flstandardbreds Chapter 95 Escape
Chapter 95 Escape
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Liu Ye waited anxiously in the inner courtyard. After all, this was walking a tightrope under the rebels' blades, and it was inevitable that he would be nervous when he took action. If things were exposed, he didn't know if he could break out with his small force. If he alerted the rebels inside the city, he wouldn't be able to save anyone, let alone his own life—although the main force of the rebels was not there, the several thousand garrison soldiers were not to be underestimated.
Just then, a dozen or so people carried in a load on a pole, and one of them asked, "Is this Master Liu?"
Liu Ye immediately replied, "That's me!"
The man looked back outside to make sure no one had followed him in, and said, "Master Liu, I am a disciple of the Dharma Master. He has given me instructions that I will listen to you once I am inside."
"Very good. Follow me." Liu Ye led them to Wu Ruowang and the others' room and knocked on the door.
The door opened immediately, and Wu Ruowang excitedly poked his head out. "Liu, shall we begin now?"
"Change your clothes right away, lest something goes wrong," Liu Ye urged him.
Wu Ruowang said something into the room, which Liu Ye couldn't understand; it was probably their native Portuguese. The dozen or so Portuguese men immediately began taking off their coats and changing clothes with the dozen or so men.
While they were changing clothes, Liu Ye picked up a set of servants' shirts, went to Sun Yuanhua's room, knocked on the door and said, "Lord Sun, it's me!"
Sun Yuanhua had also gotten up early and had been waiting for him. Upon hearing this, he opened the door, took the clothes, and asked, "Have they all changed?"
"It's being changed now, it'll be done soon. It's just that I'm sorry to trouble you, Lord Sun, to have to pretend to be a delivery boy..."
Sun Yuanhua waved his hand, "It's alright. They didn't betray me when the rebels occupied Dengzhou, so naturally I can't betray them. I couldn't bear to leave them behind. I was able to save the lives of more than a dozen of them and keep myself alive, so what is this little grievance of mine!"
Liu Ye breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that they were willing to cooperate. The so-called decisions of Li Jiucheng and Kong Youde were all fake. If the old man insisted on walking out of the government office in a dignified manner, the whole thing would be exposed.
After everyone had changed clothes, the men stayed in the Frankish man's room. The leader of the men, who was Wang Bao's disciple, led the imposters out the way they came.
The facial features of Caucasians and Asians are very different. Although Wu Ruowang and the others bowed their heads and bent over, trying their best to conceal their faces, a closer look would reveal the thick hair characteristic of Caucasians. To avoid being recognized by the soldiers guarding the gate, Liu Ye walked ahead, engaging them in small talk to distract them. He was allowed free passage, and the soldiers recognized him; they were bored standing idly at the gate, so they chatted with him casually.
When a dozen or so "helpers" carried out the empty load, Wang Bao's disciple deftly handed over a silver ingot, smiling and saying, "Gentlemen, you've worked hard. My boss said that we'll need your help in the future. This is just a small token for you gentlemen to have some tea."
The soldiers thought the shop assistants at the grain and oil shop were very good at handling things. After accepting the silver ingot, they naturally didn't pay much attention to whether the shop assistants were any different. With Liu Ye distracting them, the dozen or so "shop assistants" successfully left the yamen.
As they turned the corner, Liang Xiaoming and the others, who had been waiting there, came to greet them.
Liu Ye didn't waste any words and simply stated: "Everything is going smoothly. Now proceed according to plan."
Just as he was about to leave, someone reached out and patted Liu Ye on the shoulder from behind.
Liu Ye was on high alert, and this startled him quite a bit. When he turned around, he saw Ling Xi'er, whose pretty and charming face was full of sorrow.
He composed himself and said with a forced smile, "Miss Ling, why did you come out with me?"
Ling Xi'er stared at him intently and asked softly, "You're just leaving like this without even saying goodbye? If I hadn't followed you out, would I have never seen you again in this lifetime?"
Liu Ye was speechless for a moment; that was indeed what he thought. But to be honest, the three of them had been through thick and thin together, and leaving the master and apprentice in the rebels' stronghold was a bit dishonest. Besides, he could also sense that Ling Xi'er had feelings for him.
However, leaving Dengzhou, this place of trouble, was the most important thing right now. After weighing his options, he hardened his heart and said, "Miss Ling, when I fell into your hands, you pleaded for me time and time again, and I have always remembered that. When we encountered the rebels, it was your master who saved my life, and I am very grateful to her. But all good things must come to an end, and I must eventually leave. You and my master will continue to work for the White Lotus Sect. We are not on the same path after all, so let's say goodbye here..."
Ling Xi'er opened her mouth, wanting to tell him that she was only following her master to repay a debt of gratitude and didn't want to be involved in any White Lotus doctrine. She said she would like to go with him if possible. But the words stuck in her throat. The heavy weight of White Lotus's kindness weighed on her heart, making her dare not have any thoughts of betraying her master.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Liu Ye clasped his hands and said, "Miss Ling, we'll meet again someday!" After saying that, he and Liang Xiaoming and the others left in a hurry.
Ling Xi'er watched Liu Ye's figure disappear around the street corner, feeling extremely melancholy.
After a long while, she turned around and slowly walked back to the governor's office. When she reached the door, she suddenly thought: He's already gone, why should I stay here? She turned to leave, but then remembered that her master, Bai Lian, was still inside. After some hesitation, she turned back and went back inside.
The rebel soldiers guarding the gate were already getting impatient with her repeated attempts to leave and then lingering. Although they recognized her as being with Liu Ye and didn't forbid her from entering or leaving, there was a very important person being held inside. The gate of the governor's office wasn't a marketplace where people could come and go as they pleased.
A rebel soldier stepped forward and shoved him, shouting, "Come in if you want, come out if you want, why are you loitering around the gate?"
Ling Xi'er was already annoyed when she heard the word "blind," and her anger flared. Dodging the man's shove, she swiftly pointed a finger, striking him squarely in the right eye. The rebel soldier immediately felt his right eye go black, followed by a sharp pain. Not knowing if he was blind or not, he collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony: "It hurts like hell! I'm blind! I'm blind..."
The remaining rebel soldiers were terrified and drew their katana, surrounding the area. Ling Xi'er casually pulled a katana from the waist of a rebel rolling on the ground, gave a sharp shout, and engaged the guards in battle…
Liu Ye and his group of several dozen people were too conspicuous walking together, so they deliberately split into several groups and walked slowly through the streets, their destination the south gate of Huang County. Although he appeared calm on the outside, Liu Ye was actually very nervous inside, his palms were already sweating—this was, after all, the rebels' lair, and if he was not careful, it would arouse their suspicion, lead to the closure of the city gates and a city-wide search, and then it would be all over.