Volume One, The Youngest Among Three Hundred - Chapter 126: Bringing the Fight to Them

Looking at the few lines of writing on the note, Chen Chang'an's hand involuntarily began to tremble. A nameless fear welled up from deep within, taking control of his thoughts. Who was the sender? How did they know his whereabouts, and how were they aware of the inner workings of the Dragon-Slaying Society? And... what was the purpose of sending this letter?

He sat there in a daze, speculating for a long time without coming to any conclusion. Deciding not to waste any more effort pondering it, he simply cursed under his breath, "Damn it, if you knew the clues and inside information, why didn't you send them earlier? Now that I've already investigated everything to the bottom, what are you still running your mouth for?"

"Oh, wait, it seems you aren't just running your mouth blindly. At least I didn't know that the vice president of the Dragon-Slaying Society is none of other than the current Left Prime Minister, Cheng Jianzhi."

"Still, it wasn't too hard to guess, given the fate of the Left Guard Imperial Guards who tried to stir up trouble at the racecourse entrance. Since that's the case, I can just sit back and wait for the news from those two mutts. As long as the letter gets delivered, I'll definitely be able to pull off a solid counter-kill."

With that, Chen Chang'an slumped right onto the desk and fell asleep.

At sunset that evening, a yellow dog appeared at the base of the Hidden Arms Building in Wuyi Lane. It glanced around, sniffing the air twice, and then sneaked inside with a rather furtive air, making its way up to the sixth floor with the familiarity of long practice.

Inside, Cao Wu and Cheng Muzong were currently unleashing the 15th Origin Art: World-Pitying, and the 5th Origin Art: Ruyi's Incarnation, trying to save Ye Ruan and Ruan Jingchu, whose vital energies were severed but whose souls still lingered within their bodies.

Two incarnations, each crowned with overlapping divine halos, stood high behind the two casters. Brilliant, multicolored lights intertwined and circulated, enshrouding the injured pair. It was distinctly visible that as time passed, the deathly grey complexions of Ye Ruan and Ruan Jingchu gradually regained a trace of vitality, accompanied by the faint sound of breathing.

Once their conditions stabilized, Cao Wu and Cheng Muzong simultaneously retracted their incarnations.

"Woof! Woof woof!"
"Woof woof woof!"

At that moment, the barking of a dog echoed inexplicably from outside.

Cao Wu and Cheng Muzong exchanged glances. The former asked with a puzzled look, "Does the Wuyi Guard keep dogs?"

The latter shook his head. "No. Let alone dogs, any kind of livestock is strictly prohibited here. Of course... mosquitoes don't count!"

Cao Wu curled her lip in slight disgust, turned around, and walked out. She saw a dog covered in yellow fur standing there with its tail cocked high, staring right at her. Its gaze was exceedingly human-like, and somehow seemed somewhat reminiscent of a certain someone named An. Even more unusual was the letter clutched in its jaws.

Cao Wu squatted down and slowly took it. When her eyes fell upon the contents, she froze on the spot.

"Hey, where are you going? Get back in here and keep an eye on those two! They haven't completely woken up yet—what if there's some kind of emergency?" Cheng Muzong shouted.

"Oh!"

Cao Wu snapped back to her senses and began reading the letter. First came surprise, then sudden realization, followed by shock, and finally, she burst into a bright laugh. "So... so that's how it is... I knew it! How could Chen Chang'an possibly betray our Wuyi Guard!"

"What? What's going on? Let me see!" Hearing this, Cheng Muzong immediately unleashed a triple barrage of gossip-seeker questions.

After snatching the letter from Cao Wu's hand and reading it through, his mouth remained wide enough to swallow a whole egg. He clicked his tongue in praise, "Are... are you serious? Chen Chang'an played this counter-espionage trick way too well! He managed to root out both the secret base and the mastermind behind the Dragon-Slaying Society in one fell swoop. Ah, as expected of the person I had my eye on!"

"What did you say? Who had their eye on him?" Cao Wu stiffened her neck and challenged him.

"I... I..."

Changing the subject smoothly, Cheng Muzong argued, "My point is, he was discovered by our big family of the Wuyi Guard, so there isn't really much difference between you and me, is there?"

