FID – Chapter 694

Chapter 694: Liu Yusheng, Your Life is Worth a Lot

“Wei Hong, don’t go out again, you need to escape!” Qian Baihao grabbed Wei Hong’s arm and pulled her back. “Those people won’t kill us. You don’t need to protect us so much. Even if they capture you, once you escape, you can come back and think of a way to save us. Escape! With your strength, it shouldn’t be difficult!”

The other members of the Merchant Guild leaned against the grey-black walls of the ruined temple, their faces pale, and their breathing weak. Despite their condition, they all agreed with Qian Baihao’s decision.

“Escape. If you get out, at least someone will be able to send word to us. If you die, no one will know who captured us or how we were captured.”

“We old folks still have some value, so we won’t die in the short term. Don’t worry about us for now.”

Wei Hong turned back to look at them, pulled her arm free from Qian Baihao’s grip, and shoved a signal flare into his hand. “Later, I’ll rush out and try to tie them up as much as I can. Mr. Qian, when the time comes, take the others and run toward the capital. Once you’re close, fire the signal flare. Someone will come to help you!”

She could no longer continue protecting them. With the last bit of her strength, she could still manage to hold them off, could still manage it.

Having said that, she shot out without looking back.

She thought this would be her final battle, but the reality was always beyond expectations, and caught her off guard.

Black-clad figures descended from the sky.

They engaged with the assassins surrounding the ruined temple!

In the blink of an eye, they took care of everything.

Not a single living soul was left.

Wei Hong stood in the open space in front of the temple, her body covered in bloodstains, and gripped the dagger tightly in her hand. 

The exhaustion caused her arm to tremble uncontrollably. Her cold eyes scanned the area. Despite being alone, the murderous aura around her didn’t weaken in the slightest.

But the others didn’t even bother to acknowledge her.

After killing everyone… they left.

“… What… What just happened?” Qian Baihao was gasping for breath as he and the others stepped out. He was the first to feel this confused. “Wei Hong, are they people from His Highness’s side?”

“No.” Wei Hong frowned, equally confused.

They were from Nanling, unfamiliar with Beicang territory, and didn’t have their own influence here.

But these people appeared so timely, showing up just as she was on the verge of exhaustion, completely cleaning up the assassins.

She almost thought that during these past few days, her side’s misery had been fully seen by them, and they were simply waiting for her to reach her limit before stepping in to help.

That kind of attitude felt as if they treated the battle as a game!

And they were the masters of the game’s outcome.

Regaining her composure, Wei Hong said, “No matter who they are, we’ve been saved now. Forget the rest, let’s head back to the capital and join His Highness!”

With the danger averted, the group, exhausted, immediately made their way toward the capital.

Meanwhile, after reaching the shore, Liu Yusheng thought they would soon reach the capital. When she removed the cloth from her eyes, she smiled.

She was played by Heilian again.

“Heilian, you’re really something,” she said, trying to maintain her calm, but unable to hide the chill radiating from her.

“This is the only way from the island to the capital,” the man didn’t explain further, taking the lead without a hint of concern about whether the young girl would follow.

They were in a small town, where the people were simple and honest. Fishnets were hanging everywhere along the road, drying salted fish, and the air was thick with the smell of dried fish.

Liu Yusheng didn’t know if this was the only way to the capital, but she was certain that when she was captured and brought to the island, it could not have been more than a day.

However, now, after getting off the boat, having a meal, and finding a carriage, it had already taken up most of the day. She had asked around, and it seemed that the journey to the capital would take at least three days!

Chasing after the man’s steps, Liu Yusheng intercepted him in front of a carriage shop and spoke in a low voice, “Heilian, what exactly are you trying to do? Since you promised to send me back, why have you been delaying so much along the way?”

The man looked at her silently for a moment, then walked past her, called for a carriage, and got in. “We’ll talk inside the carriage.”

Liu Yusheng bit her lip, suppressing her anger, and got in. Holding the small puppy in the basket, she stared directly at him.

“Can we talk now?”

She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she thought she heard a barely audible sigh from the man. 

“I’m not playing games,” he said, “If I didn’t want to let you go, there’d be no need to make all these arrangements.”

“Why is that?”

“From this small town onward, every town that is part of the capital’s jurisdiction has people waiting for your life,” the man raised his eyes, his deep gaze locking onto hers. “Liu Yusheng, your life is very valuable.”

Liu Yusheng’s heart jolted. The calmness that usually dominated her sharp black-and-white eyes began to falter.

“Many people want my life?”

She didn’t doubt his words, though she didn’t know why.

But she couldn’t figure out who could have set such a wide net around the capital, waiting to kill her.

Her trip to Beicang had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. She hadn’t informed anyone in advance, only telling Master Qian after she made up her mind, sending him a letter via carrier pigeon.

And since arriving in Beicang, only the Lu family knew about the merchants’ whereabouts.

They had a partnership, and she didn’t know anyone from the Lu family personally—there was no grudge, no ill will. It couldn’t possibly be them.

In other words, her trip this time was very secretive.

So, who could possibly know her whereabouts so well, and want nothing more than to eliminate her?

The man slightly leaned forward and raised his hand to tease the little puppy in her arms, which had been gradually regaining its energy. Before he could get close, the puppy immediately whined and tried to burrow deeper into Liu Yusheng’s embrace, avoiding his hand as if terrified.

Sitting up casually, he continued, “We’ll have to deal with those people first, then send you on your way safely. Otherwise, if you die on the way, it will make me seem useless.”

“…” Liu Yusheng raised her eyes and, for the first time, carefully examined the man’s face… or rather, the mask on his face. It didn’t seem so detestable anymore. “Thank you.”

He turned his head away, seemingly not hearing, and didn’t respond.

After that, Liu Yusheng didn’t cause any more trouble.

As the man had said, if he really didn’t want to let her go, he didn’t need to use so many tricks. He could have just kept her confined on the island, and she would have had no way to escape.

But he had taken her out.

On the other hand, it was her who had always been suspicious of him, showing the mind of a petty person.

From beginning to end, this person had never harmed her.

“Xue Honglian.”

The man turned his head, and for the first time, there was a slight fluctuation in his otherwise emotionless eyes, as if he was surprised that she called him that.

“Thank you,” she said again.

“You can call me Heilian, I’m more used to that.”

“……”

After leaving the small fishing town and getting onto the official road, the path became smoother, and the carriage sped up.

Upon entering the next town, Liu Yusheng noticed something unusual.

The people she could see on the street all had serious expressions, and the atmosphere in the town was extremely tense. Occasionally, outside the carriage, she could see a group of soldiers conducting searches along the streets.

“Helian, what are they doing?”