Chapter 10: Street Theater Drums, Not Songs (3)

Seeing the group of thieves who kidnapped him, there is a significant force behind them

Zhou Quan made a gesture with his eyebrows towards her, and Shishi was puzzled for a while before finally understanding his meaning and untied the ropes binding Zhou Quan

She was violently pushed to the ground, and before her was a sea of darkness; apart from the distorted face of that man, she could see nothing else

"Ten thousand plus a little bit." Such whispers came from outside.

Zhou Quan took a deep breath twice to relax himself a little, then whispered to Shishi: "Stay close to me. If anything goes wrong, I will hold them off; you escape and seek help on your own."

This young lady is indeed a beauty, although she is still a bit young... However, since she is to die here, why not bring me some amusement?

Eliminating witnesses is the safest course of action

Zhou Quan, however, showed no hesitation. Taking advantage of the man's weakness, he swiftly seized the dagger and made a quick slash. The man let out a strange gurgling sound and collapsed to the ground

The man swung the dagger, but it was deftly evaded by Zhou Quan. He was also resolute, pressing the dagger directly against his own neck, intending to cut the hemp rope.

Zhou Quan felt a chill in his heart; the other party held a sharp blade and was extremely vigilant. Even if he were to launch a sudden attack, he might not necessarily succeed

"Great! Xiao Lang is back!" Upon seeing Zhou Quan, the men in the courtyard cheered, and even Zhou Tang let out a sigh of relief

Zhou Quan smiled but did not continue speaking, merely staring at the man, who then said with a sneer: "What do you want?"

Accompanied by Shishi, Zhou Quan emerged from the alley onto the main street. Zhou Quan was unaware of their location, but Shishi informed him that they were now in the outer city. Fortunately, although the area was remote, they managed to flag down a carriage with an oil-slicked body. The two of them climbed into the carriage and asked the driver to take them directly to Zhou Quan's home.

In the city of Bianjing, there are many reputable shops that excel in the craft of embroidered goose, but if one were to consult a master of culinary delights, it would be known that the finest is found at the home of Guo Tuozi in the southern sock alley of Chunmingfang

"Have you found Lü Shou?" Zhou Quan inquired

After a long while, the man who had just peeked in came in with a grin and said: "Kid, I must say you are clever, but unfortunately, not clever enough!"

As the man spoke, he continued to advance, a short dagger faintly visible in his sleeve

He concealed the dagger in his sleeve, while holding Shishi with the other hand, Zhou Quan quietly approached the door

The two individuals moved quietly, one in front of the other, towards the exit. Fortunately, there were no others to obstruct them, and they successfully left the courtyard

Zhou Quan was tall, and even standing next to that man, he was only half a head shorter. At this moment, Zhou Quan used the hemp rope that had originally bound him to tightly constrict the man's neck, causing him to lean back, mouth agape and tongue out, struggling to breathe as he was unable to inhale or exhale.

He spoke while walking towards Zhou Quan

Young man, that is why I say you are not smart enough. You have seen me, you have seen 14, and you still want to leave alive

On the contrary, a different kind of violence led him to change his target and head towards Shishi.

Shishi felt an overwhelming sense of despair, as if she had returned to the age of four when her father died in prison. The young and naive version of herself could only feel suffocated, unable to breathe even while standing in the open courtyard.

"I wonder how you will deal with us siblings after I speak out?" Zhou Quan said

Do not, do not harm us

Embroidered blowing goose

Zhou Quan silently mouthed the words, understanding that this might be his only opportunity

At this moment, Shishi was still filled with panic; no matter how intelligent she was, she was merely a ten-year-old girl, and all she could do was cry and shout. Seeing that the hemp rope was about to be cut, and that the man would regain his freedom, she was even more terrified

"We have found him, although we have not yet captured the person... sooner or later he will fall into our hands," the man said with a smile.

"Leave you here, and in two days, inform your family to come and pick you up," said the man

Shishi was still trembling, but she heard Zhou Quan's voice. As she rushed into Zhou Quan's embrace, she suddenly felt that she was not so afraid anymore

Beside Zhou Zang stood an old man, with flowing white beard, exuding an imposing presence without any display of anger

This address, upon reaching Zhou Quan's ears, stirred something within him

Yes, I am already awake

This is certainly not a name, but a title of respect. Since it is referred to as "Little Saint Lord," there must also be a "Great Saint Lord"

The man known as Fourteen Uncle's expression changed slightly, while Zhou Quan immediately turned around, facing away from the door: "Do not come in; if you do, our previous agreement will have to be abandoned!"

He wore a smile on his face, yet his eyes were filled with a fierce light

Behind the old man stood a robust-looking child, approximately nine or ten years old, with bright, piercing eyes. Upon seeing Zhou Quan and Shishi enter, he showed no signs of fear and stared intently with a spirited gaze

There is no one else outside the door; those people have all left.

But at that moment, she saw Zhou Quan suddenly lunge forward, pressing one hand forcefully down on the dagger.

Then Shishi saw Zhou Quan's face

Confirming that the other party had perished, Zhou Quan gasped heavily, pulling the still crying Shishi close to him: "Don't be afraid, it's alright, it's alright!"

