Several burly men dressed as robbers glanced at the thin woman but didn't take her seriously. They continued to punch and kick the man, who, unable to dodge in time, fell to the ground and hurriedly shouted to her, "Run! You're no match for them!"
"Let him go!" Lan Yamei shouted, assuming a fighting stance. Modern education taught her that helping others is the source of happiness. Besides, these petty thieves didn't look very strong; it would only delay them for a few minutes and wouldn't affect Ling'er's journey home.
A young man who seemed to be the leader walked over with a sneer, "Oh, you've studied a bit! But I advise you not to be so blind! We're beating him up on behalf of Heaven. Do you even know who he is?"
Lan Yamei had already calculated in her mind that these three thugs were no good, but they were confident of victory because of their youth and strength. They were unlucky to have run into her today, but she would teach them a lesson! If they continued down the wrong path, they would face endless beatings.
"I don't know who he is! But I know you're ganging up on us and have no shame! Let him go, and I might spare your lives." Lan Yamei threatened, then did a backflip on the spot, showing off her skills.
The three were startled, exchanged glances, and cursed at the handsome old man, "Get lost! If we run into you again, you'll be sorry!" They kicked and punched him a few more times, uttered some threats, and hurriedly ran away.
The handsome old man, having been successfully rescued, disregarded his disheveled state and immediately bowed to Lan Yamei in gratitude, saying, "Thank you for saving me, heroine! I'll kowtow to you!" He was about to kneel down when he said this.
Lan Yamei hurriedly reached out to stop her, but the moment they made contact, Lan Yamei felt a sharp pain in her hand, as if she were being pricked by needles. Then her eyes glazed over, her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground unconscious.
The Flower-Filled Tower Dungeon
Lan Yamei lay on her side on the haystack, her eyelids still heavy, but she slowly regained her mobility. Her head was still a little dizzy, but when she heard someone calling her name, she struggled to turn over and vaguely saw Zhao Zhicheng being imprisoned opposite her.
"What are you doing here?" Lan Yamei asked, her words slurred, her body still weak and sore as she lay on the haystack.
Zhao Zhicheng gripped the wooden cage with both hands, sighed, and said, "How did you get arrested too? Were you exposed?"
Lan Yamei thought for a moment and said, "No."
Zhao Zhicheng breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. A time traveler, if her identity were discovered, she'd be imprisoned; even if she didn't do research, she'd still cause trouble. He needed to quickly explain her situation so he could make plans as soon as possible. "Are you alright? Do you know where we are?"
"Where are we?" Lan Yamei really didn't know where she was. It looked like a prison, but there was no one on duty.
"We're at Hua Man Lou!" Zhao Zhicheng said quickly, making sure no one was around. "After you left, I heard birds chirping outside the window. I opened the window but before I could see clearly, I was dragged here. I've already treated the burned person, so don't blame me. If I hadn't obeyed, he probably wouldn't be breathing by now. But I'm sure now that your previous guesses were correct. What do we do next?"
Lan Yamei's mind gradually cleared, and although her limbs were numb, she began to think quickly. At daybreak, when Qiu Zeyu returned from Aunt Guan's and discovered the two were missing, he would definitely come to Hua Manlou to rescue them. Unless Hua Manlou immediately killed them to silence them, as long as the two escaped alive, she would find a way to solidify her crime of colluding with remnants of the previous dynasty.
But why did Hua Yuhe only lock them up instead of executing them immediately? That's not like her! Could she have some other purpose for them?
The secret chamber of Hua Man Lou…
"Why doesn't Master Nan kill them? These two are incredibly skilled. If they escape, there will be endless trouble," Hua Yuhe pleaded, risking her life. She didn't want her Hua Man Lou, which she had painstakingly built up over the years, to collapse because Nan Fangnan's relationship with her was exposed.
She couldn't bear to see Nanfang Nan, despite being injured by the other party, still cherish their talents and spare their lives, hoping to use them for her own purposes. Moreover, back then, she had already broken down Meilin Pass's last line of defense, making him want to die. Who knew he'd be saved by some ignorant, arrogant young girl? It was infuriating!
