Zhao Mian followed Wei Zhenfeng out of the bedroom, and they first went to the side hall to wake up Zhou Huairang.
Zhou Huairang was half asleep, and he did whatever His Highness told him to do. After the three of them left the main hall, he realized that they seemed to have encountered a situation that was not quite under their control.
"Young Prince," Zhou Huairang opened his mouth but said nothing, "Who is coming?"
Wei Zhenfeng didn't understand Zhou Huairang's lip movements, so he looked at Zhao Mian. Zhao Mian accurately said what Zhou Huairang was thinking: "He asked you who you are."
"I can't be sure, but it's easy to guess." Wei Zhenfeng said, "To find this place, the prerequisite is to know those two lines of the ballad. So far, there are only two groups of people who know about it, our people and the people from the Imperial City Bureau. Excluding one wrong answer, the remaining one is the correct answer. As for why they came here now..."
Zhao Mian said: "Because they didn't have the 'key' before, even if they knew the location of the treasure, they had no idea where to start."
Zhao Mian guessed that there were probably two reasons why Gu Ruzhang told the Imperial City Department the location of the underground palace but hid the "key" in Nangong Mountain of Dongling. First, after Xixia was occupied by Beiyuan, Dongling was a relatively safe place that was not easily infiltrated by Beiyuan; second, Gu Ruzhang might have thought of using the power of Dongling to try to keep the flame of Xixia alive for as long as possible.
Once Western Xia is destroyed, Dongling will be sandwiched between the two major countries in the north and the south, which will only make it more uncomfortable than when there were four countries. Dongling needs a force to share this pressure with itself.
Therefore, Lu Wang had the motivation to help the Imperial City Division. The Imperial City Division's sudden visit to the Desert Underground Palace might have been the work of the Queen Mother Dongling.
Wei Zhenfeng chuckled: "The people from the Imperial City Bureau should really thank us. If we hadn't discovered Wanhuameng's hot spring, they would have been left standing outside the bronze door staring at each other."
Zhao Mian asked: "How many people are there?"
"About ten, but the number is not important. What's important is..." Wei Zhenfeng paused, "who is coming."
There are more than ten people on the other side, and they only have three of them. A good show is about to be staged in this huge underground palace.
In the past, when encountering a similar situation, Wei Zhenfeng would only feel excited and stimulated, thinking that he couldn't wait to play a game with him. However, today, whether it was exciting or not was secondary, he just wanted to send Zhao Mian to a safe place first.
Zhou Huairang was about to say something with his lips, but Wei Zhenfeng suddenly made a gesture to silence him and pointed behind the door. Zhao Mian understood what he meant and took Zhou Huairang's hand and took him to hide at the door.
As soon as they hid, the shadows of two torches appeared on the ground - someone was coming.
The three held their breath. The fire was getting closer and closer to them. A pair of hands pushed open the palace gate in front of them. Zhou Huairang's heart instantly jumped to his throat.
After the door opened, the two men did not move immediately, as if they were observing the movements inside. After a while, they walked in one after the other, with the one in front leading the way and the one behind watching his back to prevent him from being attacked from behind.
When the first man came in, Wei Zhenfeng did nothing. He lurked in the darkness, motionless, as if he had completely blended into the night. It was not until the second man stepped into the palace gate that he took action.
A hand covered the man's mouth and nose. Before the man's pupils could dilate, the cold blade had already quietly slashed across his throat. The torch in the man's hand fell to the ground. His companion heard the noise and turned around in an instant. Wei Zhenfeng's blade accurately found his throat.
Blood splashed onto Wei Zhenfeng, leaving a bloody streak on his face, making the young man in the cold underground palace look even more bloodthirsty and weird.
After quietly dealing with the two people, Wei Zhenfeng didn't have time to wipe the blood and made a decisive decision: "Well, I'll take you away from here first, and then..."
