Chapter 66: Walking into a Trap
It is usually not the coldest when it snows, but the coldest when the snow melts. Today was a rare day with sunshine, and the snow melted, making it a perfect day to bask in the sun. However, a team of black riders surrounding the entrance of Longquansi ruined such a beautiful sunny day.
"Envoy He, I have been waiting in the hostage house without leaving my house, but I don't know how to alarm your master. Why do you come here so early in the morning to cause trouble?"
Everyone in the Hostage House was driven out and gathered in the courtyard, looking terrified and uneasy. Only Zhao Yuzhang had a cold sword on his neck. He looked at He Jianshuang coldly, and he seemed to be the troublemaker among the crowd.
He Jianshuang ignored him and walked back and forth in the courtyard in a dark armor. He asked slowly, "I heard that a swordsmanship expert has come to the hostage house. He is the crown prince of Wuyue, Chen Yingqi. Who is he?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. There was no Crown Prince of Wu Yue Kingdom among these living people. Last winter, charcoal was scarce and a lot of sick and weak people were frozen to death in the Hostage House. Who knew whether they were dragged out and buried?
Only Liu Quedan and others who knew the inside story frowned secretly. They thought that Chen Yingqi was just an outer court guard and there was no way he could defeat He Jianshuang, the chief envoy of Longquan Division. They did not want to drag him into it, so they all kept silent.
Zhao Yuzhang became even more speechless after hearing that. He no longer looked like a tough guy. Chen Yingqi had given him a roast chicken last time. Even for the sake of the chicken, he couldn't expose the other party.
Seeing that no one answered, He Jianshuang drew his sword without warning and pointed it at Liu Quedan. He said with interest, "Prince Dongli, I heard that the last time Wan Pijiang dueled with you, Chen Yingqi interfered. Why don't we give it a try this time to see if he will come out to save you?"
Liu Quedan clenched his fists upon hearing this, but then he remembered that Chen Yingqi had not appeared since the last fight. He said he was on duty every five days, so he probably wasn't in the hostage house today. He slowly relaxed his fists again, "Envoy He, you are joking. I don't know that person at all. It was just a coincidence last time."
He Jianshuang narrowed his eyes coldly: "So this means that Chen Yingqi really exists?"
Liu Que Dansi was not afraid at all, and said calmly: "If He Zhengshi can find it, then it exists. If he can't find it, then it doesn't exist."
“Wow!”
As soon as Liu Quedan finished speaking, the long sword in He Jianshuang's hand suddenly tilted and directly cut his right arm. He staggered back a few steps and was supported by Gongsun Wuyou.
Zhao Yuzhang shouted angrily: "He Jianshuang, you are so brave! Although we are protons, we are not someone that can be bullied by any cat or dog. Who gave you the courage to draw your sword and hurt others?!"
"Hurt?"
He Jianshuang suddenly laughed: "It is because of your proton status that I showed mercy. Otherwise, I would not be hurting people, but killing them."
He stopped talking, looked around sternly, and said meaningfully: "If Chen Yingqi doesn't show up, I'm afraid everyone here will be hit by He's sword!"
Gongsun Wuyou was the most timid among them. Hearing this, he said timidly, "There is no one named Chen Yingqi here. Maybe he was accidentally frozen to death during the snowfall a few days ago. Envoy He Zheng should go to the mass grave to look for him."
He Jianshuang was not so easy to fool. He looked at Gongsun Wuyou and asked curiously, "I heard that he once defeated Wan Pijiang with his bare hands. I think he is a first-class master. How could such a master be frozen to death in the snow?"
Gongsun Wuyou subconsciously avoided his gaze which was sharper than an eagle's, but who would have thought that he showed his cowardice. He Jianshuang found that he was a soft persimmon among them. With a glance, a guard quickly stepped forward and pulled Gongsun Wuyou out of the crowd.
Gongsun Wuyou was young and his face turned pale with fear: "What are you doing!"
Zhao Yuzhang wanted to step forward to stop them: "He Jianshuang, if you have anything to say, just come to me. What's the point of bullying a child?"
He Jianshuang ignored him and put the bloody sword on Gongsun Wuyou's neck: "Prince Wuyou, my sword is blind. I cut your arm just now, but I'm not sure what I'll cut this time."
As he finished speaking, he flipped the sword and suddenly stabbed at his right leg. Gongsun Wuyou screamed in fear and closed his eyes, preparing to face the coming pain. However, an arrow came from nowhere with a strong wind and directly knocked open He Jianshuang's sword blade with a "clang" sound.
