Liu Zhenqing pressed his temples: “Let’s steal them.”

“I can still afford one hundred taels,” Song Xingmu said with a smile.

“How can it be possible that his two brothers are only worth one hundred taels?” Liu Zhenqing said: “And…..if it’s a trap, we have to stay concealed.”

Song Xingmu suppressed a smile and said: “After saving them, don’t tell them that you spent five thousand taels of gold to buy a painting, but couldn’t pay one hundred taels to buy them.”

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but laugh when he heard this, and looked at Huo Fenglie.

Huo Fenglie pursed his lips in embarrassment.

Watching the bidding go one by one below, Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie took a closer look. There shouldn’t be any external injuries, but the effects of the drug were too strong. They could only sit paralyzed, unable to even speak, and completely at the mercy of others. But there was no need to worry about the poison. When he left his master, Liu Zhenqing was re-equipped with antidote pills.

The three people discussed the possible causes of the situation.

Song Xingmu said: “First, they were incidentally sold when they were escaping. After all, even with great martial arts skills, they were still on the sea. Second, it is possible that the enemy discovered their identities and are using them to draw us out.”

“But each point has its contradictions.”

“What are they?”

“For the first point, who arranged for the letter to be delivered?” Liu Zhenqing said: “In this state, they probably didn’t have a chance to send a letter to the Huo family.”

Song Xingmu said with a nod: “That makes sense.”

“If it is the second point, then they shouldn’t have been sent out together. Whether to keep one as a hostage, or separating them into two auctions to increase the probability of us finding out, these are more reasonable than sending them both out.”

“It seems we’ll only know when we save them,” Song Xingmu said.

Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Fenglie and said: “Be careful later.”

Huo Fenglie nodded.

“Don’t worry, I’ll have Yi Chuan go with him later. If they join forces, they can’t fail to save them.” Song Xingmu looked outside as he spoke. “That’s strange, why has he been gone for so long? Is there really some important news?”

At this time, Qin Yu had been sold at the auction below.

Although neither of them could move, the killing intent in Qin Yu’s eyes and the fury on He Lan’s face could still be seen.

The person who bought Qin Yu was a bloated uncle. One look at the way he spoke, and it was clear that he was interested in Qin Yu’s appearance. He then immediately wanted to buy the medicine, and followed the Pingjin Square people to the back. 

And the person who bought He Lan was a lady, who had also fallen in love with He Lan’s appearance. She had brought enough men with her, so she didn’t need to buy the medicine, and confidently sent her men to put a collar and chains on He Lan.

Although He Lan was furious, he still stared after Qin Yu.

Fortunately, Song Xingmu knew the people who bought them, so even if they couldn’t be rescued at the same time later, their whereabouts were still known. Song Xingmu also divulged the information in rigorous detail.

The auction soon ended, but Yi Chuan had not yet returned, and Zhao Haicheng and the governor were about to leave.

“This bastard,” Song Xingmu cursed. “Is it possible that he’s continuing to follow?”

“Perhaps he heard something important,” Liu Zhenqing said.

“The two parties that bought He Lan and Qin Yu are also leaving,” Huo Fenglie said.

Song Xingmu could only say: “Let’s go save them first. Yi Chuan said he has great martial arts skills, so let’s just wait for news.” 

Thus, the three of them went out together and chose the closest person, who was taking He Lan with her.

The thugs were holding the chain around He Lan’s neck. Because he had no strength, he was practically stumbling and crawling as he was dragged forward. But he still attempted to struggle, and frequently looked in the opposite direction, where Qin Yu had gone.

Song Xingmu and Liu Zhenqing were hiding out of sight, waiting for Huo Fenglie to launch a sneak attack and steal that person.

Because of He Lan’s struggling, he and the thugs fell to the rear of the procession. However, this gave Huo Fenglie an opportunity to attack. When they turned a corner, a blind spot appeared.

Huo Fenglie descended at once.

He Lan was still struggling with all his strength when a figure flashed out and the thug holding him from the front fell down. When he took a closer look, he was immediately ecstatic. 

Huo Fenglie broke He Lan’s chains and flew away with him.

The entire process took no longer than three seconds. Liu Zhenqing and Song Xingmu, who were hiding in the distance, silently observed.

When the buyer realized that person was gone, she was furious. She looked for him everywhere, but there was nothing unusual in the area.

Was it really not a trap?

When Huo Fenglie appeared with He Lan, he was about to turn back and look for Qin Yu, but was stopped by Liu Zhenqing: “I brought the antidote pills. Let’s let He Lan speak first.”

Huo Fenglie waited a moment for He Lan to take the antidote pill. After a while, He Lan opened his mouth and said: “Save Qin Yu!”

Huo Fenglie acted instantly, and Liu Zhenqing knew that what He Lan said proved this was not a trap.

