Chapter 77: The Ten Officials

On the collapsed ruins, only tilted and crossing house beam roots remained.

Under the remaining walls and broken tiles, pieces of bricks and tiles were constantly being pushed up, as if burying an undying monster about to break through the soil.

Chen Ji, amid the ringing sound in his ears, half-crouched and approached, while simultaneously drawing the short knife from his sleeve.

He had made a total of three bamboo tube firearms. One was given to Jin Zhu, and the remaining two were used to bomb Si Cao. At this moment, there were no extra firearms, so he could only use the knife to kill.

The next moment, only a booming sound was heard, and bricks and stones flew everywhere.

In the rubble, Yuan Zhanggui, supporting a thick, heavy wooden beam, forcefully stood up from the ruins.

He was disheveled, and his Jin Liang crown had been blown away somewhere.

Yuan Zhanggui was covered in broken iron pieces, his face a blur of flesh and blood, mixed with blood and ash.

His big red satin robe hung tattered on his body, like a midnight evil spirit.

He raised a hand to rub his eyes. After the explosion, too much dust and gravel had gotten into his eyes, making it impossible to open them.

But it was exactly at this moment that he suddenly discovered his right hand seemed to have been blown off; he simply couldn't lift it.

Firearm!

This was the Ning Dynasty's firearm!

Yuan Zhanggui was the same as Jin Zhu; they had both seen *Huo Hu* but had never seen a firearm with such great power!

The Ning Dynasty's firearms had only been used on the battlefield for a little over a hundred years.

Initially, fire guns used rough bamboo tubes as the gun body, loaded with gunpowder and projectiles. At that time, the power of the gunpowder couldn't even blow open the bamboo tube. After firing several times, the bamboo tube would be discarded.

In recent decades, the Ning Dynasty had switched to iron tubes to withstand more powerful gunpowder, but at that time, the gunpowder was still not perfect enough. There was no purification process, and the formula ratio was also incorrect. It was only used on the frontal battlefield to restrain the Jing Dynasty cavalry charge.

When Yuan Zhanggui faced the bamboo tube, although he knew he couldn't dodge in time, he didn't think it could kill him. At most, it would tear his skin and gash his flesh, not hurt his bones or tendons.

But the power of Chen Ji's bamboo tube gunpowder was far greater than he imagined!

It had actually even blown the house down!

Yuan Zhanggui barely opened his eyes. His left eyeball was scarlet with blood, only his right eye could barely see.

He quickly looked around in front but found the area empty with no one: "Ning Dynasty secret spy si experts surrounding and killing one person, still need to hide around?"

From beginning to end, Yuan Zhanggui hadn't even seen Chen Ji's shadow.

He was blown by gunpowder and then thought it was secret spy si experts bringing firearms. He fundamentally didn't suspect Chen Ji!

But no one answered him in the courtyard. Only a short knife broke the wind and stabbed towards him.

Yuan Zhanggui dodged the knife aimed at his neck by moving sideways, but Chen Ji didn't stop. He stabbed three more knives successively at his back, waist, and left leg, then retreated.

Except for the one in the thigh, Chen Ji suddenly discovered that the others had all missed!

Not right, they hadn't missed!

But Yuan Zhanggui had a body of *heng lian gong fu* (hard training martial arts) with copper skin and iron bones. Ordinary daggers simply couldn't pierce him. No wonder he could still stand up after the gunpowder explosion!

However, he shouldn't be tough all over, otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to dodge the knife at his neck.

At this moment, Yuan Zhanggui ignored the blood gushing from his thigh, closed one eye, turned around, and stared fiercely at Chen Ji: "How is it you? You secretly hid firearms given by Jing Wangfu and the Liu family!"

Chen Ji didn't answer, only silently thinking about how he should kill this bear-like Yuan Zhanggui. He didn't know what kind of official path the other had cultivated, as if he could never be killed.

In an instant, Yuan Zhanggui rushed over like a war chariot. Chen Ji immediately retreated backward, circling in the courtyard.

