Chapter 158
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Not long after the group left, Huo Luo arrived.
Lin Qingyang felt a sense of guilt for losing track of Yue Chen. Faced with Huo Luo’s stern expression, he was about to explain the situation in detail.
Huo Luo said, “Explain while we move.”
It turned out that Huo Luo and Yue Chen had a special code. Yue Chen left subtle marks with his feet along the way for Huo Luo to track. It seemed that Yue Chen was experienced in such activities.
Huo Luo swiftly pursued the group with Lin Qingyang using light footwork skills.
“Is it Tianheng Country? People wearing masks that caught Yue Chen’s attention?” Huo Luo’s deep voice carried a hint of anxiety.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t stop him,” Lin Qingyang said apologetically.
“I anticipated this. I can hardly ever stop him. He does whatever he wants, and he never allows anyone to hinder him,” Huo Luo said resentfully. “If something really happens one day, he’ll know he was wrong.”
The two of them tracked for a while until the trail went cold. A mountain stream appeared before them. Although the stream wasn’t wide, there were no markings left by Yue Chen on the opposite side. Moreover, Lin Qingyang’s navigation didn’t point in that direction. Instead, it followed the mountain stream, leading to a massive waterfall not far away.
Could the entrance be inside the waterfall?
Lin Qingyang pretended to speculate, and Huo Luo didn’t delve deeper into it. He believed that various possibilities were worth exploring since they had lost the markings, and he was getting a bit anxious.
Soon, they arrived at the waterfall. Huo Luo went in first to search, and after a while, he indeed found the entrance. Lin Qingyang followed him inside.
Inside was a long tunnel filled with mechanisms. However, these were no challenge for Lin Qingyang. Huo Luo even began to suspect that Lin Qingyang, like Yue Chen, was exceptionally intelligent, managing to successfully avoid all the traps. Lin Qingyang could only awkwardly express modesty.
After walking for a while, they finally saw light. The surroundings suddenly became clear, and they had reached the heart of the mountain. Not far away, a massive fortress stood proudly on a cliff.
One side of the fortress faced a sheer cliff, and the other two sides were surrounded by towering trees in a dense forest. It was challenging for ordinary people to enter from these three sides. The only easily accessible side was connected to the waterfall, explaining why those people couldn’t find the entrance.
Lin Qingyang and Huo Luo quickly infiltrated the fortress. There were quite a few people inside, of all ages and genders. However, the majority were young and robust adult males. The pathways were made of stones, and Yue Chen probably couldn’t leave any traces here.
“Since he was pretending to be envoy for negotiations, he should directly meet with the leader of this place. It should be in the center of the fortress,” Lin Qingyang suggested.
Huo Luo nodded and, hiding in a concealed spot, observed the people coming and going within the fortress. Suddenly, he spoke, “It is indeed strange.”
Lin Qingyang inquired, and he also found it peculiar. Why did some people here look normal, while others, like those who captured them, wore masks covering half of their faces? Among them, a few wore masks not made of iron but feathers, indicating different identities or statuses.
“Those with iron masks…might have been soldiers before,” Huo Luo said in a serious tone.
Huo Luo came from a family of military generals, and during his growth, the place he spent the most time was the military camp. Naturally, he was familiar with those who served in the army. Although the habits of these people had gradually changed, one could still vaguely sense some traces of their past military life.
As for Yue Chen, he had been accompanying Huo Luo since childhood and was naturally familiar with military life. That’s why he spoke up when he found something unusual.
“Are they from Tianheng Country or the Great Zhou?” Lin Qingyang asked.
Huo Luo’s expression turned somewhat grim, “The Great Zhou.”
With limited information, the two of them realized why Yue Chen wanted to have a face-to-face conversation.
However, this disguise provided Huo Luo and Lin Qingyang with an opportunity. By infiltrating someone’s home, they could obtain two sets of disguises. After donning the robes and masks, they blended in as one of them.
After changing into their disguises, the two of them just stepped out and turned a corner when they suddenly ran into a group of people on horseback.
“Hey, what are you doing here? Why aren’t you helping?”
