Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 241 Treasure Hunt
Soon, Jiangxian recovered from her injuries. Yu and Funiang thought that the nearby villages had been reduced to ashes, and heard that Jiangxian had no relatives to rely on, so they took her in.

Yubie Village has plenty of reserves, so there is no need to worry about one more person or one more mouth. We have enough food and clothing, and the five people in the village live in peace.

It was almost the half-year period that Yunke had mentioned, and I couldn't help but feel secretly happy, as I saw that I was about to escape.

A few days later, when the silver toad was about to come up, Chen Lao came to the Yu couple's study with a lamp, and suddenly closed the door and whispered: "Miss Jiangxian's origins are unknown. She has white skin and slender fingers. How does she look like the girl from the neighboring village?"

I was shocked when I heard this: "Then, is this Jiangxian a runaway girl?"

Old Chen sighed and said, "My son-in-law is really a scholar who doesn't care about what's happening outside. I have seen Jiangxian sneaking out of the young lady's son-in-law's inner room several times. The young lady ordered us to treat Jiangxian as a guest and never asked her to do chores. If she didn't have bad ideas, why would she go to the inner room?"

"Jiang Xian has evil intentions and has sneaked into my and my wife's inner room several times!" Yu and Fu Niang were both shocked, and they both thought of the secret that even the old couple Chen Ai and Chen Sou did not know.

Looking up, I saw purple air filling the night sky. I couldn't believe it. The jade slip had been obtained by Jiang Xian?

I am deeply saddened that I failed at the last moment.

"Mr. Li, Mrs. Li, since you have discovered us, please move to the living room and let's talk frankly." Jiang Xian smiled sweetly.

There are four of us, including my wife and I, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Chen. Even if Jiang Xian is stronger than the weak girl in the boudoir, she cannot deal with the four of us. I wonder what she is trying to do?
My heart was in turmoil and I didn't know what to do for a moment, so I had to follow Jiang Xian to the living room.

An oil lamp was lit in the hall, and it was dim and unclear. In the mottled light and shadow, there stood a young man in a Taoist robe with a sword on his back. He had a handsome face and a cold look.

My mind raced, is this young Taoist priest related to Yunke?

The young Taoist priest said in a clear voice: "I am Lan Ling from the Tiandu Sect. I have come to retrieve the sect's most precious treasure, the Tianhe Tablet."

Jiang Xian showed a look of joy, holding the jade slip in both hands, and said with a smile: "Lan Ling, the Heavenly Crane Slip is here."

"Jiangxian, she is truly a female Zhuge."

The two of them stared at each other in delight, when suddenly Chen Sou suddenly jumped up and pounced on Jiang Xian, snatched up the jade slip with one hand, and protected it tightly: "Why do you take away my young lady's and her husband's things?"

Taoist Lan Ling sneered and said, "When did the most precious treasure of our Tiandu Sect become the property of Mr. Li?"

I was dumbfounded and said, "This was given to me by my sworn brother Yunke."

Lan Ling stared with his eyes wide open and said arrogantly, "Yun Ke? That thief called himself Yun Ke, and he sneaked into our sect and stole the treasure. Our sect's most precious treasure has profound and profound Taoist methods, and can benefit all people and save them from disasters. How can it fall into the hands of an ordinary person?"

I was surprised by what he said and couldn't help thinking about it in my heart.

"Son-in-law, don't listen to his nonsense. The treasure is ours in our house. How can we protect ourselves if he takes it away?" The villa was peaceful and the rebel soldiers passed by every day without being noticed. I believe that Mr. Chen also guessed what magic weapon was used. Mr. Chen held the jade slip tightly and wanted to walk up to me and give it to me.

In a flash, Lan Ling drew his sword and pierced Chen Sou's heart. Blood gushed out and Chen Sou fell down powerlessly. Lan Ling raised his sword and flicked the jade slip into his hand.

Seeing the Taoist killing people and stealing treasures with his flying sword in an instant, the other three of us were terrified and stood stunned for a moment.

After a while, Chen Lao regained consciousness and saw Chen Sou being killed. She was so angry that her eyes were about to burst. She shouted, "You evil Taoist, you killed people and robbed them. Do you still have the law?"

