Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"My name is Li Jing, and I am the commander of the Second Detachment of the Imperial Guards of the Imperial City. I have been ordered to come here to apprehend a wanted criminal. Have you seen any suspicious persons pass by?"

The one speaking first was Li Jing, the deputy general who accompanied Qin Yu to the capital years ago, and who is now the commander of the Imperial Guards of the Imperial City Guard.

As he finished speaking, he directly presented Chen Ba with a gold-plated bronze plaque, thus revealing his identity.

Without waiting for Chen Ba's reply, he placed one hand on the door, blocking any possible escape route for the other party.

"No, gentlemen, what suspicious person could possibly be hiding in this filthy place?"

Chen Ba calmly explained to the commander.

But the commander of the Imperial Guards said, "We followed the bloodstains on the ground all the way here, and they just happened to disappear in front of your door. Are you sure you're not lying to us?"

The fierce aura emanating from Li Jing immediately made Chen Ba, the local bully, feel somewhat flustered.

But he still forced himself to remain calm and replied, "Sirs, you must have made a mistake. I really don't have the criminal you are looking for here. Please look elsewhere."

"Really do not have?"

The next moment, Li Jing's straight sword was already resting on his shoulder.

His two subordinates behind him also unloaded their rifles and aimed them at Chen Ba.

If Chen Ba makes the slightest move, he will pull the trigger without hesitation.

"Sir, I really don't have the criminal you're looking for here."

"Then let us search, you won't stop us, right?"

Li Jing pushed the knife to the side, and Chen Ba immediately stepped aside as if possessed.

"Search!"

At his command, his two subordinates immediately holstered their guns and took two steps back.

The next second, more than a dozen heavily armed guards rushed in from both sides of the courtyard wall.

Chen Ba instantly broke out in a cold sweat, thankful that he hadn't made a move.

Faced with this situation, he dared not say anything and could only watch helplessly as Li Jing's men stormed into the house and began searching.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the guards who had been searching came out of the house one by one to report.

"Reporting to the commander, no suspicious persons have been found in the east wing."

"Reporting to the commander, the west wing is empty."

"There are no two side rooms on the north side either."

Li Jing's face turned ashen as he listened to their report.

It wasn't until a subordinate from the south wing came to Li Jing's side and whispered a few words in his ear that his eyes suddenly glanced at Chen Ba.

Chen Ba stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

"Humph."

Li Jing merely snorted coldly, and then, accompanied by his subordinates, entered the south room.

Chen Baxin was in his throat and immediately followed.

Li Jing walked to the messy bed, touched the mattress, and found it was still warm.

He couldn't help but turn to look at Chen Ba, a sinister smile on his face.

"Why is this bed still warm? Who slept in it?"

Chen Ba replied, "Replying to your question, sir, I had already gone to bed, but I only got up when I heard you knocking on the door."

"Oh."

Li Jing nodded, then sniffed the air.

"The smell of medicine is so strong. Are you injured by a sword?"

Chen Ba immediately spread his arms wide: "Sir, you're really something. Two days ago, some people came to my gambling den and caused trouble. During the argument, we exchanged a few blows."

I accidentally injured my wrist, and only applied ointment before going to bed tonight, but the soldier found out.

Looking at the wounds on Chen Ba's hands, Li Jing simply smiled and said, "When someone comes to cause trouble, why not report it to the authorities instead of engaging in a private brawl?"

Chen Ba explained with a smile, "Sir, we run a gambling den business, so conflicts with people are inevitable."

"If we wait until we report it to the authorities, this estate will probably be torn up, don't you think?"

"That makes some sense."

Li Jing smiled but didn't say anything, then walked directly into the inner room.

At this, Chen Ba panicked.

Who's inside?

"Reporting to the general, there is no one in the inner room."

"Then why is the door locked? Open it."

"This……"

"What? You don't want to, or are you hiding something from me?"

"Don't dare."

