Chapter 70: Little Mermaid's Counterattack

Inside the restaurant, Zong Zhengxiao stood in front of the window, holding the fox mask given to him by Rong Yin in his hand, staring at the night outside, with an indissoluble murderous intent condensed on his cold face.

The tables, chairs and benches on the second floor were in disarray, and apart from Zong Zheng Xiao, no one else could be seen.

From the private room further inside, mournful wails could be heard. The noise was so loud that it could be heard clearly even in the lobby on the first floor and on the street outside.

The entire restaurant was empty, without the noisy laughter over a cup of tea. Apart from Zong Zhengxiao's people and the owner and his staff, there was no other customer.

Even though the streets were packed tonight, passers-by tacitly walked around the restaurant, forming an empty area in front of the door.

Someone whispered, "What's going on in that restaurant? Is there a fight going on inside? They're screaming so loudly, why don't the Jinwu Guards go check it out?"

The passerby said, "I don't know if it was a fight, but the Jinwu Guards you mentioned have already arrived and are standing guard at the gate. Otherwise, why do you think everyone is walking around there?"

The person asking the question was surprised: "Who is the important person in the restaurant? He can even ask the Jinwu Guards to help guard the door."

"Who knows? Speak softly, or you might get into trouble."

While the two were whispering, the wailing sounds in the restaurant stopped at some point.

The guard with blood on his hands came behind Zong Zhengxiao and reported the results of the interrogation: "The waiter in the back kitchen of the restaurant was the younger brother of a local thug named Wang Da. Because of his help and backdoor, Wang Da took the opportunity to kidnap the young master. The waiter didn't know where the young master was kidnapped, nor did he know who asked Wang Da to kidnap the young master, but he told Wang Da's address, and the men pretending to be drunks also confessed that they were paid to help hold Wei Liu back, and they didn't know about the kidnapping plan."

Wei Liu was the guard who accompanied Rong Yin to the toilet. In order to make up for his mistake, he is now leading people outside to look for Rong Yin.

Zong Zhengxiao's tone was chilling: "Send someone to Wang's house and spread the news to all the wanderers and beggars in the capital. Anyone who provides clues about Wang's whereabouts will be rewarded handsomely. As for those few among them, remember to deal with them cleanly after the matter is settled."

"Yes!" The guard turned around and went to work.

After a while, those who were beaten to death disappeared silently in the restaurant. This year's winter was not too long, but some people would never have the chance to see the New Year's scenery with their own eyes.

Sometimes the people who understand a city best are not necessarily the common people or the high-ranking officials, but the lower-class people who have no fixed place to live and wander around every corner of the city like ghosts.

They have a comprehensive network of relationships and know that any disturbance to every person in the network and every node in the grid will cause a huge wave within the network.

Beggars walked in groups of three or five through the streets and alleys, mingling among the bustling crowd. Whether begging or stealing, tonight was a good time.

The vagrants and beggars near the tavern were the first to receive the news and told Wang Da's whereabouts at the time, offering a reward of at least 1,000 taels of silver.

One thousand taels is enough for a person to have enough food and drink for a lifetime. Especially for people like them who have no one to rely on, it is like a huge pie that falls from the sky and can crush them to death.

Everyone was actively running around to get the news, fearing that if they were a step slower, others would get there first.

But what they didn't know was that soon after the news spread, a grandfather and grandson who made a living by begging found Zong Zhengxiao's people.

The skinny old man knelt down in front of the guards with his grandson who looked like he had been rolling in the mud.

"Sir, my grandson met Wang Da tonight. My dear, please tell Mr. Guan about it." The old man spoke in a hoarse voice and patted the child on the back to signal him to speak.

The grandson said in a daze, "I was squatting in the haystack eating steamed bread, and I saw Wang Da carrying a man on his shoulders. He didn't notice me and didn't steal my steamed bread."

Before the guard had time to ask the child where he saw Wang Da, a man suddenly rushed out from the side. When the guard saw who he was and was about to greet him, he had already rushed out holding the dirty child on the ground.

