"Brother Yi?"
"It's me."
A sudden, inexplicable pain gripped Qiu Lingling's heart. She stood there for a long while, finally remembering what had happened. The cold-faced man who had kidnapped her was none other than Shui Fengqing, the Lord of Tianshui City! Jiang Xiaohu had been betrayed by his wife, and the Jiang family's enemy was actually the Lan family. They wanted to force Jiang Xiaohu to reveal the secret of the Jiang family's treasure, using her to lure Jin Huanlai to rescue them. Jin Huanlai had been taken back to Tianshui City by Shui Fengqing!
Weren't we just in the dungeon? I remember Jin was taken away and she fainted from crying. How did she end up here? And how did she end up seeing Yi Qinghan?
Did you save me?
"kindness."
Before she could even ponder why he had suddenly appeared there, Qiu Lingling threw herself into his arms, tears streaming down her face: "Please save Jin Huanlai! Please save him! They've asked the City Lord of Tianshui for help, and he's been captured!"
The young master embraced her, without saying a word.
Qiu Lingling looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes, pleading, "Please go and save him, okay?"
“Brother Yi can only save you,” the young master shook his head, feeling slightly guilty. “This is their territory. They won’t harm us because of the Yi family, but they will let us go after this is over. There are traps everywhere here, and even Brother Yi can’t get out.”
"What can we do? The Lord of Tianshui City is our enemy, he'll kill us!" Qiu Lingling trembled, trying to get out of bed. "I'll go save him!"
"To save Leader Jin, we must leave here first," the young master said, pulling her into his arms. "There are traps everywhere outside, and the Lan family is everywhere. If you get caught again, how will you save Leader Jin?"
Qiu Lingling stopped struggling as expected.
The young master gently comforted him, "Don't worry, Brother Yi will find a way to get you out of here as soon as possible." He reached out and took a plate of snacks, "Listen to me, eat something first, so you'll have the strength to go to Tianshui City to rescue people in the future."
Qiu Lingling slowly wiped away her tears and stared blankly.
The young master frowned slightly, stared at her coldly for a long time, and then suddenly raised his hand to pat her pressure point to put her to sleep.
The kitten fell back onto the bed, unconscious. At the same time, a sweet, charming laugh rang out: "Young Master Yi is indeed very careful."
.
Lan Xinluo leaned against the door, glancing at him sideways: "It's all thanks to you. I didn't realize this girl was so important to Jin Huanlai. But now that Jin Huanlai has fallen into Shui Fengqing's hands, I don't understand, what use is she to you?"
The young master sat down in the chair without changing his expression, not taking up the topic: "When a wife betrays you and a friend falls into the hands of an enemy, it doesn't matter what secrets you have when you're in despair. Jiang Xiaohu won't last long. The great thing is about to be accomplished. I should congratulate you."
Lan Xinlu blinked: "Xinlu should also congratulate Young Master Yi. The 'Daytime Startling Wind Sword Manual' and the Jiang family's wealth are just around the corner."
The young master smiled.
“Shui Fengqing has already returned to Tianshui City with Jin Huan. The Thousand Hands Sect will only know that their leader was killed by Shui Fengqing, but this girl belongs to the Thousand Hands Sect,” Lan Xinluo looked at the person on the bed, a cold glint flashing in her beautiful eyes, “If the news leaks in the future…”
The young master interrupted her: "No."
"You're really protective of her."
"Of course I'll protect my own woman."
"Ah, your own woman," the seductive voice twirled, and Lan Xinlu clapped her hands, "Your woman is crying for another man in your arms, Young Master Yi's magnanimity is truly unmatched."
The young master glanced at her and said calmly, "There's nothing wrong with her crying for her senior brother. At least I feel at ease with a woman like her."
Lan Xinluo's expression changed slightly. She bit her lip and looked at him for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "I really like you. Why do you have to hurt me with these words? Do you really intend to take this girl in?"
The young master did not answer: "You are in love with the third wife of the Yi family. This identity may be more helpful for you to accomplish your great task."
“I have indeed considered that position, but the reason you refuse to believe me is largely because of you,” Lan Xinluo slowly walked to his side, placed her slender hand on his shoulder, and said softly, “Since you have doubts, I’m willing to be your concubine, okay?”
“Having such a beautiful concubine is truly a blessing for me,” the young master shook his head, “but I don’t want to constantly worry about trouble in my harem.”
Lan Xin frowned: "Is that how you see me?"
