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 waiting 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, mingle 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.
The guards quickly cleaned up the place and retreated outside the courtyard, and at the same time mobilized the Jinwu Guards to guard the courtyard. After all, the evidence was all inside.
By the time they finished all this, Rong Yin had also stopped crying.
After making sure that there was no one around, Zong Zhengxiao opened his cloak to let Rong Yin breathe.
Rong Yin's face was now covered in tears and blood, his eyes and nose were red from crying, and he looked both pitiful and scary.
He couldn't stop sobbing, looked up at Zong Zhengxiao, and suddenly asked: "Do you hold me firm?"
Zong Zhengxiao didn't understand why, but he still replied honestly: "I'm relieved."
Rong Yin: "Then I feel relieved."
Before Zong Zheng Xiao could ask what he was relieved about, Rong Yin told him the answer with her actions.
Rong Yin's hands, which were originally holding Zong Zhengxiao's clothes, suddenly loosened, and the whole person fell down suddenly. If Zong Zhengxiao had not protected him tightly, he would have probably fallen to the ground.
"Ayin!" Zong Zhengxiao was startled and picked up Rong Yin.
Rong Yin leaned on his shoulder, her face turning pale. Seeing Zong Zheng Xiao's anxiety, she did not forget to comfort him: "I'm fine. I was just drugged before, and I just had a fight with them, so I'm a little exhausted."
Zong Zhengxiao's eyes were red, and he lowered his head and kissed Rong Yin on the forehead, "I'll take you back to the palace."
"Yeah." Rong Yin relaxed into Zong Zheng's arms and murmured, "I'll just sleep for a while. Call me when we get to the palace..."
Before he could finish his words, Rong Yin tilted his head and closed his eyes.
This is not sleeping, it's clearly fainting.
After falling into a coma, Rong Yin relived in his dream what happened after he was kidnapped.
After Li Ao carried him into the house, he continued to pretend to be unconscious. Li Ao didn't know that he had woken up. After putting him on the bed, he untied the cloth covering his eyes and reached out to lift his chin.
"Looking at a beauty under the lamplight is really a different feeling." Li Ao stroked Rong Yin's face, his face full of anger, "Rong Yin, Rong Yin, why didn't you just obey me like you are doing now? Why do you treat me as an enemy, provoke me again and again, and force me to use this method to get you?"
If the restraints on his hands and feet had not been untied, Rong Yin would have jumped up and punched him.
It was obvious that he was obsessed with her beauty, but he acted as if he was ignorant of her manners.
Li Ao continued, "It's great to be an emperor. You can enjoy a beauty like you all to yourself. But tonight, I can also experience the emperor's privileges. I will have no regrets in my life if I can sleep with you."
Rong Yin: Bah, you wish, I will destroy you soon!
"My dear, I have great skills and I promise to serve you well."
As he spoke, Li Ao stood up and began to take off his clothes. Rong Yin could hear the rustling sound of his clothes.
But after he finished taking off his clothes, she did not untie his hands and feet as Rong Yin had expected, but instead went straight to taking off his pants.
Rong Yin was dumbfounded. This bastard wanted to come directly!
Rong Yin couldn't pretend anymore.
He felt his strength returning to him, and when Li Ao tried to continue pulling off his clothes, he opened his eyes, and before Li Ao could react, he bent his legs and kicked him in the stomach, knocking him off the bed.
Li Ao cried out and rolled off the bed. Before he could get up, Rong Yin opened her mouth and bit the knot on her wrist.
Fortunately, his kidnappers saw that he was dizzy and did not tie him up again, and the knot they tied was not too tight, otherwise Rong Yin would have to spend more effort to break free.
But he was fast, and Li Ao was not a stupid man. After he came to his senses, he found that he had woken up and wanted to escape. Li Ao ignored the servant outside the door and stood up and rushed towards Rong Yin.
The rope on Rong Yin's wrist had not yet been completely loosened, and he wanted to kick Li Ao again, but Li Ao was prepared this time. He wrapped his legs around him and pressed his whole body on him.
"Good for you, you've already woken up, but you're still pretending to be me!"
Li Ao pressed Rong Yin's shoulders and said with a smile: "It's good that you woke up. This young master likes your fierce and aggressive side. The more fiercely you fight, the more fun it will be for me to fuck you!"
As he spoke, he was about to tear Rong Yin's clothes.
But how could Rong Yin let him succeed? While he was talking nonsense, Rong Yin had already shaken off the rope on her wrist.
Faced with this kind of villain, Rong Yin showed no mercy and instantly transformed into a half-merman form, attacking Li Ao left and right.
"Ah——" Li Ao screamed.
Rong Yin's claws were sharp and she didn't hold back her strength. She dug her claws into the flesh and pulled downwards. In an instant, blood and flesh flew all over Li Ao's chest and abdomen.
Li Ao let out a cry, his voice breaking from the pain.
I thought Li Ao would move away after being injured, but he seemed to be enraged or had gone crazy. Seeing that Rong Yin was still lying there and hadn't sat down, he risked being injured again, and rushed over and grabbed Rong Yin's neck, yelling.
"You bastard! How dare you hurt me? I want you to die!!!"
Li Ao's eyes were bloodshot and he used more and more strength in his hands.
