Chapter 411: Sea Capture Documents

The Sword Spring River flowed swiftly, its waters crashing against the banks with a rushing sound.

It was unknown how many years this river had flowed, for only then had the wisp of sword intent within its spring waters carved the riverbed into a gorge and cut the banks into sheer cliffs.

As Chen Ji swam across the swift river, Mr. Liao was nowhere to be found. Chen Ji grabbed onto the slanting willows growing on the cliff face and slowly climbed up. Disregarding his soaking wet clothes, he continued his pursuit, following the sparse bloodstains on the ground.

By the riverbank, only the sound of flowing water remained.

From dawn till dusk, the sound of hooves finally echoed. A white horse slowly approached the river, carrying a rider who wore a white dragon-patterned mask and an unchanging white robe.

White Dragon halted his horse by the riverbank, looking at the bloodstains on the ground, then raising his head towards the opposite bank. "The blood trail ends here," he said. "They've crossed the river!"

Behind White Dragon, Black Serpent and Treasure Monkey stood to his left and right.

After them, White Rabbit and Cloud Ram led over a hundred mounted secret agents closely behind.

Further in the distance, thundering hooves could be heard as the Jie Fan Guards, clad in straw cloaks and bamboo hats, sealed off the mountain. Their presence was immense.

Someone had impersonated Jie Fan Guards to assassinate the Crown Prince and Prince Fu right under the Emperor's nose. This incident had caused an uproar, far more severe than the assassination of the Minister of Revenue over a decade ago.

The Imperial Prison was packed with suspects, and the screams never ceased for a moment.

White Dragon was in no hurry to draw conclusions, waiting for the secret agents searching the mountain to report clues periodically.

A secret agent galloped over, knelt on one knee beside White Dragon, cupped his fists, and said, "My Lord, traces of fighting and abandoned warhorses have been found at Furongping. The Five Fiends' Army must have abandoned their horses here to pursue."

After this agent left, another agent reported, "My Lord, traces of fighting have been found at the summit of Xianglu Peak. The square stones at the peak have been shattered..."

"My Lord, the Crown Prince still hasn't been found..."

One after another, secret agents came and went, but White Dragon remained silent.

If he didn't speak, no one else dared to.

Currently, Xiangshan was enveloped in a thick fog of mystery. Everyone only knew that after Prince Fu and others were ambushed, Chen Ji had led the Five Fiends' Army away.

Yet, no one knew what had happened after Chen Ji left. Traces of fighting were scattered all over the mountains, as if someone had battled here for a day and a night, only to stop abruptly at the Sword Spring River. Who was fighting whom? Hadn't Mr. Liao fled with the Crown Prince? How could a severed arm appear at the foot of Xianglu Peak? Where had the Five Fiends' Army gone? Why could none of them be found? The blood trail led all the way to the Sword Spring River, but who had crossed the river from there? Where were Chen Ji, the Crown Prince, and Mr. Liao? The perplexing questions were too numerous to count.

White Dragon looked distantly at the opposite riverbank and calmly asked, "What do you all think?"

Cloud Ram hastily began, "My Lord, according to Prince Fu, on the night they entered the Red Leaf Villa..."

White Dragon interrupted him with a flat tone, "If you're going to recount things everyone already knows, then be quiet. Your strength isn't in your mind. Say less, and perhaps you might even regain your position among the Zodiac animals!"

Cloud Ram held his breath, almost suffering internal injuries from the effort.

He secretly glanced at White Rabbit, but White Rabbit appeared indifferent, her gaze already drifting somewhere unknown.

White Dragon smiled. "Ning Xin is indeed smarter than you. She knows this matter is significant, not something you can easily get involved with and understand."

White Rabbit covered her mouth and giggled, "Thank you for the compliment, My Lord!"

White Dragon ignored her, only softly asking, "What do you think, Treasure Monkey?"

From beneath Treasure Monkey's wooden monkey mask, a female voice emerged. "My Lord, in my humble opinion, after Chen Ji led away the Five Fiends' Army, he fought them all the way to Xianglu Peak and was eventually killed by them. Then, after finishing their killing, the Five Fiends' Army happened to encounter Mr. Liao and the Crown Prince, who had fled to this spot. Mr. Liao was no match, lost an arm, and could only flee across the river with the Crown Prince in haste!"

But from beneath the monkey mask, a high-pitched voice also chimed in, "No, no, that's not right. If what you say is true, why wasn't Chen Ji's body found at the summit of Xianglu Peak?"

The female voice raised its volume, "Perhaps it was thrown down the mountain. How long have we been searching? Maybe if we search a bit more, we'll find it!"

The high-pitched voice retorted again, "That's still not right. If Mr. Liao was fleeing with the Crown Prince, he would surely head east towards Yuquan Mountain. Why would he come north? What would he do up north?"

From beneath the monkey mask, a hoarse voice spoke again, "If you ask me..."

White Dragon interrupted him with a flat tone, "Noisy. Go argue somewhere else!"

