Chapter 317: Delighted at the Prey, Escaping Like a Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell

Although Ying Tianfu was still considered the capital under the emperor’s rule, where there was light, there was also shadow. No matter where one was, there would always be all sorts of people from every walk of life. Those gathered on Ning Dong Street at that moment were all aggressive and domineering types, but even among them, there were differences in status—some were people others preferred not to provoke. So when they saw the three newcomers trying to start a fight, most pretended not to notice; even those who glanced over did so out of sheer boredom, wanting to watch a good show.

The burly man, seeing no reaction from the two people at the table, became furious and slammed his hand hard on the table. “I’ll say it again—give me your seats!”

Though of humble origin, Lu Feng was now a notable figure even in the palace and prided himself on his status. He hadn’t intended to come to such a mixed crowd just to stir up trouble. However, considering this as an opportunity to find loyal followers for the future, he abandoned the idea of sending someone else and went out himself, accompanied by Cheng Jiu.

At first, he could sit there leisurely sipping tea, but as more and more people gathered—all of them tough-looking with fierce expressions—he gradually felt uneasy. When he saw the man’s slap make the teacups on the table jump around, he immediately regretted coming. As the saying goes, a gentleman should not… Under these circumstances, what kind of reputation would he have if he suffered at the hands of these brutes? It would be a huge joke if word got out!

Just as he decided to endure the humiliation and avoid conflict for now, a high-pitched voice beside him asked, “Why should we?”

Without turning around, Lu Feng knew it was Cheng Jiu. He wished he could tear his mouth apart. He had left without arranging any palace guards for protection, fearing leaks, nor did he dare bring those eunuchs who might be spies. In his overconfidence, he hadn’t even asked Zhang Yue to make any preparations. With just the two of them, clearly not strong enough to fight, how could they deal with these thugs?

The burly man wasn’t expecting to be met with such defiance. Seeing that the speaker was just a thin, delicate-looking guy, he sneered, “Someone dares to ask me why! I’ll tell you—because of my iron fist!”

Under everyone’s gaze, he suddenly clenched his hands into a fist and swung it fiercely at Cheng Jiu’s face. Just as he imagined this punch would leave that detestable pretty boy’s face covered in bruises, everything suddenly blurred before his eyes, and his fist failed to reach its target. Upon looking closely, he found a short man standing there somehow, his fist gently held by that person’s hand—no matter how hard he tried to break free, he couldn’t pull it away.

The people sitting around never expected such a sudden change and were stunned speechless. Before they could figure out who this sudden intruder was, the burly man with the trapped fist let out a furious roar, delivering a punch with his left hand and a kick with his right leg, showing an unyielding, death-defying attitude. Immediately, the crowd erupted in chaos. Many remembered that this “Crazy Tiger” ranked first among the Three Tigers of West City for his willingness to fight to the death—even those with greater martial skills often couldn’t withstand his reckless, injury-driven tactics.

Facing the onslaught, the short man neither dodged nor flinched, matching blows with his fists and feet. When confronted with the final brutal headbutt, he roared in return and slammed his own head against it. Seeing this, Lu Feng couldn’t help but exclaim in shock, and the surroundings were filled with gasps. After a muffled thud that chilled everyone’s blood, it wasn’t the short man who staggered back several steps, but rather the fierce man known as the Crazy Tiger. Seeing the burly man stagger back far before collapsing face-first to the ground and failing to get up, everyone gasped in horror.

“With such weak skills, he still dares to act tough. I thought he was so formidable—what an overestimation of himself!”

As the short man patted his hands and calmly sat down at the next table, the once noisy tent fell dead silent. Some people at nearby tables, seeing the bruised forehead and unconscious state of the unlucky guy, even wondered if their eyes were playing tricks on them. Only then did the remaining two burly men seem to wake up from their daze. With a roar, they charged at the short man who had just sat down.

Although they had seen fights before, they had always been chaotic scuffles. They had never witnessed such fierce combat or such reckless bravery. Thus, once they recovered from their shock, Lu Feng felt an indescribable excitement surge through him, making him forget his earlier intention to keep things peaceful. Seeing the other two men at that table suddenly stand up and effortlessly throw those two burly men aside, he grew even more excited.

