Chapter 129 The Eunuch Who Guards Nanjing

Shi Potian carried the corpse of Long Xiangzhu and fled towards where everyone was hiding.

The Yangtze River Double Flying Fish rushed forward, knelt down with a thud, looked at the corpse of the Dragon Incense Master, and burst into tears.

Shi Potian gently placed the body on the ground, took a step back, and watched quietly.

Qu Feiyan's eyes were red-rimmed, while Long Kui leaned against a tree, staring at the corpse in silence.

Master Qi knelt on the ground, his hands trembling as he wiped the bloodstains from Master Long's face. It was a young face, weathered by time, his eyes closed, yet a hint of disdain for the Japanese pirates lingered at the corners of his mouth.

"Master Long..." Hall Master Qi choked up, "The brothers are too late..."

Wiping away his tears, Master Yi gritted his teeth and said, "These Japanese pirates, I'll fight them to the death!"

"What are you fighting for?" Long Kui suddenly spoke, her voice not loud, yet carrying an air of authority. She walked slowly over, looked down at the corpse of Master Long, remained silent for a moment, and then said softly, "Bury him first."

Shi Potian nodded and turned to walk into the woods. Sarutobi Riyue followed, and the two found a sunny, high spot. Shi Potian then blasted a deep crater with his palm.

The Yangtze River Double Flying Fish carried the body of the Dragon Incense Master into the pit and then covered it with another layer of soil.

"Master Long, rest assured," he said in a hoarse voice, "we will definitely avenge you."

Longkui stood to the side, not uttering a single word from beginning to end. Only when the last handful of soil fell did she sigh softly, turn around, and leave.

Qu Feiyan caught up with him and whispered, "Sister Long, do you know him?"

Longkui did not answer, but stared at the distant Japanese pirate camp with a deep gaze.

After a long pause, she said, "Let's go, come with me to the south and call for the city gates to be opened."

The group silently turned around and walked south towards Da'ande Gate.

Along the way, the Yangtze River Double Flying Fish frequently looked back at the new grave, its eyes filled with grief and indignation.

After walking for about half an hour, Da'ande Gate came into view in the distance. The city wall was majestic, even taller and more sturdy than Jiangdong Gate, but the situation was exactly the same—the city gate was tightly closed, the banners on the city wall were hanging low, and there was not a single person in sight.

Longkui nodded to the maid. The maid understood, leaped forward, raised the token, and called out loudly towards the city wall, "The Embroidered Robe Token is here! Nanjing garrison commander, open the gate immediately!"

The token gleamed eerily in the sunlight. A deathly silence fell on the city wall, followed by hurried footsteps and hushed gasps. A moment later, a plump, pale eunuch in a python robe peeked out, glanced down at the city walls, his face paled, and he scrambled down the ramparts.

"Quickly! Open the city gates! Quickly!"

The drawbridge rumbled down, and the city gate creaked open. The eunuch stumbled out, followed by a troop of flustered soldiers. He reached Long Kui and knelt down with a thud, his entire body trembling with fat:

"This servant...this servant is Liu Chaoyong, the eunuch garrison commander of Nanjing, paying my respects...paying my respects..."

He secretly glanced at Long Kui, only to see a cold glint in her eyes. He quickly lowered his head again, his voice trembling.

"I was unaware of the Imperial Envoy's arrival and have failed to greet you properly; I am utterly guilty!"

Longkui looked down at him and said softly:

"Eunuch Liu, what a grand display! The Japanese pirates have been blocking the city for days, setting up checkpoints to collect taxes, and you didn't even see them? Have you no shame?"

Sweat streamed down Liu Chao's forehead as he kowtowed and said:

"Your Excellency, please report that the Japanese pirates... those Japanese pirates are truly ferocious. I have even sent troops to attack them, but... but..."

"But what?"

Liu Chao's voice trailed off: "But our three thousand elite troops were attacked by the Japanese pirates, losing their armor and weapons and scattering in all directions. If it weren't for the arrows and bows from the city walls, we would have lost the city... We even lost most of our bows and arrows, which all went to the Japanese pirates... I really dare not send out any more troops..."

Qu Feiyan couldn't help but ask, "So you just kept the city gates closed and watched the Japanese pirates swagger around outside the city?"