The young master said, "Women who are too beautiful and intelligent, but whose status is not as high as others, will always feel resentful."
"You mean I'm not even as good as this girl?" he said casually.
"You are far superior to her."
"and you……"
"Because you're too smart." (Sigh)
Lan Xinlu glared at him for a while, then chuckled and sat down on another chair: "Men who say things like that are usually insecure."
The young master didn't mind: "Having a smart woman by my side makes me feel superfluous and boring. Look at you, you don't need a man's protection at all, you can always walk away unscathed." So there are always combinations of foolish men and smart women in the world, and smart men are also accompanied by foolish women.
Lan Xinluo stopped laughing: "Do you really think you're that strong and don't need help?"
The young master said, "Of course you need to, but it doesn't necessarily have to be a woman. I don't think you'll be more loyal than Liu Bai. Besides, once a woman's heart changes, she's more terrifying than anyone else."
Lan Xinlu raised an eyebrow: "Winning over a smart woman is not easy, but it can also be very interesting."
The young master said, “Men have too many things to conquer. Once you conquer one, you’ll look for the next. Fortunately, it doesn’t matter how many opponents you have, but I don’t like to change the people around me too often.” He looked at her with a smile, “I will conquer others for her, but she only needs to conquer me, except in bed.”
Lan Xinluo coldly said, "Someone like you only deserves to be interested in such a stupid girl."
The young master wasn't angry: "A clever woman can control many things, including men, but I don't like being controlled, so the woman who can conquer me will never be too clever." He casually picked up a pear from the fruit plate on the table. "If you want to play, I have plenty of opponents; if you need help, I have many people under my command. What you can do, many girls can do too. I don't think you can serve them more attentively than they do."
Her pretty face was turning pale, her breasts heaving violently. Lan Xinluo suddenly stood up, took two steps, and then stopped: "You seem to have forgotten that you are still with us."
The young master smiled and nodded: "I should be more polite, but I don't like being threatened by women. It would be easy for you to kill me. If you want to join the court, there's no benefit in falling out with the Yi family. Miss Xinluo is a person who is destined for great things, why be so fixated on a man?"
"No wonder you helped us get rid of Jin Huanlai," Lan Xinluo said sarcastically, looking at the person on the bed. "Do you think this girl won't change her mind? What if she knew you harmed Jin Huanlai..."
She won't know.
"You seem quite confident."
“It’s easy to shut someone up,” the young master said calmly. “Perhaps you should already know that Master Lan secretly took a concubine in Lin’an five years ago, and the child was born. How will he deal with his daughter, who is more trouble than she’s worth?”
Lan Xinluo turned and left.
.
Several chrysanthemums were placed on the table, and a faint medicinal fragrance filled the room. Through the carved window lattice, the deep twilight could be seen.
Have you thought of a way to get out?
The young master shook his head: "This place is full of traps and mechanisms; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it could hold off a thousand troops."
Having been in the hands of his enemy for three whole days, what are the chances that Jin Huanlai is still alive? Qiu Lingling murmured, "The City Lord of Shui City won't kill him, right?"
The young master looked at her, a faint smile appearing on his lips, and said softly, "Of course."
"Where is Brother Xiaohu?"
"Locked in a dungeon."
"Will they kill him?"
"He probably won't reveal the secret of the Jiang family's treasure until now," the young master sighed, "but he might soon."
Qiu Lingling said nervously, "He..."
"He has agreed to reveal the secret of that treasure in exchange for a chance to escape, but he probably won't get very far." The young master stopped smiling and looked out the window.
Betrayed by his wife and captured by his friend, this seems like the most normal reaction for someone in dire straits. However, as any businessman knows, there's always a chance of something going wrong, which made him uneasy. Jiang Xiaohu didn't seem like someone easy to deal with; he had no martial arts skills and knew he was doomed. Would he play a trick on his enemy? The Lan family had gone all in, and if they discovered they'd been tricked the next morning, someone who had meticulously planned for years, only to have their hopes suddenly dashed, was capable of anything. Even if they considered the Yi family's reputation, the Thousand Hands Sect girl would surely not escape with her life, and the Yi family would never go to such lengths for a woman who hadn't even entered their household.
Of course, Jiang Xiaohu might actually compromise. Leaving now would be breaking the contract, losing 20 million taels of silver, the Jiang family sword manual and wealth that were within his grasp, and the entire plan that followed.
The young master smiled bitterly, turned around, and said resolutely, "We need to leave here as soon as possible."