Treasure Monkey cupped his fists towards White Dragon and obediently replied, "Yes, My Lord!"

He steered his horse to the side, and from beneath the mask, a heavy voice whispered, "Stop bickering, damn it. What if you upset him again, and he decides to beat us up..."

The high-pitched voice immediately retorted, "He hasn't beaten us for a year now, what's there to be afraid of? He's much gentler now. Perhaps he's killed too many people and had a change of heart, wanting to accumulate some hidden virtues for himself!"

The hoarse voice said in a low tone, "This is a huge credit; don't let Black Serpent snatch it."

Treasure Monkey said sternly, "Shut up."

After Treasure Monkey rode further away, White Dragon casually said, "Black Serpent, you speak!"

Black Serpent, wrapped in a black cloak, rode forward. "My Lord," he said, "I suspect Chen Ji intended to assassinate the Crown Prince and was an accomplice of the Five Fiends' Army's summoner!"

White Rabbit and Cloud Ram exchanged glances. Prince Fu had said Chen Ji was a hero who led away the pursuers. How had Chen Ji suddenly become the one who assassinated the Crown Prince?

"Oh? Tell me more!"

Just as Black Serpent was about to speak, a secret agent galloped over to report, "Report!"

The agent came to White Dragon's side, knelt on one knee, and said, "My Lord, the Crown Prince has been found! He was hidden in a crevice beneath Furongping and has caught a cold!"

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

"The Crown Prince has been found?"

They had thought Mr. Liao had taken the Crown Prince across the river. How was the Crown Prince still within the Xiangshan area?

White Dragon asked gravely, "Only the Crown Prince?"

"Only the Crown Prince. Neither Chen Ji nor Liao Zhong was seen. Your subordinates have brought the Crown Prince over."

Everyone turned to look and saw four secret agents carrying a crude wooden palanquin, bringing the weakened Crown Prince to the riverbank.

White Dragon rode his horse to stand before the Crown Prince. "Your Highness," he asked, "what happened here?"

The Crown Prince slowly lifted his eyelids, his voice thin as a wisp of silk. "Mr. Liao, to save me, forcibly brought me to Furongping! But as soon as we arrived at Furongping, Chen Ji led those spectral beings to pursue us. I never expected that those spectral beings would actually obey his command and surround Mr. Liao and me!"

"Afterward, Mr. Liao broke through the encirclement with me, hid me in a secluded spot, and then drew Chen Ji and those spectral beings away himself... My Lord White Dragon, have you found any trace of Mr. Liao? You must save Mr. Liao."

The Crown Prince was extremely weak as he spoke. He looked up, staring directly at White Dragon's mask, his gaze sincere and urgent.

His words came as a thunderbolt from the blue.

White Rabbit and Cloud Ram exchanged glances. So Black Serpent had been right? Chen Ji intended to assassinate the Crown Prince?

White Dragon looked at Black Serpent, then at the Crown Prince, and said with a light chuckle, "Your Highness, Mr. Liao, Chen Ji, and the Five Fiends' Army are all missing, but please don't worry. Mr. Liao should still be alive!"

The Crown Prince pleaded earnestly, "My Lord White Dragon, Chen Ji is audacious and unforgivable. I request that the Secret Service issue a wanted poster to apprehend this villain."

White Dragon said with a smile, "Your Highness, I believe there might be a misunderstanding regarding your claim that Chen Ji attempted to assassinate you!"

The Crown Prince's expression gradually became calm, showing no emotion. "What misunderstanding?" he asked.

White Dragon said unhurriedly, "You said that after Mr. Liao hid you, he led Chen Ji and the Five Fiends' Army away?"

The Crown Prince nodded. "That is indeed correct!"

White Dragon casually remarked, "Then, after they discovered Mr. Liao was alone, why didn't they return to search for you? Their target wasn't Mr. Liao!"

The Crown Prince immediately explained, "After they left, I departed from my hiding place and walked another five li before finding the crevice to hide in. Perhaps they did return to search, but simply didn't find me!"

His explanation was airtight.

Black Serpent looked at White Dragon. "My Lord, should we apprehend Chen Ji?"

White Dragon calmly said, "No need!"

The Crown Prince suddenly asked gravely, "My Lord White Dragon, what do you mean by this? Do you believe me or Chen Ji?"

Everyone silently looked at White Dragon, but White Dragon's mask concealed everything.

Over a hundred secret agents held their breath, quietly waiting for White Dragon to respond to the Crown Prince's questioning. The next moment, White Dragon slowly said, "Your Highness, I believe Chen Ji!"

At these words, Black Serpent, Treasure Monkey, White Rabbit, and Cloud Ram all felt a jolt in their hearts.

The Crown Prince frowned. "My Lord White Dragon, do you mean to say you believe those spectral beings were commanded by me?"

White Dragon said softly, "Your Highness, I merely suggested that you might have misunderstood something. I said nothing else!"

The Crown Prince braced himself on the palanquin's armrest and stood up. He looked up, staring directly at White Dragon's mask. "Or perhaps, My Lord White Dragon, you are also Chen Ji's accomplice and wish to shield him?"

