Chapter 28

The soldiers searching the area had already reached the upper floor. The window in Yang Guo's room suddenly creaked open, and a young man jumped in from outside. Just as Yang Guo was about to cry out in surprise, the man covered his mouth.

"Shh, it's me!" A familiar voice came, and Yang Guo immediately calmed down. Turning around, he saw Luo Fan's somewhat pale face and quickly asked, "Master, are you hurt?"

Luo Fan waved his hand and said, "This Lin'an is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers; I was too careless." He then pulled Yang Guo to the window and said, "Now is not the time to talk about this. Let's leave through the window."

Yang Guo nodded. All outsiders were being strictly questioned, and staying here would not be wise.

"Bang, bang!"

"Open the door!"

Yang Guo leaped down from the windowsill, and Luo Fan followed, closing the window behind him. The soldiers had already broken down the door and entered one after another.

"Why is no one here?" A soldier who seemed to be the leader asked the innkeeper, "Old man, who was staying here?"

The innkeeper, somewhat timidly, replied, "It... it was a young man in white."

"Disappeared just as we were searching? Search! It might be him!"

"Yes!"

The innkeeper's old face crumpled like a chrysanthemum at these words. This search would likely turn the entire inn upside down, but with the gleaming weapons in front of him, he dared not interfere, only stomping his feet in frustration.

...

Luo Fan and Yang Guo evaded the soldiers for a whole day, even killing a few, but they still couldn't find a way out of the city. They had traversed most of Lin'an, and every exit was heavily guarded. With his severe injuries, Luo Fan couldn't break through, let alone with Yang Guo in tow.

"Should I really drink the red potion?" Luo Fan knew that the world's qi points were limited; wasting any would mean less for later. He was unwilling to waste even a bit unless it was a critical moment, but now it seemed there was no other choice.

"Report—" In the palace, another urgent message arrived. The red-robed eunuch, holding a cup of tea, gently blew on the steam, took a sip, and then opened the message: "The master of White Cloud City, Ye Gucheng, and his disciple, Xi Men Chuixue, entered Lin'an yesterday... and both disappeared today?"

The red-robed eunuch nodded slightly and muttered to himself, "It seems Ye Gucheng and Xie Yunliu are definitely connected!" He then thought for a moment and said, "Could Ye Gucheng be Xie Yunliu? Otherwise, how could there be so many experts in the world!"

The red-robed eunuch found this increasingly plausible and called out, "Someone, pass the order: while searching for Xie Yunliu, also capture Ye Gucheng and his disciple!"

Luo Fan had not expected such a powerful expert in the palace and thus did not conceal himself much. This led to his identity being guessed within a day. Soon, portraits of the two were posted all over the city.

Although this was due to Luo Fan and Yang Guo deliberately going missing, even if they hadn't, Luo Fan's injuries and pale face would have made them suspicious. Once he was suspected, Yang Guo, as his disciple, would also be caught. Therefore, it was better to leave directly.

"Master, what do we do now?" In a hidden alley, Yang Guo asked Luo Fan.

"Ha ha." Luo Fan laughed lightly, a hint of pride in his voice, "Follow me."

The two quickly walked to a river. Luo Fan splashed water on his face, rubbed it, and then washed it again. When he turned around, his face looked much younger, and his features had changed. At first glance, he was a completely different person!

"Now, there is no longer a Ye Gucheng in this world. I am Luo Fan!"

"Ha ha!" Yang Guo laughed along, "So, Master had foreseen this situation?"

Luo Fan, of course, hadn't foreseen it; it was a lucky guess. But he wouldn't admit that, only smiling deeply and saying, "Of course. Your Master can foresee five hundred years ahead and five hundred years back. A small trick like this is nothing."

"Even not knowing about such a powerful expert in Lin'an, and still claiming to foresee five hundred years," Yang Guo thought, but he didn't dare say it aloud, only praising, "Master is truly amazing!"

With the identity issue resolved, they still couldn't leave Lin'an, as the city was under strict lockdown. As outsiders, they would be questioned if they appeared before the soldiers. They needed to find a way out.

"How can we leave the city?" Luo Fan had been racking his brain all day but couldn't come up with a solution. The soldiers kept searching, and Luo Fan couldn't focus on healing his wounds. Unless he could wait for several days for his wounds to heal, they were in a dead end.

