The luck I most want to keep
The force of the thrown stone was so great that the crossbow flew directly from Tang Qi's hand, and the arrow that had not yet been fired rolled several times. At this moment, Deng Ning and Wu Shunyi had already walked out of the courtyard and were running towards the place where the fire had started.
In those few seconds, he completely lost his chance to kill them. Tang Qi had just gotten up when a person lunged at him, grabbed him by the neck, and pinned him down.
"Tang Qi! Are you crazy?!"
"Didn't I tell you not to cause trouble here?!"
"Do you even know how you'll die if you shoot that arrow?! Can't you use your brain for once?!"
Tang Qi let Cheng Junshi grab her collar and berate her, without resisting or talking back, just quietly looking at him.
Cheng Junshi couldn't contain his anger as he looked at the man in front of him who was still fearless despite being like a lump of mud. He clenched his fist and was about to swing it at him, but the fist came so hard that he couldn't bring himself to hit Tang Qi's face.
Tiles shattered beside his ear, and Cheng Junshi's fist was bleeding from the impact. When he spoke, his voice trembled with fear: "Do you know I can't save you... you'll die, do you know that?"
Tang Qi's eyes remained devoid of any emotion, as indifferent as a dead man.
When did you recognize me?
...
A long silence.
Cheng Junshi's pupils contracted sharply, only then realizing that he had called the wrong name.
"Cheng Wang, when did you recognize me?"
Suddenly, Cheng Junshi loosened his grip on Tang Qi's collar. He opened his mouth slightly but couldn't say anything for a long time. Tang Qi just kept staring at him until Cheng Junshi finally came to his senses, straightened up, and sat back down next to him.
"Long Street in Los Angeles, the first time I saw you again."
How did you recognize me?
"Not everyone has those murderous eyes of yours, and for some reason I really wanted to punch you the first time we met. I thought about it when I got back, and it seems that no one but Young Master Tang has ever had such an honor."
"Why don't you say so?"
Cheng Junshi didn't answer; instead, he turned to look at him and threw the question back at him: "Why don't you say it?"
Tang Qi pushed himself up from the roof, his eyes glancing at the still-bustling crowd on the ground: "Did you set the fire?"
Cheng Junshi remained silent. Tang Qi chuckled and said, "You can't even lie properly. What if you get caught after I tell you?"
"That's different—"
"You actually dared to set fire to the place? I really underestimated your courage." Tang Qi looked at Cheng Junshi.
“I knew something was wrong when I returned to the banquet and found you weren’t there. Later, I found out about this place, and in desperation, I had no choice but to resort to this tactic. I will turn myself in after this is all over.”
"No way," Tang Qi smiled at him, "wouldn't that make me owe you even more? I have a better way."
Cheng Junshi stared blankly as Tang Qi pulled his hand, then flipped him over and pulled him off the roof with Tang Qi. The moment they landed, he stood up, but Tang Qi suddenly pulled him up and wrapped his whole hand around Tang Qi's neck. Tang Qi was kneeling and looking up at him, with dried blood still on the corner of his mouth.
"Cheng Shaoqing guessed correctly, I was the one who started the fire."
Tang Qi's voice was so loud it sounded like he was announcing to the world: "I plead guilty."
With a loud bang, Cheng Junshi felt his ears ringing. He tried to pull his hand back, but Tang Qi never gave him the chance. The man kneeling on the ground still had bright eyes. Even as the long knife was held across his neck, his arm was pressed down, and he was led away like a prisoner, Tang Qi still laughed.
"General Deng, do you like this generous gift I've given you?"
He was forced in front of Deng Ning, and his injured leg was kicked by someone, causing him to kneel on the ground.
“It really was you,” Deng Ning said condescendingly. “You hate me a lot.”
Tang Qi spat out a mouthful of blood on the ground: "Aren't you the same?"
He glanced at Wu Shunyi beside him, then chuckled and said, "Your men are too weak to kill me. You're a terrible leader."
Wu Shunyi stared at Tang Qi and said calmly, "It doesn't matter, you're going to die this time anyway."
"Ha—" Tang Qi laughed heartily: "It doesn't matter, I have no intention of living anyway."
There were many people surrounding them, including Cheng Junshi. His hands were trembling, and his gaze was fixed on the person kneeling in the center.
He had no intention of living; he came today with the resolve to die. His talk of collecting his own body was for himself. Cheng Junshi felt a sudden despair. He had already decided on his own death long ago; perhaps from the moment he made that decision, Tang Qi had already considered him a dead man.
Cheng Junshi felt an overwhelming grief when he recalled Tang Qi's appearance just now. He stared into Tang Qi's eyes, and apart from his calmness and composure, he could not detect any other emotion.
He was not afraid of death at all; in fact, it could be said that Tang Qi had been waiting for this day all along.
But Tang Qi, do you not feel even the slightest bit of reluctance towards this world?
"What grudge do I have against you that makes you hate me so much?" Deng Ning looked down at him: "That you'd risk your life for me."
“What, General Deng has done so many bad things that you can’t find which one I am? But it doesn’t matter, I’ll remember it for you,” he raised his eyes and looked directly at Deng Ning: “Wolf Strategy Army, the one you’ll never escape.”
The crowd of onlookers started chattering: "Lang Cejun? Wasn't that case closed a long time ago? I heard that General Deng even helped catch the murderer."
