Chapter 588
Sick Tiger
Outside the iron bars, it was night.
The spy stared intently at the Sanji Gate on the ivory plaque, then raised the oil lamp beside him and brought it close to the iron window, examining it repeatedly by the dim light.
After confirming that it was the same ivory plaque from the image, he turned his head, his gaze bypassing the plaque and looking at the traces behind it.
Chen Ji raised his head, his eyes, hidden between the bamboo hat and the black cloth covering his face, were resolute and left no room for doubt.
Long ago, Chen Ji knew that the ivory plaque that Old Yao left him could open the iron gates of every inner prison... because it was the ivory plaque of the top three zodiac signs, the Sick Tiger.
Legend has it that no one knows the true face of the sick tiger, but is it really true that no one knows?
No, Mengji must have known.
Therefore, Mengji deliberately went easy on Chenji during the second interrogation; in that dream, Mengji merely went through the motions.
Mr. Feng must have known this as well.
Therefore, Mr. Feng was always exceptionally tolerant of old traces.
After Chen Ji's prison break in Luocheng, he went to the Secret Service office in Huanjing Hutong to look for Mr. Feng.
Mr. Feng said to him at the time, "If someone hadn't come here and held me back for an hour, do you think you would have had a chance to bring the Crown Prince out of the inner prison?"
Chen Ji knew very well that the only person who could hold off Bai Long for an hour in Luo City was a sick tiger.
In this unfamiliar Ning Dynasty, the only person willing to hold off the white dragon for an hour for him could be Old Man Yao, and no one else.
After the Battle of Guyuan, Mr. Feng had a private talk with him. On the ruins, the middle-aged scholar spoke passionately, "When the rich and powerful are fighting cockfights in brothels, we should turn our backs on them and march north."
At that time, Chen Ji asked, "How do I advance through the twelve zodiac animals?"
Mr. Feng said meaningfully, "You will know when the time comes."
that moment.
Chen Ji immediately understood what the ivory token left to him by Old Man Yao meant. He had never shown the token to anyone before because he knew the price to pay if he did.
At this moment, Chen Ji stared at the spies inside through the small iron window: "Open the door."
The spy hurriedly agreed, and several unlocking sounds were heard as the first iron gate opened with a rumble.
Then the second one was opened as well.
The spy stepped aside, revealing the long, dark tunnel behind him: "Lord Sick Tiger, Lord Prisoner Rat is not here tonight. She led twenty-four spies to the meeting hall for security. Should I send someone to look for her?"
“No need,” Chen Ji said, walking straight into the depths of the inner prison without looking to the side. The secret agent behind him bowed respectfully, not daring to straighten up even after his figure disappeared into the dark passageway.
Chen Ji walked deeper into the stone steps, the Bagua lamps on the stone wall swaying precariously. After several months, the ice flow accumulated in the inner prison surged out and flowed into his dantian.
Every Bagua lamp in this inner prison passage was made by Old Man Yao, in order to lock in all the ice flow and pave the way for the next mountain lord.
Wailing cries echoed from the depths of the inner prison, where countless people were being tortured. Chen Ji ignored them all and headed straight for the Pipa Hall.
The spies encountered along the way, upon seeing the ivory token in Chen Ji's hand, immediately stood on either side, not daring to raise their heads, and respectfully said, "Lord Sick Tiger."
The eunuch faction's inner prison, which was feared by chivalrous heroes, had no obstacles in his way.
Chen Ji had told Han Tong that he would first exchange the other woman for Bai Li, and then rescue her. If Han Tong was willing to cooperate, he could ensure that he and his daughter could leave the capital.
This wasn't deceiving Han Tong; Chen Ji knew from the beginning how to rescue Han Tong.
Just as he said to Han Tong... saving Han Tong is much easier than saving Bai Li.
At this moment, the Pipa Hall was brightly lit by twelve lamps, a red-hot branding iron was burning on the coal stove, and bloodstains that could not be washed away were dried in the cracks of the floor. The smell of blood and decay was overwhelming. Ordinary prisoners brought into the Pipa Hall would be paralyzed with fear before they could even be tortured.
At this moment, several spies were recording the case files, while Han Tong was bound to a rack and unconscious.
Chen Ji entered the Pipa Hall and displayed his ivory token. The spies were filled with trepidation and rose to their feet, clasping their hands in a salute: "Lord Sick Tiger... what are your orders, Lord Sick Tiger?"
Chen Ji calmly said, "Untie Han Tong. I'm taking him away."
A secret agent cautiously asked, "May I ask, Lord Sick Tiger, is the Grand Chancellor aware of this matter?"
Chen Ji's gaze swept over them: "Who are you?"
The spy bowed and replied, "This humble servant is Gao Yi, the gyrfalcon under the command of Xuan She."
Chen Ji glanced at the back of his head: "Do I need you to interfere with my actions? Didn't Xuan She teach you any rules?" Gao Yi mustered his courage and looked up to meet Chen Ji's gaze, but those eyes clearly held the weight of hundreds of lives.
In an instant, Gao Yi's voice trembled: "This humble servant dares not... Quickly, untie Han Tong and hand him over to Lord Sick Tiger."
Several spies hurriedly untied Han Tong from the rack, and Chen Ji, holding Han Tong's belt, swaggered out.
