Chapter 132: Lord Zhao, You Deserve the Greatest Credit Tonight!

"Bah!"

"You base cur, you claim to be wronged? What about the brothers of the Capital Garrison who died? Is your lowly life worth more than the lives of my fine men from the Capital Garrison?!"

Zhang Zhiji’s eyes were bloodshot, and he roared like a wolf. It had to be said that the man had truly grown quite a bit over this period. At his words, the eyes of many soldiers from the Capital Garrison standing nearby began to redden.

Seeing the reaction of the soldiers, Zhang Zhiji dove deeper into his role. He reached out, grabbed Zhao Bingchun by the collar, and bellowed, "Bring me a blade!"

"Today, I am going to skin this dog alive!"

"Yes, sir."

A personal guard immediately handed Zhang Zhiji a sharp dagger.

"Pah! Pfft!"

Zhang Zhiji jabbed the dagger into the gap of Zhao Bingchun's official robes, spat into his own palms, and prepared to strike.

"I’m wronged! I’m wronged..."

Zhao Bingchun was so terrified he had wet his pants; a murky liquid began to drip onto the ground. He turned to Li Yuanjing, wailing desperately for help, "Yuanjing! Yuanjing, save me! Save me! No matter what, I am an official of the imperial court. If the young master does this, he will be committing a grave taboo!"

"You dog, you still dare to talk back?!"

Zhang Zhiji, now truly caught up in the fervor, saw that Zhao Bingchun was still blabbering and shoved his hand into Zhao Bingchun’s mouth to silence him.

Zhao Bingchun’s pupils dilated. Zhang Zhiji’s gesture shattered his final psychological defense. Unable to care about anything else, he screamed at Li Yuanjing, "Yuanjing! Yuanjing! If not for the monk, then for the Buddha—I am a man of that gentleman! Surely you must give that gentleman some face? As long as you let me go, I will obey you in everything! I will listen to everything you say, wah, wah..."

Seeing that the timing was right, Li Yuanjing gave Zhang Zhiji a wink and said, "Young Master, I understand your anger, but this man is, after all, an official of the court. It wouldn't matter if you killed him, but my students and the brothers under my command..."

"This..."

At Li Yuanjing's words, the surrounding soldiers stirred with slight agitation. They quickly sobered up and looked at Li Yuanjing with great gratitude. After all, Zhang Zhiji was of noble birth and had already achieved great merit by securing the heads of several remnants of the Fragrant Incense Sect, including the valuable head of "The Wall" Zhang Kewang.

But if Zhang Zhiji were to kill Zhao Bingchun... that would certainly go against the rules. Whether it was the Longtai Emperor or the high officials of the court, to appease the anger of the scholars across the realm, they would inevitably make an example of those present today.

"Sir, what do you suggest?"

Seeing that Li Yuanjing had instantly stirred the emotions of the troops, Zhang Zhiji felt a surge of admiration, though he didn't let it show on his face. He asked hurriedly.

Li Yuanjing said in a low voice, "Young Master, how about I speak with Magistrate Zhao first? If there is room for negotiation, we should try to resolve it that way..."

...

"It is a disgrace to the scholars, truly a disgrace."

"Yuanjing, you must stand up for your old brother. I have lived for nearly sixty years, and never have I suffered such a humiliation..."

Inside the side hall of the Liu residence, Zhao Bingchun wept and pleaded with Li Yuanjing. Li Yuanjing, fully aware of Zhao Bingchun’s petty schemes, sighed feigning helplessness: "Magistrate, I understand your plight, but why can you not see the situation for what it is?"

"The soldiers of the Capital Garrison have suffered heavy casualties. If the young master does not receive a satisfactory account, do you think he will let you go?"

...

"Alas."

Li Yuanjing sighed deeply again. "Magistrate, I have tried my best. Even if that gentleman asks, I will report the truth. I believe that with his magnanimity, he will surely understand my position."

"This..."

Zhao Bingchun’s face turned pale, and he could not stop trembling. If things went according to Li Yuanjing’s words—especially given the man’s renowned talent—he might actually be able to get away with it. But he himself... he would die miserably in this godforsaken dump of Fengcheng.

He hurriedly pleaded, "Yuanjing, you have a sharp mind. Help your old brother find a way! What must I do now to quell the young master's rage?"

Seeing that Zhao Bingchun had finally taken the bait, Li Yuanjing felt a surge of excitement, though he sighed again on the surface. "Magistrate, you have been shrewd your whole life; how can you be so muddled at a time like this?"

"Over two hundred soldiers of the Capital Garrison—how valuable are their lives? If you don't make the Fragrant Incense Sect bleed and leave behind a few high-ranking figures, how can the young master answer to his superiors?"

