Chapter 769 A Mistake Made in the End
Inside the ice cave, Wei Mei looked somewhat dissatisfied.
Lu Ya remained expressionless and silent.
He suddenly bowed towards Li Guo'er:
"Thank you, Your Highness. Please close the gate for ten breaths later."
When Lu Ya rescued Cai Shou, Shun Bo, and the others, he was delayed. Li Xian and the others, who were supposed to enter the ice cave ahead of schedule, should close the ice cave door on time in case of any emergency.
However, Li Guo'er slightly stopped Wei Mei, who was directing the closing of the door, and waited for a while.
However, it was during this pause that some rebels were allowed in, almost ruining the whole thing.
It can only be said that Lu Ya made amends for his mistakes.
The little princess with plum blossom makeup was wrapped in a blanket, as demure and quiet as a lady.
After Lu Ya finished speaking, she stood up gracefully, walked to the wall in front of her, and lightly tore off the thunder talisman that still retained its power from the corpse, putting it into her sleeve.
Returning to the scene, as she passed the young man with facial paralysis, Li Guo'er left a rather indifferent remark.
“You really should listen to Ouyang Lianghan.”
Lu Ya lowered his head.
This time, he did indeed act on his own, ignoring even Li Guo'er's instructions.
Wei Mei raised his eyebrows, wanting to speak again, but Li Xian quietly tugged at his sleeve, which made him give up.
Li Xian sighed, took a blanket that had been prepared in advance for Li Dalang, and handed it to Lu Ya:
"Tanlang is indeed more thoughtful than us, so we should listen to him more... But it's too late to say anything more now. The ice cellar is a bit cold. Is Master Lu injured? Take care to keep warm."
Lu Ya waved his hand, refusing to take it, with a hint of shame on his face.
Wei Mei asked, "Now that you're back, have you found Da Lang yet?"
Lu Ya felt increasingly ashamed and shook his head, saying:
"This humble Taoist priest is useless; I failed to find the Crown Prince. Just as I arrived at Xunyang Ferry, a large group of river pirates launched a surprise attack on the ferry. Outside Xunyang Ferry, I met Brother Yan and escorted him to safety. Seeing that these river pirates seemed to be heading straight for our Prince's Mansion, this humble Taoist priest became worried and returned. On my way back to the inner quarters of the Prince's Mansion, I encountered Miss Caishou and Uncle Shun arranging the dragon oil..."
He stopped talking at this point.
The people around also fell silent.
Things have indeed developed in ways that have exceeded our initial plans.
Wei Mei asked worriedly, "The river pirates attacked the ferry, and Military Advisor Yan escaped. What about Da Lang? Was he captured by these river pirates?"
Lu Ya bowed his head even lower: "This humble Taoist does not know."
Li Guo'er suddenly said, "Brother isn't that stupid. After swallowing the talisman water, he's quite clever in handling situations."
Lu Ya looked up and glanced at Li Guo'er.
Li Xian and Wei Mei exchanged a glance, both looking lingering fear.
Wei Mei sighed:
"It was Tanlang's brilliant planning that prepared this method of drinking ice in fire in advance. This fire did not produce thick smoke. Although the temperature was scorching, fortunately we have an ice cave to cool it down. If it were an ordinary fire, the choking smoke would be billowing and rushing into the ice cave. We would either die from the heat or from suffocation."
"Those thieves outside probably never imagined that someone would dare to hide in the fire. Once the inner courtyard above is burned to the ground, the entrance to the ice cave where we are will be even harder to find. After their search yields no results and they find no remains, they will probably turn around and head to Mount Lu to chase after them."
Li Xian said with concern:
"Is Xie Xian's niece in danger? She's all alone, pretending to escape in a carriage. She seems a bit vulnerable."
Li Guo'er shook her head:
"Don't worry about Sister Xie. Once the pursuers are all gone and she escapes into the deep mountains, she can simply abandon the carriage and leave. Without the carriage to hold her back, as a sixth-grade Qi cultivator, she can move swiftly and easily. There are also many supply points and hiding places prepared by Pei Shisan Niang in the Kuanglu Mountains. Although Sister Xie is a little bad at directions, she brought a map, so she should be fine."
