Catching Monsters

Chapter 419 All are scholars

Hearing Jiang Yun's words, Chen Honghao felt a surge of joy. Of course, he was well-versed in the art of negotiation, so he kept his expression to himself and said in a deep voice, "As long as Mr. Sun Wuji is alright, those Imperial Guards will naturally be able to return safely."

"In that case, tomorrow at noon, right here by Blue Salt Lake, I will bring your Imperial Guards."

"Bring Mr. Sun Wuji here."

How about we exchange them?

"Sure." Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun readily agreed without hesitation.

Seeing that the matter was settled, Chen Honghao immediately got up to take his leave, and hurried back to have his men make good preparations so that he could come back the next day to replace Sun Wuji.

After Chen Honghao and his group turned and left, Qi Da, somewhat worried, whispered to Jiang Yun, "Lord Jiang, didn't you say that Sun Wuji had been buried alive by you...?"

Jiang Yun nodded and glanced at the sky: "Yes, I sealed his magical power. He should be dead by now."

“Dead men, how are we supposed to exchange them for us…” Zidane looked worried. “What if they find out we can’t hand over Sun Wuji and turn against us…”

Hearing Zidane's words, Jiang Yun showed no worry and calmly explained, "We'll find a way when the time comes."

"No matter what, the fact that he brought so many Imperial Guards out first makes it much easier for us to seize them by force."

Zidane nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, agreeing that it made sense.

Soon, the two returned to the inn.

As soon as Jiang Yun returned, she saw Dong Qiaofeng sitting in the living room.

"grown ups."

When Dong Qiaofeng saw Jiang Yun return, he quickly walked up to her.

Jiang Yun asked with a smile, "Has our Fourth Prince left?"

"No." Dong Qiaofeng shook his head, glanced back at the house above, and said, "He's staying in his room obediently, but he did smash quite a few things in the room."

"Yes, have people prepare to ambush us tomorrow and rescue our men first."

Afterwards, Jiang Yun gathered Leng Liuer and some experts from the Embroidered Uniform Guard to discuss their strategy for tomorrow.

……

The next day at noon, a gentle breeze was blowing along the shores of Blue Salt Lake, and the green leaves and willow branches swayed in the wind, creating a stunning scene.

If it weren't for the chaos and turmoil in Haiyan City at this time, this place would be an excellent choice for a spring outing.

On the south side of the lake, there is a forest that has been cut down, leaving behind many tree stumps.

Jiang Yun, along with Qi Da and Leng Liuer, were standing here.

Zidane was dressed in a black robe, head bowed, and had been tied up by Jiang Yun.

"Sir, is this feasible? What if Chen Honghao and Sun Wuji are very familiar with each other? If he just glances at me, wouldn't we be exposed?" Qi Da said with some worry.

"It'll do fine as it is."

"Remember, just do as arranged."

A large number of Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) experts have been deployed around the area. As long as an order is given, the troops lurking in the dense forests on both sides can rush out.

Before long, the sound of a large number of horses' hooves could be heard in the distance.

Chen Honghao walked at the front of the group, while behind him, the more than eighty Imperial Guards he had captured were all wounded, their clothes were tattered, and their magical powers were sealed with iron nails.

They also used extremely long ropes to connect them into one piece.

On both sides, there were also a large number of rebels holding steel knives.

If anything seems amiss, they can quickly turn around and end the lives of these elite Imperial Guards with a single strike.

Judging from the distance, Jiang Yun estimated that there were probably over a thousand rebel soldiers following behind.

"stop."

While the two sides were still some distance apart, Chen Honghao slowly raised his hand, and the entire group quickly stopped. Then Chen Honghao walked over alone.

Upon approaching Jiang Yun, Leng Liuer, Qi Da, and the others, Chen Honghao's gaze finally fell upon Qi Da.

Zidane was wearing a wide black robe, and for a short time, it was impossible to distinguish him from Sun Wuji.

This did not arouse Chen Honghao's suspicion. Instead, he looked at Jiang Yun and said, "Mr. Jiang, release Mr. Sun Wuji first, and then I will order the release of your men."

Jiang Yun shook his head and said calmly, "Release them first, then we'll talk about the rest."

“Mr. Jiang, I am a man of my word, and I’m sure you are too.” Chen Honghao said with a smile, “In that case, release Mr. Sun first. If you have any concerns, I will be your hostage.”

"You can release me after you release your men, how about that?"

Hearing Chen Honghao's suggestion, Jiang Yun's eyes lit up slightly. This was a good suggestion.

Then, Jiang Yun glanced at Leng Liuer.

Leng Liuer drew the long sword from his back and slashed it. Instantly, the ropes binding Qi Da fell to the ground.

"Let's go," Leng Liuer said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Zidane walked towards the rebels.

Seeing this, Chen Honghao finally breathed a sigh of relief. He then went to Jiang Yun's side and said with a smile, "Mr. Jiang is a man of his word."

“We’re all scholars, aren’t we?” Jiang Yun nodded with a smile.

Chen Honghao looked at Jiang Yun with some surprise: "Mr. Jiang, are you also a scholar?"

Jiang Yun replied with a smile, "I am not very talented, but I have passed the imperial examination and obtained the title of Xiucai."

"No wonder! I was wondering how the Imperial Guards, those lackeys of the court, could keep their promises so readily. It turns out that Mr. Jiang has also been influenced by the teachings of the sages..."

As Chen Honghao spoke, his expression gradually stiffened, because he noticed that the way the 'Sun Wuji' in the black robe walked was very different from that of Mr. Sun Wuji.

His expression immediately changed, and he realized something was wrong: "He's not Mr. Sun!"

Before he could finish speaking, Leng Liuer's longsword was already pressed against his neck: "It's a little too late to realize this now."

