"Who is this lunatic?"
One man cursed and slapped Zhang Chu to the ground.
"Ouch, you still dare to hit me."
Zhang Chu clutched his face, gasping in pain.
"I'm going to lock you all up! Lock you all up!"
"Tie him up!"
As soon as the man who had acted gave the order, many people quickly appeared. They grabbed Zhang Chu and tied him up with their hands and feet.
"The county magistrate? I'm the Jade Emperor, take him away!"
This aggravated Zhang Chu's wound. He couldn't speak for a moment, and then suddenly, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
That slap had actually made him bleed!
"Let go of my father!"
With a furious roar, a woman in red descended from the sky. With one kick each, she sent flying the two men holding Zhang Chu.
"Hey, another one! Get them all."
Zhang Yajing caught Zhang Chu and, seeing his bloodied face, showed a look of disgust.
"Constable, arrest them!"
As soon as she spoke, Li Zhao, leading many constables, charged forward with their sabers.
In almost an instant, the two sides were locked in a melee. Swords and spears clashed, emitting clanging sounds. Others used fists and kicks. Cries of pain and angry curses erupted from the crowd, creating a chaotic scene.
Zhang Yajing pulled her terrified father to a less crowded spot and untied him.
While she was busy, someone on a pillar not far away was doing the same thing.
"Xiao Mo, you came so quickly?"
"I knew you were alive. You didn't even tell me about your plan. If you keep hiding everything from me like this, I won't care about you when you die."
As she spoke, her hands continued to work, re-tying the disguised Li Hao to the pillar, replacing Xia Yunting's position.
Xia Yunting watched the chaos unfold, a flicker of surprise in his heart.
"Did you do all this?"
She was truly... audacious, even using the county magistrate.
"Isn't this to save you? What, you still want to be tied up here?"
"There are more than just these people. There's a larger force behind them."
"They are colluding with the Xin Jia, the medicinal herb suppliers. This is the Xin Jia's steward. I suspect the county yamen is also involved with them. Let's stay here for a bit and enjoy the show."
Xia Yunting's eyes lit up, and he nodded, "Alright."
Thanks to this commotion, Rong Zhi easily executed her plan of substitution.
It was fortunate she acted quickly, as the chaos soon ended.
During the fight, someone shouted, "We are from the yamen! Our tokens are here!"
All sounds immediately ceased. Everyone looked towards the center of the voice. Li Zhao, with a swollen face, held up his token high, his voice slurred.
"We're on the same side!"
This created an awkward situation.
The man who had hit Zhang Chu approached Zhang Yajing and examined Zhang Chu's face closely.
"Oh my, it really is the county magistrate! Why is the county magistrate here in the middle of the night?"
"Stop the nonsense, hurry up and treat my injuries!"
"And ours!" Li Zhao added.
And so, this brawl ended. Soon, someone fetched medicinal ointment and bandages, and they were applied, leaving Zhang Yajing somewhat bewildered.
"Father, what is going on? How do you know them? Who are they?"
Her head was full of questions.
Zhang Chu stiffened, suddenly realizing something. He patted her hand.
"Daughter, I'm fine. I need to talk to them about something. You should leave for now."
"I won't leave! Father, are you secretly doing something bad behind my back again?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? When has your father ever done anything bad?"
"Plenty of times."
"..."
"This is official business. You should leave immediately, or you can go home directly. Li Zhao! Escort the young lady home."
"Yes!"
Li Zhao responded and was about to come over, but Zhang Yajing stopped him.
"Father, I'll listen to you. I'll leave now."
"That's right."
Zhang Yajing turned and walked to a tree, untied the horse tied to it, leaped onto its back, and rode into the forest.
Although she appeared to have left, the sound of hooves stopped not long after. Zhang Yajing, hidden by the dark trees, secretly watched.
Her father was always acting mysteriously, doing things behind her back that she didn't know about. Today, she intended to watch closely.
Suddenly, Li Zhao also approached.
"Young lady, I'll accompany you here to relax."
Zhang Yajing was taken aback, then snorted coldly.
"Then let's go."
This father was actually monitoring his own daughter.
After she left, Zhang Chu's wounds were treated and bandaged. He looked around in a daze, still not understanding how he had gotten there.
The other party was equally confused.
"Master Zhang, did you see clearly? What did the person who took you look like?"
Zhang Chu looked at Jia Dabao, the steward of this place.
He had always known about this group of human traffickers, whose leader was called Ma San. But Ma San wasn't the real boss. A level above Ma San were these people. They controlled Ma San to capture people, but he didn't know what they did specifically, nor could he manage it.
Although he suspected that his capture might not be related to them, he was still angry.
He was, after all, a dignified county magistrate, and this was too demeaning.
"Forget about his appearance, I didn't even see if he was male or female, tall or short, fat or thin. I was sleeping soundly when I was captured."
After speaking, he looked at the man in front of him suspiciously.
"It wouldn't be you lot, would it?"
"How could that be?" Jia Dabao gave a fake smile.
"You are our just and upright lord. Even if we captured anyone, we wouldn't capture you."
"That's not necessarily true. Over the past few years, you've captured quite a few people in my territory. When my territory is empty, it will be my turn."