Li Xian sighed with emotion: "That's good, that's good. Tan Lang and she really worked hard this time to lure the thieves away... Tan Lang is resourceful. The most dangerous place is the safest place."
After a moment, he glanced at the sky above him and frowned, saying:
"Master Lu, you said a large group of river pirates are coming... Who sent these river pirates? Are they really rebels from the Jianghu of Tiannan? I have no grudge against Yunmeng Jianze, so why are they acting like this? Have they been misled by the rebels of the Kuangfu Army?"
Li Guo'er frowned, wrapped the soft blanket around her shoulders, and walked to the pile of corpses in front of her, looking down to examine them carefully.
Lu Ya pondered for a moment and said:
"It's not necessarily someone from the Tiannan Jianghu. With Senior Brother Zhang there, the Great Lady will surely not go back on her word and do such a despicable thing. Moreover, I've just remembered something."
"What's up?"
All eyes turned to them.
Lu Ya spoke up: "I was helping Young Master Ouyang's men investigate a case in Hukou County and discovered that people from Princess Anhui's residence were meeting with a pilgrim who was suspected to be a river pirate at Guanyin Temple."
Li Guo'er suddenly pointed to the corpse on the ground:
"Are these two both military-style Qi cultivators, like regular soldiers? They don't seem like idle wanderers or undisciplined bandits."
Lu Ya nodded: "That's right, the little princess is intelligent, which is also a major point of suspicion."
At this point, the most likely one comes to mind.
They looked at each other in bewilderment.
The atmosphere immediately fell silent.
Li Guo'er narrowed her eyes, kicked the corpse with her toe, and used the tip of her embroidered shoe to pick up a blood-stained strip of white cloth that had fallen to the ground:
"As expected of the Wei family, what a clever trick to fish in troubled waters and kill with a borrowed knife. If I'm not mistaken, it's very likely that it was the work of that Prince Wei. Their Prince Wei's mansion has the strongest motive. In the previous incident of the collapse of the Xingzi Lake Buddha, Ouyang Lianghan and we used the rebels of Tiannan Jianghu as scapegoats to deal with Wei Shaoqi, Lin Cheng and others."
"It seems they suspected it at the time, or were inspired and followed suit."
"They even pretended to send people to suppress the bandits before, which was like the thief crying 'the thief'. I guess they were just doing this for today. They are the river bandits, but once they destroy our royal palace, the blame will fall entirely on the Tiannan Jianghu. Ha."
At this point, Wei Mei pointed out one thing:
"Duan Quanwu of the White Tiger Guard was in charge of suppressing bandits in Hukou County. Did he know about this?"
Li Guo'er said coldly, "It would be a miracle if I didn't know. He already had connections with Qiu Shenji, and it's highly likely that he was bribed by the Wei family."
Li Xian hesitated for a moment before saying:
"Then shouldn't we have transferred Li Congshan and Miaozhen away?"
Upon hearing a certain name, Wei Mei turned her head.
Upon hearing this, Li Guo'er frowned slightly, glanced at Li Xian and the others, then looked down at the corpses of the water bandits on the ground, and spoke:
"No, they still have to be transferred. At this critical juncture, we can't trust anyone. Ouyang Lianghan did the right thing. What if Li Congshan and Miaozhen were also bribed? Otherwise, we wouldn't even have a chance to hide in the ice cave today. We're all under their watchful eyes."
"Therefore, we must be on guard. Ouyang Lianghan is right. We cannot rely on others; we must rely on ourselves."
Recalling the ice-transporting plans that Ouyang Rong had devised that had previously seemed "inexplicable" to everyone, the crowd's faces showed a mixture of shame and gratitude.
Just then, Lu Ya looked up and said:
Where is Young Master Ouyang now?
"Twin Peaks, over there by the Buddha."
