Astral Apostle

   Chapter 207 Sitting and watching the enemy

   Above Ning Tianfu, Zhou Jing's clothes fluttered, riding the wind, looking down at the riots in the city like a falcon.

   "This assassin assassinated the emperor alone, and I don't know if there are any accomplices to help..."

   While muttering softly, he opened the elemental field of vision inspection, but found nothing.

   This assassin seems to be a pure martial artist, and he doesn't know how to use magic. For him, it is more difficult to catch than Mei Zhanqing.

   Specialized in art, Mei Zhanqing at the beginning was full of evil spirits, in the elemental field of vision, like fireflies in the dark night, so bright and outstanding.

   And an ordinary warrior, his breath is no different from that of mortals, there is no distinctive feature, and there are no special traces in the elemental field of vision.

   Zhou Jing tried it for a while, and then closed the element vision. For this kind of target, it is better to use normal senses to find traces.

   He lowered his height and circled in the night sky, observing the search tracks of the many garrison troops, looking at the streets illuminated by torches, and at the same time devoting his energy to pay attention to the movements of the dark alleys.

  Under his high perception, he could see all the conditions of the flying area. Although it was not completely visible, he would not ignore the slightest movement.

   Just searched for a while, but found nothing.

   "Assassins are very skilled. As long as they get rid of the pursuers, they can hide anywhere. The Ningtian Palace is very large. If there is no mysterious means of tracking, searching for a person is similar to finding a needle in a haystack..."

   Zhou Jing secretly changed his position.

   If you were an assassin, how would you escape if the assassination failed?

   Hmm... run away, it must be swaggering out of town.

   "Cough, this is not what normal people think."

  Zhou Jing settled down, switched to a mortal's way of thinking, and pondered:

"At night, when the city gate is closed, the assassin can only hide in the city. If the emperor is assassinated, even in the daytime, the city gate must be under martial law. If the thief cannot be found, the door will not be easily lifted. Therefore, the assassin either hides in the city and prays all the time. If he is found, he will either find a way to sneak out of the city. He dares to assassinate, and he is very skilled.

   He squinted his eyes and looked at the Yulin River, which extends in all directions in the city.

  The water network in Ningtian Mansion is dense. If you want to avoid the inspection, the most likely way is to take the waterway at night and find a way to get out of the city through the water gate.

   Zhou Jing thought about it, then lowered the altitude, and simply flew close to the bank of the Yulin River to observe the movement of the river.

  The Yulin River surrounds Ningtianfu, and there are prosperous river sections and remote sections.

   He searched carefully for a while, and in a remote place with a turbid river surface, he really found something unusual.

  There is a stone bridge here, with clumps of water plants growing in the bridge hole, and fish swimming and making ripples.

   It seemed that everything was normal, but Zhou Jing found a reed tube sticking out of the water plants.

   In the dark environment, it is difficult for ordinary people to notice this detail, but his perception is quite high, and his vision, smell, and hearing are far superior to ordinary people.

  Under the comprehensive perception, he not only discovered this detail through vision, but also vaguely felt the weak air flow of the reed tube, as if someone was breathing in a small mouth.

  'There should be a person hiding under water...mostly an assassin, otherwise he wouldn't hide like this. ’

   Zhou Jing's eyes flashed, but he didn't step forward to dismantle it. Instead, he listened to the movements around him.

   The footsteps of the Royal Forest Army's search were quite far from here, and most of the buildings on the bank of this river section had their doors and windows closed, and there were no onlookers.

   He rolled his eyes, coughed, and deliberately muttered:

   "I don't know where this assassin is sacred. Could it be the one who urged Yama Chen Feng? This person killed officials and dignitaries all the way, claiming to be crusade against treacherous people, which is the most suspicious."

   After saying that, Zhou Jing turned his head and flew up, as if he had gone somewhere else.

   In fact, he circled and came back, quietly watching the movement here in the air.

