Mountain and sea lantern

Chapter 658 Meeting Zhixu City Again

However, the Empress's joy was short-lived, as Daozhen's return spoiled her mood.

Daozhen reported that all the men who went to capture Wu Jinliang had disappeared.

The Empress was furious upon hearing the report. "Is this what you call putting my mind at ease? To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, I specially permitted the 'Escape Arrow' to accompany you, and it still failed?"

Daozhen hesitated for a moment and said, "This incident is a bit strange. Our nearby backup personnel did not hear any major fighting noises. By the time our people realized something was wrong and went to check, the Dongsheng Royal Court's forces had already arrived to investigate the scene. The remains and belongings have all fallen into the hands of the Dongsheng Royal Court."

According to our inquiries, it's unclear who filed the report, making it difficult for us to approach the scene for investigation. Even the Demon Eye we urgently dispatched is useless. We don't yet know whether the 'Escape Arrow' has fallen into the hands of the murderer or the Eastern Victory Royal Court.

"Report a crime?" The Demon Queen asked suspiciously. "This is strange. How could someone report a crime in a remote mountain area where there's a clandestine fight? Even the people who were there to provide backup didn't notice anything amiss. What kind of ghost would report a crime? Wu Jinliang has been arrested. Could it be that the murderer killed someone and was afraid that no one would be able to trace the crime back to him, so he reported it himself?"

Daozhen hesitated and said, "Perhaps there just happened to be a witness nearby."

The Demon Queen: "Then find that witness and dig out what he saw!"

Daozhen: "We're already searching and trying to find out what happened during the on-site investigation by the Dongsheng Royal Court. The problem now is that the body is in the hands of the Dongsheng Royal Court, and we're afraid we can't hide our identities anymore. This has attracted their attention, which will make the investigation more difficult..."

The Empress, whose good mood had been ruined, didn't want to listen anymore. She flung her sleeves and left, her dissatisfaction written all over her face.

Lately, I don't know what's going on. It's one thing for Alan to keep making mistakes, but now even Daozhen is acting unreliably. How can he make mistakes like this?

The square in front of the execution ground was deserted, with only a few people remaining. Those who were with Shi Chun were still there, waiting for definite news about him.

After disguising themselves, Li Hongjiu and her companions went to a nearby restaurant to eat and drink, while observing from a distance.

The Golden-haired Rat Clan, having heard of the matter, approached the Mingshan Sect group, revealing that they were also Shi Chun's people. In reality, they had nowhere else to go and were somewhat anxious, and also because their patriarch, Jin Fu, did not want to give up the Demon Book.

Bai Qiru and Huang Yingying were both absent. Granny Qi and a group of Bai clan members had been beheaded, so she had to go and participate in the funeral arrangements.

Upon hearing that he was Shi Chun's friend, Ming Shanzong and his group felt a sense of unfamiliarity, but they did not reject him. After all, he knew Wu Jinliang, and Wu Jinliang had not been arrested.

After waiting for a while, Wukang Mountain's group finally left. Seeing that Mingshan Sect's group was guarding the area, they knew that even if there was a matter of collecting corpses, it wouldn't be their turn. They went to settle down outside the venue and would find out the situation later.

Bian Weiying's first thought was still Wei Mo, and she prepared to ask Wei Mo for information.

Most of the people in the Mingshan Sect knew Bian Weiying, and after seeing him, they all watched him leave.

"If this woman weren't the boss, she would have died at the Meteor Shower Gathering long ago," An Wuzhi muttered, pointing with his chin.

Before long, a figure flashed towards them; Young Master Nan, who had been gathering information, had returned.

As soon as he arrived, a group of people surrounded him. Tong Mingshan, on behalf of everyone, asked, "How is it?"

Young Master Nan sighed and shook his head, saying, "The situation is not good. They have indeed been captured by the people of the Prison of Life and Death. It is confirmed that they have been taken to the Prison of Life and Death."

