Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Several death warriors quickly gathered around Yelü Can.

His expression was dark. “Kill him.”

Song Jin fought his way out from behind Nanmo as well.

“Well, well. The Eighth Prince really is willing to go all out, isn’t he? To personally lower himself to come to a little bandit stronghold like this and become some unremarkable Third Chief.”

By the firelight, Yelü Can made out Song Jin’s face.

His gaze chilled. “It’s you.”

“I trust you’ve been well, Eighth Prince.”

Song Jin struggled somewhat as he tangled with the death warriors, yet he still forced himself to respond to Yelü Can with an air of ease.

Hiss… Another slash. Damn, that hurt.

Yelü Can sneered. “My third brother is dead, yet you are still alive and well.”

“But right now, I imagine my third brother would very much like to see you.”

“That isn’t necessarily true.”

Another voice rang out. At some point, Ji Yan’an had appeared not far away. The Cloud-Piercing Arrow in his hand shot straight into the sky.

At the same time, Ji Er and the others charged out from behind Ji Yan’an.

Yelü Can’s expression turned utterly grim. His gaze locked on Ji Yan’an.

“Young Master of the Ji Family.”

“For the sake of a mere bandit stronghold, you truly are willing to risk everything.”

He let out two mocking laughs, then, under the protection of several death warriors, swiftly fled the place.

Ji Er and several hidden guards gave chase.

Jiang Yunsui absorbed the moonlight and healed the inside of her thigh. At least now she could move around.

“Huh? The Second Leader is gone.”

The Chief Bandit had already been tied up. Inside the stronghold, some of the bandits who had not eaten noticed the commotion and began fleeing in every direction, only to be killed or captured by the Yaoguang Guard who had long since lain in ambush outside the stronghold.

Ji Yan’an said, “Find him.”

The people inside the stronghold still needed to be searched.

Meanwhile, the Second Leader stumbled all the way back to his room.

Li Yunniang panicked for an instant when she heard the door being pushed open.

“Master Hu Er, what happened to you?”

The Second Leader hurried into his inner room. “Don’t ask so many questions. Pack up and run. Those damned soldiers actually broke in.”

If he had not been cautious by nature and often kept antidotes on him, he likely would have fallen for it too.

Li Yunniang’s eyes flickered.

She quickly poured a cup of tea and handed it to him.

“Have some tea first. Even if they’ve broken in, they’re still some distance from us. It’s pitch-black out there, and they don’t know the stronghold as well as we do. As long as we find a place to hide, they definitely won’t discover us.”

The Second Leader was in a state of panic, and a cup of tea was just what he needed to steady his nerves.

“Hurry. There’s a secret passage on my side.”

He took a few steps forward, then suddenly sensed something was wrong. A wave of sharp pain twisted through his abdomen.

Master Hu Er whipped his head around and stared at Li Yunniang.

Li Yunniang lowered her eyes. The candlelight flickered, making her expression impossible to see clearly.

“You…”

Master Hu Er grabbed her by the throat, his eyes bloodshot like a vicious ghost’s.

“You poisoned me!”

Li Yunniang clutched at his hand, her throat aching under his grip.

She laughed. “Master Hu Er, you didn’t really think… I had lost my memory… did you?”

Master Hu Er’s expression turned ugly, but the violent cramping in his stomach told him one thing.

This was no ordinary poison.

On the verge of death, he grew even more frenzied. “If I’m dying, I’m taking you with me, you bitch!”

The strength in his hand increased, as if he meant to strangle her alive.

Li Yunniang could not break free. Even poisoned, he was far stronger than she was.

As she struggled, her hand brushed against the knife hidden beneath the pillow.

It was the knife that little girl had given her.

So without the slightest hesitation, she pulled it out and slashed it across Master Hu Er’s neck.

Warm blood sprayed across her face in an instant.