   It didn't take long for him to discover a "drifting" reed tube appeared on this section of the river, moving quietly along the river towards the edge of the city.

   Zhou Jing's eyes lit up, he didn't tell anyone about this discovery, but followed quietly in the air, staring closely at the trace of this person.

  …

   Duan Yunfeng was swimming cautiously in the river with a reed tube in his mouth.

   In autumn, the river water is freezing cold to the bone. Rao is because he is strong and has inner qi to protect himself. He also feels that his body is gradually freezing and he can only hold on.

  The water was turbid and dark, Duan Yunfeng couldn’t see the road ahead clearly, and he didn’t dare to stand up.

  Fortunately, this month, he has been stepping on the spot, and he is already familiar with the river terrain. Even if he can't see clearly underwater, he can act in the dark. When he escaped, he deliberately chose this route, leading to the water gate in the west of the city, avoiding the eyes and ears without passing through the prosperous stretch of the river.

   After swimming for an unknown amount of time, Duan Yunfeng finally touched the slippery moss beside the water gate wall. After listening to the movement for a while, he confirmed that there were no officers and soldiers around, and then he cautiously emerged from the water.

   Here the water gate is connected to the city wall, in the shape of an arch, closed by an iron fence, the river is narrow, and only a Wupeng boat can pass through.

   As long as you go out, you can escape.

   Duan Yunfeng groped and grasped the edge of an iron fence. There were a few loose places at the connection with the city wall. During the month he stepped on the spot, he sneaked at night and loosened it day after day.

   He took a deep breath and burst out.

   Click!

  The corner of the iron fence was broken, revealing a gap, barely able to pass sideways.

   Duan Yunfeng's body rattled as he used his bone-shrinking skills, and the whole person drilled through the gap.

   He passed through the water gate, not daring to relax, and hurriedly snorkeled along the river, swam all the way into the Spring Mountain River, and landed on the bank of an uninhabited wild forest in the dark.

   Only then did he look back, and what he saw was the general outline of Ning Tianfu in the dark night.

"Out……"

   Until this time, Duan Yunfeng's tense nerves relaxed, only to feel that his clothes were wet and sticking to his body, clammy and cold to his bones.

   "Damn, the officers and soldiers supported too fast, I didn't kill the dog emperor this time, and almost collapsed inside..."

  Duan Yunfeng gritted his teeth, feeling both discouraged by the lack of success and resentment when he missed a shot, and his mood was mixed.

   He took a sigh of relief, suppressed his inner emotions, and secretly said:

   "Fortunately, I escaped, leaving behind a useful body. I can't miss it again next time..."

  Although he failed this time, he did not intend to just give up on assassinating the emperor.

   Just after this battle, the protection around the emperor will inevitably increase, and he knows that there will be no chance in a short time.

   Duan Yunfeng's original plan was to escape immediately if he missed a hit, but at this moment he didn't know where to go.

   "I was masked to assassinate, I didn't expose Xingzang, I don't worry about being wanted by the court... But the world is so big, where should I go now?"

   Duan Yunfeng hesitated.

   At this moment, he suddenly remembered the voice of "chasing soldiers" he heard across the water when he was hiding in a bridge hole.

"I urge Yan Luo Chen Feng... I have heard this person's name, he is a good man. This person is in the Jiangchun realm. Although he has committed many crimes, but he did not come to Ningtian Mansion, the court should not put this account on his head. This matter probably won't involve him. Well, this Chen Feng has been punishing evil all the way, it can be seen that he is also a person who resents the imperial court, why don't I go to see him? If I can get help from this person, it would be better than stabbing the emperor alone..."

   Duan Yunfeng's eyes changed, and when he made a decision, he got up immediately, dragged his tired body, and walked forward in the dark.

   He didn't know that Zhou Jing, who was flying in the sky, was watching his back from a distance, watching him disappear into the dark night.

   "It's a bit of a skill..."

   Zhou Jing withdrew his gaze and did not intend to catch up.