As Lin Qingyang was walking in front, Huo Luo happened to be on the other side of the turning. Lin Qingyang quickly reacted, blocking Huo Luo from view.
Lin Qingyang covered his stomach and said, “I have a bit of a stomachache, need to take a rest.”
“Alright, we are currently busy. We just caught an imperial envoy; the patriarch said he’s his enemy and wants us to take care of him properly. They asked us to patrol outside to prevent anyone from tracking him inside. Hurry up and follow us,” the leader directly called Lin Qingyang.
Lin Qingyang’s face changed, sensing the strong killing intent behind him. He nodded quickly and took the opportunity to tell Huo Luo, “I’ll stay hidden and cooperate like this. You quickly go find Yue Chen.”
Huo Luo’s voice was almost hoarse, “Stay safe.”
Lin Qingyang nodded and quickly caught up with the team ahead. Soon, he noticed some patterns.
People with iron masks accounted for almost half of the mountain stronghold, reaching about a thousand. Based on the different types of masks, there were different roles. Currently, Lin Qingyang was with the lowest-ranked soldiers, but not all of them had military experience as Huo Luo assumed. Some were young people who were later recruited into the stronghold. Wearing masks was just for uniform management, so they didn’t all know each other. Lin Qingyang cleverly claimed to be a newly joined refugee, successfully passing through without being recognized.
Lin Qingyang followed them back into the cave, ensuring that none of the mechanisms were triggered.
He remained quiet throughout, listening to their casual chatter. As he listened, he overheard them discussing some upcoming celebration in the fort.
Lin Qingyang couldn’t help but feel speechless. In the midst of such a crisis, these people still had the intention to hold a celebration?
Just as Lin Qingyang was expressing his thoughts, someone among them shared a similar sentiment.
“I don’t even know when the people below will start attacking. Celebrating at a time like this is really…”
“No choice. Our Second Master rarely takes a liking to someone, and the Master said we can proceed. It’s a way to stabilize public sentiment.”
“Though I don’t like listening to what the Master and others say, we won this battle beautifully, captured so many people. It’s been a long time since I had such a satisfying fight. What’s wrong with celebrating? Plus, everyone below is our informant. If anything happens, we can escape immediately. They won’t even see a trace of us.”
“I still feel uneasy. The siblings from the Dai family don’t agree either.”
“They’re not in charge, not part of the Master’s group. Even if they have the ability to lead soldiers into battle, they don’t have the authority to make decisions. We don’t need to care about them.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Qingyang understood. There seem to be three factions here – the one in charge aligns with those who were once soldiers, the Master’s group is likely the strategists, and then there are the siblings from the Dai family, whom he is more familiar with.
Just as he was contemplating this, the group disbanded. “Return to your respective posts, and be careful lately.”
Everyone acknowledged, and Lin Qingyang casually chose a direction, ensuring that no one paid attention to him. Once he was sure, he continued following the arrows to find the person. Since they were so busy today, the hostages might be more accessible.
Lin Qingyang followed the arrows toward the central area. Suddenly, a warning sounded in his mind, and he inexplicably felt the presence of danger. Instinctively, he stepped back, his hand gripping a dagger.
A red-tasseled spear instantly pressed against Lin Qingyang’s neck. “Who are you? Take off the mask!”
Red-tasseled spear? Lin Qingyang stiffened and turned to see a seventeen or eighteen-year-old young man, his face stern, pointing the spear at him. Beside him, he held a slightly older girl, her features elegant and beautiful, her face tinged with a bruise.
According to the appearance, it seemed to be the Dai siblings.
Just at that moment, there was another sound in my mind.
【Ding, Main Mission 2, Mission 8: Help the male lead subdue the Dai siblings.】
Crown Prince Yuan Ran had once saved the Dai family’s life. Later, when Yuan Ran encountered trouble, Father Dai participated in submitting a petition, requesting an investigation into the truth. However, they were convicted, and the entire Dai family was brought to the capital for trial.
