Chapter 99: The ambush in the warehouse startled the night shadows, and the secret room worriedly waited for the return of the people
Dusk, like spilled ink, quickly darkened the sky outside the capital. The branches of the old locust trees surrounding the warehouse intertwined, swaying in the moonlight like countless pairs of secretly watching eyes. Little Swallow tiptoed over the last low wall, her lake-blue shorts tracing a sharp arc in the night. Behind her, the crisp clash of swords clashed between men in black, drawing closer and closer.
"Liu Qing! Liu Hong! I've brought guests!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the empty cargo yard, startling a few night birds. Before she'd finished speaking, the warehouse door creaked open. Liu Qing stood inside, iron rod in hand, his dark, tight-fitting attire accentuating his imposing figure. Liu Hong flanked her, two daggers in hand, the red string at her temples trembling with each breath.
"I've been waiting for this!" Liu Qing grinned, revealing his snow-white teeth. "How dare you chase our Miss Fang? You're tired of living!"
Xiaoyanzi tapped the cargo box with her toes, used the force to jump into the air, and the dagger at her waist was unsheathed with a "swoosh". A cold light flashed: "Don't kill them, leave two alive for questioning!" Before she finished speaking, she had landed behind the last man in black, and lightly tapped his lower back with her elbow. The man in black groaned and fell to the ground. The dagger was kicked away by her before it was unsheathed.
Liu Hong's figure became more flexible, the short knife twirled in her hand in various ways, the blade cutting through the air with the sound of wind: "Don't worry, sister! I promise to let them know how powerful I am!" She spun around to avoid the long knife, and used the back of the knife to knock on the opponent's wrist. With a "clang", the long knife fell to the ground, and the man in black grimaced in pain.
Liu Qing wielded his iron staff with vigorous force, each strike landing precisely on the black-clad men's joints, sparing their lives while disabling them. The warehouse was instantly filled with the sounds of muffled groans, the clatter of weapons hitting the ground, and the thuds of wooden crates banging against each other. Xiaoyanzi weaved through the crowd, her Qinggong skills at their peak. Her movements were as swift as the wind, her occasional strikes a precise grab. In a matter of moments, all four black-clad men were subdued, groaning on the ground.
"Tie him up tightly!" Liu Qing threw out the hemp rope, and Liu Hong immediately stepped forward to tie the man in black's hands behind his back, still scolding him, "E Min is really going from bad to worse. Sending a bunch of you out here to embarrass us!"
Xiaoyanzi sheathed her knife and wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve. The moonlight shone on her face, and she could see a smug smile on her lips. "Are you okay?" She kicked the struggling man in black on the ground and said, "Ask them what E Min has planned besides capturing Ziwei."
Liu Qing squatted down and grabbed the collar of the leading black-clad man. His eyes were sharp and stern. "Tell me! Why did Lord E ask you to arrest that girl from Jinan? Are you trying to fabricate evidence?"
The man in black stiffened his neck and said stubbornly, "I don't know! We are just following orders!"
Liu Hong slapped him on the back with considerable force. "You still dare to be so stubborn? You were so enthusiastic chasing me just now, but now you're playing dumb?" She swung the dagger in her hand, the blade gleaming coldly in the moonlight. "If you don't tell me, I'll throw you to the wolves!"
The man in black shuddered with fear and begged for mercy: "I'll tell you! I'll tell you! Lord E said...that as long as we catch that girl, he'll make her admit that she's a charlatan, that she forged her identity to get close to the Fang family, and he'll also...he'll make her reveal that the Fang family is harboring a wanted criminal!"
Xiaoyanzi's eyes darkened upon hearing this, and she dug her nails into her palms. "You bastard, you're really calculating!" She winked at Liu Qing, "Lock them in the innermost compartment of the warehouse, and send someone to keep an eye on them. Don't let them get away."
Liu Qing nodded in agreement and directed his men to drag the man in black away. Liu Hong walked over to Xiaoyanzi and handed her the kettle. "You're taking too much of a risk! What if we're not prepared?" She looked at Xiaoyanzi's sleeve, which had been torn by a branch, and frowned. "Don't be so impulsive next time."
"Don't worry, I know what's going on." Xiaoyanzi took a sip of water, and drops of water slid down the corners of her mouth. "Emin is in a hurry to capture Ziwei, so he must have sent his confidants. Catching them is just the right opportunity to get some information out of them." She looked out at the night outside the warehouse, her tone solemn, "But this is just the beginning. If Emin doesn't catch the person, he will definitely have another trick up his sleeve."
At that moment, in the secret room of the Su Mansion's annex, the candlelight flickered in the wind, casting Ziwei and Jinsuo's shadows on the damp stone wall, sometimes bright and sometimes dim. Ziwei sat on a low stool, her hands tightly gripping the half jade pendant, the warmth of her fingertips almost warming the jade, her gaze fixed on the stone slab at the entrance to the secret room.
