Chapter 25: Attacks on all sides, crises lurking everywhere
Three people were walking together, in disguise, one old, one young and a groom, just right.
Qiqi, disguised as a grandson, supported her grandfather Liang Sheng. A respectful groom followed behind them, gesturing to the patrol guarding the city for a long time before letting them pass. Wen Yuhan, Qiqi, and Liang Sheng each followed their planned route.
Qiqi is the main road, and they advance from the water prison route. Liang Sheng is a martial arts expert and can climb rocks and mountains, so he sneaks in from the back mountain of the villa. Wen Yuhan is familiar with all the affairs in the city, so he changed into a coarse linen shirt, smeared some rouge and mud on his bearded face, and dressed up as a waiter delivering vegetables into the villa. He pushed the vegetable delivery cart into the villa timidly all the way.
After Wen Shi experienced the incredible and inexplicable nightmare that night, for a long time, whenever he saw Wen Ranqi, he would think of the disgusting and indelible scene of himself lying in a pool of Wen Ranqi's blood in the dream.
Wen Ranqi was locked in the calligraphy yard and was suddenly told that he was not allowed to go to Wen Shi's study or any place he could see. Even Wan Ming was not allowed to go to his yard. Wen Ranqi had been doubting whether he could speak for so long.
No one argued with him, and he was so naive that he lost his tongue. He turned the soil in the yard and planted rapeseed. Only these vegetables could give him life.
Wan Ming was a little excited. He stood on the wall and shouted, "Why did you pull out the flowers? Do you know how long the patriarch has been growing these flowers to keep the yard unchanged for you? Four years!" He stood on the wall and made the number five with anger and heartache.
Wen Ranqi seemed to come alive when she heard Wan Ming's loud voice. Her eyes suddenly lit up. She put her hands on her waist and held a watering can. She said with disdain, "Why should a grown man plant flowers or vegetables? Only by knowing how to plant vegetables can he avoid starvation."
Wan Ming shook his head in disdain and said, "The patriarch asked you to come over for dinner, so you don't have to prepare it!" He also said this to the servants in the yard.
Wen Ranqi is not interested in having a meal with Wen Shi. He is so moody and cunning. If he wants to choke on his food later, it will be funny.
Although cursing people is not nice, Wen Ranqi and Wen Shi don't get along. The chopping board and the fish, the butcher's tears are all fake. Although Wen Shi didn't do anything to him, it is impossible for him to have no grudges against Wen Shi. After all, his life is still in Wen Shi's hands.
Wen Yuhan arrived outside the kitchen when a gatekeeper stopped him. He looked at him suspiciously and asked, "Hey, delivery man? Why are you sending another cart?" Wen Yuhan replied, "The patriarch sent your Wanming guards to tell the boss that these dishes were added at the last minute because we have guests tonight."
The guard was unconvinced and was about to draw his sword, but the woman who was washing vegetables came out and grabbed Wen Yuhan, which surprised and delighted him. The woman said, "Why are you here just now? The chieftain asked us to add some delicious dishes. He is having dinner with an important person tonight. The one who is serving the vegetables, follow me quickly."
Someone vouched for Wen Yuhan's smooth entry. The kitchen was indeed short of vegetables, and only two or three of the dishes he prepared himself could be considered new. He enthusiastically helped with the busy kitchen work.
No one seemed to find him strange, so he took advantage of the situation and became one of the helpers. The cooked dishes came out one after another, and he found an opportunity because many of the dishes were Wen Ranqi's favorites. He guessed that maybe Wen Shi wanted to have dinner with Wen Ranqi, so he had to find a way to serve the dishes.
Liang Sheng climbed up the low cliff on the side, pulling the vines. He did not see Yue Chi bringing people here on the cliff. They had communicated before setting off, so it was estimated that Yue Chi had not arrived yet.
It took him some time and effort to reach the top of the Cliff of Broken Thoughts. It was pitch black all around. Once he passed the top, he could walk straight down to the main courtyard of the villa. Wen Yuechu's new grave was in the short grass halfway up the road. Liang Sheng took a detour and saw the grave in the moonlight.
But he had no time to reminisce, he turned around and continued on his way.