Tang Qi laughed as if he had heard a joke, saying, "Help? It's just a case of the thief crying 'stop thief!'"
“Shenghui has betrayed the enemy and Jinbei has treasoned the country! Today’s fire is the first road to the underworld lit for you!” Although Tang Qiren was unable to move due to the pressure, he still stubbornly shouted at the two sanctimonious men opposite him: “Don’t be afraid, I will be your ferryman and will surely lead you straight to hell.”
"Madman," Deng Ning cursed. Then he raised his hand as if to have someone take Tang Qi down.
The fire behind him had died down, and Deng Ning paid no heed to Tang Qi's words. People often utter curses before they die, but unfortunately, he was already utterly wicked and immune to all poisons.
Dunning even found it somewhat laughable, as if he were watching some kind of clown.
However, Tang Qi was never a clown.
The firelight gradually dimmed, and his voice grew louder: "If you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place. General Deng, aren't you afraid of seeing ghosts after doing so many bad things?"
"Take him away!"
"General—" A sharp voice cut through the crowd.
They've arrived.
Tang Qi was secretly delighted.
A man rushed over and knelt down on the spot, saying, "Reporting to the General, His Majesty has decreed that you and the Protectorate General must come to the palace for an audience immediately."
Deng Ning was taken aback and quickly looked at Tang Qi. Seeing the slight smile on his lips, he knew that this matter must be related to him.
"Who exactly are you?!" Deng Ning finally showed a hint of panic.
"It's just bad luck; you bumped into a ghost on the street."
“Force him to go with us!” Wu Shunyi said from the side.
Tang Qi was quickly lifted up by men from the Ministry of Justice. Cheng Junshi walked beside him, and Tang Qi hung his head without making a sound. In reality, with everyone watching, they had nothing to say.
Zhui Feng had been to the palace many times, and he had dealt with all kinds of prisoners, including those who cried out for justice, those who wanted to escape, and even those who wanted to bribe them.
But he had never seen Shaoqing give him a second glance.
The road was straight, and Cheng Junshi's gaze was straight too.
He always steadfastly adhered to his duties, as if his heart was born righteous and never strayed from anyone's path.
Only this time, Zhui Feng sensed a thick emotion emanating from Cheng Junshi beside him, not just pain, but also—
He felt a kind of unease that he had never seen before, nor had he ever felt in Cheng Junshi.
Even more absurdly, Zhui Feng developed the idea that Cheng Junshi wanted to kidnap Tang Qi.
That's certainly impossible.
He is Cheng Junshi.
Besides His Majesty, Ye Qian was also standing in the main hall.
This was, of course, arranged by Tang Qi.
Before going to the banquet today, he had Ye Qian wait at the residence. If he did not return within two hours, he was to take the military report to the palace to meet His Majesty. This was Tang Qi's last resort.
"This humble general pays his respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"
"Your Majesty, we pay our respects! Long live the Emperor!"
As soon as they entered the main hall, they all knelt down. The person on the dragon throne glanced at them and threw the object with force. The object rolled to Deng Ning's feet.
Deng Ning hesitated before opening the package, but immediately tensed up after seeing what was inside.
"How dare you! Deceiving the emperor, do you think I'm senile?" Emperor Ming's words were authoritative from the very first sentence.
Deng Ning, who was kneeling below, immediately kowtowed and said, "This humble general dares not!"
"Don't dare? I think you're more than brave!"
Emperor Ming was clearly angered, then glanced at them and asked, "Isn't there still one person? Where is he?"
"Your Majesty, this person is waiting outside the palace," Cheng Junshi replied, straightening his back.
"Announce!"
Tang Qi was forced to enter the palace again. Ye Qian was stunned for a long time when he saw him like this. He didn't expect that Deng Ning's words the next second would almost make his jaw drop.
"Your Majesty, this man committed arson and murder in public, and his record is full of evil deeds. I request that you decree that he behead this man to demonstrate the power of the nation."
"Your Majesty, I am innocent! I killed to protect myself and set the fire to seek justice! My life is worthless and my words carry little weight. If I did not do this, I would not attract the attention of the public."
Emperor Ming ignored what he said and simply asked, "Did you find the military report?"
Tang Qi raised his head, looked directly at him, and said, "Yes."
"Tell me, who are you, and for whom are you seeking justice?"
Tang Qi straightened his back and looked directly at Emperor Ming, saying each word firmly: "My name is Lin Zhengye, and I seek justice for all those who died unjustly in the Wolf Strategy."
"Do you know that seeking justice, regardless of whether one is right or wrong, always results in twenty strokes of the cane in court?"
"Know."
“Twenty strokes of the cane can kill a man,” Emperor Ming said, looking at him.
"A petty person's life is worthless. I'd rather shed blood and tears than not fight for the truth."
"Alright, I'll give you that chance."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Tang Qi kowtowed hard, and when he stood up, his forehead was already bruised, but he was completely unaware of it, and his eyes were filled with unconcealed joy.
Ye Qian, who was standing to the side, still felt something was off. He glanced at His Majesty's expression as he continued to say to Tang Qi, "Say what you want to say."
"I, Lin Zhengye, accuse the Right General of the Rong Army and the Protectorate General of the State of the Army of the State ...
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