LIGHTNOVELONLINE chapter 561
As soon as Ye Yong stepped out of the tavern, he noticed a group of young demon clans approaching. Leading them was a figure in black, moving like the wind; Ye Yong felt a sense of familiarity. It seemed to be a descendant of the madly destructive clan, the one known as Kuang Pao, who had recently been bedridden after being beaten by ‘unknown’ assailants, his head still wrapped in bandages.
Kuang Pao and his group of second-generation demons didn’t even glance at Ye Yong as they headed straight into the building, going upstairs. It was obvious what they were there for.
Before he could walk far, he heard a commotion coming from the tavern behind him, accompanied by the sounds of smashing and crashing.
Shaking his head, Ye Yong silently prayed that no demon lives would be lost. With only a few days left until the opening of the Demon Hundred Forest Secret Realm, if the protagonist were detained in Shilin City, who knew what additional chaos might ensue.
No one could find Jin Honglian to inquire about Lin Wei’s whereabouts. Ye Yong returned to the West City District, knowing that Jin Honglian’s character meant she was certainly handling things urgently. If there were any leads, they would be informed immediately; pressing for information was futile.
But the Lord of Yanhu City would not let this go. Once the siege was over, he would make Yanhu City pay the price.
“Has there been any news, Uncle?” Qin Shidream and Liang Xiaorou were still very worried about Lin Wei. Seeing Ye Yong return, they immediately asked.
“Not for now, but logically speaking, Lord Jin should have already contacted Yanhu City. A response should come soon.”
As soon as Ye Yong finished speaking, a messenger from the lord’s mansion arrived—it was the Barbarian Minister.
The first thing he did was tell Ye Yong not to panic, which made Ye Yong extremely anxious. He then learned that it wasn’t Lin Wei who had gone missing; rather, they had not yet made contact with Yanhu City.
Calculating the time, it had already been several hours, and not having made contact was indeed a bit strange.
“Could it be that they are feeling guilty? Afraid to respond?” Ye Yong muttered to himself.
“Not likely.” The Barbarian Minister listened and expressed his understanding of Yanhu City’s lord’s character: “The Tiger Step is quite proud; no matter what happens, they will boast to the outside world. If they captured Ye Wei’s relative, they would definitely negotiate terms with us immediately. Even if they can’t release her, they would still use her safety as leverage to gain benefits. In my view, something unexpected must have occurred.”
Seeing Ye Yong silent, the Barbarian Minister added, “You need not worry too much about Ye Wei. They captured her for a reason; they won’t harm her. Lord Jin has already sent a messenger to Yanhu City, and he is expected to arrive tonight. We will have an answer then. I came here to inform you of the current progress, so you don’t have to be too anxious.”
“Thank you.”
“I can’t accept your thanks, Ye Wei. On the contrary, I must apologize. If I hadn’t let that maid bring her over back then, it wouldn’t have come to this…”
“We are in the light, the enemy is in the dark. It’s easy to dodge a spear in the light, but hard to guard against a hidden arrow. The barbarian lord could not possibly know that such a thing would happen, so there’s no need to apologize.”
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the barbarian left. Ye Yong also let Qin Shimeng and Liang Xiaorou return to their rooms to cultivate, without any worries.
————
As night fell, a sudden commotion erupted at the north gate of Shilin City. It turned out that a group of elite soldiers from Yanhu City was approaching.
Jin Honglian received the news and immediately rushed to the north gate.
Just when she was frustrated about being unable to contact them, they came knocking on her door. Did they really think Shilin City was an easy target?
The elite soldiers from Yanhu City stopped several hundred meters away from the north gate, not daring to approach any closer.
As the lord of a city, one should maintain a certain dignity and not easily converse with lowly beings without status. However, Jin Honglian was different; she didn’t care about such things. She leaped down from the city wall, her aura fully unleashed, resembling a majestic lion.
But before Jin Honglian could even speak, a tall human woman stepped down from a carriage among the soldiers. Her demeanor was graceful, clearly a product of family education. The soldiers orderly made way, not daring to meet her gaze, all bowing their heads slightly, as if they were quite fearful of her.
Jin Honglian had never seen this human woman before, but she recognized the tiger clan member standing beside the carriage, who was bowing and scraping. The son of the lord of Yanhu City, Hu Lao.
“Hu Lao! What do you mean by this!? Where is Ye Wuzhen’s kin!?”
Jin Honglian could not fathom that the human woman before her was Ye Yong’s kin. After all, Yanhu City had gone to great lengths, even using long-hidden spies, to take her away. Yet, less than a day had passed, and they returned her so ostentatiously and respectfully, which made no sense at all.
“Lord Jin, long time no see, this is Madam Lin.”
Jin Honglian did not believe it.
Hu Lao did not explain much; he was exhausted and just wanted to quickly send this preemptive calamity away.
Man had met Lin Wei before, and he confirmed Lin Wei’s identity with Jin Honglian.
Although Jin Honglian suspected a trap, he still immediately sent his subordinates to bring Lin Wei over, while quietly inquiring about her condition, asking if she had been cursed or afflicted by some kind of sorcery.
Lin Wei shook her head, indicating that she was fine. Hu Lao, on the other hand, wore a mournful expression, insisting that he had done nothing wrong. If it weren’t for this matter, he would have returned to Yan Hu City.
There were too many suspicious points, and Jin Honglian immediately ordered the army of Shilin City to surround Hu Lao and the others.
Unexpectedly, Hu Lao and his group did not resist, as if they had anticipated this outcome.
Man frowned, suspecting a scheme. Jin Honglian was not foolish either and also sensed something was off.
At that moment, a general suggested imprisoning Hu Lao and interrogating them one by one. Soon after, another general vetoed this, believing it to be a conspiracy, asserting that they must have intentionally wanted to be captured. He proposed to directly eliminate Hu Lao and his group.
“Lord Jin!” After experiencing the life-threatening danger of the heavenly thunder, Hu Lao’s demeanor had noticeably strengthened when facing the high-ranking officials of Shilin City, except when he was in front of Lin Wei. Calmly addressing the various proposals, he stated, “I have said it before, I am only returning Madam Lin, with no ulterior motives. Just a reminder, my father is the lord of Yan Hu City. If you do not treat me well, be careful of what my father might do…”
Hu Bu’s strength was indeed not to be underestimated. Considering future sieges, some high-ranking officials felt that Hu Lao should be released, while others believed he should be captured as a bargaining chip, perhaps to make Yan Hu City concede some ground later. No one mentioned the immediate execution again.
Jin Honglian inquired about the opinions of the barbarian envoy, but the envoy was also at a loss as to what Hu Lao was truly plotting. It was impossible to let them go; after all, they had brought troops with them. After much contemplation, the only option was to confine them for now and take things one step at a time.
There was a commotion at the north gate, and Ye Qingwu quickly received the news. She immediately informed Ye Yong, who, upon learning that soldiers were approaching Yan Hu City, rushed to the north gate in a flurry, initially thinking that a battle was about to break out. However, he soon realized that it didn’t seem to be the case; he even saw his own mother.
“Mother!” Ye Yong hurried forward, taking out a set of medical tools to check Lin Wei’s condition. She was in excellent health and had not been subjected to any restrictions.
“What’s going on?” Ye Yong, seeing that the soldiers from Hu Lao had been captured, suspected that Yan Hu City intended to use this as a pretext to mobilize troops and officially launch the first assault on the city.
“I’m not entirely sure about the details, but it all started with a sudden thunderclap.” As Lin Wei recounted her experiences through sound transmission, Ye Yong’s expression began to change.