"Hoh, how is there no difference?" Cao Wu, who usually didn't care much about petty gains and losses and rarely bothered with idle chatter, earnestly began splitting hairs.

Cheng Muzong groaned, "The key right now isn't who discovered Chen Chang'an; it's about the Dragon-Slaying Society! I never imagined the mastermind behind the scenes would be him!"

In the Wutong Courtyard of the Xiuxiu Palace within Dayang Palace, another yellow-furred dog ran inside with a letter in its mouth. Controlled by a will foreign to its own, it barked sharply toward a certain room. Before long, Noble Consort Zhang Youzhi, who should have already been dead, pushed the door open and stepped out at a leisurely pace.

He looked around, finally casting a strange gaze upon the dog, and reached out to take the envelope. Under the dim moonlight, he could barely make out the words. After reading it through, he laughed heartily, "Well played, Chen Chang'an. You really something else!"

***

The next day was bright and clear, with pleasant weather. Sunlight streamed through the crisscrossing window lattice into bright beams, waking Chen Chang'an, who had fallen asleep slumped over the desk. He slowly opened his leaden eyes, stood up as a shower of golden motes fell from his clothes, pushed open the window, and gazed out with spirited eyes. "Brother Bai, I hope the one who wins today is me. Of course, barring any accidents, I can't possibly lose!"

Through the Profound Heart Animal-Communication Great Art, he had sensed around the Hour of You last night that the two dogs had successfully and faithfully delivered the letters to Cao Wu and Zhang Youzhi respectively. Now, all the preparatory work was complete; it was time to make his move!

Curving his lips into a unique, confident smile, Chen Chang'an glanced back at Zhou Guifeng, who was still fast asleep, and vaulted out the window. To his surprise, the moment his feet touched the ground, the two yellow dogs charged at him, barking furiously and cornering him against a nook in the wall.

Chen Chang'an shrugged. "..."

Dog A: "Woof woof woof!"
Dog B: "Woof woof woof!"

"I..."
"Sigh."

He squatted down, patted the heads of the two dogs, and explained earnestly, "Listen, I'm currently a wanted fugitive across the entire city. If I go out to buy meat buns for you right now, I'm definitely going to get caught, right? So... can we settle accounts after I finish dealing with my business?"

Dog A: "Woof woof woof!"
Dog B: "Woof woof woof!"

Chen Chang'an pulled a bitter face and played the pity card. "Every word I'm saying is true! If I go buy you meat buns right now, I really will get caught!"

Dog A: "Woof woof woof!"
Dog B: "Woof woof woof!"

"Damn it!"

Chen Chang'an cursed as he stood up and willed the cessation of the Profound Heart Animal-Communication Great Art. Deprived of the ability to share his thoughts and no longer understanding human speech, the two dogs instantly grew irritable, frantic, and began barking wildly. They could no longer remember that Chen Chang'an still owed them a huge debt of meat buns, and even forgot what they had been doing last night. Who was I? Where am I?

Their IQs plummeted off a cliff!

Watching the two bewildered dogs, Chen Chang'an scoffed, "I tried talking nicely to you, but you just had to do it the hard way!"

With those words, he broke into a sprint and dashed off in the direction of the Prince of Jing'an's Estate.

Almost the moment he left, Zhou Guifeng, who had been fast asleep, hurried after him. Knowing that Chen Chang'an must have a major plan—one that perhaps involved Ah Bao—he felt he had to follow along to set his mind at ease.

Left behind at the scene, the chaotic barking of the two dogs rose and fell without any rhythm.

Inside the Prince of Jing'an's Estate, Bai Jinghu and Left Prime Minister Cheng Jianzhi sat facing each other, deep in conversation. Because he needed to prepare for the morning court session, the latter was dressed in purple official robes with his hands tucked into his sleeves. With his steady and scholarly demeanor, it was almost impossible to connect him with the masked man who had once heavily injured Chen Chang'an.

Logical and brimming with confidence, Cheng Jianzhi said, "During today's court session, I will personally present the manuscript and the fabricated name list to Bai Wan. As long as we claim these incriminating materials were seized from Chen Chang'an, coupled with the assistance of our Divine Deer Boy by her side, she will undoubtedly believe it without a single doubt."

