fake Taoist priest
"Don't worry, Madam, I will definitely take good care of Ziyuan." Zhou Cong took out a piece of rope and tied it tightly around Ziyuan's wrist.
"You're tying up the dog!" Zi Yuan struggled to untie the rope but found that Zhou Cong had tied a tight knot.
"It's alright, I'll tie it for myself too." Under their gazes, Zhou Cong tied a slipknot around his wrist.
"Why are you alive and I'm dead? This isn't fair!" Zi Yuan tightened her grip on the rope, and Zhou Congyi, caught off guard, lunged straight at her.
"You lecherous scoundrel!" Zhou Cong pressed his body firmly against Zi Yuan's. Zi Yuan's back slammed against the tree trunk, and a wave of pain washed over her. She used all her strength to push Zhou Cong away.
"My back is killing me, Zhou Cong, I'm not letting you get away with this!" Zi Yuan slapped Zhou Cong directly.
"Alright, stop fooling around like this, don't you think things aren't serious enough!" Jiang Jin glared at the two of them, who, knowing they were in the wrong, fell silent.
"Let's find a place to settle down first." Jiang Jin remembered an abandoned house not far away and led the two there.
"Ah Jin, I won't run away, just tell Zhou Cong to let go of me!" Zi Yuan looked disdainfully at the silly rope in her hand, then at Zhou Cong, who was smugly holding one end of the rope.
“I’ve asked Zhou Cong to keep an eye on you, but I won’t care how he does it.” Jiang Jin tapped Zi Yuan’s forehead. “Don’t get any funny ideas or try to sneak around there to investigate. Just stay here and behave yourself!”
"What if I want to use the bathroom?" Zi Yuan's face flushed red. The thought of her using the toilet while Zhou Cong stood guard outside made her want to smash her head against Zhou Cong's head.
"It's alright, I'll go with you." Jiang Jin's words effectively shut down Zi Yuan's pleas for mercy.
"Why are you two treating me like I'm a thief? It's really heartbreaking!" Ziyuan sat down angrily on the chair Zhou Cong had just wiped clean.
"You don't seem stupid, knowing to sit in a clean chair. Don't you know what my wife and I are wary of?" Zhou Cong stuffed the cotton cloth into Zi Yuan's hands.
"If you have nothing better to do, help me wipe these dusty tables and chairs!" Zi Yuan knew that these two were now on the same side, so she had no choice but to bow her head and compromise.
"Okay!" The three of them busied themselves cleaning the house, and after half an hour it was barely habitable. Ziyuan sat wearily in a chair, one hand holding Zhou Cong's arm and the other supporting her head.
"I'm exhausted. I'd rather travel through the night than wipe down these tables and chairs." Seeing Ziyuan's listless appearance, Zhou Cong felt relieved.
"If you're tired, take a rest. Madam and Yi Yi have gone out to keep watch, so I'll be in charge of watching you." Zhou Cong wasn't worried about Jiang Jin acting recklessly. Besides, with Yi Yi around, Jiang Jin wouldn't be put in any danger.
"Weren't you sent by Wei Shu to protect A Jin? Isn't this dereliction of duty?" Zi Yuan didn't have the strength to lift her head, so she could only tug at the rope.
“I obey Madam’s orders. She told me to keep an eye on you, and that’s how I’ll do it.” Zhou Cong wouldn’t fall into Zi Yuan’s trap. Left with no other option, Zi Yuan could only glare fiercely at Zhou Cong.
"Why are you so inflexible? We're just going to check things out quietly, not attacking directly. What's wrong with that?" Zi Yuan was still determined to persuade Zhou Cong to defect.
"And then?" Zhou Cong was almost amused by Zi Yuan's listless state, yet she was still thinking about scouting enemy positions.
"Then we can catch the mastermind and send him straight to prison for me to torture!" Zi Yuan said excitedly, grabbing Zhou Cong's arm. "That way you can also get a reward from Wei Shu, it's the best of both worlds!"
"I think what you said makes a lot of sense." Zhou Cong pretended to seriously consider Zi Yuan's words, but his hand reached into his waist and pulled out another hemp rope.
"Zhou Cong, what are you up to now!" Zi Yuan was secretly pleased, thinking she had persuaded Zhou Cong, but Zhou Cong's actions caught her completely off guard.
"Of course, I'm afraid you'll mislead people again!" Zhou ignored Zi Yuan's wails and carried her to the bed, binding her hands and feet. "Didn't you say you were tired? Then hurry up and rest."
"Zhou Cong, you're just like Wei Shu, a heartless and wicked villain!" Zi Yuan squirmed on the couch, trying to kick Zhou Cong, but he stopped her.
"If you say another word, I'll seal your mouth shut!" Zhou Cong threatened Zi Yuan, then covered her mouth with his hand.
"Aren't you going to sleep yet?" Zi Yuan blinked hard to indicate that she understood, and Zhou Cong then let go of her.
"Zhou Cong, you bastard! When I get back, I'll skin you alive!" Zi Yuan bit Zhou Cong's hand hard. Zhou Cong cried out in pain. Seeing Zi Yuan lying smugly on the couch, his anger flared up.
"Ziyuan, when we get back I'll definitely have Madam teach you a lesson and make you memorize the Doctrine of the Mean ten times!" Ziyuan retorted without backing down, "Who's afraid of who? I'll be in your room, and you won't be able to sleep until I finish writing. We'll both die together!"
"It's so noisy! Anyone who didn't know better would think something serious had happened!" Jiang Jin and Yi Yi heard the two arguing as soon as they returned.
