Chasing Out of the City

The light of dawn filtered through the gaps in the eastern mountains, scattering across the mottled ancient city walls, draping them in a layer of gilded splendor, accentuating their age-old charm.

In the distance, someone shouted loudly:

"Opening the city gates!"

With this cry.

Those squatting by the city walls, sitting in tea stalls, and waiting at the crossroads, all those leaving the city rapidly converged towards the entrance.

Forming a long queue.

Shen Yi had deliberately chosen a tea stall closest to the city gate. Hearing the shout, he supported himself with one hand on the wooden fence of the stall, nimbly leaping over it, and taking a place at the front of the line.

"Kid, are you in such a hurry to be reincarnated?!"

Behind him, a burly man whose spot had been taken by Shen Yi's sudden appearance, asked in a coarse voice.

In front of the city gate, no one dared to cause trouble.

Not even a simple-minded brute like this, with an axe hanging from his waist.

So Shen Yi didn't pay attention to the man's question.

He simply nodded slightly and said:

"I'm not being reincarnated, but I am in a hurry."

"Damn, what the hell are you in a hurry for?"

"Wait 'til we're out of the city, and explain to me what you're rushing for?"

The burly man cursed under his breath.

Shen Yi had already followed the line and was moving forward smoothly.

Walking into the city gate tunnel, the city defense soldiers stood crookedly on both sides, bleary-eyed and yawning endlessly.

Only one slightly younger soldier stood weakly beside the line, routinely asking some basic questions.

"What are you going out of the city for?"

"Traveling the martial world."

Shen Yi wore a bamboo hat and plain clothes, with his Embroidered Spring Blade slung across his body, answering calmly.

The young soldier casually sized up Shen Yi, who certainly looked like a wandering martial artist, and asked:

"Have you committed any evil deeds?"

Shen Yi noticed that his gaze had already moved past him, towards the disgruntled brute behind him.

He understood that the soldier was just asking routine questions.

Just showing that he was doing his duty.

In fact, even if there really were some evil martial artists passing by, the soldiers would prefer that they give a perfunctory answer and let them pass.

After all, if a conflict really broke out.

The chances of these city guards losing their lives would be much greater.

"No."

Shen Yi gave the answer the soldier wanted.

The soldier said "Oh" and:

"Go on."

Shen Yi nodded slightly and strode out of the city, the burly man behind him anxiously waving his hand and shouting:

"Kid, don't you dare run away!"

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you shouting for?!"

The young soldier held his spear horizontally.

Blocking the hopping burly man.

He looked at him suspiciously, this man looked reckless, clearly a street ruffian who caused trouble.

Someone he could handle.

"Who are you, where are you from, and where are you going?"

"Confess honestly!"

The burly man's fierce face turned red, but in the end, he didn't dare to challenge the officer.

Suddenly.

A rumble of hooves came from the distant long street in the city, and a loud shout rolled over.

"Now there are bandits committing crimes in the city!"

"Guard the city gates!"

"Strictly check the passing merchants!"

This voice was extremely loud, startling the few lazy soldiers on either side of the city gate awake from their sleep. They immediately jumped up with a bang, blocking the brawny man's path out of the city with their spears.

Before long.

A series of galloping hoofbeats rapidly approached.

Leading the way were two Black Guards clad in black crane-patterned robes and Embroidered Spring Blades at their waists, followed by four bailiffs in black uniforms.

One of the Black Guards took out a portrait from behind his waist. The person in the portrait was lifelike, none other than Shen Yi:

"Wanted criminal Shen Yi, who slaughtered his colleagues at the Pacification Office, is now subject to a full-scale manhunt by the Nine Provinces Pacification Office, with a reward of fifty taels."

The Black Guard was imposing and rode his horse forward, handing two portraits to the young gatekeeper, instructing:

"Post one on the notice board in front of the city gate."

"Keep one in your hand to check each passing merchant, do not let the wanted criminal escape. We..." The Black Guard looked around, pointed to the nearest teahouse, "We will be waiting there. If you spot the wanted criminal, we will all rush up and capture him!"

"Do you understand?"

Several city defense soldiers gathered together, peering at the portrait while eagerly responding:

"Understood, understood."

