lcionline Chapter 345 Found it
Chapter 345 Found it
As soon as it was light, they continued searching for clues in the mountains! But by noon, they still hadn't found anything.
Just when the trail was about to go cold, one of the guards found an arrow in a tree, which must have been left behind by someone hunting! After that, they discovered a path that was almost completely covered by bushes.
"There are signs of human activity here!"
"Although it's very well hidden, it's obvious that people walk around here frequently!"
Hope was rekindled. They then discovered several more markers, but in increasingly peculiar locations, sometimes in the direction of a broken, inconspicuous branch at the top of a tree, sometimes in a few pebbles that stood out abruptly in the stream.
They silently guided the way, deep into the heart of the mountains and forests.
The following afternoon, they traversed a miasma-filled valley and climbed a steep ridge. Suddenly, the scout ahead silently made a hand gesture.
The group crouched low and approached quietly. Looking down through the dense bushes along the ridge, their hearts clenched.
Below is a secluded mountain valley surrounded by mountains on three sides, which would be difficult to find unless you came to this specific angle.
The valley floor was flat, and there were several wooden houses built around a small open space, resembling a simple manor. Around the wooden houses, people carrying weapons patrolled, and their clothing was not that of ordinary mountain people.
"found it……"
Mu Qingcheng's voice was extremely low, trembling slightly, but more so solemn.
Liu Liu said, "Master, please wait here for a moment, I will go and take a look!"
Mu Qingcheng knew that Liu Liu's lightness skill was the best, unmatched by anyone, so she nodded in agreement and told her to be careful!
Liu Liu returned after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. She reported what she had seen in a low voice: "There are five wooden houses in total on the north side. The largest one has the most guards in front of it. The window of the one on the west side is sealed off, and there are two guards at the door. The one on the east side seems to be the guards' living quarters, and there is also a storeroom."
"The defenses are tight, but there aren't too many men, around thirty," Liu Liu whispered, judging from the side. "Their shift work and schedules are very regular, and it's very quiet inside, which shows they're very disciplined. Master, should we force our way in or outsmart them?"
Mu Qingcheng's gaze locked onto the side room with its windows sealed shut. Her intuition told her that Mu Yao was there. "Of course we can't force our way in. There are thirty of them, and only ten of us. Let's wait until dark! We'll sneak in quietly, rescue her, and then quickly leave."
The setting sun, like blood, dyed the mountains a tragic ochre red before finally sinking behind the distant peaks. Night fell swiftly and heavily in the deep mountains, the inky darkness swallowing everything, leaving only the mournful sound of the wind whistling through the treetops and the cries of unknown birds.
A few dim, yellow lights appeared in the valley.
Around midnight, when people are most tired, eight guards, like cunning cats, silently scaled the wall from the side and took care of several yawning sentries.
Mu Qingcheng followed Liu Liu and then sneaked in. They split into two groups. One group went straight for the guard's hut, while the other group, consisting of Mu Qingcheng and Liu Liu, made their way to the side room with the sealed window.
There were only two guards outside, sitting by the door, nodding off. Liu Liu and another guard exchanged a glance, then the two men approached like ghosts, and with a clean and swift chop, they knocked him down, gently supported him, and dragged him into the shadows.
The door was locked from the outside with a rusty iron padlock. A guard skilled in lockpicking stepped forward, carefully fiddling with a thin wire inside the keyhole a few times, and with a soft "click," the lock opened.
Mu Qingcheng gently pushed open the wooden door. A murky air, mixed with the smells of mildew, medicine, and a faint stench of blood, rushed out.
The house didn't look big, and there were no lights; you could only see inside by the dim moonlight. Actually, there was no need to look, because the house was completely empty except for a haystack in the corner.
A small figure huddled on the haystack. Hearing the noise, the figure trembled violently and raised its head. In the moonlight, messy hair obscured most of the face, but Mu Qingcheng would never mistake those terrified and wary eyes.
"Mu Yao!" she whispered, quickly stepping forward.
The figure trembled violently, its eyes widening in disbelief. Its cracked lips trembled, but it could not utter a complete sound, only a hoarse whisper.
"It's me, Mu Qingcheng! Your Sister Mu!" Mu Qingcheng's heart felt like it was being gripped tightly. She squatted down and tried her best to make her voice sound steady and reliable: "Don't be afraid, we've come to save you."
By the dim light filtering in from outside, she could see Mu Yao's condition clearly. She was still wearing the same clothes she had worn on the day she saw the lanterns, but they were now tattered, covered in dust and stains. She was barefoot in a pair of worn-out shoes, and her face was thin and pale. Only her eyes, after the initial fear, had ignited a burning light.
"Sister...is it Sister Mu? Is it really you?" Her voice was so hoarse that she could barely speak.
"Mu Yao, I've come to save you..." Mu Qingcheng couldn't help but shed tears. Her adorable Mu Yao, after only a few months, had become like this!
"Don't be afraid, Mu Yao, I'll take you away right now...!"
“And… my brother…” Mu Yao grabbed Mu Qingcheng’s sleeve tightly, her voice hoarse but urgent, “in… the biggest room…”
"Don't worry, I've already sent someone to rescue him! Don't say anything, I'll take you away right now!"
Without saying a word, Liu Liu carried Mu Yao on her back and walked out.
As soon as I stepped outside, I heard the door of the wooden house to the north open and a lot of people rush out!
"Who are you?"
"Oh no, they're trying to break us out of prison..."
"Help! Help!"
Mu Qingcheng remained calm when she saw that they had been exposed, because they were well prepared.
"Go, fight your way out, don't leave any survivors!" She figured these were probably all desperate criminals, and keeping them alive wouldn't yield any more information.
"Alright!" Liu Liu quickly handed Mu Yao over to Mu Qingcheng, then drew his sword and began to wreak havoc on all sides.
Meanwhile, another group of guards had also succeeded, taking care of the guards, obtaining the key, and rescuing Duan Muchen.
The guards carried Duan Muchen to meet Mu Qingcheng: "Miss, the guards have been cleared, and we have found Young Master Duan."
Mu Qingcheng glanced at Duan Muchen, who was about seven or eight years old and looked seven or eight parts like Mu Yao. He was thin and could be seen wearing a moon-white long robe made of very fine material. However, just like Mu Yao, his clothes were tattered and so dirty that you could hardly tell what he was wearing!
"We have to leave immediately. Can you go?"
Duan Muchen gritted his teeth and struggled to his feet with the help of his bodyguards. When he saw Mu Yao, his eyes flashed with excitement, but he was too weak to speak.
"Withdraw!" Mu Qingcheng decisively ordered.
Liu Liu covered the rear, and several guards fought their way back!
After running for several miles and confirming that there were no pursuers, the group took a short rest under a secluded crevice in the rocks. Because it was dark, they dared not continue their journey rashly; this hiding place was one they had scouted out beforehand.
Soon, Liu Liu and her rear guards joined them. There were no casualties, and everything went smoothly.
The guards kept watch over the surroundings, while Liu Liu quickly checked the injuries of the Duan siblings and fed them water and dry rations.