Because they supported Yuan Ran to the end and refused to repent, they suffered abuse from both the civilians and the officials on the way. All the elders in their family perished, leaving only the two siblings still being escorted. Along the way, passing through Wu Xin Mountain, the two knew that reaching the capital meant certain death. Therefore, they escaped into Wu Xin Mountain, where nobody knew their identities. People there only thought of them as siblings who had committed some wrongdoing. Due to their martial arts skills acquired since childhood, they were admitted into Wu Xin Fort.
As the siblings grew older and inherited their father’s military talents, they gradually established their own position within the fort but still faced suppression.
In this particular plot, they were captured, and then released by Chu Lishu. Although unaware of Chu Lishu’s identity, they acknowledged Chu Lishu as their savior. Following the principle of repaying kindness, the Dai family considered Chu Lishu a valuable tool for recruiting local forces.
However, Chu Lishu had only recently ascended to the throne. Sister Dai, Dai Xueyang, had long admired Crown Prince Yuan Ran. Therefore, she willingly gave up her talent as a military strategist and entered the palace as a concubine. However, her personality proved difficult to endure within the palace. Gradually, she discovered that Yuan Ran was no longer the prince she had once admired. Disappointed, and with her younger brother Dai Heng dying in battle while leading troops, Dai Xueyang believed that her failure to accompany her brother had led to his death. Eventually, with a mind devoid of any desire, she hung herself.
Although these events couldn’t be directly attributed to Yuan Ran, they still marked a tragic outcome.
Now, before Lin Qingyang, stands the future general and concubine.
However, he had been mistaken for a thief and taken hostage. Lin Qingyang, considering the original plot’s depiction of their characters, said, “My cousin has been captured, and I’ve come to rescue him.”
The siblings were momentarily surprised. Dai Heng said, “Are you also from the foothills? A soldier? You don’t seem like one, and you don’t appear skilled in martial arts.”
“I came up on my own secretly. I know a bit about mechanisms, and my cousin doesn’t know martial arts. I’m genuinely worried about him,” Lin Qingyang explained.
“Such reckless impulsiveness without thinking.” Dai Heng sneered, then turned to his sister. After a moment of contemplation, Dai Xueyang asked, “Who’s your cousin?”
“Chu Lishu, about the same age as this brother here, and about as tall as my eyebrows. A stunning man, undoubtedly the most good-looking among the captives. Once you see him, you’ll definitely recognize him.”
The siblings seemed to be deep in thought and then their expressions turned somewhat peculiar.
Lin Qingyang continued to fabricate, “I can tell you both aren’t villains. I just want to know if my cousin is safe. If you really must capture me, then please take me to where my cousin is.”
Dai Xueyang gave Dai Heng a meaningful look, and Dai Heng lowered his red-tasseled spear, saying, “Go back where you came from. You won’t be able to rescue anyone. We’ll pretend we didn’t see you. Now, leave.”
It was surprising that they would easily let go of someone who knew how to bypass the mechanisms to get there. Perhaps, they were contemplating betraying their current situation.
“Then, the two of you please considered as you haven’t seen me.” Lin Qingyang said directly.
“Identities here are fixed. Do you think it’s as easy to blend in as in the outer city?” Dai Xueyang seemed to see through him, continuing, “We let you go, and you insist on walking into your own death?”
“I…”
Just as Lin Qingyang was about to respond, Dai Heng suddenly pulled Dai Xueyang and turned in a different direction, standing there with a change in posture. A group of people suddenly walked by, confirming the constant danger in the surroundings.
Leading the group was a man in his forties with a feather mask, evidently coming for the Dai siblings.
“Xueyang, I heard you accidentally trespassed into my garden. Is everything alright? Are you poisoned, perhaps?”
“No need to trouble yourself, Master.” Dai Xueyang sneered.
“Oh really? The toxins in my garden are not simple. If you ever need help, just let me know. After all, we’re all family here.” The Master approached while extending his hand, seemingly attempting to touch Dai Xueyang. “I can detoxify you anytime, as long as the beautiful lady asks.”
“Get lost!” Dai Heng intervened instantly, moving forward. The guards around the Master, all wearing feather masks, stepped forward to block him.
