While she was in a daze, the person beside her pushed on a cabinet. With a creak, it seemed that there was a hidden door behind the cabinet.
One person lifted her arms, and the other lifted her legs, carrying Hua Yan into the hidden door. They walked a bit further until they reached a floating plank. They placed Hua Yan on the plank, untied one side of the rope, and slowly lowered her down.
As they lowered her, she overheard their conversation.
“This girl is really beautiful.”
“Indeed. It’s a pity she will be sent to be ruined by Zhang Fusheng’s son.”
“It’s said that Young Master Zhang saw her in town today. If it weren’t for Great Hero Lu being present, he might have tried to abduct her on the spot.”
“However, once the Zhengyi Sect’s hall master is defeated by Great Hero Lu, there won’t be such a convenient scapegoat anymore. Who knows where we will find girls for Young Master Zhang then.”
Hua Yan snapped out of her daze, roughly understanding what was happening in this town.
Clearly, regardless of how evil the Zhengyi Sect usually was, they were being framed this time.
After being lowered, she squinted and saw that she was above a carriage shed. The spot where Hua Yan was lowered happened to have an ox cart carrying straw.
Naturally, there were people below to receive her. They pushed her from the plank onto the straw and covered her with more straw until she was almost completely buried. Then, someone slowly drove the ox cart, taking her elsewhere.
By now, it was completely dark. The town’s streets were almost empty. Due to frequent disappearances of women, every household kept at least one light on at night, and there were people patrolling, fearing another incident—but it was of no use, Hua Yan thought.
She wasn’t afraid or anxious, just a bit sad.
Hua Yan suddenly realized she might have been too enthusiastic, and that Lu Chengsha might not want her following him. After all, no matter what she said, she still seemed like an ordinary girl without any internal power.
She might even be a burden to him.
After a while, the ox cart slowly stopped in the backyard of a large mansion.
The driver and another servant lifted Hua Yan off the back of the cart and carried her straight into a rear bedroom.
Hua Yan squinted, observing the room. It was completely different from a regular inn room. The windows were sealed, and aside from a bed and a cabinet, there was nothing else.
Having studied poison, her sense of smell was keen. At this moment, she could smell a strange, bloody scent in the room.
Though it had been cleaned, the smell still permeated the space.
She was placed on the bed, and then the two men left.
The smell was stronger on the bed, along with some unfamiliar scents. She turned her head and saw that the wall beside the bed was scratched with various marks, not made by a knife but by fingernails. Some places were stained with blood, which was horrifying.
There might have been some words originally, but most were obscured and worn away.
She got off the bed and pushed the door, only to find it locked from the outside. She went back to check the cabinet and, upon opening it, saw some strange, sordid objects, all emitting that same scent.
Hua Yan immediately frowned.
However, it wasn’t long before there was a noise outside. Hua Yan quickly rolled onto the bed.
Just as she lay down, someone pushed the door open and came in. The person was a man who eagerly approached the bed, saying, “Little beauty, I’m here…”
Hua Yan counted silently to herself, one, two, three. As soon as he got close, she suddenly sprang up, pressing the steel frame of her silk fan against his throat while pulling his shoulder, pinning him against the bedpost.
“You must be Young Master Zhang? Where are the other missing girls?”
The man looked exactly like Zhang Fusheng, short and fat with a shifty look. He hadn’t expected Hua Yan to be awake and was momentarily stunned. When he tried to shout for help, Hua Yan quickly grasped his throat and said, “Call out, and you die.”
As she spoke, she pressed the fan harder, causing his throat to bleed.
Seeing the blood, he was terrified and trembled, saying, “Please, hero, I won’t shout… spare me!”
Hua Yan asked, “Where are those girls?”
Young Master Zhang feigned ignorance, “What girls?”
Hua Yan snapped, “Don’t play dumb! The ones you abducted! Or I’ll kill you right now.”
Frightened out of his wits, he stammered, “They’ve all been sold… sold to other towns. Please, don’t…”
Hua Yan breathed a sigh of relief. At least they were still alive.
“Where were they sold to?”
Young Master Zhang shivered and said, “I can’t remember all at once… but my father’s study has records. I’ll get them for you.”
Hua Yan said, “You’ll take me there!”
With her fan pressed to his vital spot, Young Master Zhang walked out, trembling. As soon as they left the room, he mustered up some courage and struggled desperately, shouting, “Help! This woman wants to kill me!”
Hua Yan angrily said, “I told you not to shout!”
She should have cut his throat with her fan immediately, but having never killed anyone before, she hesitated for a moment. Young Master Zhang had already scrambled away.
Several guards rushed out and surrounded Hua Yan.
Armed with long swords, they were clearly skilled, not like the thugs she had encountered earlier.
If she had her internal power, she wouldn’t be afraid, but now it was tricky. Escaping wasn’t a problem, but she still wanted to capture Young Master Zhang.
As she quickly thought, the guards attacked.
Young Master Zhang, having escaped, relaxed and reversed his stance, shouting, “Kill her! Kill this woman! No, beat her half to death. I want to torture her!”
Hua Yan gritted her teeth in fury.
Young Master Zhang was still clutching his neck and cursing, “This woman dared to hurt me, I will, I will…”
His voice suddenly cut off.
A long, pitch-black sword had pierced through him from behind.
Hua Yan hadn’t noticed it initially; she was busy dealing with Young Master Zhang’s guards. Then, she saw the guards fall one by one, and a familiar, terrifying aura of killing intent filled the air—this time, Hua Yan felt an unexpected sense of warmth.