Qiqi took advantage of the guard change and slipped into the secret passage beneath the garden. He lit the tinderbox, and a puff of dust and cobwebs choked him, making him cough uncontrollably. It took him a long time to get used to the rancid, dusty, and pungent smell emanating from the secret passage. He listened as he walked, and the surroundings were quiet. Halfway through his walk, he heard the sound of water. He looked at the map and realized the water dungeon was not far ahead.
The water dungeon was secretly built by Wen Shi and was a place where he could secretly deal with people. Wen Yuechu had also been tortured here by Wen Shi, not to mention other people who opposed him and whom Wen Shi wanted to kill.
The place was filled with a foul, decaying stench. The walls were stained with dried blood of various shapes and forms. Walking in, a vast water dungeon appeared beneath her feet. The murky, disgusting smell of water made her feel like she had arrived at a place worse than a cesspool. Qiqi tore off her clothes to cover her mouth and nose, and continued to move forward cautiously.
Meanwhile, as the dinner began, Wen Yuhan, having painstakingly secured a spot in the serving line, knew Wen Shi loved sea bass, while Wen Ranqi disliked fish. He found an opportunity to quietly add some powdered, highly effective Gelsemium elegans to the sauce, mixing it with the dark soy sauce so that no one could tell.
Wen Ranqi waited impatiently for Wen Shi, who had been promised a punctual arrival, but he didn't see her. The sight of the dishes on the table made his stomach growl. The last dish served was Wen Yuhan's steamed sea bass.
Wen Yuhan saw that Wen Ranqi was so impulsive that he almost exposed himself, but he still attracted Wen Ranqi's attention. He just treated him as a servant and asked, "Have you finished serving the dishes in the kitchen? There are so many. Wen Shi asked you to prepare them."
Wen Yuhan could only nod. Wen Ranqi always felt something was wrong when he looked at him. However, with the delicious food in front of him and the heavily guarded villa, he never thought that the person in front of him was Wen Yuhan.
Wen Shi brought Wan Ming in, and Wen Yuhan quickly retreated. Wen Shi was so close to him that he felt a sense of oppression. When he left the room, he realized that he was so cowardly that he was sweating profusely.
Wen Yuhan walked slowly. He heard Wen Ranqi speak first. He and Wen Shi didn't sound coerced at all when they spoke, but rather like two casual, intimate people chatting about family matters. Wen Shi placed a piece of sea bass on Wen Ranqi's plate. Wanming looked at Wen Shi with a wavering expression. Wen Shi shook his head, and Wen Ranqi ate the fish.
After eating most of the dishes on the table, Wen Ranqi was really hungry. After eating and drinking enough, Wen Shi was not worried about anything and asked someone to send Wen Ranqi back to the yard.
Wen Ranqi fell asleep contentedly, while Wen Shiran Wanming quietly went to the kitchen and brought everyone to his courtyard. His first words to everyone were, "Tell me the truth, who made all the dishes tonight? You're so bold, you drugged me right under my nose! Fortunately, I caught him early, so he only got a mild poison. Tell me, who drugged me?"
Wen Yuhan's face paled. Seeing that Wen Shi was fine, he assumed it was just Wen Shi who hadn't eaten the fish. He hadn't expected that Wen Ranqi, who never ate fish, had been poisoned by him. His heart sank, and his eyes dimmed instantly.
Why did he always fail more than he succeeded? He looked at his hand that had drugged him, his eyes dull and filled with regret.
Wen Shi had already recognized Wen Yuhan the moment they passed each other, no matter how poorly disguised she was. Wen Yuhan's inescapable inferiority complex made him invisible to Wen Shi, yet he could always tell at a glance.
Wan Ming placed his sword against Wen Yuhan's chin and chuckled, "You all go down. Each of you will receive twenty strokes of the cane and a fine of half a month's wages." The cooks and servants retreated in fear, fearing for their lives. Wen Shi stood in front of Wen Yuhan and said, "Do you know what betrayed you? It's your inferiority complex and lowliness. Wen Ranqi was saved by you, and I didn't have to do anything. You almost poisoned him to death. Humph! Wen Yuhan, ah Wen Yuhan, you are really a loser who is more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything!"
"Wen Shi, you heartless devil, please save him, let him live. You can kill him or cut him up as you like. He is your own brother, please save him." Wen Yuhan hugged Wen Shi's feet. Wen Shi looked at him with a pleading expression, which was exactly the same as the look he had on Wen Shi when he called Wen Ranqi to survive on the Cliff of Broken Thoughts and ended up killing Wen Ranqi. Wen Shi kicked Wen Yuhan away with disgust and said, "You can save him if you want, just do as I say. Give him the medicine tomorrow. Take him downstairs and find someone to watch over him and make sure he doesn't die. He'll be useful later."
