Chapter 58: Intercepting King Jiang

Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Intercepting King Jiang

After his father left, Zeng Anmin took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the entrance of the secret passage before him. He didn’t hesitate, following the team of Red-clothed Guards led by Lin Rong deep into the secret passage. However, the passage was too narrow, making it impossible to pick up speed. After walking for a while, Zeng Anmin gradually grew impatient.

Judging by the direction, the secret passage was heading outside the city. Prince Jiang’s Mansion wasn’t far from the city outskirts. At this speed, assuming the passage was dug in a straight line, King Jiang absolutely couldn’t be far from the exit right now.

"Where could the exit of the secret passage be?" A sharp light flashed in Zeng Anmin’s eyes. Currently, the city was swarming with his father’s men. King Jiang must have dug this passage precisely to prepare for the day of his arrest. As long as he wasn’t a fool, he would never set the exit inside the city walls. Doing so would be no different from walking right into a trap. The probability of it being outside the city was very high.

But if it was outside the city... following this direction, it was heading toward the docks. The docks were heavily trafficked by pedestrians. If the exit was located there, it would definitely be discovered. It couldn’t be kept hidden. Then where could it be?

Zeng Anmin took a deep breath, closing his eyes to think in silence. Outside the city... Liangjiang Commandery... The river?!!

His eyes snapped open. To avoid detection, angling the exit downward into the river would absolutely be the most secretive method!! At this thought, a sudden shudder ran through him. A scene instantly surfaced in his mind. The water, the boulder, the cave entrance...

On the day he was assassinated, he had killed the assassins from Prince Jiang’s Mansion underwater. The cave entrance he had encountered!! At the time, he had specifically reached out to feel it. The entrance was shallow, so he hadn’t paid it any mind. But... what if the cave entrance went upward?! Zeng Anmin’s heart gave an involuntary, violent lurch. Realizing this, a brilliant light burst from his eyes!

"Go back! Take the overland route!! Leave the city and enter the water! Intercept King Jiang!" he thought. Without any hesitation, Zeng Anmin immediately turned and strode out.

"Young Master, where are you going?!" Dachun, who was standing guard at the door, asked with a bewildered expression as he saw Zeng Anmin walking out of the room.

"Keep guarding! Your young master is going to the Imperial Music Bureau to listen to some tunes. It’s not convenient to bring you along!" Zeng Anmin didn’t even turn his head. He found a horse, vaulted onto it, and within moments, spurred it into a gallop.

"HYAH!!!"

"Huh?" Dachun blinked, somewhat confused.

On the main avenue within the city, Zeng Anmin rode furiously. Faster!! Even faster!! Zeng Anmin was burning with overwhelming impatience. No one knew when King Jiang had begun his plotting. If King Jiang escaped and led a massive army to attack the city, relying on the few thousand Garrison troops in the city would be difficult.

"HYAH!!!" Zeng Anmin’s voice was laced with urgency. The city gates were now faintly visible in the distance, and he immediately bellowed, "Zeng Anmin, Left Chief Clerk of the Observation Department! I am under orders to apprehend a rebel! Open the gates!!"

His voice boomed loudly, naturally reaching the ears of the guards at the gates. However, although they had heard of Zeng Anmin’s great name, they had never seen him in person. Therefore, the gates remained closed.

"WOAH!!" Zeng Anmin quickly reined in his horse. His expression was icy as he looked at the soldiers approaching to inspect him. Fortunately, he had the Observation Department’s waist tag in his robes.

"Here!" With a casual toss, the soldier caught it.

After examining it carefully, he respectfully handed it back. "My Lord, please."

As he spoke, the city gates swung open. Zeng Anmin took the tag, instantly accelerating as he charged out the gates. The horse whip was swung so fast it almost became a blur. CLIP CLOP. The sound of hooves grew increasingly rapid.

Finally, a long river with surging, tumultuous waves slowly appeared before Zeng Anmin. Expressionless, Zeng Anmin passed a large tree and casually tied his horse to it. When he emerged from behind the tree again, he was already wearing a black cat-shaped hood over his head. Without a shred of hesitation, he leaped down into the river.