Inside the Pipa Hall, a spy whispered, "Sir, are we just going to let him take Han Tong away like that?"
Gao Yi's voice, no longer trembling, calmed down: "Do you know why our Secret Service only recognizes the waist token, not the person? It's because the three lords, White Dragon, Sick Tiger, and Treasure Monkey, never show their true faces. If the waist token is there, the person is there. As for whether the person holding the waist token is actually one of those three, that's none of our business. If he's not Sick Tiger, even if someone complains to the Grand Chancellor afterward, it's not our fault, because the waist token is indeed identical to the image. But if he really is one of the three Sick Tigers, and you and I stop him from taking the person, he could kill us on the spot, and we would die in vain."
The spy still had doubts: "But Han Tong..."
If Bai Long had taken the man away, these spies wouldn't have dared to utter a single word. However, the previous "Sick Tiger," Feng Wenzheng, had already been executed, and now that a new "Sick Tiger" had suddenly appeared, the spies couldn't help but be wary.
Gao Yi watched Chen Ji's figure disappear at the end of the passageway and lowered his voice: "Lord Xuan She is interrogating Li Muzhe in Division B. Quickly report this to the lord. He has been eyeing the three above for so long. Now that someone has filled the vacancy of the Sick Tiger, he will find out the truth no matter what."
Chen Ji carried Han Tong out of the inner prison.
The moment I stepped out of the inner prison's iron gates, a rush of fresh air greeted me, as if I had emerged from viscous black water and been freed from my shackles.
He calmly passed through the artificial hill and hidden sentry post, his expression showing no sign of anything amiss. And though the pairs of eyes in the darkness harbored doubt and suspicion, no one dared to come out and stop him.
……
……
Outside Taiye Pond, beside the carriage, Chen Huaibei and Zheng Zhou paced back and forth.
Chen Huaibei suddenly stopped: "We can't wait any longer. If that masked man fails and falls into the hands of the eunuch faction, he will betray us, and everything will be over!"
Zheng Zhou echoed, "The old leader is important, but we can't lose the new leader because of the old one. Our Cao Gang still needs the new leader to go back and take charge of the overall situation. We can't let them all perish here."
Facing the carriage, Chen Huaibei said in a deep voice, "Chief, the Inner Prison is the den of the eunuch faction. We just tried to enter, and only those of the Twelve Zodiacs and the Commander of the Jie Fan Guard are allowed to enter. Your friend, unless he has extraordinary abilities, will also be unable to enter. You are inexperienced and have only the experience of an official, but you do not know what the Jianghu is like. Do not trust others too easily, lest you lose your life."
Bai Li sat inside the carriage and calmly said through the curtain, "Wait a little longer."
Chen Huaibei and Zheng Zhou wanted to lash out, but remembering Bai Li's high level of officialdom, they had no choice but to hold back.
Tian Kuang leaned closer to the carriage and tentatively asked, "Since the gang leader trusts this man so much, he should at least tell us his identity so we can be on the safe side... Can he really rescue the old gang leader? He won't betray us, will he? If we all fall into the hands of the eunuch faction, the Canal Gang will be finished."
The white carp did not answer.
Just then, Chen Ji passed through Taiye Pool, his figure slowly emerging from the darkness.
He carried Han Tong straight to the carriage and said to Bai Li inside, "Han Tong is here. Let's leave now and depart through Anding Gate."
After saying that, Chen Ji lifted the carriage curtain and threw Han Tong into the carriage.
Bai Li quietly watched Chen Ji, her eyes filled with mixed emotions. She wanted to speak several times, but didn't know where to begin.
Tian Kuang jumped onto the carriage first and wiped the blood off Han Tong's face: "He really is the old gang leader!"
He ran two fingers over Han Tong's body, and after a moment he said with certainty, "His Ren and Du meridians are both intact, and his Xingguan realm is still intact!"
Chen Huaibei and Zheng Zhou looked at each other in disbelief. When the masked man said he was going to rescue people, they were still skeptical. The inner prison was the den of the eunuch faction, and Han Tong had committed serious crimes. How could he possibly rescue him alone?
Moreover, Bai Li, the leader of the Canal Gang, is still young. Even if he has met powerful figures in the martial arts world at the Prince Jing's Mansion, how could he possibly recruit a master who dares to break into the inner prison alone?
But now that Han Tong is right in front of them, they have no choice but to believe him.
The other party not only rescued Han Tong, but also escaped unscathed.
Lu Qi clasped his hands in a fist and said to Chen Ji, "Does this hero have a name? Our Cao Gang is not an ungrateful person, and we will certainly repay him handsomely."
Chen Ji ignored him and instead looked into the dimly lit carriage: "Let's go quickly."
However, at that moment, hurried footsteps sounded in Taiye Pool. Chen Huaibei and the others were on high alert and immediately took out their crossbows and aimed them at the source of the sound.
Chen Huaibei saw Xuan She, draped in a black cloak, striding after him. He glanced at Chen Ji and exclaimed in panic, "You really did bring the eunuch faction here!"
Chen Ji calmly looked at the Black Serpent: "Don't panic."
The next moment, the black serpent said loudly, "Lord Sick Tiger, please wait."
Chen Huaibei's pupils suddenly contracted. He looked at the black snake, then at Chen Ji, who was wearing a mask beside him.
A sick tiger?
How could this person be a sick tiger? (End of Chapter)