But before Chen Ji had run two steps, he saw Yuan Zhanggui lift his foot and kick up a brick, which whistled towards him.

The broken brick brushed past Chen Ji's ear, the whistling wind messing up his hair, and hit the wall not far away, shattering into slag.

This kick was terrifying to the extreme. If Yuan Zhanggui hadn't been blinded in one eye and lost accuracy, Chen Ji would probably have died on the spot!

Yuan Zhanggui was annoyed that his strike didn't hit. One foot after another, he kicked bricks flying. Brick after brick, like fire gun cannons, whistled over.

More and more accurate, more and more fierce!

A brick bombarded Chen Ji's back, just this one strike sent him rolling out.

Chen Ji only felt his heart and lungs were both shifted by the bombardment. However, he didn't dare stop for a moment and got up to continue escaping. Before he had run a few steps, he saw Yuan Zhanggui consecutively kick up two bricks, which hit his back and right leg one after another.

Chen Ji fell down again, his short knife also flew out five or six meters. He wanted to strongly prop himself up to stand, but he couldn't stand steady no matter how hard he tried.

Yuan Zhanggui strode over to Chen Ji's side. He let his broken right hand hang down and reached out his left hand to twist off Chen Ji's neck.

However, at this very moment!

In the silent stillness, the lying Chen Ji suddenly flipped over to face Yuan Zhanggui!

Yuan Zhanggui looked into Chen Ji's eyes and suddenly felt that there was no despair in those eyes, only calmness.

Not right, not right!

These were not the eyes of a dying person!

In a breath, the sword seed that Chen Ji had accumulated for several days traveled along his meridians like a swimming dragon to his fingertip!

*Yi xing yang jian, po wan wu zhi fa!* (Nurture the sword with stars, break all things and laws!)

The matter happened suddenly. At such close distance, Yuan Zhanggui couldn't avoid it.

Only an invisible sword qi shot from Yuan Zhanggui's neck artery, and a stream of blood spurted out non-stop!

The sword seed that old Mr. Yao had once mocked as "She Dengke farting" was the power Chen Ji had nurtured for just one hour.

And these days, Chen Ji had been following Feng Huai to learn the knife while nurturing his sword, patiently waiting for this invisible sword qi to become his last trump card.

Chen Ji pried open Yuan Zhanggui's fingers with both hands, slowly opening that fat, big hand, fell heavily to the ground coughing.

Yuan Zhanggui covered his neck in disbelief and retreated step by step. Blood gurgled out from between his fingers, quickly draining all his strength.

"When did you become an official... This is the sword seed path... How can you understand the Martial Temple's nurture sword method! Did your mother teach you, but how can she master the nurture sword method..."

Sword seed path...

"It's actually the sword seed path!"

Yuan Zhanggui fell down with a boom.

Chen Ji slumped to the ground. He held up his palm, and sporadic snowflakes suddenly floated down from the sky. The snowflakes melted immediately upon falling into his palm.

For a moment, he was a bit bewildered. He had finally killed Yuan Zhanggui.

Tonight, he had first saved the Shizi and Bai Li, then, despite being wounded, assassinated Yuan Zhanggui. The sky was clearly not yet bright, but it felt as if a long, long season had passed, from autumn to winter.

But before he could fully regain his senses, the sound of horse hooves already echoed from the distant street. Secret spy si were rushing over!

Chen Ji struggled to get up, wanting to quickly escape the scene, but just as he stood up, he fell heavily again. The last brick kicked up by Yuan Zhanggui had fallen on his leg, reopening his wound.

Just at the critical moment.

Footsteps sounded from not far away. Someone said in a low voice: "So you're here. We've been looking for you all night!"

Chen Ji was astonished. This voice was extraordinarily familiar...

At the end of Tongji Street, dozens of horsemen were galloping. Jin Zhu, riding on his horse, had a calm expression.

Earlier, in Hongyi Lane several *li* away, he was just preparing to lead his subordinates to withdraw when he heard a familiar explosion sound again.

