Chapter 169: Showdown

"Kill them all." Under the night sky, Mr. Feng said this casually, deciding everyone's life and death.

In the dim Feiyun Garden, Chen Ji's gaze swept silently across the faces of Zhang Zhuo, Elder Yao, Zhang Xia, She Dengke, and others. His remaining vision was fixed on Mr. Feng.

Chen Ji gripped the knife handle tightly. Sweat soaked the black cloth wrapped around it. His nervous breathing echoed inside his helmet.

How to break this situation?

No matter how Chen Ji thought about it, he felt there was no way out.

The next moment, Chen Wenzong suddenly pulled Chen Liqin. "Father, we cannot go!"

Mr. Feng stopped at the door and turned back. "Oh?"

Chen Wenzong looked towards Mr. Feng. "Release these people, and my father can write the rebel proclamation for you!"

Mr. Feng burst into laughter. "Do you think you are qualified to negotiate with me? Come, chop off his brother's arm!"

Chen Liqin shielded Chen Wenxiao. "I'll go with you. All you want is a proclamation. Why must you unnecessarily create killing karma? Release Master Zhang and Imperial Physician Yao. I will write the rebel proclamation for you right now!"

Mr. Feng shook his head helplessly. "Master Chen, you still don't understand. Once you embark on this path, there's no turning back. Those unwilling to be on the same boat as you are enemies. It's just a pity about Master Zhang's talent and ambition."

He shouted towards the door. "Come, take Master Chen and his family to Jing'an Hall."

As the armored soldiers who rushed in from outside the north gate framed Chen Liqin and his son, Chen Liqin struggled and said angrily, "If you kill them, I will not write this rebel proclamation."

Mr. Feng chuckled. "Compromise is a matter where the first time leads to a second time."

Saying this, he turned to Chen Ji and said, "After you two execute them, come to the front of Jing'an Hall to find me. There are other tasks waiting for you."

Chen Ji's heart stirred. There was an opportunity!

He always felt there was something fishy about this matter, but he couldn't concern himself with that now.

After Mr. Feng and Chen Liqin left, another armored soldier in the courtyard drew the saber from his waist and slowly approached Elder Yao and Zhang Zhuo.

Zhang Zhuo pulled Zhang Xia and Zhang Zheng behind him and retreated step by step. "This little brother, I am the prefect of Luocheng, Zhang Zhuo. Killing me is a crime that will exterminate your family."

The armored soldier said in a muffled voice, "Sorry, Master Zhang. We are just following orders."

Zhang Zhuo said nervously, "How about this? You only kill me, and let my children leave. I'll have them fetch a hundred taels of gold for you. That will ensure three generations of your descendants are prosperous and wealthy."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly saw the black-armored warrior who had punched his son earlier actually flash behind another black-armored warrior and use his arm to tightly strangle the other's throat.

The strangled black-armored warrior struggled hard, but it was no use, and he couldn't even cry out.

Zhang Zhuo was startled. "This is..."

At this moment, he felt his hand become empty. He turned his head to look and saw Zhang Xia breaking free from his grasp and rushing out.

Zhang Xia went to the black-armored warrior with the broken neck and silently and skillfully removed his arm armor, chest armor, front armor, body armor, and leg armor, not wanting to waste a moment.

Zhang Zhuo and Zhang Zheng looked at each other, their minds somewhat unable to process what was happening for a while, not knowing what Zhang Xia was doing.

Zhang Xia didn't care what others thought, but she looked up at Chen Ji and asked concisely, "Who will wear this armor? I can't wear it; the height is wrong, and my voice will be easily recognized!"

Zhang Zheng said blankly, "A Xia, what are you doing? Who is this?"

Zhang Xia looked up at Chen Ji.

Seeing that Chen Ji didn't intend to reveal his identity, she didn't answer Zhang Zheng but turned back to urge him, "Brother, you wear this armor. Follow him next and absolutely do not act on your own."

Zhang Zheng still hadn't reacted. "Follow who?"

Chen Ji said in a muffled voice, "She Dengke, you wear this armor."

She Dengke was stunned. "How do you know my name? Who exactly are you?"

Zhang Zhuo rushed forward several steps and immediately began to put on the armor. "I'll wear it. Zhang Zheng is impulsive, and She Dengke's reaction is insufficient. I'm afraid they'll mess things up!"

Zhang Xia hesitated for a moment. "Okay!"

As she helped her father put on the armor, she instructed in a low voice, "Dad, if you have a chance to escape, don't come back."

Zhang Zhuo laughed. "Silly daughter, what are you saying? Is your dad that kind of person? Don't worry, once I have a chance to get out, I will go to Tuoluosi Temple to get help. With Xu Shu's face, the world's Buddhists will not stand by idly. Protecting the lives of a few of us is enough."

Zhang Xia hummed. "You must listen to the arrangements of the person beside you. Don't act on your own."

Zhang Zhuo glanced at the armor-wearing Chen Ji. "Okay!"

Chen Ji instructed Zhang Xia, "Don't run around for now. Outside are all armored soldiers. It's safer for you to stay in Feiyun Garden, which has already been searched."

Zhang Xia nodded in response.

Seeing that Zhang Zhuo was dressed neatly, Chen Ji immediately walked outside. "Master Zhang, don't speak next. I will handle everything. If there is an appropriate opportunity, I will send you out."

In the rear residence of Jingwangfu.

Chen Ji and Zhang Zhuo held long spears and wore sabers at their waists, walking side by side along the stone path in the garden towards Jing'an Hall. Their armor clanked in the quiet late night.