"Don't be stupid." Zhao Mian vetoed. He squatted down, suppressed his nausea and roughly checked the things the two bodies were carrying: "These people chose to act separately, which just gave us the opportunity to ambush and attack them separately."
Wei Zhenfeng's mind moved: "Do you already have a plan?"
Zhao Mian asked: "Where will these people go after arriving at the underground palace?"
Zhou Huairang asked, "If they are also looking for treasure, they will definitely go to the storehouse?" Wei Zhenfeng thought for a moment, "You mean, the kitchen?"
Zhao Mian opened the water bags on the two corpses. They were empty, not even a drop of water was left. "Not bad."
This group of people came to the underground palace at the same time as them, and they probably also experienced the huge sandstorm. For a group of people who crossed the vast desert and went through untold hardships to reach the underground palace, water and food were more tempting than treasures.
Just like when Wei Zhenfeng first came, he was lying on his bed, but he was still thinking about eating.
The kitchen not only stores a large amount of grains and flour, but also contains the most precious deep well in the desert.
Wei Zhenfeng looked at the calm and composed Crown Prince and found that he seemed to have made a mistake.
Zhao Mian would never become his weak spot or a reason for him to back down. On the contrary, Zhao Mian would only make his favorite adventures more fascinating and interesting.
The familiar feeling of excitement returned to his body, and Wei Zhenfeng's eyes lit up with eagerness: "So what should we do next, Your Highness?"
Zhao Mian said, "Go to the dining room."
The kitchen was located deep in the underground palace, and it was not easy to find for those who came here for the first time. Zhou Huairang, who had cooked several meals, was brought to the kitchen by Wei Zhenfeng and Zhao Mian with ease.
At this time, two people were drinking from the well in the kitchen. One of them had almost finished drinking and kicked the other one: "Stop drinking, call everyone over, drink some water and then look for it."
The other person did not dare to neglect: "Yes!"
Zhao Mian and Wei Zhenfeng looked at each other and immediately took action. The former drew his bow and shot an arrow, while the latter killed two more with his sword. The three of them hurriedly hid the bodies. Zhao Mian found a good position to ambush. As long as anyone approached the well, they would be within his range. Wei Zhenfeng continued to lurk in the dark with Zhou Huairang.
It was not difficult to see that these people were acting in groups of two. If they could not be killed at the same time, the remaining one would definitely make a noise to call his companions. If he wanted to complete the assassination, he and Wei Zhenfeng had to act as synchronously as possible.
Soon, the fifth unlucky guy came. He was a teenager. When he saw the well, he shouted excitedly: "Water! There is water here, Brother Chen, come quickly!"
When he shouted, the men in his group rushed over immediately, but they noticed something strange the moment they walked into the kitchen: "There's an ambush, get out of the way!"
The boy reacted very quickly. He jumped up and hid behind a sack full of flour.
In order not to expose his position, Zhao Mian had to stop for the time being. But the man was obviously not easy to fool. He looked around and quickly locked his eyes on the place where Zhao Mian was hiding: "Come out."
Wei Zhenfeng couldn't help but curse inwardly.
What bad luck, I met a master so soon.
The man held a long knife in his hand and approached Zhao Mian's hiding place step by step. Seeing that His Highness was about to be discovered, Zhou Huairang was anxious but dared not move. There were only three words in his mind - what to do.
What to do? What to do? What to do.
That man looks very powerful. Can Your Highness defeat him
He couldn't just watch His Highness fall into danger, but he didn't know martial arts, so the only thing he could do was to attract the enemy's attention and create a good opportunity for His Highness to take action.
Zhou Huairang made up his mind and was about to rush out, but his shoulder was suddenly held down. Then the figure of the young prince passed by him so quickly that he only had time to leave him a sentence: "According to your Highness's wishes, wait for the opportunity to act."
The moment Wei Zhenfeng appeared, the man suddenly pointed the knife at him. After seeing Wei Zhenfeng's face clearly, the man's expression changed: "... You!"