Qiu Lingling suddenly pulled him and whispered, "I can disguise myself. Aren't there a lot of patrols here? Go grab one, and I'll pretend to be him and sneak in to see if I can find out how to get out."
That makes sense, but if the Lan family catches her, the little cat's life will definitely be in danger. The young master refused: "That's too risky."
Qiu Lingling wanted to persuade him further, but he stopped her forcefully. Knowing that it was useless to say anything more, she was silent for a moment, as if she had thought of something: "When I was arrested in Tianshui City, the City Lord of Shui City let me go. Why did he arrest me again?"
"Because he wanted to cure the 'Half Moon Dew' and failed to curry favor with Master Jin, he had no choice but to cooperate with others to capture you and lure Master Jin into a trap."
"How could the Water City Lord know about my relationship with Jin Huanlai? It must have been Brother Xiaohu's wife who told him," Qiu Lingling stomped her foot angrily. "So she's that wicked!"
The young master was slightly taken aback, then smiled: "Yes, she was originally a spy for the Lan family, even betraying her own husband. Lingling is the best." His smile deepened, and he raised his hand to pinch her nose: "Don't worry, Brother Yi has his own way to get you out of here."
.
In the deep darkness of the night, a dozen or so gatekeepers fell down without warning, and a shadowy figure darted out of the manor like a ghost.
The young master put down the person in his arms: "Alright."
Qiu Lingling asked incredulously, "How did you find out the way?"
Because I made a deal with Jiang Xiaohu's wife and released her pressure points, the young master did not answer.
Qiu Lingling thought for a moment, then pleaded softly, "Could you...go and rescue Brother Xiaohu again?"
"That kid will be saved," the young master said, his eyes gleaming. "You should save Master Jin first."
Qiu Lingling said, "No, Jin Huanlai said that Brother Xiaohu is very skilled in martial arts and has nearly thirty years of internal energy. Let's go find him quickly and go to Tianshui City to rescue Jin Huanlai."
The young master's hand tightened: "Thirty years of internal energy?"
Qiu Lingling nodded: "Yes, he's the one who told me how to get into Tianshui City..."
The young master was stunned.
To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, Master Lan had long ago used the silver needle technique to cripple several major acupoints on Jiang Xiaohu's body. Although Qiu Lingling was unaware of this, he witnessed it firsthand. If Jiang Xiaohu truly possessed martial arts skills, the complete depletion of his inner energy would surely cause him extreme pain, yet he showed no reaction. Moreover, it was impossible for someone in their twenties to have over thirty years of internal energy. Jin Huanlai's success was due to the Thousand Hands Sect's method of transmitting skills, while his own was due to opening up his Ren and Du meridians. He never expected Jiang Xiaohu to possess such skill, unless…
"Aren't you going to save him?" Qiu Lingling asked worriedly.
"Save them, of course we must save them." There was no emotion in his tone.
"That……"
"Go back to the church and report the news, I will go to rescue them."
Qiu Lingling said happily, "Then I'll go back and find Protector Qian and the others. You and Brother Xiaohu come after me."
.
When Shui Fengqing, the lord of Tianshui City, first appeared in the world, he cut off thirty-three hands of the Thousand Hands Sect, thus incurring their enmity. However, as the saying goes, there are no eternal enemies in the world. Moreover, so much time has passed, and the Thousand Hands Sect has not pursued the matter any further. The main reason for the enmity between the two this time is that Shui Fengqing spent a lot of money to buy back the Thousand-Year Warm Jade Cup, which can cure all poisons, from outside the pass, just to cure the "Half-Moon Dew". Who knew that Jin would come and steal his cup.
But do such magical treasures really exist in the world?
If the Thousand-Year Warm Jade Cup is a fabrication, then where does the feud between Jin Huanlai and Shui Fengqing come from?
Clearly, the purpose of this scene is to introduce a person who wants to obtain the Jiang family's treasure and knows that Jiang Xiaohu and Jin Huanlai are friends. To deal with Jin Huanlai, this person will inevitably seek out Jin Huanlai's biggest "enemy"—Shui Fengqing.
The cup is fake, but the poisoning is real. Only Jin Huanlai can cure "Half Moon Dew". Who is Shui Fengqing from?
The route into Tianshui City was leaked by Jiang Xiaohu.
The silver needles dispersed his martial arts, but Jiang Xiaohu felt no pain, indicating that his martial arts had not been destroyed. However, he has not shown any signs of it yet and remains the same "useless Jiang Xiaohu".
The only explanation is that he is waiting for the right opportunity.