He Jianshuang was shocked: "Who?!"
Gongsun Wuyou also opened his eyes in surprise, thinking, could it be Chen Yingqi? !
Zhao Yuzhang and Liu Quedan obviously thought the same thing. They looked towards the door subconsciously upon hearing this, feeling both happy and worried. Although Chen Yingqi's arrival would save them from the dire situation, they were also afraid that he would get themselves into trouble as well.
However, to their disappointment, someone else came.
Suddenly, several Golden Crow Guards rushed in from outside the mansion gate and surrounded all the people from Longquan Division. A slender figure walked into the courtyard surrounded by them, attracting the attention of everyone present.
The visitor was a young man with a jade crown on his head, wearing a light purple royal robe embroidered with gold thread, and a white fox fur cloak on the outside. He was smiling and was extremely charming.
He held a golden ox horn bow in his hand. The arrow just now was obviously shot from his hand. The man plucked the humming bowstring casually, and a lazy voice rang in everyone's ears, with a hint of accusation: "He Jianshuang, you are so arrogant. Tianshui offered a hostage just to show its loyalty to the immortals. Who allowed you to hurt people here at will?"
Upon seeing this, everyone in the palace changed their expressions and immediately knelt down in large numbers: "Greetings to King Fengling! Long live the king, long live the king!"
He Jianshuang came back to his senses and knelt on one knee: "Your humble servant greets you, Your Majesty!"
Lu Yan threw the longbow in his hand to his attendant, walked down the steps with his hands behind his back, and said slowly: "Envoy He is a very busy man. There are so many important matters waiting for you to deal with. Why do you have to come to this hostage house where there is no one to do anything? It's freezing cold here, you should go back as soon as possible."
He Jianshuang was a lone minister who did not belong to any faction in the court. He was only loyal to the emperor. However, this did not prevent him from looking down on Lu Yan, the uneducated prince. He said in a light tone, "I have the emperor's order and cannot leave. But how can a noble daughter like the prince set foot here?"
Wan Pijiang was defeated by Chen Yingqi last time. After returning to Longquansi, he reported to He Jianshuang that there was a swordsmanship master in the hostage house who defeated him unarmed, and used the Wan family swordsmanship, so he could not use any private moves.
He Jianshuang is a complete martial arts idiot. He knows Wan Pijiang's strength very well. Although he is not among the top-tier, he is also at the top of the second-tier. When did such a powerful figure appear in the Hostage House?
He Jianshuang had the intention of competing with each other at that time. He led his troops to surround the mansion today just to find Chen Yingqi.
Unfortunately, his plan was overturned by Lu Yan: "Why did the king come here? Of course, the palace is empty, so I came here to find a few beauties to play with."
Lu Yan didn't even need to pretend. With a slight curl of his lips, he was full of romantic air. While he was talking, he had already walked in front of Gongsun Wuyou, leaned over slightly and asked in a good mood: "How about it, little beauty, do you want to go back to the palace with me? It's been a long time since we last parted, and I miss you very much."
In the eyes of these protons, he is more terrifying than He Jianshuang. He Jianshuang can only kill people, but Lu Yan can make people's lives worse than death.
Gongsun Wuyou's face turned pale when he heard this, and he didn't even dare to say a word. He hid behind Liu Quedan with a swish. Liu Quedan looked at Lu Yan coldly, his eyes full of undisguised disgust and contempt, making people have no doubt that he would spit in Lu Yan's face in the next second.
Only Zhao Yuzhang stepped forward and asked anxiously: "Prince Fengling! Where did you take Junnian? Where are the others?!"
Ever since that night Shang Junnian was taken away, Zhao Yuzhang has not had a good sleep. He was worried that he would be humiliated, and also worried that he would anger Lu Yan and be killed. He was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat.
Lu Yan stood up and looked at him, deliberately saying: "Prince Shang is fine, why are you so anxious, Prince Yuzhang? If you don't believe me, just come back with me."
He waved his hand at the Jinwu Guards behind him and said directly, "Bring these three beauties to my palace."
As soon as these words came out, before Zhao Yuzhang and the others could panic, He Jianshuang had already stepped forward to stop Lu Yan and said in a deep voice: "Prince Fengling, I have the emperor's order. The hostage house is now under the custody of Longquan Division. It would be inappropriate for you to take people away so easily!"
