Martial King's Retired Life

Book 15: Chapter 107

Virtually immediately Ming Feizhen gave his instructions, there were people climbing up the seven floors of Dongpo as rhythmically as rainfall. The synchrony indicated they were thoroughly trained, so Feng Jiutian instantly discerned they were a group that mobilised in response to the ruckus. They wouldn’t have been so conspicuous if they were looking to capture someone discreetly.

Frankly, it was a tough task to shoo them off when Ming Feizhen gave him practically no time to prepare. There was an injured individual lying on the table, flesh and blood scattered around, and a guy who shouldn’t have been revealed to the public stuffed in a sack underneath the table. In his own lap was a crow he had to keep alive. What sort of fib was he meant to tell when he was under heavy surveillance? Thankfully, he was the successor of Feng Clan, a man who had participated in many big events, gone face to face with fearsome people. Why not play it by ear?

Feng Jiutian sat down, crossed his legs, picked up a wine pot and knocked back three drinks – making one toast to the sun that hadn’t come out, the moon and one just for himself. He didn’t acknowledge the agents as he knew that their superior would eventually show up, and that’d be the person he’d have to truly deal with.

A cocky young man in his twenties arrived on the top floor moments after and started scanning the floor. “Young Master Feng.”

Although he had never met the cocky individual, Feng Jiutian wasn’t surprised he was recognised. “You all seem eager to brown nose me while I am drinking. Unfortunately, it is a little too late for that.”

“Hehe, not at all. Everyone knows that you are fond of making friends. There is nobody who is not proud about being your friend. If anything, I have been jealous. It is an honour to finally meet you. Let us share a drink.” Feng Jiutian immediately sensed piercing gazes on his back warning him that he was going to be in for it if he didn’t wise up, but he leisurely filled up a cup to pass over. “May I ask for your honourable name?”

“My surname is Qian. I would not dare claim my name is worthy of being honourable as yours is.”

That was enough for Feng Jiutian to identify the guy as Qian Daojin, one of the seventeen hidden dragons. While the volatile warrior’s combat skills were unknown, he was respected for his qinggong.

The agents all had different auras. Typically, they wouldn’t carry visible weapons and opted for hidden ones since visible weapons would’ve been a hindrance during their work operations. The fact that they carried their own specialised weapons gave away what their aura was – hostility. From what Feng Jiutian knew, the agents were mainly obedient; he had never seen agents so bloodthirsty that they could’ve been mistaken for Qilin Guards.

“May I ask how me drinking here has gotten in your way?”

Qian Diaojin raised a hand and shook his head with a smile. “I am the one asking the questions, not you. We are working, not here for a bribe.”

Qian Diaojin’s unfriendly tone and attitude were unexpected since Feng Jiutian’s kind was among the most popular in the capital. The Qilin Guards would not have given him that attitude.

“My favourite activity is making friends, but I pick competent people with good character. Although it is our first meeting today, every word you say is exactly what I think.”

“What have I said that you agree with? I wonder if you are courageous enough to bear some consequences.”

“I have always been known for having the least courage. You can be forthright.” As he interacted with Qian Diaojin, Feng Jiutian never stopped analysing the situation.

Feng Jiutian originally planned to subdue Ming Feizhen at the estate and then dump all the blame for his actions on Orange Prince, essentially telling a tale of Ming Feizhen and Orange Prince fighting with each other and both dying in the process. Of course, the plan did not pan out the way he foresaw it. It was perfectly normal for everyone to pay attention if they found out Ming Feizhen brought him to Dongpo and stayed for an entire. The question was, what was Qian Diaojin after?

“We rushed here after receiving a signal, and I had to run bloody damn fast. I don’t know what to ask, either, but since you are here, I may as well ask: what are you doing here?”

“Drinking alcohol.”

Qian Diaojin clapped. “I thought as much. You would not be eating dessert if you had a cup of alcohol in hand, right? That is all, but I was hoping to ask what the deal with all the blood and flesh on the ground is. Did you kill someone?”

“I would never dare. It was here before I arrived. Perhaps my cousin had a martial arts contest with someone and overdid it.”

“I understand. That must be what happened. It appears we were mistaken. Eh? What is the sack on the ground?”

As soon as Qian Diaojin reached for the sack, Feng Jiutian called, “Wait. He is my enemy. I had him captured and was just thinking about what to do with him when you arrived.”

“I see. I shall give him a thrashing to help you vent for a start.”

“Wait!”

Before Feng Jiutian could finish, Feng Qizhi landed heavily, barely landing on his feet. Considering what he just woke up from, it was admirable he was even able to stand.

“I can see why you needed to warn me.” Qian Diaojin, taking the sack into his hands, giggled. “You are going to be extra famous now. It has been entertaining watching you appear and disappear, as well as switch identities, recently. Do not die here. Life is boring and bitter. Nobody would want the world to be less some entertainment.”

Despite Qian Diaojin having the sack in his possession now, Feng Jiutian smiled cordially. “Did you know that Agent Dugu and I are friends?”

