Chapter 897: She is the Devil (2)
Editor: Henyee Translations

Just when I thought I had a tough opponent, a mere threat made him yield. “Is this where Lord Cang’s military rations are hidden?” Chu Qingzhi asked.

The old man quickly confirmed, “Yes.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of people dressed in black emerged from the bamboo forest, surrounding Chu Qingzhi with crossbows in hand, their sharp tips aimed at her.

Chu Qingzhi glanced back and sneered at the feeble tactic.

A man in a blue robe emerged from behind the men in black, fanning himself and laughing, “I’ve long heard of Miss Chu’s skills in business, martial arts, and medicine, but I didn’t expect you to be so adept at mechanical tricks as well, breaking the formation with just a word. Truly impressive.”

Chu Qingzhi raised her hand and flung several silver needles at the man in the blue robe, hitting him in the forehead, chest, dantian, and both shoulder blades.

Before anyone could react, the man in blue screamed terribly, startling a flock of birds.

The men in black were terrified; they only saw Chu Qingzhi flick her hand, and their master was screaming in agony. What had she done exactly?

Writhing on the ground in pain, the man in blue shouted, “Witch, what have you done to me?”

Chu Qingzhi smiled, “Guess!”

The man in blue roared, “Release me now, or you’ll regret it!”

Chu Qingzhi taunted, “As if releasing you would make you let me go. Keep suffering, I’ll talk after I find the military rations.”

Enraged, the man in blue wanted to tear Chu Qingzhi apart, “You…”

Ignoring him, Chu Qingzhi turned back to the old man, “Where are the rations?”

Seeing Chu Qingzhi’s formidable nature, the old man’s earlier confidence had vanished, “Right under your feet, they’re buried here.”

Chu Qingzhi addressed the men in black, “Dig up the rations, or I’ll kill your master.”

The men in black looked at each other, uncertain.

Chu Qingzhi pulled the man in blue towards her using her spiritual power, grabbing his neck, “Give the order now!”

The man in blue, now truly scared, forgot his fear, “What kind of monster are you, able to pull me from such a distance?”

Terrified, he commanded, “What are you waiting for? Start digging!”

Holding the man in blue by the neck, Chu Qingzhi walked towards the old man and threw him into the wall, forming another human-shaped indentation next to the old man.

The crowd was stunned…

The men in black hurriedly began digging up the rations.

Chu Qingzhi leaped onto the roof, taking the opportunity to inform Tang Jinghong that she had located the rations and would have them sent back soon.

She crossed her arms and asked, “What happened last night in Linzhang City? Was there a robbery?”

“It wasn’t a robbery,” the old man explained. “The magistrate’s storehouse was emptied by a mysterious figure. The magistrate was furious and swore to dig three feet into the ground to find the perpetrator, hence the city gates were closed.”

Chu Qingzhi pondered, “So the items are still in Linzhang City?”

The old man was unsure, “Probably.”

Chu Qingzhi considered whether to meet this mysterious person. The magistrate was an impostor, so the items stolen were surely no ordinary goods. She was somewhat intrigued by this vigilante.

It was an opportune time to recruit someone capable.

First, to resolve the current situation and then to investigate.

The man in blue gasped in pain, “Can you please remove whatever you put in me? I’ll do whatever you say.”

The constant pain was driving him to despair.

Chu Qingzhi retrieved her silver needles, “Who are you? Who sent you? How did you know I would come?”

The man in blue hurriedly explained, “I am the brother of the magistrate. We had intelligence that you would come to the bamboo forest, and everyone wanted to capture you, so I came.”

Chu Qingzhi questioned, “Are you the real magistrate’s brother, or the impostor’s?”

Wen Juncheng was confused, “What do you mean? What real or fake magistrate?”

“Don’t you know?”

“I know nothing,” Wen Juncheng thought to himself, what’s really going on here? Why does everyone seem so mysterious?

This person doesn’t even know whether his own brother is real, Chu Qingzhi was incredulous, “What was stolen from the magistrate last night?”

“Last night, my brother locked me in a room. I couldn’t even leave,” Wen Juncheng replied. “He said it was the most important thing in the storehouse, but I don’t know exactly what it was.”

The most important thing?

While Chu Qingzhi pondered, the men in black had dug through the dirt and exposed the crates below.

“Open it and let’s see,” she commanded.

The men in black quickly opened the nearest crate. Inside were sacks, and upon opening them, they revealed piles of gleaming white rice.

“Seal them back up, and move all the crates out,” Chu Qingzhi instructed.

The men in black continued their labor, moving crates with reluctant efficiency, having been transformed from enemies to unwilling servants. They felt incredibly frustrated by the turn of events.

In the shadows, one of the men in black communicated quietly with Wen Juncheng before retreating into the darkness. He then aimed his crossbow at Chu Qingzhi and pulled the trigger.

Chu Qingzhi stood unflinchingly, merely observing the men carrying the crates.

A scream of agony erupted from Wen Juncheng as the arrow, intended for Chu Qingzhi, inexplicably struck him instead.

Chu Qingzhi smirked with satisfaction. The men in black were confounded; they had clearly aimed at Chu Qingzhi, yet their arrow had veered off course.

Wen Juncheng bellowed in rage and pain, “Are you trying to kill me?”

The man in black stepped back, fear overtaking him, “Master, I…”

Chu Qingzhi’s voice floated down from the rooftop, “Stop your futile resistance! I’m telling you, you won’t get the better of me.”

The group was now even more convinced of Chu Qingzhi’s diabolical nature.

The old man, looking at his disciple’s corpse not far away, thought in despair. His most talented disciple had died in mere moments at Chu Qingzhi’s hands. She truly was a devil.