Chapter 81 My lord, times have changed.

Quanshan is the dwelling located in the very center of the village.

"Madam?" the guard called out to the graceful woman carrying the soup.

The woman glanced at the guard. There used to be two guards at the gate, but the foundry was short-staffed recently, and after manpower was tightened, only one guard remained at the gate.

The First Madam smiled and explained, "Madam Xiaoqian is proud and offended you, sir. After reflecting on her actions, she realized she had done wrong and wanted me to persuade you. Please don't tell him; just say I have something to discuss with him."

Recalling Lady Xiaoqian's angry and tearful outburst from the courtyard that morning, the guard broke out in a cold sweat.

That lady was very difficult to deal with, and wouldn't listen to either soft or hard approaches, but the master just liked this beautiful, sickly woman who was determined to die rather than submit, and whose every move was full of sorrow.

More fragile than exquisite porcelain, it's impossible to be tough on these subordinates, nor is it possible to be gentle and coaxing.

Fortunately, the words of the First Madam and the Second Madam still carried weight with her.

"Alright, I'll inform you immediately."

"Thank you for your help." She lowered her eyes, her gaze slowly falling on the soup she was holding.

"Madam, please come in."

She pushed open the door and chuckled, "What troubles you, sir? Tell me."

After today, everything will return to dust.

·

Apart from the brothers who had suffered a setback when they sought trouble at the Fu Lai Inn a couple of days ago, life remained as ordinary as ever for the others.

It wasn't until the ground shook and they realized something was wrong that they climbed the stone wall to check the situation, only to find that the soldiers were already waiting outside the stone wall gate.

"Who goes there!" The guard on the wall trembled. He could tell at a glance that these people meant trouble. He mustered his courage and shouted, "Do you know whose territory this is? Leave at once, or I'll spare your lives!"

"I don't care whose territory you are! Just fight!" Yi Sha whipped his whip and charged forward, using the inconspicuous indentations in the stone wall for leverage, and stepped onto the wall's pier.

Before the bandit could react, the long whip wrapped around his throat, twisted it, and then snapped off. Without support, the bandit's eyes widened and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The rising dust and the dull thuds of people falling to the ground sounded like the clarion call of war.

"She's all alone! Let's all attack her together!"

Upon hearing the command, the panicked bandits felt as if they had found their leader. The men on the ramparts gripped their swords tightly and charged towards the old woman in the middle.

"Miss A-Cuo, I'm begging you," Yining said, her eyes fixed on the fight on the stage.

"Give me some time." A-Cuo took out a bamboo flute and played it. The flute music sounded like someone sobbing softly, a continuous, thread-like sound.

Yi Sha could easily take on ten opponents single-handedly.

The two sides were locked in a tense standoff, neither willing to give in.

Soon, reinforcements arrived from the bandits' camp, and Shang Yuji sent Jiang Xi to lend her a hand.

The bandits, who had just gained the upper hand after their numbers increased, were quickly scattered by the sudden appearance of the man.

Jiang Xi picked up his long sword. The master and apprentice were familiar with each other's martial arts styles and worked together to break through the bandits' encirclement.

As the bandits fought and realized they were no match for their opponents, the old man and the young man found themselves surrounded by the corpses of their brothers, and they began to consider retreating.

Their days of revelry on the mountain had already corrupted their minds and bodies, and when faced with a situation where they had no chance of winning, no one could maintain their composure.

Whips flew everywhere, blades flashed, and death was just a hair's breadth away for them.

Someone shouted, "Run!"

The thieves, who had initially intended to retreat, immediately abandoned their armor and weapons, fearing that the two god-slayers would catch up.

The bandits, unable to extricate themselves from the battle, cursed under their breath but had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue fighting.

"That's enough." A-Cuo stopped playing the flute.

As soon as he finished speaking, the tightly closed gate on the stone wall opened.

The bandits, fleeing in panic, never expected that there would be a traitor among them who would open the gate for the government troops.