Qian Diaojin was initially surprised Feng Jiutian was still calm, but he couldn’t help laughing when he heard Feng Jiutian. “I see. I see. You misunderstand. We are split between two camps. One of us serves His Majesty and acts as the face of our bureau. The other group serves our grand commander and are dirtbags. Tie Hanyi and company are so concerned about our reputation that they do not dare to kill or apprehend people. As for us, I have already introduced us. We are dirtbags. We have no qualms getting our hands dirty. Therefore, if you think we will give way on account of Dugu, you are sorely mistaken. We hate their group the most.”

That explained why Feng Jiutian felt this group was starkly different to the Emperor’s Entourage he knew. The internal split was known only to the group. Their reputation plummeted when Ye Yun took the reins as he was so ruthless in his approach that officials complained; even His Majesty had to step in and warn Ye Yun to rein himself in. To solve the problem, Ye Yun implemented the simple policy of splitting the bureau into two groups, assigning one group to himself, which adopted his extreme approach and carried out his assignments. Meanwhile, the other group played the good guys and were duty-bound to guard His Majesty. His Majesty and Ye Yun’s friends tried to persuade him out of it, but to no avail. Needless to say, people knew better than to provoke him when he of all people already made a compromise. Emperor’s Entourage continued carrying out their duties, except there was a new group that acted as the public representatives of the group.

“If you want me to be respectful, it’s simple.” Qian Diaojin sat down and, in a quiet voice, said, “Sneak into the imperial city, and take His Majesty’s head. You can do whatever you want afterwards. I’ll respect you if you’re a monarch.” He then shook the sack and continued, “Wow, this is quite heavy. What have you hidden inside that you cannot bear to part with?”

“It appears you assume I am a pushover, so you are showing your true nature. As someone who cherishes his friends, allow me to give you a warning.” Switching to a stern tone, Feng Jiutian warned, “Do not shoot yourself in the foot.”

A man showed up by the staircase with a group of warriors behind him. Gan Fengchi returned to Dongpo with reinforcements long ago and was only waiting for Feng Jiutian’s orders. From the moment he saw Ming Feizhen, he knew that there was no way for them to get away scot-free; however, he could not just abandon Feng Jiutian, which was the reason he returned with reinforcements. Waiting downstairs was an expression of, “Be prim and proper to avoid conflict.” Feng Jiutian knew what Gan Fengchi was up to, but it was no time for him to be fighting with his companion.

“Should you dare to untie the sack, I guarantee your head will be inside there straight away,” threatened Feng Jiutian, smiling.

“Wow, that is scary. I am afraid of the dark.”

“How about we call it quits?”

“Absolutely. It is just that I have a vice.”

“You are too modest. You have more than one vice.”

“You flatter me. At most, two.” Giddily, Qian Diaojin added, “I have always wanted to be an official because I love nothing more than promotions and money. That is a bad trait, is it not?”

“Those are not vices. Promotions and money are everyone’s wishes. If those are your wishes, it will be easy. If you can help me out, I will repay the favour.”

“I cannot do that.” Qian Diaojin wagged his hand. “My other vice is that I want to rely on myself to get promotions. Whenever I see an opportunity for a promotion, I refuse to let it slip.” He shook the sack before continuing, “The leader of the rebels at the base outside the capital, Qu Ji, has been missing for some time. This sack is quite heavy. Do you reckon it has something to do with the traitorous general?” Still smiling, he whispered, “Plus, you are suspected of kidnapping Demon Sect’s holy maiden, so you should technically be arrested and interrogated. I am catching two birds with one stone.”

“Haha, do you have proof?”

“While it is true that we do not have evidence, we are notorious for arresting the wrong people. Worst comes to worst, we will apologise a few days later and praise you. I will then submit a letter of repentance to express my sincere apology. Only close friends receive one. Most of the time, we just put it down to the heavens looking down unkindly on talented people. We are prepared to frame people, you know? That said, I can tell that you cannot do anything about me right now.”

“Try me.”

“Usually I would not, but not taking advantage of someone in troubled waters is foolish.” Qian Diaojin cast his gaze towards Feng Qizhi, who was on the verge of collapsing, whilst remaining vigilant because both sides were ready to throw down, but then Qian Diaojin stared into the distance and frowned as he muttered, “Grand Commander has summoned us. Let’s move.”

Qian Diaojin gave Feng Jiutian a smirk. “I came to the wrong place? Heh, Boss sure has a cool way of summoning us. I’m going to do the same thing in the future. Let’s move!”

As Qian Diaojin headed off, Feng Jiutian asked, “I heard you went to Suzhou to settle the matter concerning Cold Mountain Temple and have only just returned today. Has the matter been settled?”

Without turning back, Qian Diaojin responded, “If Feng Clan wants to stick their nose in even this, they will not last for long.”

***

“You have a decent subordinate. Ming Feizhen, arms folded, bobbed his head.

Ming Feizhen was actually still at Dongpo. After all, unless he fled somewhere far with Elise, there was no place that was absolutely safe when Emepror’s Entourage was watching him, but he didn’t have enough time to go that far. Hence, he jumped in from the fourth floor’s partition. It turned out that the partition was a fake moving door. While the control contraption’s location was a mystery, people didn’t mistakenly touch the door since it was as tall as two men stacked on top of each other. Only once one entered would they find there was another hidden passage connecting the first floor all the way up to the seventh floor hidden by the corridor.

