Chapter 1002: Confronting Jiang Qi Directly

Chapter 1002: Chapter 1002: Confronting Jiang Qi Directly

Ye Qingchen quickly adjusted his expression, displaying a look of slight confusion and bewilderment, as if he had no idea why the soldier would bring out this portrait.

Ye Qingchen deliberately squinted his eyes, pretending to carefully examine the person in the portrait, then shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of hesitation and ignorance, "Official, I truly haven’t seen this person... We come from the countryside and mostly deal with crops, rarely entering the city, so we aren’t very clear on things here."

He deliberately added a thick rural accent to his words, making himself sound more like an uneducated country bumpkin, completely unlike the heroic figure Ye Qingchen in the portrait.

Ye Qingchen’s expression matched seamlessly, with slightly furrowed brows and a small downturn of the mouth, appearing completely ignorant of the situation in the city.

Xiao Xiao stood beside Ye Qingchen, seeing his performance, she immediately adjusted her own expression.

She quickly suppressed her inner tension, trying her best to appear indifferent, even showing a hint of curiosity, as if she were truly just an ordinary rural woman, filled with simple, naive interest in city affairs.

"Official, we’re all busy tending to the fields, we barely have any chance to meet such people," Xiao Xiao said in a somewhat shy tone, her eyes showing innocence and doubt, as if she had never really seen the person in the portrait.

Her voice was soft and modest, without a trace of hostility or defensiveness, entirely the attitude a normal peasant woman would have when facing the Government Office.

The soldier looked at their flawless expressions, and the doubt in his eyes gradually diminished.

He once again turned his gaze to the portrait, scrutinizing Ye Qingchen and Xiao Xiao from head to toe, as if searching for any anomalies.

But Ye Qingchen and Xiao Xiao’s performance was so natural, not revealing any clues.

Their faces carried just the right amount of puzzlement and respect, relaxed yet cautious, giving an impression of honesty and harmlessness.

The soldier’s gaze gradually softened from sharpness, in the end he rolled up the portrait, placing it back in his coat, and said coldly, "If you see this person, report immediately. The city has been unstable recently, don’t wander around."

"Yes, yes, Official, we will definitely remember that."

Ye Qingchen nodded quickly, his tone filled with a mix of flattery and awe, as if he were truly just an honest citizen scared of trouble.

Xiao Xiao hastily echoed, nodding her head, "Rest assured, Official, we will listen to your instructions and not cause trouble."

The soldier finally withdrew his scrutinizing gaze, seemingly no longer suspecting the two.

He waved his hand, indicating they could leave.

Only then did Ye Qingchen and Xiao Xiao slightly bow, showing a look of relief, and turn to leave slowly.

The two kept walking forward, their steps still steady, but the tension in their hearts hadn’t completely dissipated.

Not until they were completely out of the soldier’s sight, did they truly breathe a sigh of relief.

Ye Qingchen felt the sweat in his palms, silently relieved that his and Xiao Xiao’s coordination was flawless, otherwise, they might not have escaped this ordeal today.

The two walked into a secluded alleyway, with no one around, the noise of the busy streets gradually fading away.

Only then did Ye Qingchen relax his tense nerves, leaning against the wall, exhaling a long breath, a trace of lingering fear flickered in his eyes.

"It seems Jiang Qi is serious this time," Ye Qingchen said in a low voice, his tone carrying a touch of gravity, "to send so many people on the streets to investigate, they almost discovered my appearance after the facial disguise."

Xiao Xiao nodded as well, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes, "Indeed, I didn’t expect Jiang Qi to set such a tight net. The streets are full of his soldiers, leaving us no gap."

Her voice carried a tinge of helplessness, clearly the thrilling scene just now still made her heart rate spike.

Ye Qingchen frowned slightly, his gaze directed towards the end of the street, after a moment of silence, he said slowly, "It looks like they’ve blocked all the exits, not allowing anyone in or out. In this situation, I’m afraid we’ll have to stay in the city for now and watch how things develop."

"What do we do next?" Xiao Xiao couldn’t help but ask, with a thoughtful look in her eyes.

Ye Qingchen’s gaze turned stern, his deep eyes seemed to pierce through layers of fog, directly targeting the heart of the matter.

After a moment of pondering, he spoke with more determination, "To capture the thieves’ leader first, since Jiang Qi is pressing us so hard, let’s not avoid it any longer and take the initiative."

Hearing these words, Xiao Xiao was slightly stunned, her eyes revealing surprise and worry, "Young master, you mean... we should go directly to Jiang Qi?"

Ye Qingchen nodded, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, "That’s right. Instead of being passively attacked, it’s better to strike proactively. Since Jiang Qi is so eager to catch me, it shows he’s wary of me. He thinks he can trap me by sealing the city gates and deploying heavy troops. But he would never expect me to do the opposite and approach him directly."

Xiao Xiao’s heart rate quickened, she knew Ye Qingchen was never someone who easily conceded defeat, but this time taking the initiative was riskier than before.

"Young master, Jiang Qi is the Saint Heir of the Jiang Ancient Clan, his strength is not to be underestimated. If we go directly to him, we might fall into a heavy encirclement."

Ye Qingchen’s gaze was firm as he shook his head slightly, "Exactly because of that, we need to strike before he’s fully prepared, to catch him off guard. Jiang Qi might have set up an impenetrable net in the city, but he would never expect me to show myself. He’s always thought I’d choose to flee, but he didn’t realize, my target is him."

"Our goal this time is to break his confidence, to let him know that I, Ye Qingchen, am not a lamb to be slaughtered. If we can directly capture Jiang Qi, then his heavy deployment would be shaken without command."

Xiao Xiao was silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the feasibility of this plan.

Though risky, she had to admit, Ye Qingchen’s judgment was extremely precise. If they could capture Jiang Qi, it would indeed break the current stalemate.

"But how do we get close to him? Jiang Qi must be heavily guarded, approaching him unnoticed would be very difficult." Xiao Xiao still asked with some concern.

Ye Qingchen showed a cold smile, a hint of cunning flashing in his eyes, "Jiang Qi, confident in his noble status, would never believe I have the guts to seek him out. They’re all searching the city now, focusing on blockades, not defenses. Instead, it gives us more opportunities to find a flaw by sneaking into his residence."

"As for getting close to him—" Ye Qingchen paused, then his gaze turned determined, "I will utilize their setup and act counter to it, creating chaos. And you, you will find the right moment in the chaos to assist me in capturing Jiang Qi."