It wasn't until someone looked closely that they realized the person who opened the door had a blank stare and limbs that were not twisted like a normal person's.

The door opened, and the man collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud. His head hit a stone on the ground, and he rolled around so that his face turned completely to his back.

The bandits who were still near the city gate saw a hole in the back of his head, as if it had been gnawed out by something!

Grayish-white brain matter was scattered all over the ground. A pitch-black flying insect crawled out, its antennae trembling slightly, and flew towards the nearest person with lightning speed.

As he watched helplessly as the flying insect entered his nose, the man screamed in terror, "Help me! Help me!"

No one dared to approach him; they quickly ran away, fearing they would be next!

A moment later, the shouting abruptly stopped, and the body moved forward stiffly, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.

Because normal people would never walk like that!

"Go!" Yi Ning shouted, waving his arm. The officers and soldiers obeyed and advanced.

After entering the gate, the officers and soldiers divided into lines to arrest people. Several people in each line carried the layout of the mountain stronghold to prevent people from getting lost in the stronghold.

Yi Ning was in charge of leading his men straight to the forge. Mo Anxin, from the other team, hesitated to speak, but after glancing at the group of inn girls led by Miss Shang and A Cuo, he lowered his head and led his own team to capture the bandits in the area.

The shopkeeper said Mo Anxin was trustworthy, so Yi Ning called him over to ask about the situation. She learned that his younger sister was also in the mountain stronghold and that he had joined the government to save her. So she asked him to join the team that was capturing the mountain bandits.

The young girl at the inn wasn't familiar with the layout of the village, but she knew the location of the secret cave. Their task was to rescue the person safely.

The stronghold was in chaos. The bandits were powerless to fight back. Even if they hid in the stronghold because they knew it well, they could not escape the presence of Yi Sha and Jiang Xi and be captured.

The breathing of a person when walking is different from that when sitting still, and the sound of a rapidly beating heartbeat is different from that when the mind is calm.

His improved hearing after practicing martial arts allowed him to detect differences and quickly pinpoint the location of the bandits.

"Here."

As the death sentence was pronounced, the suffocating bandit stiffly turned his head and recognized the newcomer as someone he had seen before—

Jade-faced Yama.

Jiangxi went off to search for people with such speed that it left the officers and soldiers accompanying him speechless.

This was the first time they had ever seen someone in such a hurry.

There were too many people captured, so some officers suggested taking out a portion of the bandits, tying them up, and having them guarded by people outside.

During the brief handover, he looked up at the northwest corner, then slowly lowered his gaze.

He needed to hurry... He wanted to get to Ah Ji's side.

"Girl, this is it!" The inn girl was overjoyed, pointing to the unremarkable rocks embedded in the stone wall in front of her.

The rocks are covered with climbing vines. In spring, the dense vines and leaves hang down and cover the rocks, making it seem like just an ordinary corner.

Shang Yuji: "I'd also appreciate it if you could type out the secret code."

"Okay!" The little girl explored for a while and found a spot to tap on the rock, which produced a crisp tapping sound.

Long and short, long and short—

After a long while, someone pushed a corner of the rock from the inside, just enough for one person to pass through.

Someone lifted the vines, and Shang Yuji could finally see that behind the stone was a gentle and graceful girl.

"Xiao Mo! We've brought people to rescue you! These two are Miss Shang and Miss A Cuo!"

Xiao Mo glanced at them subtly twice and said, "Come in and talk."

Having learned the operation's procedures from Shang Yuji, Xiao Mo remained silent, watching the two of them quietly, along with a frail-looking girl beside her.

"...When a loud bang is heard outside, the operation will be successfully completed, and everyone can leave here."

After hearing this, Xiao Mo trembled but then steadied herself.

With a thud, the frail girl knelt down, her head touching the ground, and pleaded:

"Please, young heroes, save Sister Sun!"

Xiao Mo's lips trembled, and his hands shook as he helped her up, saying, "Xiao Qian, young hero, you have already done more than enough to save us... please don't make things difficult for us..."

