Upon seeing the newcomer enter with a long sword in hand and a fierce look in his eyes, Yan Hong quickly shielded the old man behind him and slowly retreated step by step.
The two women watched in horror as two men wielding long swords burst through the door and gradually approached them, pointing their gleaming, sharp swords at them.
After a long pause, Yan Hong asked tremblingly, "Who are you people? What do you want?"
At this moment, a man who seemed to be their leader walked in through the door. He had his black hair half-tied up and one hand behind his back.
As soon as the man entered, he didn't rush to answer Yan Hong's question. Instead, he smiled slyly at the two women who were already trembling with fear and said, "Don't worry, as long as you hand over Lan Xiang obediently, I guarantee I won't hurt either of you in the slightest."
Upon hearing this, Yan Hong immediately realized what was happening and exclaimed in shock, "You were sent by our master to kill Lan Xiang and silence her? You...you were following me?"
"A woman being too smart isn't necessarily a good thing," the man said with a sneer after hearing Yan Hong's words.
To everyone's surprise, Yan Hong suddenly became less frail. She thought to herself, "In the past, Lan Xiang always sheltered me from the wind and rain. This time, no matter what, I must not betray Lan Xiang."
Now that things have come to this, she's going all out. She can't keep living like this, timid and subservient to others, forever.
With this thought in mind, she took a deep breath as if gathering her courage, straightened her back, and raised her voice, "Hmph, you want to find Sister Xiang'er? What a pity. You're too late, she's already left."
"What did you say?" The man's eyes widened immediately as he scrutinized Yan Hong's words to see if they were true or false.
After a moment's thought, the man waved to his two men, who immediately dispersed and searched every nook and cranny of the house.
Soon, the two men ransacked the small doorway, then came in and bowed, reporting, "Sir, there is no one else in this courtyard except for this old man and young man."
Upon hearing this, the man instantly lost his composure and stepped forward, grabbing Yan Hong's slender neck tightly.
Yan Hong was completely unprepared for this, and was immediately rendered speechless by the man's pinching. The man leaned close to her face and shouted, "Tell me quickly, where did Lan Xiang go?"
At this moment, the elderly woman, who had been trembling with fear and trembling uncontrollably, cried out in alarm upon seeing this, her shaking becoming even more violent. She never imagined this calamity would strike so quickly; she still hadn't fully grasped the situation.
However, Yan Hong felt no fear whatsoever. Her eyes remained indifferent as she stared at the man, and she let out a strained, cold snort, "Hmph, do you think your little Northern Lie Kingdom, a mere bunch of barbarians, can wreak havoc and do whatever you want on my Western Qin land? Don't even think about it! Let me tell you, don't think your conspiracy goes unnoticed. For years you've been meticulously plotting, hiding in the Wan Jiao Pavilion, using the high-ranking officials and nobles there to spy on the affairs of my Western Qin. Sister Xiang'er already knows your scheme. Right now, she's probably already gone to the authorities to report you and have you arrested. Don't even think about escaping! Go ahead and find her at the authorities if you dare! Bah…"
No sooner had she finished speaking than Yan Hong spat fiercely at the man's face.
"Shut up, you bitch."
With a furious outburst, the man slapped her hard across the face, leaving five clear finger marks and knocking her to the ground.
"Young lady, are you alright?" The old man saw her and quickly bent down to help her up, asking with concern. Yan Hong covered her face, which had suddenly become hot, frowned, and shook her head slightly, indicating to the old man that there was no need to worry.
At that moment, a malicious and even venomous glint flashed in the man's eyes. This glint then fell on the frail old man beside Yan Hong, as if he had come up with a better idea.
Upon seeing this, Yan Hong immediately sat up and hugged the old man tightly. Looking at the man in front of her, she asked timidly and suspiciously, "What do you want to do?"
To everyone's surprise, the man suddenly softened his tone, walked closer to the old man, and asked, "May I ask who this old man is to Lanxiang?"
"What's it to you?" Before the old man could speak, Yan Hong hurriedly stepped in front of him and spoke first.
Upon seeing this, the man glared at her fiercely, sighed deeply, and then looked at his two subordinates beside him.
The two henchmen immediately understood and stepped forward, each forcefully pulling one person up to easily separate Yan Hong from the old man.
Seeing this, Yan Hong shouted at the top of her lungs, "You barbarians of the Northern Lie Kingdom, you beasts! What do you want? Whatever you have, come at me! What kind of man are you to take your anger out on a weak old man who can't even kill a chicken?!"
Upon seeing this, Yan Hong instantly lost her composure and shouted, "Help! Someone help! Murder! Spy from the Northern Lie Kingdom..."