"At that time, the Divine Deer Boy will use the pretext of wanting to see the contents of the Wordless Heavenly Book to prompt Bai Wan to ask Princess Changning for the method of revealing the text using tung-oil paper. Changning will have no grounds to refuse and will surely tell her everything."

"For the sake of her eternal reign, Bai Wan will then inform our Divine Deer Boy, and the matter will be complete."

Bai Jinghu nodded with a sigh of emotion. "It’s all been a roundabout path just for that manuscript. From Sanyuan Taoist Temple to Xiaolian, and now to this—we are finally about to get what we've wished for."

"Oh, right!"

His pupils constricted slightly as he continued, "Even though we are only half a step away from success, we still cannot afford to be careless. Furthermore, find Chen Chang'an's whereabouts as soon as possible. The moment there's a lead, send men to eliminate him. After the failures of the past two times, leaving him alive always leaves a lingering unease in my heart."

"Hm, I've already sent people on it. It's almost time for court; I must take my leave!"

Cheng Jianzhi stood up and prepared to leave. At that exact moment, a manor guard stationed at the gate rushed through the courtyard, dropped to one knee, and reported, "Reporting to Your Highness, someone is here to see you."

"Who?" Bai Jinghu's thick brows furrowed.

The guard uttered the name: "Chen Chang'an!"

"What?!"

Prince of Jing'an Bai Jinghu felt as though he had been hit by a cannon point-blank; his mind buzzed uncontrollably with a deafening hum. Cheng Jianzhi, who had just been preparing to leave for court, was similarly crushed by the weight of that three-word answer, his breathing turning heavy. The two men's faces turned cold as they stared at each other in mutual dismay, speaking in unison, "Why would he come here? Could it be that he has already discovered the truth?"

"No... no... impossible!"

Cheng Jianzhi panicked openly, saying repeatedly, "When I brought Chen Chang'an here that day, I used a specific erasure technique stolen from the Celestial Master Mansion. No trace that could possibly be used for tracking was left behind; it is absolutely impossible for him to have found this place!"

"Could it be... for some other reason?"

"No..."

Bai Jinghu shook his feet. The excitement that had graced his face just half a minute earlier shattered completely, leaving behind only a desolate gloom. "If Chen Chang'an has come, it can only mean he already knows my identity. There is no other reason."

"If... if that's the case!"

Cheng Jianzhi looked thoughtfully at the guard who had delivered the message and asked, "Did he come alone, or is someone accompanying him?"

"Just him alone!" the guard replied.

Cheng Jianzhi shook his head uncertainly. "How can that be? If Chen Chang'an truly knows your identity, and that the Prince of Jing'an's Estate is the Dragon-Slaying Society..."

Bai Jinghu offered a cold laugh in response. "Last time, we were the ones who went back on our word and tried to kill him. Do you think Chen Chang'an would still have any desire to negotiate? I'll go see him first. You leave through the back courtyard; if there are any variables, I'll send someone to notify you!"

"Alright!"

Cheng Jianzhi cupped his fists in acknowledgment, turned left out the door, and departed.

Bai Jinghu adjusted his robes slightly, stepped out of the main hall, crossed the courtyard, and arrived at the main gate of the Prince of Jing'an's Estate. There he found Chen Chang'an, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, standing with a swaggering, devil-may-care attitude. Forcing an approachable smile, Bai Jinghu said, "A new member of the Wuyi Guard, a wanted criminal hunted by the entire city—to what do I owe the honor of your visit to my humble estate?"

Chen Chang'an grinned heartily. "My humble estate? Heh, your phrasing isn't quite right. Lord Bai, you should refer to yourself as the 'Chief President' to better reflect your true status. From the disappearance of Princess Changning at Sanyuan Taoist Temple to the subsequent Xiaolian case, including sending men to seize the salt mine in Ganquan Village, and even this recent illness of Consort Zhang—aren't these all schemes you've masterminded behind the scenes?"

Every single word he spoke rang out with crystal clarity and resolute force.

Listening from start to finish, Bai Jinghu's expression grew increasingly dark. The fists tucked into his sleeves clenched until they cracked.

The murderous intent between the two men seemed poised to erupt at a moment's notice.