Chapter 42: Unraveling the Mystery
Chen An and Li Yin remained prostrate on the ground. After a series of noises from Li Yan's room, there was silence. A while later, they only felt a chill pass over them before things returned to normal, but they still didn't dare to rise...
Strategist Ji infiltrated Great Qing Pass again, heading straight for the military camp.
The purpose of his trip was to find the camp gate guard from yesterday afternoon, as well as the other soldier at the North Gate who had told Li Yin, "Lord Li left alone more than two hours ago..."
He already knew which small unit these two soldiers belonged to.
Chen An and Li Yin were veterans in the army and knew both soldiers. During his detailed questioning, Chen An and Li Yin had already poured out everything they knew like beans from a bamboo tube.
Soon, Strategist Ji arrived in front of the military camp. By now it was dawn, the camp gates tightly closed, with patrol squads marching regularly inside. But to Strategist Ji, all of this was as if it didn't exist.
He had come and gone freely from the encampment with hundreds of thousands of troops, not to mention this city camp with just tens of thousands of men. Before long, a figure shot out from the military camp like lightning.
If someone had been watching clearly, they would have seen this person carrying another in one hand as if weightless. With a flicker of movement, he had already floated out of the military camp.
Feng Chuang slowly woke up, feeling cold all over. He opened his eyes, but what he saw made him freeze, wondering if he was sleepwalking.
He was now lying in what seemed to be a dense forest. Looking up, he could see bits of moonlight filtering through the treetops. Hurriedly turning his head to look around, everything was pitch black, not very clear.
He clearly remembered having dinner, conducting routine squad training, then turning in early to sleep. He was definitely sleeping in his tent, so how did he end up in the forest outside the city?
He sat up, shaking his head, trying to clear his mind.
"Must be a dream!"
When he opened his eyes again, the scene before him remained unchanged. Even a brave battlefield warrior like him couldn't help feeling afraid. He quickly pinched his thigh and it hurt, this was not a dream.
"You don't need to check; this is not a dream. What you need to do now is answer my questions honestly, and that will be enough!"
A sinister voice rang out in the darkness.
Hearing this, Feng Chuang felt a chill run down his neck. Looking back, he saw a tall figure in black robes standing in the darkness not far away.
"Who are you?" Feng Chuang asked with a trembling voice.
"I ask, you don't. Understand? Remember, when I question you, if you lie, the consequences will be rather unpleasant."
The voice came again, cold without a trace of emotion.
"Yesterday afternoon, during your watch, did Strategist Ji's disciple Li Yan leave the military camp?"
Feng Chuang was startled by this question. He hadn't expected that the person who had abducted him would ask such a question. He hesitated slightly but dared not refuse to answer.
"Oh... yes, he left shortly after entering the camp."
A crisp "crack" sounded, followed by a piercing scream echoing through the forest, startling resting birds into flight. The black-robed figure had somehow moved to Feng Chuang's side and with a stretch of his hand had broken one of his fingers.
"You're lying. Answer honestly!"
And so, amid the continuing low questioning, piercing screams occasionally rang out, interspersed with desperate pleas for mercy.
Half a quarter-hour later, Strategist Ji struck a palm blow to the forehead of Feng Chuang, whose face was now unrecognizable and whose body had hardly an intact spot left. Feng Chuang fell limply, blood flowing from his seven orifices.
Yet his face bore a smile of endless relief, as if death was the happiest thing for him.
During this half quarter-hour, Strategist Ji had employed various inhuman methods, but his question had been repeated over and over:
"Did Strategist Ji's disciple Li Yan leave the military camp?"
After half a quarter-hour, he confirmed the result that "Li Yan had not left the military camp."
Next, he bent down and woke another soldier with a pat.
Soon, piercing screams rang out again. In the night forest, the startled birds had long since disappeared, with only the night and the ghost-like screams echoing continuously.
Another half quarter-hour later, Strategist Ji again struck a palm blow to that soldier's forehead, and the screams abruptly ceased.
Surrounded by towering trees, Strategist Ji stood there like a specter in the dark night.
"Li Yan really did leave the city, and through the North Gate, yet another guard from the military camp says he didn't exit through the camp gate!
Heh heh heh... Hong Linying, you're quite skilled. The military camp only has two exits. Since Li Yan didn't leave through the camp gate but appeared at the North Gate, did you use the tiger tally to let Li Yan leave through the supply area?
He went out alone, without riding a horse, and in a hurry, which suggests he was also avoiding Hong Linying. With that kid's caution, secretly practicing my handwriting, and able to make Hong Linying use the tiger tally, his mind is so sharp he definitely wouldn't put his life in someone else's hands.
I wonder what method he used to shake off Hong Linying. Hmph, Hong Linying seems to have been tricked by him as well.
Once he escaped, he wouldn't secretly return to the city. The trick of 'darkness under the lamp' depends on timing, and with his intelligence, how could he not know when to advance and retreat?
This being the case, there's basically no need to search the city. I originally wanted to capture Liu Chengyong and Li Yan's fellow villagers for questioning, but now it seems unnecessary. Li Yan is now hiding somewhere outside the city."
If Li Yan and Hong Linying were present, they would have been greatly shocked. Their plan, which took several months to arrange, had been deduced almost exactly by Strategist Ji in just half a night after he calmed down.
Strategist Ji's approach was very methodical. Although his conclusions included suspects like Liu Chengyong, Li Shan, and Li Yu, he more directly sought out the key witnesses who had seen Li Yan.
After obtaining the answers he wanted, he reasoned further, and the truth gradually emerged, resolving his other points of conclusion and saving the time of finding and interrogating each person.