As they waited for He Lan to regain his strength, Liu Zhenqing told him about the situation. Just as he was about to ask what had happened to them, he found that Song Xingmu was getting increasingly uneasy. Suddenly, a whistling signal arrow exploded somewhere in the sky.

Song Xingmu’s expression changed. He stood abruptly and said: “It’s Yi Chuan, something has happened to him!”

According to Yi Chuan’s martial arts skills and temperament, if it wasn’t a matter of life or death, he would never send such a signal. And once the signal was sent, the enemy would be even more ruthless.

Liu Zhenqing swiftly threw a bottle of medicine to Song Xingmu: “Red delays death, white detoxifies, go! Fenglie will arrive soon!”

He couldn’t carry around a bunch of pill bottles, and had randomly put a few different types of pills in the bottle. He had considered Qin Yu’s situation for a moment, but it was no problem if the toxin wasn’t detoxified in a timely manner.

Song Xingmu stopped talking and flew away at once.

Liu Zhenqing was just about to look at He Lan when he leaped up. “You hide well. I’ll go take over rescuing Qin Yu and ask Zhanyuan to rescue Yi Chuan as soon as possible!”

He Lan’s movements were still a little unsteady, but he took off as quickly as he could. It was impossible for him to go help Song Xingmu since his strength had not yet been restored. The best method was for him to take over Qin Yu’s rescue while Huo Fenglie rushed to save Yi Chuan.

He inwardly agreed with He Lan’s judgment. After all, Yi Chuan’s martial arts were stronger than Song Xingmu’s, and something had happened to Yi Chuan. Song Xingmu could only delay time at best, but might not be able to save him, so they could only depend on Huo Fenglie.

Liu Zhenqing obediently went to the dark alley beside the street, quietly blending into the night.

On the other side, Huo Fenglie had caught up with Qin Yu’s group, but the situation was not as good as He Lan’s. Qin Yu was brought into a carriage by the buyer.

Huo Fenglie thought for a moment, then attacked the horse directly. When the horse rushed out wildly with the carriage, Huo Fenglie followed.

When the carriage finally stopped, the buyer climbed out and vomited on the ground. Behind him, Huo Fenglie had already ducked inside.

Upon entering, he found Qin Yu unconscious. Huo Fenglie thought that the poisoned Qin Yu had been knocked out by the wild carriage, and felt awkward all of a sudden. There was nothing visible in the dark environment, so Huo Fenglie came out holding Qin Yu.

After coming out, he saw a whistling arrow explode in the sky. Huo Fenglie frowned slightly, but decided to take Qin Yu to meet up with the others first.

He ended up meeting He Lan halfway. He Lan quickly picked Qin Yu up and said asked, “Why is he unconscious?”

“He was knocked out. You guys…..”

He Lan hastily spoke again: “I saw that Captain Song’s expression changed drastically when he left, so I suppose something happened. Brother Liu is still hiding where he was.”

Huo Fenglie was about to turn around, but stopped in his tracks.

“You go, I’ll take Brother Qin to find Brother Liu! There’s nothing we can do to help now.”

Huo Fenglie nodded and headed off in the direction of the whistling arrow.

He Lan at last breathed a sigh of relief and was about to leave with the person in his arms. When the person moved, He Lan immediately said in surprise: “Zichuan?”

But when Qin Yu opened his eyes, there was something wrong with them, as if the calmness in them was gradually disappearing. Thin red marks also appeared on his neck. As soon as He Lan saw these marks, he recalled how the man who bought Qin Yu followed Pingjin Square back to buy medicine, and his expression changed slightly. It seemed that Qin Yu had been drugged again.

“Damn it, Laozi is going to kill them…..I’ll go back and get medicine first!”

Qin Yu had already begun to whimper in pain. This kind of drug was actually the most dangerous to a eunuch’s body. He Lan could only rush back with the person in his arms to find Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing was shocked to see this and said: “I gave all the medicine to Captain Song, didn’t you see?”

“You gave it all? I thought you kept at least a little?” He Lan sucked in a sharp breath.

“How could I have known he would be poisoned like this?” Liu Zhenqing was speechless.

Liu Zhenqing reached out to examine Qin Yu’s pulse and found that his skin was frighteningly hot. It also seemed that he had reached the limit of his endurance, but because the medicine also affected his strength, he couldn’t do anything even though he felt uncomfortable.

“Do…..I need to…..” He Lan glanced at Qin Yu’s blushing, amorous face. His heart jumped, but he still shook his head and said: “Right, I’ll go to Captain Song to get some medicine.”

“That’s very dangerous, ah. Look in the third room in the middle of the second floor, that’s mine and Fenglie’s guest room. I put medicine in the box next to the bed. With your qinggong, you can take Brother Qin back in time!” Liu Zhenqing pointed him in that direction.

He Lan returned to his senses and said: “You…..”

“Nobody will catch me, I’ll stay and wait for the others. Go quickly and do not delay detoxification. The longer the drug stays in his body, the greater the damage it will cause! Too much time has been wasted…..” Liu Zhenqing didn’t say anything further.