Jin Zhu couldn't believe that this Jing Dynasty thief who mastered firearms hadn't escaped but instead had wandered to other places in Luocheng to commit a big case.

But this explosion sound was a bit strange. It seemed to be transmitted from a merchant gathering place. Jin Zhu thought for a long time but couldn't figure out what a Jing Dynasty thief could do here.

But an enmity from an explosion must be repaid.

Jin Zhu galloped ahead on his horse into Tongji Street. From afar, he saw the place where smoke and dust were rising: "Come, seal off the entire area around Tongji Street."

"From tonight onwards, only allow entry, not exit. Turn over every inch here, don't even let an earthworm out!"

However, just as the words fell, in the black night, a crow suddenly descended.

The crow rose and fell like a black wind. The crowd couldn't even see its specific appearance, it was extremely swift.

The crow didn't tangle with people, only pecked at the eyes of the warhorses one after another, causing the horses to startle and rear up, spreading their hooves to shake off the crow, while simultaneously throwing the secret spies to the ground.

Jin Zhu soared up from the horse's back, stepped on the saddle, and leaped to pounce towards the crow in the air.

The warhorse, unable to bear the counterforce, knelt on the ground, and his fat body crossed paths with the crow... he didn't catch it!

Jin Zhu was suddenly shocked. The crow's speed seemed faster than his: "What is this thing? How can there be such a fierce crow. Official path!"

"Use crossbows! Shoot it down!"

Secret spies one after another took out hand crossbows from their waists and shot towards the night sky, but the crow, while turning and maneuvering, emitted cawing sounds, easily dodging the crossbow arrows while mocking them.

Jin Zhu determined this must be some kind of official path, but he recalled all the official paths he knew and was completely unaware of this kind of official path. It seemed to have never appeared in history.

How can this be?

Si Li Jian is the place that manages imperial inner court intelligence. As long as an official path appears in the world, it will certainly be recorded in the records, even folk legends will be recorded.

What kind of official path is actually hidden so deep that not a single word is recorded in the Si Li Jian case file library?

"Abandon horses!"

Jin Zhu let out a low shout and took the lead, madly running towards Yuan Fu where the smoke and dust were rising.

The crow was anxious. It risked its life to descend and peck at the secret spies, but more and more secret spies were coming, and the blunt arrows almost formed a net in the air.

As long as it fell a little lower, it was possible to be hit by several arrows...

Pierced!

The crow was forced to fly up into the night sky.

In just over ten breaths of time, Jin Zhu had already arrived at Yuan Fu's door. He leaped over the high gate and courtyard wall and fell into the yard, but at this moment, Yuan Fu only had a collapsed house and a naked corpse.

He raised his head again, but the crow had flown away somewhere.

"Chase! The killer can't have run far!"

Several hundred meters away, Chen Ji was being carried on someone's shoulder, with another person following behind.

He looked at the person following behind in the jolting motion and said with difficulty: "Biao Zi bro, aren't you gone already?"

Wu Hong Biao grinned and said: "Originally planned to leave, but Si Cao felt that if you didn't leave, you might want to do something alone, so he brought me to stay behind."

"We heard the commotion in Hongyi Lane earlier and secretly sneaked over. We just didn't dare to approach. Later, you escaped from the roof, and we followed from afar."

"At that time, we didn't recognize you and thought you were some outlaw."

The next moment, the cart driver Si Cao, who was carrying Chen Ji, said coldly: "Don't rush to chat first, be careful your breathing gets disordered and you get chased."

Saying that, he carried Chen Ji, turned left and right, and turned for a full half hour before arriving at a dark alley, where an ox cart was tied.

Si Cao threw Chen Ji onto the cart board and then sat in front, waving the whip and driving the ox cart south.

Chen Ji sat up: "Where are we going?"

Cart driver Si Cao said calmly: "First go south to Yangzhou to avoid the wind. Wait for the secret spy si to lift the blockade, then go north back to the Jing Dynasty. The Ning Dynasty has no place for us to stay anymore, we have to go back to find your uncle."