Seeing this, Cheng Jiu, who understood the situation, quickly teased in a low voice, “Are you eyeing those three over there?”
“Exactly. Great skills! Today wasn’t in vain. Though I don’t know how they compare to the masters inside… that little guy’s momentum alone is enough to match them, and the other two are also good! Tsk tsk. Speaking of which, if I were in charge… I’d organize a similar competition and recruit some people! You brat, I’ll settle accounts with you later for causing trouble just now!”
Glaring fiercely at Cheng Jiu, Lu Feng began to make plans. With such subordinates and firm control over the Eastern Depot, he wouldn’t have to cater to that old eunuch Huang Yan from the Imperial Secretariat anymore, nor worry about someone forcing people onto his team. Watching those two men, who had barely gotten up, drag their unconscious companion away in disarray, he scratched the fake beard on his chin and scanned the little guy and the other two again.
After such a disturbance, those who had originally planned to find a seat in the pavilion gave up the idea—despite there being many seemingly easy targets among the newcomers. It wasn’t until drumbeats and shouts came from the training ground that they hurriedly stood up and rushed over, with Lu Feng and Cheng Jiu naturally at the back.
“Once the Eunuch Lord takes control of the Eastern Depot, he can indeed hold public competitions to recruit people. But at that time, he must be careful—other eunuchs will surely try to interfere.”
“That’s true. Right now, many people are eager to see us fail, hoping to insert more obstacles.”
“Later, the Eunuch Lord can just observe. Once he picks someone, he can go back and tell Lord Zhang to send someone with a Jinyiwei ID badge. The people of Ying Tianfu surely won’t dare refuse a Jinyiwei’s request. As for those others, there’s no need to say—since even the local constables are so enthusiastic, let alone having them do our work.”
“Heh, you’ve improved a bit after being with us for so long! Fortunately, I brought a Jinyiwei ID badge when I left Beijing this time, so there’s no risk of leaks!”
Such a trivial task of recruiting skilled constables certainly wouldn’t involve any high-ranking officials from Ying Tianfu’s government. Not only were officials like the prefect or vice-prefect absent, but even the assistant judges weren’t there. The only one present was a middle-aged magistrate of the seventh rank, who wore an official robe and said a few words weakly before ordering Chief Li beside him to oversee the recruitment competition.

It was a situation where there were too many people and not enough resources; even though it was made clear that things should be kept to a minimum, no one in the training ground dared to take it lightly. When it came to being fierce, none hesitated. The middle-aged governor frowned as he watched, but still said not a word. As for the shrewd and capable Captain Li, he remained silent as well. Only when he saw a few individuals with exceptional skills winning battle after battle did his expression darken, as he wondered whether such formidable people might pose a threat to him if they entered the government office.

The fighting on the training ground was in full swing, but the sky gradually darkened. The area was mostly made up of simple houses, and the wind grew stronger, blowing straight into people’s faces. Knowing that he couldn’t wear fine clothes or furs on this day, Lu Feng was wrapped only in a thick cotton coat, shivering from the cold, yet his eyes remained fixed on the battlefield. Seeing the short man who had stood out earlier showing great prowess, he resolved to get that person at all costs.

Snow began to fall from the sky, but the fighters, with their heated tempers, grew even more aggressive. Though no one was killed, many were carried away. As dusk approached, Captain Li, who was overseeing the competition, ordered the gong to be struck, announcing that the remaining matches would be held the next day.

That night, Zhang Yue, who had spent the whole day dealing with the three grain stores, was called over by Lu Feng as soon as he returned. Hearing Cheng Jiu smoothly recite eight names and handing over a Jinyiwei ID badge, he took it without hesitation and examined it closely. Seeing that it belonged to the Beizhenfu Department of the Jinyiwei, he immediately understood that this must be Mu Ning’s “show of filial piety” for Lu Feng.

“Elder Master, rest assured. Since it’s someone you’ve chosen, I won’t fail to bring them here. Besides, with the snow falling tonight, no one will pay attention to this place. It’s the perfect chance for us to disappear.”

“Leaving tonight?” Lu Feng wasn’t expecting Zhang Yue to act so quickly and asked urgently, “But we haven’t even recruited that person yet!”

“We’ll just leave here first and move to a manor belonging to the Crown Prince in the suburbs. The Crown Prince is worried about our safety and has specially assigned four elite warriors from the palace guard to protect us. I’ll leave Liansheng and Lianhu here to keep things looking normal, and then instruct Zhou Bailing and Fangling to guard this place tightly. They’ve followed us twice and are absolutely reliable. How many people will you take with you?”

“I don’t know how many spies have been planted among my men. I’ll only take Ah Jiu; no one else!”

In the pitch-dark night, a vehicle silently emerged from the back door of the imperial envoy’s residence on Ma Fu Street, leaving two deep tire tracks on the ground. The snowflakes swirling in the air quickly covered these sole traces, and the tightly closed gates were never opened again. Meanwhile, within this vast mansion, groups of soldiers were urgently mobilized.