As long as Ming Kunguan is not stupid, he will definitely connect these two things together and determine that the criminals who kidnapped Du Yuejiao are in the same group as the criminals from the previous day.
He had tried his best to save Lady Li Tong the day before, and thus inadvertently avoided suspicion.
Despite this, he still stayed obediently in his own yard that afternoon, occasionally hanging around the gate.
Since he climbed over the wall from the back using the Evil Shadow Disguise Technique around noon, even if someone was interested, it would be easy to conclude that he did not go out today.
However, he did not notice that anyone was watching him, and no one even came to ask him about it.
It seems that Ming Kunguan did not leak the news of Du Yuejiao's abduction to the outside world.
Although this is also a matter of course, unless Zhuo Mulan really doesn't want her apprentice's life.
The sky grew darker and darker, and the waning moon rose.
Shi Hao buried the Yuecuo Ring under a tree in the yard and quietly climbed over the wall to leave. On the way, he used the Evil Shadow Disguise Technique again to change his appearance.
—
The girl slowly woke up amidst drowsiness and unbearable pain.
At this moment, her hands were tied and she was hanging under the beams in the dungeon.
The two legs were separated, with a rope tied to each ankle and connected to the iron pillar next to it.
The hem of the Taoist robe with colorful auspicious cloud patterns had long been cut open, revealing the gray jacket and pants.
She woke up in shock and subconsciously twisted her body, trying to break free from the rack.
However, several major acupoints between the meridians were blocked by the mysterious magic power, the Dantian was completely blocked, and the internal force could not be used at all.
If it were an ordinary warrior, even if his meridians were restricted, he would still have considerable strength.
However, Taoists focus on the practice of inner alchemy and have never gone through the stage of "external training of muscles, bones and skin".
Although you may look like an immortal, you don't have to worry about your body shape being deformed by martial arts training.
But at this moment, she was unable to use her internal energy, which made her no different from an ordinary girl who knew no martial arts.
The girl tried to stay calm. She didn't know where she was. Suddenly, she heard music coming from above. The sound was very soft, and there was a hint of music in the chaos.
This is a prison, at least that's what it looks like on the surface.
There are various torture instruments on the left wall, including a wooden horse that forces people to lie on it with their limbs tied at the four feet, a torture rack that makes people stand in the shape of a "big" character, whips, candles, ropes to tie people up, as well as stoves, fire branding, and so on.
But for some reason, a red curtain fell from high up, and on the right side there was a gorgeous soft couch, and next to the couch there was a dressing table.
This entire cell, even if the torture instruments were included, looked brutal yet surprisingly elegant.
Du Yuejiao couldn't understand why this prison cell, which was obviously used for torture and torture, was decorated so luxuriously. Even the overall color gave off a "wedding night" feeling.
She continued to look to the right, and suddenly she was startled and twisted her body hard.
In the right corner, the hook-nosed thug sat coldly on a red sandalwood chair, watching her wake up and struggle quietly.
"Miss Du!" The thug gently lifted his left foot, placed it on his right leg, and shook it gently.
His tone was cold and ruthless: "There is actually no grudge between you and me, and I don't want to embarrass you. I just need you to answer a question for me. As long as you answer it, I will let you go and will never embarrass you again."
After a pause, the voice like a blade scraping against a grindstone continued: "Otherwise, there are enough torture instruments here, and I have enough time. Miss, you are beautiful, pure and innocent, and worth a lot of money. Why do you have to endure these tortures in a place like this?"
Du Yuejiao angrily shouted, "No matter what you ask, I won't tell you. Let me go, Chongxianmen will never let you go!"
Ignoring her desperate rebuke, the young man slowly stood up and approached her with his shadow.
The red candle in the corner fell on him, and the cast shadow slowly lengthened in front of the girl.
Coming in front of the girl, the young man with the hooked nose stretched out his hand, grabbed her chin, and smiled, but his smile became more fierce and sinister: "As far as I know, your Mingkun Temple and the Yueketai clan of the Manting are conducting some kind of experiment together, and that experiment is called 'conferring the gods'.
"I just need the girl to tell me what kind of experiment it is and what conclusions you have drawn."
His hands loosened slightly.
"Puh!" The girl tried to spit in his face, but he easily avoided it.
"It seems that the girl doesn't want to talk anymore!" The young man stretched out his hand and grabbed the beautifully knotted colorful ribbon on her right waist.
"What are you going to do? Let me go!" the girl shouted angrily. Her voice was so loud that even the secret room was shaking.