Chen Ji was stunned. He turned back to look at the receding buildings and bluestone slab road. Did he ultimately still have to leave the Ning Dynasty?

He asked in a low voice: "Are there no other ways?"

"No other ways. You injured Jin Zhu tonight and killed Liang He Yong. Afterwards, both the Military Affairs Si and Secret Spy Si will not tolerate you."

"Liang He Yong?"

"That's the Yuan Zhanggui you just killed."

Si Cao Gui said coldly: "He was also once your uncle's man, but in order to submit a name card to Lu Guan Wu, he betrayed your uncle."

"He was a treacherous villain. Everyone has the right to punish him. Even if you hadn't killed him today, I would have found a way to kill him and then leave."

Chen Ji leaned in the cart and remained silent for a long time: "Why are you so loyal to my uncle?"

Si Cao Gui tightened the reins in his hand: "This has nothing to do with you."

Chen Ji recalled his fight with Yuan Zhanggui and doubted: "What path did he cultivate? Why was he copper-skinned and iron-boned, even a knife couldn't pierce him?"

"Before he came to the Ning Dynasty, he was arranged by your uncle to lurk in our Jing Dynasty's Shengjing city's Ku Jue Temple. He cultivated the Golden Bell path."

"This path has no shortcut. You need to hit the bell in front of the Buddha for ten years, day after day. If you don't fall behind for a single day, the path will naturally become copper skin and iron bones."

"But he only hit for ten years, so naturally, there are still many flaws on his body. Ku Jue Temple once had an old monk who hit for sixty years and was completely copper-skinned and iron-boned without flaws."

Chen Ji leaned tiredly in the cart: "Learned something new. So hitting the bell can cultivate."

He recalled that the little monk beside the Shizi seemed to only need to repeatedly recite the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Fundamental Vows Sutra to cultivate.

In this way, the Buddha family and Dao family must master many cultivation paths. No wonder the Buddha Gate Tong Bao dared to rob the money shop's business...

Having been in the Ning Dynasty for these days, Chen Ji hadn't seen a money shop on the street. Presumably, the Buddha Gate Tong Bao had a monopoly.

Chen Ji asked again: "How many Si Cao does our Military Affairs Si have exactly?"

Cart driver Si Cao was silent for a moment, seeming to feel that they were all their own people, then didn't continue to hide: "Previously three, now ten, using Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui as code names."

"What are you?"

"I am 'Gui', Yuan Zhanggui is 'Xin'."

"Ning Dynasty's twelve zodiac signs correspond to Jing Dynasty's ten heavenly stems."

Chen Ji asked: "Why does the Ning Dynasty have no place for us?"

Si Cao Gui said calmly: "Originally, the Military Affairs Si up and down were all promoted by your uncle. Now Lu Guan Wu has been promoted to Military Strategist, in charge of all our Jing Dynasty's military intelligence, so he brought in his old subordinates and plans to slowly purge your uncle's old subordinates."

"Originally, Si Master was also your uncle's old subordinate, but I haven't been able to contact him for half a month. He has probably already met with a poisoned hand."

"Once the new Si Master takes office, there will definitely be another purge."

Chen Ji suddenly asked: "Wait, if all my uncle's old subordinates have been eliminated, then who in the Military Affairs Si, except for you, Yuan Zhanggui, and Biao Zi bro, knows my Jing Dynasty spy identity?"

Si Cao Gui pondered for a moment and replied: "Si Master also knows."

Chen Ji took a deep breath: "But Si Master was also eliminated by Lu Guan Wu, so does that mean, in the Military Affairs Si, except for you and Biao Zi bro, no one else knows my identity?"

Si Cao Gui thought again and again: "Yes."

Chen Ji got up, pulled the reins in Si Cao Gui's hand, stopped the ox cart, and said firmly: "You all go to Yangzhou, I'm returning to Taiping Medical Hall."