"Follow up, follow up!" The guard reacted and called on others to catch up.

"Little kid, where did you see Wang Da? Show me the way. If you find Wang Da, I'll buy you enough steamed buns to last you a lifetime."

Zong Zhengxiao held the child to his chest with one hand and spoke quickly.

The child was suddenly taken away from his grandfather. He was quite scared at first, with tears welling up in his eyes. But when he heard about the big steamed bun, his silly look instantly became clear.

"There!" The child pointed to the entrance of an alley, and Zong Zhengxiao rushed in without hesitation.

This residential area has not been planned, so there are many winding paths, just like a maze. If you don’t have someone familiar with the way to lead the way, you will probably have to spend a long time wandering around in it.

If Rong Yin was abducted here, even though it was not far from the tavern, it was understandable that Wei Liu and the others could not find him for a long time.

Almost every time Zong Zheng Xiao turned a corner, the child could immediately point out which direction to go next, and Zong Zheng Xiao never doubted his judgment, and every step and turn was done without hesitation.

Because of his young age, the child was often bullied and robbed by other beggars. In order to get away from them, the child often ran in here, playing hide-and-seek games in circles. No one was more familiar with this place than him.

After turning another corner, the child pointed to a pile of dry grass by the wall and said, "That's where I saw Wang Da. He walked forward."

Zong Zhengxiao rushed forward without stopping, passing the pile of hay.

But there were two more forks ahead. The child bit his finger and said anxiously, "I didn't see which way Wang Da took."

Zong Zheng Xiao was just about to pick a road to try when he heard a sharp scream not far away on the right, which frightened the child in his arms.

"There!" As the child's voice rang out, Zong Zheng Xiao had already rushed over.

When they arrived, the gate of the courtyard was closed, but the cries of pain from inside had not stopped.

Zong Zhengxiao put the child aside, stepped forward and kicked the gate open.

In the yard, Rong Yin's hair was slightly messy, and he transformed into a half-merman. The fish tail did not emerge, but his ears became fins, fish scales appeared on his face, and his teeth turned into terrifying shark teeth.

His mouth was full of blood, which was dripping down his chin. There was a circle of bruises around his neck, as if he had been strangled.

There were still pieces of meat hanging on his sharp claws, and his body and face were covered with glaring red, forming a sharp contrast with his originally snow-white clothes.

At Rong Yin's feet, a burly man was holding his neck and twitching, dark red blood flowing out from between his fingers. He stared with his eyes wide open, and let out a "hehe" gasp from his mouth.

In his other hand, he was still holding a large knife, the blade of which was stained with someone's blood.

The scream before did not come from him.

Because behind him and Rong Yin, a man with half an arm missing was leaning against the wall and screaming in pain. Judging from his attire, he looked like a servant in some mansion.

Hearing the sound of the courtyard door being pushed open, Rong Yin turned around abruptly and looked over there. The ferocious and bloodthirsty look in his eyes frightened Zong Zheng Xiao.

The child stumbled after him, and after seeing such a horrible sound, he screamed subconsciously, and then fainted with a thud.

The guards had lost the child at first, but when they heard the child's cry, they all rushed over.

At this time, Rong Yin also saw clearly who the person was. The moment he met Zong Zheng Xiao's gaze, the fierce and crazy expression on Rong Yin's face instantly collapsed. His nose felt sore, and he opened his bloody mouth and burst into tears.

"Aaaaah! Zong Zheng Xiao! You're finally here! I'm so scared!" Rong Yin's tears fell like a dam bursting.

Noticing someone coming from behind, Zong Zhengxiao didn't have time to say a word. He strode forward, took off the cloak he was wearing and covered Rong Yin's head with it, completely covering his figure, and then held him in his arms.

When the guards rushed in, they saw a bloody scene. Rong Yin was hiding in Zong Zheng Xiao's arms. Others could not see even a hair on his head. They could only hear his crying.

Seeing that Rong Yin had been found, the guards breathed a sigh of relief and took the Jinwu Guards to deal with the two people on the ground. At the same time, some people ran into the house.