But faced with Xiaoqian's tear-streaked face, her words caught in her throat, and slowly, she knelt down:

"Please, I beg you, I'll give my life for it..."

I'm sorry, Sister Sun, she has to break her promise.

She couldn't bear to silently watch her sister Sun die.

People behind them knelt down one after another.

Shang Yuji and A-Cuo looked at each other. A-Cuo nodded, and Shang Yuji asked, "Tell me where she is?"

"The main room, the main room right in the middle of the stronghold!" Xiao Mo looked up in surprise, tears welling in her eyes. "Sister Sun went to the main room to give us time to hide and buy some time so that the bandits wouldn't notice anything amiss."

After briefly understanding the situation, Shang Yuji stood up: "Let's go, there's no time to lose."

"Um."

"Should I take you two young heroes with me?" Xiao Mo asked.

If she needed to act as bait to attract the attention of the thieves, she would be willing to do it even if it meant her death.

Shang Yuji lightly placed her right hand on her left sleeve, and in addition to the colorful rope, she had added something new to her wrist.

She smiled and said, "No need, we know the way."

·

"You wicked woman! What did you give me to drink?" Lord Huang shouted angrily, pointing at the smiling woman in front of him.

The next moment, his whole body went limp, his knees buckled, and he sat down abruptly on the ground.

"Hahaha..." Her silvery laughter was melodious, and she bent over laughing. "My lord, don't be impatient. It's just some incompatible foods. The more anxious you are, the weaker you will become!"

"You're asking for it!" The person slumped on the ground tried to get up, but his weak legs wouldn't allow him to stand.

"You should be worried about yourself first, sir." Sun Fengwan pulled a dagger from his waist and aimed it straight at Lord Huang's heart.

In the face of danger, Lord Huang dodged the attack, but the dagger pierced through his clothes at the chest, revealing the soft armor protecting his heart.

madman!

He cursed inwardly, but to calm her down, he quickly advised, "There are my men outside. If you kill me, you won't get out alive either."

Sun Fengwan laughed out loud: "How can you be so naive, sir? I never thought I'd get out of here alive."

Damn it, this coward is afraid of death. He has soft armor protecting his vitals, making it difficult to strike.

Her gaze slowly moved upwards, landing on his neck.

Seemingly noticing her persistent gaze, Lord Huang coaxed her softly, "If Wan'er is dissatisfied with anything, tell me, and I'll change it! I'll change everything!"

"I want you dead!" Sun Fengwan swung her knife again, aiming for his throat.

But he stopped her with both hands after realizing her intention.

One man thrust downwards with a knife, while the other, his palm pierced, struggled to stay upright.

Before she knew it, Lord Huang kicked her away.

Sun Fengwan was thrown to the ground, but she got up while gripping the dagger tightly.

Taking advantage of the break, Lord Huang used both hands and feet to climb to the table and cabinet, opened the bottom cabinet, took out the antidote pill given to him by the Second Prince, and swallowed it in one gulp.

A cool breeze swept over the back of his neck, and he quickly turned to the side to avoid it.

After taking the antidote, Lord Huang regained his strength, helped himself up from the table, grabbed a wooden stool, and smashed it hard against her head.

During the struggle, her hair was disheveled, and she was no longer the charming and alluring woman she used to be. She charged at the wooden stool that was being thrown at her without flinching.

We can't delay any longer; these villains have plenty of tricks up their sleeves!

She plunged the dagger into his throat, and fearing he wouldn't die, she desperately stabbed it in again.

Her alluring eyes were filled with anger as she glared at him.

The pain of the wooden stool falling on him was delayed.

Slowly, the huge figure covering her body became unsteady and fell straight backward.

She finally saw the door, which had been open at some point, where the two were fighting fiercely.

And two girls standing under the door, backlit...

Shang Yuji retracted the crossbow from her left arm, blew on it, and spoke with a melancholy tone:

"My lord, times have changed."