Lu Ya asked:
"If the worst-case scenario is true, and Duan Quanwu and Li Congshan can be bribed, then Yi Qianqiu, as their superior, is undoubtedly guilty as well. What about Rong Zhen, the female historian from the Imperial Observatory, and Song, the deputy director? Could Shuangfengjian be part of a setup as well? Could it be that these Wei family's water bandits dared to come and kill people because Shuangfengjian was condoning them, which is why they were so fearless?"
The ice cave fell silent instantly.
This is the worst possible outcome, and it also means that Ouyang Lianghan, who helped them evade the thieves, has also become involved and is in danger.
Wei Mei, who had previously been critical and dissatisfied with Lu Ya, suddenly became anxious:
"What should we do then? Tanlang is going there alone, all by himself. If the place is full of bad guys, how will he get through?"
Li Xian couldn't sit still any longer; he paced anxiously in circles, muttering to himself:
"It's all my fault, I've dragged my beloved down. I'm truly a useless person..."
"Actually... it might not be the worst outcome."
Li Guo'er hesitated for a moment before speaking:
"After all, Lady Rongzhen even came to Madam Zhen's birthday banquet, so they have a very good relationship, and there's something more to it than meets the eye... She probably wouldn't do anything to Ouyang Lianghan, and besides, Ouyang Lianghan has a strong sense of crisis. Even if there's a trap, it's hard to implicate him. Don't forget, that secret letter this morning that used the metaphor of a 'dining menu' might very well have been sent by Rongzhen..."
Li Xian's worried and anxious expression remained unchanged:
“Although Tanlang has a sword, Rongzhen, Granny Song, and the other people from the Imperial Observatory are already looking for him and are relentlessly pursuing his other identity. If he uses the sword, he will be exposed and put in danger.”
Li Guo'er, as if thinking of something, lowered her eyes, frowned, and sighed softly:
"That seems to make sense. Once that sword is exposed, it will be even more troublesome. Lady Rongzhen has always hated the owner of Butterfly Love Flower. Perhaps he will really ruin her and turn her hatred towards him."
Even the usually composed princess in plum blossom makeup muttered with some worry, "This is indeed a bad sign. Women are very vengeful; if they can't have someone they love, they might want to devour him alive..."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked distressed and became even more anxious, pacing around in circles.
Just then, Cai Shou, Sun Bo, and the others behind suddenly turned their gazes toward Lu Ya.
Those standing closer, including Li Xian, Li Guo'er, and Wei Mei, noticed something out of the corner of their eyes and all looked over.
"What do you all think of my actions?"
Lu Ya frowned and looked around at everyone.
He saw everyone staring at him, and gradually looking up at the ceiling above his head.
"What exactly happened?"
Lu Ya looked up, puzzled.
In the next instant, he was shocked to see a bright red beam of light shooting into the sky above his head, seemingly piercing through the ice cave and stone chamber!
His previously expressionless face suddenly changed color.
In the stillness of the night, the sound of a zither drifted in.
The strange piano music made their eyes widen in horror.
A very ominous feeling gradually spread among the crowd.
...
The Prince of Xunyang's Mansion caught fire today.
It became the focus of the entire Xingzifang area, yet no one in any household dared to go and check it out.
News of the bandits from the southern rivers and lakes who had broken into the city from Xunyang Ferry had spread throughout the city since morning. The common people and the wealthy people of Xunyang all hid in their homes, keeping their doors tightly shut, and praying for reinforcements from the imperial court on Shuangfengjian.
However, some people speculate that these pirates were heading for the giant Buddha statue at Twin Peaks.
The fire at the Xunyang Prince's Mansion kept the onlookers silent, and when they discovered that water bandits were lurking inside, no one dared to approach.
Inside the Prince's mansion, the eerie green flames gradually subsided.
The once exquisite and elegant inner courtyard has been burned to the ground and is now a ruin.
The group of pirates that had gathered earlier had dwindled in number.
The one-eyed man, the leader of the pirates, was leading his men in a thorough search of the ruins and embers.
Originally, there were about three hundred pirates, who were divided into three groups:
The first group, consisting of 150 people, took the main road to Mount Lu to pursue the person.
The second group, fifty people, took the small path behind the Prince's Mansion to enter Mount Lu to pursue the person.
