“What, General Baili, have you finally come to your senses?”
Ling Mohan’s voice was filled with mockery, and he precisely hit upon Baili Xi’s true thoughts. He had long seen that Baili Xi was nothing more than a paper tiger, and everything he did was just bluster.
Even if you were to shove a knife into Baili Xi’s hand now, he wouldn’t dare to hold it to his throat.
This was because he now had the leverage, confident that Baili Xi would not dare to act presumptuously in front of him, nor would he dare to fight him, unless Chu Yanxi didn’t want to live anymore.
Baili Xi took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and suppressed the anger and dissatisfaction in his heart.
After a moment, Baili Xi slowly sat down on the chair. Although he remained silent, his tightly clenched fists betrayed his emotions completely.
Ling Mohan was very pleased with Baili Xi’s current attitude. After all, this was how someone seeking a favor should act. If he had been as arrogant as before, Ling Mohan would have already kicked him out and wouldn't have continued to tolerate him throwing a tantrum in front of him.
“The wise man knows when to adapt to circumstances, and I presume General Baili is a wise man. However, General Baili must also understand one thing: when you are under someone else’s roof, you have to bow your head. This is East Chu’s territory, not West Liang, so I won’t allow General Baili to continue acting out…”
“More importantly, from now on, you should think thrice before acting. Don’t do something rash that you shouldn’t, and don’t stretch your hand too far into matters that don’t concern you. I only worry that General Baili won’t even know how he lost his life in the end!”
“You… Ling Mohan, don’t go too far! Even if this is East Chu, I am an envoy from West Liang. This concerns diplomatic relations between two countries. Even your Majesty would have to be respectful when meeting me. You are actually humiliating me like this. Are you not worried about causing discord between our two nations!”
Ling Mohan snorted coldly, truly wondering how Baili Xi could shamelessly utter these words. He felt embarrassed for Baili Xi just hearing them.
Didn’t Baili Xi handle such matters with great skill? If diplomatic relations between two countries could be severed because of a few mocking words, Baili Xi would have long jumped for joy and wouldn’t be wasting his time arguing with him here.
“General Baili, you have said what you needed to say. What you do next is your own choice. Always leave some room for maneuver; acting too ruthlessly will inevitably lead to backlash!”
Too lazy to continue their verbal sparring, Ling Mohan had already received news from Lu Shi that Chu Yanxi’s whereabouts had been found. If Baili Xi hadn’t suddenly visited, he would have already left.
The situation was urgent, and Chu Yanxi had to be apprehended as soon as possible for this mess to be truly over. As long as Chu Yanxi was out there, Ling Mohan would remain restless.
“Someone, escort General Baili out!”
Ling Mohan waved his hand, directly issuing the order to leave. Disregarding Baili Xi’s resentful shouts from behind, he strode out.
“Ling Mohan!” Baili Xi muttered fiercely, then slammed his fist onto the table. Instantly, three of the table’s four legs broke, leaving only one to support it, looking utterly pathetic.
The servant who stepped forward, having witnessed this scene, was instantly stunned and froze in place, not daring to move.
Realizing his loss of composure, Baili Xi quickly composed himself, lightly flicked his sleeves, and walked out.
He had come with the intention of intimidating Ling Mohan and forcing him to withdraw the Black Armored Army guarding the princess’s courtyard. He hadn’t expected Ling Mohan’s composure to be so deep that he wasn’t fooled at all.
He had tried to trick a fox but ended up getting himself into trouble. What bad luck! But the princess was still being guarded by the Black Armored Army, and they couldn’t send out any information at all. Wasn't that too timid and fearful?
…
“Young General, you’ve finally arrived. Your subordinate received a message and saw a figure from a distance that looked like the Third Prince. However, it was in a busy market, so your subordinate didn’t dare to rashly pursue with his men. If he had disturbed the common folk and caused a commotion, Chu Yanxi might have noticed, and it would be difficult to capture him next time.”
Lu Shi had been waiting outside the street with his men for nearly an hour. Three messengers had already been sent, but the Young General’s figure had not appeared.
He was on the verge of despair. His brothers had been relentlessly searching for days to find Chu Yanxi’s whereabouts. Now that they were on the verge of capturing him, if the duck slipped from their grasp, all their efforts would be in vain.
How could he accept this? Thankfully, the Young General had finally arrived, and the great stone weighing on his heart could finally be lifted.
“How certain are you that Chu Yanxi is inside?”
“About fifty to sixty percent sure. It was just a similar back view. Chu Yanxi is very cunning; he even wears a bamboo hat and disguises himself as a farmer when he goes out. The soldiers were also worried about startling him if they got too close, so it’s hard to confirm if it’s really Chu Yanxi.”
Lu Shi himself wasn’t entirely certain, as he hadn’t personally seen the person to be Chu Yanxi.
Ling Mohan narrowed his eyes slightly, paused for a moment, and then spoke, “Lu Shi, select a few soldiers, have them change into commoner’s clothes, and accompany me inside to take a look. Whether it’s a man or a ghost, we’ll have to see for ourselves before making a decision!”
Currently, there was no definitive trace of Chu Yanxi. Not a single clue could be easily dismissed. It was better to err on the side of caution than to dismiss it. They had to see for themselves to confirm if it was indeed Chu Yanxi.
“Yes, Young General. Your subordinate will make arrangements immediately.”
Following Ling Mohan’s instructions, Lu Shi selected a few of the best fighters, disguised them as common folk, and accompanied Ling Mohan to the street ahead.
The remaining soldiers were dispersed to guard all the exits, waiting like a hunter for a rabbit, to prevent Chu Yanxi from escaping.
“Young General, it’s the teahouse up ahead. A brother saw Chu Yanxi residing in this teahouse.”
Lu Shi approached Ling Mohan and whispered in his ear.
“Enter separately. Scatter yourselves around the teahouse and remain still for now. If there’s any movement, act according to the situation!”
Ling Mohan spoke in a low, deep voice, shaking his fan as he walked in. His white robe truly made him look like a dashing young gentleman.
Upon entering the teahouse, Ling Mohan found a seat with the best view, allowing him to observe everything within the establishment.
“What would you like to order, honored guest?”
“A pot of Longjing tea and two plates of dim sum.”