Nanfang Nan's face was wrapped in thick bandages, and her eyebrows and beard were burned off. Hearing Hua Manlou's words, she became a little angry. "Do I need you to teach me how to do things?"
Hua Yuhe was startled and quickly knelt down, replying, "Master Nan, please calm down! If it weren't for your help in regaining control of Hua Man Lou back then, I wouldn't have the good life I have today. I have never forgotten your great kindness over the years and have always worked diligently. However, as far as I know, that Lan Ya Mei is cunning and shrewd. If she doesn't sincerely serve you, Master Nan, she will definitely cause endless trouble in the future."
Nanfang Nan listened attentively, sat at the head of the table, and took a sip of tea. This person was indeed unheard of in the martial arts world before, yet she seemed to possess magical powers; after only one exchange, she was burned like this. If she couldn't be subdued in the future, she would truly be a formidable opponent.
Seeing that Master Nan seemed to have taken her words to heart, Hua Yuhe boldly continued, "Master Nan, there's also Zhao Zhicheng. Instead of staying at the proper Xiuluo Mountain in Ziyun Town to obey orders, he's become sworn siblings with that Lan Ya Mei and secretly come to Longyang Town. Isn't that just utter nonsense? I think he can't be kept around; he's probably already betrayed you." She then secretly glanced at Nan Fangnan, but unfortunately, he was completely covered up, so her expression was impossible to discern.
Nanfang Nan knew that the reason the murderous charlatan Xu Yu Dao Ren was sent to Shura Mountain was to create a cover and provide a retreat for himself. Who knew that in less than six months, the scoundrel would open his Taoist gates wide, offering relief to the suffering and posing as a living bodhisattva? Today, in the forest, he even failed to understand Nanfang Nan's hints and dared to attack him. Nanfang Nan had sent men out last night, sending rendezvous signals several times outside the shop, but the scoundrel remained unmoved. Thinking about all this, Nanfang Nan couldn't help but suspect that Xu Yu Dao Ren had betrayed him. Moreover, the exposure of the counterfeit silver case was related to Lan Ya Mei, Qiu Ze Yu, and Murong Xing Chen; it was hard to say that Zhao Zhi Cheng hadn't secretly helped. Otherwise, how could things have gone smoothly for two years, only to be exposed the moment these people arrived on the island!
Hua Yuhe continued, "As far as I know, the Taoist Master Xuyu has been in private contact with people from the Eastern Depot in recent years. Just think about it, the Eastern Depot is the henchman of the current emperor, yet he makes no attempt to conceal it; his intentions are despicable."
Nanfang Nan raised her arm to stop Hua Yuhe from speaking further, took a deep breath, and said, "Bring him up. I have some questions for him. You may leave now."
Seeing that she had basically achieved her goal, Hua Yuhe suppressed a smile, cupped her hands in greeting, and turned to deliver the message.
How could she possibly let Meilin Pass go?! If it weren't for her, she would be a pure and innocent young lady, living a life of integrity. How could she possibly sink deeper and deeper into this quagmire! To be looked down upon? As long as she had a breath left, she would trample her into the mud. And she would make sure that everyone close to her met a terrible end.
At this moment, Guan Hu saw his master come out and stepped forward to whisper in his ear, "The Jade-Faced Scholar has arrived; he's on the top floor."
Hua Yuhe's face tightened. At this critical moment, why did this murderous maniac suddenly appear? Did he smell something?
"What does he mean?" Hua Yuhe asked, frowning.
Although she was secretly Nanfang Nan's henchman, on the surface she was just a law-abiding but cunning businesswoman. Therefore, she dared not offend anyone in the underworld and skillfully managed relationships with all parties.
"I sense he's up to no good; something big is about to happen today." Guan Hu could feel the murderous aura even through the curtain, and he had to remind Manager Hua to make plans early.
“I’ll go and meet him. You take Zhao Zhicheng out of the dungeon and bring him to Master Nan for questioning.”
"yes."
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