Before she could finish speaking, the man who was holding her hands tightly pulled out a coarse cloth and stuffed it into her rosy mouth. No matter how hard she struggled, it was to no avail.
Only then did the man calm down, and he continued to deceive the old man with a smile as warm as a spring breeze, saying, "Old lady, you mustn't believe this brat's nonsense. We're not bad people. Tell me everything you know honestly, and I guarantee no one will dare to harm a single hair on your head. Not only that, I'll also give you a sum of money that you'll never run out of money for your retirement. How about it?"
Without the red concealment, the old man finally came to his senses. After pondering the man's words for a moment, he calmly and slowly said, "Are you truly a man of your word?"
The man smiled and nodded, while Yan Hong, whose mouth was gagged, shook her head desperately.
The old man looked at this and then at that, and said, "I am about to be buried, what use are these gold and silver treasures to me? I only hope that after I die, during the New Year and festivals, someone will be there to talk to me at my grave. Now, I will use these gold and silver to exchange for the life of my only relative, my poor granddaughter, how about it?"
The man then realized that the old woman in front of him was Lanxiang's grandmother.
Over the years, they had been so negligent as to not realize that Lanxiang had another family outside. Fortunately, their master was wise and discovered early on that Yanhong and Lanxiang were getting along very well. He thought that if he told the madam all the news, the madam would be the first to inform Yanhong, and Yanhong would be the first to try every means to contact Lanxiang.
This led them to follow the clues and uncover the information about Yi Shangyun and Lanxiang.
After a moment's thought, the man realized that in order to kill Lanxiang and at the same time help his master get the woman named Yi Shangyun, he might as well appease the old woman for now.
Even with this thought in mind, the man still smiled broadly and said, "Alright, the old fox is indeed the most cunning. The old man is the most pragmatic. I agree to your request."
The old man then asked, "What do you want to know?"
The man's eyes darted around, and he blurted out, "Excuse me, sir, didn't Lanxiang bring home a veiled girl a few days ago?"
The old man hesitated for a moment before answering, "Yes, I did bring back a girl. However, she has already left."
"What? You... how could you let her leave?" the man exclaimed in shock.
The old man scoffed, saying, "Hmph... What a joke! That girl has no relation to our family. She's a young lady from a wealthy family. Does she think she can stay in our humble home forever?!"
The man was so angry that he was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say, and could only grit his teeth and say.
After a long pause, she finally came to her senses and asked the old woman, "Did she say where she was going when she left?"
The old woman said calmly, "We've only met by chance, why would we ask such detailed questions? It's you who are inexplicably asking an old woman like me about a girl. What are you up to? She's a decent girl from a respectable family. Why would you heartless bastards force her into prostitution?"
"You..." Upon hearing this, the man felt a surge of anger rising in his heart, but he forced himself to suppress it.
The man suddenly glanced to the side and saw a white robe hanging to the side that was of exceptional quality in both workmanship and material. He then slowly walked towards it.
"Isn't this the woman's robe?" the man murmured, clutching a corner of the robe.
Immediately, the man turned around and loudly questioned the old man, "You're lying! If she's already left, why are her robes still here?"
However, the old man calmly said, "She was originally a woman, so she naturally changed back into women's clothing before leaving."
Although the old man's words made sense, the man still felt many doubts. He suddenly looked up at the sky outside and asked, "It's almost dark, where is your granddaughter? Why hasn't she come back yet?"
Upon hearing this, the old man was startled and looked up into the man's eyes. The man, still feigning gentleness, said, "Don't worry, since I promised you, I will keep my word. To be honest, our search for your granddaughter is related to our search for this woman, not because we really want to do anything to your granddaughter."
The old man was not stupid, so how could he believe his sweet talk? He just said helplessly, "My granddaughter lost her parents when she was young and has no one to supervise her. She likes to wander around aimlessly. Who knows if she will come home in ten days or half a month?"
"Ten days or half a month?!" the man muttered to himself. He had hoped to kill two birds with one stone, but now he couldn't get any information at all. He instantly realized that the old man was deliberately playing a trick on him. Maybe those two were doing something big right now.
Enraged, the man drew his sword from his waist, pointing the tip at the old man's heart, and threatened, "You old codger, you're a tough nut to crack! You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences. I'll ask you one last time, where are those two bitches? If you don't tell me, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Upon hearing this, the old man fell completely silent and slowly closed his eyes. Yan Hong, standing beside him, was already in tears but could not utter a word. She could only shake her head and cry in vain.
Just as the man was about to thrust the sword tip down, a voice suddenly rang out from outside the door, "Stop!"
...
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