“Alright, alright, let’s not ruin the harmony.” The Master smiled and stepped back, waving his hand. “You two are quite outstanding, just a bit unruly. Be more obedient in the future. Don’t risk your lives recklessly.”
“We wouldn’t bother going to that kind of place a second time.” Dai Heng said coldly.
The Master chuckled mysteriously but then noticed Lin Qingyang behind them. “How come a newcomer can come and go freely here?”
Many of the soldiers were newcomers, so they weren’t allowed to enter freely. That’s why Dai Heng noticed the issue the moment Lin Qingyang appeared.
Lin Qingyang instantly became nervous. Dai Xueyang spoke up, “Can’t we bring in some help to assist us?”
The Master didn’t pursue the matter further, just smiled and said, “The Second Master’s wedding is approaching. You two must attend, lest you incur the displeasure of the patriarch.”
“It’s you who secretly tried to kill hostages. The patriarchwouldn’t be pleased with that,” Dai Heng retorted.
Ignoring Dai Heng, the Master turned to Dai Xueyang, saying, “I really want to see how you look in a red wedding gown.”
Dai Heng was about to make a move again, but the Master stepped back.
“Damn it, sister, you shouldn’t have stopped me. I must kill this old lecher!”
“Ignore him. I…” Dai Xueyang was speaking when she suddenly coughed, and blood came out.
“Aren’t those antidotes working?”
“It works, but not completely. There’s still residual toxicity. I’m afraid there might be lingering effects,” Dai Xueyang replied.
As they were talking, Lin Qingyang’s voice suddenly came from behind. “I have an all-purpose antidote. If you’re willing to believe…”
Naturally, the two were not easily convinced.
“Why aren’t you leaving?” Dai Xueyang asked.
“As long as my cousin is here, I can’t leave,” Lin Qingyang replied.
The two showed reluctance and exchanged a glance. Lin Qingyang immediately sensed an ominous sign from their faces. “Did something happen to my cousin?” It couldn’t be possible; the system didn’t give any warning.
After hesitating for a while, they eventually revealed the truth to Lin Qingyang.
“Actually, your cousin… is today’s bride. The person the Second Master is going to marry is him.”
Lin Qingyang was stunned. First, his mind went blank, and then gradually, a thunderstorm of realization exploded in his mind.
Someone intends to forcefully marry the male lead!
Lin Qingyang’s face gradually darkened, and he felt her blood boiling uncontrollably. Clenching his teeth, he said, “My cousin… is a male.”
Dai Heng showed a look of disgust. “The Second Master likes men, especially handsome ones. The moment he saw your cousin, he was smitten. Instead of keeping him as a hostage, he insisted on marrying him. The Master then suggested arranging the marriage as a celebration. Moreover… we overheard in the Master’s garden just now… the Master might plan to harm your cousin during the ceremony for his own purposes. He intends to use your cousin’s death for something. We don’t know the specifics.”
“So, your cousin is currently under tight guard from various factions, even more closely than other hostages. And he’s definitely drugged, unable to resist. In such a situation, you couldn’t have saved him, going there would have meant certain death. You better go down the mountain and inform he Great Zhou’s generals. Maybe…”
Dai Xueyang didn’t finish her sentence. The phrase “maybe” was just a way to console, as they all knew it was too late. There were no reinforcements coming from below the mountain, and even if Lin Qingyang knew the path, they wouldn’t make it in time.
Even if Chu Lishu miraculously survived, he would still be at the mercy of the Second Master…
So Chu Lishu was destined to be humiliated.
After Dai Xueyang and Dai Heng finished speaking, they saw Lin Qingyang’s eyes turning red, thinking it was due to his deep concern for his cousin. They were about to offer words of comfort when Lin Qingyang handed a pill to Dai Xueyang.
“This is an all-purpose detoxification pill, crafted by the miracle physician who unraveled the poisoning incident among refugees. I haven’t tried it yet, whether you believe it or not is up to you. Thank you for letting me know, but I can’t leave. I can’t let him endure such humiliation!” Lin Qingyang said seriously, and then turned and ran off.