Master Hu Er’s eyes bulged as he stared fixedly at her. In the end, his gaze filled with unwillingness as he collapsed to the floor.
“Cough, cough, cough…”

The hand she held the knife with trembled slightly, but as she looked at the man lying on the ground, the curve of her lips only widened.

“At last… I finally got my revenge…”

Because her throat had been strangled, her voice came out hoarse.

“Sister Yunniang.”

Jiang Yunsui ran inside. When she saw the Second Leader dead on the ground, she only froze for a moment before hurrying to Li Yunniang’s side.

“Sister Yunniang, you’re hurt.”

“Cough, cough. I’m… fine.”

Ji Yan’an and Shen Qingzhu walked in after her. Shen Qingzhu only glanced at the Second Leader before lifting a brow slightly.

“Gut-Tearing Poison.”

Li Yunniang rose to her feet. “You are… people from the authorities.”

Ji Yan’an said, “To be precise, Ji Family Member.”

The Ji Family.

Li Yunniang’s eyes flickered.

Most of the fighting force in the mountain stronghold had already been wiped out. The Chief Bandit had been captured, the Second Leader was dead, the Third Chief had fled, and morale had collapsed. The remaining bandits either surrendered or tried to run.

Those who ran were quickly hunted down and dragged back by the Yaoguang Guard and their dogs.

It was not until noon the next day that nearly everyone in the stronghold had been rounded up.

Ji Er and the others returned. “Young Master, we couldn’t catch him. He got away.”

By then, Ji Yan’an had already changed back into his own clothes and eaten. Jiang Yunsui was tugging him toward the bandits’ storeroom.

Ji Yan’an had long expected that they would fail to catch the Eighth Prince, Yelü Can.

“No matter. He knows the terrain here better than you do. A crafty hare has three burrows. There was no way he would prepare only one secret passage.”

Jiang Yunsui ran on ahead, then realized Ji Yan’an had not followed and ran back again.

“Ji Yan’an, hurry up!”

Ji Yan’an drawled, “I know.”

Song Jin said, “Didn’t we agree to inspect the iron mine first?”

Ji Yan’an replied, “The iron mine is right there. It isn’t going to run away. What’s the rush?”

Song Jin sneered. “What, and all that gold and silver is going to sprout legs and run?”

This was blatant favoritism!

Though he grumbled, he still followed Ji Yan’an to the storeroom at the back, albeit looking rather displeased.

The storeroom had already been opened. Gold, silver, and jewels were scattered across the floor, along with a mess of footprints.

When some of the bandits realized enemies had breached the interior of the stronghold, they had rushed here first, planning to grab some valuables and flee.

But they had all been caught.

Nanshu took one look around. “Whoa. There are quite a few good things here.”

“These bolts of silk alone would fetch a good price.”

“These bandits really are brutes. Such fine silk fabric, and they just left it lying around. Several bolts have gone damp.”

“Young Master, there’s quite a bit of tea here too.”

“Wow, so much silver.”

The bandits had mostly robbed traveling merchants, so the storeroom contained all sorts of things.

Fabric, porcelain, tea leaves, pearls…

“Damn, there’s even salt here.”

Ji Yan’an went over to take a look. There really was.

Fan He said, “What merchant family was bold enough to traffic salt all the way here?”

This was something tightly controlled by the Imperial Court. Privately trafficking salt was a serious crime.

Song Jin glanced at the coarse salt. “Well, that works out nicely for us. When it comes to making money, what wouldn’t those people dare to do?”

Jiang Yunsui circled the large vat twice, then tried to push it.

But she had clearly overestimated herself. She put in every bit of strength she had, her little face turning red from the effort, yet she failed to move the vat even half an inch.

“Ji Yan’an…”

If she could not move it, then she would find reinforcements.

But when she reached Ji Yan’an’s side, she scratched her head. He probably could not move it either.

So she turned on her heel and went to find Nanmo instead.

“Nanmo, Nanmo! Hurry and move that vat away.”

Ji Yan’an: All of a sudden, he really wanted to hit someone.