Because Zhang Jin had nothing useful on him, his skill was far inferior, and he knew nothing about him—he was just a lowly, unskilled thug without even a knife. Thinking about it, he tilted his head.
"With your abilities, you couldn't possibly assassinate the emperor. The people looking for you are just trying to frame the Cao Clan for a power struggle. Go back and help me uncover the mastermind behind this. If you succeed, I can spare your life."
?
Zhang Jin was taken aback and looked at the Living Taisui in front of him:
"If I go back like this, they won't believe me anymore. And isn't Lord Ye afraid that I'll escape after I get away?"
With the Ye Xingge Heaven-Observing Pavilion inside and the Mountains and Rivers Association outside, Zhang Jin had no chance of escaping. At this moment, Ye Xingge flicked his wrist, pulled a small packet of lime powder from his sleeve, and tossed it to Zhang Jin.
"I'm not afraid you'll run away if I let you go. Whether you believe me or not is up to you."
Zhang Jin, recalling Ye Xingge Xingge's near-death experience a few days prior, dared not gamble that Ye Xingge lacked the ability. After accepting the lime packet, he gritted his teeth and handed it over.
"I tried my best. Lord Xie Ye has given me a chance. I apologize for offending you!"
Bang!
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Jin suddenly swung his right hand, and white dust exploded in the air, spraying all over Ye Xingge's body!
Ye Xingge immediately covered himself with his sleeve and leaped back several steps.
Without hesitation, Zhang Jin got up, climbed over the wall, and fled desperately into the complex of buildings.
Tap tap tap...
Ye Xingge was covered in lime. He closed his eyes, leaped onto a roof, and chased after the lime powder for a few steps before brushing it off his head with his sleeve.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey..."
Hongyu, who had been supervising from a distance, had now gotten up and was tracking Zhang Jin's movements.
"I'll go with him and see. If he listens to us, we might actually be able to dig up this big fish."
"This person isn't deeply involved, and he's unlikely to run away. If he does, you'll see what happens. He's burdened with a blood feud, has some ruthlessness, but isn't very bright. If he still harbors any illusions, he'll become the next Yang Tuyan sooner or later."
After brushing the lime powder off his face, Ye Xingge squinted at the Myriad Phenomena Tower.
A moment later, the Myriad Phenomena Tower was filled with many men in embroidered robes, and some people were looking in this direction. Among them, the shadows of the Lord of Lady of Anyang and his servants could be vaguely seen.
When Ye Xingge saw Lady of Anyang, the scene of him approaching people with his 'E' and his slightly bulging steamed bun flashed through his mind, as well as the vivid memories before capturing Yang Tuyan:
A crazy woman suddenly crashed into my arms... a tigress I couldn't subdue no matter how hard I tried...
Tearing open the cloak revealed silver-white fabric and peony patterns...
The flung white snowflakes, and the trembling red cherry blossoms on the mountaintop...
Ye Xingge was on the verge of death at the time and did not look closely. Lady of Anyang was the Heaven-Observing Decree and often moved around the Heaven-Observing Pavilion. Logically speaking, he could not possibly be a spy for the Later Zhou.
But while a voice can lie, Guagua can't.
The size and height match South-Flying Swallow's perfectly, and given the "bloodshed caused by a steamed bun" connection, it's hard not to make connections...
After thinking for a moment, Ye Xingge asked:
" Yu'er, do you think it's possible that Lady of Anyang might be South-Flying Wild Goose?"
Hongyu had already come downstairs when she heard the sound and was startled.
" Lady of Anyang? Hmm... His father was forced to his death because he refused to be a dog of the Xiao Clan, so there is indeed a possibility that he colluded with the enemy. But based on the current information, we cannot make a complete judgment. If it is true, then that is good news."
"Um?"
Ye Xingge frowned. "I tore someone's clothes last time, and just now I saw them completely naked. How can this be good news?"
Hongyu said earnestly:
"Your achievement of being ranked First Rank within six months will inevitably threaten Wu Chenglie, and the Later Zhou will make a move against you sooner or later. But if you can get in touch with the Later Zhou spies, you'll have a way to make them misjudge the Later Zhou, or even learn about Later Zhou plans in advance. Isn't that good news?"
Ye Xingge thought about it and agreed, then asked:
"I'm just guessing, I'm not sure. Do you have any good ideas to verify it?"
"That's easy. I'll have the Mountains and Rivers Association spread false information to Yan-Subduing Tower, saying that you are a descendant of the Great Zhou, and that 'Rebel Against Yan and Restore Zhou' is engraved on the soles of your feet..."
"Ah?"
Ye Xingge straightened up a bit, feeling that he shouldn't have let Great Beauty offer advice:
"If the Great Yan Dynasty believes this news, how can I possibly survive until tomorrow?"
