Zeng Zhenzhen was a clever girl.
Huangfu Yuchen glared at her for no apparent reason and when she saw Yan Ge unable to stop laughing, she immediately understood what was going on. Her pretty face blushed, “Presumptuous! Conceited! Thinking highly of yourself! Just because you’re good-looking, you think everyone will fall for you? Hmph! I’m afraid of you being interested in me!”
“Sister, you can rest assured now,” Yan Jin said with a smile.
Yan Jin’s cute and adorable appearance successfully won over Zeng Zhenzhen.
“So cute. What’s your name?” Zeng Zhenzhen asked.
“I’m Luo Jiacheng. My Papa is Shu Shi, and my father is Luo Fang,” Yan Jin introduced himself, not forgetting to echo Huangfu Yuchen’s previous words, earning an approving look from the latter.
Zeng Zhenzhen finally believed that they were indeed a family of three.
During the conversation, the merchant convoy had already left the city.
Yan Ge and his group followed the horse convoy until they reached the checkpoint of the Mai Kingdom, where they parted ways.
Gao Fan inquired about the location of Yidian city, and the group headed directly in that direction m
At the entrance was a teahouse. The group led their horses and walked over, looking into the town with confusion. There wasn’t a single soul on the streets; Yidian seemed like an empty city.
Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen exchanged glances, immediately becoming vigilant.
The teahouse’s owner was an old man in his sixties with a hunched back. Carrying a tray of tea, he shuffled over and asked with a hoarse voice, “Miss, Masters, your tea is ready.”
Zeng Zhenzhen doubted if they had come to the wrong place, “Boss, is this Yidian?”
“Yes,” the old man said slowly as he poured the tea.
Zeng Zhenzhen said, “It’s strange. How come there’s not a single person in the city?”
“Are you here to find the treasure?” The old man’s sudden question made Yan Ge, Huangfu Yuchen, and Zeng Zhenzhen tense.
“How do you know?” Zeng Zhenzhen drew her sword and pointed it at him, asking sternly, “Who are you?”
The old man didn’t mind the sword at his neck and continued to pour tea, calmly and slowly saying, “From two months ago, groups of foreigners have been coming here to find the treasure. Small fights every three days, big fights every five days, and the place is in constant chaos. The people here have never seen anyone fly in the sky or behead someone with a single sword, so they all fled to seek refuge with relatives and friends. This old man has no relatives and, being old and weak, can’t walk, so I can only stay here. During this time, I’ve seen many people like you, carrying knives and swords, entering the town, but I’ve never seen them come out.”
Zeng Zhenzhen was shocked, “Not a single person came out?”
“Yes,” the old man finished pouring the tea and sat down on a small stool, gently fanning himself.
“Could they have left through other city gates?” Zeng Zhenzhen asked, unwilling to give up.
The old man shook his head, “Maybe. But it would be strange that everyone chose to leave through other gates.”
Zeng Zhenzhen also dismissed her speculation, “That’s right. It’s impossible for everyone to choose other exits. What is going on here?” She looked at Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen in bewilderment.
Yan Ge asked, “Old man, are you the only one left in the whole town now?”
The old man said, “I’m not sure. I haven’t been to other places, and I haven’t seen anyone else.”
“What do we do?” Zeng Zhenzhen asked.
Yan Ge said, “Let’s go in and take a look.”
He stood up and went to fetch the horses.
Suddenly, a “gurgling” sound came from behind.
Zeng Zhenzhen held her stomach in embarrassment, “I’m… I’m hungry. Don’t you all feel hungry?”
Yan Ge was speechless. He and Huangfu Yuchen had reached the Golden Core stage, so they didn’t need to eat. Yan Jin’s cultivation level was also high, and he could go days without eating. Gao Fan and Gao Yun had already eaten dry rations while on horseback.
“Boss, do you have any food in this teahouse?” Zeng Zhenzhen asked.
“We do, but only flour, vegetables, and radishes,” the old man said.
Zeng Zhenzhen said helplessly, “Could you make us something to eat? I’ll treat you all.”
Zeng Zhenzhen was just a young girl, and they couldn’t really leave her alone. So, Yan Ge nodded, “Then we won’t be polite.”
The old man was old, and it took nearly half an hour to cook the meal.
Zeng Zhenzhen’s stomach kept rumbling. At first, she blushed with embarrassment, but later she became composed and pretended not to hear it, chatting calmly with Yan Jin.
The old man made some pancakes, stir-fried vegetables, and radishes, along with a vegetable soup.
Yan Ge, Yan Jin, and Huangfu Yuchen didn’t eat much, but Zeng Zhenzhen finished two servings in one go. She proactively explained, “I ate enough so that I wouldn’t be hungry if I stay for too long without anything to eat.”
In the end, she even bought the three extra pancakes the old man made.
Afterward, they led their horses around the area, searching for any clues and traces. From the broken fragments on the ground, dried bloodstains, collapsed walls, and chopped-off trees, it was evident that this place had experienced several intense battles.
Zeng Zhenzhen nervously hugged her arms, “There’s not a single soul here; this is really creepy.”
“Xiao Ge, use your spiritual consciousness,” Huangfu Yuchen transmitted to Yan Ge.
Yan Ge knew he must have discovered something and immediately released his spiritual consciousness. His consciousness penetrated everything, and he immediately sensed movements coming from underground a couple of miles away.
Huangfu Yuchen said, “Since the teahouse owner never saw anyone leaving the city, it can be inferred that they disappeared inside the city. In other words, there’s a hidden mechanism or underground passage somewhere in the city.”