SPLASH!! The winter river water was bone-chillingly cold. But after the Martial Pill within his body diverted a stream of energy to circulate throughout his entire being, that sensation vanished instantly.

"That direction!" he thought. The location where he had left after killing the assassins that day surfaced in his mind, and he spread his arms, swimming forward with all his might.

His martial arts aura slowly circulated as he swam, continuously extending the time he could hold his breath.

Half a quarter-hour passed in a flash. Zeng Anmin stopped, his eyes narrowing as he stared fixedly ahead. "Right there!!" he thought.

Directly in front of him, a massive boulder blocked his path. The boulder rose from the riverbed like a towering peak. There were even several giant scales resting atop it. It was exactly the same scene as that day.

Without hesitation, Zeng Anmin swam forward. A cave entrance appeared before him. Floating in the water, he reached out and slowly probed into the hole. Upon touching the bottom of the hole, he flipped his wrist upward. The sensation vanished; his hand touched empty space! It really did lead upward!! A brilliant light instantly burst from Zeng Anmin’s eyes.

Suddenly, his ears twitched slightly. "Someone’s coming!!" he thought.

Remaining silent, Zeng Anmin tightened his right grip, and a short axe appeared in his hand. He held his breath in concentration, clutching the short axe tightly. GLUG. Ripples appeared in the water.

Without any hesitation, Zeng Anmin’s Dan Feng eyes shot wide open. The martial arts aura in his body rapidly accelerated, and a flash of axe-light slashed forward. SLASH. A snow-white fish was instantly chopped to pieces.

Damn it! Zeng Anmin cursed inwardly, realizing he was being a bit too jumpy.

However, before he could make another move, he saw a flurry of movement in the water. SPLASH. A head poked out from the hole, followed by shoulders, and then an entire body.

Since Zeng Anmin was currently on the side of the boulder, the person didn’t notice him immediately upon emerging. This also gave Zeng Anmin the chance to get a clear look at his face.

This man had a robust and muscular build. He looked to be around thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old. His exposed neck and wrists revealed a bronze complexion. Most striking of all were his sharply defined, deep-set facial features and his dark, icy eyes. However, he looked somewhat disheveled. Though his clothes were made of expensive materials, they appeared extremely dirty.

King Jiang! With just one glance, Zeng Anmin could confirm that the man before him was undoubtedly King Jiang! His heartbeat accelerated. King Jiang hadn’t noticed him. There was a chance to land a successful sneak attack! Hardening his resolve, Zeng Anmin narrowed his Dan Feng eyes.

He raised the short axe in his hand once more, the cold gleam reflecting on his face, adding a touch of murderous intent. But as soon as he raised the short axe, his expression shifted to one of astonishment, causing him to completely forget about his sneak attack. Because the sight before him was simply too bizarre.

After entering the water from the secret passage, King Jiang didn’t even glance around. There was merely a flash of blood-red light, and his body underwent an extremely grotesque transformation. His shoulders slowly shrank, and his two thighs fused together, turning into a fishtail. His arms shrank, slowly growing scales.

SWISH!! King Jiang’s fishtail gently flicked, and his body shot forward at a blistering speed.

"King Jiang is a monster?!! And a Fish Demon at that?!" he thought, a stormy sea of shock involuntarily rising in his heart!!

He knew very well that if King Jiang discovered him in the water, he likely wouldn’t be able to catch up to him. He hurriedly stowed away his short axe and tried his best to conceal his aura. Fortunately, King Jiang was in a rush and had no intention of looking back.

Although King Jiang was fast, Zeng Anmin possessed excellent Eye Power. Under the enhancement of High-end Martial Power, he could exert the strength of the Visualization Realm. Thus, he could barely keep up.

Finally, King Jiang’s speed began to slow down. His body also began to change, reverting from that bizarre half-fish state back into a human form. Following that, King Jiang swam upward and then leaped out of the water.

"I have to catch up! I can’t let him escape!" he thought. Zeng Anmin slowly poked his head out of the water. By the faint moonlight, he could sense that they were quite far from Liangjiang County City now; this was one of the villages surrounding the County City.