Chapter 99: Desperate
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Steward Mi, why are you here?”
As soon as Zhou Shu woke up, someone came to inform him. He came to the front hall and spoke to Mi Zhifu, who was sitting here.
It had been a while since Mi Zhifu appeared before Zhou Shu.
!!
It wasn’t that he was looking down on Zhou Shu. But as the head steward of the Mi family, he knew his limits very well. He knew that if he appeared in front of Zhou Shu often, it would only cause Zhou Shu to have negative thoughts.
“I’m relieved that you’re fine, Second Master.” Mi Zhifu smiled. “Do you like these people? If anyone is disobedient, you can teach them a lesson.”
“They’re all pretty good.” Zhou Shu shook his head.
He vaguely guessed something, but he pretended not to know anything and asked, “What do you mean by that? What do you mean I’m fine? Why would I not be fine?”
Mi Zhifu didn’t hide anything. “Second Master, something big has happened in the capital.
“Zhu Chuanfeng, a Grand Craftsman of the Forging Division, colluded with an enemy nation and sold the secrets of Great Xia. Last night, the Divine Constable Bureau’s grand commander directly raided the Zhu residence, but Zhu Chuanfeng escaped.
“Currently, the four gates of Chang’an are sealed. The Divine Constable Bureau and the Fiend Eradication Army are conducting a large-scale search. Right now, everyone in the capital is panicking. I was worried that you would be shocked, so I rushed over early in the morning.”
“Really? I didn’t hear anything at all. I slept until dawn,” Zhou Shu said in surprise. “Grand Craftsman Zhu colluded with the enemy? Is that true?”
“The Divine Constable Bureau’s Grand Commander Ma Fengzhang personally led the operation, and Zhu Chuanfeng even escaped. This matter can’t be fake,” Mi Zhifu said in a low voice. He was the head steward of the Mi family, so he naturally knew a lot of information. “I really didn’t expect this. Fortunately, our Ma family didn’t have any dealings with Zhu Chuanfeng.”
1
Mi Zhifu gloated at the thought. The Mi family and Zhu Chuanfeng didn’t have much of a relationship, but the enemies of the Mi family did have some close ties with Zhu Chuanfeng. This time, they would be implicated.
“The Divine Constable Bureau has made their move, and the city has been locked down. Can Grand Craftsman Zhu still escape?” Zhou Shu asked.
He wasn’t interested in what excuse Ma Fengzhang had come up with to capture Zhu Chuanfeng. He had already expected this. Whether it was Ma Fengzhang or Emperor Yuan Feng, neither of them would easily expose the truth.
The truth was too shocking. Once it was announced, no one knew what the consequences would be.
Finding a reason to arrest Zhu Chuanfeng was a normal reaction.
Zhou Shu was more interested in whether or not Zhu Chuanfeng had been successfully captured.
“When Commander Ma arrived at the Zhu residence, Zhu Chuanfeng was no longer there. As for whether he escaped from the capital or not, no one knows,” Mi Zhifu said. “Zhu Chuanfeng is not an ordinary person. Even with the Divine Constable Bureau making a move, it won’t be easy to catch him.”
“Second Master, Zhu Chuanfeng might be hiding somewhere in the city. Chang’an City is currently sealed off, and not even a fly can fly out. In order to prevent Zhu Chuanfeng from taking desperate measures, it’s best if you stay in the residence and don’t go out.
“I will arrange for some guards to come over. Although the possibility of Zhu Chuanfeng targeting you is not high, it’s better to be safe.”
It wasn’t that Mi Zhifu was thinking too much, but this was basically what all the residences in the capital did. They strengthened their defenses so that they wouldn’t be implicated.
“I still need to return to the 0th Workshop.” Zhou Shu shook his head. Stay in the manor and be a coward?
How was that possible!
Would he be afraid that Zhu Chuanfeng would do something desperate?
Zhu Chuanfeng might have a chance of survival if he didn’t come looking for him.
If he really thought that Zhou Shu was a pushover, then Zhou Shu would definitely give him a surprise.
Of course, Zhou Shu felt that the possibility that Zhu Chuanfeng would come looking for him again was very low. After all, he had scared Zhu Chuanzhi away.
“The workshop’s tasks can’t be delayed. Moreover, I don’t have any grudges with Zhu Chuanfeng. Even if he wants to do anything, it probably has nothing to do with me,” Zhou Shu said.
“Second Master, it’s not like that. As the saying goes, a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. Second Master, you have a n.o.ble status. It’s really not appropriate for you to take risks,” Mi Zhifu persuaded.
“What kind of n.o.ble status do I have?” Zhou Shu couldn’t help laughing. He shook his head and said, “Steward Mi, you don’t need to say anything more. Since I am the superintendent of the 0th Workshop of the Forging Division, I have to do my job well. This is the most basic thing.
“The Divine Constable Bureau wanting to capture Zhu Chuanfeng has nothing to do with me. If I skip work because of such a small matter, how will I manage the workshop in the future?”
Seeing that he couldn’t persuade Zhou Shu, Mi Zhifu could only take a step back and say, “Since you have made up your mind, Second Master, I will arrange a few more experts to accompany you. Don’t reject me, Second Master. If something really happens to you, how will I answer to Master?”
