Chapter 503: Chapter 436: Captain Yang Doing Good Deeds
"Captain Qu, don’t get angry; I think this is a trap," Wu Zhengwu said seriously. "Think about it, ever since we arrived here, have we found any trace of the Evil Cultivator besides that woman?"
"And think about that woman, her condition is dreadful and she can’t even harness her Resentful Eye abilities—do you really think a person in such a state could orchestrate an attack?"
But Qu Muzhi did not give Wu Zhengwu any face and stared at him coldly. "Is this the reason you’ve deliberately let them go time and again?"
"No, this is for your consideration, for the consideration of the several dozen brothers nearby," Wu Zhengwu, under Qu Muzhi’s murderous gaze, appeared completely calm and said openly, "Captain Qu, you are the strongest among us, but honestly, did you really have the assurance of a complete victory against that guy just now?"
"And even if you did manage to kill him with one move, you would still be greatly weakened. What if there actually were an ambush nearby? What if people from the Resentment Sect attacked us? What would we do then?"
"Without your intimidating presence, if there were any Venerable Level masters among them, that would pose a great problem for us." Wu Zhengwu reasoned with logic and persuaded with emotion.
Qu Muzhi scoffed coldly. "Does Captain Wu really think so?"
"Of course. If Captain Qu disagrees with my assessment today, you can report this matter to the City Office, or even escalate it directly to the Provincial Office. I, Wu Zhengwu, am willing to cooperate with an investigation. I have no objections to being suspended temporarily." Wu Zhengwu took out his badge from his breast pocket and offered it to Qu Muzhi with a stern face.
This move to retreat as a way to advance clearly caught Qu Muzhi off guard. Even though he ranked higher than Wu Zhengwu, the two of them belonged to different offices; he did not have the power to suspend or replace Wu Zhengwu. To confiscate the other’s badge today would be a slap in the face to the chief of the Anping Public Office where Wu belonged. It would also be difficult to explain to Huang Guozhao upon his return.
Most importantly, he had no evidence of Wu Zhengwu colluding with enemies, and the latter’s concerns weren’t entirely unreasonable.
The next second, with a few people bursting in, the awkward situation was finally resolved. The leader was a woman in black, wearing a sword, with a neat ponytail at the back of her head; she walked straight to Qu Muzhi to report, "Captain, our people have followed them, and the brothers nearby are also closing in on us."
"His Magic Artifact has been sealed by me and he can’t escape in a short time. Tell the brothers not to make any noise when they find him. I’ll deal with him," Qu Muzhi emphasized.
Upon hearing this, Wu Zhengwu naturally took back his badge and put it in his pocket, then turned to look at the people behind the woman in black—these people did not recognize Qu Muzhi; they were his subordinates.
Seeing his men just standing there staring, Wu Zhengwu said sternly, "What are you still standing around for? Didn’t you hear Captain Qu’s orders? Search along the route this person has taken. As soon as you find him, report immediately to Captain Qu!"
"Also, keep an eye on the surroundings; there may still be remnants of the Resentment Sect lurking around. Report immediately if there is any situation." Wu Zhengwu reminded as if putting on a show.
But before he had finished speaking, Qu Muzhi had already turned and left with his men, leaving an slightly embarrassed Wu Zhengwu standing there alone.
...
Time passed unknowably long, and Yang Xiao awoke amid jolting movements. Barely lifting his eyelids, he saw a pale profile, black broken hair stuck to the cheeks, still dripping water; he was lying on the back of this person.
"Where is this?" Yang Xiao inquired.
Seeing Yang Xiao awake, Tong Han who had been carrying him and dodging into hideouts found a secluded place to put him down, "It’s an old warehouse, abandoned."
At the same time, Yang Xiao smelled a hint of machine oil mixed with damp, moldy odors.
Looking around, the warehouse was spacious, surrounded by stacks of things covered with tarpaulin, so he wasn’t clear what was hidden underneath. Moreover, the rooftop was leaking sporadically, indicating it had been abandoned for quite some time.
"How long have I been asleep?" Yang Xiao asked while moving his body a little; he felt somewhat better than before but his head throbbed intermittently.
"It’s been a while, I’ve taken you to several places to hide during this time. The area is closely sieged; every exit is guarded by your men," Tong Han explained the current situation as quickly as possible. "I’m currently unable to use my Resentful Eye, otherwise, I could have led you through the encirclement before it was fully formed."
Seeing Tong Han’s complex look in her eyes, Yang Xiao understood she was feeling guilty. The situation was already very bad; they were surrounded, and he couldn’t quickly recover enough spiritual power to break out. He trembled and took out the Soul-Capturing Mirror, noticing the seal was still intact. However, the green talisman on it had already dimmed significantly, and without attending to it, it wouldn’t last much longer.
Unfortunately, he was out of time. He could already hear hurried footsteps approaching outside, splashing through water, and not in small numbers.
Soon, these people dispersed outside the warehouse door, some entered the warehouse, others went nearby to search. But what puzzled Yang Xiao was, judging from the footsteps, only one person had entered.
