Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 540 Gu Yanzhi, Commander-in-Chief of the 539th Prefecture

Shunzi was utterly speechless and nearly fainted from anger.

He never imagined that one day he would encounter such a thorny philosophical question as "how to prove that I am who I am".

It's a good thing that Master Feng wasn't there, otherwise he would have personally demonstrated to Shunzi who I am and who I am, but the gun in my hand is very important.

"I really am Ye San!"

Shunzi was eager to defend himself, and a brilliant idea flashed through his mind. He brought up the most important person he could think of: "Yes! Abbott can prove it!"

Yan Huaizheng sneered repeatedly: "Mr. Abbott was disturbed tonight and has already gone to bed. Do you expect him to get out of bed to testify for you? I think you're just trying to stall for time!"

Fang Youliu had no choice but to turn around and remind Yan Huaizheng: "You should say less. My third master may be a bit honest, but when he gets angry, no one can stop him—have you forgotten that the admiral is still at the crosshairs of his gun?"

Yan Huaizheng's expression stiffened, and he realized that he had been too smug. He quickly tried to make amends: "Alright, alright, it doesn't matter who you are. Don't mention Ye San, I'll accept it even if you say you're the president's own son. As long as you're willing to release the person, everything is negotiable!"

Shunzi's stubbornness kicked in, and he roared with his neck stiff, "You're the president's real son! I'm Ye San!"

Shen Tiankuo, whose ears were ringing from the shouting, couldn't help but say, "Alright! Ye San it is, but you should think carefully first—where would your older brother take my daughter?"

Shunzi had done too many silly things that night, and his mind was in a mess: "How the hell should I know?"

Shen Tiankuo patiently guided him: "Think carefully, for example, where your older brother often goes? Or the bandits' hideout? Or where you agreed to stay?"

Shunzi was furious upon hearing this: "Fine! You still think we're bandits!"

Fang Youliu couldn't take it anymore and turned around to yell at the two of them, "Are you two never going to stop?!"

As soon as the words fell——

In the blink of an eye, a golden glint suddenly appeared, approaching from afar and closing in on him in an instant!

Before his pupils could even process the reason, Fang Youliu activated the runes in an instant—BOOM!
A vine as thick as two people could hug suddenly burst from the ground and stood firmly in front of the three of them.

The next second, blazing flames exploded on the vines, and a spear tip, overflowing with dazzling golden light, pierced through the vines and emerged.

Fang Youliu and Shunzi were shocked – this was clearly a trick by Xijun Temple.

Shen Tiankuo was even more shocked than the other two, his surprise mixed with anger. His eyes were bloodshot, and he roared through gritted teeth, "Gu Yanzhi! You want to rebel?"

The golden spear turned into specks of light and dissipated like dust, leaving a hole in the vine.

Fang Youliu and Shunzi peeked out from the left and right, and saw a figure walking on the eaves in the night, finally landing steadily on the courtyard wall.

The figure was dressed in military uniform, the uniform of the Great Xuan Army, and judging from the style, he should be of a high rank.

Faced with Shen Tiankuo's questioning, the man remained calm and replied, "You are the one who is plotting a rebellion by privately transferring troops into the city, Admiral."

Shen Tiankuo's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but he mustered his courage and shouted, "Shut up! Tonight, bandits are causing trouble. I have dispatched troops into the city to suppress them. Don't make baseless accusations—are you perhaps plotting to harm your superiors?"

Gu Yanzhi's lips curled into a mocking smile: "I will report the truth to Taijing afterward. As for now..."

His gaze sharpened, and his expression turned solemn: "Great Xuan Army, heed my command!"

The soldiers roared in unison, "Yes, sir!"

Gu Yanzhi raised her arm and held up her palm: "Hold the gun."

Clang! The sound of bolts being pulled back and chambered filled the air as rows of gun barrels were pointed at the three men.

The scene was terrifying. Shunzi felt a chill run down his spine and quickly pulled Shen Tiankuo in front of him to shield him: "How much of your position as admiral is actually legitimate? How come your soldiers dare to point guns at you?"

Shen Tiankuo was also sweating profusely, and hurriedly explained, "Do you think I wanted this? How could I have expected that that bastard Gu Yanzhi would nitpick over such a trivial matter?"

Shunzi stared warily at the person opposite him, whispering as he asked, "Could it be that that bastard has a higher rank than you?"

Shen Tiankuo couldn't help but smile wryly: "I am the governor of a prefecture, and he is the commander-in-chief of the prefecture's camp under me. Naturally, I am one rank higher than him—but I can't argue with the fact that he came from the Xi Jun Temple! Besides, on the other hand, he was the commander-in-chief who single-handedly handled the training of the troops in the camp, so it's understandable that his prestige is higher than mine..."

His voice grew softer and softer, clearly lacking confidence.

Gu Yanzhi's hand was still raised in mid-air before he calmly said, "Admiral Shen led his troops to suppress bandits and died for the country—this is the story I will tell you when I return to Taijing. Shen Tiankuo, this is the last bit of dignity I will leave you."

After saying that, he pointed his finger and said, "Put it down."

Bang bang bang bang!
The moment the gunshot rang out, countless tongues of fire appeared.

But then they saw dense vines sprout from the ground, and in the blink of an eye, they formed an impenetrable green net in the courtyard, enveloping the three figures within it.

Gu Yanzhi had anticipated this, and with a quick hand gesture, she uttered the words: "Prairie Fire".

The flames rippled forward, and the vines that touched them were burned to black ash before they could even catch fire.

As the night wind swept through, ashes and dust scattered everywhere.

Everyone covered their noses and fanned themselves. After most of the ashes had dissipated, they squinted and looked towards the center—where were the three figures in the courtyard?
Gu Yanzhi frowned, jumped off the wall and walked quickly closer. Looking down, she saw that where the three of them had stood was now just a dark, bottomless hole.

Gu Yanzhi pondered for a moment and then ordered, "They can't have gone far. Notify each squad to disperse and search. If they encounter the enemy, fire warning shots."

After saying that, he jumped into the cave alone.

……

Inside the tunnel, Shunzi held Shen Tiankuo in his arms, looking around in surprise while asking Fang Youliu curiously, "Wow, Fang Liu! How did you dig that tunnel?"

Fang Youliu had no interest in paying attention to him. He fled forward while rapidly drawing runes in his palm.

Shen Tiankuo continued, "He must have been preparing for this for a while. When we were talking, I saw him writing and drawing in his hand. He must have been busy with this."

The topic returned to Shen Tiankuo, and Shunzi asked him, "Do you have a grudge against that guy surnamed Gu?"

Shen Tiankuo sighed: "Not really."

Shunzi asked, puzzled, "Then why did he want to kill you?"

Shen Tiankuo couldn't help but smile bitterly: "You've misspoke. He didn't want to kill me; he just didn't intend to save me—do you understand what I mean?"

Shunzi shook her head: "I don't understand, aren't they the same thing?"

Shen Tiankuo shook his head: "There is a difference."

Annoyed by the noise, Fang Youliu interjected, "That man is not only a soldier of the Great Xuan Army, but also a cultivator of the Xi Jun Temple. With this identity, he doesn't need to care who his superior is. He can just do his job well. So tonight he will only do one thing: resolve the matter and then lead his troops back to camp."

"As for this admiral, that man has already made it clear enough—to die for one's country is a worthy death."

(End of this chapter)