris and mud, and in one hand he was holding a thick branch as a makeshift weapon.
He wore a nonchalant smile, as if the thrilling ambush had just happened was just a little game in the woods. Particularly glaring was the light in those eyes, which always shone with a kind of effortlessness that made Wen Youqing extremely uncomfortable—Cui Junji.
"Madam," Cui Junji walked closer, ignoring Zhu Shisan who was trampled on the ground and rolled his eyes, and seemed not to notice the frost in Wen Youqing's eyes that was almost frozen into substance. He cupped his hands, with his usual, disgusting smile on the corner of his mouth, "I didn't know that Madam had such good skills, and was eliminating harm for the people in this wilderness." He deliberately emphasized the four words "eliminating harm for the people", and his eyes swept over Zhu Shisan who was tied up like a dumpling on the ground.
Wen Youqing slowly withdrew her foot from Zhu Shisan's chest, rubbing the sole of her boot against the muddy ground, as if to rub off something. She stood up straight, the tense lines of her jaw revealing a deep sense of impatience and rejection.
"Master Cui," her voice was three degrees colder than the night wind in the forest. "Since when has the Supervisory Office started to intervene in the petty thefts in these remote mountains and old forests?" She deliberately emphasized the word "petty thefts," her eyes sharp as needles, piercing Cui Junji. "Are you here to help me, or to help someone else dispose of the body?"
Cui Junji must know about Zhu Shisan's affairs, but it just happened that he appeared here, which made her guard up.
The usual smile on Cui Junji's face finally faded, and a subtle solemnity flashed across his peach-shaped eyes. He took two steps, bent down, and picked up the dagger that Zhu Shisan had dropped. He twirled it nimbly between his fingers, a cold light flashing.
"Interested? I wouldn't dare." He raised his eyes, passing Wen Youqing, and looked at the dark outline of the mountains in the distance, like a crawling giant beast. His voice lowered a few degrees, "My humble interest is nothing compared to those 'private mines' deep in the Wumuling Mountains that are burning day and night with flames shooting into the sky... It's thrilling." He spoke the last few words softly and slowly, explaining Wen Youqing's "self-conceit" word by word.
"Private mines? Wang Xie?" Shen Zijie's instructions were still ringing in his ears. In his previous life, Cui Junji also started with private mines and cut off Wang Xie's food supply in one fell swoop.
Wen Youqing's heart skipped a beat. A century-old aristocratic family, with deep roots and thriving influence, could have repercussions on the entire system. Even with the emperor still in power, the aristocratic families were killing each other. Hadn't they already hidden their actions?
She suppressed the shock that was surging in her eyes, and her voice was as cold as iron: "Then Lord Cui, please do as you please." She stared at Cui Junji, trying to find a trace of suspicion on his face.
Cui Junji met her gaze, his lips curled up again in that arc that Wen Youqing hated so much. "Can you do it yourself?"
Zhu Shisan made an even more terrified "woohoo" sound from his throat, twisted his body desperately, and looked at Cui Junji with eyes full of incredible fear.
Wen Youqing's heart sank. Cui Junji wasn't aimless. Those who just wanted to kill Zhu Shisan directly...
She stared at Zhu Shisan's face, which was distorted by fear and pain, and remembered that the secret report mentioned that Zhu Shisan's timber always disappeared in a desert.
A chill crept up her spine. If this was truly connected to the Wang and Xie families' private mines, then Zhu Shisan would no longer be merely a victim of corruption. He would be a living witness capable of uncovering a terrifying secret! A witness who was incredibly vulnerable, yet could not be let go!
Wen Youqing suppressed the doubts that surged in her heart, smiled gently at Cui Junji, took a step back, and let Zhu Shisan pass to Cui Junji, twisting her wrist that had just been twisted by the force. "Of course, those who are capable should do more work. The situation just now was so critical. If it happened a second time, I would definitely not have the time to take care of it."
She ordered her personal guards in a firm voice, "Send the man to Lord Cui, quickly!"
"Wait a minute." Cui Junji waved his hand and walked over to Zhu Shisan, looking down at him with the sharp, all-seeing face of a Censor. He raised his eyes to Wen Youqing, his tone carrying an undeniable heaviness. "This beast is of grave concern, and I'm afraid it won't be safe with a simple escort. I've been ordered to secretly investigate the illegal mining, and this case is a key link. To protect the prisoner and to quickly clarify the mining case and the old Xunyang case, I dare to propose—" He paused, then spoke word by word, "You and I will personally escort him back to the capital together!"
Returning to the capital together? With him? Wen Youqing felt a surge of frustration rising into her chest.
Looking at Cui Junji's seemingly sincere face, but with an unfathomable light hidden deep in his eyes, she wanted to walk away immediately. But reason, like a cold chain, held her back tightly.
Cui Junji clearly pointed out the value of Zhu Shisan. Besides, he should have come to help Shen Zijie.
Xunyang is remote and unnoticed, but if the illegal mining were confirmed, the consequences would be so widespread that it would shake the government and the country. This person must not be lost!
If she relied on herself alone, she might not be able to stay safe on this dangerous road. But Cui Junji was so powerful, why did he need her help? Could this be another excuse to drag her down with him?
After thinking for a moment, Wen Youqing smiled again and said, "Then please, Censor Cui, please take care of me!" Every word was like ice chips bursting out from between his teeth.
Cui Junji looked at her back and raised his eyebrows silently. His usual smile, which made Wen Youqing extremely disgusted, quietly crept back to the corner of his mouth.
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