Chapter 1614: Chapter 946: The Plan
After some pleasantries, Chief Wu finally got to the point; he and Captain Yang Lao were here to defuse the crisis surrounding Yang Xiao.
The Provincial Office has received certain information that a group of assassins has been hired for a large sum of money, numbering in the dozens, and they are now ambushed in several strongholds near Rongcheng. A few of them have already disguised themselves and mixed into the city.
The most crucial point is that the mastermind behind this is likely related to Yiling Academy.
"Yiling Academy..." Yang Xiao acted surprised, "Is it them?!"
"Yes, you’ve thwarted their plans multiple times; they want revenge on you. But since you’re an officer in our Patrol Defense Office, they don’t dare to attack you openly. They can only issue a bounty anonymously and gather a bunch of desperadoes who prefer money over their lives from the martial world," Chief Wu explained.
"Little Yang, your head is currently incredibly valuable," Captain Yang Lao extended a finger with a sigh, "Almost... the value of a Nether-level Magical Artifact."
"Ha, the old guys from Yiling Academy do regard me highly." As the target of the bounty, Yang Xiao indeed felt enormous pressure.
"Yiling Academy is too brazen, daring to openly place a bounty on our officers—what are they aiming for, rebellion?!" Nalan Shuo exclaimed angrily.
"Calm down, Nalan," Captain Yang Lao explained, "This is also precisely why Chief Wu and I are here. The Provincial Office has a plan, and they ordered us to ensure Yang Xiao’s safety and capture this lawless group of desperadoes in one fell swoop."
"Of course, this will also require your cooperation, Nalan, and the assistance of Director Huang Guozhao," Captain Yang Lao added.
"Rest assured, I will do my utmost," Nalan Shuo expressed his determination.
"Chief Wu, Captain Yang Lao, what is our plan?" Yang Xiao inquired anxiously.
"Ha, don’t be impatient. Capturing them isn’t difficult, but uncovering the mastermind is; to achieve that, we need you to put on a great show with us," Captain Yang Lao had a mysterious expression.
The two days passed in the blink of an eye. Just on the third night’s deep midnight, all seven Patrol Defense Offices in Rongcheng coordinated a secret move, led by each office’s director and investigation captains, in collaboration with monitoring brothers outside the city, launching operations on the five marked strongholds.
Nalan Shuo, Huang Guozhao, and others were on the front lines commanding, along with Master Lin’s Dark Army, creating an impressive momentum.
Meanwhile, within Lin’an Office, Yang Xiao was locked in a close match of chess with Qu Muzhi.
The two were truly evenly matched, neither yielding. After a bloody fight, both sides’ main forces were completely annihilated. Yang Xiao was barely holding on with just an advisor and an elephant, while Qu Muzhi had a slight advantage, still possessing a pawn that had crossed the river.
"Surrender, you’ve lost," Qu Muzhi said as he advanced his pawn forcefully.
Yang Xiao gritted his teeth in anger, having just lost his horse due to negligence. Originally, he had the upper hand, "Stop bluffing; I don’t believe a single pawn can overturn the game!"
"It’s not an overturn; I’ve had the advantage throughout. Director Yang, you’ve lost." Qu Muzhi said seriously, placing the pawn on the board with a firm "clack," declaring, "Advance the pawn!"
"Director Qu, are you dreaming? I suppressed you the whole way, wasn’t I?" Yang Xiao stubbornly retorted. He believed his chess skills were beyond someone like Qu Muzhi, a natural talent.
Yang Xiao knew Qu Muzhi refused a draw to force him to concede. They’d rarely had clear victories in their long matchup; the last victory was only due to Nalan Shuo casually advising Yang Xiao a move, nearly causing Qu Muzhi to flip the board in rage.
Just as Yang Xiao was grappling with the threatening pawn, he suddenly looked up and exhaled slowly, "Director Qu, it seems this match has to be sealed; our awaited guests have arrived."
Qu Muzhi stood up, tightly grasping the broken spear by his side, "Talk about bad timing; I wanted to deal with you first, then them."
After activating the Soul-Capturing Mirror’s ability, the two instantly appeared in the open area outside, with five others surrounding them upon Yang Xiao’s emergence.
"How come they seem to know we were coming?" a young, scholarly-looking man, holding a Judge’s Pen, frowned, "Huan Yin, are you sure your intel is correct?"
"No problem, the intel from outside has come in—Rongcheng Patrol Division has gathered all their forces to attack those strongholds, fire has already been exchanged, with Nalan Shuo, Huang Guozhao, and others involved. Now, inside the city, they’re the only two who can fight," a woman dressed in a purple gauze dress, holding an ancient zither, replied, "Recently, my people have been watching here closely; I can confirm no special individuals have come in or out within a week; they have no reinforcements."
"Are you two done yet? If you’re going to do it, do it; why so much chatter? We came all this way, would it be pointless to leave without heads?" a short, stout masked man shouted, holding a gilded hammer the size of a watermelon.
"Heh heh heh..." A laugh emerged from a man in a torn leather cap, wielding a steel fork, dressed like a hunter, "Good, good, this trip was indeed worthwhile, leave Yang Xiao to you, I’ll take Qu Muzhi—I would be remiss not to take the Demon Rakshasa... Heh heh heh, his head fetches a nice price on the black market!"
"Less talk, quickly deal with them, those goods outside won’t hold for long," the last person, holding a horsetail whisk, in a Daoist master’s attire, declared in a deep voice, seemingly the leader of the five-person team.