This warehouse was clearly a suspicious hiding place, yet this person dared to enter alone; either he was insane, or he was extremely confident in his own strength.
Yang Xiao let out a long sigh; he now knew who this person was. It could only be the first squad’s Captain Qu Mu.
It was such a pity that he hadn’t managed to avoid this calamity; he regretted the state of the Ghost Duster in his possession. He had sensed something when he was frantically channeling his spiritual power into it; with his current strength, he could at most unleash about 20 or 30 percent of this device’s real power. If the previous owner of this item were here, a single sweep of the dust would have directly caused Qu Mu’s demise.
"Da da da..."
The footsteps were getting closer, carrying an exploratory intention. Yang Xiao sharply perceived something was amiss—this did not seem like the Qu Mu he remembered.
At this moment, Tong Han was already gripping a piece of iron he had picked up from the ground, hiding behind a metal rack, ready to launch a sneak attack.
But in the next second, the other party seemed to sense something too and suddenly stopped walking, softly calling out around him,
"Yang... Captain Yang, is that you?"
At these words, Yang Xiao was taken aback; yet this voice sounded familiar, and after a moment, he recognized it as... Wu Zhe!
As the other party drew nearer, Yang Xiao could not care whether it was a trap; he stepped out first and took off his mask. Wu Zhe, upon spotting someone emerging from a dark place, instinctively raised his left hand, which was clad in a white glove.
That was his Resentful Eye, which Yang Xiao had seen before. However, upon realizing it truly was Yang Xiao, Wu Zhe’s tense expression relaxed, and he quickly stepped forward, "Captain Yang, it really is you!"
Yang Xiao’s expression was complex as he bowed and pleaded, "Captain Wu, I am here to rescue a friend who has already left the Yu Yuan Sect. I hope you would be so kind as to spare us a way out."
"What are you saying? If it weren’t for you covering our retreat during the last fight with Granny Hong, how could we have survived? You even helped me handle Human Dog Ghost!" Wu Zhe waved his hand, motioning for Yang Xiao and his companion to follow him. "We shouldn’t stay here long; let’s move."
After reaching the warehouse’s main gate, Yang Xiao couldn’t hold back his curiosity anymore and asked, "Captain Wu, how did you know it was me?"
"It was Wu Zhengwu who told me. He said the guy coming to rescue someone could appear in an instant and was very strong, capable of fighting back and forth with Qu Mu. He figured it had to be you. It was also him who finally stopped Qu Mu, otherwise I wouldn’t have had a chance to come and rescue you." Wu Zhe sighed, "This incident has caused quite a stir; several offices have sent people here, and at least seven or eight team leaders arrived. Wu Zhengwu told me this was the most likely place you’d be hiding. So, I volunteered to take charge of searching this area. Don’t worry, the people around here are all mine,"
"Right, you should quickly get in touch with Beibei after you leave; the Lin’an Patrol Office also received orders to send someone. If they can’t find you for a long time, they might start suspecting you. That Qu Mu is not a fool," Wu Zhe earnestly advised.
Just as Wu Zhe was about to lead the two away, his phone suddenly vibrated. He took it out and his face instantly changed.
"What’s wrong?" Yang Xiao asked.
"Damn, Wu Zhengwu says that Qu Mu himself is leading people here and is rushing our way. Wu Zhengwu is trying to buy time."
After a brief hesitation, Wu Zhe made a decision, "Yang, the two of you together make too big a target. If you trust me, hand this girl over to me, and split up. I’ll arrange someone to get her out of the city."
"Alright," Yang Xiao replied trustingly.
Soon, following Wu Zhe’s arrangement, the two changed into the black uniforms of the Patrol Defense Office and left separately. According to the route Wu Zhe gave him, Yang Xiao didn’t encounter any guards; this route was Wu Zhe’s patrol area, and he had already pulled his men back.
About 20 minutes later, having recovered somewhat, Yang Xiao took out the Soul-Capturing Mirror. With a little effort, he erased the last of the seals on the mirror. Slowly, Yang Xiao also figured it out; the seal was strong but not insurmountable. If one’s spiritual power far surpassed that of the seal’s user, one could even erase the seal directly.
Although Qu Mu’s spiritual power was stronger than his own, it was the unfamiliarity with the magic artifact that caught him off guard.
An ancient blunt spear capable of long-range attacks, along with this jade seal capable of sealing magic artifacts, were both rare treasures; no wonder Qu Mu’s reputation was so prominent.
Fortunately, Yang Xiao’s life was spared with the help of Wu Zhengwu and Wu Zhe. He hadn’t anticipated that Wu Zhengwu, who seemed rather carefree, actually paid great attention to detail; it really was divine providence.
But ultimately, he still had to thank himself; after all, Yang Xiao was a bona fide good person, widely known for his virtues and willingness to help others. Today, his virtues bore fruit.
As the seal on the Soul-Capturing Mirror was removed and his spiritual power somewhat restored, Yang Xiao felt like a fish back in the sea, a bird soaring in the sky, completely unstoppable.
