Chapter 17

Beside him, a person whispered, "Are we... Are we just going to wait like this? If he doesn't come back, are we... Are we not going to leave?"

Most of the people here were wealthy merchants, each with their own selfish interests. Seeing an opportunity to escape, they really didn't want to be delayed because of Chu Huan. Some even began to blame Chu Huan for his delay, yet they didn't realize that the chance to escape was thanks to Chu Huan.

Wei Tianqing pondered for a moment, thinking to himself, "That kid is smart and resourceful. If he could work for us, it would be a great thing. With his abilities, escaping on his own shouldn't be difficult..." He glanced at the nervous Lady Qiao, sighed, and thought, "The safety of the Lady must come first. If we delay any longer, we might really not be able to leave." He made up his mind, took the torch from Lady Qiao, and whispered, "Everyone, hold hands. I'm going to extinguish the torch and lead you out!"

Sulinlang's eyes behind the black veil showed a strange expression, and she asked, "We're leaving him behind?"

Wei Tianqing said, "He can handle it. Without us, he will be more at ease." He sternly added, "No more talk. Hold hands, I'm extinguishing the torch!" He put out the torch, and the surroundings instantly plunged into darkness.

The group followed each other, with Wei Tianqing leading the way, feeling their way out of the ancient temple in the darkness.

...

...

Lindai'er was very tired, but she hadn't gone to sleep. She sat by the table, her face full of anxiety.

She remembered that the item had always been with her, kept close to her body, and had never left her. But just now, when she changed her clothes, she suddenly realized that the item was gone.

She searched the room for a while but found no trace of it. She immediately recalled the struggle with Chu Huan in the river. Could it have been lost then?

But after searching the stone room, she found nothing. Although she was angry, she also thought her judgment might be wrong. After all, Chu Huan had been tied up on the boat and couldn't have hidden it. She didn't know that Chu Huan had already freed himself and hidden the item behind Sulinlang.

Feeling troubled, she didn't know how long had passed, and she smiled bitterly, "Could it have been lost before that? Or... did it fall into the river during the struggle?"

But she remembered Chu Huan's calm expression and felt there was something strange. She couldn't sleep, wondering if the item had fallen in the carriage. She got up, left the room, and went to search the carriage.

As she left the room, she saw a figure dart past not far ahead. She immediately became suspicious and whispered, "Who is it?"

The figure flashed by without stopping or answering. Lindai'er, feeling something was amiss, drew a dagger from her waist and, light as a swallow, chased after the figure.

The figure was very fast, darting through the broken pillars and debris. Lindai'er couldn't catch up. As she rounded a pillar, the figure was gone. She heard footsteps behind her and turned sharply. In the moonlight filtering through the temple's cracks, she saw a man with a bow and arrow hurrying over.

Lindai'er frowned, recognizing Hou Muxin. Hou Muxin also saw her and hurried over. Before he could speak, Lindai'er asked, "It's the middle of the night. Why aren't you sleeping, and why are you carrying a bow and arrow?"

Hou Muxin said urgently, "The stone room... Something seems to have happened in the stone room!"

...

Hou Muxin had been planning to bring Lady Qiao out to vent his desires, so he went to the stone room. But when he arrived, he saw that the torches had been extinguished and the guards were gone.

Hou Muxin wasn't stupid. He immediately knew something was wrong and rushed back to his room to get his bow and arrow. With the bow in hand, he lost his fear and wanted to see what had happened. But he unexpectedly ran into Lindai'er.

Hearing about the trouble in the stone room, Lindai'er's beautiful face changed, and she exclaimed, "Not good!" She leaped forward, her body flying toward the stone room.

Seeing the darkness in the stone room, Lindai'er knew something was wrong. She took a small bamboo flute from her waist and blew a few notes. The clear sound echoed through the temple, and soon, the temple was filled with noise. A bandit shouted, "Everyone, wake up! Something's happened!"

Lindai'er reached the stone room and kicked open the door. Inside, it was pitch black. Hou Muxin, with his bow and arrow, followed her, aiming inside.