Veins bulged on the man's forehead and his cheeks bulged. You could imagine how much hatred he had.
Wei Zhenfeng raised his eyebrows and smiled: "So it turns out that you are an old acquaintance again. Sir Chen, how are you?"
This man's name is Chen Bin. He is one of the top masters in the Imperial City Division and his martial arts skills are better than Huo Kangsheng.
Chen Bin and others hated Wei Zhenfeng not only for the loss of their country, but also for the humiliation of being played around by him time and time again. When Chen Bin saw the smile in the boy's deep and strange eyes, his composure dropped by two points. He gritted his teeth and said, "I was wondering who was hiding here like a rat crossing the street. It turned out to be Wei Gou."
Wei Zhenfeng lost his pride at this time, and remained calm even after being scolded: "Are you thirsty, Lord Chen? Do you want to drink some water first before reminiscing with me?"
Chen Bin glanced at the well, his expression becoming increasingly angry, wishing he could chop the boy in front of him into pieces: "You put poison in it!"
The brothers encountered a sandstorm on the way here. They finally found this place. They ran out of food two days ago and finished the last pot of water yesterday. Many brothers were on the verge of collapse, but they relied on the belief that they would have water to drink if they found the underground palace. If everyone knew that the well they finally found was poisonous...
Wei Zhenfeng said innocently: "Lord Chen has misunderstood me. Water is so precious in the desert, how could I bear to poison the well."
How could Chen Bin believe him? He raised his knife and rushed forward: "Wei Zhenfeng, even if I die of thirst, I will drag you to be buried with me!"
The boy hiding behind the sack rushed out regardless: "Brother Chen, I'm here to help you!"
Wei Zhenfeng laughed and said, "You really don't want to drink some water before you fight? I see you are very thirsty."
After saying that, the two rushed to Wei Zhenfeng one after the other. The smile on Wei Zhenfeng's face disappeared completely, he paused, jumped into the air, stepped on Chen Bin's knife, crossed his head, and landed behind him.
The enraged Chen Bin turned around and chased after him. Because of this turn, his back appeared in Zhao Mian's sight without any obstruction.
This was the opportunity Wei Zhenfeng created for him.
Zhao Mian didn't dare to delay for a moment. Just as he was about to draw the bow, he suddenly felt something and his eyes suddenly widened.
A cold weapon was pressed against his waist, and a low, hoarse male voice sounded behind him: "Is it fun? Sir Xiao."
When outnumbered, the short sword was not very effective, so Wei Zhenfeng seized the opportunity and snatched the sword used by the young man.
The long sword swung across, tearing through the piles of sacks, causing flour to spill out like quicksand, and then be lifted high by the sword. Soon, the kitchen was filled with flying dust, as if in a fog.
Wei Zhenfeng was fighting one against two, and was still able to tie with the other party, and even had the upper hand. Until he saw two figures coming out from Zhao Mian's hiding place, one was Zhao Mian, and the other was...
Wei Zhenfeng's heart suddenly sank, and his movements froze for a moment. Chen Bin seized this opportunity and slashed his arm with the sharp blade, leaving a palm-long, deep wound that could be seen through the bone.
The wound immediately began to bleed profusely, and the blood and sweat soaked the boy's clothes.
More and more people from the Imperial City Division heard the noise of the fight and rushed over. In addition to the four people who had been dealt with before, there were still eight people. These people surrounded Wei Zhenfeng, and their faces were exactly the same, with a look of hatred.
"It's Wei Gou!"
"Wei Zhenfeng, you have come to this day!"
"Kill the Wei dog and offer sacrifice to the heaven for Xixia!"
At this moment, someone shouted, "There is water here!"
As soon as these words came out, half of the people rushed over like starving ghosts. Chen Bin and the boy pulled people away while shouting, "Don't drink it, the water is poisonous!"
