Chapter 28: Various Counties (IV) “Mr. Xiao, I have long heard of your great name.”…
"Mr. Xiao, I have long heard of your great name."
The candlelight was dim, stretching the figure very long. His hands and feet were tied behind his back, and Xiao Wangshu was lying on the ground with the same expression as usual. In front of him were two armchairs, on which sat Li Zhubo and Liu Shiye, who had tied him here.
"I don't know why you two invited me here."
His overly calm attitude made the facial features of Li Zhubo squeezed together and distorted, and the words that came out of his mouth were quite harsh.
"You're quite patient, but I'm afraid you won't see the sun tomorrow."
"You want to kill me? Then why not cooperate if you want to know my origins?"
With a smile on his face, at an angle where the two of them couldn't see, Xiao Wangshu took out the fragments that he had hidden long ago from his sleeve. He used his fingers to feel the sharpest part, grasped the hemp rope with one hand, and rubbed it against the hemp rope that bound his wrist, while not forgetting to speak to suppress the sound produced by the friction.
"Haha, cooperation. If Young Master Xiao has the intention to cooperate, why does he hide his identity? I think Young Master Xiao has big ambitions, so how could he be willing to cooperate with us?"
This time it was Master Liu who spoke. He raised his eyebrows slightly with disdain on his face and looked down at Xiao Wangshu in a condescending manner.
Looking at his expression, Xiao Wangshu knew what this kind of person needed most.
"Lord Liu, you're joking. I came here because I was ostracized. I did hide my identity because I was told to do so. You two are talented people. Why don't you work for the prince? That way you'll have a bright future, with rare treasures and immense wealth within your reach. You can retire and return home to live a carefree and happy life."
Seeing that this "number one scholar" from the capital could only rely on him for his breath, Master Liu felt an irrepressible pleasure in his heart.
But he also knew that by humiliating the other party in this way, he would be cutting off his own retreat. As for what Xiao Wangshu said about having someone behind him, Master Liu did not believe it, but Li Zhubu obviously did not think so.
"Brother Wang, what Brother Xiao said makes sense!"
When he heard about the immense wealth, Li Zhubo's eyes lit up. He also thought about how generous Xiao Wangshu had been a few days ago. Not only did he give him some silver notes, but he also had a lot of money snatched away by that Tao outside the city. If he followed Brother Xiao, wouldn't he make a fortune?
He was immediately moved and turned around to persuade Master Wang.
This Master Liu was a smart man. Before Xiao Wangshu came, he spent a lot of money to inquire about the news and got a portrait of this person. He concluded that Xiao Wangshu came to their county because he offended the princess. If he had the power to make the decision, he would have killed this person directly.
But Li Zhubo was one level higher than him, so if he wanted to accomplish anything important, he would have to patiently support him for a few days. He also knew that Li Zhubo's brain was not very good. After all, if it was, he would have nothing to do, but he really didn't expect him to be so stupid.
He frowned in disdain, then smiled again the moment Li Zhubo turned his head to look at him:
"What the Chief Clerk said is true, but this is a serious matter, so we still need to discuss it. After all, I heard that Master Xiao came to our remote village because he offended the princess. Now he is just talking nonsense. If we really let him go, then..."
Master Liu did not say the rest of the words directly, but everyone present understood what he meant.
The hemp rope behind him was already showing signs of loosening. He struggled to break free without making a sound, and covered his wrists with his wide sleeves. He changed his posture, stretched the porcelain piece towards his ankle, and said in a loud and urgent voice:
"My Lords, please spare my life for now. You say I offended the princess, but let me ask you, if I didn't have someone behind me, how could I have survived until today? Furthermore, I'm sure Li Zhubo has seen how generous I am. If I didn't have someone behind me, how could I have gotten all that money out of thin air?"
Seeing that the two of them looked thoughtful, Xiao Wangshu raised his voice again.
"Besides, if I die here and no one reports, His Highness will undoubtedly send someone to investigate. I brought a number of subordinates with me when I entered the city, including one skilled in martial arts. If I don't return tonight, what are your chances of escaping unscathed? I can afford to gamble my life, but can you?"
"Humph, your subordinate must have died long ago."
Master Liu was feeling uneasy but his voice was loud. He scolded with a stern face.
"Oh, Master, if you are so confident, then you probably don't care about this moment. Why don't you listen to what your subordinate has to say? Then you two will know whether what Wangshu said is true or not."
After Master Liu finished speaking, Xiao Wangshu immediately stopped talking.
The two adults sitting on the armchairs were feeling a little uneasy at this moment. Master Liu dared to do something that was deceiving the emperor, and today he dared to directly tie up Xiao Wangshu. Naturally, he had made preparations long ago.
Before entering the city, he sent people to test a few people. Xiao Wangshu and his group should be weak and helpless. But now, hearing Xiao Wangshu so confident and sure, he couldn't help but feel like retreating.
After all, he has not accomplished anything great and cannot afford to gamble his life with it. Fortunately, he has not done anything too extreme, so there is room for turning this matter around.
Thinking of this, a smile appeared on his face, and he took the initiative to step forward and try to help Xiao Wangshu, who was lying on the ground.
But he saw that Xiao Wangshu seemed to be smiling, and before he could figure out the meaning, Xiao Wangshu stood up with the help of his strength.
Then, he saw a flash of silver light on the other party's waist, and he felt a chill and a slight pain in his neck. Before he could come to his senses, he heard Xiao Wangshu's ghostly whisper.
"Ah, be careful, your neck will break."
But after a few breaths, the situation was reversed. Li Zhubo, who was originally slumped on the armchair, was so scared that he slid to the ground, his mouth open and he lost his voice.
"Shh, if you two don't want to die here. Come on, take me out."
With the sword at his neck, even Master Liu's legs went weak. He was pushed forward several steps, and Li Zhubo, who was lying on the ground, was lifted up by Xiao Wangshu with one hand.
With the hostages in hand, the guards naturally did not dare to act rashly. Walking out of the dim dungeon, Xiao Wangshu looked around and realized that he had been taken to the county government office. It was really ironic.
But suddenly, he heard the sound of fighting coming from outside, and in a flash it was right in front of him.
"Oh, it's out? If we had known, we wouldn't have to rush."
Even though he had just withdrawn from the fight, Mr. Chihua's white clothes were still elegant, and even the dustpan he used for fighting was not stained with a trace of blood.
On the other hand, there was no blood on An's body because he was dressed in black clothes as dark as ink. He stood with a sword in his hand, and the blood dripped down the sword to the ground. The firelight shone on his face, making his facial features look more three-dimensional.
The three of them met, and although they were surrounded, they had the upper hand. The old man huddled in a ball on the side was left to An's care. Xiao Wangshu grabbed Master Liu and confronted them:
"You retreat, and no one will be harmed."
This statement was a threat to the guards, as well as to Master Liu and Li Zhubo.
His life was in the hands of others. Even though Master Liu was arrogant, he could only smile. However, his IQ was not low. Thinking of what Xiao Wangshu had said before, why did he not reveal his identity but kidnapped the two of them? This move was really unnecessary. Perhaps he still had some value.
By asking the guards to retreat in this way, Master Liu seemed more sincere.
After leaving the county government office, Nian Yue set up the carriage and rushed over. The three of them jumped into the carriage with two burdens and galloped all the way to the city gate. They rushed out of the city while the night was deepening and the city guards were dozing off.
They walked quickly for several miles and stopped to rest at a dilapidated temple in the mountains.
Xiao Wangshu also had time to have a good talk with these two adults.
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