He was able to get the news so quickly because he had to bite the bullet and go to the Right Assistant Marquis again. Given the Marquis's status, he had practically worn out his pride by going to him for every little thing.

Zhu Xiangxin asked with concern, "I've heard that those who enter the Prison of Life suffer a fate worse than death. Could it be that the Boss's cultivation foundation has also been destroyed?"

Young Master Nan wasn't sure either, and hesitated, "It shouldn't be, it seems like it's just to cooperate with some investigation."

Everyone knows he's trying to think positively.

Nan Gongzi then added, "It seems Wu Jinliang is also involved. It's said that Sheng Yu is also searching for Wu Jinliang everywhere. If he contacts any of you, remember to remind him."

Anyway, he had already sent a message to Wu Jinliang immediately. As for whether Wu Jinliang would receive the message, he didn't know, but he had reminded him in time.

Upon hearing this, everyone was at a loss for what to do, as they dared not provoke the prison.

Now that even Wu Jinliang is being pursued, everyone must face a question: what will happen to the Mingshan Sect if those two don't come back?
Everyone could only go home first and then figure it out.

A group of rat spirits followed them, numbering over a hundred, which was no small number. This stunned the Mingshan Sect group, who wondered if the rat spirits wanted to go back with them.

After communicating with them, they learned that the Golden-haired Rat Clan had nowhere to go. Ming Shanzong and his group were also in a dilemma. Their two houses were not enough to accommodate so many people, and they were not familiar with the area.

It was Young Master Nan who spoke up to help, saying, "Since you are Shi Chun's friend, this is no big deal. I'll take care of it."

The golden-haired rats expressed their gratitude.

Just as things were settled, Bai Qiru and Huang Yingying returned, saying that the Bai clan wanted to escort the coffin back to their ancestral home, and the Golden-haired Rat clan had nowhere to go. The couple's intention was that the Bai clan had agreed to let the Golden-haired Rat clan live and work in the Bai clan's territory from now on.

Unexpectedly, clan chief Jin Fu rejected Bai's offer. Shi Chun had already informed him that Bai had ulterior motives, and he preferred to wait with Shi Chun's men for that hope.

Huang Yingying tried to persuade him, but Jin Fu made a decision on his own, saying, "It's settled then."

So Bai Qiru and Huang Yingying temporarily parted ways with the Golden Rat Clan, agreeing to return to the Bai family first to handle the funeral arrangements before going back.

Back home, Ming Shanzong and his group tried to contact Wu Jinliang from time to time, but to no avail.

In fact, Wu Jinliang received their messages, but he could only pretend not to see them and dared not reply. He was afraid of being betrayed by his own people. If it weren't for the pressure from his own people or friends, Shi Chun would not have turned himself in so easily. Damn it, this is what happened.

Even if you gave him the most beautiful woman in the world, he wouldn't utter a single word of response. In the small courtyard by the stream, still recovering from his injuries and limping along, he had already cast aside all other distracting thoughts. He wasn't thinking about those bastards anymore; his focus was on how to safely contact Lan Qiaoyan. After all, Lan Qiaoyan was someone who could enter and leave prison. He wanted to know if Shi Chun was alive or dead, to see if there was any way to get him out. He wouldn't give up on the rescue unless absolutely necessary.

He had a mother-child talisman in his hand, which was the mother-child talisman used by Shi Chun to contact Miao Yilan. When he saw Shi Chun contacting Miao Yilan, he remembered the number on the mother-child talisman, and coincidentally, all of Shi Chun's belongings were on him.

What he's worried about now is whether he'll be betrayed once he contacts Miao Yilan. He's also received news from Young Master Nan and the others that Sheng Yu is also after him. Will the Miao family keep it a secret from Sheng Yu for his sake?

How can we make ourselves safer?
He squatted down and drew a diagram. He wrote the words "Xun Gate" in front of a circle, then made several markings. After pointing and gesturing for a while, the branch finally landed on the words "Xun Gate," muttering to himself, "It's best to hide near the Xun Gate and send messages. If a situation like Jukuzhou blocks the Xun Gate, we can sneak away first..."