“What, will something happen?!” He Lan looked frightened.

Liu Zhenqing hastily said: “No, I just mean, if you delay for a long time, even if the poison is cured, the effects of the drug will continue. Brother Qin has suffered enough. You…..you can figure it out yourself.”

In any case, Liu Zhenqing also didn’t say much about the relationship between the two. Qin Yu’s body was no different from that of an ordinary man. For the good of his health, it was best to detoxify and give Qin Yu release.

He Lan didn’t dare to delay any longer, and flew away with this person first.

On the other side, when Huo Fenglie arrived, he saw Song Xingmu wearing a mask and holding Yi Chuan, who was unconscious and covered in blood. He was fighting to retreat. At least six enemies were also wearing masks, and it was unknown if Zhao Haicheng was among them. But their purpose was to kill Yi Chaun, and they weren’t after Song Xingmu’s life.

Huo Fenglie was wearing the mask given to him by Pingjin Square, and flew down directly to join the battle. Because of Huo Fenglie’s participation, Song Xingmu had time to give Yi Chuan medicine and watch anxiously.

The opponents’ combat effectiveness was quickly destroyed by Huo Fenglie’s arrival. Seeing that Huo Fenglie was a martial arts master, these people no longer cared to fight. White smoke instantly spread everywhere, containing medicinal effects that would cause people to lose their fighting ability. Huo Fenglie sensed that something was wrong and quickly covered his nose, backing away. Now he knew why Yi Chuan was defeated even though he should be stronger than these people. It turned out this was the method used.

He wouldn’t chase a desperate enemy, lest the tables turn. Huo Fenglie wanted to ensure the safety of the two remaining people, so he withdrew from the smoke’s range. When he arrived at Song Xingmu’s side, the smoke soon dissipated and the enemy vanished.

“How is he?”

“With the medicine given by Zhenqing, his condition is stable, but the wounds are also very troublesome. I need to take him back for treatment first.”

“To the water village?”

“No, my other courtyard. You come too when you’re done.”

Huo Fenglie nodded.

But Liu Zhenqing, who had been implicated in this matter, was holding his breath, not daring to make a sound.

Because just outside the entrance of the alley, several people were supporting each other and waiting for a carriage. Looking at those outfits, he feared they were the people who had attacked Yi Chuan. Considering the timing, it should be them.

“Damn it, what a failure!”

“At least Yi Chuan isn’t a threat to us in the short term.”

Liu Zhenqing: I am indeed unlucky, ah.

This really couldn’t be said. After all, this was the most secluded place in the entire area, very suitable for a person to hide. It could only be said that their judgment was about the same.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t know how many martial arts masters there were. He could only try his best to apply the breathing method taught to him by Huo Feihan and make his breathing as light as possible, so that it would be difficult for anyone who wasn’t a master to spot him. Although half of his attempts before had failed, now he had to take the risk.

Liu Zhenqing closed his eyes, and his breathing gradually became calmer. Sure enough, nobody outside noticed.

“Who was that who came after?”

“Who knows, he was wearing a mask, ah. He should be with Song Xingmu. Because of him, all of us are injured. I don’t think it’s worth it!”

“But his martial arts were too high for him to be a normal person. Where did he find a new guard?”

“Could it be…..Huo Fenglie. Wasn’t there news that his whereabouts are unknown? Maybe he’s already here! Huo Fenglie’s martial arts are very high…..”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone couldn’t help but become anxious. “It doesn’t matter, let Zhao Haicheng test him out. He must have recognized Huo Fenglie’s portrait before.”

Liu Zhenqing’s pupils shrank. It seems that…..I’m still lucky. Wouldn’t it be troublesome if we let Huo Fenglie show up carelessly later?

Heaven had sent him a message. Moreover, Liu Zhenqing was rather surprised to hear that their attitudes were mild toward Zhao Haicheng.

Just as he was contemplating, the sound of a carriage arrived. Once everyone had left, Liu Zhenqing breathed a sigh of relief. It was safe now that the assassins had left, and he would just wait until everyone came back.

In light of those sounds, Liu Zhenqing stepped out of the alley slightly and stood by the street, watching the carriage depart and considering the direction it was headed.

Suddenly, there was the sound of horse hooves not far behind. Startled, Liu Zhenqing looked back and immediately made a quick judgment, knowing that it was too late.

While he was calm inwardly, his behavior revealed awkwardness and embarrassment. He even dared to raise his head and take a few glances until the horse stopped and the person on it dismounted.

“Young Master Huo?”

Liu Zhenqing greeted him with an embarrassed look: “Lieutenant General Zhao. What a coincidence, ah, that I met…..you.”

“Why are you here alone? What did you just see?” Zhao Haicheng’s voice was cold and full of scrutiny.

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Chapter Eighty-Six << Table of Contents >> Chapter Eighty-Eight