An overwhelming fear, as that man approached, caused Shishi to tremble uncontrollably. She could not help but scream, and this scream only intensified the fury within him

He was indeed one of the idle men who kidnapped him on the road

Little Saint! The man called out, and then immediately fell silent

Even Shishi could see that he harbored ill intentions, and her small face turned pale with fear

At that moment, a noise came from outside, and the man immediately became alert, the cold light flashing in his hand, indicating that he had drawn out the concealed blade.

He pondered in his heart, and then heard a strange accent from outside saying: "Uncle Fourteen, thank you for your trouble, is the person inside?"

"He told us without missing a word," said the man

Tie it up again, and make a slipknot

At this moment, Shishi was terrified and called out to the man. The man's gaze was drawn to her, and upon seeing the little girl looking pitiful, he showed not a trace of compassion.

"The end of winter marks the beginning of respect." The man let out a slight sigh of relief, opened the door, and upon seeing the person outside, he was momentarily taken aback, then displayed a look of surprise

Lu Shou enjoys eating embroidered goose. He bribes the jailer, and every two days, someone delivers embroidered goose to him... Fang Zhuo has also shared a meal with him before. At this point, Zhou Quan fell silent, as he had nothing more to recount.

Behind him, Shishi tightly clutched his garment. Upon hearing these words, she raised her head to glance at him, and in her bright, sparkling eyes, tears shimmered.

Upon arriving home, I was greeted by Zhou Zang, who had a sullen expression on his face. In the courtyard, more than ten men were either squatting or standing, each with a furrowed brow.

I do not know the whereabouts of Lü Shou, but I can relay to you everything that Fang Zhuo said that day. " After a brief contemplation, Zhou Quan replied

Fortunately, Shishi is clever; even if he does not make a sound, he understands his intentions. He tied the hemp rope around Zhou Quan's wrist again, making a slipknot, and then placed one end of the slipknot into Zhou Quan's palm

"I have an agreement with you; once you receive the news, you will let us go..." Zhou Quan trembled as well, but behind him, he had secretly tightened the knot of the rope.

After a while, footsteps were heard again from outside, and that "Fourteenth Uncle" walked in. He glanced around the room and specifically looked at the rope in Zhou Quan's hand. Seeing that the rope was still tied around Zhou Quan's wrist, he finally spoke: "Speak up, there is no time to waste"

Uncle Fourteen left with Little Saint, leaving only Zhou Quan and Shishi in the room. At this moment, Shishi had stopped crying, but she was nervously clutching the corner of Zhou Quan's clothing, as if he would disappear the moment she let go.

He waved his hand to those around him, and the men, suppressing their curiosity, each left the courtyard. Meanwhile, the old man with flowing white beard quickly approached Zhou Quan and grasped Zhou Quan's shoulder tightly: "The smell of blood?"

Zhou Quan hesitated, while the man was not in a hurry, simply waiting slowly.

Zhou Quan was very clear that seeing this Fourteenth Uncle was not a problem, but if he were to truly encounter someone of higher status, the "Little Saint Duke," then both he and Shishi would undoubtedly face death

Just when she was unable to breathe and was about to faint, suddenly, the man let out a strange clucking sound, rolled his eyes back, released her, and flailed the dagger wildly, struggling desperately

Young Lang has returned

Shishi was so frightened that she nearly trembled, while Zhou Quan remained calm. Fortunately, he used his body to shield Shishi's movements. The other party merely glanced over, their gaze lingering on Shishi's face for a moment before retracting.

The sinister voice of the man seemed to emanate from the curses of the netherworld, instilling fear and trepidation in Shishi, while simultaneously igniting a furious wrath in Zhou Quan

That Fourteenth Uncle furrowed his brows slightly; Zhou Quan was speaking of trivial matters, which were nothing particularly noteworthy. After a moment of thought, he suddenly showed a change in expression.

Blood gushed out, drenching Shishi's head, while the man trembled all over, the ferocity in his gaze replaced by a plea.

Uncle Fourteen, somewhat awkwardly, recounted the conversation he had just had with Zhou Quan. The young saint outside chuckled a couple of times and said, "He is indeed a clever little fellow. In that case, please follow me for a moment."

At the same time she made this gesture, a soft sound came from the door, and a man peeked in, glancing around inside.

Zhou Quan recounted everything he had heard in the Kaifeng Prefecture prison that day. His fourteenth uncle listened very attentively, occasionally interjecting with questions to verify and confirm the details.

I have come to interrogate!" As he spoke, that little saint was about to step inside.

"Agreement? What agreement?" The little saint outside the door indeed stopped, and then asked in a slightly gloomy tone.

Uncle Four left without saying a word. Moments later, Zhou Quan heard a commotion in the courtyard, with at least more than ten people walking out.

Standing at the entrance, he realized that this was an empty alley, with dilapidated courtyards on both sides. Zhou Quan glanced around and then picked up some dust from the ground, smearing it on his own face as well as on Shishi's face, in an attempt to cover the bloodstains on both of their faces

The matter concerning the gold and jade stolen by Lü Shou from the Fengchen Treasury is of great importance, and since this group lacks sufficient personnel in the capital, they have only left one person to guard and deal with us, while the rest should have gone to find Lü Shou

A rough, large hand fiercely grabbed her collar, and Shishi screamed and cried, trying to break free, but she was small and weak, no match for an adult!