Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Not Right

The object was so fine and smooth it seemed nonexistent, like a rope or a thread, but it was extremely strong, clearly under someone’s control.

Seeing the silk ledger fall, Huangfu Jingchen’s heart gave a slight jolt, and he hurriedly bent down to pick it up. This was the Governor’s secret ledger.

The silk ledger recorded the dates and times, and the bribes that were received, not only were there many but they were also varied in type. Otherwise, Governor Wang would not have used this silk ledger to record them. The lower part of the ledger recorded the items he sent out.

This item was not easy to find, and most importantly, with this item, there was another piece of solid evidence. Even if Governor Wang was eloquent enough to talk his way out, he couldn’t possibly deny this.

This must not be lost.

But a pair of hands reached out faster than his, also aiming for the silk ledger.

It was clearly too late for Huangfu Jingchen to reach out and pick it up, seeing that person’s fingertips about to touch the ledger, he hurriedly kicked the silk ledger away, leaving those hands empty.

A low and muffled voice warned, “What little thief dares to be so bold! This is the Governor Mansion, not a place for the likes of you to run wild! Leave the item and get lost, I might spare your life!”

Under the hazy moonlight, Huangfu Jingchen saw it was someone dressed in the patrol guard outfit of the Governor Mansion, with a large black cloth covering their face, leaving only their eyes exposed.

Huangfu Jingchen’s mind raced, not only were there patrol guards and guards outside but hidden guards inside the pavilion as well?

If they were the hidden guards on duty inside, why didn’t they act when he first came in, but waited until he found the item to act?

Not letting him think further, as the other saw him not retreating but advancing, a flash of fierceness appeared in their eyes, and with a flip of the hand, a dagger appeared from the sleeve, flashing coldly as it stabbed towards his chest and abdomen.

Huangfu Jingchen sidestepped, avoiding it, and threw a punch towards the opponent’s face.

Seeing the dagger miss, the opponent spun to the side, their whole body spiraling up like a spiral, with the dagger in their hand wheeling towards Huangfu Jingchen.

The incoming attack was fierce; whether it was grasping the timing or predicting his evasive maneuvers, both were extremely precise, and the speed was extremely swift.

This person’s skills were indeed a rare strong enemy among those he had encountered.

Fortunately, Huangfu Jingchen remained calm in the face of danger, and in this almost unbreakable attack, he bent backward, performing a backbridge, while sliding on the floor with a kick.

The spiral dagger wheel passed by almost skimming his hair, the cold, sharp blade seemed to glide past his skin, nearly cutting his hair off.

Huangfu Jingchen remained calm, becoming more composed in danger; although the opponent’s skills were superior, he was not afraid to fight. Besides, his skills were not weak either.

He avoided the crisis, flipping his body sideways, using two fingers like a sword, pointing at the opponent’s back with accuracy and speed. If the opponent thought they had already won and became the slightest bit careless, they would be surely hit by this move.

He aimed for the large acupoint on the opponent’s back, which would disable their ability to move if hit.

The masked patrol guard, with a wiry body, reacted as if they had eyes on their back; as their move fell short, during the instant Huangfu Jingchen’s attack arrived, they blocked it with the dagger.

The dagger was short, but their movement was perfect, as if knowing where Huangfu Jingchen’s fingertip would point, positioning the blade to guard that spot.

If Huangfu Jingchen insisted on pressing down, he would lose two fingers.

Seeing that cold, sharp white light, Huangfu Jingchen retracted his fingers, changing to a punch, striking towards the opponent’s waist.

The opponent twisted their waist, stepping wrong and spinning, the two facing each other again.

With rapid exchanges, both fought with speed, flashing through several moves in the blink of an eye, each move perilous, aiming to seriously injure the opponent.

The blade force, the wind of punches, the lethal moves continued relentlessly.

The reactions of both were extremely fast, each move seamlessly connected, neither able to maintain the upper hand for long. The silk ledger lay on the ground, and although their fight was fierce, their eyes were fixed on that ledger.

Only, when one went to pick it up, the other would inevitably disrupt, preventing anyone from gaining an advantage.

Huangfu Jingchen was kicked, the opponent’s toe seemed like heavy iron, almost breaking his leg bone, but the opponent didn’t fare any better, as he struck the left shoulder of the opponent, though they managed to deflect much of the force to avoid a fractured shoulder bone, the hit was still painful enough.

Neither could gain the upper hand. At this moment, both retreated a distance, like leopards in the dark night, facing off.

The ledger lay three feet away from both sides, equidistant from them. Through the kicks and scrapes of the two, the ledger now rested against a shelf, which held a blue porcelain vase.

Both wanted to seize the ledger but knew the other wouldn’t allow it, having tasted each other’s strength in the exchanged blows, knowing not to underestimate one another.

This standoff didn’t last long; Huangfu Jingchen moved first, punching towards the masked patrol guard, seizing the moment during the opponent’s dodge, rolling sideways, reaching out a hand to grab the ledger, seeing he could almost have it in his hand, but the masked patrol guard reacted swiftly too, executing a sidelong roll with a split, dagger flashing as it sliced towards Huangfu Jingchen’s hand holding the ledger.

Huangfu Jingchen hurriedly withdrew his hand, twisting his body to the right, skillfully avoiding another kick from the masked patrol guard, yet not expecting their cunning, as they used the kick to force Huangfu Jingchen away with the real target being the ledger. At this moment, their fingertips were almost touching the ledger.

Huangfu Jingchen felt anxious, realizing his distance had widened slightly after dodging, making it clearly too late to reach for the ledger and not even possible to kick it away.

What to do?

In a moment of inspiration, Huangfu Jingchen disregarded the risk, diving forward, spreading his arms to wrap around the masked patrol guard.

This all happened extremely quickly; the masked patrol guard’s hand had already touched the ledger. Relaxing slightly, the flaw exposed was fleeting, but Huangfu Jingchen seized on this momentary opportunity. His hands wrapped around the guard’s shoulders, and with a forceful twist, he lifted the opponent, Huangfu Jingchen quietly thankful that the patrol guard was small and had thin shoulders; facing a sturdier opponent wouldn’t have been so effortless.

The masked patrol guard urgently kicked upwards, aiming for Huangfu Jingchen’s face, making him tilt his head back. With a stumble at his feet and a throw from his hands, he continued to use his body as a weapon, subduing the opponent completely like a mountain crashing down.

This move was beyond the masked patrol guard’s expectations, producing a muffled grunt, the sound incredibly peculiar.

Huangfu Jingchen hesitated, surprised by the sound.

Though pinning the patrol guard’s back down, the proximity allowed a faint fragrance to reach his nose, something felt off.

Recalling the feeling when his hands touched her shoulders moments earlier, the sensation felt wrong…

A loud boom went off in Huangfu Jingchen’s mind as he realized what felt wrong.

This person was… a woman!

There was a female patrol guard in the Governor Mansion? Governor Wang really knew how to employ all kinds of people!

Huangfu Jingchen urgently rolled to the side.

The masked patrol guard was also evidently enraged, thrusting the dagger fiercely at Huangfu Jingchen, who had just rolled away.

Huangfu Jingchen quickly continued rolling, then executed a diving leap to stand up, deftly evading the viciously sharp dagger, simultaneously reaching to grab her wrist. The masked patrol guard, missing her strike, flipped her body in a vertical split, standing firm and upright, yet her hand movement was as fast as lightning, using the momentum to slash upwards again.

This wasn’t just about severing a hand, but aimed to cut off his entire arm.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep