Yanfu: Starting with the Six-Eared Macaque

In just a dozen or so breaths, Mo Mingxuan and Mo Chou were shocked and furious to find that their bodies had been bound in several places by the mysteriously appearing rope.

When they suddenly realized it, the many rope ends had already faintly joined together, forming an invisible net of restraint.

Rope binding technique!

A glint flashed in Chen Xing's eyes. He, who had been seemingly passively dodging, suddenly pulled his right hand back. The rope quickly retracted, and the brother and sister felt a strong binding force all over their bodies. The forces intertwined in a clever way, and they immediately lost their balance, staggering and almost falling.

After struggling to regain their balance, they were horrified to find that they were tightly bound together by that seemingly ordinary hemp rope. The more they struggled, the tighter the knot became, and in an instant they were unable to move and could only surrender.

"Stop moving! The rope is wrapped with tendon; the more you struggle, the tighter it gets." Chen Xing threw the daggers he had taken from the two men on the ground, clapped his hands, and said, "Can we talk properly now?"

"snort!"

Mo Chou was tightly bound, her jaw clenched, her lips pressed together until they turned white, her cheeks flushed with anger, her expression full of resentment, and her eyes still filled with hostility.

"What do you want to talk about?"

In contrast, Mo Mingxuan remained calm. He secretly struggled a few times and found that, just as Chen Xing had said, the seemingly ordinary hemp rope possessed a strange resilience and a skillful twisting force, making it impossible to break free.

He sighed, and asked resignedly, his tone much calmer.

"Let's talk about the Prince Chun's Mansion." Chen Xing walked to a relatively clean stone step at the edge of the alley, brushed off the dust, sat down, and looked calmly at the two of them.

"Are you working for that corrupt official?!" Upon hearing this, Mo Chou's hatred intensified, and she questioned him passionately.

"If I were," Chen Xing glanced at her, his tone clearly impatient, "wouldn't it be better to just take you two remnants of the Boxer Rebellion to collect your reward? Why waste my breath arguing with you here!" He stopped looking at Mo Chou and turned his gaze to the relatively calm Mo Mingxuan. "Shall we talk?"

"Young hero, you just said you came to help us?" Mo Mingxuan asked tentatively, recalling what Chen Xing had said when he appeared, his tone carrying a hint of expectation and wariness.

"Yes." Chen Xing nodded, speaking frankly, "I also have some grudges with this Prince Chun. So, perhaps we can cooperate, and I'll help you get revenge."

"Why should we believe you?!" Mo Chou said angrily, clearly doubting Chen Xing's words.

"Just because of this," Chen Xing pointed to the ropes binding them tightly, "and because you can still breathe and talk."

"Don't worry!" Mo Mingxuan said in a low voice, stopping his sister from further arguing. "Young hero, your methods are superb. If you had intended to kill me just now, my brother and I would not have escaped. Since you have shown yourself and made it clear that you have a grudge against that corrupt official, it must not be an empty promise."

He looked at Chen Xing, his tone earnest and resolute: "As long as you can help us kill Zai Feng and avenge our blood feud, I, Mo Mingxuan, and my sister, Mo Chou, will obey your every command without question!"

"That's right, cooperation leads to a win-win situation." Chen Xing was fairly satisfied with Mo Mingxuan's attitude. He stood up and walked to the two of them. "Keep an eye on your sister. Don't be impulsive again."

After saying that, he flicked the knot with both hands like a butterfly flitting through flowers, his movements skillful and nimble.

The ropes that had been tightly binding them, almost digging into their flesh, loosened on their own as if they were alive, slipping off their bodies in circles and piling up at their feet.

Mo Mingxuan stretched his arms, which were a little numb from being strangled, tugged at Mo Chou beside him who was still indignant, and solemnly clasped his hands and bowed to Chen Xing: "Thank you for your mercy, young hero."

Although Mo Chou still looked unconvinced, at her brother's prompting, she reluctantly clasped her hands in thanks, though her eyes still held a hint of wariness.

"No need for formalities." Chen Xing waved his hand, slowly gathering the scattered ropes. "Today I saw the two of you changing your attire several times while scouting the area around the Prince's mansion. Did you discover anything?"

"You've been following us?!" Mo Chou suddenly stood up straight, her tone full of surprise and vigilance. She hadn't expected that her and her brother's whereabouts had already been discovered by the other party.

"It's not really tracking," Chen Xing said, putting away the rope with a hint of emotion in his voice. "I'm also investigating Prince Chun's residence, and I've run into you several times along the way."

"It's not that I deliberately wanted to find you, it's just that you're too easy to spot." Chen Xing looked up at the two of them, his tone tinged with helplessness. "You clench your fists and grit your teeth whenever you see soldiers, and you instinctively lower your head to avoid them when you pass by the Prince's Mansion. You're a young lady, and when you're buying hairpins, your eyes glance in the direction of the Prince's Mansion eight out of ten times. It's too conspicuous. If the patrolling constables become suspicious, your plan will probably be ruined before it even begins."

Before Chen Xing could finish speaking, Mo Mingxuan's expression changed slightly, secretly relieved that nothing unexpected had happened; Mo Chou almost opened her mouth to defend herself, but swallowed the words back, thinking of her recklessness just now, and felt only lingering fear in her heart.

"The west side is the Prince's Garden. The scenery is beautiful, but there is nothing dangerous about it. After our investigation over the past few days," Mo Mingxuan steadied himself and recalled the results of the investigation. His tone was confident. "The mansion on the east side is mainly divided into three sections: east, central, and west. The buildings in the middle are much taller and more imposing than those on the other two sides. That corrupt official should be living here."

"The tall building in the middle is a temple used for sacrificial rites, and is generally not used for daily residence," Chen Xing added. What Mo Mingxuan said was basically consistent with the results of his investigation during the day. He nodded to Mo Mingxuan, signaling him to continue.

Mo Mingxuan was slightly taken aback, not expecting Chen Xing to be so familiar with the layout of the Prince's Mansion. He then continued, "The south gate of the Prince's Mansion is heavily guarded, with layers upon layers of sentries, making it impossible to attack. We originally planned to sneak in from the north wall tonight and find an opportunity to assassinate the corrupt official."

"Then let me add some more details." Based on his memories of visiting the Prince Chun's Mansion, Chen Xing speculated that the mansion in this world was almost identical to that in his own world, and the residences inside should also be quite similar.

"The east side of the mansion consists mostly of auxiliary buildings such as schools and storehouses, while the central area is the main hall used for sacrificial ceremonies. The western section is where Prince Chun's core residence is located, and the most likely place is the rear courtyard of the western section, where his bedroom and study should be located."

"Then what are we waiting for! We'll sneak in tonight and kill that corrupt official!" Mo Chou was impatient. She made a knife-like gesture with her hand and slashed fiercely in the air, her eyes filled with murderous intent.

"And then what? You didn't kill anyone, but instead lost your own life?" Chen Xing asked helplessly. Seeing Mo Chou's unconvinced expression, he added, "Zai Feng has practiced martial arts since childhood and has experienced many battles. His martial arts skills are definitely not inferior to the two of you. Even I wouldn't have a full chance of winning in a head-on fight."

"What do you mean, young hero?" Mo Mingxuan looked at Chen Xing, his tone earnest, clearly acknowledging his judgment.