“The prison doors in the North are mostly made of wood and iron chains. I’m very familiar with these kinds of doors. As long as I break the iron lock… if the iron lock doesn’t work, I can try the wooden door. The door is fixed with a crossbeam, so it’s easy to take it off.”
Chang Lili squatted down and took out the wire saw, which was hidden deepest in the layers of fabric wrapped around her legs.
Taking advantage of the absence of guards, Ji Yun moved the only stool inside over, stepped forward, chipped off a piece of the pillar in the corner, and then removed it. Together with Liu, they dismantled the entire pillar, creating a narrow passage for one person to pass through.
Ji Yun exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect you to be so familiar with this dungeon."
Chang Lili said embarrassedly, "That's not how it works... I've only been there a few times, and they were always trying to annoy me, so I came to Black City. I didn't expect... I'll change and never cause trouble for the organization again."
Liu observed the wire saw in her hand, which was exceptionally skillful: "Go out first, the patrolmen may return at any time."
Chang Lili, familiar with the dungeon, led the way, cautiously probing and avoiding the traps preventing prisoners from escaping. She made her way out without any major incidents, but still alerted the jailer guarding the door.
Liu immediately rushed forward and knocked the man unconscious. They hadn't run far when they heard a commotion behind them. It seemed that the soldiers had discovered their escape and were sending men to chase after them.
Liu took out a token from his pocket and handed it to Chang Lili: "The three of you together are too conspicuous and easy to track. You will have to walk the rest of the way on your own. This token is a symbol of the organization. After you go to the capital, take the token to the Lu family pawnshop, and someone will meet you there."
The faint barking of dogs came from behind. Liu said no more, stuffed the token into Chang Lili's hand, and quickly fled with Ji Yun.
The token in her hand was still burning hot. Chang Lili glanced behind her and ran off in another direction, unhurried and without any soldiers chasing after her.
Back in Duanzhou, it was already dark. Meng Yuxiu sat in a chair with a slightly somber expression. The tea beside him had been sitting there for who knows how long and had gone cold.
Chang Lili was in a great mood, humming a little tune and beaming with smiles. She took out the token and placed it in front of Meng Yuxiu: "This is the token of the Three Pages Sect. I have successfully teamed up with them. As long as I return to the capital, I can take the token to them and infiltrate!"
Chang Lili told Meng Yuxiu about the situation in the northern border. Meng Yuxiu's brows furrowed into a deep frown, and his face darkened, as if a storm was brewing.
Immersed in joy, Chang Lili sensed something was amiss and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"You..." Meng Yuxiu hesitated before speaking, "The Three Pages Sect is not an easy group to deal with. It's possible they already sensed something was wrong. Have you considered that?"
Chang Lili said, "Impossible. I'm very careful. Besides, if they had any suspicions, why would they go to such lengths? They could just arrest him and interrogate him directly."
In short, be careful in everything you do. Don't believe or listen to everything they say.
Meng Yuxiu waited for Chang Lili for a whole day, sending people everywhere to search for her, but he never expected that she had secretly made contact with the Three Pages Sect. No matter how unwilling she was, she couldn't say it directly; it would only lead to unnecessary arguments.
Chang Lili patted her chest and said, "Of course, they were never good people to begin with."
Despite receiving Chang Lili's assurance, Meng Yuxiu's annoyance remained undiminished.
The next day.
Chang Lili went out early in the morning, wearing an extra cloak. She ordered a pot of tea at the inn and had just taken two sips when Bulgi appeared in front of her.
"How is it? Is it effective?" Bulgi asked.
"Thanks to you leading the charade, otherwise they wouldn't have believed me so easily."
Chang Lili thanked them profusely and said confidently, "I am certain that your sister is in their hands, so I have contacted them and will definitely find your sister and bring her back."
Burge nodded blankly, staring at the slightly yellow tea in his cup, his hand unconsciously tightening: "Alan... is she doing alright?"
The question was strange. Chang Lili pondered it for a moment before realizing its meaning. He probably wanted to know if Boran was still alive.
Chang Lili said, "What they want are people who hate the Central Plains to the bone. They will use their hatred to achieve some goal, and nothing will happen."
Bourgi said, "If you can bring Alan back, I will owe you a favor. I will do my best to fulfill your request."
Chang Lili waved her hand: "No need. I still owe you a weapon. I'll just give the scimitar to your sister later."
Burgi nodded in thanks.
With everything cleared up, Chang Lili didn't linger. After saying goodbye to Bulji, she got up and walked back. As she passed through the streets and alleys, she noticed a familiar figure ahead.
White tea and...Xu Yuandao?
They were quite far apart, and Chang Lili couldn't hear what they were talking about. She could only see Xu Yuandao's silence and Bai Cha covering her face and weeping. She was clearly hurt badly and ran away crying, showing no trace of the aloofness she displayed in front of outsiders.
This Xu Yuandao!
Chang Lili was furious and, disregarding any impropriety, barged directly in front of him: "Miss Bai has treated you with all her heart, and you're not a heartless person either, so why are you so dense?"
Xu Yuandao paused for a moment: "Miss Chang seems to have misunderstood something."
Sometimes Chang Lili really wanted to crack open his head to see what was inside. If he was heartless, fine, but he was more affectionate than heartless.
"I know you swore you would never marry in this lifetime. For the sake of a promise, you're willing to go against your conscience? Even if you're keeping your promise, you'll marry me! Surely you can marry me, right? What exactly is wrong with Miss Bai?"
Chang Lili was so angry that she was saying anything that came to mind.
Xu Yuandao smiled slightly at the shocking words, politely but distantly saying, "I'm sorry to trouble Miss Chang with my private matters. I know what to do. It's almost noon, Miss Chang, you should go back early. The general must be getting impatient."
Despite her best efforts to reason with him, Xu Yuandao remained unmoved. Chang Lili pursed her lips and gave him a deep look: "I know you've lost a lot in your life, but the person in front of you is real. Don't wait until you lose them to regret it."
Chang Lili turned and left, ignoring whether Xu Yuandao was angry or sighing.
Bai Cha offered her heartfelt sincerity, but it shattered into pieces. She was too ashamed to face Xu Yuandao. She returned to the brothel, locked herself in her room, and wept, until someone knocked on her door.
"Miss, has something happened?"
The person outside was asking her questions, insisting on getting an answer. When she didn't hear a response, she continued knocking. The knocking was so loud that Bai Cha calmed herself down and looked at her reflection in the bronze mirror. Her face was cold and desolate. She opened the door and frowned, saying, "Is there something you need?"
The maid bowed her head and said cautiously, "The governor sent someone to bring you some tea."
Unexpectedly, this was the matter. Bai Cha turned around and went into the house indifferently: "I refused."
The maid hesitated and said tentatively, "The governor sent someone to say that they will have lunch here in a little while."
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