Chapter 133: The Decisive Turning Point for Zhang Zhiji's Fate!

"Zhao Bingchun, you damned, dog-hearted official! How dare you betray our Holy Sect! The disciples of our Holy Sect will never let you off!"

"Zhao Bingchun, you wretched cur, you shall meet a miserable end..."

In the blink of an eye, Protector Li, Protector Xu, and the others realized what was happening and began hurling insults at Zhao Bingchun.

"This... I... this..."

For a moment, sweat poured down Zhao Bingchun like rain. He felt as helpless as a mute who had swallowed bitter herbs; even if he had ten thousand mouths, he could not utter a single word in his defense.

What could he possibly say?

He had indeed told Li Yuanjing the location of the entrance used by the remnants of the Incense Sect. But... he had absolutely no idea about this exit!

Yet, Li Yuanjing clearly had other intelligence channels, as he had precisely rounded up the core members of the Incense Sect in one fell swoop. What was Zhao Bingchun supposed to do? This massive scapegoat had been firmly strapped to his back.

Watching Zhao Bingchun’s aggrieved expression, a faint arc tugged at the corner of Li Yuanjing’s mouth. He hadn't expected such a grand harvest tonight—to actually corner the core members of the Incense Sect. He had only intended to gather some heads to satisfy Li Yuanjing's intel and drag Zhao Bingchun into the mess.

Unexpectedly, Xun Keqing had sent news that not only confirmed the entrance but also revealed the location of this secret tunnel exit. Thus, Li Yuanjing naturally played along, turning this performance into something truly perfect.

Seeing the Incense Sect members cursing Zhao Bingchun endlessly, while Zhao Bingchun stood there terrified, not daring to utter a word or offer any resistance, Li Yuanjing smiled faintly. "Magistrate Zhao, these remnants of the Incense Sect are cursing you."

"Uh..." Zhao Bingchun jolted, finally snapping back to reality. Even though he hated Li Yuanjing to the bone, what choice did he have? He could only brace himself and roar at the remnants: "You wicked thieves, do you not see the situation clearly now?! I am Zhao Bingchun, the Magistrate of Fengcheng! The heavenly troops of the Imperial Court have arrived. If you surrender now, perhaps there is still a way to survive! If you remain deluded, do not blame me for being ruthless!"

"Zhao Bingchun!"

"You damned, dog-hearted traitor, you deserve to die!"

During this exchange of insults, the Fairy Aunt, Protector Li, and Protector Xu had exchanged several meaningful glances. Seeing Zhao Bingchun dare to openly defy their Holy Sect, Protector Li was so incensed he began to curse wildly. But just as he finished, he let out a ghostly shriek and suddenly hurled something forward.

"Bang!"

In the next instant, a thick, foul-smelling black fog erupted within the courtyard.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Following that, several more unidentified objects exploded, releasing a dense, stinking smoke that made it impossible to keep one's eyes open.

Zhao Bingchun grew frantic, howling, "Yuanjing, tell the men to fire! Don't let these dog-hearted thieves escape!"

Li Yuanjing had actually noticed their exchange of glances long before Protector Li made his move, and he had anticipated their intentions. However, instead of stopping them, he intentionally held back, giving the Incense Sect remnants a moment to breathe and adjust.

Hearing Zhao Bingchun’s anxious cries, he feigned urgency. "Fire! Fire! Don't let these bastards get away!"

"Bang, bang, bang!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

The soldiers, who had been prepared for some time, opened fire immediately, accompanied by the whistling of arrows. Yet, how could they possibly hit the Incense Sect core members who had already fled in advance? Only a few unlucky ones who failed to reach the tunnel in time were struck, crying out in shrill agony.

As the biting north wind swept through, the foul black fog was quickly dispersed. Li Yuanjing shouted in "exasperation," "Pursue! Pursue! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, find these Incense Sect remnants!"

"Yes!"

Soldiers immediately chased into the tunnel.