“That makes sense,” Yan Ge nodded.
However, because of Zeng Zhenzhen’s presence, they couldn’t openly investigate, so they had to pretend to casually explore each of the main streets in the city.
With no success, Zeng Zhenzhen’s face turned completely pale, and she started shouting anxiously, “Father! Big Brother! Second Brother! Where are you? Father—Father—”
“Yuchen, how do we find the mechanism in such a big city?” Yan Ge was also at a loss, “We can’t just use brute force to dig up the ground, right?”
Huangfu Yuchen: “Look for the place with the most intense signs of fighting.”
“Boss, young master, let’s go there,” Gao Yun suggested one direction.
After a while, Yan Jin clapped his hands.
“Father, Papa, it’s here!”
Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen walked over and looked up at the signboard on the gate.
“Biliu Manor?”
Yan Jin said, “I saw that many tables inside were smashed, and there were many dishes, as if there had been a grand feast here before.”
“Well done,” Huangfu Yuchen praised and walked in with Yan Ge.
Zeng Zhenzhen asked impatiently, “Are you guys looking for something to eat here? You didn’t eat when I invited you for a meal before!”
“Sister, be patient! Father and Papa are searching for clues,” Yan Jin explained.
Zeng Zhenzhen calmed down a bit and looked around, asking in confusion, “What clues could be here?”
Neither Yan Ge nor Huangfu Yuchen answered her. They carefully observed all the furnishings in the house and occasionally tapped on the walls.
Yan Ge saw some bottles on a display shelf and tried to twist them one by one. As he tried the second one, he heard a faint sliding sound.
“A secret passage!” Zeng Zhenzhen exclaimed as she saw the hidden doorway on the floor.
Huangfu Yuchen said, “Let’s go down.”
Gao Feng said, “Boss, this subordinate lead the way.”
“I’ll go. Both of you stay at the rear,” Huangfu Yuchen said.
“Yes!”
“Zirui, be careful of traps,” Yan Ge reminded.
Huangfu Yuchen said, “Don’t worry. Give me your Night Pearl, and you and Jiacheng follow me.”
Zeng Zhenzhen was surprised. ‘The Night Pearl? That was an invaluable treasure. What were the identities of these two spies? They actually possessed such a t’
But she didn’t have the mood to dwell on that and quickly followed the others.
Thanks to Yan Ge’s Night Pearl, everything in the secret passage could be seen clearly. The entrance of the passage was not large, but after going inside, they found that the underground path was quite spacious, about a foot and a half high and six feet wide, even enough for a carriage to pass through.
There was only one passage, and they continued forward without encountering any of the feared traps. After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the passage turned left, and they could clearly sense the presence of people not far ahead.
Yan Ge carefully sensed it and was startled. He transmitted his voice, “There are more than eight hundred people down there. It seems like they’re trapped; otherwise, they wouldn’t have stayed here for so long.”
Yan Jin also transmitted, “Father, there’s a very uncomfortable aura here.”
“Is everything all right?” Yan Ge asked him with concern.
“I’m fine, I just don’t like it,” Yan Jin said.
Huangfu Yuchen said, “There must be something strange here, be cautious.”
Zeng Zhenzhen didn’t know that the three of them were communicating through voice transmission and urged, “Why aren’t we moving?”
Huangfu Yuchen turned back and glanced at her coldly, “You better be careful. If something happens, we won’t have time to save you.”
Zeng Zhenzhen’s face darkened with anger, but considering that they were the ones who found the secret passage, and judging from the performance of this group, even the young Yan Jin, they did seem capable. She calmed down and kept quiet, no longer urging them.
Huangfu Yuchen covered the light of the Night Pearl with his hand and then proceeded.
After about twenty feet, the space suddenly widened. Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen cautiously poked their heads out from behind the wall and were shocked to see rows of prison cells separated by iron bars. Inside the cells, men and women dressed like martial artists were sitting or standing, some with angry expressions and restlessness, while others looked melancholic, their eyes dull as if they had lost the will to live.
“Goodness, they’ve actually captured so many martial artists,” Yan Ge said indignantly.
Huangfu Yuchen analyzed, “Their inner strength should have been sealed, otherwise, they wouldn’t be so passive.”
Yan Ge observed carefully. “I don’t see any guards. Should we directly go over and find out what’s going on?”
Huangfu Yuchen pondered for a moment and said, “We are their only hope. When they see us appear, if they are clever enough, they shouldn’t alert the guards in other places.”
Zeng Zhenzhen looked at the two of them, puzzled by their inaction, and couldn’t help asking softly, “Why… aren’t we… going?”
Huangfu Yuchen reached out and pressed her mute acupoint.
Zeng Zhenzhen looked at him in shock.
Huangfu Yuchen ignored her and said to Yan Ge, Gao Feng, and Gao Yun, “Let’s go over.”
As soon as they appeared, the people in the prison cells noticed them and rushed over, gripping the iron bars tightly.
“You are from Great Han! Hurry, save us!”
“Hush!” Yan Ge made a hushing gesture.
The people immediately quieted down.
“We are indeed here to rescue you. What exactly is going on? How did you end up being imprisoned here?” Yan Ge asked.
One of them anxiously said, “Save us first, and then we’ll talk!”
Huangfu Yuchen gave him a cold look, “Your inner strength has all been sealed. If we don’t find a way to restore it first, do you expect us to carry more than eight hundred burdens like you?”
The man choked.
