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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 189: Deliberately Captured
Ji Zichen spent the night in the tent, unaware that his actions had led to the death of the Beautiful Maid. Now awake, he sat at the edge of his bed.
Outside the tent, the sounds of soldiers training reached his ears, reminding Kiko of his time in The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant. Back then, similar training noises filled the air, and he recalled the guidance given to him by the leader—a warm memory that felt distant now.
Kiko noticed that his feet were not shackled, nor was he tied up in any way. He understood that there must be guards outside; otherwise, Ling Xuan would not have felt secure enough to leave him unbound.
Looking toward the tent's entrance, Kiko realized it was not impenetrable. Escaping through that door would not be difficult, but leaving the camp was another matter entirely. Ling Xuan had treated him relatively well; at least he was not in a prison cell, and the tent provided him with ample space to move around.
Although he gazed at the tent's exit, thoughts of escape never crossed his mind. He was a captive now, and Ling Xuan held his life and death in her hands. The fact that she had not killed him did not mean she considered him a friend; rather, it indicated that he still held some value for her.
Kiko felt a pang of regret. If only he had managed to kill Ling Xuan back at Corner Lodge, he wouldn't have found himself in this predicament. However, on another note, killing Ling Xuan would not have been easy; she was young and alluring, yet Kiko could see in her eyes a disdain for everything around her.
His hearing was sharp; even from within the tent, he could catch snippets of conversation among the soldiers outside. Perhaps they did not perceive him as a threat due to his injuries.
Unable to sit still any longer, Kiko decided to step outside for a walk. As he exited the tent, he found no soldiers waiting for him—only Chen Er and Chen Si stood like sentinels at the entrance. Dressed in fitted uniforms with long swords at their waists, they seemed ready for anything.
Kiko found himself positioned directly between them. However, neither Chen Er nor Chen Si looked his way. He offered them a faint smile and took a few steps forward. To his surprise, they moved with him; each step he took was mirrored by theirs—if he stopped, they stopped too.
"Are you afraid I'll escape?" Kiko asked.
Chen Er continued to stare ahead without acknowledging him. "You can't get away," he replied coldly.
Kiko smirked. "Then why follow me?"
Chen Er fell silent as if Kiko's words had gone unheard.
Though Kiko could move about freely, his injuries had not fully healed. He simply did not want to appear weak in front of others. Not far ahead, a group of soldiers was practicing drills. His Demon-Slaying Sword had been taken from him, but the Five Elements Pearl remained on his wrist—no one could remove it unless he chose to let it go.
The Five Elements Pearl felt like a part of him, and the Demon-Slaying Sword must have been taken away by someone while Ling Xuan let him sleep.
At that moment, Chen Si glanced at Chen Er. Their eyes met, and although they didn't speak, Chen Er understood Chen Si's thoughts and smiled, nodding in response.
Suddenly, Chen Si walked towards the training soldiers and called out, "You four, step forward."
Four soldiers in training stepped out. Chen Si coldly scrutinized Ji Zichen with an arrogant demeanor. He pointed at Ji Zichen and said to the soldiers, "Today, he is your training target."
Ji Zichen frowned. The soldiers were armed with real weapons while he was unarmed and still recovering from his injuries. "What do you mean by this?" he asked.
Chen Si replied indifferently, " Mr. Ji has decent skills; please guide them."
Ji Zichen had killed Chen San, which made Chen Si angry. However, due to Ling Xuan's orders, he couldn't make things difficult for Ji Zichen. Yet, Ling Xuan's command only required them to keep an eye on Ji Zichen; it didn't prohibit the soldiers from sparring with him.
Chen Si clearly intended to embarrass Ji Zichen. He walked over to the weapon rack used for training and picked up a wooden sword. "Since you're injured, I won't push you too hard. Just use this wooden sword to guide them," he said with a smile.
How could a wooden sword compare to real weapons? Ji Zichen was furious inside but didn't show it.
With a command from Chen Si, who seemed to hold some authority in the camp, the four soldiers charged at Ji Zichen. If he didn't want to die, he could only defend himself with the wooden sword against their blades—each soldier wielding a different weapon: a sword, a spear, a large axe, and a hammer.
As the four weapons struck simultaneously, Ji Zichen's body reacted instinctively despite his injuries. He swiftly dodged the thrust of the spear and countered with surprising speed, striking back at its tip with the wooden sword. If he had been at his best, he could have easily used his internal energy to shake off the spear.
However, as soon as he activated his internal energy, pain shot through his chest. Ji Zichen could only lift his leg and side-kick the spear away. The spear flew out of the soldier's hand and into an open area nearby. Ji Zichen turned around and kicked again, hitting one soldier squarely in the chest and sending him flying backward.
Just as Ji Zichen knocked down one soldier, two others advanced—one wielding a sword and the other a spear—attacking him simultaneously. In a sudden move, Kiko threw the wooden sword at the soldier with the spear. Startled, that soldier attempted to retract his spear to sweep away the wooden sword but found Kiko grabbing hold of the spear instead.
