Kidnapping
All eyes turned to Lin Jun in bewilderment, and Lin Jun stood frozen on the spot, utterly perplexed. He said, “General Duan… what are you talking about? Are you suspecting me of being a spy?”
Duan Xu shook his head and calmly replied, “It’s not suspicion, it’s certainty. When the convoy of the Wind Horn Battalion was ambushed, Han Lingqiu was with the carriage, which you provided. You were also aware of the defence of the granary, the timing of the grain robbery, and the communication from the Lin family’s main house.”
Lin Jun chuckled, “So what?”
“Do you really want me to spell it out?” Duan Xu leaned in closer to Lin Jun, speaking in a voice only they could hear. “I never knew that blindfolded duelling was a rule of the Martial world until today, thanks to Mr. Fifteen, who knows everything.”
Lin Jun’s expression changed instantly, the previous confusion and anger disappearing in an instant. With lightning speed, he hooked Duan Xu’s neck, but Duan Xu immediately twisted out of his grasp. However, Lin Jun predicted this move and locked Duan Xu’s arms, drawing his sleeve blade and pressing it against Duan Xu’s neck.
His martial arts were unfathomable, even Duan Xu couldn’t resist.
With a cold gaze, Lin Jun declared loudly, “Nobody move, or I’ll kill him.”
The surrounding soldiers drew their swords, but hesitated to approach due to Duan Xu’s situation. Wu Shengliu pointed his sword at Lin Jun, furious, “Damn it, Boss Lin, I thought you were a real man! When the old master of the Lin family died outside the city, I even felt sorry for your family, and it turns out you betrayed your own uncle!”
He Simu tossed aside the melon seed shells and calmly stood up, reminding, “This person isn’t the real Lin Jun, just a disguise, impersonating him. He’s not betraying his own uncle.”
“Damn it! I don’t care if he’s his real uncle or not, this son of a bitch deserves to die!” Wu Shengliu shouted.
Lin Jun remained surprisingly calm, holding Duan Xu firmly. There was no doubt that if there was any movement, the blade in his hand would immediately sever Duan Xu’s neck.
Han Lingqiu has already rushed to the stands amidst the chaos, standing amidst the crowd with a complex expression as he faces Lin Jun and Duan Xu. Lin Jun’s gaze shifts to Han Lingqiu, and he calmly asks, “Have you truly lost your memory?”
Han Lingqiu’s gaze flickered, but he remained silent. It was Wu Shengliu who shouted, “Whether he has amnesia or not is none of your damn business.”
“If you’ve lost your memory, perhaps there’s some justification. I don’t know what you’ve been through, but you should be my 17th junior brother, and we should return together to see our master.”
Lin Jun’s gaze was as cold as iron, completely different from the patriotic Lin Boss.
Han Lingqiu shook his head, his scarred face horrifying yet his expression resolute. “Don’t talk nonsense and confuse the situation. I am Han Lingqiu, the captain of the Da Liang Tabai Army, and nothing else.”
Lin Jun chuckled lightly. “You were once our master’s favourite disciple, but now you’ve changed.”
He pressed Duan Xu’s acupoint, leading him step by step out of the training ground. They brought a horse, and then ordered Wu Lang to let them out of the city. Following his principle of not resisting when overpowered, Duan Xu complied.
However, Lin Jun didn’t keep his word. In the end, he didn’t release Duan Xu but took him out of the city and rushed into the Danzhi army camp.
Wu Shengliu could only stomp his feet helplessly. As soon as Lin Jun was out, he immediately ordered the city gates to be closed. He spat, “During the New Year, these barbarians are really something! Tonight, we’ll go to the camp and rescue the general!”
Han Lingqiu and Meng Wan remained calm. They exchanged a glance, and Han Lingqiu stepped forward. “Lieutenant, the general entrusted me with something earlier.”
Upon entering the enemy camp, Lin Jun showed the soldiers the password and insignia. They respectfully welcomed him in.
Duan Xu was taken to a prison cell in the camp, securely bound with handcuffs and ankle chains, even tied to a rack. If circumstances allowed, they would have loved to hang him by his collarbone. His status as a prisoner was unusual; the fact that he had a cell all to himself and guards stationed at the camp gate was evident.
