Fifteen minutes later, Lin Ting saw Madam Li off and then ventured into the night.
The night deepened, and the stars dimmed.
As the curfew approached, the streets were nearly empty.
Lin Ting made her way to the bookstore with practiced ease.
The bookstore was lit by a single lamp, casting a dim light.
Jin Anzai sat on the stairs, polishing his sword.
The cold glint of the blade in the night, paired with his menacing mask, made him resemble a deadly reaper.
As Lin Ting pushed open the door, the wind chimes tinkled.
Jin Anzai didn’t look up.
“The client from our last job came to the bookstore today.”
She walked to the staircase, looking down at him from above.
“Why?”
Jin Anzai was concise.
“The Prince of Liang is vindictive. He’s ordered their execution. He has people at the city gates, so the two siblings can’t leave. They want the bookstore to forge travel permits and help them escape the city.”
The authorities were hunting the Xie family fugitives, and leaving the city was already difficult, requiring household registrations or travel permits.
If the Prince of Liang instructed the city gate guards to pay extra attention to them, the two would have no chance of escape.
Jin Anzai sheathed his sword, asking coldly,
“Do we take the job or not?”
The reason they hadn’t directly helped the siblings escape a few days ago was that the terms of the contract had changed from “escorting them out of the city” to “rescuing the client’s sister from the Prince of Liang’s mansion.”
They were paid for one job, and they did that job.
Jin Anzai wasn’t a saint; he wouldn’t extend a helping hand out of pity.
There were many pitiful people in the world, and how many could he help?
When he was down and out, no one had helped him.
They were paid to do a job, and that was that.
Lin Ting, being the daughter of an official, knew some people and could obtain a few travel permits without difficulty, without anyone noticing.
The permits would bear official seals, but the person helping her wouldn’t know what names she would write on them.
She thought for a moment.
“I can get the travel permits. Are you confident you can get them out of the city?”
They only took jobs they were sure of.
“Yes, I’m confident.”
Jin Anzai took out another contract.
“This job is worth three hundred taels. If you think the task has become more dangerous and the payment is too low, I can ask for more.”
Lin Ting replied,
“That’s enough. Our bookstore doesn’t take advantage of people’s misfortunes. We maintain our reputation.”
“Alright, then sign it.”
Jin Anzai tossed her an ink pad.
Lin Ting signed.
The next day, Lin Ting had already arranged for the travel permits, fabricating false identities for them.
They didn’t delay and planned to leave that day.
Unexpectedly, it began to rain heavily, the storm so fierce it was hard to keep one’s eyes open.
Lin Ting led Miss Song through the crowd, waiting for the guards to inspect their travel permits.
However, the line to exit the city was long, and after an hour, they still hadn’t reached the front.
Typically, Lin Ting was responsible for obtaining the travel permits, while Jin Anzai handled the task of escorting them out of the city.
But Miss Song was emotionally unstable, and being in a crowded place only made it worse.
People brushed past each other on the street, and Miss Song couldn’t tolerate being touched by men.
When they first arrived in the capital, the Prince of Liang hadn’t ordered their execution, so even if Miss Song had a breakdown at the city gate, the guards wouldn’t have paid much attention.
But times had changed.
They needed to leave the city discreetly, without drawing attention, so the task of calming Miss Song once again fell to Lin Ting.
Lin Ting adjusted her raincoat with one hand and peeked ahead, counting how many people were still in front of them.
The longer she counted, the more frustrated she became.
The guards were inspecting people at a snail’s pace, and there were still so many ahead.
The current rule for entering and exiting the capital was lenient on entry but strict on exit.
Getting in was quick, but leaving was slow.
Lin Ting glanced back at Jin Anzai, who was standing behind her.
Today, he wasn’t wearing his mask but had instead used makeup to alter his appearance, creating a pockmarked face that concealed his true features.
Without close inspection, it was hard to tell it was fake.
He looked convincingly ugly.
After observing Jin Anzai’s face, Lin Ting touched her own, which had also been altered.
She had been transformed into an unremarkable young girl, dressed in a plain green dress, carrying a bundle, blending into the crowd so well that even Tao Zhu might not recognize her.
This was all thanks to Jin Anzai.
His makeup skills were impeccable, but the materials used were expensive.
Therefore, they rarely used makeup for missions, preferring masks or veils when possible.
But today was different-they had to show their faces to the guards.
The cost was covered by Mr. Song, and Jin Anzai had also created fake appearances for the two siblings.
Lin Ting stopped touching her unfamiliar face and firmly held Miss Song’s hand, shielding her from the jostling crowd.
She asked Jin Anzai,
“How Much longer do you think we’ll have to wait to get out of the city?”
Jin Anzai estimated,
“Probably another half hour.”
Mr. Song anxiously scanned the surroundings, fearing the Prince of Liang’s men might spot them.
“Another half hour? We’ve already been waiting for an hour.”
The city gate guards didn’t care how long the people waiting to leave had to wait.
They would inspect people at a leisurely pace, take breaks, and promptly close the gates at the designated time, forcing those still in line to return the next day.
Jin Anzai coldly glanced at him. “Being anxious won’t help.”
Mr. Song sighed.
A flash of white light streaked across the sky, followed by a series of thunderous booms.
The rain poured down in sheets, and the entire capital was shrouded in darkness.
Water rushed along the ground, flowing past people’s boots.