Lu Yan scratched his ears and said, "I know you have the Emperor's order. Envoy He, there is no need to repeat it so many times. If you are not satisfied with anything, just go to your father and report it to me."
He turned away after saying this, signaling the guards to take the three protons away. The people from Longquansi were about to stop them, but were surrounded by the Golden Crow Guards. Under the bright sun, the patterns on their black brocade clothes were slightly reflected. On their left shoulders were embroidered three-legged golden crows, which spread their wings and flew away. They did not belong to any of the immortals' military offices.
The Jinwu Guards were the death squads personally assigned to Lu Yan by the Emperor and they only obeyed Lu Yan. In other words, even if Lu Yan asked them to rebel, they would still do so. Longquansi obviously did not dare to clash with this group of lunatics and could only watch Lu Yan take the people away.
Lu Yan left the hostage house and got directly into the carriage. The curtains were raised and lowered, blocking out the cold air outside. Only the flames in the exquisite charcoal stove could be seen.
Lu stretched out his hand to warm the fire, and said with a half-smile: "It seems that my disguise into the palace last time still attracted attention. This He Jianshuang is not an easy character to deal with. By the way, I asked you to secretly keep an eye on the Guxu Palace. Have you heard any news?"
Eunuch He appeared in the carriage like a ghost: "Your Highness, although King Guxu captured some people from Tianji Palace and planned to tie them up and bring them before His Majesty, he secretly let a large number of assassins go and sent them out of the royal city with badges before dawn."
Lu Yansi was not surprised at all: "Did you catch him?"
Eunuch He nodded and said, "We have secretly captured him and are now imprisoned in the dungeon of the palace."
Lu Yan rubbed his fingertips which were gradually warming up. "Great! If I bring this group of assassins to my father someday, I wonder what King Guxu's expression will be... Forget it. The most important thing now is how to get the sword skills of the other three families. Why did my father throw such a hot potato to me?"
That day, Lu Yan went to the palace to ask for the Blood Toad Pill. The Emperor said that he felt bad that the magical treasure was useless, and asked him to get the sword skills of the Wu Yun, Dong Li and Tian Shui families, so that he could exchange for the other half of the Blood Toad Pill.
There were crises everywhere in the Hostage Mansion. Last time it was Wan Pijiang who was causing trouble, and this time it was He Jianshuang. Lu Yan simply got mad and captured all three of them into the mansion, saving him the trouble of running back and forth.
Eunuch He pondered for a moment and said, "Zhao Yuzhang and Liu Quedan are both stubborn. I'm afraid it won't be that easy for them to reveal the Sword Sect's secrets. But Gongsun Wuyou is the youngest and has a weaker character, so he may have some chance."
"You are not strong-minded?"
Lu Yan chuckled when he heard this, as if he had heard something interesting. He shook his head slightly, and his jade-like face took on an orange hue under the charcoal fire. "If he had a weak character, he would have been tortured and become my male favorite in the dungeon. Don't underestimate Gongsun Wuyou because he looks timid and easy to control. He is actually the smartest one among these few people."
"In short, none of these people are easy to deal with. Let's go back home and make a long-term plan."
Lu Yan was obviously very worried and sighed a lot, but Eunuch He was worried about something else for him and asked tentatively, "Prince?"
Lu Yan was too lazy to even lift his eyelids: "What's the matter?"
Eunuch He spoke hesitantly, "If you bring these three hostages back to your palace, will the Shang minister suspect that you have other intentions and cause misunderstandings?"
Lu Yan: “…” Oh no, how could I forget about Shang Junnian!
A pile of broken porcelain was found in the side hall of the palace early in the morning. After the maid reported Lu Yan's whereabouts, she saw the Shang State Prime Minister in front of her, who seemed like a fallen immortal, suddenly pulled up the corner of his mouth, revealing a chilling smile, and said in a low voice:
"Good... What a good Lu Yan... What a good King Fengling..."
Was Lu Yan bullying him because his martial arts were abolished, or was he bullying him because he had fallen into prisoner and anyone could step on him? He said he was sincere to him last night, but the next moment he turned around and started to think about the other three hostages.
Shang Junnian closed his eyes to hide the unfathomable sinister emotions within, and if you looked closely you could see that even his fingertips were trembling. However, before he could figure out how to deal with Lu Yan, news came from outside that the prince had returned home.
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