Chapter 99 The Traitor Emerges
The situation is tense!
The dark-black brocade-robed official was like a pitch-black wave, which was split apart by Zhao Duan, but it also put him at the forefront.
The martial artists' Qi in the courtyard was vibrating, interwoven densely like a spider web, and a single hair could move the whole body.
"Zhao Jisi!"
A rare look of doubt appeared on Zhang Han's expressionless face:
"What do you mean?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"Master Zhang, do you really not understand, or are you pretending to be confused? Logically, you are my senior, so you shouldn't be unaware of what this means."
Zhang Han was silent for a moment.
His eyes swept over the armor and weapons on everyone, including the armor-piercing crossbows, and he suddenly felt the wind grow colder.
"I heard that Lihuatang seems to have a mission today to arrest rebels, but I don't know if it's true. Now, looking at your expressions, do you suspect that the rebels are hiding in my house?"
Zhao Duan said with a smile:
"I dare not. I just suspect that the rebels are far away and close at hand."
Zhang Han was stunned:
"Do you suspect that I am a traitor?"
Zhao Duan said sadly:
"At first, I couldn't believe that Brother Zhang was the traitor hiding in the government office. Actually, I only confirmed this morning. Otherwise, Brother Zhang would have been captured by the Governor himself yesterday, and he wouldn't have survived until today."
He was about the same height as the other person, but at this moment he looked down at him and sighed softly:
"Brother Zhang, we are colleagues after all. I advise you to lay down your weapons and surrender. Come back with me to see the Governor, or even the Emperor. Perhaps, considering your contributions over the years, I will give you a lighter sentence. But if you persist in resisting, huh..."
With a light chuckle, the surrounding crossbows all made the sound of bowstrings being tightened.
Hou Renmeng and the others also infused their swords with Qi.
The murderous aura was boiling.
Although the Shenzhang realm is powerful, even a tiger cannot withstand a pack of wolves.
The officials of Lihuatang are fully armed, with protective gear and weapons, and with the support of cooperation, they are indeed capable of competing with the Divine Chapter Realm.
Seeing this, the Zhang family servants were already frightened to the point of turning pale, trembling and not daring to move. The family members who ran out of the back house were also forced back by the officers with knives.
Zhang Han was alone, holding a seven-foot sword, like a reef standing in front of the dark waves.
He said in a deep voice: "Zhao Jisi, there may be various misunderstandings, but Zhang will never..."
Zhao Duan shouted: "Then put down your weapons!"
Zhang Han was stunned.
The smile on Zhao Duan's face disappeared completely, leaving only a gloomy and violent look, his sleeves fluttering, and a hint of domineering aura permeated:
"You should know that His Majesty stands behind me! If you have a clear conscience, drop your weapons and return with me. Otherwise..."
He sneered and raised his hand as if to strike:
"Rikado!"
Behind him, the officers acting as infantry, lined up in a semicircle and holding cold iron shields, stepped forward and pressed forward.
As the two sides gradually approached, Zhang Han's martial arts energy was also stimulated, and the seven-foot sword in his hand vibrated and hummed.
However, the Mudantang supervisor finally sighed and closed his eyes.
“Dang!”
The seven-foot sword fell to the ground.
He stretched out his arms and said generously:
"Zhang Han has a clear conscience, even if it means he's serving the emperor! He's a loyal servant to his master! Even if I'm wrongly accused today, what does it matter if I go to jail with you? Your Majesty, the governor will investigate the truth and clear the Zhang family's name! Zhao Jisi, proceed."
Zhao Duan's raised hand stopped in mid-air, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt, and he gave a look.
Immediately, two attendants came forward trembling with fear.
A pair of specially made brass shackles prepared specifically for dealing with martial artists were used to restrain Zhang Han's neck and hands.
Only when it was completely locked did everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
Make sure he won't suddenly kill people.
"Zhao Jishi, I haven't made a judgment yet. Please don't disturb my family and neighbors."
Zhang Han said a few words, then turned his head to look at his family members who were crying. His lips moved, and he finally turned back:
"Let's go."
Immediately, Zhao Duan looked at him strangely and did not respond.
The surrounding Jinyi soldiers did not move without receiving Zhao Duan's order.
The atmosphere was a little tense for a moment, and Zhang Han frowned:
"Zhao Jisi, are you unwilling to accept even this request?"
The next second, the ferocious Zhao Duan suddenly laughed, walked over enthusiastically with open arms, and personally untied the shackles for him.
With a sincere face:
"Lord Zhang's loyalty is known to all, and I truly admire him. I apologize for any inconvenience caused."
Zhang Han was stunned, and the Zhang family members who were either crying, desperate, or frightened were also stunned.
Not only them, even the Jinyi officers who were a little mentally prepared were stunned.