Chen Ba reluctantly took out the key and slowly inserted it into the lock.

Li Jing gripped his sword tightly, staring intently at Chen Ba's back.

Chen Ba unlocked the door, pushed it open, stepped back to a table, and said, "Sir, please."

Then, he reached under the table for a pair of mandarin duck knives, intending to fight to the death if things were exposed.

Li Jing closed his eyes and slowly walked towards the inner room door.

But just as he was about to reach out and push the door open...

boom--

A burst of gunfire rang out outside the courtyard.

"what happened!"

Li Jing immediately withdrew his hand, turned around, and shouted sharply.

A subordinate rushed into the room and reported: "Commander Li, a suspicious person has been spotted outside resisting arrest and fleeing. Team C is in pursuit. Please come to our aid immediately, Commander Li."

"go!"

Li Jing did not linger and immediately led his team out to chase after them. However, before leaving the house, he paused for a moment and looked towards the inner room.

In the blink of an eye, everything in the courtyard returned to calm.

Once everyone left, Chen Ba breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He immediately pushed open the door and entered the inner room.

The next moment, a cold dagger was pressed directly against his neck.

"Mr. Shen, it's me!"

Shen Lang recognized Chen Ba's voice and then let go of his hand.

Looking back, he saw that Shen Lang was pale and listless, but he remained vigilant.

"Mr. Shen, everyone's gone."

"Ah."

Shen Lang sheathed his dagger: "How's the matter I asked you to arrange going?"

"It's all arranged. Around midnight, rice shop owners with passes will go to the nearby villages to collect grain."

You can hide in his grain cart to leave the city; don't worry, he's very reliable.

"Thank you very much."

Shen Lang leaned against the windowsill.

"After I leave, don't say anything."

If anyone asks you, just say you're from the Prince Jing's residence, and they definitely won't suspect you.

Chen Ba hurriedly said, "Master Shen, you'd better not talk anymore and rest. I'll call you when the others arrive."

"Ah."

Shen Lang didn't say anything more, and just leaned against the window wall and closed his eyes to rest.

……

The following morning, the streets of Jinling were bustling with government officials and even armed guards.

Horses would occasionally gallop by, causing widespread panic.

Meanwhile, Shen Lang was already sitting in a carriage full of hay, successfully deceiving the city gate guards and leaving the city.

After the carriage had traveled twenty miles out of the capital, he thanked the driver and bid him farewell.

"Where should we begin next?"

Shen Lang clutched his wound and wandered aimlessly along the official road, carefully considering his next plan.

As he passed through a grove of trees, a chilling aura swept over him.

Shen Lang suddenly turned to the side.

blow--

Benedict——

A swift arrow grazed his cheek and pierced through the trunk of a tree as thick as a bowl.

However, this pulling caused the wound on his chest to reopen, and the pain made him break out in a cold sweat.

But the next second, a piercing bell sound rang out, constantly eroding his soul.

Shen Lang forcefully channeled his inner energy, struggling to resist the intense sound waves.

Even so, a trickle of blood still escaped from the corner of his mouth.

"Shen Lang!"

A powerful voice sounded.

Suddenly, a burly figure appeared ahead, wielding a flail, and charged towards him.

"You never imagined this day would come, did you? Pay for the lives of the Great Yan soldiers you killed at Fengsui Fortress!"

Shen Lang's pupils contracted, and as his cheek was about to be struck, he quickly stepped back to avoid the attack.

blow--

At the same time, another sharp arrow flew towards Shen Lang's body from the shadows.

In the face of imminent death, Shen Lang disregarded his own injuries and dodged the fatal arrow with a sideways spin.

But the moment his feet touched the ground, the burly man's flail pierced through his head, giving him no time to catch his breath.

boom--

With a loud bang, sand and stones were violently thrown apart, instantly blinding everyone's vision.

A plume of blood mist rose from the vast, fragmented fog...