Chapter 2384: Chapter 2384 All in a Net
Ye Liuyun wasn’t in a hurry to kill the alchemist after capturing him. Rather, he soul search him to find any information he could use to get close to Lord Zhenxing.
Unfortunately, the alchemist merely supplied elixirs to Lord Zhenxing’s residence and rarely had the chance to meet him in person. Even if he did, Lord Zhenxing was always heavily guarded.
However, the alchemist did know several renowned alchemists within the capital.
Ye Liuyun quickly departed from the inn. He had the alchemist lead their way. While posing as his bodyguards, Ye Liuyun, Phantom Hand, and the others tracked down and captured a number of other renowned alchemists. Afterwards, he stashed them away, altered his appearance, and headed for the capital city of Jin Qianghou
Ye Liuyun handed the captured alchemists to Lin Luoyi for processing.
As for his assassination target, Ye Liuyun simply beheaded him, ready to claim the bounty.
His next target was Cui Ziheng, Jin Qianghou’s eldest son.
This spoiled heir spent his days idling in brothels, making him an easy mark. But to Ye Liuyun’s surprise, while tracking Cui Ziheng, he stumbled upon another key figure, the newly appointed garrison commander, Jiang Lai.
Jiang Lai was Jin Qianghou’s trusted subordinate, Cui Yingwu. He was naturally familiar with Cui Ziheng. Freshly appointed, he was currently preparing for a military recruitment drive.
With the hope that the young master would put in a good word with his father to secure more military funding, Jiang Lai had been trying to win Cui Ziheng over. Jiang Lai had been indulging Cui Ziheng’s whims, even footing his brothel bills.
Both men were accompanied by four guards, with Cui Ziheng’s entourage being particularly formidable.
After some thought, Ye Liuyun decided to strike Cui Ziheng first. But acting inside the brothel would alert its security, so he stepped outside and waited for Jiang Lai to leave.
However, when Jiang Lai left the brothel, Ye Liuyun’s observant eyes noticed four guards in disguise lurking in the shadows, covertly protecting him.
Quick on his feet, Ye Liuyun formed a temporary patrol unit and had his men wear patrol squad’s uniform and barred Jiang Lai’s men.
"Are you blind? Do you know who you’re stopping?" one of the guards barked.
"How dare you insult our patrol squad? Arrest them all!" The captain, Ye Liuyun in disguise, immediately ordered his men to take action.
Without hesitation, the soldiers drew their weapons and surrounded Jiang Lai’s guard.
"Hold your ground!" Jiang Lai commanded his men before confronting Ye Liuyun. "Tell me, why are you stopping us?"
Ye Liuyun sneered, "These individuals are behaving suspiciously," as he pointed to the camouflaged guards. "Of course, we must conduct an investigation! Seize them and bring them in for interrogation!"
"Do you know who I am?" Recognising that Ye Liuyun had a point, Jiang Lai repressed his rage. Indeed, the squad’s responsibilities included patrolling and questioning questionable people.
"I do not care who you are! In these tumultuous times, military law is paramount! Anyone who opposes will be executed on the spot!" Ye Liuyun instructed without hesitation.
"Strike!" The patrol soldiers roared in unison and charged forward.
"Do not fight back!" Jiang Lai quickly commanded his guards. He had no intention of opposing such a disciplined patrol squad.
After all, these were his men. Besides, his guards were no match for the squads. Any resistance would only end in vain.
Soon, Jiang Lai and his guards were subdued, their genuine energy sealed, and their hands bound.
"How dare you lay hands on us? You’re asking to die! This is our Grand Commander, Jiang Lai!" one of the guards spat furiously.
Ye Liuyun merely smirked and, without hesitation, imprinted Jiang Lai with the Slaving Seal.
"How dare you!" The same guard shouted again as he saw Ye Liuyun’s Divine soul invade Jiang Lai’s Ocean of Consciousness.
"What a chatterbox!" The soldier impersonated by Ye Liuyun’s clone promptly branded the outspoken guard with a Slaving Seal as well.
Eventually, the other guards were eliminated one by one.
The group was dumbfounded. They never thought Ye Liuyun would outwit them.
Ye Liuyun had their genuine energy seals lifted, stashed his own men into his spatial world, and began assigning tasks to the nine of them.
He and his clone then took on the role of Jiang Lai’s bodyguards, trailing closely behind him.
Just then, another patrol squad approached them to investigate the commotion.
The latter squad recognised Jiang Lai. Seething with frustration, Jiang Lai vented his anger on them, cursing the unlucky bunch until they scrambled away.
Ye Liuyun merely chuckled. "All I wanted was Cui Ziheng. But you happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Made it so much easier for me."
Jiang Lai could only swallow his bitterness, despite his humiliation.
Ye Liuyun led them back near the brothel and waited for Cui Ziheng’s exit.
Dawn was nearly breaking when Cui Ziheng staggered out of the brothel, reeking of alcohol.
However, he wasn’t guarded by only four guards.
The moment he emerged, another four guards followed after him.
Worse yet, all of his guards were formidable martial practitioners.
Not long later, Ye Liuyun noticed several assassins tailing Cui Ziheng.
"Hold your positions!" Ye Liuyun signalled everyone to stay put as he observed from a distance.
If those assassins succeeded, he could simply deal with them after they successfully killed Cui Ziheng. It was far more efficient than taking on Cui Ziheng and his entourage himself.
Regrettably, Cui Ziheng’s guards were too watchful and detected the assassins. Almost instantly, they surrounded the three assassins.
"Move!"
Seizing the chaos of the battle, Ye Liuyun commanded Jiang Lai to lead their team forward.
The three assassins, realising soldiers were approaching, fought desperately to escape.
Meanwhile, Cui Ziheng’s guards recognised Jiang Lai’s reinforcements. It gave them confidence in their efforts to cut off the killers.
By now, Cui Ziheng had sobered up. The fear in him cut through the haze of alcohol.
"You came just in time! Hurry, seize these assassins. I want them alive! I will interrogate them myself," Cui Ziheng commanded Jiang Lai.
"Yes! You four, protect the Young Master. The rest of you, surround the assassins!" Jiang Lai acknowledged the order and began directing his men.
Ye Liuyun, his clone, and two other guards immediately formed a protective circle around Cui Ziheng, while Jiang Lai led the others to subdue the assassins.
Standing behind Cui Ziheng, Ye Liuyun and his clone took advantage of the confusion to secretly implant a Slaving seal on him, then swiftly did the same to two of his guards.
By then, the three assassins had been severely wounded and seized.
Seconds later, the patrol unit soon arrived at the scene.
Amid the chaos, Ye Liuyun and his clone seized the moment to mark Cui Ziheng’s two strongest guards with the Slaving seals as well.
"Now!"
The two guards’ Ocean of Consciousness was bound with a Divine Soul contract. Hence, Ye Liuyun knew that Jin Qianghou would immediately be alerted once he struck.
Without hesitation, he signalled the others to attack, targeting the remaining four of Cui Ziheng’s personal guards.
Caught off guard by their own allies’ betrayal, three were critically injured, while one was killed on the spot.
Ye Liuyun immediately instructed Jiang Lai through telephatic communication. "Rally every soldier under your command and prepare to confront Jin Qianghou!"