“Was this intentional, or did you gamble and lose?”
Accompanied by a familiar female voice, a rust-red skirt appeared in Duan Xu’s view. He raised his head to see the pale beautiful ghost standing before him, twirling the ghost king’s lamp jade pendant in her hand with a meaningful smile.
Leaning against the rack, Duan Xu treated the binding as a backrest and said leisurely, “This game isn’t over yet; it’s not time to determine victory or defeat. Did His Highness guess the spy correctly?”
He Simu nodded. “I guessed it on the day Lin Huaide died outside the city.”
She heard that Lin Jun and his eldest uncle were very close, and she respected his uncle as a father figure. Originally, his strong support for the Tabai Army in the capital city might very likely bring trouble to Lin Huaide. Not only did he not let Lin Huaide distance himself from him, but he also asked for Lin Huaide’s help even though he knew there were spies in the army. This could very likely harm the Lin family, but he seemed completely oblivious, without even a hint of hesitation.
Even the most fervent loyalty should have the most basic fears, hesitations, and considerations as a human being.
Moreover, judging from He Simu’s experience over the past few centuries, on the day Lin Huaide died, although Lin Jun appeared to be deeply grieving, in reality, his shock outweighed his grief, as if he had not expected Lin Huaide to sacrifice himself so generously.
It’s as if he completely misunderstands his uncle.
“When did you start suspecting him again?” He Simu asked.
“From the very beginning,” Duan Xu smiled and said, “I sensed a familiar scent on him.”
“Similar to you? That definitely doesn’t bode well.”
“That’s natural.” Duan Xu paused for a moment, then very tactfully stopped beating around the bush and explained, “I first noticed Lin Jun testing Han Lingqiu. I was curious about Han Lingqiu because I suspected he was the one with insider knowledge. So why would Lin Jun be curious about him? Whatever connection they had, it was very strange.”
“However, whether Han Lingqiu has regained his memory is still unknown. I suspected both of them when the food and grass were burned. When we raided the food, Han Lingqiu was taken along. His behaviour didn’t seem like that of a spy. Dan Zhi wanting to capture him alive might be because someone was curious about him and wanted to bring him back for interrogation— which also matches up with Lin Jun.”
“So I revealed to Lin Jun about Han Lingqiu’s amnesia. He became anxious. He couldn’t determine Han Lingqiu’s true intentions during the duel. So he brought out the Ming Shi to verify. Knowing about Ming Shi indicates that either it’s from the Dan Zhi royal court or someone from the insider circle. Since he sneaked into the capital alone to act as a spy, which doesn’t seem like the behaviour of a precious noble from the royal court, it should be someone from the insider circle.”
He Simu raised an eyebrow, “Ming Shi?”
Duan Xu nodded and said, “This is the assessment given to every graduating disciple of the insider circle. Dan Zhi royal court acts as the audience, watching two disciples fight blindfolded. The one who survives officially graduates and is given a serial number by the insider circle. Fifteen is the serial number of this fake Lin Jun.”
“Since both are insiders, shouldn’t Number Fifteen have recognized Han Lingqiu from the beginning? Why the need for testing?”
“Disciples from different periods within the insiders circle don’t usually meet, and even if they occasionally encounter each other, they are always veiled, revealing only their eyes. Since Han Lingqiu had his face uncovered, how could Number Fifteen recognize him?”
He Simu’s eyes flickered as she looked at the person before her, talking eloquently, feeling as comfortable in enemy territory as she would at home. She casually placed her index finger in front of her lips and smiled, “Shh, someone’s coming.”
Duan Xu and she turned their heads simultaneously to see a tall, thin man lifting the tent flap. He had a Han Chinese face, with his hair braided in the traditional Huqi style adorned with silver ornaments. His eyes were as cold as a winter night, with long, slender phoenix-like eyes. He couldn’t see He Simu, only looking indifferently at Duan Xu, who was tied to the frame.
Duan Xu met his gaze for a moment, smiling sincerely, “Mr. Fifteen of the insiders circle, indeed adept at disguising oneself. Even close relatives wouldn’t notice.”
This was the true face of the fake Lin Jun.
The man walked up to Duan Xu, scrutinizing him up and down for a moment before coldly asking, “Who exactly are you?”