The third group, led by the one-eyed man, was inspecting the ruins with the remaining hundred people.
As for the eleven Qi cultivators in the hall, they also had their own roles.
The first batch of five people were assigned away;
The second group of two included Cheng the Bald;
The remaining four, including the one-eyed man, are currently searching the ruins of the inner courtyard.
However, as the search neared its end, the one-eyed man frowned.
The inner courtyard ruins were vast, and after a brief search, no remains of any corpses were found.
I don’t know if it’s because this fire is strange, but it can burn people to ashes.
As for some secret passages and chambers, it's not impossible, but in a fire, such a chamber would be completely sealed off, otherwise people would be suffocated by the heat and smoke. If there were no vents and it was completely sealed off, there would be insufficient air, and people would suffocate. Unless there is some underground river, but that's unrealistic, as Xunyang City doesn't have this kind of terrain.
When Master Zhongma of the Pure Land Palace of Donglin Temple passed away, it was in the same way. The lotus pagoda caught fire, and the thick smoke and heat wave rushed into the underground palace, suffocating him.
At this point, a fellow pirate suggested again:
"Boss, we've searched the whole place, but there's no body. It seems they're not here. Should we continue the search? Should we go to Mount Lu to track them down, or search other suspicious places in Xiushuifang?"
The one-eyed man hesitated for a moment.
Actually, one question had been lingering in his mind.
When this group of disguised river pirates occupied Xunyang Ferry, they sent a small team in advance, equipped with two skilled mid-level Qi Refining experts, as the vanguard to scout the area and launch a surprise attack on the Prince's Mansion.
But now they can't find a single body, and they don't know where the person went.
Since they didn't perish in the fire, what happened after they arrived at the Prince's Palace ahead of schedule?
Was he killed by a Qi cultivator from the Xunyang Prince's Mansion?
However, if the Prince of Xunyang and Lady Xie had fled by carriage a quarter of an hour before the fire, why were there still Qi cultivators from the Prince's mansion left behind to kill them?
If they hadn't been killed, why didn't they gather at the outer residence?
Even if it was an emergency and they went to hunt down the Xunyang Prince's family, why didn't they leave someone to deliver a message?
The various doubts made the usually calm one-eyed man somewhat irritable.
A moment later, he turned and gave the order:
"Pass on my order: brothers, retreat first..."
Just then, a subordinate came down from outside to report:
"Boss, Master Wu's men are here. They have some instructions for you."
"What's up?"
As the one-eyed man was puzzled, a messenger wearing a white cloth strip approached and whispered a few words in his ear.
The one-eyed man initially looked puzzled, but then gradually narrowed his eyes.
After a moment, he slowly began to speak:
“Master Wu is brilliant… You’ve worked hard. Go back and tell Master Wu that to repay the Prince’s great kindness, we will definitely catch Li Xian today. We want to see him alive or dead, or else we’ll take his head back to the Prince.”
Watching the messenger leave quickly, the one-eyed man raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop.
Just as the hundred or so pirates in the ruins stopped what they were doing, thinking their leader was about to give new orders.
The one-eyed man closed his eyes to rest, without giving any orders.
It seemed as if it was waiting for something.
Time ticked by.
Just as many pirates were getting impatient and were about to urge them on,
"Zheng—"
Unidentified piano music drifted over.
Before anyone could react, one after another, bright red beams of light shot into the sky from the ruins.
Looking around, the group discovered that these beams of light were emanating from one of the mid-level Qi cultivators among them.
A rough count revealed that, including the one-eyed man, there were five in total: one, two, three, four... five.
etc.
Five paths?
They originally had eleven mid-level water pirates, but after splitting up, only four mid-level water pirates remained.
Why is there an extra one?
The pirates were all confused. They followed the one-eyed man, whose eyes were gradually turning cold, and all turned their gaze to a rockery and pond twenty meters away that had been burned bare by a fire.
The artificial hill and pond, which were originally inconspicuous among the ruins, are now being pierced by a crimson beam of light.
It comes from underground.
(End of this chapter)
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