Chapter 941 - 782: Night Raid (Part 2)

Jin Zhu jumped down from the parapet: "Lead the way."

Zheng Jiye led the four towards the south of the city, and Heavenly Horse used sign language to tell Jin Zhu, "Our identities from the Spy Department cannot be concealed. If they turn hostile, I’ll protect you as we leave from the north side of the city."

Jin Zhu smiled, "I am now a Grand Official at the Seeking Dao Realm Second Heaven level, not a minor character as before. Even if I can’t defeat them, I can retreat intact. Don’t worry, now that the pirates are besieging the city, regardless of what they want to do, defending the city depends on us, they won’t dare turn hostile."

They arrived under the southern city wall, and Zheng Jiye blocked the stone steps, saying, "Gentlemen, let me go up first and report briefly to my adoptive father..."

Jin Zhu brushed him aside, "Report? Without us, Jingjiang County City would already have fallen. Stop pretending with us!"

He took the lead to the city wall walkway and saw Chen Ji wearing a bamboo hat with a mask, draped in a straw coat, standing silently alongside Old Ears on the wall edge, observing the distant pirate encampment.

Yuan Xing, Jiang Chai, Yuan Xi, and Zhou Chang stood behind him, silent.

Hearing footsteps, everyone turned their heads together, Chen Ji and Old Ears’ masks seemed particularly menacing in the darkness.

Jin Zhu suddenly froze, unsure why, he suddenly had the illusion that Bai Long was standing behind a crowd of the Twelve Signs.

Before Jin Zhu could speak, Zheng Jiye ran up the city head nervously, explaining to Chen Ji, "Master, these heroes have just joined our Anti-Japanese Army, among them three are Seeking Dao Realm Officials."

Jin Zhu stood with his hands behind his back, waiting for everyone’s reaction.

Upon hearing the words "Seeking Dao Realm," Yuan Xing instinctively exchanged glances with the others. They knew the significance of the Seeking Dao Realm, Yuan Xing barely reached the Seeking Dao Realm thanks to Yuan Xiang’s cultivation resources, while the other four hadn’t even touched upon it.

Jin Zhu smiled at Chen Ji, but Chen Ji only responded with a bland "hmm."

Jin Zhu’s smile froze on his face.

Chen Ji turned his head back to the pirate encampment, "They’re coming."

Outside the city came footsteps, and the next moment hundreds of pirates emerged from the darkness, reaching the city and setting up ladders for an assault. The accompanying laborers seemed used up, as each pirate bit on his Japanese Sword intending to storm the city.

Chen Ji rasped, "Kill them all."

Yuan Xing and others drew their Wild Great Swords, running along the city head, but as soon as twenty pirates fell, the camp sounded the withdrawal signal.

The pirates retreated, and Chen Yu looked at Chen Ji slowly, "Master, with pirates present, we came to assist willingly... But until now, we know neither where you’ve come from nor your name. Since a joint defense is needed, is there a reason to hide identities at this point?"

Chen Yu finished, staring intently at Chen Ji.

But Chen Ji ignored him, watching the retreating pirate figures, then leaped from the wall holding Old Ears’ wrist, "Let’s go!"

Old Ears unexpectedly dragged down the wall, cursed, "Eh? Where are you taking me!"

This leap stunned everyone atop the wall, Jin Zhu and Chen Yu exchanged a glance, hurried forward a few steps, clutching the parapet to look below.

Only to see Chen Ji and Old Ears land steadily on the ground, Chen Ji pulling Old Ears as they charged alone toward the pirate encampment.

After a few steps, Old Ears stopped fussing, laughing, "You."

Jin Zhu watched their backs, expression changing, "What? They dare raid the camp alone?"

He turned to Heavenly Horse, "Can you retreat unscathed?"

Heavenly Horse thought a moment, shook his head.

He looked to Chen Xu, who also adopted a grave expression.

Jin Zhu watched Chen Ji and Old Ears, seeing Chen Ji running with unequal strides as if one leg was stronger than the other, "Doesn’t resemble any crippled Seeking Dao Realm Official... They’re reckless, those two might die by the pirates."