Although Zhou Shu felt somewhat helpless, he couldn’t refuse. If he refused again, it would seem pretentious.
“Alright, just send some random people, but don’t compromise the defense of the Mi residence,” Zhou Shu said.
…
In a secret location in Beijing, Zhu Chuanzhi’s face was pale as he kept coughing.
Opposite him, Zhu Chuanfeng’s expression was dark, a cold light flickering in his eyes.
Last night, after Zhu Chuanzhi escaped from outside the city, they had immediately moved from the Zhu residence to this secret lair.
As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. With Zhu Chuanfeng’s previous status, buying a residence in Chang’an was no problem at all.
They originally planned to directly escape from this place, but they never expected the Divine Constable Bureau to act so quickly. Before they could escape, the city gates had already been sealed.
“Chuanzhi, tell me again. What did Zhou Shu say last night?” Zhu Chuanfeng icily said.
“Big Brother, that person can’t be Zhou Shu! His cultivation is far above mine…”
“Regardless of who he is, tell me what he said first!” Zhu Chuanfeng interrupted.
“He said, Zhu brothers, you guys are in trouble!” Zhu Chuanzhi recalled.
Zhu Chuanfeng’s brows were tightly furrowed. With just these words alone, he was unable to determine whether the other party was trying to trick him or not.
However, it was useless to think about all this now. Even if the words he said back then were to trick Zhu Chuanzhi, it was already true now.
If he had known earlier, he would have destroyed the secret manual in the villa in the suburbs!
Unfortunately, it was too late for regrets.
“No, I can’t die here!” Zhu Chuanfeng clenched his fists. He still had seven heaven-grade weapons and a huge amount of wealth. As long as he escaped from Chang’an, he would have many good days ahead of him. How could he allow himself to be captured?
“Big Brother, what should we do now? The city gates are sealed, and the Divine Constable Bureau and the Fiend Eradication Army are searching every house. It won’t be long before they find us,” Zhu Chuanzhi said in a low voice. If he was found, even a third-rank martial artist wouldn’t be able to escape, let alone him, a fourth-rank martial artist.
“There’s always a way out!” Zhu Chuanfeng gnashed his teeth. “I, Zhu Chuanfeng, have encountered countless desperate situations in my life, but I’ve always been the one to break through them. This time is no exception!
“Let me think about it.” Zhu Chuanfeng paced back and forth. “For Chang’an to operate normally, it’s impossible that all the city gates are sealed off. Some people will still have to enter and exit the city gates!
“The southern region is in the midst of a great war, and the supply of weapons won’t be cut off. Some of the superintendents of the Forging Division live in the city, so they must return to the workshop.
“Chuanzhi, go take a look at these places immediately and see which superintendents stayed in the city last night. We might be able to sneak out of the city with their ident.i.ty.”
There were many people entering and exiting the city gates, but Zhu Chuanfeng was most familiar with the people from the Forging Division.
The Forging Division’s workshops were transporting weapons back and forth. There might be a chance.
Zhu Chuanzhi didn’t hesitate at all. He memorized the few places that his elder brother had mentioned and then carefully left this courtyard.
There were dangers everywhere in the city. Even though he was a fourth-rank martial artist, he had to be extra careful. If he was not careful, he might not be able to catch them.
The constables of the Divine Constable Bureau and the Fiend Eradication Army might be searching the entire city, but their numbers were limited. This was an opportunity for Zhu Chuanzhi to take action.
He went to several places in a row, but he didn’t find a single workshop superintendent. It was obvious that these people didn’t stay in the capital last night.
The last one. Zhu Chuanzhi thought that if none of them were around, he could only think of other ways.
However, they really didn’t have much time left.
Zhu Chuanzhi was a little anxious. He hurriedly headed toward the last place.
At this moment, he naturally didn’t dare to take the main road and could only cross over the courtyards.
Every time before he climbed over a wall, he would carefully observe for a while before taking action, fearing that he would encounter an expert.
Just as he climbed over a high wall like before, his expression suddenly changed.
Because not far from him, someone was staring at him with wide eyes.
“It’s you?” Zhu Chuanzhi’s pupils suddenly contracted. A few dozen feet away, who else could it be but Zhou Shu?
Zhu Chuanzhi didn’t have time to think about why he had not sensed the presence of a cultivator behind the wall before he had climbed over it. All he could think about now was how Zhou Shu’s aura had exploded last night.
The other party was an expert, an expert even stronger than him!
Zhu Chuanzhi only had one thought—he was a goner. He might not be able to escape this time!
Even if he couldn’t escape, he couldn’t allow himself to be captured!
He would give it his all. At the very least, he would create a commotion and alert his elder brother!
With this thought in mind, Zhu Chuanzhi didn’t hesitate at all as his aura suddenly exploded.
Boom!
Fierce energy surged out from Zhu Chuanzhi, smashing the flowers and trees in the courtyard into smithereens and even riddling the walls with holes.
Zhu Chuanzhi suddenly stomped on the ground. The ground beneath his feet cracked as he charged toward Zhou Shu at an incredible speed.
Zhou Shu seemed to be scared silly.. He didn’t react at all, allowing Zhu Chuanzhi to continue to close in on him.