White Rabbit and Cloud Ram exchanged glances. Only they knew that White Dragon had once shielded Chen Ji in Luocheng, and had even made them both nominal subordinates of Chen Ji...

"It is not that I intentionally shield anyone," White Dragon said unhurriedly, "but rather that Your Highness may not yet know the origin of this Five Fiends' Army! In the eleventh year of Jianing, the Secret Service's previous Zodiac member 'Tomb Dog' unearthed an ancient site from the western suburbs of Changsha Prefecture, extracting twelve scrolls of ancient texts and placing them on the first floor of the Jie Fan Tower!"

"The seventh scroll of the scripture records that the Five Fiends' Army consists of vengeful spirits from ancient battlefields, who died for unknown reasons and, for unknown reasons, remained in the mortal world, lingering indefinitely. Afterward, a portion of the Five Fiends' Army accepted the Daoist Court's pacification, becoming Thunder Altar Soldiers, commanded by the Daoist Court as 'Heavenly Fiend Soldiers'. Another small portion refused pacification and was expelled by the Daoist Court, later sealed by the Buddhist sect in a place called 'Five Turbid Realms of Evil,' where they are immortal and undying!"

Black Serpent glanced back at White Rabbit and Cloud Ram, noticing that they too were astonished. In their daily work, they had only focused on their duties, completely unaware that the Jie Fan Tower contained such scriptures!

White Dragon said unhurriedly, "The ancient texts clearly state that the Five Fiends' Army is unruly and often retaliates against its masters, enjoying decapitating them. Therefore, this art has always been regarded as an evil practice..."

The Crown Prince asked in confusion, "What does this have to do with my claim that Chen Ji was an accomplice in the assassination?"

"Don't rush, Your Highness!" White Dragon explained with a smile. "The Five Fiends' Army is summoned by blood sacrifice and must kill one person for their master before they can return to the Five Turbid Realms of Evil by dawn the next day, otherwise they will vanish into thin air. Therefore, if they were truly here to assassinate Your Highness, when Mr. Liao carried the Crown Prince away, they should have pursued the Crown Prince. Why would they remain on the battlefield waiting for Chen Ji to leave before they left? The person they intended to kill, from beginning to end, was none other than Chen Ji!"

The Crown Prince had never imagined that White Dragon knew so much about the Five Fiends' Army!

But the arrow had been shot, and what was done could not be undone.

The Crown Prince was silent for a long time, then asserted firmly, "Ancient records aren't necessarily accurate! I clearly recall that in the twenty-fourth year of Jianing, the Secret Service once unearthed an ancient site where books described a treasure. Yet, despite the Secret Service mobilizing a large force to search, they found nothing! My Lord White Dragon, the Secret Service has uncovered many ancient texts over the years, and seven or eight out of ten are wrong!"

He looked up at White Dragon. "But Chen Ji's assassination attempt on me was something I witnessed with my own eyes; it cannot be wrong!"

Seeing that he insisted Chen Ji had commanded the Five Fiends' Army, White Dragon calmly said, "If that is the case, then rest assured, Your Highness, my Secret Service will surely investigate this matter thoroughly until the truth is revealed! Someone, escort the Crown Prince back to rest!"

At this moment, the sound of hooves approached from afar. Everyone turned to look and saw Lin Chaoqing leading dozens of mounted Jie Fan Guards arriving swiftly.

Lin Chaoqing's gaze slowly swept from beneath his bamboo hat, finally settling on the Crown Prince. "It is good that Your Royal Highness is unharmed," he said. "Your humble subordinate will escort Your Highness back to the capital!"

The Crown Prince sat back in the palanquin and suddenly spoke, "Lord Lin, Chen Ji intended to assassinate me. Please have the Jie Fan Guards issue a wanted poster to apprehend Chen Ji!"

Lin Chaoqing slightly narrowed his eyes and quietly assented.

White Dragon said unhurriedly, "The truth is unclear. Issuing a wanted poster now would be premature!"

Lin Chaoqing was silent for a moment. "As for the matters of the Jie Fan Guards," he said, "there's no need for My Lord White Dragon to worry!"

In the distance, Treasure Monkey suddenly turned around, his monkey mask comically staring intently at Lin Chaoqing. White Dragon, holding his reins, smiled at Lin Chaoqing. "So, Lord Wu Xiu has already made his choice!"

He steered his horse to the riverbank, calmly looking at the opposite bank. "Your Highness believes Chen Ji attempted the assassination, but I find Mr. Liao particularly suspicious! Issue an order to release a wanted poster for Liao Zhong: alive or dead!"

White Rabbit and Cloud Ram's expressions turned strange. The Jie Fan Guards were pursuing Chen Ji, but the Secret Service was pursuing Mr. Liao?

"Furthermore..." White Dragon said meaningfully, "Treasure Monkey, send a homing pigeon to Kaifeng Prefecture and summon Dream Rooster to the capital."