Seeing that Li Yuanjing’s elaborate preparations had failed to capture the core members of the Incense Sect, Zhao Bingchun looked as if he had just lost his parents. He collapsed to the ground, trembling and muttering, "It’s over... it’s all over..."

...

From the time darkness fell, the sounds of muskets, fighting, and shouting in Fengcheng County continued intermittently until well after midnight, when it finally began to subside.

Li Yuanjing returned to the temporary command post in the middle courtyard of the Liu residence. Zhao Bingchun, who had been waiting there until he was nearly out of his wits, hurried forward. "Yuanjing, Yuanjing, what is the situation? Did you capture the rebel leader, the Fairy Aunt?"

Zhang Zhiji also looked over anxiously.

Li Yuanjing shook his head with a touch of exhaustion and bowed to Zhang Zhiji. "Young Duke, this student is incompetent; I failed to capture the rebel leader. I beg for your punishment!"

"This..." Zhang Zhiji was filled with frustration and kicked a chair aside. Beside him, Zhao Bingchun suddenly began foaming at the mouth and fainted from pure terror.

"Magistrate Zhao! What happened? Are you alright?" Li Yuanjing and Zhang Zhiji both jolted and hurried toward him. However, Zhao Bingchun had lost consciousness completely.

After sending men to carry Zhao Bingchun away for medical treatment, Li Yuanjing and Zhang Zhiji exchanged a look, both seeing the excitement in each other's eyes. This entire affair had been a well-coordinated double act planned by the two of them.

Soon, they retreated into a room, with guards stationed every three steps to ensure absolute safety. Zhang Zhiji asked urgently, "Sir, what is the true situation?"

Li Yuanjing bowed. "Young Duke, these Incense Sect remnants are more cunning than we imagined. Although I increased the intensity of the pursuit, I still failed to capture their Protector-level figures. However..." Li Yuanjing smiled.

Zhang Zhiji grew impatient. "However what? Did you gain something?"

Li Yuanjing smiled. "Young Duke, under our intense pursuit, their Fairy Aunt and the two Protectors were forced to scatter and flee! Moreover, I have obtained the exact identities of those two Protectors!"

"Perhaps we can release the news now that it was because Protector Xu colluded with Zhao Bingchun that we were able to win tonight's battle!"

"This..." Zhang Zhiji pondered for a moment, understood Li Yuanjing’s intent, and gave a thumbs-up in excitement. "Sir, brilliant! Truly brilliant! This way, the Incense Sect—including their relationship with Zhao Bingchun—will surely turn on each other! We will finally have a chance to catch our breath and map out our next moves!"

Li Yuanjing nodded, though his expression quickly turned solemn. "Young Duke, although we have gained some initiative, the more we succeed, the less we can afford to be negligent! We must remember that both the Incense Sect and Zhao Bingchun’s foundations run much deeper than we suspected. If we become careless now, all our previous efforts will have been in vain, and our very lives may no longer be within our control."

Although Li Yuanjing’s words were slightly alarmist, Zhang Zhiji had grown significantly in perspective and understood that this was sound, golden advice. After all, securing military power was his primary objective. This plan had merely bought them a moment of respite to insert their own people. To claim victory over the Incense Sect was still far from the truth.

More importantly, Zhang Zhiji faced a decision that felt tied to his very fate. After long, deep consideration, he let out a long breath, looked at Li Yuanjing, and asked, "Sir, while I have many heads of the Incense Sect in hand, I have lost over a hundred elite soldiers from the Capital Battalion... I won't have an easy time explaining this to my superiors... In your opinion, how should I handle this to best satisfy all parties?"

Li Yuanjing had clearly already anticipated this. He looked into Zhang Zhiji's eyes and said, "Young Duke, this matter is as difficult or as simple as you make it! It all depends on whether you want to truly get things done and stabilize this Qizhou hinterland, or whether you want to make yourself look more brilliant to the Emperor, the court, and your father, and leave a good impression first!"

"This..." Although Li Yuanjing spoke with some ambiguity, Zhang Zhiji understood the deeper meaning perfectly. He fell into deep thought.