The Bait, Part Two

2024-07-31

The Bait, Part Two

"Damn dog thief! Take your grandpa's axe!"

With a furious roar, another burly man with a wild mane of black hair like a lion's head leaped high into the air, a Xuanhua Axe in hand, and brought it down at Song Changming's head.

"Tch." Song Changming frowned.

Since when had he become a dog thief?

They were the ones robbing a prison carriage in broad daylight, and they still thought they were in the right?!

Song Changming drew a deep breath and unleashed the Soul Severing Saber. In an instant, a powerful saber force surged forth and bore down on his opponent.

The burly man's eyes widened. Enveloped by Song Changming's saber force, his attack faltered, yet he did not retreat. He landed atop the prison carriage and swung his axe at Song Changming again and again.

This brute truly deserved to wield an axe; his strength was immense, even greater than Song Changming's.

But his mastery of the axe was somewhat crude. Song Changming avoided its edge and counterattacked with his saber.

In an instant, gloomy winds rose in gusts.

Relying on his Major Accomplishment stage saber technique, Song Changming quickly suppressed the rough fellow. His long saber carved more than ten bloody gashes across the man's body, and even his mask was splattered with great swathes of blood.

In the end, the rough fellow was rescued by the man who had passed him the saber earlier, narrowly escaping death beneath Song Changming's blade.

"Everyone, leave at once! There is no need to throw away your lives for me!" the prisoner in the carriage called out loudly.

"Brother Liu is righteous and noble! He killed that dog official and saved the people from fire and water. He should not meet his end here!" the man who had passed the saber cried out in grief and indignation.

Their every word brimmed with the spirit of the martial world. How could Song Changming fail to see that these were all hot-blooded martial wanderers acting on impulse?

Seeing that they still wanted to attack, Song Changming's expression turned cold. He stood atop the prison carriage, saber held across his body as he waited from above.

There might have been some hidden circumstances behind this matter, but they had nothing to do with him.

He was a man of the Patrol Guard Headquarters. Their positions differed, and he had to ensure these prisoners reached the prison on Houli Street safely.

At the same time, atop a tall building beside the street.

"Young master, that patrol guard is quite formidable!" A white-clad sword-bearing maid stood in the pavilion, looking down at the chaotic street below. Seeing the young patrol guard atop the prison carriage defeat one opponent after another, she could not help but speak.

"Mm. His saber technique has reached Major Accomplishment; he does have some skill. But I cannot identify the school of this saber technique." The handsome young master waved his folding fan and watched the scene with curiosity.

Another sword-bearing maid suddenly said calmly, "I have seen this patrol guard before. Does Young Master remember him?"

"Oh? I do not recall. Where did we meet him?" The young master shook his head and asked.

"About a year ago, at a restaurant on Houli Street," the maid replied.

With that reminder, the young master finally recalled him vaguely and broke into a smile. "Xiu'er truly has an excellent memory."

The maid's expression remained impassive as she continued, "At that time, I remember this young patrol guard's saber technique was only at the Minor Accomplishment stage. Yet in just one short year, his saber technique has reached Major Accomplishment."

That was what truly caught her attention.

"Now that you mention it," the young master said with interest, "such talent is indeed worth meeting. Perhaps he can be cultivated."

"Then once this matter is settled, shall I bring him here?" the first maid asked happily.

The young master looked at the maid beside him with a faintly teasing smile. "Min'er, could it be that spring has stirred in your heart? That lad is rather handsome."

Two blushes rose on the maid's cheeks. She said reproachfully, "I merely think Young Master has too few capable people at his side. He seems quite good, and perhaps he may ease Young Master's burdens in the future."

"Heh heh, there is no need to meet him in such a hurry. Send someone to keep an eye on him first." The young master smiled faintly and closed his folding fan. His gaze then shifted elsewhere, and he curled his lips as he murmured, "It seems the General Directorate's efforts today were all for nothing. A Flying Swallow Sword Liu Xiangnan only hooked a few small fish and shrimps. As for those officials, it seems their former associates and wings have all been cut away."

Outside the pavilion, Liang Chuanshan likewise repelled a man attempting to rob the prison carriage. He flipped onto the carriage and, together with Song Changming, guarded the prisoners tightly from either side.

The patrol guards gathered their forces and stood watch around the prison carriage.