At that moment, the wooden sword struck the soldier's face. The soldier cried out in pain while covering his face. Seizing the opportunity, Kiko snatched the spear and spun it around; its tip collided with the soldier's sword. With a swift motion, Kiko used the spearhead to strike at the soldier's wrist. The soldier winced in pain as his weapon fell to the ground.
If this were a real battle, Ji Zichen would have already thrust his spear into the soldiers' bodies. However, Ji Zichen did not wish to take their lives. He countered with a flair that seemed effortless, but at that moment, he felt a slight dizziness in his head.
Ji Zichen propped himself up with the spear, its tip resting on the ground, barely managing to keep himself standing.
A soldier wielding a hammer let out a loud shout and was about to swing it down when someone called out, "Stop!"
The soldier halted his attack as Chen Da approached from the left. Chen Da glanced at Chen Si and Chen San, aware of their intentions but choosing not to scold them. He addressed the soldier with the hammer and the injured soldier, saying, "You all step back."
Several soldiers moved forward to help the injured one away. Chen Si looked at Ji Zichen with a sneer. "Impressive! Even in this state, you still have the strength to fight back."
Just as Ji Zichen was about to respond, a prison cart drove up from outside the camp. Inside the cart was a person whose figure looked very familiar. As Ji Zichen focused his gaze, he realized that it was Xia Zhou, confined within the cage of the cart and looking quite humiliated.
Ji Zichen was taken aback. How had Xia Zhou become a prisoner? His grip on the spear tightened.
Chen Da stepped forward and also grasped the spear. Without saying anything, he cast a calm glance at Ji Zichen. Understanding his intent, Ji Zichen released his hold, and Chen Da took back the spear.
Though Xia Zhou appeared humiliated in the cage, his gaze was fixed intently on Ji Zichen. Suddenly, Ji Zichen understood the meaning behind Xia Zhou's eyes and thought in shock, "Was he doing this on purpose?"
Ji Zichen returned his stare, nearly breathless. "Is he here to rescue me? But why...?"
Before he could finish his thoughts, there was a tearing sound from the wooden cage as it suddenly shattered. Xia Zhou leaped down from the cart and threw Eight Desolation Needles, instantly sending ten nearby soldiers flying.
Chen Da shouted loudly, "Catch him! Don't let that bastard escape!"
Ji Zichen wanted to move, but as soon as he tried, it felt as if all his strength had drained away. He half-knelt on the ground.
Seeing Ji Zichen in such a state, Xia Zhou's heart jolted. "He's injured?"
As Xia Zhou was lost in concern for Ji Zichen, four long spears pressed down on his shoulders, forcing both him and Ji Zichen to kneel on the ground.
Chen Da stepped forward, casting a cold glance at Xia Zhou before snorting, "Put him in a cage!"
The soldiers promptly took Xia Zhou away.
Chen Da glanced at Ji Zichen and said, "Aren't you going to help him back to the tent?"
Night fell.
"Who is that person?" Ling Xuan asked Chen Da. Chen Da stepped forward to respond, "According to the soldiers who brought him back, they found this man in the bushes half a mile outside the camp. As soon as he saw them, he charged at them aggressively, but fortunately, they subdued him."
"Subdued?" Ling Xuan was silent for a moment before continuing, "That person could escape from a wooden cage, which proves he has some skills. Those soldiers wouldn't have had much chance of subduing him."
Chen Da also recognized Xia Zhou's abilities and remarked, "Could it be that he intentionally let the soldiers capture him?"
Chen Er chimed in, "I think that's likely."
But Chen Si was confused. "Why would that person want to let the soldiers capture him? Is he insane?"
Ling Xuan smiled slightly. "Not necessarily insane; it's us who have been fooled. This is Zhuque Chenjing; not just anyone can enter here."
Chen Da asked, "Then what does this person want?"
Ling Xuan chuckled and replied, "What else could it be? He must be here for our Valued Guest."
Chen Da was taken aback. " Ji Zichen?"
"Besides this, can you think of any other reasons?" Ling Xuan asked.
"If he wanted to save someone, why would he become a prisoner? Wouldn't it be better to come secretly?" Chen Erqi replied.
Ling Xuan took a deep breath and said, "Yes, this action is quite strange." Then, with a smile, Ling Xuan added, " Ji Zichen's friends are really interesting."
Chen Da remarked, "The group of soldiers sent to scout the Low Valley still hasn't reported back."
"Could there be others here?" Chen Si suggested.
"Maybe," Ling Xuan said. "Chen Da, instruct the men to increase patrols tonight."
Chen Da nodded. "Don't worry, I'll send more people to patrol the area."
Thinking of Ji Zichen, Ling Xuan asked, "How is Ji Zichen's injury?"
Chen Er scoffed. "I think he's mostly healed."
Chen Da shot Chen Er a glare, signaling him to keep quiet. He then said, " Ji Zichen's injury isn't fully healed; you can tell from our recent encounters. But why should he recuperate in the camp?"
Ling Xuan waved his hand, signaling them to leave, but added, "His life is more valuable than yours. Remember this clearly: as long as this matter is resolved, you and your master can be reunited."
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