Some of the people who were still sober stopped, but there were others that could not be stopped, shouting that they would rather be poisoned to death than die of thirst. Chen Bin had no choice but to attack his brothers and subdue them first.
"Was it Wei Gou who poisoned me?"
"Kill him, then we can drink his blood and walk back!"
Just when the scene was in chaos, the man holding Zhao Mian hostage finally spoke: "Quiet."
Everyone shut up and focused their eyes on the man. There was no doubt that this man was the leader of these people.
The man held the knife across Zhao Mian's neck, but his eyes were fixed on Wei Zhenfeng. "I haven't seen you for two years. The little prince has grown up a lot. Let me calculate. You should be eighteen this year?"
Zhao Mian looked at Wei Zhenfeng's arm in surprise for a moment, then suddenly turned to Chen Bin and gave him a cold look.
Gu Shaodeng sighed softly, "Only eighteen."
Gu Shaodeng looked less than 40 years old, and his features were somewhat similar to Gu Ruzhang, but he did not have Gu Ruzhang's gentleness and elegance, only the deep and steady state of having experienced many vicissitudes of life. He was the only one present who did not show his hatred and anger towards Wei Zhenfeng, and his words were almost polite: "Is the well water poisonous? Please try it and you will know."
Hearing this, the young man quickly ran to the well to get some water, wanting to pour it into Wei Zhenfeng's mouth. Wei Zhenfeng said, "Thank you, I can drink it myself."
As he said this, he took the ladle and drank it all.
Seeing Wei Zhenfeng drinking so happily, everyone was eager to drink water, but Gu Shaodeng ordered them, "Wait a moment."
Too much blood had been shed, and the color on Wei Zhenfeng's face was gradually fading. "Waiting is boring, why don't you negotiate a deal with me, Lord Gu?"
Chen Bin's ears were filled with alarm bells: "Sir, Wei Gou is extremely treacherous and cunning. We must not listen to him. Be careful not to be fooled!"
"It's okay." Gu Shaodeng said, "What kind of deal do you want to make with me, young prince?"
Wei Zhenfeng looked at Zhao Mian and found that Zhao Mian had been staring at his wound. He immediately covered the wound with his other hand and said, "How about one person for another?"
Gu Shaodeng thought for a moment and said, "Go on."
Wei Zhenfeng said: "If you release Lord Xiao, I will give you a great gift."
As Gu Shaodeng and Wei Zhenfeng talked, the anxious mood spread among the people who had not had water for two days. Except for a few people, everyone else's eyes turned red with thirst and they kept swallowing saliva.
Gu Shaodeng asked: "The great gift that the young prince mentioned, is it Huo Kangsheng?"
Wei Zhenfeng sneered: "Who is Huo Kangsheng? How can he be worthy of being exchanged with Lord Xiao?"
"What is the little prince's gift?"
"Your Excellency's uncle, Gu Ruzhang, the Grand Tutor."
Gu Shaodeng's calm face finally showed a crack, and the others were also stunned. The young man's eyes turned red when he heard Gu Ruzhang's name: "Is the Grand Tutor really in your hands?"
Chen Bin was the first to react: "Wei Gou is clearly stalling for time and bluffing! My Lord, you must not be fooled by him!"
Gu Shaodeng glanced at Zhao Mian and asked, "Does the prince think so highly of this Lord Xiao?"
Wei Zhenfeng smiled: "Lord Xiao is handsome, I like him."
Zhao Mian quietly clenched his palms on his sleeves.
Wei Zhenfeng...what are you barking about again? You can't even find a better excuse. Do you think I can only like him because he's handsome
Gu Shaodeng said slowly, "Although I have only met the young prince a few times, I know that he is not a man obsessed with beauty. I am afraid that this Lord Xiao is not just an envoy from Nanjing."
Zhao Mian said calmly: "Why, Queen Mother Lu didn't tell you my true identity?"
Gu Shaodeng said calmly: "Why did Lord Xiao mention the Queen Mother Dongling at this time?"
