Chapter 419: All Our Own People, Recognizing the Identity

A soldier under his command said, "General, those two are definitely suspicious. Should we send men to bring them back?"

Wei Ting looked toward the grassy area to the south, his eyes narrowing.

"Send two sharp men to follow them first. Don’t startle the snake."

Wei Ting had already reached an agreement with Hu Feng.

He told Hu Feng the news that Qi Peiyao and the child were safe and sound, and promised to spare the Hu Brothers.

First the stick, then the carrot. This was the best way to secure a surrender.

Hu Feng had also told him that Xijin had more than a dozen secret agents in Longzhou. He was never contacted by the same person twice, and he identified them by a special golden totem embroidered on their cuffs.

Wei Ting’s position was on the highest ground, giving him a clear view of those who were deliberately hiding. And what was that glinting in the overgrown field, if not the golden totem of Xijin?

’I didn’t expect the secret agents to move so quickly.’

They were hiding in the withered yellow grass to the south, apparently spying on the village woman’s movements.

But that wasn’t all.

Wei Ting turned his head again to look north, grinding his back teeth.

Because another group of experts was holed up there as well.

Aside from their escape route, many skilled fighters had gathered in the other three directions.

’This village woman is clearly no ordinary person.’

Wei Ting said to the few remaining men, "We’ll go deal with the ones to the south first."

An alert soldier said, "I’ll send word for the main force to come over at once."

Wei Ting shook his head. "No need. There aren’t many of them, and they’re not here for us."

’We just brought the remaining Xijin faction in Black Wind Village under control last night. Would Xijin send reinforcements the very next day? Obviously not. They wouldn’t be this fast.’

’Rather, someone has summoned the Xijin secret agents near Longzhou.’

’Who could this person be?’

Wei Ting didn’t know yet, but the correct course of action was to first round up all the agents right in front of him.

The few purple-clad assassins to the south began to move stealthily. Just as they were about to pursue the village woman who had gotten out of the carriage, a tall, handsome figure appeared before them.

"Where do you think you’re going?"

Wei Ting had appeared alone, as if from thin air, a signature smile playing on his lips.

Upon seeing Wei Ting, the assassins’ faces twisted for a moment beneath their purple masks.

This General Zhenbei was renowned in Beili, but in Xijin, he had earned the name "Ghostly Sorrow."

A glint flashed in Wei Ting’s eyes. ’So, they didn’t know I was here.’ This further confirmed his suspicion.

"You recognize me? Excellent."

The corners of Wei Ting’s mouth curved up as he closed in on them.

"Did you come looking specifically for me? As it happens, I brought ten thousand troops for a little tour of Black Wind Village. I’m sure they’d love to play with you."

’Who would bring ten thousand troops to play in this godforsaken ravine?’

Only Wei Ting and two soldiers stood before them, but their attire made it clear they were from the Northern Border.

The Xijin assassins didn’t doubt Wei Ting’s words. Their composure shattered, they dared not make a rash move.

Wei Ting unfastened his bracers, then slowly buckled them back on, one strap at a time.

He said in a casual tone, "Let’s stick to the usual rules. Toss aside your hidden weapons and seal your own acupoints. Don’t make me do it for you."

Wei Ting’s smile grew even more pleasant. "You know how it is. I’m very gentle with prisoners of war who surrender."

The assassins glanced at one another, hesitation in their eyes.

They had been lurking in Longzhou under various identities for over a decade, and their skills were no longer what they once were. Facing Wei Ting and his troops now would be utterly futile.

Seeing that the men remained silent and still, Wei Ting’s smile vanished.

Clasping his wrist, he said coldly, "Or would you rather experience what it feels like to be trampled by ten thousand horses and then buried alive?"

Wei Ting’s fearsome reputation preceded him in both armies. The moment his expression shifted, the assassins threw down their hidden weapons and, one by one, sealed their own acupoints.

Immediately, two soldiers sprang out from behind Wei Ting with a rope and bound the entire group together.

Wei Ting ordered, "Lock them up with the Xijin people in the village."

He glanced north again and saw that the group of men in black had vanished from sight. ’That movement technique... if I’m not mistaken...’

Wei Ting said, "You don’t need to follow me."

One of the soldiers said worriedly, "General, we should still go with you."

Wei Ting waved his hand dismissively. "They’re our own people."

’Our own people? Out here in the middle of nowhere?’

The soldier didn’t dare to question the order. He just scratched the back of his head and obeyed, escorting the prisoners back to Black Wind Village.

The group to the north was none other than the Hidden Guards who had been sent to protect Ji Qingwu—and had carelessly lost her.

To atone for their mistake, they had tracked her all night and finally discovered her whereabouts in Black Wind Village.

The Dark Guard Leader tutted. "That Wei Ting is a practiced bluffer. What ten thousand troops?"

They had passed through Black Wind Village and seen at most two or three thousand elite soldiers, all brought by Li Chengxun. Wei Ting had only come with a few of his trusted aides.

"Boss, we need to hurry and follow Miss Ji, or we’ll lose her again."

The Dark Guard Leader shot him a look through his dark mask, and the subordinate immediately fell silent.

"We won’t lose her this time. It won’t be like last time."

The subordinate asked doubtfully, "So this time, is the person in the carriage really Fifth Miss Ji?"

Last time, Ji Qingwu and Ji Qingrong had worked together to make the Hidden Guards mistakenly believe she was the person in the carriage accompanied by Si Hai.

But this time, Ji Qingwu didn’t know they had found her, so she probably wouldn’t have taken so many precautions.

’But what if she anticipated it?’

The Dark Guard Leader said inscrutably, "This Miss Ji’s tactics are not to be underestimated. The person in the carriage should be..."

The Dark Guard Leader stroked his chin, facing the eager gazes of the other Hidden Guards.

He said with a profound air, "Who is it really... I’m not actually sure either."

The shoulders of the other Hidden Guards slumped. So the boss couldn’t tell either.

The Dark Guard Leader said decisively, "Alright, we’ll split into two teams. Both teams will follow a target. That way, we can’t make a mistake again. When someone finds the real target, we’ll use signals to communicate."

Wei Ting appeared silently behind them.

With his arms crossed, he said, "The person who just got out of the carriage wasn’t her."

Hearing the voice, the Dark Guard Leader turned around. His tone held no surprise as he said, "Brother Wei, you’re here."

Wei Ting raised an eyebrow. "Old Yao, you’re here too."

The two were old acquaintances, close enough to skip the pleasantries. The Dark Guard Leader asked directly, "Brother Wei, how could you tell?"

At this point, Wei Ting would have to be a fool not to guess the identity of the runaway village woman.

Who else but Ji Qingwu would be important enough for the Emperor to dispatch such a large contingent of Hidden Guards to protect her?

Once he confirmed the "village woman" was Ji Qingwu, telling the two apart wasn’t difficult.

Wei Ting ground his teeth. "By her figure. By the way she walks."

Noticing his odd reaction, the Dark Guard Leader asked, "Are you very familiar with this Fifth Miss Ji?"

As soon as the words were out, he recalled the recent rumors from Lin’an. His own expression was hidden by his mask.

Wei Ting’s lips pressed into a thin line before he relaxed them.

"That’s enough, Old Yao. I can practically hear your iron mask vibrating."