Liu Chaoyong was furious that a mere maid dared to boss him around, but outwardly he continued to kowtow repeatedly: "This servant is incompetent, this servant deserves to die! This servant has already sent an urgent message to the court for help, and is just waiting for the army to arrive..."

"Wait until the main force arrives?" Long Kui sneered. "A mere thousand or so Japanese pirates, and we need to call in border troops to deal with them? By the time the border troops arrive, the Japanese pirates will have already emptied Nanjing!"

Liu Chaoyong trembled all over and dared not utter a single word.

Longkui ignored him and strode into the city. The others followed behind, passing through the city gate and entering Nanjing.

Shi Potian didn't know the rank of the official, but Lin Zhennan did. The Nanjing garrison eunuch was a top-ranking eunuch, equivalent to a first-rank official. He didn't expect that seeing Long Kui would frighten him so much that he kowtowed repeatedly.

Lin Zhennan and his wife were completely stunned by the true identity of this Dragon Girl.

Even if Qu Feiyan were exceptionally intelligent and ignorant of officialdom, she wouldn't be able to guess it.

The city was bustling; the markets were still open, and people were still coming and going, but everyone's face carried a hint of fear. Some of the bolder ones shouted, "Has the imperial reinforcements arrived?"

"If the blockade continues, we won't have any food to eat."

The crowd was then dispersed by the soldiers.

Liu Chaoyong welcomed everyone into the garrison headquarters and personally served them tea. The two men stood trembling to the side, not daring to breathe loudly.

Hattori Shichiro was naturally handed over to Liu Chaoyong to be imprisoned first.

Longkui sat in the main seat, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said calmly, "Tell me, what exactly is the origin of those Japanese pirates? What have they been doing outside the city?"

Liu Chaoyong hurriedly said, "The Japanese pirate leader is called Hattori Sengun, and he has over a thousand men. They've set up camp outside Jiangdong Gate and have been blocking it for five or six days. Strangely enough, these pirates aren't engaging in widespread burning, killing, and looting. They've only set up checkpoints on the river to collect taxes, letting passing merchant ships pass after paying. They're also searching everywhere for craftsmen, capturing blacksmiths, carpenters, cannon makers... They've practically emptied the craftsmen's arsenal outside Nanjing!"

Sarutobi Higetsu said, "Hattori Sengun certainly has grand ambitions. He's aiming to take back Japan; he's building up his resources."

Liu Chaoyong continued, "There's one more thing... I heard that the Japanese pirate leader lives in his camp outside Jiangdong Gate, but no one has ever seen him. A few days ago, a hero led several dozen men to raid the Japanese pirate camp at night, but the entire army was wiped out. The hero was hung on a flagpole by the Japanese pirates as a warning, and it's still there to this day..."

Upon hearing this, both Hall Master Qi and Hall Master Yi turned ashen-faced, their fists clenching so tightly they cracked.

Longkui waved her hand, signaling Liu Chaoyong to leave. Liu Chaoyong felt as if he had been granted a pardon and scrambled out the door.

Only her own people remained in the room, and everyone looked at her strangely.

Long Kui laughed and said casually, "Everyone, relax. I'm just relying on that token; I'm not some big shot."

"These incompetent officials in the imperial court are no longer reliable. What are everyone's thoughts?"

Sarutobi Higetsu said, "Those soldiers only dare to shoot arrows from the city walls, they dare not fight in the field, so we can't count on them launching an attack."

Longkui nodded: "The Nanjing garrison numbers in the tens of thousands, yet they don't even dare to leave the city to fight. Relying on them is like hoping pigs will fly. But if we wait for the border troops to arrive, I'm afraid the imperial court will lose face, and other large and small Japanese pirates will sweep across the southeast."

Qu Feiyan said, "To fight the Japanese pirates, we still need to rely on our little brother. To shoot a man, shoot his horse first; to capture a thief, capture his king first. Little brother, just go and capture that Hattori Sengun, and he'll surrender immediately."

Shi Potian thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "Feifei is the smartest. Let's do it this way."

Lin Zhennan frowned and said, "That's absolutely impossible. Among thousands of troops, the other side also has experts. Ping'er, no matter how high your martial arts are, you are still human, not a god."

Qu Feiyan smiled slightly, her expression enigmatic, and said, "That's not necessarily true."