   He doesn't know the identity and origin of this person, and he is not sure of the reason for the assassination, but he doesn't want to catch the assassin right now... No matter what the reason is, a strong man who dares to assassinate the king alone is more valuable than death.

   But he didn't plan to meet this person to make excuses, and he didn't want to take the risk of keeping this person by his side. He followed quietly in the air all the time.

   If the assassin was unfortunate enough to run into the garrison while escaping, he would take action to catch the assassin as a robbery.

   But if the assassin did not alert the pursuers and fled quietly, he would turn a blind eye and pretend he didn't notice.

   After all, Zhou Jing didn't really serve the emperor.

   Catching the assassin was just icing on the cake for him. The reason why he is favored is the support of alchemy and metaphysics. This is the core competitiveness of the holy family. He will not fall out of favor just because he came to help the fist halfway without finding an assassin... This is the responsibility of the Imperial Forest Army, not his.

   And the emperor's heart is unpredictable, and he really caught the helpless assassin of the Royal Forest Army, and the emperor may be even more fearful and suspicious in his heart after the reward, so it's hard to say.

   Zhou Jing intentionally instructed the assassin to find Chen Feng, but because it was inconvenient to speak in person, he just pretended to mention it unintentionally, hinting at guidance. As for whether this person will go, that is unknown.

   "If he goes to Chen Feng, I can find out his origin..."

   Zhou Jing thought about all kinds of thoughts, and pretended to continue flying around the city.

  …

   The night passed, and the sky gradually turned white.

  Because of the aggressive arrest of the Imperial Forest Army, the news of the emperor's assassination has already alarmed the entire Ningtian Mansion, especially the elites.

  Zhou Jing flew in the sky all night, showing his behavior of searching all night in front of everyone. When the sky was bright, he came down and asked to be holy.

   This time, the emperor agreed to the summons and asked the commander of the Imperial Forest Army and Zhou Jing to go in and report together.

In the    hall, the emperor was wearing a dragon robe, sitting upright, watching the two enter the door and salute.

   "Can the assassin be caught?"

  The emperor's tone was solemn.

   The commander of the Royal Forest Army swallowed his saliva and said hesitantly: "Your Majesty, the thief is cunning. We searched all night, but we haven't found any trace of the thief yet. I have sent people to seal the city and search for them, and the assassins will not be allowed to escape."

   "Not caught yet?"

  The emperor was furious, stood up suddenly, pointed at the commander of the Royal Forest Army and cursed:

   "The assassin almost broke into the widow's bedroom. You failed to surround him and let him hide in the city overnight. You really are incompetent!"

   "The minister is convicted!"

   The commander of the Royal Forest Army knelt down tremblingly.

The    emperor ignored him, turned to look at Zhou Jing, and asked in a deep voice, "I wonder if the real person has found it?"

   Zhou Jing did not change his face: "Ashamed, Pindao used the method of harnessing the wind to patrol the air overnight, but he did not find this person's whereabouts."

  The emperor frowned: "The real person is so powerful, I thought he would be able to capture it."

   Zhou Jing shook his head and said calmly:

"At the time of the incident, Pindao was not here. Later, when he heard the news, the assassin had disappeared. He could only search in the dark, which was like finding a needle in a haystack. It's a pity that Pindao couldn't always protect the Holy Master, otherwise the thieves would dare to assassinate. I took it."

  The emperor pondered for a while after hearing the words, but did not accuse him much, knowing that it was not the real Yufeng who was to blame for this.

   At this time, Zhou Jing spoke again, and said, "The Sage was frightened last night, and the Pindao sent someone to send a bottle of Zhenxin Pill. How does the Sage feel?"

  The emperor calmed down, nodded and said: "I have already used it, my mind is calm, and I feel a lot better. It is indeed quite effective, and I have a real person."

   Zhou Jing nodded and cupped his hands:

"The Holy High is the real dragon and the emperor, with dragon energy to protect his body, and the heavenly secret of immortals' dreams should also be on his majesty. In case of misfortune, it can be turned into good luck, and there is no danger. This assassin is going against the sky. ."

   Hearing this, the emperor raised his mouth slightly and said with a smile: "What the real person said is good."

   Everyone loves to hear good things. He has heard a lot of compliments from others, but he never tires of it.

  The emperor calmed down, restrained his smile, and waved his hand: "The real person will go down first, and then look for the trace of the thief for the widow."

   "The poor man retreated first."

   Zhou Jing saluted with his palms, then exited the hall door, turned and walked away.

   Before he had taken a few steps, he heard the voice of the emperor scolding the commander of the Royal Forest Army behind him.

   Zhou Jing raised his eyebrows, pretended not to hear, did not look back, and left on his own.

   For the next few days, the garrison continued to hunt down the city.

   However, Zhou Jing knew that the assassin had already escaped, these searches were useless, and he was just pretending.

The    emperor was assassinated, and the entire Ningtian Mansion was shaking. The news seemed to have grown wings and quickly spread to the nearby states.

  …

  Jiangchun land boundary, near a county.

  Chen Feng and his party rested in the forest, eating dry food and chatting casually.

   Compared with more than a month ago, the team has grown a lot.

  Chen Feng went from Luhe to Jiangchun, killing corrupt officials and eliminating bullies all the way. He was chased and besieged by officers and soldiers for many times.

   Everywhere he went, there were occasionally poor men who had been bullied and wanted to change their way of life and were willing to follow Chen Feng, but such people were very few.

   In addition, there are many people in the green forest who admire Chen Feng, and come to vote on hearing the wind to join in the righteous deeds.

   Now, the number of Chen Feng and his party has reached about forty people, like a small band of rogues.

   More than half of them are from poor families like Zhang San, and there are about ten Lianjiazi who wandered into the green forest, and there are some new faces.

   However, although Chen Feng has a high reputation in the Green Forest, his public opinion is mixed.

   After all, the karma of killing is too heavy. Even if he killed some bully and tyrannical gentry, there are still many people who are afraid, thinking that he is a lawless murderer, whose name can stop children crying at night.

   But there are also people who applaud this kind of behavior. Most of them are poor people who have been oppressed by local gentry. There are even some people who have followed the trajectory of Chen Feng's actions and actively searched for him, hoping to invite Chen Feng to visit their hometown.

   At this moment, there was a sound in the forest, but Fang Zhen, who was inquiring about the news, came back.

  Fang Zhen strode closer, with a cheerful tone:

   "Brothers, I just heard about a major incident. It is said that someone assassinated the king in Ningtian Mansion, and he almost succeeded!"

   "Is there such a thing? Brother Fang, tell me in detail!"

   When everyone heard the words, they were immediately interested and kept asking questions.

  Tai Fangzhen explained it in detail, and everyone was amazed.

  Guo Haishen couldn't help but admire:

   "Assassinating the emperor alone, and still able to retreat completely, is also a hero with superb martial arts!"

   "It's really a person, but unfortunately I don't know the name, I really want to meet."

  Hong Dingxian also nodded.

However, Zhang San noticed another important point and said dissatisfiedly: "Hey, the folks suspect that the brothers did this? It's ridiculous, we don't have wings, how can we fly to Ningtian Mansion overnight? The husband has something to say. One, we didn't do it, we can't be implicated by others."

  Chen Feng sat on the stone with a golden sword and snorted:

   "Folk rumors, don't worry about it. Even if the imperial court really put the dung pot on my head, what should I be afraid of? It makes my grandfather angry, so why not pluck the head of the dog emperor!"

   "Brother is arrogant! If the court dares to come, let's kill one with one, and two with one!"

  The crowd laughed in agreement.

   At the same time, on the official road dozens of miles away.

  Shen Sanqiu and other twenty-eight arena experts are galloping, getting closer and closer to Chen Feng's position.

   (end of this chapter)