Soon, the people who had entered the house came out and whispered something to the captain of the Jinwu Guard. The captain was startled and went to discuss with the chief guard. The chief guard glanced at Zong Zhengxiao and Rong Yin, and replied in a low voice that they should tie the people up first.

There was a big gash on Wang Da's neck, and he died before he was carried out of the yard. His eyes were wide open, as if he died with his eyes open. The ground was covered with blood, and the smell of blood was so strong that it made people want to vomit.

The servant's broken arm was treated urgently by an experienced guard and then sent to the infirmary.

It's not that I don't want him to die, but I want him to live and tell the truth.

When Li Ao was carried out, he was covered in blood. He was half naked with only a pair of underwear on. His chest, back and abdomen were covered with scratches, and a large piece of flesh had been bitten off from his right arm. He had passed out from losing too much blood.

Zong Zhengxiao had expected it to be him, but looking at his appearance, he knew that he must have wanted to humiliate Rong Yin before.

He couldn't even imagine what kind of inhuman treatment Rong Yin would suffer if he had no ability to protect himself and fell into the hands of this beast.

Zong Zheng Xiao resisted the urge to chop off his head immediately, and said to the guards, "He still has some use, don't let him die."

"Yes!" The guards carried the man away.

The child's grandfather also rushed over and took the child away.

The grandfather did not suspect that the child's fainting was related to Rong Yin. He thought the child was just frightened because he could not bear the miserable condition of those people.

The guards were kindhearted, and since they were the heroes who helped find Rong Yin, they took them to the clinic and asked the doctor to help check the child.

侍衛們火速将裏面收拾好，退到了院外去，順便調動金吾衛把院子守好，畢竟證據都在裏面。

等他們忙完這一切，戎音也哭完了。

确認周邊沒有人了，宗政逍才把大氅拉開，讓戎音透氣。

戎音現在滿臉眼淚和血跡，眼睛鼻子都哭紅了，看起來有些可憐又有些吓人。

他抽噎着停不下來，擡頭看向宗政逍，忽然問了一句：“你有沒有抱穩我？”

宗政逍不明所以，但還是老實回複：“抱穩了。”

戎音：“那我就放心了。”

還不等宗政逍問放心什麽，戎音就用行動告訴了他答案。

戎音原本抓着宗政逍衣服的手驟然松開，整個人猛地往下墜去，要不是有宗政逍牢牢護着，他大概已經跌到地上了。

“阿音！”宗政逍被吓了一跳，打橫将戎音抱了起來。

戎音靠着他的肩膀，臉色變得有些蒼白，看見宗政逍着急，還不忘記安撫他：“我沒事，就是之前被下了藥，剛才又跟他們打了一架，有點脫力了。”

宗政逍眼圈泛紅，低頭在戎音額頭上親了一下，“我帶你回宮。”

“嗯。”戎音放松地窩進宗政逍懷裏，喃喃道：“我就睡一小會兒，到宮裏了你叫……”

話還沒說完，戎音頭一歪就閉上了眼睛。

這哪是睡着，明明是暈過去了。

昏迷後，戎音又在夢裏複盤了一遍他被綁架後發生的事情。

他被李傲抱進屋後繼續裝暈，李傲不知道他已經醒了，将他放到床上後，将蒙住他眼睛的布解開，伸手挑起了他的下巴。

“燈下看美人，果真別有一番滋味。”李傲撫摸着戎音的臉，滿臉□□ ，“戎音啊戎音，你早點像現在這樣乖乖從了本少不就好了，何必拿我當仇人看待，一再挑釁我，逼得我不得不用上這種辦法來得到你。”

要不是手腳上的束縛還沒被解開，戎音早跳起來給他一拳了。

明明是他貪戀自己美色，說得跟自己不識擡舉一樣。

李傲繼續道：“當皇帝就是好啊，可以獨享你這樣的絕色美人，不過今晚本少爺也可以體驗一下皇帝的特權了，能睡到你，我這輩子也沒遺憾了。”

