Chapter 77 Jiangnan Trip Eavesdropping
Xiaoyun Mountain, Shenling.
The cave that was once filled with Buddhist shrines on the stone walls is now empty. Qin Yanheng also ordered the soul lamps of the prince and others to be moved back to the capital. Now only the empty stone cave remains.
Xiaoyun Mountain is not just a green mountain. All the hills within a hundred miles around it are Xiaoyun Mountain's territory. The spiritual energy here is abundant and white mist is lingering all year round. In addition to the Shenling Mountain where the imperial palace is located, there are countless green mountains of all sizes.
At dusk, the setting sun shines on the mountains. The sound of horse hooves can be heard on the official road. A group of men in black are running in the woods.
"The master's health has been deteriorating over the past two days. If no noble person comes to help, I'm afraid he won't survive until next month."
One of the men in black lowered the brim of his hat, and the unusually sized hat covered his entire face, leaving only the back of his fair neck exposed. A corner of the collar of his brocade robe protruded from under his black clothes.
"Don't worry, we have found a powerful nobleman this time. We should be able to make a soul lamp tonight. I believe the master family can hold on for another year or so." Someone beside him answered.
The man in the bamboo hat nodded, then whipped his horse and flew out of the forest, leaving the group of men in black behind.
A big event is approaching, and the people in the capital still need him to dispatch. He cannot always be by his father's side. Even though his father is in a bad condition now, he has tried his best to find a soul lamp to prolong his life. If he can't make it this time, it will be his father's life.
Anyway, no one can stop him from accomplishing his great task, especially that damn Qin Yanheng.
The horses' hooves were galloping, leaving traces on the mountain road. Soon after, the wheels of the carriage rolled over the mud, causing the carriage to shake. The driver ignored it, whipped the horse, and drove straight into the depths of the forest.
Inside the carriage, Luo Qingling sat on a chair and leisurely drank tea. The hemp rope that originally tied her was now on the maid. The latter's mouth was stuffed with cloth strips. She could only lie at Luo Qingling's feet and whimper softly, but she dared not do anything else - because the golden dragon was still wrapped around her neck.
Luo Qingling glanced down at the maid, snorted coldly, and threw a red fruit into his mouth. His leisurely and contented appearance was in stark contrast to the person trembling under his feet.
I don't know where County Magistrate Guo got the courage to let the maid poison her so blatantly. Isn't he afraid of being turned around? They have been out for so long, Qin Yanheng must have realized that she was abducted and should be looking for her by now.
Thinking of this, Luo Qingling felt relieved.
Actually, jumping out of the car and escaping would be a good idea, but she couldn't do that. The person behind the soul lamp hadn't appeared yet, so she had to follow him to find out what was going on. As for how to escape afterwards—
Luo Qingling believed that Qin Yanheng would find a way to save her.
The carriage turned a corner and drove into an unknown place. At this moment, there was no sound around, even the birdsong had disappeared.
"Why are you here so late? Can you bear the responsibility if something happens to the master's family?" The man's voice was sharp and piercing.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the driver said softly, changing his arrogant attitude. "If I hadn't been afraid of being discovered by that little bitch in the car, how could I have been delayed for so long? Please be flexible and ask the master not to punish me."
The sound of a whip ripping through the air could be heard, accompanied by the driver's howling. Luo Qingling glanced down at the bound maid, whose face was filled with fear and her whole body was trembling.
The master these people were talking about must be the one who plotted to murder the crown prince and used the soul lamp to prolong his life. Luo Qingling narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on the Golden Dragon Sword. Just as she prepared for a tough fight, she caught a glimpse of the hairpin on the maid's head, and a plan suddenly came to her mind.
A moment later, a pair of tanned hands reached in from outside, and before the people in the car could be prepared, the curtain was pulled open.
The man who came was tall and strong, with a fat head sticking out of his head as he walked into the carriage. He glanced at the noble lady tied to the ground, smiled evilly, stretched out his hands to grab her slender waist, then threw her onto his shoulder and turned to walk into the cave. The gold hairpin on the noble lady's head slipped to the ground, but no one dared to pick it up.
"Hey, hey, hey," the thin man beside him said, raising his chin towards the car, "Don't just care about the lives of the nobles."
"Do I need you to remind me?"
The fat man kicked the lean man away, glanced at the maid in the carriage who was looking down, and shouted, "What are you waiting for? Come up and serve the noble man."
He's just a running dog, why is he acting so arrogant?
Luo Qingling rolled his eyes secretly where no one could see, then lowered his head and got off the carriage, following the fat man into the cave one after the other.
The road beneath his feet was uneven and not paved with blue bricks. It seemed that the person behind him had escaped from the previous cave and temporarily found a cave to store the soul lamp. He had not had time to trim the branches at the entrance, and several branches slanted out of the road and almost pierced Luo Qingling.
The portly man hurried along, presumably anxious to transform his newly abducted nobleman into a soul lantern to prolong their master's life. Luo Qingling didn't dare to look around too much, simply keeping his head down as he followed the portly man.
From time to time, debris fell from the newly excavated stone wall, and Luo Qingling dodged it by moving sideways. The two of them walked along a long and narrow stone path, and the scenery in front of them suddenly opened up.
A golden light suddenly caught his eyes, a bit dazzling, and Luo Qingling couldn't help but squint. Before he could see the scene in the stone cave clearly, he heard a "splash" sound, as if something fell into the pool.
"Haha," the fat man chuckled twice, sounding particularly sinister. "Don't be afraid, my lord. Soak in the pool of corpse oil for a night, and you won't feel any pain tomorrow."
Corpse oil pool?