I wondered if my master had learned acting, his expression could change so quickly.
Zhang Han was bewildered: "You are..."
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"This matter cannot be explained in a few words. Zhao is in a hurry. Master Zhang, please wait for news at home. Remember the governor's order. No one in your family should go out to avoid misunderstandings."
After saying this, he waved his hand:
"withdraw!"
The large group of officials disappeared outside the door like receding waves.
Only half of the broken door was left, hanging miserably on the doorpost.
In the doorway, the Zhang family huddled together, tears still on their faces, looking disheveled in the wind.
…
…
The carriage continued to move forward.
Inside the car.
With his extraordinary senses, Ma Yan, who "heard" everything in the courtyard, experienced confusion, anger, doubt, and bewilderment...
Eventually, things turned complicated, and I looked at the heartless person who had returned:
"So, this is your purpose, to expose the traitor?"
Ma Yan probably understood that everything that had just happened was an act, the purpose of which was to deceive Zhang Han. If he resisted with force, he would be highly suspicious.
He chose to surrender, which cannot be said to have completely cleared him of suspicion, but it is enough to illustrate the problem.
"Brother, you are wise," Zhao Duan said with a smile, "That's exactly what happened."
Ma Yan said calmly:
"His Majesty sent you to Lihua Hall not only to promote you or to help the imperial court solve its problems, but also to find the traitor."
Zhao Duan nodded: "Yes."
Ma Yan sighed:
"So, there was no 'rebel clue' at all today. You fabricated it all in order to separate them and defraud them one by one?"
Zhao Duan smiled: "Yes."
Ma Yan asked doubtfully, "Do you think this is feasible?"
Zhao Duan shook his head and said:
"I can't guarantee it, but I know that similar tactics, used with your identity, might not be effective. You might even have tried to trick them, but it didn't work. However, tricks aren't useless; it depends on who uses them and how they're used."
Ma Yan stared at him:
"Do you think you can succeed if you use it?"
Zhao Duan thought for a moment and said:
"At least I put in more effort. Brother, weren't you also fooled by me? Do you believe that I really got clues about the rebels from that pile of intelligence?"
Ma Yan was speechless, and suddenly he understood:
"You forced the Eighth Hall to submit to you earlier, and the reason you demanded intelligence about the rebels was to create this misunderstanding? To make them believe that you might indeed have discovered something? To trust the authenticity of today's operation?"
At this moment, he finally understood the series of operations that Zhao Duan had carried out since entering the Pear Blossom Hall:
Establishing authority and opposing the Eight Halls is both to win over subordinates and to quietly lay the groundwork.
Including the image he showed recently, that of being arrogant, domineering but not lacking in wisdom, which was also quietly deepening the eight hall masters' impression of him.
Only this series of preliminary preparations prevented Ma Yan from becoming suspicious of today's "arrest".
If you discard the previous ones.
After Zhao Duan entered the imperial court, the first thing he did was to "confine his family". If he used fraudulent tactics, the effect would certainly be greatly reduced.
Zhao Duan complimented:
"Senior Brother is very observant. It is precisely because even Senior Brother was temporarily deceived that I have the confidence to scare them.
Imagine if the traitor is among them, then they must understand that they are under house arrest because you don't trust them and are worried about the information leaking. So what kind of important clue would cause Senior Brother to make such a big move?"
Ma Yan suddenly narrowed his eyes and said:
"It must be a crucial clue, so they will be worried and anxious, and will try to contact other accomplices, but they are afraid of being monitored, and they are caught in a dilemma.
At this time, if you lead the team to break into the house and say those words, they will mistakenly think that you have caught someone, and then follow the clues to uncover the identity of the traitor. "
Zhao Duan nodded and handed over a pear from the fruit plate:
"So, Senior Brother, you must hide. Otherwise, if you show up, not only will the enemy become wary and suspicious, but they will also give up resistance and hope for the best because of the disparity in strength between them and you."
Ma Yan took the pear and said in a deep voice:
"And if it's just you leading these people, it will make them want to fight and resist. I'm not afraid that they won't resist, I'm afraid that they won't dare to resist."
The two smiled at each other.
This was also the first time that Zhao Duan saw a smile on the eunuch's face.
As they were talking, the carriage had already arrived at the second destination.
"Sir, we have arrived at the residence of the Pomegranate Hall Master." Qian Kerou's voice came from outside the car curtain.
"So fast?" Ma Yan was stunned.
Zhao Duan stood up and walked out of the car while explaining:
"Because the route I planned is the shortest."
Three key suspects:
Zhang Han, Tiechiguan, Begonia.
Zhao Duan chose to gather at the "Jinjiang Dike" because it was the route that could reach all three places at the shortest possible speed.
Otherwise, such a large-scale action will inevitably attract attention from the outside world.