戎音：呸，想得美，待會兒就把你給廢了！

“寶貝兒，本少技術好着呢，保證把你伺候得□□。”

說着，李傲就起身開始脫衣裳，戎音能聽見他衣料摩擦的窣窣聲。

只是等他脫完後，卻并沒有如戎音所想的那樣給他解開手腳的束縛，反而是要直接去脫他褲子。

戎音傻眼了，這王八蛋想直接來啊！

戎音裝不下去了。

他感到身體的力氣有所恢複，在李傲想繼續扒拉他衣服時，他睜開眼睛，在李傲沒反應過來之前，曲起雙腿往他肚子上一踹，直接将他踹下了床。

李傲哎喲一聲滾下床去，趁他還沒爬起來，戎音張嘴就去咬手腕上的繩結。

幸好綁架他的人看他暈了，并沒有反手綁，并且打的結也不算死，否則戎音還要花更多力氣才能掙脫開。

不過他速度快，李傲也不是木頭人，緩過神來後，發現他已經醒了并且還想逃走，李傲也不顧門外小厮的詢問，起身就朝戎音撲了上去。

戎音手腕上的繩子還沒完全抖開，他想再次踹李傲，只是李傲這回有了準備，繞開他的腿，整個人都壓在了他身上。

“好啊你，原來你已經醒了，還在那裏跟我裝！”

李傲按着戎音的肩膀，獰笑道：“醒了也好，本少喜歡的就是你這副潑辣的勁兒，你掙紮得越兇，我幹起來就越爽！”

他一邊說，一邊就要去撕戎音的衣服。

但戎音怎麽可能讓他得逞，在他廢話的時候，戎音已經甩開了手腕上的繩子。

面對這種惡徒，戎音也不手軟，瞬間轉換成半鲛人形态，對着李傲就是左右開弓。

“啊——”李傲慘叫。

戎音的爪子尖利，又沒留力氣，爪子扣進肉裏，往下一劃拉，李傲胸口和腹部瞬間血肉橫飛。

李傲啊了一聲，痛得都破音了。

本以為受了傷，李傲就會躲開，誰知他像是被激起了怒氣，或者是已經瘋了，見戎音還躺着沒坐進來，拼着再次受傷的危險，大叫着撲過去掐住了戎音的脖子。

“賤人！居然敢傷我，我要你死！！！”

李傲目眦欲裂，手上用的力氣也越來越大。

戎音被掐得臉通紅，擡起爪子直接在他後背也來了一下。

李傲吃痛，下意識松開手。

戎音這時也急眼了，他一把攥住李傲的右胳膊，張開滿口尖牙就咬了上去 ，硬生生撕下了一大塊血肉。

敢掐他，這手也別想要了！

“啊啊啊——”李傲捂着胳膊倒地，這回是真的起不來了。

戎音呸了一口，用爪子把綁住他腳的繩子割開，然後一腳踢在了李傲的子孫根上，李傲又是一聲大叫，兩眼一翻白就暈了過去。

“這就是想強迫我的下場！”戎音又踢了他一下。

這時，外面的男人和小厮也撞開門沖了進來。

屋內情景慘不忍睹，戎音也變了樣子，滿身鮮血，看上去跟個惡鬼無異。

他們從未見過戎音的鲛人形态，特別是王大，他完全不知道自己綁的不是人類。

看見戎音恐怖的樣子，王大生出了退縮之意，小厮卻是知道戎音是鲛人的，他最快清醒過來，轉頭對王大道：“這個妖怪傷了我家的少爺，你快殺了他，等我家少爺醒後一定重重有賞，你要多少銀子少爺都會給！”

正所謂有錢能使鬼推磨，王大想着數不盡的金銀財寶，又打量了一下戎音，發現他沒自己壯碩，瞬間膽子就大了起來。

他拿起腰間的大刀，滿臉橫肉的臉上浮現出兇狠之意，“老子這把刀好久沒飲過血了，今天就用你這妖怪的血來給它解解饞。”