He Simu thought this was a familiar question indeed. From her to Han Lingqiu to Number Fifteen, it seemed like everyone wanted to grab him by the neck and force him to reveal his true identity.
Duan Xu, who had previously not yielded even when the Ghost King had him by the neck, smiled faintly and effortlessly engaged in a verbal exchange.
“What am I? What do you think someone who has witnessed the Ming Shi should be? Now that you’ve abducted me and tied me up here, what rewards do you think you’ll reap when I return to the court?”
“You’re from the court? I’ve never seen you.”
“With over a hundred noble offspring from the Dan Zhi royal court and the Senate, do you really expect to have met them all?”
Number Fifteen didn’t comment on Duan Xu’s response. After a pause, he asked again, “How do you know I’m Number Fifteen?”
“Among those whose age matches, there are only Numbers Fifteen, Sixteen, and Seventeen. Sixteen suffered an unexpected disability, Seventeen has been missing for years, so that leaves you as Fifteen.”
“You deliberately let yourself be captured by me. What do you want? Do you want to return to the court?”
Duan Xu leaned against the frame, smiling brightly, “Care to guess?”
He took advantage of Number Fifteen’s inability to ascertain his identity, so he didn’t dare to use torture casually. This made him even more brazen, even to the point of being disrespectful: “Since you can’t figure me out, then allow me to guess about you. The insiders circle rarely meddles in military affairs. You infiltrated Shuozhou City probably to investigate the Red Bird disaster. Such blasphemy against the Sacred Scriptures is highly sensitive to the High Priest. You temporarily couldn’t uncover my background, and upon discovering Han Lingqiu’s mysterious identity, you stayed in the city to also pass information to Awoqi. If the authorities in Fenglai knew about this, it would surely displease your insiders circle.”
The pupils of Number Fifteen contracted slightly, but his overall expression remained calm. He said lightly, “There’s no need to flaunt your knowledge of Dan Zhi in front of me. Everything will become clear once you reach the court.”
He seemed to give up on engaging further with Duan Xu, turning to leave through the tent flap. However, Duan Xu casually spoke behind him, “How does it feel to live as Mr. Lin?”
Number Fifteen’s steps halted.
“Throughout your life, you’ve impersonated all sorts of people, but you’ve probably never lived as someone so fervent and candid. Mr. Fifteen, you speak those lofty words of sacrificing for the country, yet when you watched Lin Huaide willingly lay down his life under the city walls, did you not feel a trace of doubt?”
Had he deceived so many people that he never deceived himself?
There was a moment of silence in the air, dust dancing in the sunlight, as Number Fifteen stood in the shadow of the tent flap, his hand gripping it tightening slightly.
After a moment of silence, he turned his head, looking calmly at Duan Xu, and said firmly, “No. By the will of the Sacred One, insiders are born for the Sacred One and will never betray the Sacred One.”
It seemed as if when he was portraying Lin Jun, all the shock and grief on the city wall were carefully acted out.
With that said, he lifted the tent flap and walked out. His black figure disappeared behind the curtain, and only the sound of him ordering to increase the guard around Duan Xu could be heard from outside.
Duan Xu chuckled lightly, saying, “When you’re alive and can’t even have your own name, why bother about gods and ghosts?”
He Simu sighed twice in admiration. She walked up to Duan Xu, her red dress seemingly unaffected as it passed through the dry hay on the ground.
Approaching Duan Xu, she reached out and caressed his face, “Now that you’re trapped in enemy territory, they intend to send you back to Dan Zhi and the capital, while Shuozhou City is in turmoil. Little General, my offer still stands. Would you like to make a wish to me?”
Duan Xu blinked, leaning forward with a smile, whispering softly in her ear, “We agreed that Your Highness would watch the show. How can I let Your Highness take the stage yourself?”
There was only a slight clicking sound, and He Simu looked up to see that Duan Xu had somehow freed himself from his handcuffs and shackles. He rotated his reddened wrists effortlessly, saying, “Unfortunately, I learned bone shrinking when I was young. There’s no shackle that can hold me.”
He Simu narrowed her eyes, knowing the Huqi people would regret not using his extraordinary flexibility to their advantage.
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