This inadvertently saved the lives of Liu Chengyong, Li Shan, and Li Yu. If Strategist Ji hadn't calmed down, he might have sought out anyone he suspected.
Once found by him, the fate of such a person was basically certain, like the two soldiers, he would leave no survivors.
"Next is that kid's whereabouts. Li Family Village in the Great Qing Mountains? Heh heh heh..."
In this darkest moment before dawn, Strategist Ji's pitch-black face had merged with the night, only his gleaming white teeth particularly noticeable.
Then, with a flicker of his form, he was about to soar away but suddenly stopped. After concentrating for a moment, Strategist Ji muttered to himself:
"No, although Li Family Village might present a 'darkness under the lamp' situation, such a life-gambling method is too hasty, not something that kid would do.
Among these conclusions, there are still two things that might reveal that kid's whereabouts: First, why did Li Yan recently purchase large quantities of farming tools and clothing? Second, what significance is there in Li Yan's recent extensive planting of flowers and grass?"
He stood motionless, time ticking by, until the eastern sky slowly brightened, casting a bluish haze over the forest.
Finally, Strategist Ji's form stirred slightly, and he shook his head.
"Those farming tools and clothes don't seem to have any purpose; they should just be a method for him to calm his mind.
After all, this youth grew up in a mountain village and still has a primitive dependence on and desire for farming tools and city goods. But these flowers and grasses look somewhat strange.
It's possibly part of his escape plan. Exactly how, I'll need to go back and check."
With this thought, Strategist Ji headed back to the Military Advisor's Mansion.
At this time, the military camp in the city was in an uproar. Two soldiers had disappeared overnight, were they enemy spies whose identities had been discovered, causing them to sneak away in the night?
Or had enemy personnel appeared in the city and abducted these two soldiers? The camp was extremely tense, with each unit guarding against the others.
Among these people, one person vaguely felt this matter might be related to Li Yan: Liu Chengyong. He knew that of the two missing men, one had been acting under orders just like himself.
And the other was the guard who had been on duty at the city gate that day, who likely had seen Li Yan.
But he dared not speak carelessly, only feeling extremely tense. He guessed it might be Strategist Ji's doing, otherwise, given the strict security of the military camp, it wouldn't be possible for a few martial art experts to abduct two people without making a sound.
Thinking of Strategist Ji's mysterious methods when facing enemies outside the city in the past, he became increasingly certain.
Hong Linying sat in the central military tent. Having received the news early, he had rushed over.
Looking at the officers in the tent, he spoke gravely:
"Close the South Gate, no entry or exit. Strictly check the North Gate. Also thoroughly search inside the military camp. Deploy two large teams from each unit to check each household in the city.
The official statement is that we suspect enemy spies may have infiltrated the city. Do not leak any information about the missing soldiers, understand?"
The officers in the tent stepped forward in unison.
"Yes, sir!"
Then they marched out together.
In an instant, only a few advisors and Marshal Hong remained in the tent.
Marshal Hong looked at the advisors and waved his hand.
"You may leave too."
"Yes, sir!"
After everyone had left, Marshal Hong stared blankly at the marshal's desk for a while.
"Heh heh, so you've made your move already? You're truly quick. Since you already suspect, I'll go along with that kid's plan."
...
Military Advisor's Mansion, inner valley. Strategist Ji had returned here. Looking at the two men still kneeling on the ground, a hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes.
Walking slowly to the front of Chen An and the other, he silently looked at the two prostrate figures. After a full ten breaths, he waved his sleeve.
"You two may leave!"
Chen An and Li Yin had been kneeling all night. Even with their physical condition, their minds were foggy. Hearing this suddenly, they were startled and regained some clarity.
They hurriedly kowtowed, then slowly and painfully stood up. Supporting each other, they limped away.
What they didn't know was that they had just been on the brink of death. Strategist Ji had seen their condition, and with his mind focused on other matters, had temporarily spared them.
Strategist Ji paid no attention to what happened to Chen An and Li Yin after they left. He looked at the various flowers and grasses that had been planted close to the stone house and began to carefully examine them. He walked along the path between the rows, stopping here and there, occasionally bending down for a closer look.
In this manner, the morning sun slowly rose.
At this time, Strategist Ji was crouching in front of a flower. This flower was planted on the southern side of the valley, already near the foot of the mountain, quite remote compared to the stone house and the main patch of flowers and grasses.
Strategist Ji patiently walked from spot to spot. When he came here, he found one flower slightly taller than those around it.
This would normally be quite ordinary, plants naturally vary in height but strangely, this flower had more space around it than other flowers, though not significantly more. Upon careful observation, this seemed different from other areas.
Strategist Ji crouched in front of this flower, first observing it carefully, and noticed that although this flower was taller, it seemed to lack adequate water. This was unusual, normally taller and larger flowers would be more lush, but this one had somewhat sparse branches and leaves.
He reached out and dug a few times at the base of the flower, which immediately fell over, seemingly not deeply rooted.
As the flower's main stem fell over, he saw a piece of silk beneath it. His spirits immediately rose. His hand, filled with spiritual power, grabbed for that piece of silk, but as he picked it up, nothing unusual happened.
After picking it up, he examined it carefully. It was a small piece of black silk, folded into a neat square.
(End chapter)
¹ Darkness under the lamp" (灯下黑) is a Chinese idiom meaning that sometimes the safest place to hide is right near the observer, as they wouldn't suspect it.
Ji's a menace, this doesn't seem so hopeful for Li Yan...