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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 11 West King Phantom Group
As the Demon Queen perished, the Spider Emblem in her palm emitted white smoke and vanished. The mist dissipated, revealing Ji Zichen standing alone in the empty street. The one controlling the Demon Queen was a beautiful woman, seated cross-legged on a carpet in a secret chamber, surrounded by four green lamps. She possessed enchanting eyes like fog, and her alluring figure was faintly visible through gossamer fabric.
Before the Demon Queen's demise, the four green lamps glowed steadily. With her departure, the lights abruptly extinguished, shattering the lamps. She immediately fell back, spitting blood; the backlash left her sprawled on the carpet, creating a scene that could mesmerize any man.
Her face was stunningly beautiful, with features like a painting and skin that was smooth and rosy. Most striking was a beauty mark beside her mouth; though alluring, she gritted her teeth and said, " Ji Zichen, I will not let you go!"
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In Jiaoshu City, Ji Zichen noticed two Patrolmen entering the street. He quickly hid in the shadows of an alley and overheard one Patrolman say, "I just heard there was a fire at a private residence in the west of the city."
The other Patrolman replied indifferently, "The west side is known for slave trading; it might just be a slave causing trouble. It's not our jurisdiction as long as it doesn't come to us."
"I wonder how they are doing," Ji Zichen thought of Xiang Yan. As the Patrolmen passed by, he returned to the corner of the private residence and saw a group of Patrolmen blocking the entrance. The door stood wide open. Ji Zichen hesitated for a moment, considering whether to enter through the back wall when someone softly called from behind him, "Young Master Ji."
Ji Zichen turned to see the servant who had delivered tea earlier standing behind him. "It's you," he said.
The servant smiled slightly. "This place is not safe for long; Young Master Ji should follow me."
They walked through several streets to a secluded area. The servant said, "General Xiang wants you to meet Second Sister now. You need to persuade her to leave tonight; if she resists, you may have to force her out."
Ji Zichen understood that forcibly taking Lin Chuyu away would lead to many troubles. "Forcefully taking someone? That will alert the guards," he replied.
"Of course," the servant said. "That is a last resort. There is a secret passage that can be used to enter, but once inside, Young Master Ji must be adaptable."
Ji Zichen pondered for a moment before saying, "I'm not familiar with the inner city; if I'm caught..."
The servant replied seriously, "If Young Master Ji is captured and reveals General Xiang's name, the general will deny it."
Ji Zichen sneered, "You ask me for help, yet expect me to obey your every command!"
The Servant slowly replied, "Before Second Sister leaves the inner city, the General will not fall out with the City Lord." The Servant took out a simplified map of the inner city and said, "This is the map of the inner city, marked with Second Sister's residence."
Ji Zichen took the map and said to himself, "To save her from the tiger's mouth, I have no choice but to take this risk."
Ji Zichen asked, "Where is the secret passage?"
The Servant pointed to the ground and said, "The entire Corner Lodge is a secret passage. The current Corner Lodge is a new city built on top of the old one. We have chosen a shortcut for you."
The Servant led Ji Zichen to the entrance of the shortcut, which was an abandoned deep well in the south of the city. Ji Zichen leaned over to look into the dark well and asked, "Where do we meet after coming out?"
The Servant replied, "To avoid suspicion, I cannot wait for you here. Not far from here is a Fuyuan Silk Store; we will meet there."
Ji Zichen nodded, "I hope I can bring her out safely."
With that, Ji Zichen's body tensed as he leaped down into the well.
Inside the well was a half-human-sized hole that had been smashed open. Beyond the hole was a passageway with light shining from deep within. Following the light, Ji Zichen found that it wasn't a passage but a street. The light came from a torch that General Xiang had presumably prepared since this Underground City was uninhabited.
The torch was placed in the center to avoid raising suspicion by casting light out of the well's opening. It was propped against the door of an abandoned house, which was decayed and emitted a foul moldy smell. Staying too long might cause one to faint from such stench.
Ji Zichen did not linger and proceeded along the street. The Underground City was eerily quiet, as if all sound in the world had vanished. While others might be terrified by such an atmosphere, Ji Zichen had explored many ruins and was accustomed to it.
At the end of the street was a Bone Pile that emitted a strong and unpleasant odor. Wrinkling his nose, Ji Zichen approached it. The torch illuminated that these bones were not human but rather livestock remains. It looked as though someone had slaughtered animals and discarded some useless bones here. Above the Bone Pile was a well opening that had become a garbage dump.
Ji Zichen could not hold onto the torch while climbing up, so he retreated several feet and placed it in a corner where loose soil lay. This way, it wouldn't shine light on the Bone Pile or cause a fire hazard. He then approached the Bone Pile and used his lightness skill to leap up to the well opening.
Above the well was a large open space with no houses within hundreds of meters; all structures were far away. Ji Zichen took out his map to check; it indicated that Lord's Mansion was to his right. Anticipating that there would be Patrolmen on the street, he did not want to raise any alarms. He approached a nearby house and lightly leaped onto its roof tiles. As he stepped on them, they remained completely still, like a swift swallow gliding over rooftops without waking anyone inside.
Before long, Ji Zichen arrived at Lord's Mansion. He entered the estate through a back alley wall and followed the signs to a courtyard. In the courtyard stood a pavilion, its second floor illuminated. Ji Zichen tucked the map away and noticed that the window on the second floor was wide open, with an awning outside to shield from the rain. He leaped onto the awning and quietly peered inside.
Inside, he saw a large bathtub, and a screen painted with peach blossom trees stood about ten feet away from it. There were entrances on both sides of the screen, draped with curtains. Ji Zichen slipped into the room, positioning himself beside the screen, and lifted the curtain with two fingers to check the situation.
Behind the screen was a bedroom, lavishly decorated like a royal palace. Lin Chuyu sat alone at an exquisite tea table, her expression forlorn as she stared blankly at a Vajra in her hands. Upon seeing Lin Chuyu, Ji Zichen couldn't help but feel surprised; before him sat Lin Chuyu, dressed in an elegant purple floral gown, her hair adorned with a phoenix jade hairpin. Her skin was as smooth as cream, and on her hand was a gold-inlaid jade bracelet.
A light golden tassel hung from her waist, with a Light Purple Begonia Gold Thread Scent Pouch attached above it. She appeared stunningly beautiful, no longer the Lin Chuyu who had once worn rough clothing while leading his horse.
Ji Zichen felt an unspoken barrier had formed between them, and a hint of inexplicable bitterness arose in his heart as he murmured to himself, "After all, she is the daughter of the city lord."
At that moment, Lin Chuyu suddenly became alert and exclaimed, "Who is there?"
Startled, Ji Zichen quickly dropped the curtain. He didn't even know why he was hiding; wasn't his purpose to find her?
Taking a deep breath, he was about to lift the curtain and face her when he heard the sound of the door opening. He abruptly halted his hand that was about to pull back the curtain.
Two figures entered the room, wearing wide-brimmed hats and long black veils that hung down to their waists.
One of them spoke in a deep voice, "I apologize for intruding, Second Sister. I am Western King, Ghost Team Guard Officer. I came ahead to greet you before escorting you back to the city."
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