Wan Ming mentioned the decadent Wen Yuhan and took a pill. Wen Shi said, "Wen Yuhan, you owe him a life. Return it to him tonight. Hahahahahahahaha!"
When Liang Sheng reached the back door of the villa, he heard the sound of Wan Ming and Wen Shi entering the woodshed. He wanted to go up to the roof, but a low groan interrupted his plan. A black dog with glowing eyes, a ferocious look, and bared teeth pounced on him, and he had to retreat.
In fact, this dog was begged by Wen Ranqi from Wen Shi, and he would occasionally feed it in Wen Shi's yard. Liang Sheng didn't expect that a big dog would suddenly appear in the villa where dogs were never kept. Wen Ranqi could never have imagined that he would indirectly lead to a detour in the way of rescuing himself.
Wan Ming stopped the guards and quietly chased after them without alerting anyone else, but he was still not as fast as Wen Shi, who had already left the villa. As expected, Wen Shi stopped Liang Sheng and said with his hands behind his back, "Hello again, Uncle Liang."
The guards immediately surrounded Liang Sheng, and Wen Shi and Liang Sheng engaged in a fierce fight. When Wen Shi was forced into a sword duel, Liang Sheng was ultimately defeated and fell to Wen Shi's sword. Wen Shi also admired Liang Sheng and said, "Liang Sheng's martial arts skills are still as good as before. I admire you."
Liang Sheng's face turned unhappy and he said nothing. Wan Ming took Liang Sheng to the same woodshed as Wen Yuhan. Wen Yuhan was lying on the ground in a daze, and no matter how he called out to him, he didn't respond.
Qiqi sneaked into Wen Yuhan's yard. A faint light in the distance indicated Wen Ranqi's yard. He quickly followed the wall, crossed the rockery, climbed over the wall, and entered Wen Ranqi's room through the back window. Wen Ranqi was fast asleep when he was awakened by a chill. When he opened his eyes, he saw Qiqi's face. He drowsily thought he had misjudged her and tried to fall back asleep.
"Master, it's me, Qiqi."
Wen Ranqi opened his big, bell-like eyes when he heard the familiar voice. He slapped himself hard. Qiqi hurriedly held his hand in distress. Wen Ranqi covered her mouth in surprise and whispered, "Why are you here? Where are the others? Aren't you going to come in a year? Is the time brought forward?"
Qiqi put clothes on Wen Ranqi and walked him to the back of the house, saying, "Master, we are here to save you. There is a secret passage in the next yard. We will explain it to you after we get out, okay?"
Wen Ranqi followed Qiqi in surprise, but he was still very happy in his heart. If he really went out tonight, could he take Qiqi to find the mysterious man and go back in advance?
He said in surprise, "Good disciple, the master was right about you. Let's go, let's go."
Wan Ming pushed open the door of Wen Ranqi's room, and found it empty. Gou Zi sniffed and rushed out of the back window to chase after him. Wen Shi and Wan Ming followed him.
After coming down from the secret passage, Wen Ranqi smelled a disgusting odor. The further he went inside, the more difficult it was for him to breathe. The odor made him breathless, but the main reason was that he felt a familiar resistance preventing him from moving forward. The huge water dungeon suddenly appeared in front of him. His feet went weak and he almost fell.
Wen Ranqi looked at the water prison under his feet with a dark face. He retreated backwards in nausea and pain. Qiqi hugged the frivolous Wen Ranqi with a worried look on her face. Isn't this the water prison that appeared in Wen Ranqi's dream?
The pain continued to come. He tugged at Qiqi's collar, his heart beating rapidly, and stammered, "Qiqi, please cover my glasses. I'm afraid of the pool. Can you carry me on your back?"
Qiqi tore off the scraps of his clothes and blindfolded Wen Ranqi. He carefully walked through the aisle carrying Wen Ranqi on his back. The sound of a dog came from the secret passage. The black dog sat obediently and stuck out its tongue. Wen Shi and Wan Ming also stood behind them.
Wen Shi's cold voice echoed in the empty dungeon, "Xiao Ran, where are you going?"
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