他們有殺他的想法，戎音也不是傻的，他左右看了看，發現窗戶開着，在男人拔出刀前，他已經先行沖過去跳出了窗。

拎着大刀的王大順勢追了出去。

戎音想跑出院子，但時間不夠，王大已經到他身後了。

沒辦法，戎音只能借着院子跟他周旋。

男人顧忌着他的尖牙利爪，也不敢輕易靠近，戎音始終跟他保持距離，時刻注意着他的動作。

正在兩人僵持之際，附近傳來了孩子的啼哭聲。

小厮這才想起來，這裏是住宅區，萬一拖久了被人發現，或者皇上的人找了過來，那他們就完蛋了。

“你磨蹭什麽，快殺了他啊！”小厮對王大吼道。

為今之計，也只有來個殺人滅口，死無對證了！

王大本來正專心致志地盯着戎音，可小厮一喊，他注意力就分散了。

他不耐煩地吼回去：“你有本事你來啊！”

趁此機會，戎音直接奔向小厮身後。

那兩人估計沒想到他還有這番操作，被吓得愣神了幾秒，等小厮想起要逃跑時已經晚了。

戎音比小厮高，輕松就用手肘卡住他的脖子，把他當做了人質。

“不怕他死的話，你就過來。”戎音對着小厮脖子亮出了爪子。

小厮差點被吓尿，哆嗦着對王大道：“你退後！離我遠點！”

王大看看戎音，又看看小厮，像是在猶豫。

戎音拖着小厮往院門口走。

眼看着戎音馬上要逃跑了，王大想到李少爺的巨額報酬，想到戎音已經看見了他的臉，萬一逃出去以後派人來抓他怎麽辦？

一瞬間，他惡向膽邊生，對着兩人露出一個殘忍的笑容：“為了我和你家少爺的安全着想，只能委屈你了。”

戎音倒吸一口涼氣，這家夥連自己人也不放過？

小厮更是被吓得抖如糠篩，萬分後悔自己方才慫恿王大動手。

“別別別……”小厮下意識抗拒，卻只能眼睜睜看着王大舉刀沖過來。

戎音見他那麽狠，也不再留情，在他即将到達自己面前時，直接把小厮推了出去。

王大見小厮撲過來，本能地揮刀，小厮拼命閃避，但還是被砍掉了一條小臂。

小厮慘叫出聲，擾亂了王大的神智，再加上他還沒收回刀，進行不了下一次劈砍。

趁此機會，戎音便如鬼魅般出現在他身後，狠狠給了他脖子一爪子。

動脈被割斷，鮮血噴湧而出。

戎音退後幾步，王大踉跄着倒下，看向戎音的眼神宛如在看一個惡魔。

戎音也沒想到，他一個現代社會的三好青年，穿書後居然會沾上人命。

戎音不知自己昏過去了多久，迷迷糊糊間，王大似乎又爬了起來，他嘴裏喊着“還我命來”，厲聲尖叫着舉刀朝戎音沖去。

“你活着的時候鬥不過我，死了也一樣。”戎音心硬到了極點，等王大逼近時，再次揮出了爪子。

只是爪子揮到一半，卻被人緊緊握住了，同時一道熟悉的聲音在戎音耳邊響起。

“不怕了阿音，我在這兒呢，我會好好保護你的，乖阿音，安心睡吧。”

As he finished speaking, the terrifying Wang Da and the wailing servant disappeared in Rong Yin's dream.

Rong Yin found himself lying in Zong Zheng Xiao's arms, wrapped in Zong Zheng Xiao's cloak. The blood on his body had been wiped clean, and his mouth tasted a little bitter from the medicine, but it didn't disgust him.

Zong Zheng Xiao patted his back tenderly, humming a little tune he had sung before, and wrapped him in his own aura, as if he was protecting a fragile newborn baby.

Rong Yin became more and more sleepy, clutched Zong Zhengxiao's clothes tightly, and slowly closed her eyes.

In reality, after Rong Yin had nightmares for most of the night, he was finally coaxed into a deep sleep by Zong Zhengxiao.

At this time, the Li family also received the news that Li Ao had gotten into trouble.