"Well..."
Hongyu agreed, and then changed her mind:
"Then it's ' Crown Prince of Western Shu '. It's very difficult for Great Yan to intercept intelligence. Even if they do, your background is clean, and your parents are in the capital, so they can't possibly believe it."
" Later Zhou learns of the intelligence, he will have the people in the capital verify its authenticity. Even if Lady of Anyang doesn't come, the real South-Flying Swallow will. You only need to see who tries to look at the soles of your feet to confirm their identity."
Ye Xingge pondered for a moment and found the idea rather strange.
But since it was just a hoax to lure people in, the weak crown prince of Western Shu wouldn't be enough to provoke anyone with ulterior motives. Thinking it over, I'll say:
"The soles of the feet aren't hidden; changing shoes and socks, treating injuries—they can all be seen. To lure the snake out, we'd need a very difficult spot. How about we change it to a place you've touched?"
"I touched it..."
Hongyu immediately thought of the completely impenetrable seven-inch gun, and a look of disgust appeared on her face:
"Pah! You pervert..."
"Hey, I'm talking about serious matters, not flirting with you."
"Okay, I'll hang up now!"
Seeing that there was no sound in his ears, Ye Xingge shook his head and smiled. At the same time, he was also a little curious about South-Flying Swallow's reaction if she really received this outrageous information, and how she would verify it.
After pondering this for a moment, someone arrived.
Chen Xiaobao and his follower Xiao Si ran through the alley and saw Ye Xingge standing on the rooftop, covered in dust and now only one eye, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Lord Ye, who is this scoundrel? How could you possibly..."
Hearing this, Ye Xingge figured that even if Zhang Jin ran back, no one might believe him, so he casually said:
"I was afraid of accidentally killing someone again during our fight, so I didn't use too much force when questioning him. But this bastard faked his death and sprinkled some lime."
Chen Xiaobao thought it couldn't be that bad.
Last time, Ye Xingge was doused with lime at the opera house, yet he blindfolded himself and still managed to kill dozens of people. Now, he's been ambushed and left covered in lime while the thieves escape. Is this really the same person he was in his daydreams?
However, even the best can make mistakes, and given the previous incident of killing Qian Zhong, Chen Xiaobao didn't ask many questions, but simply gave the order:
"Quickly, quickly, call the doctor..."
"Yes..."
It's past midnight; Heaven-Observing Pavilion.
As the large group of embroidered-clothes officials arrived at Myriad Phenomena Tower and brought Qian Zhong's body back to the Heaven-Observing Pavilion, the yamen, which had long since closed, became noisy again.
Ruan Jinyu and Gongsun Yanwu were both yelled at from their beds and were now holding an emergency meeting in the council hall with dark circles under their eyes. The military officers below them were in similar condition.
Leopard General Gongsun Yanwu is the commander of the Peacekeeping Bureau, responsible for the defense of the capital. His main duties are to prevent Jianghu bandits from entering the capital and causing trouble, and to deal with powerful bandits.
As a result, Ye Xingge all of his work!
The opera house, Pu'an Temple, and Myriad Phenomena Tower were all places where Jianghu bandits came to the capital to cause trouble. Gongsun Yanwu didn't even get to "arrive late".
Now he's starting to worry that if Ruan Jinyu ends up unharmed, he, the invisible man, might be replaced by a newcomer. He frowned and muttered to himself:
"This kid never sleeps? He just went to Shangjin Ferry and slaughtered a bunch of people during the day, and he can still come back for a second round tonight..."
Ruan Jinyu, dressed in a black brocade robe and holding a teacup, looked rather smug.
"The capable should do more, right? If the Peacekeeping Bureau could do Ye Xingge and give my Inspection Bureau a heads-up beforehand, wouldn't we be able to get involved in these cases? Right, Xiao Bao?"
Chen Xiaobao was also unclear about why he had repeatedly performed extraordinary feats.
But tell me, did you actually contribute anything?
At this moment, he stood tall and proud, saying:
"What a coincidence today! I had nothing to do tonight, so I arranged to patrol the streets with Lord Ye. I have sharp eyes and spotted Qian Zhong, but unfortunately, Lord Ye acted too quickly and chopped him down with a single stroke. I didn't get to know the reason for his death, but there must be a big case behind this..."
Gongsun Yanwu had not found out why Qian Zhong had come to the capital, and was slightly puzzled at this moment:
" Qian Zhong is ranked 340th, how could he not be a match for Ye Xingge? The coroner examined his injuries; the chest wound only affected his right arm's strength, so theoretically he should be able to defend himself..."
