“Could it be that they suddenly gained their inner strength?” Yan Ge’s mind raced, “Similar to the person in the stone chamber, they absorbed other people’s inner strength?”
Huangfu Yuchen replied, “That possibility cannot be ruled out. It might be related to their physique. Mai Kingdom’s people have a much harder time cultivating inner strength compared to our people of Great Han. There are very few martial arts experts in their kingdom, and only those with exceptional talents can cultivate profound inner strength.”
Having said that, he released his spiritual consciousness and noticed the military camp aura from the people on the ground. His expression turned cold.
“There are fifty-six people in total. Try to capture them alive,” Huangfu Yuchen commanded.
Yan Ge and the others nodded.
Yan Ge said to Zeng Zhenzhen, “Miss Zeng, please stay here and keep watch over Jiacheng for us.” He and Huangfu Yuchen were hiding their true martial arts abilities from Zeng Zhenzhen.
Previously, Zeng Zhenzhen had been focused on saving her relatives, and afterward, she was engrossed in finding the antidote, completely oblivious to Yan Jin’s inner strength. She replied, “Okay, please find the antidote. Thank you!”
“Don’t worry,” Yan Ge reassured her.
As the food-delivery people gradually entered the stone door, the carts stopped at the edge of the underground passage, and they ascended the steps.
When the last person went up, Gao Feng quietly moved forward, holding the person’s head and simultaneously sealing his acupoints before dragging him back into the underground passage and quickly ending his life.
Yan Ge, Huangfu Yuchen, Gao Yun, and Gao Feng then leaped up to the entrance.
In the courtyard, people were sparring with swords and blades. They were taken aback when they saw strangers suddenly appear there. With a fierce look on their faces, they immediately gathered around.
Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen’s cultivation had reached an extraordinary level. Their figures moved swiftly within the crowd, silver lights flashing in succession. The soldiers dressed as ordinary people from the Mai Kingdom all turned into motionless statues.
The two of them left around ten soldiers for Gao Feng and Gao Yun to deal with. Meanwhile, they flew towards the main building, where they subdued everyone inside, including servants and kitchen staff. There was also a pale-faced man with an aura resembling that of a eunuch. He had formidable martial skills and flew out of the room, attacking Huangfu Yuchen. However, Huangfu Yuchen used his immobilization technique to stop him in his tracks.
Back at the courtyard, Gao Feng and Gao Yun were dealing with the last three soldiers.
Although these soldiers had decent inner strength, it wasn’t truly their own, so they couldn’t use it proficiently. They were quickly immobilized.
“Be vigilant,” Huangfu Yuchen instructed Gao Feng and Gao Yun.
“Yes, master!”
Huangfu Yuchen asked the person closest to him, “Where is the antidote for those people down there?”
The person remained silent.
Huangfu Yuchen didn’t say a word, but with a wave of his hand, a blood mark appeared on the person’s neck, instantly ending his life.
The rest of the soldiers looked on in horror, completely chilled to the bone. A demon! A heartless killer!
“I have plenty of time.” Huangfu Yuchen said lightly, and walked up to the second soldier, “Do you need me to ask again?”
“No, I don’t know…”
Huangfu Yuchen waved his hand, and another soldier fell down.
Huangfu Yuchen stood in place, looking indifferent as he gazed at the third person.
The man’s legs trembled, and he suddenly wet his pants in fear. His lips quivered uncontrollably, “We really don’t know, only the captain knows.”
As soon as this was said, one of the immobilized individuals’ expressions changed, but he quickly pretended to act nonchalant, hoping Huangfu Yuchen wouldn’t notice. However, before he could even blink, Huangfu Yuchen appeared in front of him.
He widened his eyes in terror. If not for being immobilized, he would have likely fallen to the ground.
“I-I’ll tell you! It’s, it’s in Master Zhuo’s room, in the drawer!”
“Where is his room?” Yan Ge didn’t ask who Master Zhuo was. Regardless of Master Zhuo’s identity, he and Huangfu Yuchen had likely already taken control of him within this mansion.
The man replied, “In, in… It’s in the main building, the master’s room.”
Yan Ge grinned, “I should remind you that I understand medicine. If I find that what we retrieve is not the antidote for ‘Ruo Shui,’ I will give you an opportunity to write your last words, and your family can offer incense to you on this day next year. By the way, does Mai Kingdom have a custom of offering incense?”
Huangfu Yuchen smiled; his beloved always managed to make him smile no matter the circumstance. “Yes, they do.”
Upon hearing that Yan Ge even knew about “Ruo Shui,” the man turned pale and stammered, “I’m not lying, it’s, it’s the antidote!”
Yan Ge flew away with a smile. After a while, he returned carrying the entire drawer, which neatly contained dozens of medicine bottles.
“I’ve checked them, and they are indeed the antidotes,” Yan Ge said. Since the soldiers needed to take the antidote before absorbing inner strength, a sufficient amount of the antidote was necessary.
Huangfu Yuchen nodded, then waved both palms, and all the people in the courtyard died.