As another thunderclap sounded, the clatter of hooves echoed through the streets.
A group of Jin Yiwei, led by Duan Ling, rode through the rain, conducting their usual patrol of the city.
Duan Ling, with his refined features and striking appearance, sat atop his horse, holding the reins.
His red flying fish uniform was partially soaked, making him look more like a handsome scholar on a leisurely ride than an official on patrol.
Many of the citizens turned to look, recognizing the Jin Yiwei and quickly making their way.
As Duan Ling dismounted, the city gate guards immediately approached him, holding an umbrella and reporting on the day’s events they still hadn’t seen anyone resembling the fifth son of the Xie family.
Jin Yiwei had been ordered to capture the fifth son of the Xie family, and the city gate guards were expected to assist.
Duan Ling glanced at the long line of people waiting to exit the city, then observed how the other guards were inspecting them, ensuring they weren’t neglecting their duties.
The guard holding the umbrella for him quickly followed, anxious not to make any mistakes.
Lin Ting heard the commotion behind her and cautiously glanced back, her eyes meeting Duan Ling’s as he approached.
She couldn’t help but feel nervous.
The rain splashed around them, and as lightning flashed, they passed each other.
Lin Ting controlled her gaze, not letting it wander, and thus didn’t notice that Duan Ling paused slightly as he passed her before continuing forward.
Duan Ling walked straight past the line and approached the city gate.
The guards, seeing his flying fish uniform, saluted him.
“Sir.”
He smiled gently, appearing approachable.
“Carry on. Don’t mind me.”
There were two lines for exiting the city, with four guards assigned to each line.
Two of them held portraits of the fifth son of the Xie family, checking the faces of those leaving, while the other two inspected their travel permits.
Before Duan Ling arrived, the guards had been dawdling, inspecting the permits half-heartedly.
After he appeared, they became more attentive,carefully examining each person leaving the city.
Their inspection speed increased, and soon it was Lin Ting’s turn.
The guard ordered,
“Lift your face.”
Lin Ting raised her head for them to see, only to find Duan Ling standing behind the inspecting guard.
Their eyes met again, and she tried to look away naturally.
The guard demanded,
“Show your travel permit.”
Lin Ting produced the permit, and the guard snatched it, examining it carefully before allowing her to pass.
“Alright, go ahead. Next.”
Duan Ling didn’t seem to be looking in her direction.
He held his embroidered spring knife, his gaze lowered as he listened to the guard’s report.
Just as the four of them were about to exit the city gate, a shout rose above the sound of the rain.
“By order of the Prince of Liang, close the city gates immediately! By order of the Prince of Liang, close the city gates immediately!”
“Stop those four!”
Jin Anzai’s expression changed, and he quickly grabbed Lin Ting.
“Run!”
They discarded their heavy raincoats and bolted out of the city, Lin Ting’s green dress instantly soaked by the rain.
The situation had escalated suddenly, and the rain was so heavy that the guards couldn’t distinguish who was who.
Hearing the order to close the gates, they simply shut them without stopping anyone.
Outside the city, Jin Anzai questioned Mr. Song, who was gasping for breath.
“Before meeting us today, did you go anywhere?”
Mr. Song’s face was pale.
“I… I went out to buy some provisions for the journey.”
Jin Anzai remained calm, analyzing the situation.
“You must have been spotted while buying the provisions, but the Prince of Liang knew someone was helping you. He wanted to catch all of you at once, so he had people follow you instead of capturing you immediately.”
His expression grew colder.
“Then he waited until you were about to leave the city before making his move, letting you see hope before crushing it, just to torment you.
If you had gone to meet us earlier…”
“You should have told us in advance if you wanted to buy provisions.
We could have prepared them, but you acted on your own!”
Young Master Song was filled with regret.
They had been hiding for nearly three days without eating, fearing they might be seen if they went out to buy food.
When they went to the bookstore to discuss the deal, they were in such a hurry that they forgot to mention it.
He thought they could leave today and that it would be fine to buy some provisions himself, but who could have expected…
“I’m sorry for dragging you into this.”
Jin Anzai:
“Didn’t I tell you when we signed the contract that you must not speak to anyone or buy anything before leaving the city?”
Young Master Song’s lips trembled, his eyes red, and he could only apologize repeatedly.
Lin Ting pulled Miss Song along as they ran:
“Stop talking. The horses we arranged are just ahead. Let’s get on them first.”
Fortunately, she enjoyed wandering around and knew of a hidden path not far outside the city.
The city guards were unaware of that path because Lin Ting had discovered it step by step herself.
It led to a dock where they could board a boat and leave. Once there, they would likely be safe.
On top of the city gate, Prince Liang held a bow and arrow, smirking as he watched them outside the city walls.
Prince Liang aimed his arrow at the people below:
“Commander Duan, I’ve heard your archery skills are exceptional. Let’s have a competition. You shoot the girl in the green dress, and I’ll shoot the one in the purple dress.”
Duan Ling slowly took the bow and arrow handed to him by Prince Liang’s servant:
“As you command.”
Two bows were aimed at their respective targets.
Through the hazy rain, Duan Ling could still accurately lock onto the girl in the green dress, who was being led by the young man as they ran.
Just as his fingers were about to release the bowstring, she suddenly turned her head as if sensing something.
In that moment, the arrow was let loose.
It missed.
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