"Ah Jin, you're finally back! Zhou Cong abused me, not only tying me up but also not letting me speak. I was so pitiful!" Zi Yuan cried and whine to Jiang Jin.
"You'll still let Zhou Cong bully you?" Jiang Jin glanced at the two of them. Zi Yuan was neatly dressed but her eyes were filled with anger, while Zhou Cong had a bite mark on his hand. Anyone with eyes could see who was at a disadvantage.
"Of course, Ah Jin, you must make sure Wei Shu punishes him properly when you get back!" Zi Yuan thought Jiang Jin had softened her heart, so she quickly moved closer to look at Jiang Jin.
"Zhou Cong, you speak." Jiang Jin ignored Zi Yuan's coquettish gaze and simply sat on the stool, waiting for Zhou Cong to explain himself.
"Madam, Lady Ziyuan wants to turn me into a spy, then capture the mastermind and torture her." With each word Zhou Cong spoke, Jiang Jin's face darkened further.
"Ziyuan, stay here quietly, or I'll have Yi Er send you back. You know I'm determined, and no one can change my mind." Jiang Jin looked coldly at Ziyuan without saying anything more. Seeing this, Ziyuan dared not act coquettishly anymore and obediently stood beside Zhou Cong.
“They change shifts every hour, with twenty people outside and twenty inside each time. But I don’t know exactly how many are inside. I saw them transporting things out, but it was too far away to alert them, so I didn’t go to check.” Jiang Jin finished recounting his discovery in one breath.
“Madam, I have already sent the letter. I expect the Imperial Guards will arrive soon.” Jiang Jin nodded upon hearing this. “Tonight, Yi Yi will be on night duty. Everyone has been tired these past few days, so let’s get a good night’s sleep.”
Yi Yi stood at the door and nodded to Zhou Cong. "It will get a bit cold at night. Zi Yuan and I will share a cloak, and the rest will be given to Zhou Cong. It would be troublesome if he caught a cold."
"Thank you, Madam." Zhou Cong knew the importance of the matter and did not refuse. After several days of travel, the group was somewhat tired, but with Yi Yi by their side, they felt more at ease and all fell into a deep sleep, only slowly waking up when the sun rose.
"Wife, wake up." Yi Yi, seeing that it was almost time, reluctantly woke Jiang Jin.
"Okay." Jiang Jin replied, lifting her cloak and feeling a chill. "Why is it so cold today?" Jiang Jin looked at Zi Yuan, who was huddled to the side, and helped her wrap the cloak around herself.
"The autumn wind is already a bit chilly, and this window is letting in some drafts." Jiang Jin asked curiously, not seeing Zhou Cong, "Did Zhou Cong get cold and go outside?"
"Young Master Zhou went to buy a quilt, saying he could find a thick one at the early morning market." Yi Yi recalled that last night, Zi Yuan was shivering from the cold and snuggled into Jiang Jin's arms, just as Zhou Cong woke up and saw her.
“Then I’ll go with Yi Er to check it out there. You stay here and keep Zi Yuan company.” Jiang Jin draped the cloak Zhou Cong had left on the table over Zi Yuan’s shoulders. “Remember to keep an eye on her and don’t let her run around.”
"Yes." Yi Yi looked at Jiang Jin's departing figure and then at Zi Yuan, who was sleeping soundly on the bed, and sighed, "Zi Yuan really does look a bit like my wife when she was young."
Jiang Jin went into the woods to keep an eye on the fake sorcerers. He saw them drag several people off a cart and shove them into the doorway.
"My lady, something seems off." Yi Er looked at the situation ahead with some confusion. "This doesn't seem like a mountain bandit's occupation or a treasure hunt. There are women who can't even kill a chicken, as well as strong young men, and even a child who was just a baby. What are they doing?"
Yi Er looked at the fake sorcerers with a fierce expression, and then several men in black carried out several corpses and placed them on a cart.
"Wife, should we follow them and see?" Yi Er, seeing how those people were avoiding the corpses like the plague, figured they wouldn't give them a proper burial.
"Alright, let's follow them and see." The two followed several men in black, their disdain evident even from a distance. As they ventured deeper into the woods, they soon reached a spot in front of Jiang Jin filled with large pits containing corpses, some already decomposed, others with bones exposed.
"Hurry up and throw it in, it stinks! Luckily we're going to burn it all in a few days, otherwise I wouldn't be able to eat." The man in black cursed as he dumped the cartload of corpses into the pit and then left the woods.
Jiang Jin waited for a while to make sure they wouldn't come back before walking to the edge of the pit with Yi Er.
"Wife, be careful." Yi Er handed the arrow to Jiang Jin. The silver arrow was stained with blood the moment it touched the corpse.
"It doesn't seem like they died from external injuries like swords or knives." Jiang Jin examined several corpses; they only had superficial wounds and no fatal injuries.
"Could it be that the women died from poisoning?" Yi Er looked at the corpses; their lips were pale, but there were no obvious signs of poisoning.
"I'll go down and take a look." Standing at the edge of the pit, Jiang Jin couldn't see the exact appearance, so she risked going down to examine the corpse closely.
"My lady, perhaps I should go down instead? It would be too risky if there was a deadly poison!" Yi Er somewhat disapproved of Jiang Jin's recklessness.
"It's alright. Those men in black were carrying corpses by hand, weren't they? Besides, I still have the antidote pills Awan gave me. If I can't get up from down there, at least you can save me. But if you're down there, I don't have the ability to save you." Seeing that he couldn't persuade Jiang Jin otherwise, Yi Er could only watch her carefully descend into the pit.
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