Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 494 Fire

When Sun Changchun and his men found Zhao Zhongliang, the boat from the Buddhist Registry had just left.

"Those people left?" Sun Changchun asked.

Zhao Zhongliang nodded.

“Liu Yigui is too nervous,” Sun Changchun shook his head. “He’s checking monks who are just here to perform rituals over and over again.”

Zhao Zhongliang looked at Sun Changchun with a meaningful gaze.

"What?" Sun Changchun asked, puzzled. "Am I wrong?"

Zhao Zhongliang shook his head: "In this respect, you are not as good as Liu Yigui."

Sun Changchun stared at Zhao Zhongliang, then a look of surprise appeared on his face: "You mean... those people... there's something wrong with them?"

Zhao Zhongliang responded almost imperceptibly.

It took Sun Changchun a while to come to his senses. He grabbed Zhao Zhongliang's arm and instinctively looked towards the river: "They're here to catch..."

Before Sun Changchun could finish speaking, he received an answer from Zhao Zhongliang's gaze. He continued, "Then did you go... tell me..."

"I did not say."

Sun Changchun's eyes immediately dimmed.

"She told me first."

A smile appeared on Zhao Zhongliang's face. He rarely smiled in recent years, but tonight he couldn't help but smile.

If there's a way to survive, who would want to die?

Sun Changchun was overjoyed.

Is it...reliable?

Zhao Zhongliang did not hesitate: "I believe her."

With help from others, it became easier for them to capture the third shopkeeper and win this round.

“I’ll make the arrangements right now,” Sun Changchun said. “Tell the brothers to cheer up.”

……

at the same time.

The north gate of Bianjing (Kaifeng).

The gatekeeper, who was guarding the city, met four people in an alley not far from the city gate. These four people were dressed like ordinary people, but their exposed faces and hands were exceptionally smooth and delicate, indicating that they had never done any rough work.

"You few, follow me for a moment, and don't make any noise," the gatekeeper instructed.

The four responded.

The gatekeeper frowned: "They refused to leave during the day, but waited until now. Do they know how much danger I risked to come and meet them?"

One of the four men stepped forward and handed a voucher to the gatekeeper: "This is a small token of our appreciation; we hope you will accept it."

The gatekeeper looked at the silver on the redemption ticket, smiled, and put it into his pocket: "Have you informed the people outside? As long as it gets out of the city gate, I won't interfere anymore."

The four nodded hurriedly.

"Then come with me!" The gatekeeper looked around with his lantern before leading the four of them straight to the city gate.

The gatekeepers and soldiers who should have been guarding the city were nowhere to be found. The gatekeeper, carrying a lantern, walked to the city gate and gently pulled it open, causing the heavy city gate to creak open.

The four looked at each other and realized that the door had been left open beforehand. Without further ado, they squeezed through the gap one by one.

Just as the group was about to leave, a sharp shout suddenly came from the city gate: "Who's there?"

Startled, the group hurriedly ran forward. These were the heads of the Sun, Zhou, Wu, and Zheng families on the Bian River. For years, they had secretly colluded with Xia Mengxian, doing many favors for him. After Xia Mengxian's arrest, they were filled with anxiety, fearing the court would arrest them at any moment. They had boats on the Bian River, but dared not travel by water; instead, they bribed the city gate officials to lead them out through the north gate.

During the day, they had already seen off some of the clan's members and, finding that no one had noticed them, the four of them dared to set off. However, they did not expect that they would be discovered as soon as they left the city.

It's highly likely that someone had already noticed something amiss and was waiting for them to appear here.

Who betrayed them? There was no time to think about it now. The four of them could only run forward at the risk of their lives. Fortunately, there were people waiting there to meet them. A group of people immediately stepped forward, grabbed their masters, and started to run away.

"The Imperial Guards," a voice shouted, "follow me to capture them. Don't miss a single one of those who sneaked out of the city; bring them all back."

Torches were lit, and the city gates were opened wide.

A rider charged toward the four families.

The sound of horses' hooves and shouts instantly broke the silence of the night.

……

Liu Yigui led his men on a walk around the water. After the nuns left, the water returned to calm. The boats that had gone out to investigate returned one after another, and none of them found anything else.

But they still haven't moved; they're still waiting for news.

Liu Yigui's subordinate whispered, "Aren't we leaving now?"

Liu Yigui said, "It's not the right time yet."

The men were completely baffled. They couldn't get any information from Manager Liu, and they all wondered if they would actually set off tonight.
Liu Yigui looked towards the north of the city, and after an unknown amount of time, a small boat finally sped toward him.

"Those four families have been discovered."

After learning of Xia Mengxian's troubles, the four families on the Bian River bribed the gatekeeper to send their sons out of the city. Everything went smoothly during the day, without attracting the attention of the imperial court, until just now... when the patrolling imperial guards discovered something amiss.

It should be said that it was their people who sent the message to the Imperial Guard in order to lure the Imperial Guard and the Patrol Division there.

As long as the Imperial Guard and the Patrol Inspectorate keep an eye on that area, they'll be safe.

Liu Yigui said, "It's time. Tell the fleet to set off now."

The subordinate immediately responded and hurriedly relayed the message.

Xia Ziqiao was losing patience, but when he finally heard that the boat could move, a smile immediately appeared on his face. Although his family was destroyed and his parents' fate was uncertain, he was still happy to know that he was about to escape.

"Is our ship at the very front?" Xia Ziqiao asked Ge Ying.

Ge Ying nodded: "The boats were hidden before, but now that they're moving, we can see them more clearly. The four boats in front are protecting us as we go, and the two boats on the left and right are also manned. If any government officials block our way, they will go to meet us and open a path for us."

"Don't worry, everything is arranged properly, we will definitely get away safely."

Xia Ziqiao took a deep breath: "That's good. We'll find a way to come back after things calm down. We must avenge our father."

The ship was moving exceptionally fast.

The obstacles ahead have been arranged, and they will have no trouble passing through.

As long as nothing happens tonight, they should be able to get away smoothly.

With so many guards around, Xia Ziqiao gradually relaxed. He stood at the bow of the ship for a while before heading back to his cabin to rest. Today had truly exhausted him.

Leaning back in his deck chair, Xia Ziqiao was dozing off and about to drift off to sleep when suddenly the boat lurched. He then heard a whooshing sound outside, as if something was hurtling toward them.

He opened his eyes and looked out the window. A small light in the darkness, like a falling star, came towards him. Xia Ziqiao was startled and tried to get up to avoid it, but he fell off the recliner.

"Bang" "Bang" "Bang"

The sound of an arrow piercing a wooden board came, followed by a scream.

An arrow landed in the cabin, and the flames from the burning shaft immediately ignited the fabric inside. The intense light reflected in Xia Ziqiao's eyes, gradually growing larger and larger.