Chapter 74

"Of course not. According to the time Brother Zhao mentioned, they won't leave the city. Leaving the city would mean traveling at night, which is too risky. Moreover, the gate inspection becomes stricter before the city gates close, making it easy to run into trouble. If it really was those people, they would stay in the house for the night, make some preparations and arrangements, and perhaps give some sleeping drugs," Liu Yong explained hurriedly.

Liu Yong hesitated for a moment, then leaned close to Zhao Jin's ear and whispered, "Brother Chen said that if it was these people, they wouldn't ruin Xiao Lan's purity. They want to sell her for a high price."

Zhao Jin nodded. He could deduce this. If it was the difficult monk who sent people to abduct Mu Shulan, it was to exchange her for his own wealth and power. Naturally, she would be delivered intact.

"How many people are there?" Zhao Jin asked again.

Liu Yong shook his head, uncertain, and said, "Those people rely on abduction, so there should only be one or two guards."

No matter how much they speculated, in the end, they needed to see the real people. Zhao Jin knew he was taking a gamble, but with no other leads, he had to follow the clues he had.

It was already getting dark, and the stars were visible in the east. The Nine-Tailed Lady Temple was in sight. Dong Bingfeng dismounted and walked on foot from a distance, tying his horse to a random spot. This area in the eastern part of the city was home to middle-class families, and many military officers with estates in Xuzhou and Xuzhou Left Guard had houses here.

Individually, the houses looked neat, but from the street, they seemed scattered. Each house had different walls and gates, making the area look messy.

If it weren't for the flagpole in the courtyard of the Nine-Tailed Lady Temple, it would look no different from a normal large house. The gate was tightly closed, the walls were intact, and there was light in the courtyard, indicating that someone was living there.

Zhao Jin and his group stopped at the intersection. People were still walking on the street, all looking curiously but thinking it was better to mind their own business. They glanced and then turned back home. However, two people were watching closely. One was outside the Nine-Tailed Lady Temple, looking like a passerby but leaning against the wall, looking around without moving. The other was a vendor, sitting listlessly behind a bamboo basket. He was the only vendor on the entire street, making him stand out.

"Where are we going? Where is that lamb shop? Did you take the wrong way?" Zhao Jin suddenly raised his voice.

Everyone was taken aback, then saw Zhao Jin turn and lower his voice, "There are two guards at the gate. Follow what I say."

Wang Zhaojing was the first to react, saying loudly, "It should be here, shouldn't it?"

"I'll deal with the one by the wall, Chen Sheng will handle the vendor, Liu Yong will follow me, and Ji Xiang will follow Chen Sheng. You two go and block their mouths. Understand?"

Zhao Jin spoke in a low, serious tone. Those he mentioned nodded cautiously.

Including Zhao Jin, these young people were all incredibly excited, their faces beaming. They usually just competed with each other, but now they were about to do something real. Dong Bingfeng and Ji Xiang were even trembling with excitement.

Zhao Jin took a deep breath and raised his voice again, "Let's walk down this street. I heard that the lamb shop doesn't have a storefront; it's in a resident's house. I'll treat you all to a good meal."

The group laughed and walked down the street. The two hidden guards outside the Nine-Tailed Lady Temple relaxed, exchanging glances. They wondered where these wealthy young men were coming from and what lamb shop they were talking about.

As Zhao Jin approached, it was already dark, and they couldn't see clearly from a distance. The vendor by the bamboo basket finally saw Zhao Jin's face, and Zhao Jin also recognized him. Zhao Jin's face turned cold. He remembered this vendor, the peddler he had seen in the morning.

The vendor's eyes widened as he recognized Zhao Jin. He opened his mouth to shout, but in a flash, Zhao Jin's spear flipped and struck him heavily on the neck. The vendor's eyes turned white, and he fell to the ground.

The guard by the wall, who was a bit distracted, suddenly saw his companion fall. Just as he was about to react, a long knife was pressed against his throat, and he couldn't make a sound. His reaction was a bit slow, so he didn't instinctively shout.

With the knife at his throat, the guard felt a chill all over his body and involuntarily leaned back. He could feel the blade trembling, which made him even more terrified.

Looking at these teenagers, who were around fourteen or fifteen years old, they were taller and stronger than adults, with a mix of childishness and excitement, even fear, on their faces. But they held sharp weapons, which made the scene quite bizarre.

Just as the guard was about to beg for mercy, his mouth was firmly covered. He tried to struggle but couldn't break free. They were so strong!

Zhao Jin poked the vendor with his spear, seeing no reaction, and confirmed he was unconscious. He turned to the guard and whispered, "Is Mu Shulan inside?"

The guard was stunned, looking confused. Zhao Jin rephrased, "Did you abduct a twelve-year-old girl from the north side of the city, about this tall?"

He gestured, and the guard's face showed surprise. Zhao Jin felt a sense of relief, knowing he had found the right place.

"I have questions for you. If you shout, I'll kill you. Nod if you understand."

The guard nodded frantically. Zhao Jin signaled Ji Xiang to let go, and Chen Sheng pulled back his knife. Zhao Jin wanted to ask how many people were inside.

Before he could speak, the gate of the Nine-Tailed Lady Temple creaked open, and a head poked out, saying, "Delivery..."

He didn't finish his sentence, seeing the scene by the gate. The guard, seeing his companion, immediately shouted, "Help!"

"Thieves are here!" the person at the gate shouted without hesitation.

Zhao Jin and his group were all gathered, not expecting such a sudden situation. Sun Dalei, the outermost one, reacted quickly, swinging his axe. It was originally blade-down, but he quickly flipped it to the back of the axe.

It was still a bit slow. The wind whistled, and the person at the gate dodged in a panic. They could hear the person inside shouting, "Thieves are here! Little Four and Little Five have been caught."

Chaos and shouting erupted from inside the courtyard. Zhao Jin was in a panic. The plan was not well-prepared, and everyone was bunched together, with no one on guard. They had captured the guards but still alerted the kidnappers inside.

"Knock him out, and follow me inside!" Zhao Jin shouted, charging toward the gate. He had to dodge Sun Dalei, who was turning around.

The guard, who had shouted twice, saw a stick and the back of a knife coming toward his head and was knocked out before he could react.

Zhao Jin's movements were not slow. He rushed to the gate, and the panicked person tried to close it. Zhao Jin thrust his spear through the gap, and the person let go and ran inside.

Before Zhao Jin could act, he was pushed from behind, forcing him into the courtyard. He stumbled forward a few steps before stopping.

In the chaos, Zhao Jin looked back in frustration, seeing his group crowding in. He suddenly realized he was very nervous and shouted, "Spread out! Don't hurt each other!"

The group scattered in a noisy rush. Wang Zhaojing was the calmest, standing by Zhao Jin and drawing his sword.

But this calmness was not very reassuring. Zhao Jin could hear Wang Zhaojing's heavy breathing. Chen Sheng held his knife with both hands, which was trembling. Dong Bingfeng's spear had fallen to the ground, and he was fumbling to pick it up. Sun Dalei was hiding behind everyone, and Shi Manqiang and Ji Xiang were sweating. The only calm one was Liu Yong, who had a short axe in his hand, standing to Chen Sheng's left. He had experience in fighting and brawling.

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