His words clearly carried resentment.
"Please don't be impatient, sir. We are just doing as we are told. Over the past few years, we have benefited from your protection, and we are grateful. When things are done, you will not be shortchanged of benefits."
Zhang Chu's expression improved slightly.
"I didn't expect this corrupt official to really be colluding with these people."
Rong Zhi, hidden in the dark, clenched her fists, wishing she could rush out and beat them up right now.
Officials who don't serve the people are no better than those who sell sweet potatoes!
Xia Yunting remained silent, merely covering his mouth to stifle a cough.
These people had indeed fought fiercely.
The two continued to watch. Zhang Chu pointed to the bound Li Hao and asked who he was.
"Alas, we don't know where he came from. You know this area. Every few days, some so-called passing chivalrous individuals come to uphold justice. This one is probably similar, but... this person looks a bit familiar."
Jia Dabao reached out and pointed to the people behind him.
"Didn't you just say he looked familiar? Look closer, who does he resemble?"
One of the men behind him stepped up to the pillar, illuminated it with a torch, and examined it closely, a look of confusion on his face.
"Ah, he doesn't look like him anymore. Perhaps I was mistaken?"
"Who the hell does he look like?" Jia Dabao lost patience.
"Hmm..." The man stammered.
"He looks a bit like the person in the portrait, but now it doesn't seem like it."
"What portrait?"
Jia Dabao took out a piece of paper from his embrace and unfolded it. It was none other than Xia Yunting's likeness.
"Sir, this is a wanted fugitive from the imperial court. If you see him, without a second thought, cripple him first. Handing him over to the imperial court will be quite a merit!"
Zhang Chu looked closely at the portrait. The person in it had phoenix eyes, a handsome appearance, and an upright demeanor. He didn't look like a wanted fugitive at all.
He didn't ask further questions.
"Alright."
"Thank you, sir." Jia Dabao then moved to the base of the pillar, compared it, and kicked the man who had spoken earlier away.
"Are you blind? How does he look like that? They're not even remotely related."
The kicked man also felt wronged. He had thought he looked somewhat similar just now.
Rong Zhi, hidden in the dark, chuckled softly.
Although the masks she made were identical, they were worn by different people, and their facial structures and features were different. Thus, there would be subtle differences when worn. Fortunately, they hadn't seen Xia Yunting's face clearly, so it didn't lead to exposure.
Thinking this, Rong Zhi suddenly looked back at Xia Yunting.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'll make you a new mask when we get back."
The last one was made crudely, and as time passed, it would reveal the original face more and more. It needed to be replaced.
The group rested for a while. Jia Dabao found a place for Zhang Chu and his constables to stay. Although he was not welcoming to the county magistrate, a guest was a guest, so he arranged for them to stay. However, the area around their accommodation was surrounded by Jia Dabao's men, which was overt surveillance.
Zhang Chu was extremely displeased, but the other party had too many people.
After settling them in, Jia Dabao waved his hand at his subordinates and had them release Li Hao.
Li Hao had not yet regained consciousness.
Rong Zhi watched them lead Li Hao into the depths of the mountain, and her curiosity was piqued.
"What are they going there for?"
"Let's follow and see."
Xia Yunting secretly admired Rong Zhi. Her plan of substitution had not only rescued him but also allowed her plan to proceed. As long as the person in his place didn't expose him, he could follow these people and uncover their motives.
The two quietly followed the group. They saw them leading Li Hao through the forest, taking many winding paths, and discovered several magnificent mansions enclosed by walls. Under the moonlight, they appeared quiet and mysterious.
"To think there are so many houses hidden in this mountain."
Rong Zhi couldn't help but exclaim.
Xia Yunting's gaze gradually deepened. This should be the place closest to the truth. The subordinates he had sent before had all died here, and they were undoubtedly related to these people.
Jia Dabao stepped forward and knocked on the door.
Not long after, with the sound of a heavy wooden door, a person emerged from inside, clad in black, with a cold expression.
He looked at the person in front of him without much surprise.
"What good things have you brought this time?"
Jia Dabao pointed to Li Hao beside him.
"Another one who doesn't know his limits and delivered himself. This one has some skills; he killed Ma San and the others."
"Perfect, I need someone who knows martial arts. Give him to me!"
Two more people emerged from behind him and took Li Hao away.
Jia Dabao didn't linger. After he left, Rong Zhi and Xia Yunting quietly approached, preparing to investigate.
"There's such a strong smell of medicine and blood inside."
Rong Zhi whispered, covering her nose at the same time.
"The killing intent is also very strong. It seems there are many people inside."
"Be careful."
"Be careful."
The two spoke to each other simultaneously, then nodded.
Fortunately, both of them had excellent Qinggong, so they did not alarm anyone.
Before them stood a tall wall, and all the secrets seemed to be hidden within. Rong Zhi climbed up first. As soon as she peeked over, she immediately ducked down, unable to help but cry out in pain.
"Ugh..."
"What's wrong?"
Xia Yunting was startled. He quickly embraced Rong Zhi and retreated, hiding behind a large tree.
The main gate suddenly opened, and four people in red appeared as if out of nowhere, looking around.
"Someone has entered. Search!"