Inside the ruined temple, Yuanxiang had not yet gone to sleep, but was instead striking a stance and practicing his boxing.
Having been on the run all these days, he had lacked time to practice martial arts. Now that he finally had some rare leisure today, he naturally had to run through a few sets.
Martial arts was like rowing upstream against the current; neglect it for too long, and one was bound to regress.
In the short term it might not be noticeable, but regression crept in silently and imperceptibly.
By the time one actually realized they had regressed, it would already be too late.
Having finished a routine of boxing, Yuanxiang felt thoroughly invigorated.
Just as he was about to calm the boiling blood and qi coursing through his body, a sudden whistling sound tore through the air.
Before he could even react, a crossbow bolt came shooting straight toward him.
By the time he came to his senses, the bolt had already lodged into his arm.
The sharp pain caused Yuanxiang's expression to twist. Disregarding everything else, he lunged toward the ruined temple's window at the first opportunity.
He snapped the crossbow bolt's shaft in two; the arrowhead would have to wait until he was safe to dig out.
Yet in the very next instant, the temple window was smashed apart by tremendous force, and a strange, fist-sized sphere was hurled in through the opening.
"A Yunyang pellet?!" Yuanxiang shrieked instinctively.
He naturally recognized it—the Yunyang pellet was one of the methods used by those imperial hounds of the Six Doors specifically to capture jianghu experts alive.
As soon as the Yunyang pellet hit the ground, a burst of blinding light flashed out, followed by billows of dense smoke.
Though Yuanxiang shut his eyes immediately, covered his mouth and nose, and backed away, he still fell into the trap.
The flash was meant to temporarily blind him in the first place, and keeping his eyes shut left him just as sightless.
And the smoke was no ordinary smoke; it persistently stung the eyes to tears and provoked violent coughing from the nose and mouth, while also packing the effects of a knockout vapor.
Inhaling a small amount left one's blood and qi flagging and drained the limbs of strength; inhaling too much would knock a person unconscious on the spot.
Yet that was not the crux of the matter. The crux was that behind the Yunyang pellet lay a fishing net formation.
Those fishing nets were thick nets woven from hemp ropes soaked in tung oil and blended with ox sinew; even with a weapon in hand, breaking free within a short time was impossible.
What was more, it was not just a single net, but one in the hands of every Iron Ruler constable.
Ensnared by multiple layers of heavy netting, even a Grandmaster would be forced to surrender.
Not to mention they also had hook-sickle spears, long-pole grappling hooks, capture ropes, and other gear—they genuinely had no fear of anyone escaping.
Even if one knew the tricks of this Six Doors bunch, what of it?
If knowing alone meant one could break them, the world would truly be too kind a place.
Did someone really take the Six Doors for some bunch of nobodies?
Yuanxiang was already despairing. Several large nets came casting over him from head to toe.
Before he could even struggle, he was wrapped tight, then dragged out from the Yunyang pellet's smoke.
"Monk Yuanxiang, give up your struggling," Tian Muchuan said with a broad smile on his face.
"Bah! You government dogs only know how to play dirty tricks," Yuanxiang cursed bitterly.
Tian Muchuan did not care about the insult in the slightest; after all, he was used to being cursed at.
Besides, they paid no heed to martial virtue. After all, the people they usually faced were vicious bandits, cat burglars, and the like.
"Looks like we got the right man." Tian Muchuan waved his hand, and several Iron Ruler constables swarmed forward.
They bound his limbs with specially treated ox-sinew cords using a particular knotting technique; the more one struggled against these cords, the tighter they grew, impossible for mortal strength to snap.
They also stuffed a gag into his mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue to commit suicide or spouting words he shouldn't.
After all, they all knew there was a deeper secret behind Yuanxiang's affair, so what they needed to do was ensure he never spoke of it.
Lest what should have been fine merit turn into trouble brought upon their own heads.
