Chapter Forty-Two: Liquidation (Part Two)

The women in the Pleasure Cave had already received instructions from Alan. Upon vaguely hearing someone coming from outside, they all giggled and entangled themselves tightly with the soldiers on their bodies, causing the various soldiers in the cave to blush even more and work harder with great effort. For a time, lewd sounds rose and fell.

Meng Yuan blushed, A Zhe clenched his fists, and the soldiers of the Judicial Office behind them were at a loss. Only Mu Lian remained calm. With a sigh, Mu Lian said in a deep voice, "There's no time to lose. Everyone, split up and act quickly. Don't alert the enemy..." Hearing this, everyone's expressions tightened, and they nodded in agreement.

"Hmm, sir, please, please slow down..." The alluring woman's smile didn't reach her eyes. She used her arms and legs to tightly wrap around the lieutenant on her body. Out of the corner of her eye, she had already caught a glimpse of the assassin behind her.

Mu Lian's expression was cold, and her movements were as swift as lightning. The thin silver needle, coated with anesthetic, pierced the vice general's neck with lightning speed. The vice general, who was indulging in the pleasure of the woman, groaned and his strong body instantly fell onto the alluring woman. The woman beneath him couldn't help but let out another soft moan that sounded like a mixture of pain and pleasure.

"Can you move?" Mu Lian asked gruffly as he helped the alluring woman push the weapons on her body to the side.

The alluring woman's affectionate eyes swept over Mu Lian, then she scoffed with a hint of disdain and disappointment, thinking to herself, "So she's a woman." However, this was not unexpected for Feng Wu Niang. In these times, men who could rescue women from dire straits were truly rare, as precious as a luminous pearl in a bandit's den.

Struggling inch by inch, she managed to free herself from the unconscious man. The bruises on her fair skin were clearly visible. Mu Lian frowned slightly, picked up her clothes from the ground, and handed them to her. Feng Wu Niang's lips curled into a slight smile. She straightened her clothes and bowed gracefully to Mu Lian, saying, "This humble servant, Feng Wu Niang, thanks you for saving me, brave warrior..." Mu Lian nodded and turned to leave. She still had other women to rescue.

"Thud..." The faint sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh was heard, followed instantly by a strong stench of blood from behind. Mu Lian paused, then abruptly turned around. In the dimly lit room, a woman held a blood-dripping gold hairpin in her slender hand, laughing wantonly. Beside her lay the naked lieutenant, bright red blood gushing from his neck. The scene was both bizarre and lewd. Insane and ruthless!

Mu Lian glanced at Feng Wu Niang again, then changed to a woman's voice and said, "You are so different, Miss. After this matter is over, you may come to find me..." Without waiting for a reply, she quickly left.

After a long pause, a soft "Good" came from inside the room. It didn't say who they were looking for, nor where they were looking; was this a test? Feng Wu Niang chuckled, her interest growing even stronger.

"The vibrant colors of spring have faded, now all is left to broken wells and crumbling walls. What a waste of such a beautiful day! Whose courtyard enjoys such delightful pleasures?... The people behind the brocade screen take this fleeting time for granted..." Behind him, a woman's melodious and lingering singing voice drifted up, making one's eyebrows soften and one's heart flutter.

Leaving Feng Wu Niang's house, Mu Lian followed the same method, her nimble figure frequently moving in and out. In less than a quarter of an hour, she had rescued all the women in the row of houses. A moment later, Meng Yuan, A Zhe, and the others, leading the soldiers of the Judicial Office, also gathered there.

"Did you succeed in getting everything?"

"I have fulfilled my mission..."

Nodding, Mu Lian arranged for A Zhe to lead a group of men to tightly bind up the unconscious, naked soldiers.

"Leave the rest to me, you go check ahead quickly..." Alan arrived with the women rescued from the Free and Unfettered Cave. After nearly a year of hardship, many women had perished, leaving only about twenty, five or six of whom were afflicted with illness and had lost all will to live. Fortunately, they were finally rescued.

After instructing Meng Yuan to help Alan and the others clean up the mess, Mu Lian led A Zhe and the soldiers out of Xiaoyao Cave quickly. If she remembered correctly, there was still one other place whose situation had not been reported by any of the magistrate's office soldiers.

Outside the cave, many candles had been extinguished, leaving the area somewhat dim. Mu Lian quietly made a hand gesture, and the soldiers covered their faces with veils, pressed themselves against the walls, and hurried deeper into the mine. The deeper they went, the faint smell of burning minerals filled the air, and waves of intense heat began to engulf them, making it unbearably suffocating.

Mu Lian's heart stirred slightly, and she gestured for everyone to stop. A soldier from the engineering team quietly stepped forward, took out a trumpet-shaped object he carried, and stuck it to the mine wall. With a "crack," a long, black iron nail popped out of the object, forcefully piercing the wall along with a thin chain. After a moment, as a mechanism was activated, the black iron nail retracted, its long tip scorching hot, faintly emitting white smoke, and seemingly flashing with a red light. The soldier glanced at it, and his expression immediately changed drastically.

"My lord, it is, it is flint slurry..." The pawn, holding the long nail, trembled uncontrollably.

Mu Lian's expression changed, and she quickly made a hand gesture, saying in a deep voice, "Quickly, retreat..." Everyone was also startled, and then quickly and orderly retreated, leaving only A Zhe to cover the rear.

Taking out another trumpet-shaped object and probing it against the mine wall, Mu Lian listened intently to the gurgling sound of hot lava flowing less than ten feet away, her heart sinking even further. This old scoundrel Liu Zhang was indeed ruthless. Choosing this location meant that if things went well, he could effortlessly seize the armory and explosives depot; if things failed, or if he were discovered, he would rather have the hundred or so soldiers in this mine buried alive than leave them any room for maneuver.

The group retreated hastily. But they had only gone halfway when a sound like thunder suddenly rang out, followed by a deafening crash. Mu Lian and the others felt a raging fire erupt before their eyes, with explosions of smoke and dust filling the air. The scorching heat instantly engulfed everyone who hadn't had time to evacuate.

"Oh no, my lord..." Startled, Meng Yuan, who had already protected Alan and the other women and retreated to a safe position, hurriedly led her people back to rescue them.

With a "whoosh," the hidden arrow, concealed by a fireproof tent, shot right beside Mu Lian through the faint smoke and dust. This was the tacit understanding that Mu Lian and Meng Yuan had cultivated over many years of working together.

Mu Lian swiftly untied the fireproof tent, spreading it out to protect those around her. This fireproof tent was specially made by the Judicial Office, woven from the thinnest silkworm silk and gold thread, making it exceptionally rare and fireproof. Fortunately, A Zhe was also prepared, quickly pulling out another fireproof tent from his robes and unfolding it. The soldiers orderly set up the two fireproof tents, which could basically protect everyone. Mu Lian waved her hand slightly, and the soldiers tore off pieces of their robes to cover their mouths and noses. Under the cover of the fireproof tents, they struggled to move forward, crouching low, through the raging smoke.

Suddenly, screaming humanoid fireballs rushed towards Mu Lian and the others from both sides. The pawns on the periphery who could not dodge in time were tripped and fell to the ground, falling like a string of gourds, and the scene was extremely chaotic.

"My lord, be careful..." From within the fireball, a dark arrowhead shot toward Mu Lian with lightning speed. A Zhe, unable to protect her in time, was instantly horrified, his eyes wide with shock and his soul trembling.