Outside the stronghold!

The old man pulled his small cart out from inside. Just as he disappeared from the bandits’ line of sight, a figure flashed before his eyes.

Landing directly in front of him!

“Ah—”

The old man immediately cried out in fright, clutching his chest, nearly fainting.

Shi Zijin stood before the old man in tight-fitting dark red clothing, her face cold and expressionless. Her sharp, piercing eyes seemed ready to bore a hole through the old man before her.

“Who… who are you?”

The old man’s body pressed back against the cart, his entire person trembling.

In the dead of night, being frightened by someone could scare a person to death.

Shi Zijin didn’t reply. She simply walked around him, stopping beside the empty baskets. Her gaze swept rapidly over the cart like a scanner.

Finally, her eyes stopped at the bottom of an empty basket.

Her gaze intensified!

When the old man saw this, he instinctively knelt on the ground and prostrated himself, kowtowing.

“Lady warrior, this old man has nothing valuable left on him, just these few worthless baskets. My whole family depends on these to survive. Lady warrior, please show mercy, I beg you!”

As he spoke, he kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead striking the muddy ground scattered with branches, becoming covered in a large patch of dirt.

Shi Zijin glanced at him, then used her sword hilt to lift an empty basket, revealing the bloodstained red cloth and the bell collar that Wei Yi had placed underneath.

In an instant, she grabbed both items and quickly tucked them into her waist.

At the same time, she took out a silver ingot, tossed it into the old man’s empty basket, then with a leap of her body, vanished without a trace.

The old man was stunned. When he came to his senses, he swallowed hard and rose to his feet, picking up the silver ingot and biting it with his mouth.

Shocked and extremely excited, he clutched the silver ingot.

Thump—

He knelt down again!

“Thank you, lady warrior! Thank you, lady warrior!”

His voice echoed through the mountains!

Shanhuai County.

The county magistrate’s residence!

People came and went in and out of the room—carrying clear water in one moment, then carrying out bloodstained water and gauze the next, back and forth several times.

Inside the room!

Muruo had just finished bandaging Jingrong and helped him change into fresh clothes. He leaned against the bed.

Having rushed half a day’s journey from that forest to Shanhuai County, his injuries had worsened significantly. Fortunately, with the divine physician Muruo accompanying him, Jingrong’s life had been saved.

Jingrong’s face was pale, his eyes slightly lowered. Having narrowly escaped death, his vital energy was inevitably damaged.

His parched, bloodstained lips trembled slightly.

He stared at Muruo and asked, “How is it?”

Muruo spoke in a low voice, wiping his hands while walking toward the table on the other side.

“You should worry about yourself first. If I weren’t here, by now, you would already be dead.”

“Is there any news?”

“You should rest well first.”

Muruo simply wouldn’t engage with his question.

Not having received any news about Ji Yunshu, Jingrong was naturally extremely anxious. Pressing his chest, he turned over, preparing to get out of bed.

Fortunately, Muruo quickly came over and pressed him back onto the bed.

“You stubborn rock, when will you ever bloom? Always concerned about that Master Ji of yours, you wouldn’t even know if you died.”

A rebuke!

Jingrong gasped for breath.

“Right now I only care about Yunshu’s safety. If something happens to her, then I’ll truly die.”

“A woman makes you disregard even your own life.”

“Yes!”

He answered with firm determination.

Muruo sighed, truly at a loss with him.

But what could be done?

He could only tell him the truth. “Lang Bo has already gone to Gaoshan Stronghold and sent people back with reports. Who would have thought that a small stronghold would be like a military camp, with extremely tight security? Even Shi Zijin couldn’t get in. It seems those we killed on the official road were probably just small fry from the stronghold.”

“Can’t get in? Why can’t she get in?”

It was just a small stronghold—how could it be like a military camp?

Muruo said, “The original master of Gaoshan Stronghold was an old ghost who brewed alcohol. He learned some mechanism techniques from somewhere and set up mechanisms all around the outer perimeter of the entire stronghold. Anyone unfamiliar with those mechanisms who tries to break in will only meet their death.”

Mechanisms?

Who would have thought that the small Gaoshan Stronghold would have such meticulously arranged mechanisms?

Jingrong grew even more worried, his pale face darkening.

Muruo reached out and patted him lightly on the shoulder.

He said, “Don’t worry. Those people clearly want to lure you into a rescue. Otherwise, they would have killed Master Ji back in that forest and wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of capturing her and that stinky boy.”

That made sense!

However—

Jingrong suddenly asked, “Don’t you find it strange?”

Muruo wasn’t stupid—he knew what he meant.

He walked back over to the table and began sorting through the medicinal herbs.

As he did so, he said, “You mean to say that clearly the kill order was for you, so why were Master Ji and Wei Yi the ones captured instead? There must be something strange about this. Moreover, when those people were in the forest, although they shot arrows, they quickly held back. It seems they didn’t want our lives, or rather, they had some other purpose.”

Jingrong picked up the thread. “This time those people captured her and deliberately let us go in the forest—indeed, they want to use Yunshu’s life to threaten me. And those who know my weakness is Yunshu are few in number.”

“Then who could that person be? Before this, no one should have met with them. Who could the informant be?”

Jingrong’s heart tightened, and he said nothing.

After a long while, he asked, “What about the county magistrate of Shanhuai County?”

Muruo sighed and pointed his hand toward the door.

He said, “He’s kneeling outside. From the moment you were carried into the county government residence, that muddle-headed fool has been kneeling outside. This incident happened within his jurisdiction—how could he not be terrified? Though he deserves it. With bandits rampant in Shanhuai County, he’s a parent official who lives in this spacious mansion every day, taking the court’s salary and eating and drinking well. He’s simply an incompetent official.”

Muruo was filled with righteous indignation!

Jingrong waved his hand. “Let him come in.”

“What? Are you going to remove his official cap?”

Jingrong shot him a sideways glance. Muruo shut his mouth and went out to “invite” the so-called parent official inside.

Zhang Huanping entered with his back bent, his entire person wishing he could prostrate himself on the ground. Clutching his official robes, he dropped to his knees with a “thump” beside Jingrong’s bed.

Raising both hands high, he struck them heavily on the ground, his body also prostrating on the floor.

He shouted loudly, “This lowly official is incompetent! For such an incident to occur within the scope of this lowly official’s jurisdiction is truly inexcusable. I beg Prince Rong to forgive this offense!”

His voice carried a sobbing tone.

Officials throughout the land seemed to be all the same!

Bullying the weak while fearing the strong, greedy for life and afraid of death!

Jingrong’s face was cold, his eyes seemingly carrying a sharp sword that ruthlessly pierced Zhang Huanping’s body.

He demanded, “This prince asks you—regarding the matter of Gaoshan Stronghold, how do you plan to handle it?”

“This lowly official will immediately dispatch people to encircle and suppress them. I will certainly ensure those people release Master Ji.”

“Do you have the capability to do so?”