Once the people from the Kuangfu Society noticed something was wrong and summoned them, he would also send people to secretly monitor the residences of the various police stations.
But there is still a risk of failure.
He never thought of himself as a smart person, at most he was just a little clever.
What he really relies on to survive in this dangerous world is the ability to think more deeply about everything, which he developed in his previous life.
And all the process nodes that can be thought of will be arranged in advance.
This is the basic skill of the great secret.
…
"Sir, this is it."
Qian Kerou and the other three saw him get out of the car and surrounded him.
Zhao Duan raised his eyes and looked at a courtyard in front of him that was leaning against the edge of an alley. The back door led to a commercial street, and inside were intricate alleys.
"There are three suspects. If we eliminate one, what is the probability of the remaining one?" Zhao Duan suddenly asked.
The four subordinates were stunned for a moment and said in unison:
"Half, of course."
"No, it's two-thirds." Zhao Duan gave an illogical answer and muttered:
"I originally suspected Haitang the most, but now, I have to change it."
The subordinates who had never heard of the "three-door question" were confused and felt that their boss was unfathomable.
The words he spoke were just like those of the monks in Shenlong Temple, full of wit.
Zhao Duan touched the inner armor of his official robe and said:
"Tell the brothers to be extremely careful and not get too close. If anything happens, evacuate immediately and don't worry about me."
After all, I have two bodyguards, one bright and one dark, protecting me... I am no match for you bunch of squishy people.
However, when the four subordinates heard this, they felt warm in their hearts at the same time:
"Yes, sir!"
After a while.
It was as if the scene was replayed, Zhao Duan led a group of hawks and dogs to break open the Tie family's gate, and archers blocked the mansion.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw the Tie family servants who were already on guard, and the Shiliutang police officer who ran out of the room with an angry shout and a long-handled round-headed drum hammer in his hand.
The warrior with divine seal and iron rule.
Tie Chiguan was covered in hastily put-on leather armor, his muscles were muscular, his beard was like steel needles, his hands were covered with calluses, and his twisted blue veins almost broke through his flesh.
He held a heavy hammer upside down in his hand and glared at us, like a tiger descending from the mountain, extremely oppressive.
"The surname is Zhao!"
Tie Chi Guan is in a particularly bad mood today:
"What are you going to do?!"
Zhao Duan narrowed his eyes and went through the same process as the previous game again.
However, before his threat was over, Tie Chi Guan roared:
"Don't take chicken feathers as your authority, get out of here!"
Zhao Duan looked at him expressionlessly for a few seconds, then suddenly said:
"Iron Division, from what I understand, although you have a hot temper, you actually have a kind heart and rarely act out of line. But today you seem particularly irritable."
Then, his tone darkened:
"Someone, come and calm down the Iron and Steel Division."
In an instant, swords rang and shieldmen approached.
But this time, Tie Chiguan, a fierce warrior on the battlefield, had his eyes wide open with anger, but a hint of determination suddenly flashed across his eyes, and he said with a sinister smile:
"You're looking for death, so you can't blame anyone!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a powerful burst of air exploded from under his feet, and the drum-breaking hammer in his hand, weighing dozens of pounds, flew out with a roar and headed straight for Zhao Duan's face!
As fast as lightning!
It's a fatal move that takes someone's life!
"grown ups--"
Hou Renmeng and others were shocked and wanted to rush forward to rescue him, but the gap in their realm made them unable to keep up with Tie Chiguan's movements.
All this happened in a flash of lightning. The crossbowmen on the surrounding walls had just pulled the bowstrings when the arrows flew out of the grooves.
The hammer head of Tiechiguan had already reached Zhao Duan.
A strong wind blew backwards, tearing the bands that bound his hair. Zhao Duan's black hair fluttered backwards, and the Golden Crow Flying Knife in his sleeve had already accumulated power to the extreme.
However, just as the flying knife was about to be cut out, a tall and thin figure appeared silently beside Zhao Duan.
With a thin and cold face, messy and irritable gray eyebrows, the governor Ma Yan, nicknamed "King Yama", had a blank expression on his face and stretched out his left hand with thick joints.
Press lightly on the drumstick.
"Bang--"
With a dull thud, the heavy hammer that was powerful enough to destroy the gate of a mountain stronghold was easily caught by this big hand.
Ma Yan turned his head, glanced at Zhao Duan, and said in a low and hoarse voice:
"Boy, when a warrior on the battlefield attacks, he won't give you time to call for help. You still have a lot to learn."
"Wait in the back. You've already paved the way for the first half. Leave the final leg of hunting ghosts to my brother."
After saying this, Ma Dugong looked towards Tie Chi Guan, exerted force from his palm, and glared at him coldly:
“Kneel down!”
Thanks to: Melancholic Big Orange for the 1824 points of support!
(End of this chapter)
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