Meanwhile, Wei Yuefu on the side felt completely numb.
This development was completely different from what he had imagined! In his mind, both sides should have clashed in a brawl, plunging the scene into total chaos.
Then, taking advantage of the chaos, he would smoothly destroy the Buddha statue. Yet the turn of events had defied his expectations entirely.
The professionalism of these Six Doors constables was exceptionally high; they had no intention of engaging him in close combat at all.
Tian Muchuan had shot Yuanxiang right off the bat, crippling an arm on the spot.
Yamen runners had ambushed by the window to lob the Yunyang pellet, inflicting blindness and enfeeblement, while the other Iron Ruler constables hurled fishing nets to take him alive immediately.
Tian Muchuan even had his hand pressed against the lime pouch at his waist; had Yuanxiang broken free of the nets, Tian would have pelted him with a handful of lime powder.
After that, Wei Yuefu would have stepped up with his hook-sickle spear to snag Yuanxiang's ankles and shins.
As long as Yuanxiang went down, the remaining runners would lock down his arms, shoulder blades, and other joints with long-pole grappling hooks, entirely stripping him of any ability to exert force or move.
Ding Shoucheng was still young after all, his understanding of the Six Doors far too shallow.
This had led Wei Yuefu to make a massive misjudgment regarding the professional acumen of the Six Doors—primarily because he had joined them only a few days ago.
Before this, all he had done was patrol the streets to keep order; this was his first time taking part in such a manhunt.
Yuanxiang was held down completely immobile; even if he wanted to commit suicide, there was no way.
He could only glare with wide, furious eyes at Tian Muchuan. Yuanxiang truly could not accept this—he had been just a hair away from making clean his escape.
Yet he had fallen right here.
"Shoucheng, go retrieve that Buddha statue," Tian Muchuan said. "When the time comes, it will be escorted to the capital along with Yuanxiang."
"Yes, sir." Wei Yuefu knew that Tian Muchuan was effectively handing him a share of the credit.
Now it would be even harder to destroy it.
As Wei Yuefu picked up the Buddha statue, he shot a glance toward his little brother, signaling him to follow along on the way back.
The group had only just stepped out of the ruined temple when the rapid drumming of horse hooves rang out through the night.
Tian Muchuan's gaze fell upon the newcomer. It was Shen Qianjun.
"Shen Qianjun, Patrol Envoy of the Six Doors." Dismounting from his horse, Shen Qianjun produced his waist token and displayed it before Tian Muchuan could even speak.
Tian Muchuan examined it closely. Once certain it was not a forgery, he stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Patrol Envoy Shen."
He was surprised in his heart as well; he had not expected that a single trip to the prefectural capital would see Shen Qianjun become a Patrol Envoy right away—his prospects truly knew no bounds.
"May I ask what brings the Patrol Envoy here?" Tian Muchuan had actually guessed it; it was nothing other than Yuanxiang.
Otherwise, if there were any ordinary business, he wouldn't have come at this hour of the night.
"Investigating under orders," Shen Qianjun said succinctly. "Transfer the prisoner and the goods to me."
As soon as those words were uttered, Tian Muchuan's eyes narrowed, and the expressions of every Iron Ruler constable present turned sour.
Wei Yuefu had searched for days on their behalf, and they had busied themselves for the entire night.
And here you come, opening your mouth to haul the prisoner away and hoard all the glory for yourself.
"Naturally," Tian Muchuan said, suppressing the resentment in his heart. "May Patrol Envoy Shen please present the official warrant."
He could not help muttering grievances in his mind—this man's greed was simply too uncouth.
If Shen Qianjun had asked for a sip of the broth, those present would not have minded sharing a portion with him, treating it as currying favor.
After all, no one's hands were completely clean. But to demand everything? If they gave in, precedent dictated the man would definitely push for an ell after taking an inch.
Therefore, Tian Muchuan certainly would not hand them over.
Chapter 13