Chapter 70: Danger

When He'an arrived at Qinghe Village, it was in chaos. Although the victims were protected by soldiers, they were forced to retreat into the village by the private soldiers who attacked them secretly.

Seeing that He'an had brought a large group of people, Zhou Dafu breathed a sigh of relief. If they had gone straight into the fight, he would have been the first to rush forward. However, having so many disaster victims on his hands became his weak point, hindering him everywhere.

He'an searched the crowd for a long time but couldn't find Ruan Qinghuan. There were too many people and it was difficult for him to find her. But if she was here, she would definitely see him coming.

After a while, there was still no response, which gave Hean a bad feeling.

These private soldiers were not numerous, about 2,000 in number, and they were probably Wu Quan's backup plan. "Today, I am ordered by the Emperor to wipe out the bandits. If you don't want to lose your lives, immediately put down your weapons and surrender. You will be punished according to the law. If you insist on doing it on your own and commit treason, you will be killed without mercy."

There are less than two thousand private soldiers, and the troops brought by He An are comparable to them. Together with these Ningcheng defenders... the difference in numbers is too great, and a head-on fight will not have a good result.

Some soldiers began to waver, and just as some were about to put down their spears, they heard someone shout, "Whoever dares to rebel will be killed by me."

The one who said this was Wu Quan who had rushed over. In the life-and-death game, he tore off the mask of being gentle and kind in the past, stared at He An with bloodshot eyes, but said to the private soldiers behind him: "The wife of the Prime Minister and the daughter of the Duke are in our hands, what is there to be afraid of?"

He An's cold eyes were like ice, and murderous intent suddenly appeared.

Wu Quan was now a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water, and he negotiated with him: "Mr. Prime Minister, as long as you let the water go, the matter of Lucheng will be safe and sound."

After Zhou Dafu settled the disaster victims, he winked at his men, who then led them deeper into Qinghe Village.

After a long silence, he asked, "Mr. Wu, how do you want me to let you go?"

Wu Quan: "I will relocate the private soldiers in Lucheng within two days, and will not leave any trouble for the Prime Minister. It will be easy for the Prime Minister to report back to the capital. Just leave us a way out. The Prime Minister's wife and the Duke's daughter will be safe."

"Okay, go ahead."

Wu Quan: “…”

Is that it?

Wu Quan had already prepared for bargaining, but he didn't expect He An to agree so easily. He felt uneasy: "Prime Minister, please think carefully. If there is any fraud, your wife's life will be in danger."

"Don't dare to leave?"

Wu Quan was in a heavy mood. This was not a question of whether he dared or not, but he had to go. Fortunately, he had made a backup plan, but he didn't know the current situation of Xifeng Cliff. He gritted his teeth secretly, glanced south aimlessly, and shouted to the private soldiers behind him: "Go quickly."

After Wu Quan walked away, He An's eagle-like eyes looked across the village to the distant woods, and he took only a hundred people there quickly, while the rest chased Wu Cheng secretly.

In less than a day, all the private soldiers in Xifeng Cliff were wiped out, and except for those who fought desperately, nearly 10,000 people were captured.

On the other side, Wu Quan closed his eyes in pain after hearing the result. Only less than 2,000 of his 20,000 private soldiers were left. Even if he escaped, the Second Prince would not let him go.

He still couldn't figure it out. How could the Second Prince not notice that Ji Lingchuan had mobilized so many troops? He repeatedly warned him not to act rashly in the letter...

Suddenly, he thought of something and took out the pigeon letter he had just received from his sleeve. The handwriting on it was correct, but the paper...

This is clearly not a letter from the capital.

In the woods south of Qinghe Village, Ruan Qinghuan and Chu Li hid in a groove in the mountain wall. The sound of searching footsteps was getting closer and closer. Chu Li wanted to rush out, but was held back by Ruan Qinghuan.

The enemy has a large number of people, and Chu Li’s skills are probably not enough to protect himself.