After ensuring that there were no survivors, the four of them took the antidote and returned to the underground passage.
Zeng Zhenzhen was anxiously walking back and forth. Yan Jin held a snack bag in his left hand and kept feeding himself the small snacks from inside, looking quite at ease.
“You’re back!”
Seeing them appear, Zeng Zhenzhen hurriedly approached, nearly tripping on the uneven ground.
“Did you find the antidote?”
Yan Ge nodded.
“That’s great!” Zeng Zhenzhen was overjoyed and immediately became teary eyed.
The group returned to the cells and first dealt with the person who was absorbing inner strength in the stone chamber. Then, they distributed the antidote to the imprisoned martial artists.
With their inner strength restored, everyone came back to life and walked out of the cells. They tidied their clothes and approached Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen, expressing their heartfelt gratitude.
“Master Luo, Madam Luo, and these two brothers and this young lady, thank you all for saving us. We are deeply grateful!”
“We were captured carelessly this time and had lost hope. The mastermind behind this could take down so many martial arts experts like us, so they must have the ability to erase all traces outside, making it impossible for anyone to find us. Unexpectedly, we were fortunate enough to be saved by all of you. As the saying goes, ‘A drop of water, a grateful spring.’ You saved our lives, which is a great favor. If you ever need the help of Yinshan Hall in the future, just ask, and we will be at your service!”
Zeng Shouli, the master of Yinshan Hall, was the first to express his gratitude.
The others also voiced their appreciation. Some were willing to pay a generous reward, while others expressed their indebtedness and offered to help Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen in any way they could. Some even invited them to visit their sects to show their gratitude, and so on.
Yan Ge knew that Huangfu Yuchen had personally come to save these people for a reason, but he didn’t speak up.
As expected, Huangfu Yuchen said, “There’s no need for any reward. I only hope that everyone will report their names. If you ever come across this jade pendant in the future, I hope you can do me a favor.”
All eyes turned to the jade pendant Huangfu Yuchen took out. At a glance, they could tell it was no ordinary item. However, Huangfu Yuchen’s words made them feel a bit doubtful and cautious.
Huangfu Yuchen calmly said, “Of course, this favor won’t violate the rules of the martial world, nor will it compromise your conscience. And you’re still free to refuse at the time.”
In hearing this, they felt reassured. Most of them were prominent figures in the martial world, and they believed that if Huangfu Yuchen had ulterior motives, their sects were more than capable of dealing with him. Once they thought about it this way, their worries lessened, and they wholeheartedly agreed.
Yan Ge finally spoke, “Zirui, this place is no longer safe. Let’s leave here first and then discuss.”
“Just a moment.” A man in his fifties spoke up, “I am He Wanli, the head of the Kuaidao Sect. Master Luo, Madam Luo, may I ask where you followed those people to just now? We have suffered such a great humiliation, and if we don’t avenge this, the hatred in our hearts will be hard to dispel.”
Others echoed his sentiment.
“That’s right, those people from the Mai Kingdom have gone too far. Do they think we people from Great Han are easy to bully?” Huang Shuya said indignantly.
Zhong Xie couldn’t swallow this anger either. A wicked and sinister smile formed on his lips as he said, “Exactly! Now that our inner strength has been restored, let’s settle the score with them.”
Yan Ge quickly interjected, “Everyone, listen to me first.”
The crowd quieted down.
Yan Ge continued, “We did discover something. Those people are actually soldiers from Mai Kingdom.”
“What?” Everyone was surprised.
Yan Ge continued, “Therefore, we deduce that this matter is related to the Mai Kingdom court. Matters concerning the court should be handled by the court itself. Otherwise, if this escalates into a war between the two kingdoms, we will all become criminals.”
These martial artists were not just all about fighting and killing; they could also think seriously and understand the reasoning behind Yan Ge’s words. Besides, if they let the matter escalate and attracted the attention of Mai Kingdom’s army, it would still be challenging for them to escape unscathed, despite their many experts.
“Does that mean we can only let it go like this?” A young female martial artist felt very unwilling. As an unmarried young lady who was also quite beautiful, she was usually the beloved child of her sect. However, not only had she been staying with so many grown men for so long, even going to the restroom meant entering a rudimentary little partition in full view of everyone. This was a great humiliation for her.
Her anger resonated with the other female martial artists, and they looked at Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen with dissatisfaction.
Zeng Zhenzhen was grateful to Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen and was eager to help them. Without thinking too much, she spoke, “Master Luo and Madam Luo were sent by General Cao. I believe the court won’t let this matter go so easily.”
“Oh?” The crowd was surprised; they hadn’t expected these two to have a connection with the court.
Zeng Zhenzhen thought they might not believe her, so she added, “It’s true. I lost contact with my father and several senior brothers and was very anxious. I had no one else to turn to, so I sought help from General Cao. I saw them leaving General Cao’s residence with my own eyes. They were secretly sent by General Cao to come to the Mai Kingdom and rescue all of you.”