Luo Qingling heard the sound and looked over, only to see a circular pool built not far ahead, filled with a yellow oily substance. The maid who had just changed clothes with her was now soaked in it. With her hands and feet tied up and her mouth stuffed with cloth strips, the maid could neither move nor call for help.
The maid looked at Luo Qingling with her eyes wide open, her eyes full of despair.
She is asking for help.
Luo Qingling knew very well that being tied up and soaked in a pool of corpse oil, waiting to be made into a soul lamp to offer to others early the next morning, was something that no one could accept.
Even if the maid's crime wasn't so serious, Luo Qingling couldn't bring himself to save her at this moment—his father's matter, the Crown Prince's matter, and the lives of several noble ladies who had mysteriously died in the capital at the beginning of the year...
Everything requires the truth, and this truth is inseparable from the master that the soul lamp feeds. She cannot give up halfway.
"Keep an eye on her. At 1:00 AM, she must be turned into a soul lamp. Otherwise, if anything happens to the master's family, the lives of your parents and brothers will be in jeopardy..."
Facing the threat from the fat man, Luo Qingling remained calm, but in order to avoid others noticing the clues, she still pretended to nod in agreement.
Seeing Luo Qingling's cooperation, the fat man felt relieved for the time being. He stepped over Luo Qingling and walked out of the cave in a swagger, without leaving any guards behind.
The entire stone cave was empty, with only Luo Qingling and the maid soaking in the pool of corpse oil left.
Luo Qingling was not in a hurry to fish the maid out. Instead, he slowly walked towards the pond, then sat by the edge of the pond and counted the time with his fingers.
The fat man just said that he wanted to make the soul lamp at the hour of Mao. Now it was just past the hour of Hai, and she had about three hours left. She had to contact Qin Yanheng within this time, and then find a way to meet the master. Otherwise, once the hour of Mao came, the maid would be unable to make the soul lamp and her identity would be exposed.
By then, she won't be able to escape even if she wants to. It's really an unconventional move.
While she was lost in thought, someone slapped the corpse oil in the pool and it almost splashed onto Luo Qingling. She screamed "Ouch" and quickly stood up, putting her hands on her hips and looking at the maid, her red lips moving.
"When you poisoned me just now, did you ever think about the consequences? And you still want me to save you? No way!"
She was not stupid. After all, the maid belonged to the master's family. If she had been soft-hearted and rescued the maid, she would be the one soaking in the pool.
Luo Qingling didn't bother to pay attention to the maid's angry and hateful look. She turned her sleeves and walked straight out the door.
Fortunately, the portly man trusted her so much that he hadn't left anyone on guard tonight, allowing Luo Qingling to easily escape the cave in the dark. Not far away, in the woods, a small house with lights on stood out against the dim Shenling Mountain.
At the moment, she was dressed in maid's clothes, and it was dark at night and difficult to see clearly, so Luo Qingling was not worried at all about being recognized - even if she was recognized, it didn't matter, after all, she still had the Golden Dragon Sword in her hand, and she still had the strength to escape death.
She looked up at the sky. There were still nearly three hours before the soul lamp was made. Luo Qingling was not in a hurry to find a way to contact Qin Yanheng. It would be better to walk around the cave. Who knows, she might be able to overhear something.
Thinking of this, Luo Qingling crouched down and tiptoed towards the small house.
There is a small window on the right side of the wooden door. Candlelight shines through the yellowed window paper, and three or two figures can be vaguely seen in it. I wonder if the legendary owner of the house is in the room.
"That person's life can only extend the master's family's life for three years..."
The sound of voices came faintly, and Luo Qingling seemed to have grasped the key point. He pricked up his ears and walked closer.
Aside from the late Crown Prince, no one else could have extended the life of the master for three years. Moreover, anyone who could speak so highly of this must be close to the truth of what happened back then. Luo Qingling gripped the Golden Dragon Sword tightly, observing as he approached, anticipating any potential dangers.
"The ghost sent by Liuqiu Kingdom took the prince's life without his knowledge, but it could only extend the life of the master family for three years. Now... it doesn't matter, at least we have found another noble life. We will make a soul lamp into it early tomorrow morning and send it back to the capital immediately. We can't delay for a moment!" someone said.
Liuqiu Kingdom, the soul-seeking ghost...the capital?
Luo Qingling couldn't help but squint at the overwhelming amount of information. Could it be that the master they were talking about wasn't in Jiangnan Road? Anyone from the capital... who could get close to the Crown Prince and have the opportunity to take action, except an official appointed by the imperial court! Who was that master, anyway?
The more he thought about it, the more something seemed wrong. The people in the room were speaking too quietly. Luo Qingling couldn't help but move forward and try to get closer to the wall. A golden light flashed before his eyes.
"Golden Dragon Sword!"
"It's Qin Yanheng!"
There was a crackling sound in the room and footsteps approached the wooden door.
broken!
That group of people actually set up a formation targeting Qin Yanheng's Golden Dragon Sword!
Luo Qingling's heart skipped a beat. She was about to turn around and hide in the woods, but when she turned around, she saw someone rushing towards her with a knife not far away.
In a hurry, he caught a glimpse of a black horse tied next to the house. Luo Qingling stepped forward, pulled the reins, jumped onto the horse's back as fast as he could, and then whipped the horse and galloped back the way he came.
"Stop her, don't let her escape!"
Behind him, there was chaos and a group of men in black rushed across the mountain road.
Luo Qingling had no time to look back and observe the situation, so he could only whip his horse whip continuously. The mountain road that had originally taken nearly half an hour to walk, man and horse now reached the foot of the mountain in less than a quarter of an hour.
Just as Luo Qingling was thinking about how to break into the city, she saw someone rushing towards her face to face not far away. The man on the horse's back, wearing a black and gold brocade robe, looked very familiar.
The jade crown on the man's head sparkled in the moonlight.
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