"Please, have mercy!" After evading another wave of soldiers, Luo Fan and Yang Guo came to a long street. An old beggar and a young one crawled over, begging for some money.

Yang Guo, who had lived a life similar to a beggar, felt some sympathy and gave each of them a piece of silver. The beggars thanked him repeatedly.

More soldiers were approaching, so the two quickly hid in an alley. Watching the two beggars sitting outside, Luo Fan felt a flash of inspiration.

"What is it?" Luo Fan and Yang Guo wandered the streets, but he couldn't figure out the key.

"Ouch!" Yang Guo suddenly tripped over something. Looking down, he saw a sleeping beggar. The beggar, woken up, asked groggily and somewhat angrily, "Who is it?"

Luo Fan's eyes lit up, and he understood the key. He took out a black token and showed it to the beggar, "Do you recognize this token?"

"This is..." The beggar stared at the token for a few seconds, then suddenly startled and quickly said to Luo Fan, "Sir, what can I do for you?"

"Please take me to the leader of the Lin'an branch of the Beggar Sect. I need your help with something."

"Of course! Of course!" The beggar smiled obsequiously, "This way, please."

"No need, just show me the way. I'll use my lightness skill to get there."

"Sure!" The beggar pointed in a direction, and Luo Fan followed it, passing through several hundred meters of houses. He found a building guarded by some Beggar Sect disciples.

The Beggar Sect was powerful and had not been searched much. There were few soldiers around. Avoiding the few soldiers, Luo Fan spent 1 point to exchange for a box of rouge to cover his pale face. Then, he and Yang Guo approached the building. Showing the token, the guards immediately showed respect and invited them in, with a disciple reporting to the leader.

"Ha ha ha ha! Honored guests, I apologize for not greeting you properly." In the inner hall, a hoarse voice came before the person appeared. Luo Fan saw an old man in patched clothes, carrying eight bags, and with a goatee. He thought this must be the leader of the Lin'an branch, so he quickly bowed, "I, Luo Fan, greet the leader."

"Leader or no leader, it's all due to everyone's respect," the old man waved his hand, "You are the famous True Gentleman Sword, Young Master Luo, right? I have heard much about you. Your bravery in facing three hundred evil cultists alone is truly admirable. It is a great fortune for the martial world to have a young hero like you! I am Yu. If you don't mind, I can call you Brother Luo?"

"Um..." Luo Fan smiled awkwardly. The old man was at least fifty or sixty, but he called him brother. However, Luo Fan needed his help and couldn't refuse, so he nodded, "It's my honor."

"What brings you here, Brother Luo?"

Luo Fan bowed and said, "I'm troubling you, Brother. I need to leave the city for some business, but the city is under strict lockdown. I hope you can help me."

"It's a small matter, Brother. I'll have it arranged. But since you're here, I have nothing much to offer, just some thin wine. Would you do me the honor of having a drink?"

"Sure, I'll follow your lead."

Although Luo Fan was injured and shouldn't drink much, he didn't show it. He drank a few bowls and pretended to be drunk, being carried back to a room by some Beggar Sect disciples. Yang Guo, who wasn't much of a drinker, also pretended to be drunk and was carried back.

In the room, Luo Fan sat cross-legged. Finally, he could rest a bit. However, he wasn't completely unprepared. At midnight, he listened outside Yu's room and, finding no abnormalities, returned to his room to practice his skills.

The next day, Luo Fan looked much better, and even without the rouge, he didn't look too abnormal. Yu had already arranged a way out of the city.

The Beggar Sect's strength wasn't just in numbers; they also managed many businesses. This time, Yu arranged for Luo Fan and Yang Guo to leave on a Beggar Sect merchant ship. They would dress as Beggar Sect disciples and leave with the ship.

They quickly changed into Beggar Sect clothes. Yu was quite attentive to Luo Fan, given his status as a disciple of a famous school and a young hero, and because he held the leader's token. He personally saw them off and instructed a manager to take good care of them.

As the ship was about to leave, a group of soldiers came to check.

Seeing the soldiers, Luo Fan's heart tightened. He thought, "It should be fine, right?"

...

Do you remember the token given by Hong Qigong? Yes, it's this one.