Chapter 342 - 282, Second-rank official
The shopkeeper and the chiliarch clashed, wind and thunder swirling around them, leaving no room for others to intervene.
Yuan Zhen, surrounded by more than a hundred armored soldiers of the Guard Camp, quietly watched the two exchange blows, his gaze indifferent, as if observing two crickets wrestling—utterly devoid of interest.
Seated on horseback, he spoke in a dispassionate tone, "You’ve fought Li Shen before and lost every time. Who gave you the courage to attempt to assassinate me?"
The shopkeeper had no time to respond. Each attempt to get close to Yuan Zhen was thwarted by Chiliarch Li Shen.
Initially, only seven steps separated him from Yuan Zhen. But after just a few breaths of combat, that distance widened to ten steps.
As he was pushed back, layers of armored soldiers from the Guard Camp filled the ten-step gap, like closing one gate after another.
Yuan Zhen reminisced lazily, "Years ago, when you were captured alive as a scout, I spared your life, appreciating your talent. Even back then, I knew your allegiance was feigned—you accepted facial branding too calmly, so calm it seemed you were prepared for it. Perhaps you didn’t know this, but even the most cowardly of men would shed tears of humiliation when branded. You, however, did not."
Yuan Zhen suddenly sighed, "Initially, I kept you around just to see what Qing Wentao was planning, so I could turn his schemes against him. Who would have thought that not long after, he’d die at the hands of his own people in the Southern Dynasty? After his death, you drowned yourself in wine daily in Fengsheng State without hiding your debauchery. I pitied your loyalty and decided to recruit you, thinking that with enough time, I could make you truly mine."
"Over time, you carried out many tasks for me, killed many people, and when I sent you back to Guyuan to lie low, you brought back lots of useful intelligence. Through the years, I promoted you from centurion to chiliarch, thinking that would win your allegiance. But instead, you turned out to be every bit as stubborn and foul as Guyuan itself."
By now, in his duel with the chiliarch, the shopkeeper increasingly fell into disadvantage.
Chen Ji watched silently, his expression unmoved.