With the silver in hand, Cui Hongyu naturally had an excuse and quickly took her leave. Watching Cui Hongyu walk away, Tian Wenhao turned to Liu Tie and Liu Ce and said, "You two have worked hard, and it seems you'll have to stay here for some time."
Liu Tie cupped his fists. "No trouble, no trouble. From now on, we'll stay here."
As he spoke, he pointed to Qingniu Mountain in the distance, then to the small river beside them. "If we have time, we can go into the mountains to hunt some game, stew a fish, and have a pot of wine. Wouldn't that be a delight?"
Hearing this, Tian Wenhao burst into laughter. "Excellent, excellent! Such a leisurely pastoral life, it almost makes me want to join you. When I resign from my post one day, I'll definitely come to find you two."
"Alas. Lord Tian, you are now a pillar of the nation, a loyal minister. How can you have such thoughts?"
At this point, Tian Wenhao's smile faded. He waved his hand, looked around, and lowered his voice. "Serving the emperor is like accompanying a tiger. Marquis Liu, after a lifetime of campaigning, ultimately ended his days in solitude with scriptures. Seeing this fills all the civil and military officials with dread."
The conversation turned heavy instantly, and the three fell silent. After a long while, Liu Ce broke the silence. He pointed into the distance. "Lord Tian, let's go take a look over there. The tents have all been packed up."
At this moment, Cui Hongyu had returned to her residence with the banknotes.
Despite receiving such a generous reward, she didn't feel much happiness. As the saying goes, it's not poverty that troubles people, but inequality. If the villagers found out, everyone would have their opinions. But how should she distribute it? She was at a loss.
She decided to wait until Chen Xiaobei returned. In the end, she locked the money in the wardrobe.
Meanwhile, in Wannian City, Chen Xiaobei was also anxious. He desperately wanted to leave, but Yang Chun and Liu Rumei insisted on waiting a little longer.
They didn't realize that Luo Xi, who had narrowly escaped death, had boldly infiltrated Wannian City. The man was truly daring. After disguising himself, he entered Wannian City again at sunset, posing as a beggar.
Luo Xi took the back alleys, winding and twisting until he reached the old house where he had previously hidden. Seeing no one around, he leaped over the wall. Upon entering, he saw that the firewood in the yard was scattered everywhere. He immediately understood that the cellar had been discovered.
He rushed into the woodshed and found the cellar entrance wide open, with no attempt to conceal it. From a hidden spot near the stove, he found a torch, struck a flint, and lit it. Holding it up, he entered the cellar.
As soon as he entered the cellar, he saw the blue glowing poison darts embedded in the pit walls. Seeing that the mechanism had been triggered, Luo Xi grew excited and hurried further in. He reached the wooden stake where Chen Xiaobei had been tied and carefully examined the ground with his torch. The ground was clean, with no trace of blood. Helpless, he turned back and searched along the way. Finally, he found the cellar exit, which also looked undisturbed. The little spark of excitement in his heart died down.
Who could have bypassed all his traps? "Chen Xiaobei, Chen Xiaobei, was it really Heaven that protected you?" "If that's the case, then I'll let you off the hook!" Muttering to himself, Luo Xi climbed out of the cellar. At this moment, he overlooked the bloodstain left by Yang Chun when he was injured.
He covered the hole again and then brought all the firewood from outside to cover it anew. He believed this place would be useful again sooner or later.
Returning to the main house, he took out bedding from a chest and spread it on the bed. Leaning back, he fell into thought. Soudan Novels.
What should he do next? The men he brought were either captured or dead. Only he remained. He would find it difficult to even kill Ding Lao San, as he wasn't sure where Ding Lao San was being held. He recalled the bold promises he had made to the Crown Prince when he left Great Lin Kingdom, vowing to turn Wannian City upside down. Now, it seemed that none of his promises could be fulfilled.
After much deliberation, Luo Xi let out a long sigh. "Alas, Heaven does not aid me." "Then I shall return to the Crown Prince to confess my failure. Whether I live or die, I shall accept my fate."
He remained hidden in the dilapidated house until the next day. As dawn broke, Luo Xi changed into ordinary clothes and quietly left the courtyard, blending into the crowd on the street.
Meanwhile, Chen Xiaobei and Liu Rumei and the others had also woken up. There was good news today: Yang Chun could also get out of bed and move around. As a martial artist, Yang Chun recovered quickly. After getting out of bed and moving a bit, he felt fine. He even tried a few short jogs in the courtyard, and everything seemed normal.
Seeing this, Chen Xiaobei was delighted. "Great! Brother Yang can move around, and we can go back."
Just then, a hurried sound of footsteps approached. Liu Kai rushed in. Liu Kai had to attend to Liu Yuanwen in his own mansion, so he wouldn't come over unless necessary.
"Miss, miss, Liu Tie just sent a letter!"
Liu Rumei smilingly took the letter and, after reading it, said to Chen Xiaobei, "Tian Wenhao has arrived and finished inventorying the military supplies yesterday."
Chen Xiaobei took the letter, glanced at it, and smiled. "So, we managed to get by." It made sense. With such enormous quantities, how would Tian Wenhao know if there was a slight discrepancy? Besides, he didn't know the original amounts either.
Liu Rumei nodded. "Are you relieved now?"
Chen Xiaobei turned to look at Yang Chun beside him. "I am relieved, but I think we gave too little to the villagers. We should have given more, knowing this would happen. We were too timid."
Everyone listened and burst into laughter again.
Just then, Lin Yang hurried over. After greeting everyone, Lin Yang said urgently, "New development. My men encountered someone on the street who seemed to be Luo Xi, but the person moved very fast and disappeared in an instant."
"Before coming here, I specifically went to the house we searched. It has changed. It seems someone has been there, so I suspect Luo Xi has indeed come to Wannian City."
Everyone's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. Liu Rumei also frowned. "If he comes back, he might cause trouble again."
Yang Chun, however, smiled slightly. "I don't think so. The fact that Luo Xi dared to go back to that house might mean he has nowhere else to go and is just using it as a temporary refuge." "In my opinion, he wouldn't dare stay in Wannian City for long, as he's been exposed, and many people recognize him."
Seeing everyone looking at him in surprise, Yang Chun further explained, "Moreover, if he dares to show himself, it means he's desperate for manpower. I think in a day or two, he'll return to Great Lin Kingdom. This person is no longer a threat."
After hearing Yang Chun's words, Chen Xiaobei nodded secretly. This was exactly what he had been thinking.