Zhao Mian knew that his intention to trick people had been discovered. He was indeed Gu Ruzhang's nephew.
Wei Zhenfeng said, "Sir, just tell me whether you agree to this deal or not. You release Sir Xiao and bring me back to Fuxue Tower in Shengjing, and you will naturally be able to see your uncle."
Although he knew that Wei Zhenfeng had evil intentions and evil ambitions, the bait he threw out was so tempting that even someone as rational as Gu Shaodeng could not help but be tempted.
That was the peerless Tutor Gu. Without the Tutor, how could there be the Imperial City Department today
Gu Shaodeng fell into deep thought.
"There is one more thing." Wei Zhenfeng pointed at the well and said, "I really didn't poison it. Are you sure you don't want to drink it?"
One man couldn't help it and rushed to the well to drink. After the first one, there was the second one, the third one... In the blink of an eye, the well was full of people. Even Chen Bin, who was in charge of watching Wei Zhenfeng, was distracted and looked towards the well frequently.
Gu Shaodeng did not stop him. If Wei Zhenfeng had really poisoned the food, he would not be here negotiating terms with them.
Can Wei Zhenfeng's words be trusted? All kinds of lessons in the past have long told them that they can't believe a word Wei Gou said. Behind every step Wei Zhenfeng took was a huge bottomless trap.
But this may be their only chance to rescue Master Gu.
While Gu Shaodeng was weighing the pros and cons, his ears keenly caught a hint of movement that shouldn't have occurred. His expression changed slightly, and he asked sternly, "Who?"
Everyone was busy drinking and didn't react to what the leader was saying. Wei Zhenfeng suddenly made a move, grabbed Chen Bin's arm, and twisted it hard. With a click, the knife in Chen Bin's hand was snatched away by Wei Zhenfeng, and the scream woke everyone up.
Unfortunately, they were too thirsty and woke up too late.
After Wei Zhenfeng snatched Chen Bin's knife, he took the initiative and held him hostage, and put the knife neatly on Chen Bin's neck.
"I have been considering this for too long. I have changed my mind. I do not want to exchange Gu Ruzhang for Lord Xiao. I want to exchange him with Lord Chen," Wei Zhenfeng said. "What do you think, Lord Gu?"
Having fallen into Wei Gou's trap again, Chen Bin was extremely humiliated. He glared with red eyes and said, "Don't worry about me, sir. For the sake of restoring the country, I am willing to die!"
Wei Zhenfeng's lips turned pale as he forced a smile: "Huo Kangsheng has gone mad, and Lord Gu doesn't have many people left to use."
The mask of calmness was almost torn apart. Gu Shaodeng said in a deep voice: "You are injured. Even if I give the person to you, do you think you can escape?"
Wei Zhenfeng smiled and said, "How do you know if you don't try?"
Chen Bin yelled, "Sir! Don't listen to him!"
Gu Shaodeng carefully observed Wei Zhenfeng's wound. His wound was very deep and he had lost too much blood. If he was not treated in time, he would soon faint from excessive blood loss, and even if he ran, he would not be able to run far. He had so many people with him, there was no reason for Wei Zhenfeng to escape from his palm.
And now Chen Bin is in Wei Zhenfeng's hands and may lose his life at any time.
Wei Zhenfeng was right. The Imperial City Division already lost Huo Kangsheng, and Chen Bin could not die again.
Gu Shaodeng made a decision: "Okay."
Chen Bin roared: "Sir!"
Wei Zhenfeng said: "Please ask Lord Xiao to come over first."
Gu Shaodeng pursed his lips and put down the sword on Zhao Mian's shoulder. Zhao Mian walked towards Wei Zhenfeng, and he walked steadily. He was too lazy to show his noble manners in front of Wei Zhenfeng, but now he showed them off. He walked back to Wei Zhenfeng step by step without any hurry.