Rong Yin's face turned red from being pinched, and he raised his claws and hit him directly on the back.
Li Ao felt pain and unconsciously let go of his hand.
Rong Yin was also getting anxious at this time. He grabbed Li Ao's right arm, opened his mouth full of sharp teeth and bit it, tearing off a large piece of flesh.
If you dare to pinch him, forget about having this hand!
“Ahhh——” Li Ao fell to the ground, covering his arm. This time he really couldn’t get up.
Rong Yin spat and used his claws to cut the rope that bound his feet. Then he kicked Li Ao in the groin. Li Ao screamed again, his eyes rolled back and he passed out.
"This is what happens if you try to force me!" Rong Yin kicked him again.
At this time, the man and the servant outside also broke open the door and rushed in.
The scene inside the house was horrific. Rong Yin's appearance had changed, and he was covered in blood, looking like a demon.
They had never seen Rong Yin in her mermaid form, especially Wang Da, who had no idea that the person he was holding captive was not a human.
Seeing Rong Yin's terrifying look, Wang Da was about to retreat, but the servant knew that Rong Yin was a mermaid. He woke up the fastest and turned to Wang Da and said, "This monster hurt my young master. You should kill him quickly. When my young master wakes up, he will definitely reward you handsomely. No matter how much money you want, he will give it to you!"
As the saying goes, money makes the world go round. Wang Da thought about the countless gold and silver treasures, and then looked at Rong Yin. He found that he was not as strong as himself, and instantly became bolder.
He picked up the big knife at his waist, and a fierce look appeared on his fleshy face. "This knife of mine hasn't drunk blood for a long time. Today I will use your blood to satisfy its hunger."
They wanted to kill him, but Rong Yin was not stupid. He looked around and found that the window was open. Before the man drew his knife, he rushed over and jumped out of the window.
Wang Dashun, holding a big knife, followed suit.
Rong Yin wanted to run out of the yard, but he ran out of time and Wang Da was already behind him.
There was no other way, Rong Yin could only use the yard to deal with him.
The man was wary of his sharp teeth and claws and did not dare to get close to him easily. Rong Yin always kept a distance from him and paid attention to his movements at all times.
As the two were in a stalemate, the sound of a child crying was heard nearby.
The servant then remembered that this was a residential area. If they delayed for too long and were discovered, or if the emperor's men came looking for them, they would be doomed.
"What are you hesitating for? Kill him now!" the servant yelled at Wang.
The only solution now is to kill the person to silence him so that there will be no evidence!
Wang Da was originally staring at Rong Yin intently, but his attention was distracted by the servant's shout.
He shouted back impatiently: "Come on if you can!"
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Rong Yin ran directly behind the servant.
The two men probably didn't expect him to do this. They were so frightened that they were stunned for a few seconds. By the time the servant remembered to run away, it was too late.
Rong Yin was taller than the servant, and he easily grabbed his neck with his elbow and took him hostage.
"If you are not afraid of his death, come here." Rong Yin showed his claws towards the servant's neck.
The servant was so frightened that he almost peed himself. He trembled and said to Wang Dadao: "Back off! Stay away from me!"
Wang Da looked at Rong Yin, then at the servant, as if hesitating.
Rong Yin dragged the servant towards the courtyard gate.
Seeing that Rong Yin was about to escape, Wang Da thought of the huge reward from Master Li and that Rong Yin had already seen his face. What if Rong Yin escaped and someone was sent to capture him?
In an instant, he turned evil and showed a cruel smile to the two of them: "For the safety of me and your young master, I have to inconvenience you."
Rong Yin took a breath of cold air. This guy didn't even let his own people go?
The servant was so frightened that he was shaking like a sieve, and he deeply regretted that he had instigated Wang Da to take action.
"No, no, no..." The servant resisted subconsciously, but he could only watch Wang Daju rushing towards him with a knife.
Seeing how cruel he was, Rong Yin no longer showed any mercy. When he was about to reach her, she pushed the servant out.
When Wang Da saw the servant rushing towards him, he instinctively swung his knife. The servant tried desperately to dodge, but his forearm was still chopped off.
The servant boy screamed miserably, disturbing Wang Da's mind. In addition, he had not yet retracted his knife, so he could not make the next chop.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Rong Yin appeared behind him like a ghost and grabbed his neck hard with his claws.
The artery was severed and blood gushed out.
Rong Yin took a few steps back, and Wang Da staggered and fell, looking at Rong Yin as if he were looking at a devil.
Rong Yin had never imagined that he, a good young man in modern society, would end up killing people after traveling through a book.
Rong Yin didn't know how long she had been unconscious. In a daze, Wang Da seemed to have crawled up again. He shouted "Give me back my life" and rushed towards Rong Yin with a knife, screaming loudly.
"You couldn't beat me when you were alive, and it's the same when you're dead." Rong Yin's heart was hardened to the extreme, and when Wang Da approached, he swung his claws again.
Just when he swung his claw halfway, someone grabbed it tightly, and at the same time a familiar voice rang in Rong Yin's ears.
"Don't be afraid, Ayin. I'm here. I will protect you well. Sweetheart, Ayin, go to sleep peacefully."
As he finished speaking, the terrifying Wang Da and the waiting 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.
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