“Great Hero Lu! Is it you?”
Lu Chengsha withdrew his sword, which was still dripping blood.
He had arrived quickly and killed swiftly. He didn’t look in the best shape; most people would be terrified and keep their distance. But the young woman in front of him seemed oblivious to that, her face full of joy as she exclaimed, “How did you find me? I thought… Wait, why did you come to find me? Weren’t you supposed to deal with the Demonic Sect tonight?”
That was indeed the plan.
Lu Chengsha replied, “You didn’t come to collect the meal boxes.”
Hua Yan suddenly remembered. She had told Lu Chengsha she would come to collect the meal boxes, but then she had been drugged and brought here, leaving her no opportunity to do so.
Lu Chengsha paused and added, “A little girl told me.”
Hua Yan realized and remembered the little girl from earlier that day.
So it was her!
“Great Hero Lu, I just discovered that this Young Master Zhang is the one responsible for abducting those girls. And… his father is Zhang Fusheng, the man from earlier today. They are working together, stealing and framing others! He said those girls were sold elsewhere. His father has records that can be used to force Zhang Fusheng to reveal where the girls were taken, so they can be rescued!”
She relayed all the information she had just learned to Lu Chengsha in detail.
Lu Chengsha nodded, seeming to want to say something.
Hua Yan, coming down from the excitement of being rescued and learning the truth, remembered what she had overheard earlier and suddenly explained, “I got caught on purpose to find out what they were up to. I’m really not that weak…” The explanation seemed unconvincing at the moment, so she finally said dejectedly, “…Do you really find me troublesome and don’t want me following you?”
Lu Chengsha: “…”
Hua Yan gritted her teeth and said, “If you really don’t want me following you, it’s fine… I can go with another hero.”
She looked determined, though she actually didn’t want to leave…
Just when she thought Lu Chengsha was about to nod in agreement, she heard his slightly cold voice say slowly, “…No.”
Hua Yan asked in confusion, “Hmm?”
Lu Chengsha said, “If you’re not afraid… you can follow.”
Hua Yan blinked, still in disbelief. “Are you serious?”
Lu Chengsha nodded without hesitation. “Yes.”
Oh my god!
Great Hero Lu not only went out of his way to rescue her, but he also actually agreed to let her follow him!
How could there be such a wonderful hero in this world!
The next morning, Hua Yan recounted everything that had happened and the truth she had discovered. Everyone was shocked. Zhang Fusheng, the thief who cried thief, immediately became the target of public outrage. The parents of the missing girls were so furious they almost beat him to death on the spot, and his subordinates also became the focus of everyone’s anger.
Zhang Fusheng’s reputation was completely ruined overnight, and he lost his son. Under Hua Yan’s coercion, he handed over the ledger detailing where the missing girls were sold.
Originally, the villagers wouldn’t have been able to do anything to him, but with Lu Chengsha present, even his guards didn’t dare to make a move, fearing that these martial artists would take justice into their own hands.
Zhang Fusheng was then escorted to the local authorities by the villagers.
However, Hua Yan didn’t expect that Lu Chengsha still intended to confront the Demonic Sect’s hall master that night. Hua Yan immediately wanted to go with him.
Unexpectedly, Lu Chengsha said, “You don’t need to go.”
Hua Yan replied, “Hmm?”
Lu Chengsha repeated, “Wait here for me.” Seeing Hua Yan’s confusion, Lu Chengsha awkwardly explained, “The Demonic Sect is very dangerous. I’ll be back soon after I finish.”
His tone was as if he was saying, “I’ll be back soon after buying something.”
Both the speaker and the listener found nothing wrong with this.
Hua Yan felt that this hero was too kind!
He was worried about her safety!
Hua Yan quickly assured him, “Don’t worry! I was really caught on purpose before. I have some self-defense skills and definitely won’t be a burden. I can even assist you! You kill…” Hua Yan mimed carrying a sack, “and I’ll handle the bodies!”
Anyone else might have been amused by her.
Lu Chengsha seriously looked her over and pointed out, “You don’t have any internal power.”
This was true.
The effects of Yu Ye’s drug were extraordinary. Hua Yan hadn’t had the time to study an antidote, so now she was only slightly better than an average person in terms of physical fitness and survival skills.
But she knew how to use poison, cast spells, and had learned some soul-charming techniques!
Unfortunately, she couldn’t say that.
Hua Yan pouted, feeling a bit aggrieved.
Of course, Hua Yan didn’t know that it was precisely because she had no internal power that she could get close to Lu Chengsha.
Years of experience in the martial world, filled with bloodshed, had made Lu Chengsha extremely sensitive to the approach of martial artists, almost as a reflex. When he first saw Hua Yan, although her steps were light, they were unsteady, clearly indicating a lack of internal power. He thought she was just an ordinary person who had learned some basic martial arts.
The disciples of Tingjian Manor, although ruthless towards members of the Demonic Sect and indifferent to other sects, had a rule against killing the innocent.
Strictly speaking, in the eyes of Tingjian Manor, those with martial skills and internal power who roamed the martial world would eventually pay the price for it. Killing them was acceptable, but ordinary people who did not possess martial skills were different. Unless they were truly deserving of death, they would not be killed easily.
Thus, although the renowned Tingjian Manor had many souls under its sword, its reputation among common people was quite good.
Unaware of all this, Hua Yan, feeling wronged, said, “Come back soon!”
Lu Chengsha did return quickly—because the hall master had already fled.
With such a commotion, it was impossible for the hall master not to know that Lu Chengsha was nearby.
Regardless, they had successfully completed a mission of justice!