"It's useless even if you scream your throat out." The young man leaned close to her ear and sneered, "Don't worry, I'm not too interested in your precious body. But in order to make the girl confess earlier, why don't we play a game.
"Starting tonight, I will torture you. If you don't tell me what's going on, I will cut your thigh with a knife. Let me see how many 'positive' characters you have to collect before I can tell you the information I want.
"Miss Du, please don't let me down."
The belt was untied, and the girl's sharp but faintly frightened voice echoed in the secret room: "Let me go!"
…
—
On the second day, early in the morning, Shi Hao returned to his residence, took a cold shower, sat cross-legged in the yard, and practiced his internal skills with concentration.
His performance last night made him feel like a villain who did all kinds of evil.
But he had to force himself to carry on with determination.
He must find out what the so-called "God-making Experiment" is.
According to the information obtained from the Dark Thunder Society, this experiment is very likely to change the situation in the martial arts world and allow the Man Court and Chongxian Sect to truly control the martial arts world.
But deep down in his heart, the mere words "deification" made him feel vaguely uneasy.
It drizzled in the morning. The rain was not heavy. It fell lightly for a while, bringing some moisture to the courtyard.
Shi Hao, who was running the Immortal Ice Art and the Mysterious Charm Art in his body at the same time, felt that his skills had improved significantly.
The battle with Du Yuejiao yesterday was of great help to his Xuan Mei Gong.
As the Xuan Mei Gong improved, the internal force of Xian Bing Jue seemed to be oppressed, and it generated a countervailing force on its own, and its power rose along with the Xuan Mei Gong.
The so-called spiritual practice is supposed to be a long and slow process. That is why it requires a firm mind and continuous hard work.
Even if there is no prospect in sight, we will continue to persevere and never stop.
It is actually unusual for someone like him to be able to feel his skills improving almost every moment.
On the path of spiritual practice, many people cannot persist, and a big reason is that they are unable to experience this kind of "feedback" in a timely manner.
They practiced very hard but always felt that they had not made any progress. Over time, they began to doubt their own abilities unconsciously, and then became frustrated and gave up.
After all, the so-called practice is often a boring thing.
Shi Hao's feelings were completely different, and he didn't know whether this was because he was practicing both Taoism and magic at the same time.
At noon, Shi Hao ate something and went out to the market to stroll around.
When he returned to his residence, a gorgeous carriage drove over and a steward from the Marquis's Mansion invited him to go to the Marquis's Mansion.
Shi Hao naturally did not refuse such an invitation, or rather, given the status of Xiaohanshan City, he did not have the "qualification" to refuse.
However, the Marquis's Mansion actually sent a luxurious carriage to pick him up, instead of just sending someone to notify him and let him go by himself.
For the Marquis's Mansion, this can be considered a "courtesy".
Shi Hao got on the carriage, and the carriage drove into the official road that ordinary people were forbidden to approach. The official road was spacious, and both sides were lined with willow trees with green silk hanging down.
He drove all the way to the Marquis' Mansion, but did not stop at the main gate. Instead, he drove directly in through the side door.
When they arrived at the mansion garden, Shi Hao got off the carriage and two maids came to greet him.
Shi Hao followed them into the garden until they arrived at the pavilion on the lake.
I saw Lady Litong, wearing a green dress, sitting in the pavilion, calling softly, "Master!"
Shi Hao stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I greet the county lady."
Lady Litong stood up and returned the greeting, saying softly, "Master, there is no need to be so polite. You are Litong's savior. Today, Litong has set up a small banquet here just to thank you for saving my life on Hongshan Mountain. Please take a seat, Master!"
Shi Hao said, "You are too polite, my lady. How dare I trouble you, my lady?"
Princess Litong smiled and said, "How can I repay your life-saving grace with such a small banquet? Please, young master!"
Shi Hao entered the pavilion, took a seat and looked around. He saw the beautiful scenery of the lake.
In the distance, maids brought wine and food, but no guards were seen accompanying them.
Shi Hao thought quickly and made a judgment. On the one hand, he knew that the Marquis' Mansion must have checked Xiaohanshan City, but did not find any problems... This was also natural.
After all, before this, he, the young lord of Xiaohanshan City, had almost never left the mountain city.
There was nothing unusual about his life trajectory from childhood to adulthood, and Xiaohanshan City was not a martial arts sect.
If no problems were found, even if Lady Li Tong wanted to host a banquet for him in the back garden of the Marquis' Mansion, the Mansion would never agree.