He used to be too lazy to think about certain things, but now that Shi Chun is gone, he has to pull himself together and figure out how to survive. Even if he can save others, he has to protect himself first...

Zhixu City, and then I saw Zhixu City again.

When Shi Chun re-entered Zhixu City, it was like a dream. He was being pushed forward, and the 'I' shaped iron chains on his body had been unlocked.

The familiar city scenery, the familiar people and their styles, the familiar oppressive atmosphere, and the familiar Bowang Tower. Every time he came to Zhixu City in the past, he would always maintain a refined demeanor and run to Bowang Tower as soon as possible.

"Oh dear, another newcomer has arrived."

On the roadside, a man in tattered clothes stood with his arms crossed, grinning from ear to ear, having already set his sights on the newlyweds' clothes.

"Hmm, why does he look so familiar? Holy crap, could it be someone from...?"

"Stop bragging. You're acting like you have connections outside the local area."

"No, doesn't it look like that guy from Higashikyuhara? Just a bit paler, more of the pretty-boy type..."

The man who said this suddenly saw Shi Chun tilt his head and raise an eyebrow at him with a smile. He was struck dumb and exclaimed in surprise, "Damn, it really is Shi Chun!"

"Who?"

"Who else could it be but Shi Chun, the former leader of Dong Jiuyuan who led the entire Dong Jiuyuan gang out."

One of the toes sticking out of the shoe tried calling out, "Hey, Shi Chun, is that you?"

Unable to speak, Shi Chun shrugged in response.

"Oh dear, it really is that damned guy."

"Huh, what does this mean? Something's not right. It looks like they were brought in under guard, and there's blood on them."

"Oh my god, did he commit another crime and get arrested again?"

"No way, we finally got out, how could we be so careless?"

"Sigh, what can't he do? There's nothing this guy wouldn't dare to do."

The streets and roadsides were in complete chaos. Shi Chunhao was speechless, wondering what the purpose of escorting him was. Was this a public display of his identity? However, he did see some familiar faces, which gave him a dreamlike feeling. He even knew what the terrain behind the city wall that was blocking his view looked like.

His return seemed to have caused a sensation in Zhixu City.

Just as he was about to be pushed through the inner city gate, a handsome young man running from the direction of Bowang Tower suddenly shouted, "Chun Chun!"

His clean attire clearly distinguished him from the shabby-clothed people around him; they were worlds apart in terms of social standing.

Shi Chun turned around and immediately recognized him as the bookkeeping boy they called "Sugar" in Bowang Tower. He had grown up, but his appearance hadn't changed much, though he was even more handsome now and looked like a man.

The young man who confirmed it was Shi Chun looked surprised, seemingly not expecting Shi Chun to actually return.

Shi Chun opened his mouth but couldn't speak. He was then pushed from behind and had no choice but to obediently go inside.

Seeing him disappear into the city, the young man immediately turned and ran away.

In a pavilion in the inner city, Du Huoguan looked down at the people being escorted, but this time he did not show himself.

Shi Chun was led to a morgue and placed in front of a male corpse. A soldier personally released Shi Chun's speech-impairing pressure point and pointed at the corpse, asking, "Do you recognize him?"

Shi Chunzhen tilted his head and looked at him carefully. The face was completely unfamiliar. Who knew who he was? He shook his head and said, "I don't know him. I've never seen him before."

The armored soldier said in a deep voice, "Shi Chun, you must take responsibility for your words. Do you know the consequences of lying?"

Shi Chun smiled wryly, "I really don't know him."

The soldier tilted his head and said, "Take him away and detain him."

So Shi Chun was thrown back into the prison. After looking around, he squatted in a corner and examined the scratches on the cell. He realized it was the same cell where he had been imprisoned when he left last time.

Later he realized that it didn't matter where he was locked up; what mattered was that he seemed to have been forgotten in this corner.

(End of this chapter)