Ruan Jinyu's gaze sharpened, and she leaned closer:
"Does Lord Gongsun mean that Ye Xingge's skills are questionable? I've long suspected this..."
"Hey hey!"
Gongsun Yanwu discovered the dead eunuch, seized upon the excuse, and tried to pin the blame on him. He quickly raised his hand:
"I never said that! Lord Ruan, you should first investigate why Qian Zhong came to the capital and who the escapee was. Such a skilled thief has infiltrated the capital, yet the Inspection Bureau knows nothing about it..."
"How come the Inspection Bureau doesn't know? Isn't Chen Xiaobao Inspection Bureau of their people?"
"?"
Gongsun Yanwu was stunned!
Meanwhile, in the study on the top floor, amidst the bickering and blame-shifting between the brother government offices...
Zhang Zhiqing sat on the couch in his bathrobe, his eyes filled with a sense of melancholy for his son, but also with a hint of helplessness.
After all, even if Zhang Zhiqing doesn't look old, he's still over seventy years old.
In the middle of the night, while I was sleeping, a ' Heaven-Obscuring Star ' suddenly started flashing brightly, its seven colors obscuring the sky and the sun.
The scene was just like his great-grandmother coming to pick him up on a colorful cloud!
[ Observe Heaven and Gaze at the Moon ] is still a semi-passive skill. As long as Gold List martial artist's skill level shows obvious 'abnormalities', or an important divine weapon appears or is replaced, it will force him to activate, and it will be useless to leave the divine weapon aside.
If this continues every day, I'm afraid my mental health won't be able to take it.
Zhang Zhiqing was in a bad mood, so naturally he couldn't let that old scoundrel Yan sleep peacefully.
At this moment, Old Master Yan, sitting opposite him, was completely bewildered after being dragged over in the middle of the night. He glared at him and said, "..."
"What's the big deal? I thought Wu Chenglie was dead, that he jumped a few ranks. Is it really worth dragging an old man like me here in the middle of the night?"
Wu Yi, who was working overtime late into the night compiling the roster, sighed upon hearing this, "It's not a big deal, but Elder Yan's plan has a minor flaw."
Old Master Yan frowned. "What's wrong with it?"
Wu Yi explained:
" Ye Xingge is ruthless. He attacks like a lion hunting a rabbit, leaving no room for retreat. If Qian Zhong can't find the problem, Duke Zhang will have to take the fall for him."
"Secondly, Ye Xingge killed Qian Zhong, and his skill level increased by about half a year. With the help of the newly acquired Great Nine Yang, it is reasonable for him to jump 14 places to 314."
"But according to the 358 calculation, Ye Xingge would need to improve his skills by nearly two years."
"Two years of hard training, supplemented by the Great Nine Yang, only improved his ranking by 14 places. A 7-place improvement in a year... if Ye Xingge knew that, he'd probably suspect General Cao poisoned the Great Nine Yang Technique..."
"..."
Old Master Yan pondered for a moment and realized this was a problem:
"So, what does Brother Zhang mean?"
Zhang Zhiqing's original idea was to "achieve success in secrecy," dynamically adjusting the rankings based on the situation.
If Ye Xingge were to act like a normal martial artist, holding back three-tenths of his strength and striking steadily, and supplemented by Blood Courses Through the Eight Meridians, it would be difficult to detect any flaws in his technique.
Even if the perceived impact is not high, as long as the ranking jump is reasonable, doubts will eventually be dispelled.
But it's clear that this guy calculated far more before he made his move than a normal martial artist.
Zhang Zhiqing had just personally examined Qian Zhong's body. If the ranking on the Gold List was correct, this young man's single strike would have severely maimed Qian Zhong, allowing Ye Xingge to interrogate him or deal with other potential ambushes.
But if he falsifies the data, Ye Xingge's battle plan won't hold up.
Moreover, if the attack plan was calculated beforehand based on intelligence, and a flaw was discovered afterward, they would definitely realize the intelligence was false. At this moment, Zhang Zhiqing thought for a moment:
"Suppress him by about 20 places, then reveal his background and let him hide. This will cause Wu Chenglie to make a slight misjudgment. As for Later Zhou's reaction, this kid is too sharp. No matter how you suppress him, he will always stand out. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater."
Old Master Yan stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and nodded slightly:
"Alright. You are the Heaven-Observing Decree; you can make the arrangements directly. Why bother calling this old man here in the middle of the night?"
Zhang Zhiqing on his back:
"If you're unsure, let Brother Yan give you his opinion. Since you're already here, how about a game? I just looked through some chess records and figured out a divine move..."
"..."
Old Master Yan was dragged out of bed to play chess around 1 a. m., his expression quite complex, his eyes conveying the following meaning:
You damn old bastard!