The Dai siblings were still processing the rescue of the refugees in the camp. Harming refugees was not their intention, so they decided to check the Master’s garden for an antidote. However, before they could fully grasp the situation, Lin Qingyang had run off, heading towards the Second Master’s courtyard. At this moment, the Second Master and the new bride should still be in the courtyard and not have left.
Seeing Lin Qingyang’s expression just now, the siblings couldn’t bear to let him go alone. Dai Xueyang directly pushed Dai Heng and said, “Follow him. He doesn’t seem like a bad person, saving one life is still a life.”
Dai Heng had no choice but to release his sister and turn around to chase after Lin Qingyang.
Before long, someone dressed in red bridal attire, covered with a red veil, was escorted by two festively dressed elderly women to the council hall of Wu Xin Fort. The hall was adorned with joyous decorations, and around were lively members of the Wu Xin Fort’s leadership. Ordinary members were not allowed to enter this place.
In the center of the hall, on a tiger-skin bench, a burly man was chatting with the Master seated beside him.
As the new bride arrived, there was a moment of silence followed by hushed whispers. People covertly mocked and sneered, understanding that someone caught must be a noble young man from the capital. Yet now, he was about to be married off by their Second Master. No matter how they thought about it, this young nobleman must be feeling deeply ashamed, perhaps even contemplating suicide in disgrace. They speculated that the wedding night might require substances to control, or else this young master might go mad.
The patriarch glanced around and asked, “Where’s the Second Master? The auspicious time for the event he’s been eagerly planning is approaching.”
One of the elderly women chuckled and replied, “The Second Master is probably nervous. When I asked just now, he was still making preparations.”
“Heh, such a pathetic appearance.” The patriarch expressed disdain. His younger brother had always been a bit effeminate, unable to resist the charms of a handsome face. It was truly embarrassing. But he couldn’t help indulging his younger brother; that’s just how it was.
Soon, a man with a tiger-shaped iron face, dressed in red, stepped forward.
The patriarch felt something was off but couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Perhaps it was the rare occasion of his brother combing his hair and wearing a neatly cleaned wedding outfit that made everything seem awkward.
“Just arrived, aren’t you afraid of keeping your new bride waiting?” the patriarch teased.
However, the Second Master noticeably hesitated in his steps. Laughter echoed around him, but the bride on the red carpet looked completely out of place.
Chu Lishu listened to the laughter around him, each sound grating on his ears. The red tint in his eyes deepened, and a murderous intent filled his gaze. He still leaned on the elderly woman, appearing weak, but the hidden weapons in his hands were poised to strike. The poisonous needles, soon to be released, would discreetly disappear into the surroundings, unnoticed by anyone.
Chu Lishu would never surrender willingly. Lu Yi and Lu Shi were still guarding from a distance, and this was all just a cleverly devised plan.
If he killed the Second Master on the spot, or if he died from poison, they would see who they would suspect.
“All right, pay your respects.”
When the Second Master approached Chu Lishu, the patriarch spoke up.
Chu Lishu would never give a dead man the chance for respect. None of the people present were qualified to receive his bow, even if he weren’t the high and mighty Prince Yuan Ran. Just as the elderly woman was turning him towards the outside, preparing for the ceremony, Chu Lishu exerted force on his wrist, and the concealed weapon was about to be unleashed.
Suddenly, his hand was seized by someone.
Chu Lishu’s heart skipped a beat, thinking he had been discovered, but then he realized something was amiss.
Through the reddish veil, he couldn’t see anything, but he felt the touch of the hand, incredibly familiar. Chu Lishu was filled with disbelief but let that unbridled hand open his palm. At that moment, his palm sensitively perceived the strokes of a finger drawing a character.
“Yang.”
After writing, the hand released his.
The red tint in Chu Lishu’s eyes quickly dissipated, leaving his face blank. However, his hand involuntarily clenched, concealing the character ‘Yang’ in the palm.
“Bow to the heavens and the earth!”
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Waahhh 🤭🤭
Their wedding…
Far from an ideal one, but still
Thank you for the update 😀