Elise voiced, “Lord San Sh-.”

“Don’t speak,” Ming Feizhen sternly commanded. “I won’t ask why you’re here yet. Right now, the situation is complicated. No matter who you see in a bit, keep your mouth shut.”

Elise would not defy Ming Feizhen, but she couldn’t resist charging at the person who came. “You!”

As soon as Elise tried to move, Ming Feizhen knocked her out.

“She’s a good kid. She’s just not too right up there.” Ming Feizhen set Elise on the ground and then turned to the man in the wheelchair.

When Emperor’s Entourage mobilised, Ming Feizhen was sure Ye Yun hadn’t entered Dongpo, yet he was already here now.

Ye Yun didn’t bother with the girl affiliated with the group he hated the most. “Don’t care. Ximen is gone. The remnants aren’t even worthy of being appetisers. You think you can sweep all this under the rug after the fiasco you caused?”

Ming Feizhen knew he had to face reality since Ye Yun showed up. “You know, I love eating here the most. The dishes are supreme delicacies. You don’t need to strategize against me. Just open a restaurant like this, and I will eat myself into bankruptcy.”

“Have you ever paid for a meal?”

Ming Feizhen harrumphed and then started praising the ceiling. “By the way, since you’re approaching me, aren’t you breaking the agreement?”

“There are no witnesses, so no.”

“Nobody as good at corruption as government officials as always. I never would’ve thought of that.”

“I could spend three days talking about the past with you, but you know that’s not what I’m here for. If you don’t want to tell the truth, I’ll use my own means of making you talk.”

Despite the atmosphere turning tense, Ming Feizhen fearlessly nodded. “I’ve always been curious… Is there a contraption on your wheelchair? This is the sixth floor, yet you’re faster than me.”

“…”

“Don’t stare at me like that. If you have a question, ask away.”

“I must know everything about Gongsun Chu. Everything.”

Ming Feizhen expected as much as soon as he saw Ye Yun, so he spilt the beans. “Counsellor?”

“Hahaha, you’re calling a man who’s lived for over a century a counsellor?”

“Don’t forget I’m a Hanlin Academician.”

“True.” Ye Yun nodded.

“You don’t need to pity me. I’m not telling you all this for free. Seeing as this is an exchange of intel, you need to share something. By the way, how’s Bai Yumo? My shiniang will have it out for me if I lose her.”

“In the capital. She ran into your friend from Clear Mirror Palace yesterday.”

“Tang Ye? He actually went to woo her? Wait a second… Ah, little runt is trying to become my uncle?”

The first time Ye Yun heard Ming Feizhen talk about ruining the country’s personnel or complaining about his family, he despised it; however, he was reluctantly used to it by this point.

“Okay, now to the main topic. Why did you draw him out?” questioned Ye Yun, referring to the mysterious guest.

“You know him?”

“I know about everyone who enters the capital. He belongs to a mysterious organisation that we’re suspecting is linked to Gongsun Chu. He most likely entered the capital to search for Gongsun Chu and to confiscate Gongsun Chu’s privileges.”

Ming Feizhen’s silence was an indication that he knew something. Nevertheless, Ye Yun didn’t pry since Ming Feizhen wouldn’t have told him anyway. One term in their agreement to exchange information was that they couldn’t force it out of each other. As a matter of fact, they were supposed to pretend they didn’t know each other.

“Now that’s he’s escaped, all my arrangements have been trashed. He’s escaping from the capital as we speak. It’s impossible to track him without Gui Que.”

“Gui Que isn’t around? Where is he?”

“Hmph.”

Though Ming Feizhen saw Ye Yun smile, he could tell it was a devious smile.

“He’s just asking to suffer. It’s well-deserved for leaving his post without permission, though.” Switching to a serious mode, Ye Yun warned, “You went overboard this time. I need to report a portion of it.”

“How much?”

“Her.”

Ming Feizhen knew Ye Yun referred to Elise. It was impossible to hide the matter from His Majesty when all of the agents knew about Feng Jiutian kidnapping her.

“If you want to protect Feng Jiutian, you need to be prepared.”

“I know where to toe the line.”

“… What exactly do you want?”

“Are you still worried when Heavenly Dao Alliance universally guarantees I am not the enemy?”

“Would you feel assured if Divine Moon Cult’s Lord San Shen was working at Liu Shan Men?”

“I couldn’t, but you can.” Ming Feizhen shrugged. “You don’t have any issues bossing Zero around, after all.”

“…” Ye Yun wheeled himself to the door and, with his back facing Ming Feizhen, asserted, “If you weren’t his disciple, I wouldn’t have let you into the capital.”

“You know what I’m capable of.”

“Zero and you shouldn’t be in the capital. I let you two in to prove to you that you’re wrong.”

Ming Feizhen smiled. “What’s there to complain about if one has the opportunity to work with ‘Ying Long, even if in the capacity as enemies.”

“See you.”

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