The distance of eighty steps vanished quickly, but Chen Ji and Old Ears didn’t maneuver nor conceal themselves, breaking through the wooden fence of the pirate encampment head-on.

Within two breaths, the pirates reacted, the camp erupting in chaos.

The Anti-Japanese Army all held their breath beside the wall, but the pirate camp remained unlit, impossible to see inside.

Only shadows were discernible, initially surging east, then west, tents collapsing, a scene of utter chaos.

Jin Zhu strained his eyes with his fingers, trying to see through, barely noting pirates converging at a spot like a cyclone forming, yet the cyclone’s center kept moving, apparently unimpeded.

Wherever the cyclone passed, the pirate camp lay in ruins.

Jin Zhu hesitated, "Those two need to leave quickly, lest they get trapped. Thousands of pirates besieging, even a Divine Dao Realm Grandmaster could exhaust themselves."

At that moment, the dense pirate "cyclone" began shifting east, the entire tidal flats crowded westward, but just when they regrouped eastward, Chen Ji and Old Ears broke through from the north.

Two pirates blocked them, swinging blades.

Chen Ji stepped back, positioning Old Ears in the blade’s path, who grumpily pinched the knife’s edge, kicked each pirate before him.

Those pirates flew backward like ragdolls over several meters, upon landing unable to stop rolling eight more meters.

"Hiss!" Jin Zhu gasped, those kicks seemed simple but definite, requiring immense leg strength to propel someone weighing over a hundred pounds so far.

He honestly couldn’t achieve it, not even at a higher realm.

Jin Zhu glanced at Heavenly Horse, who pondered briefly, then shook his head.

At this time, the pirates surrounding Chen Ji and Old Ears appeared like pierced bags, leaking an opening, and the two returning from the raid led the pirates toward Jingjiang County City.

Yuan Xing heated with excitement, ready to jump down for support, but Jiang Chai held him back, "Don’t make matters worse."

Yuan Xing considered, fetched a bow, waiting for the pirates to approach.

Jin Zhu remembered Yuan Xing as the Seeking Dao Realm Official among the Anti-Japanese Army, and to think such an official could worsen matters when assisting? Yet Yuan Xing didn’t seem affected by the remark.

Eighty steps vanished quickly, the pirates hadn’t reestablished their encirclement around Chen Ji and Old Ears, who reached the city foot.

Chen Ji called out, "Ladder!"

Yuan Xing immediately lowered a bamboo ladder, Chen Ji and Old Ears climbed, barely needing their hands, as if treading a flat path.

When the pursuing pirates reached the city foot, they could only stare upwards as Chen Ji and Old Ears disappeared behind the parapet, Yuan Xing leading archers to the wall gaps, "Loose arrows!"

Dozens of arrows rained down, pinning seven or eight pirates dead to the ground, forcing the others to retreat to their camp, the city’s head resounding with Anti-Japanese Army cheers.

Jin Zhu watched Yuan Xing and others surround Chen Ji and Old Ears, Zhou Chang excitedly said, "Those bastards set camp on our doorstep, yet dealt themselves a heavy blow. You two raid as you please, return as you will, freely going back and forth, damn refreshing it is!"

Yuan Xing eagerly said, "Adoptive father, count me in next time."

Jiang Chai, looking sincerely concerned, asked, "Adoptive father hurt?"

Yuan Xing, Yuan Xi, Zhou Chang instantly restrained their joy, silently glancing at Jiang Chai, mouthing curses of insincerity.

They all turned to Chen Ji, seeing his bamboo hat missing a corner, the straw coat slashed, with deep blade marks suggesting injuries.

However, Chen Ji shook his head, "No worries, we’ll go again in ten minutes, don’t let the pirates rest... You come too, Yuan Xing."

Yuan Xing’s eyes lit up, "Alright!"

Chen Ji looked through the crowd at Jin Zhu and Chen Yu, "What were you about to say?"

Jin Zhu hesitated, "...Nothing."

Chen Ji noted, "You come as well."

Jin Zhu hesitated again, "Alright."