Chapter 223 Arena Match

Yun Zhao blinked, tilted his head, and said, "I don't know~ Master said to wait until Grandmaster comes out of seclusion..."

Perhaps my master will teach me; he calls it the language of beasts—a divinely ordained opportunity.

However, Brother Jingchen said that some people might think I can control wild beasts.

They told me not to let others know easily, and even told me to raise more wild animals to protect myself!

Xu Zhenbang's heart skipped a beat.

"Why do you say that, Brother Jingchen? Is someone trying to harm you?"

"Hmm... When we were in Yangguan County, he said that some officials were looking at me strangely, so he told me to be careful."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yinan was so frightened that he hurriedly stepped forward.

Why didn't you tell your uncle before?

Xu Zhenbang looked up and glared at his son with some displeasure.

"What good would it do to tell you? Aren't you still protected by Zhaozhao?"

Xu Yinan was speechless.

In the past, outsiders in the capital all said that the three brothers were good-for-nothings.

Xu Yinan used to not care what others thought of him.

But now I feel that I am really useless.

Xu Zhenbang ignored his son and turned to look at Yun Zhao seriously.

"Zhaozhao, Brother Jingchen is right. Your ability is not suitable for others to know about."

If someone asks you, just say you don't know. Unless absolutely necessary, don't reveal to outsiders that you can communicate with animals.

As for the tiger, if anyone asks, just say you saved it, understand?

"Yes, Zhao Zhao understands!"

Seeing her bewildered expression, Xu Zhenbang didn't know whether this ability was good or bad.

The Xu brothers lowered their heads, their feelings a complex mix.

This atmosphere lasted until half an hour later, when the birds returned from afar and landed on the windowsill.

Yun Zhao took out wheat again to reward the little bird.

Others, worried about scaring the birds, did not approach.

"Oh? Really? They're so mean! Take me there right now!"

Yun Zhao jumped off the couch and hurriedly put on his shoes.

"Zhaozhao, what happened?"

Xu Zhenbang asked.

"The little bird said that someone had locked up many wild beasts, and they were very hungry. Some people also said they would release them."

Brother Jingchen is guarding there; he'll send the little bird back to let me know!

Wei Jingchen couldn't understand the bird's language, but he felt that a bird wouldn't land on his shoulder for no reason.

The only possibility is that Yun Zhao sent it to find him.

So he sent the little bird to deliver the message.

"Releasing a very hungry beast is a recipe for disaster!"

Xu Zhenbang picked her up and directed Zhixia.

"Zhixia, go and inform the officials to protect everyone. I'll go and call Lu Xun and the others!"

"Father, you and Zhaozhao must be careful!"

"Don't worry, Mother! Second Uncle, go and release Hua Hua quickly. Tell Hua Hua that she will protect Mother and Brother here!"

After saying that, Yun Zhao waved to the little bird again: "Little bird, little bird, let's go!"

The little bird flapped its wings and flew up, not knowing to take a detour, and flew directly over the roof.

Xu Zhenbang's lightness skill wasn't very good, so Lu Xun took the initiative to carry Yun Zhao to him.

The group followed the bird, speeding away from the rooftop.

Finally, the little bird came to the outside of a secluded courtyard, hesitated, and did not go in.

Lu Xun landed on the roof of the adjacent courtyard and discovered that the courtyard was heavily guarded and that there were many carriages parked in the stable.

He only roughly calculated the troop strength, and with Xu Zhenbang's light-footed skills, he probably wouldn't be able to get in.

"General Xu, Zhaozhao and I will go in. You can wait here."

Xu Zhenbang was a general who fought on the battlefield, and light-footed skills were indeed not his forte.

"Okay, be careful!"

Knowing that forcing his way in might alert the enemy, he nodded and handed his granddaughter over to Lu Xun.

Lu Xun and Lu Li entered the courtyard quietly, without attracting the attention of others.

The little bird led them around the patrol and into the backyard.

They then discovered that the backyard was quite noisy, and they could occasionally hear shouts of "Fight!" and "Go!"

Yun Zhao saw a small bird perched on the eaves, and there were several other small birds there, so she asked Lu Xun to take her there.

"They just went in?"

Listening to the chirping of the birds, Yun Zhao's face scrunched up, and his expression gradually became serious.

"Thank you for bringing me here!"

Yun Zhao scattered wheat on the tiles, and Lu Xun then led her away.

"The little bird said that Brother Jingchen followed people all the way here, and those boxes and cages contained wild beasts, which entered the basement of this house."

"underground?"

"The little bird doesn't quite understand, but I think there must be a basement down there."

They specifically released these wild animals; the birds even said they were fighting, like a boxing match!

Are you looking for ferocious beasts to fight in the arena?

No wonder I heard shouts of "fight!" coming from inside.

"Let's go in and take a look. Ali, you find a hiding spot. If we're discovered, cover our escape!"

Lu Xun gave his son some instructions, then turned and led Yun Zhao inside.

After evading the patrol, Lu Xun led Yun Zhao to climb in through the window.

In spring, the temperature in Guanzhou is not as low as in the capital.

But as soon as they entered the house, they felt a stuffy, poorly ventilated heat.

A strong, indescribable odor wafted over, almost making one nauseous.

Following the directions given by the little bird, Yun Zhao led Lu Xun towards the basement.

It's called a basement, but it's actually just a downward staircase.

Hearing faint animal roars, Yun Zhao knew they hadn't come to the wrong place.

Perhaps they thought the underground was full of ferocious beasts, and that even if someone came, they wouldn't find any secrets, so the staircase was left unguarded.

The further down you go, the stronger the smell of animal excrement becomes, making it hard to open your eyes.

No wonder no one came to guard it.

Just as I reached the bottom of the stairs, a figure flashed by.

Lu Xun moved swiftly, carrying Yun Zhao on his back and shielding her in front of him.

Yun Zhao felt dizzy and, in a flash, she found herself clinging to Lu Xun's back.

Upon closer inspection, the person who came was none other than Wei Jingchen!

"Brother Jingchen!"

"You've arrived. There's no one here; everyone's upstairs!"

Upon seeing that the person who came was Wei Jingchen, Lu Xun breathed a sigh of relief and carried Yun Zhao back to the front.

Wei Jingchen casually pulled her from Lu Xun's arms.

"It stinks in here, do you want to come in?"

Yun Zhao took a sachet from the small pocket on his chest and put it directly under his nose.

"I have a medicine packet, and it smells wonderful!"

It's called a sachet, but it's actually a medicine pouch sewn together from cloth.

It was bulging and quite large, almost covering half of Yun Zhao's small face, only revealing her bright, sparkling eyes.

Wei Jingchen smiled and gently ruffled her little pigtails.

"Okay, then let's smell the medicine packet."

After saying that, he led Lu Xun inside.

It was like a dungeon, with narrow passages and many wild animals imprisoned on both sides.

They all have injuries and occasionally emit low growls.

Some even hid in corners, motionless, as if they had already died.

"I guess this is an underground gambling den run by the Hu family. I've watched a few matches."

There were bets between animals, and bets between humans and animals; all sorts of people came to gamble, including the prefect…

As Wei Jingchen was speaking, he noticed that Yun Zhao was trembling slightly, so he stopped and looked down at her.

In the dimly lit dungeon, Yun Zhao nestled in his arms, her eyes filled with tears.

She was crying.