At this moment, a light appeared from the west corner, and a group of bandits, wielding large knives, rushed over like wolves. Lindai'er, frowning, seemed to realize something and called out, "Horses... They must be looking for horses!" She turned and ran to the back of the temple.

Hou Muxin hurried after her. Just as they reached the back door, they heard the sound of horses. Lindai'er, both angry and anxious, said, "They're really running away. Chase them! We can't let that woman escape!"

Lindai'er, using all her strength, chased after them, moving gracefully through the broken stones and debris. As she exited the back door, she saw the horses by the small pond already untied, and some were about to leave.

The bandits were close behind, shouting, "Don't run!"

Lady Qiao, being delicate, moved slowly and hadn't mounted her horse yet. Lindai'er saw her and leaped forward, almost catching up. A man rushed over, swinging a large knife at her, shouting, "Die!" It was Wei Tianqing.

The knife was powerful, and Lindai'er, with only a dagger, couldn't block it. She dodged, and Wei Tianqing called, "Lady, get on the horse!" He swung another knife at her waist.

Seeing Lady Qiao struggling to mount the horse, Lindai'er, gritting her teeth, leaned back and swept her leg at Wei Tianqing's lower body.

Wei Tianqing jumped back, seeing the bandits rushing over. He couldn't delay, so he helped Lady Qiao onto the horse, despite the impropriety. Lindai'er was already close, so he swung three more knives, forcing her back, then mounted the horse behind Lady Qiao. He took the reins and prepared to leave.

Lindai'er couldn't let Lady Qiao escape. She turned and shouted, "Hou Muxin, shoot the horse! Don't let them escape!" She was focused on keeping Lady Qiao, ignoring the others. The other bandits, seeing the pursuit, were terrified and mounted their horses, two of which galloped away into the darkness.

Hou Muxin, hearing Lindai'er's command, quickly drew his bow. His archery skills were excellent. With the moonlight, and the distance not far, he was confident he could hit any target. He aimed at Wei Tianqing but hesitated, moving the arrow to the horse. At the last moment, he remembered Qin Yu's words.

If Wei Tianqing and Lady Qiao could escape, Lindai'er would lose her leverage with Qiao Mingtang, and Lin Chonggu and Lu Tianyou wouldn't return safely. This would be greatly beneficial to Hou Muxin.

In a moment of madness, Hou Muxin's arrow didn't target Wei Tianqing or his horse but aimed at someone else—Sulinlang.

Sulinlang was riding with another woman. She had helped the woman mount but hadn't yet. She was still worried about Chu Huan and looked back, seeing the bandit with the bronze mask aiming an arrow at her.

She was shocked and didn't have time to react. Hou Muxin released the arrow, which shot at her like lightning. At the last moment, someone pushed her away. Despite this, she felt a sharp pain in her thigh, as the arrow hit her leg, though not a vital spot.

Lindai'er's face was icy cold. She turned and shouted, "Hou Muxin, are you blind? Who were you aiming at?"

Hou Muxin drew another arrow, but by then, Wei Tianqing had turned the horse and, ignoring the shouts, rode east with Lady Qiao.

Sulinlang, pushed away from the arrow, was picked up and quickly placed on another horse. The person who saved her also mounted and, with the bandits' shouts, turned the horse and galloped east on a grassy path.

Lindai'er was furious. Knowing they were riding fast, she still chased after them, determined to prevent Lady Qiao from escaping, as she was crucial for the exchange of two important relatives.

Chasing for a few dozen meters, she heard the hoofbeats growing distant. Behind her, more hoofbeats approached, and she heard Xue Qingshan's voice, "Dai'er, get on the horse!" Xue Qingshan, riding fast, extended his hand. Lindai'er grabbed it, and he pulled her up behind him.

"Brother, don't let them escape!" Lindai'er gritted her teeth. She couldn't let Lady Qiao go, and she had seen Chu Huan's agility, suspecting the item she lost might be with him.

Xue Qingshan, hearing Lindai'er's flute, knew something was wrong. While other bandits followed the flute, Xue Qingshan led two others to the front of the temple, where two carriages with horses were. He cut the reins, mounted the horses, and chased after them.

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