"You..." Chen Honghao glared at Jiang Yun, gritting his teeth as he said, "Jiang Yun, didn't you say you were a person who kept your promises?"

"I……"

"Alright, now I really have a hostage." Jiang Yun said to Chen Honghao with a smile, "Have your men release the hostage, and I'll let you leave safely. Don't worry, I, Jiang Yun, am a man of my word..."

Chen Honghao trembled slightly with anger. He didn't care about his own safety and instead asked, "Where is Mr. Sun?" "Give me some more benefits and I'll tell you where he's buried. Go dig him up now, and maybe you can even buy a coffin and give him a proper burial."

Is Sun Wuji dead?
Chen Honghao looked surprised and stared at Jiang Yun in disbelief.

This guy actually killed Mr. Sun Wuji?
Sun Wuji was extremely important to their rebel army, serving as a bridge for communication with the Demon Spirit Cult.

Thinking of this, Chen Honghao took a deep breath and quickly calmed down, then began to analyze the current situation.

The good thing is that Chen Honghao is not an impulsive and reckless man.

If it were an impulsive and reckless person, they would probably order all those Jinyiwei experts to be killed to vent their anger.

But if I did that, I wouldn't be able to survive.

Chen Honghao said in a deep voice, "Mr. Jiang, do you mean what you say? If I release your men, will you let me leave?"

Jiang Yun nodded: "You probably have no other choice but to trust me, even if you order my men to be killed right now."

"You will die too."

"You are a smart man."

At this point, Zidane realized that he had been exposed and stopped heading in the direction of the rebels.

Instead, he ran back to Jiang Yun's side, and the rebel general, seeing this, also noticed something was wrong and immediately raised his hand.

All the rebels drew their swords and pressed them against the necks of the numerous Imperial Guards. With just one command, more than eighty Imperial Guard experts would be beheaded.

"Release them!" Chen Honghao shouted loudly.

Upon hearing this, the rebel general frowned immediately. Release them?

Now Chen Honghao is being held hostage, Mr. Sun Wuji is missing, and Xiao Jingfu has escaped.

If we were to release these captured Imperial Guards as well, it would be a huge loss.

Seeing this, Chen Honghao shouted, "What? You're not even obeying my orders anymore?"

Upon hearing this, the general could only wave his hand, signaling his men to release the man.

Soon, the ropes binding the many skilled members of the Imperial Guard were untied.

A large number of Imperial Guards quickly walked towards Jiang Yun.

Jiang Yun glanced at Qi Da beside him and said, "You take them and leave first."

These Imperial Guards had their magical powers sealed and were all injured. If anything unexpected happened, they probably wouldn't be able to protect themselves.

Qi Da nodded and glanced at Jiang Yun: "Lord Jiang, please be careful."

After saying that, he led his men away first.

"Jiang Yun, I've already ordered my men to release them," Chen Honghao said in a deep voice. "Aren't you going to release me now?"

Jiang Yun glanced back and said, "Let's talk about it after they've gone far away. Your rebel army is strong and well-equipped."

“If I release you now, you will immediately order a manhunt. My men are all wounded and won’t be able to get very far.”

"We're both scholars, after all. It's not easy for us to meet, so we can talk more about literature, right?"

Chen Honghao took a deep breath. This bastard is a disgrace to scholars.

They even have the nerve to call themselves scholars.

After a full incense stick's time had passed, Jiang Yun saw that his men had mostly left, so he signaled Leng Liuer to release Chen Honghao.

Leng Liuer glanced at Jiang Yun with some surprise.

But I did it anyway.

Jiang Yun smiled, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Mr. Chen, as I said, I am a man of my word. The world is vast, and we shall meet again someday."

Son of a bitch!
Chen Honghao turned around and glared at Jiang Yun with some resentment.

Jiang Yun and Leng Liuer had already left the area. The two moved extremely quickly and disappeared into the dense forest in no time.

Upon entering the dense forest, they discovered that Chen Honghao had not ordered his men to pursue them.

Leng Liuer then said with some surprise, "I originally thought you would kill him."

"I didn't expect you to actually let him go."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun said with a serious expression, "They kept their promise and brought the person here and released him. If I were to kill him, what would I become?"

"If this gets out, my reputation as Jiang Yun will be ruined."

Leng Liuer was stunned for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Does your reputation have a good one?"

"Alright, the person has been rescued. Everyone, evacuate Haiyan City immediately and return to Beijing right away," Jiang Yun said in a deep voice.

The trip went much more smoothly than Jiang Yun had expected, without any unexpected incidents.

Even so, this operation in Haiyan City still resulted in heavy losses.

Of the four hundred people who came to Haiyan City, only about three hundred were able to return safely.

Hundreds of skilled Imperial Guards perished in Haiyan City.

……

Watching the figures gradually disappear into the dense forest, Chen Honghao clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

Soon, one of his rebel generals strode over and whispered, "Lord Chen, where is Mr. Sun Wuji?"

Chen Honghao gritted his teeth and said, "We've been tricked. That bastard, Mr. Sun Wuji wasn't in his hands at all."

Upon hearing this, the general frowned deeply and said in a low voice, "But the person has already been released. How are we going to explain this to His Majesty Liu Yu when we get back..."

Chen Honghao remained silent; explaining things to His Majesty Liu Yu was secondary.

The most urgent matter right now is to quickly re-establish contact with the Demon Spirit Cult and request them to send more experts.

Otherwise, since they lack top-tier experts, if the Great Zhou Dynasty were to send a master, they could easily take Liu Yu's life.

"Prepare the horses, I need to leave Haiyan City immediately," Chen Honghao said with a gloomy expression.

(End of this chapter)