"Miss, you've been staring at the stone slab for half an hour." Jinsuo gently advised, holding the already cold tea, "Miss Fang is such a good martial artist, she will definitely be fine. She may have already driven the bad guys away."
Ziwei shook her head, her voice trembling slightly. "But there's no sound outside... Could it be... Could it be that she's in danger?" She remembered Xiaoyanzi's confident smile as she left, and her heart felt like it was blocked by something, stuffy and painful. "It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, she wouldn't have to take such a risk."
"How can I blame you?" Jinsuo squatted down and held her hand, his palm rough but warm. "Miss Fang truly treats you as a sister, that's why she protects you so much. Besides, we have Miss Liu Hong and the others to help, so everything will be fine." She suddenly pricked up her ears. "Listen, are there footsteps?"
The secret room instantly fell silent, with only the crackling of the burning candlelight. A moment later, gentle tapping sounds were heard from outside the stone slab, three long and two short, exactly the signal Xiaoyanzi had agreed on. Ziwei stood up suddenly, her knee hitting the stool with a loud thud. She didn't bother to rub it, her voice trembling, "It's... it's Ci'er's signal!"
Jinsuo quickly moved the stone slab aside, and the moonlight from outside poured in. Xiaoyanzi's figure stood at the doorway against the light. Her lake blue shorts were stained with dust, but she had a smile on her face: "I'm back. I'm sorry to have worried you."
"Ci'er!" Ziwei rushed over and hugged her, tears instantly welling up in her eyes, wetting Xiaoyanzi's shoulders, "I'm so glad you're okay! So glad..."
Xiaoyanzi patted her back, her voice gentle, "Why are you crying? I'm fine, aren't I?" She pulled Ziwei into the secret room and gestured to Jinsuo to cover the stone slab. "We've caught the people sent by Emin. We found out they wanted to force you to forge testimony to harm the Fang family."
Ziwei wiped away her tears, her eyes instantly becoming firm: "I will never let them succeed! Even if I die, I will never slander you and the Fang family!"
"Who told you to die?" Xiaoyanzi scratched her nose, her tone tinged with resentment. "As long as I'm here, no one can lay a finger on you." She pulled out a Dingsheng cake wrapped in oil paper from her bosom. "Eat it quickly to fill your stomach. I've agreed with Liu Qing and the others that we'll take turns guarding outside the villa tonight to ensure safety."
Ziwei took the cake, feeling the warmth of the oil-paper on her fingertips, and her heart warmed. She broke off a piece and handed it to Xiaoyanzi. They ate head to head, the candlelight reflecting on their faces, making their outlines particularly soft.
Meanwhile, in the E Mansion's study, the candle had already burned down halfway, its wick wisping long shards. E Min paced the room, his hands behind his back, his goatee tugged askew, his triangular eyes glaring gloomily at the door, asking every few moments, "No news yet?"
Eunuch E stood in the corner with his head down, his gray eunuch uniform damp with cold sweat. "Reply... Reply, sir, the people we sent out haven't returned yet. Logically, they should have arrived by now..."
"Waste! A bunch of waste!" E Min kicked over the copper basin at his feet, spilling water all over the floor. "If you can't even catch a girl, what's the point of keeping you!" He walked to the window, looking at the dark direction outside the city, feeling inexplicably panicked - that warehouse was Liu Qing and Liu Hong's territory, could it be that they were ambushed?
"Sir, how about...how about I send some more people to take a look?" Eunuch E suggested tremblingly.
E Min's eyes sharpened, and he glared at him fiercely: "Why are you going? It's obviously a trap!" He gritted his teeth and said, "Liu Qing and Liu Hong are close to the Fang family, they must be behind this!" He suddenly thought of something, and a sinister smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "It doesn't matter if we can't catch them, we can try another method..."
Eunuch E took a step closer: "Your Excellency means..."
"Go, invite Lord Chen here." E Min lowered his voice, a calculating glint in his eyes. "Since the open way doesn't work, let's do it covertly. I want the Fang family to know that there's no good end to going against me, E Min!"
As the night deepened, the bamboo grove of the Su Mansion's courtyard rustled in the wind, whispering of a lingering crisis. The candlelight in the secret room still burned brightly. Ziwei slept on Xiaoyanzi's shoulder, tears still on her face, clutching the half-piece of the jade pendant tightly in her hand. Xiaoyanzi gently covered her with her cloak, her gaze gazing out the window at the dark night, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the dagger at her waist. "E Min, the more vicious you are, the more I will protect those around me. In this life, I will never let you succeed again."
The moonlight shines through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, weaving into a tiny silver net on the ground, as if silently guarding this brief peace. It also indicates that although there will be storms on the road ahead, there will always be a warm force to accompany you.
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