Fishing
The four of them rushed toward the location of the fireworks, but Mi Haichao, realizing that his whereabouts had been exposed, stopped concealing his presence and tried to slip away quietly. Instead, he ran away as fast as he could.
As soon as the four chased into the forest, they suddenly heard a whooshing sound, and countless hidden weapons flew towards them like a shower of flowers.
Si Ming threw a punch that shook the air. Under the seemingly fierce but actually delicate force, all the hidden weapons returned to their original paths, causing the hidden masters who were lying in ambush to scream in agony.
Sensing the presence of many people still lurking in the forest, Chen Xiangduan channeled his inner energy and shouted, "The Mohist Knight Guard are pursuing the wanted criminal Mi Haichao! Anyone not involved, leave immediately!"
However, as the four moved forward, the ambushers still stepped out to block their path.
"We have received great kindness from Grandmaster Mi; how can we stand idly by?"
Chen Xiangduan's eyes turned cold. "Disregard for the law, possessing only petty righteousness and lacking any sense of justice, a bunch of fools!"
Knowing that the Mohist Knight Guard were pursuing criminals and that their actions would make them accomplices, no longer innocent, Chen Xiangduan stopped holding back. Countless needle-like energies erupted from all parts of his body, like a barrage of arrows, overwhelming and inescapable. Those martial artists who tried to block his way suffered heavy casualties.
Chapter 750 Fishing
"Tiger Wings Disperse the Clouds!"
A burly man leaped out of the forest, his steel blade wielding a powerful slash imbued with his inner True Qi. The blade's energy materialized into a winged tiger, its passage decimating vegetation with the force of a storm.
However, as soon as he approached within three zhang of Chen Xiangduan, he felt a dense, needle-like force covering his face. In an instant, the fierce tiger's Gang Qi shattered inch by inch, and the steel knife in his hand broke into hundreds of fragments that rolled back and pierced his body. Blood splattered, and two fragments pierced his eyes, instantly blinding him. He collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony.
Throughout the entire process, Chen Xiangduan did not even glance at the other party. All those who blocked his way did the same. As soon as they got within three zhang of him, they were immediately attacked by thousands of needle-like energies, and each needle-like energy was equivalent to the full force of a first-class master's finger energy.
A single needle strike is nothing, but when the number increases, even Spirit Transformation Grandmaster has to be careful. Not to mention these martial artists who are not even Nascent Spirit Transformation Grandmasters, they are all knocked down in one encounter. If they are lucky, they can save their lives, but if they are unlucky, they will be pierced in the heart meridian or fatal point and will inevitably die on the spot.
This is Chen Xiangduan's unique skill, "Mystic Void Divine Needle," which can be released from acupoints all over the body. It is as flexible as a flying sword, controlled at will, and can switch between illusion and reality, making it impossible to defend against. When Chen Xiangduan uses it for defense, there is still a trace to follow. However, if he takes the initiative to attack, targets within ten feet are all within his grasp. Often, the enemy dies without even knowing how he died.
"Hmph, harboring so many desperados shows that Mi Haichao has long harbored evil intentions. His so-called benevolence and charity are nothing but a facade, a pretense to buy people's hearts and minds, and to win over petty thieves and scoundrels willing to work for him. He's no different from those gang leaders, except that the others are true villains, while he's a hypocrite."
Chen Xiangduan directly labeled him a hypocrite, much like throwing armor and crossbow bolts into someone's home during a raid in ancient times, and adding a charge of treason.
Seeing the terrible suffering of those people, Si Ming felt a pang of pity. It wasn't that he thought these people were innocent; the Shadow Hero Guard was arresting criminals who endangered national security, and anyone who dared to help the criminals or obstruct the Shadow Hero Guard's operations could be considered an accomplice and executed without exception. This was guaranteed by law, and these people died in vain, and even their families could not cry foul.
However, Si Ming felt that these people might not have known the crimes committed by Mi Haichao. They only stepped forward to help out of loyalty and to repay a debt of gratitude, and died in a muddle. In the Su State, where chivalry was prevalent, such things were very common. Because of the existence of the Mohist School, the government's authority was insufficient, and many people chose loyalty over law to help their friends escape legal punishment. Among them were even Mohist Knight Guard.
Moreover, even after they were arrested, they didn't think they had done anything wrong. They only felt that loyalty and righteousness were difficult to reconcile, and that they had simply made different choices and had a clear conscience. This is a drawback of the existence of the Mohist Knight Guard. The civil society organization has taken away the authority of the government and reduced the deterrent effect of the law. Although the Mohist Knight Guard still has government infiltration behind it and is a semi-official, semi-civilian organization, it still insists in its external propaganda that it is a purely civil society organization.
Having figured this out, Si Ming immediately channeled his inner energy and shouted, "Mi Haichao is suspected of colluding with the Heaven-Defying Society, attempting to lure Demon Beast to harm the people of Su State, instigate war, and profit from it. Anyone who assists Mi Haichao is considered a traitor and a national enemy, and everyone has the right to kill him."
The sound carried for miles around, and a faint, angry rebuttal of "I didn't" could be heard, but the other party stopped abruptly, worried about revealing their location.
After this announcement, the pursuit became much smoother. Even though they could sense that there were people lying in ambush all around, they hesitated and did not try to stop them. Under these circumstances, Chen Xiangduan could not kill anyone.