As time dragged on, perhaps realizing that the situation could not be salvaged, those people prepared to retreat with their wounded and make a long-term plan.

However, at that moment, a group of patrol guards dressed in official uniforms trimmed with gold appeared on the rooftops on both sides, blocking every one of those who tried to flee. In only a short while, they subdued all the prison-carriage robbers.

"Why must it be this way..." The imprisoned man watched the scene with a pained expression, clutching the bars tightly with both hands as though he believed he had harmed them.

Song Changming merely glanced at him and said nothing.

"This was a trap?" Liang Chuanshan took a deep breath. Only upon seeing the General Directorate's patrol guards appear did he realize what was going on.

Those patrol guards had arrived so promptly; they had clearly been prepared in advance.

The General Directorate had anticipated that someone would attempt to rob the prison carriage during this prisoner transport. It had been a scheme to catch them all in one net.

And from beginning to end, they had never informed them of any of it.

Shortly afterward, the convoy escorting the prison carriage set off again, while the criminals who had attempted the robbery were taken away by the General Directorate's patrol guards.

The group then arrived safely at the Patrol Guard Headquarters on Houli Street, and all the prisoners were locked in the prison as intended.

However, the prison-carriage robbery had left seven patrol guards of the Houli Street Patrol Guard Headquarters dead and more than ten injured. The price had not been small.

Two of Liang Chuanshan's subordinates had been killed, leaving him in no pleasant mood upon his return.

"Flying Swallow Sword Liu Xiangnan." In the small courtyard, Song Changming looked over the list of imprisoned criminals. Everything that had happened today had begun because of this man.

He seemed to have heard this man's name before.

"Liu Xiangnan is quite famous throughout Donglai Commandery. He punishes the strong, aids the weak, and upholds justice. His Flying Swallow Sword is renowned throughout the martial world, making him one of the commandery's foremost chivalrous masters."

Liang Chuanshan sat on a long bench with his eyes closed, resting as he spoke slowly.

"Why has a figure like that become a major criminal?" a patrol guard beside them asked in confusion.

"A month ago, he killed the county magistrate of Yushui County," Liang Chuanshan said. He had read the case files, and as news of the matter had gradually spread, it was no longer much of a secret.

"Hiss, what a ruthless man!" Jiang Chunzi clicked his tongue. He had never heard the name Flying Swallow Sword Liu Xiangnan, but he knew that anyone daring to kill a local county official would face certain death once captured.

This was a blatant challenge to the authority of the Imperial Court and its government offices. Whatever the reason, the crime was unforgivable.

"Enough. Discuss this matter less, lest disaster come from your mouths. We have another assignment tomorrow, so go back and rest for today."

Liang Chuanshan rubbed his brow and waved the Patrol Guard Team away, leaving only Song Changming behind.

"To be honest, I did not like how this mission felt. The feeling of knowing nothing, of being kept in the dark." Liang Chuanshan sighed and spoke his mind to Song Changming.

"It was as though I were a chess piece, moved about at someone's whim."

Song Changming merely listened in silence and said nothing.

In his view, there was nothing to dwell on. Those in high positions stood above, surveying the whole board, and had the right to be the chess players. Those in low positions had limited authority and limited vision, so they could only become chess pieces.

He was a chess piece, and Liang Chuanshan was naturally one as well.

The key was that if one could not become a chess player, then one had to ensure one remained a useful chess piece at all times, rather than an expendable piece that could be discarded.

More importantly, one had to set one's mind straight.

The reason Liang Chuanshan harbored resentment was simply that he had recently had hope of being promoted to Director, and his ambition for power had continued to grow.

At such a critical juncture, this mission had made him feel deeply overlooked, throwing his state of mind off balance.

Although Song Changming knew where the problem lay, he would not speak out of turn.

Liang Chuanshan was, after all, his superior. Loyal advice grated on the ear; a superior might not listen to a subordinate's lecture, and saying too much would only make him disliked, bringing no benefit whatsoever.

All Song Changming needed to do was help Liang Chuanshan ascend smoothly to the position of Director. That alone would repay the favor of Liang Chuanshan's support and promotion.

"Tonight, at Spring Breeze Garden. Have another drink with me," Liang Chuanshan said as he rose.

"Alright." Song Changming nodded.