On the other hand, Princess Litong might not know about Du Yuejiao's disappearance yet.
The food and wine were served, and a maidservant poured wine. Lady Litong raised her glass and apologized, "Although you were at the banquet on Red Mountain that day, I didn't treat you well. Please forgive me."
Shi Hao said: "I am just a man from the mountains, the county lady does not need to worry about me."
After they drank a few cups, Litong County Lady's eyes lit up and she said happily, "I heard that you were just a scholar, but you are so skilled in martial arts. Fortunately, it is like this, otherwise I would be in trouble."
Shi Hao smiled and said, "I am indeed a scholar. The fact that I learned martial arts was just a chance encounter with a famous teacher, so I just did some casual practice..." He suddenly turned his head and looked.
Suddenly, a strong wind blew at the other side of the garden gate.
More than ten tall and burly men, obviously martial artists with amazing external skills, entered in two rows. After a while, these people occupied the high ground and surrounded the pavilion invisibly.
Shi Hao tightly grasped the wine glass, his expression changing slightly.
He quickly turned his head and his eyes fell on the fair neck of County Lady Li Tong. He almost wanted to make a move and strangle her first.
However, Lady Litong also looked at the maid next to her in surprise and asked, "Who are those people?"
I only heard a sweet laugh: "Sister Litong, I'm here to see you."
Shi Hao looked and saw a young girl wearing a crown made of flowers on her head, a pleated flowery dress, and a flower whip around her waist.
But she is pink, cute, slender and petite, and floats in like the wind with giggling laughter.
Since the Jin tribe invaded the Central Plains, they were deeply influenced by Chinese culture. The clothes of Jin girls were mostly the same as those of Chinese girls, either a long gown with a wrap-around collar or a skirt with a front opening.
Like this girl, with flowers on her head, floral decorations all over her body, and a woolen flowery dress, at first glance, she looks like a flower.
For the daughters of the Jin clan, it can actually be called "retro" rather than "traditional".
Seeing the girl in flowery clothes coming like the wind, Lady Litong stood up in a hurry, not daring to be negligent in the slightest: "Sister Yue, when did you arrive in Jin County?"
He called her "sister" and quickly came down the steps to greet her.
Chapter 18 Crescent Moon
The girl in flowery clothes stepped into the stone pavilion. The Hundred Flowers Whip wrapped around her waist had an extra section, which fluttered along with her pleated clothes, just like an extra cute tail.
She smiled and said, "I just arrived and I knew you were here, Sister Litong, so I came to see you."
Shi Hao stood up and said, "The county lady has a distinguished guest, so I will take my leave now."
Litong County Lady said: "This..."
The girl in flowery clothes waved her hands and said, "No! No! Just gather yourselves, I don't want to disturb you."
With a bright smile, he said, "Sister Litong, whose family is this young man? Are you two having a secret meeting in the back garden?"
Lady Litong spat and said, "If it was a secret meeting, how could you find it so easily? This is Master Hao, the young master of Xiaohanshan City."
The girl in flowery clothes suddenly realized, "So he is the Shi Hao who showed his power on Red Mountain the other day and saved your sister Li Tong? I heard people talking about it on the way here. Hey, sister Li Tong, this is a hero saving a beauty. You are holding this small banquet today. Are you going to pledge your love to him?"
County Lady Litong blushed and said unhappily, "You've read too many love stories."
Shi Hao was about to leave again. The girl in flowery clothes actually reached out and pulled him: "Sit down, sit down, don't let me disturb your good time, I'm just passing by and come to join in the fun."
Princess Litong looked at Shi Hao and said, "Master Shi, please take a seat and don't bother with her."
The girl in flowery clothes said, "Yes, yes, yes, don't worry about me! Just take care of her!"
The three of them sat down again, and a maidservant beside them added bowls and chopsticks for the girl in flowery clothes.
Princess Litong looked at the group of warriors guarding the garden gate and said, "Sister Yue, could that be the Eighteen Thunder Chasing Riders accompanying your brother
"I heard that these eighteen flying riders are eighteen warriors carefully selected by your brother from the royal family. Each warrior rides Yingzhao as a mount. Why did you bring them here? Could it be that your brother has also come to Jin County?"
The girl in flowery clothes curled her lips. "How can he have time to come? He is being troubled by those stupid Taoist priests in Mingkun Temple. It was originally just an experiment done in secret, but somehow the news leaked out and provoked that female thief. Now, he has to rush to the capital to explain why he kept such an important experiment secret from the court."
Litong County Lady asked doubtfully: "Experiment?"