These self-proclaimed chivalrous individuals would risk their lives for a single meal's kindness, and disregard the law for the sake of loyalty, because they have their own set of values and feel that what they do is worthwhile. When word gets out, all the outlaws will give them a thumbs up, praising them as a man of honor and righteousness. Even if they are wanted by the government, it will not diminish their reputation in the way they are known in the underworld; in fact, their reputation may even grow in some areas, just like the "fraudulent court flogging."
However, no set of values can be separated from the most fundamental racial interests. In the face of the greater good of Human Race, both loyalty and law become insignificant.
These outlaw heroes can win applause by saying "I defied the law of the court for the sake of brotherhood," but they can't say things like "I became a villain for the sake of brotherhood" or "I colluded with the Demon Race to protect my friends" with any sense of decency, no matter where they are.
If they were to help Mi Haichao now, they would not only fail to win applause, but would also incur infamy, implicate their parents, and bring shame upon their ancestors. The thought of this made the weapons in their hands feel exceptionally heavy. Those who would "help their friend without hesitation even if he has committed a heinous crime" are ultimately a very small minority. Advising the other party to turn back is the choice of the vast majority.
They would risk their lives for a reputation in the martial arts world, and they would also stand idly by for the same reason. They risked their lives for Mi Haichao not for the small favors he bestowed upon them, but to uphold the code of honor in the martial arts world. This code of honor is the rule of the game, and when the code of honor requires them not to take action, they will obediently stop.
Of course, the reason for such an immediate effect is that the reputation of the Remote Heaven Society has been completely ruined. Everyone genuinely believes that the Remote Heaven Society colluding with the Demon Race and has the intention to exterminate the Human Race. Otherwise, even if Si Ming shouted that Mi Haichao Remote Heaven Society, these people would not care. The destruction of the Divine Pillar by the Remote Heaven Society has no bearing on their interests, so why bother with such trivial matters?
Si Ming was a master at labeling people, and he knew the importance of having a "just cause." Once he put the label of "traitor" on Mi Haichao, not only would these heroes who blocked his way not dare to wear it, but even Mi Haichao himself would not dare to wear it. No matter how many good deeds he had done or how much charity he had done in the past, once the label of "traitor" was put on him, all of that would vanish into thin air, and others would even say that he was harboring evil intentions.
Unfortunately, Mi Haichao couldn't stand up for himself and had to accept the accusation. After all, Si Ming was an official and he was a thief, and it was only natural for an official to scold a thief—that was the advantage of being an official.
With no one stopping them, Si Ming and his group immediately increased their speed, and the distance between them and Mi Haichao was rapidly closing. Once they were within Qianzhang, Si Ming could even use his spiritual sense to lock onto Mi Haichao.
At this moment, Chen Xiangduan suddenly said, "Don't chase too closely, let's slow down."
Si Ming gave the other person a strange look, then immediately understood that this was a long-term strategy to catch a big fish.
"I see, no wonder..."
To be honest, there are many suspicious aspects to this operation. For example, it was supposed to be a fight against a powerful enemy like the Remote Heaven Society, but they ended up finding two juniors and treating it as a trial mission for Saintess Candidate, as if they didn't take it seriously at all.
For example, the group headed straight for Mi Haichao's residence after getting off the train. Although they were delayed by an escaped convict, the entire incident lasted less than three minutes. Yet, the convict managed to escape beforehand. Where did he get this information?
For example, Chen Xiangduan's previous killing spree was something he could have easily ignored, but instead he wasted time on those wandering knights. As the commander of the Shadow Hero Guard, he made such a basic mistake of not prioritizing things, which is completely unacceptable.
"It seems I was reckless. I shouldn't have shouted that just now; it almost ruined Commander Chen's plan," Si Ming.
"It's alright. This will make Mi Haichao more convinced that we're desperately pursuing him, and he won't become suspicious in the short term. Besides, if we really have to investigate, it's my responsibility for concealing the details from you beforehand and not telling you the specific plan."
After listening to their conversation, Liu Qingqing and Lin Qingxiang belatedly realized what was going on.
The four slowed down, but to avoid arousing Mi Haichao's suspicion, they maintained a slow pace of closing the distance. After all, Mi Haichao had been harassed by the Shadow Hero Guard along the way, and if they could still catch up even at this rate, it would be suspicious no matter how slow he was to notice.
The two pursued and fled, the distance rapidly closing until everyone could see Mi Haichao's back, yet no accidents occurred.
Chen Xiangduan sighed inwardly. Mi Haichao was now within his attack range, and it would be illogical for him not to make a move. It seemed the plan had failed; the other party hadn't taken the bait...
Just as Chen Xiangduan extended his five fingers, releasing invisible needle-like energy to form a rope around Mi Haichao, a powerful Sword Qi suddenly interrupted his attack.
At the same time, the ground suddenly flashed with dazzling blood-red patterns, which made people feel irritable. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi also became turbulent, followed by a thunderous explosion!
"Success!"
The Seal Talisman Master withdrew his hands from the ground, let out a long breath, and said to the two beside him, "Even Spirit Transformation Grandmaster would be injured by this explosion. For now, there's no need to worry about Six-Fingered Formless's safety. Let's leave."
"No, we can't leave for now."
The speaker was Fuzang, a man with silver hair and closed eyes. He had a handsome face, a bright red mark between his eyebrows, and held a string of Buddhist prayer beads in his hand. He exuded an aura of purity and holiness.