Excessive blood loss caused Zhao Mian to appear double in front of Wei Zhenfeng. He tried his best to maintain a relaxed attitude: "Let's go."
Seeing the two getting closer and closer to the door, the young man became anxious and shouted to Gu Shaodeng: "Master!"
Gu Shaodeng gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, ready to chase at any time: "It's okay, they can't run away."
Wei Zhenfeng and Zhao Mian left the kitchen. Wei Zhenfeng suddenly kicked Chen Bin from behind, and Chen Bin fell back under the force.
As soon as the person came back, Gu Shaodeng's eyes immediately darkened: "Go!"
Just as the Imperial City Division rushed towards them, at the critical moment, a burning arrow was stuffed into Zhao Mian's hand: "Your Highness!"
It’s Zhou Huairang.
Zhao Mian skillfully drew his bow and arrow, aimed at the place full of flour, and gently released his hand. At the same time, Zhou Huairang, who was hiding behind the door, kicked the door shut with all his strength.
The flames touched the dust in the air and instantly burned up, creating waves of heat. The last thing Chen Bin saw was a huge beam of light, so bright that it almost pierced his eyelids, and he instinctively closed his eyes—
boom.
The three people outside the kitchen were knocked to the ground by the heat wave, not to mention the people inside. Zhao Mian felt as if he had been pressed down by two Wei Zhenfengs all night, and his ears were buzzing. After a while, he finally got up and looked around for someone: "Wei Zhenfeng? Xiao Rang...!"
Zhou Huairang's weak voice came from not far away: "Your Highness, I'm here, I'm fine... cough cough."
Wei Zhenfeng raised a hand with difficulty on the other side: "Me too."
Zhao Mian hesitated for a moment, and seeing that Zhou Huairang was still trying to get up, he quickly came to Wei Zhenfeng and helped him sit up. Wei Zhenfeng was indeed not seriously injured. The most serious thing was that his face was scratched on the ground, and the second was the wound on his arm, which was still bleeding.
Zhou Huairang came over in a daze. Seeing how much blood Wei Zhenfeng had lost, he almost cried out in fear: "Oh my God, how did the little prince get injured like this!"
Wei Zhenfeng said indifferently: "If we weren't seriously injured, how could Gu Shaodeng be so confident that we couldn't escape."
Zhao Mian looked at Wei Zhenfeng's blood-soaked clothes, and his heart tightened. He pulled off the hem of his clothes, tore it into strips, and wrapped it around Wei Zhenfeng's arms again and again.
Wei Zhenfeng felt that the bandage was almost done and wanted to take his hand back, but Zhao Mian held his hand and wouldn't let him. Noticing his intention, she raised her eyes and glared at him.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was also an ordinary person who could not escape the fate of being covered in dust at this time, but he saw that there were several patches of dust on the boy's fair face, and most of his hair was loose, with some hair hanging down in front of his eyes. He had to raise his arms from time to time to get rid of the dust.
Wei Zhenfeng couldn't help but laugh: "It's just a superficial wound."
"Shut up." Zhao Mian interrupted rudely, "Even if you die, your hands can't be damaged."
Wei Zhenfeng: …
What's the logic behind this
Zhao Mian tore off a piece of cloth from Zhou Huairang beside him, lowered his head and continued to bandage the wound, his movements gradually slowed down.
Wei Zhenfeng noticed his abnormality and asked, "What's wrong?"
Zhao Mian was silent for a while, and suddenly said to Zhou Huairang: "Cover your ears."
Zhou Huairang was completely confused, but since His Highness had spoken, he had to do as he was told.
Wei Zhenfeng watched Zhao Mian tie a knot on his arm with a piece of cloth, his Adam's apple rolling slightly: "Zhao Mian, you..."
"You are the only one who will hold my child when I grow up." The Crown Prince raised his eyes and proudly referred to himself, "If your hand is disabled, there will be no one to hold my child in the future."
(End of this chapter)