"Senior brother!" Yue Rujing, with worry written all over his face, said, "Don’t worry, I will go and rescue them."
Jin Zijin took a deep breath and asked, "Tell me, what happened?"
Yue Rujing pondered for a moment before replying, "My father sent a message, saying that all the medicinal slaves were abducted overnight. It was... it was Zhang Quansheng’s doing, in collusion with the people of Nanzhao. However, he didn’t gain an advantage either. My father had long wanted to kill him; this was the perfect opportunity to frame him with the crime of treason and have him escorted to the capital in chains. On the way, they killed him, staging an escape attempt where he unwittingly fell off a cliff and died. By removing this major malignancy from Lingnan, it will be easier to eradicate the smaller ones."
Zhang Quansheng was dead, but the medicinal slaves had fallen into the hands of Yu Jizi. Once he gathered all the medicinal slaves, he would surely make his move. Yue Rujing said, "Senior brother, you should recuperate in Sanqing Temple while I go to rescue them."
Jin Zijin shook his head and said, "No, there’s no need to rush to their rescue now. Go to the East Sea, make contact with Xiao Jinyan, and ensure Jin Ziyuan’s safety. It would be best to have him hidden in the Ministry of Punishment’s Prison. No, even the Ministry of Punishment’s Prison is not safe. Go to Qi Mountain and leave him with our master."
I can only apologize to our master, I thought. At his age, I am still causing him trouble.
If the news about Jin Ziyuan gets leaked, those from the Anti-King Factions won’t care what place Qi Mountain is; they are bound to make trouble.
But Qi Mountain is the only place Yu Jizi fears; aside from Qi Mountain, I really don’t know where else Jin Ziyuan can be safely hidden.
Yue Rujing was also aware of these considerations. Clenching his fists tightly, he said, "Why don’t we just kill that boy Jin Ziyuan and turn that old man’s efforts into a wasted effort."
"Absolutely not!" Jin Zijin decisively refused and said, "If Jin Ziyuan dies, his dream’s shattering will make him act desperately, and there’s no telling what he might do. But I am certain Youyou won’t survive as long as Yu Jizi is alive. We not only mustn’t kill Jin Ziyuan, but we also need to ensure his safety."
Yue Rujing was very uncomfortable inside but knew that Jin Zijin’s points were valid.
To them, Gu Youyou had become more than just a dispensable medicinal slave; she had once saved his life. How could he possibly not care about her life and death?
"Alright, I’ll leave now." Looking at Jin Zijin, he added with worry, "Senior brother, I see your injuries are serious. What happened?"
Jin Zijin replied, "Nothing serious, just crossed paths with Yu Jizi and exchanged a few moves. At that time, I was feeling seasick and nauseous, holding it in." He slapped the table fiercely, full of regret, and said, "I shouldn’t have held it in. I should have vomited all over that old bastard."
Yue Rujing’s mouth twitched, and he turned and left Sanqing Temple.
After half a month’s journey, Gu Youyou and her companions finally alighted from the carriage.
They were led down and blindfolded.
She heard Gui Yunxi speaking to Yu Jizi, saying, "The carriage can’t go any further, and it is difficult for them to walk while blindfolded. Should we let them remove the blindfolds?"
Yu Jizi replied, "No matter, give each of them a cane and tie them up with a rope."
Consequently, with Gui Yunxi in the back and Yu Jizi leading the way, each of them holding one end of the rope, Gu Youyou and Searcy walked in the middle, each holding a cane, clumsily following as they climbed the mountain.
Both cursed incessantly; heck, there’s no need to treat prisoners .
It’s bad enough being tied up with ropes, but why blindfolded?
And having to climb a mountain blindfolded at that, what if they accidentally fell into a ditch?