"Alas, Magistrate, take care of yourself. I have truly done all I can."

With that, Li Yuanjing turned to leave.

"Yuanjing! Yuanjing, wait! Wait!"

Seeing Li Yuanjing walk quickly to the door, Zhao Bingchun finally realized what was happening and shouted urgently, "Yuanjing! Yuanjing! Please, quickly tell the young master—I have, I have some intelligence regarding the Fragrant Incense Sect!"

...

"Fairy Maiden, why is there still no news? Nothing could have gone wrong, could it? This..."

The sky had begun to darken. In the center of Fengcheng, inside an underground facility beneath an inconspicuous house not far from the Liu residence, Dharma Protector Li, who had been full of vigor just hours ago as if the entire world were within his grasp, was now like an ant on a hot pan. He paced back and forth, unable to stop, not knowing where to put his hands or feet.

"You Li, why are you pacing like a headless chicken? If it weren't for your stubbornness, would our Holy Sect have fallen to this state?"

Dharma Protector Xu, having found his chance, would not let it slip. He sneered from nearby.

"You Xu, if I hadn't done it for the Holy Sect, would I be here? You dare to kick me while I'm down? Do you really think I wouldn't dare to move against you?!"

As he spoke, Dharma Protector Li strode toward Dharma Protector Xu, ready to come to blows.

"Enough!"

At this moment, the Fairy Maiden, equally agitated, shouted coldly, staring at them both. "At a time like this, you are still infighting? Do you truly not want the Holy Sect to have a future? Stay put! I have already sent out a dozen more scouts. Now that it is dark, I expect good news will arrive soon."

"Ah—"

However, just as the Fairy Maiden finished speaking, a shrill scream came from the entrance of the facility. Immediately after, a voice sounding like a broken duck’s call shrieked, "It’s bad! Enemy attack! Enemy attack! The imperial troops are here..."

"What?"

The Fairy Maiden, Dharma Protector Li, and Dharma Protector Xu were all shocked, and the group fell into chaos. Fortunately, the Fragrant Incense Sect had deep roots; they soon steadied themselves, calling for men to resist at the entrance while quickly fleeing toward another exit on the far side.

...

After all, the death of their low-level disciples was painful, but as long as they, the core leadership, survived, were there not plenty more disciples to be had? But if something happened to them, it would be the end of the Holy Sect.

"Kill!"

"Whoever takes the head of a Fragrant Incense rebel gets a reward of thirty taels of silver!"

"Hahaha, kill these rats..."

Soon, the entrance to the facility could no longer withstand the force of the imperial troops. A large number of soldiers rushed in, and dozens of brainwashed disciples were instantly surrounded.

But by then, the stone slab behind the other exit had already fallen. The Fairy Maiden, Dharma Protector Li, Dharma Protector Xu, and over a dozen other key members had escaped through the tunnel without a trace.

...

"Hurry!"

"We've reached the exit! Let's break out and switch to the secret path to get out of the city!"

After rushing for about half a mile, the Fairy Maiden finally reached the exit and let out a sigh of relief, as if granted amnesty. She hurriedly ordered the passage opened.

Soon, the dozen or so people crawled out of the secret path into an inconspicuous, ordinary courtyard. However, just as they were about to rush out of the gate and into the alley to escape:

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

Dozens of torches suddenly flared to life on the surrounding rooftops. In an instant, dozens of matchlock muskets and bows were aimed directly at them in the courtyard.

"This..."

Even though these remnants of the Fragrant Incense Sect were used to big scenes, they were all stunned into silence, standing rooted to the spot in complete confusion.

"Hehe."

"Magistrate Zhao, your intelligence is indeed accurate. Tonight, Magistrate, you shall be credited with the greatest achievement!"

The Fairy Maiden’s beautiful eyes froze. She saw a young man in a clean sheepskin jacket and a scholar’s robe standing calmly, bowing to a familiar figure in official robes standing beside him.

"Yuanjing, this... this..."

Zhao Bingchun was no fool; he understood exactly what had happened. But the situation had reached this point—he was firmly tied to Li Yuanjing, both in the same boat. What more could he say?

"Zhao Bingchun?!"

"It’s you!!! It’s actually you!!! All these years, how much have you benefited from our Holy Sect, and now you dare to betray us?!!!"

As the conversation between Li Yuanjing and Zhao Bingchun ended, the Fairy Maiden’s gaze shifted from Li Yuanjing to the man beside him. She stared at Zhao Bingchun with such hatred that she seemed ready to devour his very flesh and blood!