Yu felt that something was not good, fearing that Chen would anger Lan Ling and bring about his own death, so he tried to pull Chen to his side. However, he was a little too late. Chen risked her life to crash into Lan Ling, trying to take back the jade slip, but Taoist Lan Ling slashed at her with a sword, causing blood to flow from her chest. It seemed that she was doomed.

Lan Ling said coldly: "An ant trying to shake a tree will only bring about its own destruction." Jiang Xian squinted his eyes and frowned slightly, saying: "Just drive it away, why make it bloody."

"Jiangxian is right." Taoist Lan Ling said fiercely, "Li Xiucai, your cave is occupied by me. You have one stick of incense to leave. If you appear in front of me again, I will show no mercy."

I have spent half my life in elegance and refinement, dealing only with books, swordsmanship, chess, music, poetry, wine and flowers. For a moment I did not know how to respond.

Fu Niang was much calmer than me. She responded, "Mr. and Mrs. Yu will leave immediately."

The night is long and dark, the stars are bright, and the frosty sky is quiet.

Fu Niang and Yu walked out of the gate alone. Yu was filled with sorrow and worry. There was chaos and war, and the future was uncertain. I was also sad that the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Chen were not brought out.

Fu Niang comforted him, saying that only as long as they are alive can they talk about other things.

After some discussion, Mr. and Mrs. Yu decided to walk to the county town overnight to inquire about the situation. If the county town was still occupied by General Pingnan's left troop, Mr. and Mrs. Yu would find a way to escape.

The official road was still flat, and I was afraid of meeting the fleeing soldiers. Fu Niang and I were familiar with the small paths, and we both thought it would be safer to take the small paths.

The moonlight was like water, illuminating the road ahead. Yu and Fu Niang walked on a bumpy road and even got lost on a familiar path. The repeated dead-end roads that seemed familiar made Yu suddenly realize that this was after months of looting and burning, and only one in ten roads and paths remained.

So it took us half a night to get back to the official road and continue heading towards the county town.

It was almost dawn and my wife and I were feeling tired, but we had no food or water, so we had to rest in the woods beside the official road.

Suddenly, they heard a series of footsteps on the official road. It seemed that a group of infantrymen were passing by. Seeing a forest beside the road, they came in to rest.

Yu Fu Niang and I quietly moved a few steps deeper into the woods. There was a big tree with strong branches blocking our view. The woods were dark and it was still early in the morning, so outsiders could not see clearly where we were hiding.

This group of infantrymen started to cook. From listening to their conversation, they must be government troops. The highest commander was General Liu. It seemed that they were marching to Feishan to carry out some mission.

Since they were government troops, I breathed a sigh of relief. But my husband and I still held our breath and hid in the wilderness, avoiding any accidents by not coming into contact with anyone.

Unexpectedly, an old man suddenly walked out from the left side of the tree where I was hiding, walked towards the group of soldiers, saluted to General Liu and asked, "General, may I ask if the government troops have recaptured the county town?"

Liu Bazong looked suspicious and asked, "Old man, who are you?"

The old man said, "I am Yang Xiaolian from East Village. I have been trapped in the village for a long time. I am the only one with smoke from cooking in the village. I think it will not last long. So I am taking my whole family to the county town to seek a job with my relatives."

Captain Liu laughed loudly: "Brothers, tie up this old man and capture this bandit spy."

I heard Liu Bazong's ferocious laughter and thought something was wrong. Then Liu Bazong waved his hand and said, "Search for me."

Eight or nine people and four or five boxes and cages were found in Yang Xiaolian's hiding place. My husband and I were unable to escape and were also found.

At that time, more than ten people from the other two families were all trembling with fear, not knowing what would happen to them.

Liu Bazong saw that the boxes and bags were extremely heavy, so he winked at the soldiers and said, "The spies will be executed on the spot, and their property will be confiscated."

The dozen or so people could never have imagined that the government troops would dare to take human lives so lightly. They all cried out loudly, but their way was blocked by the soldiers, and in an instant the cries shook the sky.