She was surprisingly agile, holding up the emerald with a triumphant air, as confident as if Harry Potter had just snagged the golden snitch in a Quidditch match.
But no matter what, with the emerald in hand, even if we couldn't catch Zheng Ni, that guy would have to concede.
Just a minute later, He Jinghui brought the woman over, escorting her to our side: "What a hassle, she's such a pain. When I was catching her, she actually tried to take off her clothes. Bro here isn't interested in women like that! Sigh! What a self-important fool!"
"Who exactly are you people? Why are you so capable? Ah! It seems things are more troublesome than budgeted. With two more of you, I don't know if the Cardinal can..."
"Shut up, or I'll slap you until you doubt your own existence!" He Jinghui said with extreme coldness. The woman, still disheveled, was held captive by him, then bound with thick hemp ropes and thrown into the water. Countless strange fish were pulling at her body, but she couldn't sink because He Jinghui had deliberately tied the rope to a railing on the shore!
"Ahhh! Help me, don't do this, please!"
"An eye for an eye, Zheng Ni. This is the price you pay for offending our young master!"
He Jinghui squatted at the edge of the swimming pool, sheathed his Gentleman's Sword, and watched Zheng Ni struggling in the water with interest.
"Let's go, there's another one!"
"No need, young master. Actually, that guy is tied up outside by me! It's just that this woman wanted to see if you guys really passed the test!"
I gave him a thumbs-up of admiration. When we walked out of the natatorium, we saw Jing Zijin, bound like a zongzi, tied to a truck. He Xin couldn't help but mock, "Serves you right, Uncle Zongzi. You played us earlier, now it's your turn!"
"You are too hateful! If the Cardinal finds out, he will definitely drag you all up the mountain to offer sacrifices! Sacrifices!!"
"Get lost!" He Jinghui slapped him. I could see countless finger marks on Jing Zijin's face. He was probably already a bit dazed from He Jinghui's earlier beating. With another slap, I believed it would be hard for him not to doubt reality.
However, we didn't linger on this guy. We continued up the mountain. With two great gods by our side this time, we felt much more confident walking. It was as if four mighty warriors were traversing the martial world, incredibly imposing.
As those lizard people followed us, He Xiaoyu still asked some questions, but she didn't seem particularly curious, especially He Jinghui, who acted as if it were all perfectly natural.
After about an hour's journey, we had likely reached the mountainside. This time, we didn't hear any prompt, nor did we see any buildings. What was E Xuehai, this man in black, planning?
Could it be that he discovered Zheng Ni and the others' situation, and thus went into hiding? Seeing a tour bus parked nearby, He Jinghui took the initiative to say, "Everyone, I'll be the driver. You guys get on."
"Alright!" I replied. Everyone boarded the bus. Fortunately, there were plenty of seats, and even with the lizard people on board, there were two seats left.
He Jinghui was carefree. After settling in, he raised his hand and said, "The tour begins!"
The high school girls, seeing the sword on his back and his strange straw cloak outfit, couldn't help but secretly ask He Xin beside them, "Did this big brother escape from a theater troupe?"
"Ah, no, this guy is a master. Let me tell you..."
He Xin was probably bragging again. But it was better to clarify, otherwise, these lizard people might think we were on our way to a theater and plan to push them onto a chopping block to film some Hollywood bio-horror movie, a lizard people crisis, for goodness' sake.
If the lizard people attacked us in turn then, the entire bus could very well tumble down the cliff, taking us all out.
I had never ridden in He Jinghui's car before, and I didn't realize how astonishing his driving skills were. If one were to drive like this on the road in ancient times, people would likely mistake it for an illusion created by some monster.
Finally, amidst a flurry of random thoughts, the tour bus stopped. He Jinghui opened the door and jumped out first. My attention wasn't outside at the time. When we got off the bus, we found ourselves near a dark cemetery on the mountain. He Jinghui patted the dust off his hands, looking nonchalant, and then stretched his neck and massaged his sore arms: "Interesting. Walking through a graveyard at night, is everyone okay? Look! Beyond this dense graveyard is an ancient castle! E Xuehai should be there!" Saying this, He Jinghui burst into laughter, but then his deep, dark eyes suddenly turned somber: "You're next, you foolish prisoner!"
This guy was truly imposing. In his eyes, the countless obstacles before them were perhaps not even considered a game. He suddenly turned around and patted my shoulder: "Let's go, young master!" He respectfully made a gesture to invite me. I originally wanted him to do a ninety-degree bow, but I stopped him: "Jinghui, let's go!"
"Yes, young master!" The moment He Jinghui showed such deference to me, even He Xin looked at me as if I were a monster.
Just then, we followed this great god into the dark, sunken graveyard. Passing by the dilapidated tombstones and treading on the muddy ground, the lizard people became a little frightened. But as we approached a tombstone, the sound of barking dogs suddenly echoed!
He Jinghui was like a fierce tiger in the dead of night, quickly locating the nearby prey and preparing to pounce for a feast. He drew the Gentleman's Sword from its sheath, ready to act, but I pulled him back from behind: "Jinghui, that's not a dog, it's a person!"
"Oh? Young master, have you not brought enough with these lizard people that you need to bring dogs as well?"
"They're all just disguised. Forget it, let's take them all with us!"
Indeed, when we reached the wolfdogs, they all said, "We are people, we are people! Don't attack us!"
"I know. Look at the lizard people behind you!" He Xin moved aside. When the dogs saw the lizard people behind them, tears streamed down their faces, as if scholars had found fellow scholars and felt a sense of kindred spirits.
I had the dogs walk with the lizard people, so they could look out for each other. Then He Jinghui smiled again: "Hurry up! I don't want to waste any time!"