They met a team of armored soldiers driving crying maidservants and strong servants towards the rear garden.

Chen Ji silently pulled Zhang Zhuo to the side to avoid them. After this team of armored soldiers left, they continued to hurry.

Zhang Zhuo, wearing the face armor, asked in a low voice, "What's the situation outside now?"

Chen Ji explained, "The Liu family has already sealed the city gates. They should be in the process of persuading Jingwang to join their rebellion."

Zhang Zhuo muttered to himself, "They want to coerce Jingwang to kill his way into the capital. At that time, as long as they kill the one in Renshou Palace, and then with the current Empress Dowager's cooperation issue a forged edict to pass the throne to Jingwang, this matter will succeed. Luocheng is more than six hundred *li* from the capital. If they launch a long-distance assault, they can arrive in half a month."

Zhang Zhuo frowned. "But the problem is, relying on his tens of thousands of private troops, how can they guarantee they can break through the capital gates? This is not good. Other clans and armies should have been persuaded by the Liu family."

Zhang Zhuo continued to mutter, "Who will cooperate from inside and outside? The Hu family, Chen family, Yang family, Qi family? Shenji Camp, Fengtai Camp, Five Armies Camp, Baobian Camp."

Saying this, Chen Ji suddenly reached out and tightly grasped his wrist, stopping their footsteps.

Zhang Zhuo looked up and immediately froze in place.

Under the moonlight, he saw Mr. Feng, dressed in a blue shirt, striding over from the small path ahead.

He smiled and looked at Chen Ji and Zhang Zhuo, asking, "Finished killing?"

Chen Ji said in a muffled voice, "Reporting to Mr. Feng, finished killing."

Mr. Feng nodded. "You two follow me back to Feiyun Garden. There's something I forgot to take."

In an instant, Chen Ji felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. The world was silent except for the sound of his heartbeat, and even the air gradually solidified.

Mr. Feng saw that he didn't move and asked with a smile, "What, could it be that you didn't kill Master Zhang and Imperial Physician Yao? This small matter shouldn't need me to do it myself, right?"

Zhang Zhuo slowly reached out towards the saber handle at his waist, but Chen Ji's grip on his wrist was like iron tongs, preventing him from moving.

Trying to use force against this high-ranking official, Mr. Feng, was no different from seeking death!

Even Golden Pig and Tianma couldn't kill the other. How could he and Zhang Zhuo possibly succeed?

But what method could break this situation?

Mr. Feng walked over step by step and finally stopped in front of Chen Ji. "Not speaking?"

The next moment, Chen Ji gently removed his own face armor. "Mr. Feng, let's talk!"

Zhang Zhuo was startled. He had already guessed Chen Ji's identity earlier, but he didn't expect Chen Ji would ultimately choose to reveal himself to Mr. Feng.

Mr. Feng looked at the face under the face armor and suddenly burst into laughter. "So it's you. I was still wondering who had such guts to deceive me. You had already escaped using the Dao Ting's carriage earlier."

Chen Ji took a deep breath. "Naturally, there were reasons why I had to return."

Mr. Feng, with his hands behind his back, asked with interest, "You dare to remove your face armor? Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment and replied, "If Mr. Feng wanted to kill me, he would have done so long ago."

This Mr. Feng had discovered that his identity was problematic as early as Cuiyun Lane, but he didn't expose him and instead kept him by his side.

If this 'spy' wasn't useful for something, the other party would have killed him long ago.

Mr. Feng nodded with satisfaction. "Tell me, what do you want to talk to me about?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment. "Mr. Feng, since you spared my life, you must have things that are inconvenient for you to do yourself, so you need me to help you, right?"

Mr. Feng looked at Chen Ji with a seemingly smile but not smile expression and said, "Now your life is in my hands. Your life and death are in my one thought. The reason I spared you is because I need you to go and kill someone for me. Let's play a game. You guess who I want to kill. You have three chances. If you guess right, I will not only spare your life but also promise you a sky-high fortune."

Chen Ji frowned. "Jingwang?"

He had always felt that this Mr. Feng's identity was suspicious.

If the other party wanted to stop the Liu family's rebellion, then as long as they killed Jingwang, the Liu family's plan would naturally be halfway to failure.

He looked up to observe Mr. Feng's expression but heard the other leisurely say, "Incorrect. You still have two chances."

Chen Ji unconsciously tightened his grip on Zhang Zhuo's wrist, his mind racing. The other party spared him naturally to utilize his specialness. What was his special identity? A secret agent of the Secret Service.

Chen Ji opened his mouth and said, "Mr. Feng wants to kill Tianma?"

Mr. Feng smiled and shook his head. "Still incorrect. Last chance."

Chen Ji's pupils slightly shrank. He still didn't guess right?

Wait.

Mr. Feng didn't know that he was hiding under the face armor earlier, so the person the other party wanted to kill was unrelated to the Secret Service.

Who exactly did the other party want to kill?

Zhang Zhuo noticed Chen Ji's grip on his wrist getting stronger and stronger and immediately looked over worriedly.

That boy, who should have been studying cleanly in the academy, was now frowning tightly, struggling to survive.

However, in the next moment, Zhang Zhuo saw the boy's eyebrows suddenly relax.

Chen Ji looked at Mr. Feng confidently and said, "Mr. Feng wants to kill General Qian of the Tiger Armor Iron Cavalry!"

Mr. Feng raised his eyebrows and then praised, "Leaving you alive earlier in Longwang Tun was indeed the right decision!"