The young soldier stretched the portrait out with both hands, his brow slightly furrowed. The person in the portrait had sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, with a deep gaze.

As if containing some kind of baleful aura.

Most importantly, this person gave him a rather familiar feeling. Suddenly, a rough voice cut in diagonally:

"Hey? Isn't that the kid who just left the city?!"

The brawny man who had been stopped took a glance and immediately recognized the person in the portrait as Shen Yi, with whom he had just had a conflict.

A wanted criminal from the Pacification Office?

And he slaughtered his colleagues?

The brawny man immediately felt a chill in his heart. He had just wanted to beat him up, but now he realized he was practically courting death.

He was just a local bully who relied on his power on the streets, but the other party was an extremely evil criminal who had killed officials of the Pacification Office!

How could he possibly be a match...

The brawny man's words instantly froze the atmosphere...

Suddenly, there was a crisp, metallic clang.

A gleaming steel blade was already resting on the man's neck. Another Black Guard narrowed his eyes, his tone as cold as the north wind of the winter solstice:

"Say what you just said, one more time."

The brawny man's body trembled instantly, his legs went weak, and he covered his head with his hands. His burly figure immediately knelt on the ground:

"Sir!"

"Everything I said is true. When you just arrived, this, this Shen Yi just passed the checkpoint and left the city gate. I saw him heading north along the official road!"

The big man's voice was tearful. The nearly nine-foot-tall man actually looked somewhat aggrieved and bashful at this moment. He pointed at the young city gate soldier and said like a machine gun:

"It was him, he let the person pass the checkpoint!"

The young soldier was immediately horrified. After the big man's reminder, he did remember the young man who had just left the city to travel.

He looked exactly like the person in the portrait.

He quickly waved his hands, explaining to the Pacification Office officers:

"Sir, I... I didn't know..."

Pfft!

The flash of a blade streaked through the dim city gate, bringing with it a spray of blood. A deep, bone-deep wound appeared on the young soldier's chest.

Blood splattered, staining the portrait red.

It even splashed on the brawny man's face.

The brawny man was completely dumbfounded. A city gate soldier was killed on the spot by the Black Guard of the Pacification Office right in front of him?

"Hmph!"

The Black Guard who wielded the blade spat, "Privately releasing a wanted criminal and delaying the opportunity to capture him, a crime worthy of death!"

The other officers all glared at the Black Guard who had made the move.

It was because they, the old hands, had been lazy that Little Li was guarding the checkpoint alone. However, Little Li had lost his life because of this!

However, how could Little Li have known that Shen Yi was a wanted criminal? The Black Guard of the Pacification Office was simply trying to frame him, bullying people too much!

The Black Guard who had spoken earlier saw that the officers seemed dissatisfied and also drew his blade, saying calmly:

"The Pacification Office is directly under the imperial family, with the power to execute first and report later, a special imperial prerogative. Do you have any objections?!"

Under the pressure of that cold blade.

The city defense soldiers ultimately showed fear, lowering their heads and saying:

"We dare not."

"Then get out of the way!"

"If you delay the capture of an important criminal, how many heads do you think you have to answer for it!"

The Black Guard resheathed their blades with a clang.

With a flick of the reins, the steed neighed and galloped through the crowd, followed closely by the Black Guard and constables.

Leaving a corpse behind, the sound of hooves thundered, and they disappeared beyond the city gates in the blink of an eye.

The Great Xia Pacification Office.

Specializing in tracking and apprehending.

Two Black Guard members led a team out of the city on horseback, galloping along the official road for a while. The leading Black Guard reined in his horse, stopping abruptly, and stared intently at the ground.

"The man's tracks disappear here."

"Perhaps he turned into the mountains."

"You two..." The Black Guard pointed to the last two constables, "Go back and inform the prefectural city's Pacification Office that the fellow exited from the north of the city."

"Have our men converge and encircle from all the key routes to the north."

The Black Guard turned to stare into the jungle: "Ma Cheng and I will take the remaining two and follow the trail."

"If we can catch up to this fellow, we'll take him down directly!"

The last two constables clasped their fists in response.

And turned their horses back.