Chapter 1715: Chapter 1715: Infiltrating Linxian
He Linghan was very supportive of Ye Shikai’s plan. This time, she did not oppose it, which surprised Ye Shikai a bit. After all, they had barely settled down here, and now they were going back to Mi Wen’s old base, which would surely be perilous.
"Manager Chen is a good person, he was implicated by us and put in prison, where he will suffer a lot." He Linghan continued, "Besides, you said yourself, he knows this place. If he really tells Mi Wen, then we’re all doomed."
"Indeed, this is quite troublesome," Ye Shikai nodded and said. Manager Chen was his friend, someone Ye Shikai trusted, and naturally wouldn’t betray for glory. But Manager Chen was not a Hidden Guard, and it was hard to withstand harsh interrogations; he was just an ordinary person, and everyone has a psychological breaking point. Since Mi Wen captured him, he was certain of the link between him and Ye Shikai, so Mi Wen would certainly use every means to get information from Manager Chen’s mouth.
If Manager Chen really reveals this place, then their hard-earned peaceful days would be obliterated...
The next day.
Ye Shikai and Shangguan Jian set out with twenty Hidden Guards. Before departing, they naturally needed to disguise themselves. They pulled out three carriages from the stronghold, and everyone pretended to be merchants selling miscellaneous goods. Shangguan Jian led the way, Ye Shikai disguised as a driver, while the Dark Guards posed as helpers.
"General, are you sure you don’t need me to accompany you?" Man Cang was a bit uneasy, he wanted to go along, but Ye Shikai rejected him. They could be considered "wanted criminals" now, and Linxian City was Mi Wen’s old base, heavily guarded, so fewer people were better. Also, with He Linghan here, Ye Shikai needed a confidant left in the area to feel secure, and Man Cang was undoubtedly the best choice.
"Alright, the number of people for this operation can’t be too many. You lead the team here, this is also an order. This stronghold is built with my effort over months, you must keep it secure."
"Of course, General, don’t worry, I’ll stay here with the remaining brothers, and we’ll guard it well."
Time was pressing, and they dared not delay. They set out at dawn and reached Linxian City by noon.
"Stop, who are you people?" At the North Gate, they were stopped by the guards.
"What’s this, Shou Hou, couldn’t recognize me after a few days?" Shangguan Jian walked up to the lead officer, whispered, and slightly lifted the bamboo hat on his head, revealing half of his face.
"General Shangguan, how come it’s you?" The officer, called "Shou Hou," was shocked upon seeing him, and only whispered after confirming no one noticed.
"Now, the city is posting proclamations, searching for you and General Ye, with a reward of five thousand taels for a live capture. Squads are searching outside every day, neglecting training. I thought you had left Chu Territory, why come back now?"
"It’s complicated; we have important matters in town, please make things convenient for us."
"Certainly, as long as General Shangguan says the word, I, Shou Hou, will go through fire and water without hesitation."
"Alright, we’re here to deal with something and will leave soon."
With the insider’s help, they easily entered the city. They couldn’t go directly to the pastry shop; they needed a "transit point." There were some Hidden Guards in the city responsible for reconnaissance, and their residences were the best places.
An abandoned warehouse across from the government office.
"Sir, the situation is as follows. Manager Chen is now already imprisoned."
"Are there any military movements in and out of the city?" Ye Shikai asked.
"Reporting to the sir, there hasn’t been any troop mobilization."
"It seems that Mi Wen doesn’t know the specific location of the stronghold, which means Manager Chen hasn’t confessed," Ye Shikai sighed in relief. If Manager Chen confessed, according to Mi Wen’s character, he would surely lead tens of thousands of troops to storm their stronghold himself.
"Yes."
"We need to act quickly," Ye Shikai murmured.
"Old Ye, the defenses are weakest at midnight. We rest during the day and act swiftly at night; we’ll surely rescue the person successfully," Shangguan Jian said.
"Alright, then we’ll act at night," Ye Shikai nodded in agreement and turned to the Hidden Guards behind him, "Do you have a map of the prison?"
"This...it’s beyond us; prisons are divided into ordinary and special. Ordinary prisons are for general inmates, while special prisons are underground with strict guards requiring identification for entry. We can’t get in."
"Manager Chen must be held there," Ye Shikai anticipated it. The place where Manager Chen was detained must be heavily guarded, making infiltration difficult. That’s why meticulous planning was necessary, but now it seems the unknown is the greatest challenge.
"Blade Soul, you have Divine Sense; can you help probe a bit?"
"Alright, I’ll help you take a look." Blade Soul didn’t refuse, which eased Ye Shikai a little. With its help, things should be manageable.
"Wait, there’s an anomaly under the prison." Soon after, Blade Soul suddenly stated, "After Divine Sense entered there, it was twisted and devoured, completely dark; I can’t see inside."
"How can that be?"
"It’s surely a sealing enchantment. The prison’s underground is under a seal that blocks all Divine Sense detection, like a signal jammer, preventing signals from entering, so nothing below can be sensed."
"Mi Wen is from Chu State’s royal family, adept in cultivation, and the seal technique surely passed down from the royal lineage," Ye Shikai analyzed. He had seen this sealing technique before, apparently... Chen Yuxin’s family had something similar.
"It looks like she’s anticipated my arrival; if anyone in town plans to rescue Manager Chen, besides me, there would be no one else."
"Brat, now that you know, do you still plan to rescue?" Blade Soul asked, "Doesn’t Huaxia have an old saying, ’Know the tiger is there and yet head towards the tiger mountain’?"
"Mi Wen knows I’ll come for the rescue, so she’s surely set up an inescapable trap. But even so, I must carve a path through," Ye Shikai said coldly, "This person, I must save."
"At present, the only threat Manager Chen poses is that he knows the stronghold’s location. Apart from that, you are merely friends."
"You mean..."
"Find him, and then kill him to silence, letting that secret die with him. You and the Hidden Guards are cultivators; escaping from Linxian City is easy. But taking an ordinary person would greatly increase the risks."
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