The only thing Ruan Qinghuan is thankful for now is that he handed Zimo over to Xia Lian, otherwise the situation would have been even more difficult.

A long spear pierced through the haystack and stabbed into the mountain wall. The two men were horrified but did not dare to move. Fortunately, after only two stabs, the man left. They couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

These private soldiers hid among the villagers and were obviously targeting the disaster victims. They wanted to control the disaster victims, but they did not expect that there would be soldiers to protect them. They had to resort to this last resort and changed their target to Ruan Qinghuan and Chu Li. After all, they were nobles from the capital, and they wanted to use them to threaten He An and Ji Lingchuan.

"This forest is so small, and we've already searched twice. Can a person grow wings and fly?"

"Fuck that nonsense. I saw them come in with my own eyes. There is no way they can escape. Keep looking."

"Hey, those two girls are so pretty. If we find them, can they accompany us first... Ouch..."

"Damn it, it's a life-or-death situation, and you're still thinking about that thing in your crotch."

Chu Li pursed his lips in anger. These beasts had harmed countless people in Lu City. He really wanted to kill them with one knife.

When He'an's troops arrived outside the woods, he ordered all the soldiers to shout loudly: Clear out the bandits, and kill anyone who violates the order.

The roar shook the sky, scaring the birds and beasts in the forest away. The soldiers who were still searching for people in the deep woods were terrified when they heard the roar: "How did they find us so quickly?"

"Boss, run."

Two crisp sounds, like the sound of slaps: "Run, run, run, where are you going? If you want to escape, you must hold on to the chips, find someone quickly."

Ji Lingchuan heard the noise from a distance and hurried over. The forest was so dense that he had to dismount and walk: "Is there anyone inside?"

"It should be inside." He'an was also taking a gamble and rushed into the forest first.

The way out was blocked, and the private soldier became more anxious. His actions to find the person became more rough. When he returned to the sunken mountain wall again, he simply picked up the hay in front of him. When he saw the person hiding inside, his eyes lit up immediately: "Boss, is the person here?"

Chu Li pulled Ruan Qinghuan up and stood behind him: "Sister-in-law, we have no choice but to fight this time."

Chu Li drew a soft sword from his waist and started fighting with these private soldiers without saying a word. Although the enemy was outnumbered, Chu Li had a sword in his hand and it was difficult for him to get close to them for a while.

But Chu Li could not gain any advantage in such a chariot battle. Ruan Qinghuan found the right opportunity, and when Chu Li was surrounded, he raised his arm and shot short arrows. In a hurry, his accuracy was poor, and he shot out five short arrows in a blink of an eye, injuring only two opponents.

Seeing this, the soldiers attacked Ruan Qinghuan.

The movement here attracted the attention of He An and Ji Lingchuan. The two had excellent hearing and flew up at the sound. Just as the two private soldiers surrounded Ruan Chenghuan, He An turned around and drew his sword...

Ruan Qinghuan's short arrow shot into one person's shoulder at the same time.

The sword swung and blood splattered. This was the first time that Ruan Qinghuan witnessed a murder. He felt as if the raindrops falling on his face were warm. He subconsciously raised his hand to wipe it away. Looking at the bright red blood stains, his mind went blank in an instant and he fell backwards.

He An and Ji Lingchuan were both killers on the battlefield. They killed more than a hundred people and reduced them to only seven or eight in a few moves.

The other party was already frightened. Chu Li was furious: "These people actually dared to target me and my sister-in-law. They are really stupid."

As he spoke, the man did a spinning kick, spun half a circle in the air and fell to the ground. Seeing this, the other soldiers dropped their swords and fell to their knees.

On the other side of the forest, several figures hid under the fallen leaves, slowly drawing their bows and arrows...

Chu Li, who had escaped safely, turned around and happened to see this scene. The arrow was aimed at Ji Lingchuan who had his back to her. With a whoosh, the arrow left the bowstring. Chu Li almost subconsciously flew up and hit Ji Lingchuan's back heavily.