Nan and Mu were somewhat bewildered. Nan Zhu asked in return, “What exactly is the situation with that Wang Wentian?”
“A distant relative of the Earth Mother. To maintain the relationship with the Earth Mother, the Wang family is proposing a marriage to the Earth Mother, wanting to seek the hand of Zhong Ruochen for Wang Wentian…” Yu Qing explained the general situation and mentioned Liu Piaopiao’s reminder. It was unlikely that Wang Wentian was inviting them to a banquet just to make friends. No man would likely make friends of this kind of relationship. He was probably motivated by jealousy.
So that was the case. Both Nan and Mu were speechless, feeling as if disaster had fallen from the sky.
Nan Zhu said, “If that is the case, then the banquet is not a good one. That makes sense. As long as it was not done by the people behind Iron Face, what is the point of others catching Xiao Hei under the current circumstances? Nine times out of ten, the guy surnamed Wang cannot escape.”
Mu Aotie said, “The guy surnamed Wang has connections in Haishi.”
They knew what he meant. Kidnapping someone in broad daylight in Haishi and still being able to suppress Liu Piaopiao and the others from intervening.
Nan Zhu said, “Does that even need to be said? How rich must the top ten spiritual plant sects in the Jin State be? It is perfectly normal to have some connections in Haishi. The key is, what does that bastard want to do with Xiao Hei next?”
Yu Qing snorted. “If he really did it, then he naturally refuses a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. If he invites us to a banquet again, can we still not go?”
The three martial brothers immediately fell into silence.
The matter was obvious. They simply could not defeat Wang Wentian in Haishi. With his power, even if they were not in Haishi, they still could not defeat him. They could not even afford to stay in an inn and wanted to save every bit of money they earned to pay off debts. Facing the wealth and power of Zheluo Mountain, they were naturally at a huge disadvantage.
Nan Zhu said, “The only way now is to find him and make Xiao Hei’s identity at Youjiao Bu clear.”
Yu Qing said, “Are you sure he would admit to kidnapping someone from Youjiao Bu in broad daylight? What would be the consequences if he flatly denied it? He might have caught the person just to invite us to a banquet again. Once the nature of the matter turns into kidnapping someone from Youjiao Bu, it will be his turn to be unable to explain himself. No matter how much wealth and power Zheluo Mountain has, it cannot withstand it. He might completely distance himself from the matter. Do you want to get Xiao Hei killed?”
These words immediately gave Nan and Mu a headache.
After a brief silence, Nan Zhu let out a soft sigh. “If I had known earlier, I should have done as Hei Zi said in the letter and made Xiao Hei’s identity at Youjiao Bu public from the beginning. Then this would not have happened.”
Although he said this, even he knew it was purely hindsight talk. They had been hiding it from the very beginning, and none of them would ever reveal their own identities.
Mu Aotie suddenly saw Yu Qing stroking his small beard, with a cunning look in his eyes. Guessing he had some idea, he immediately asked, “What are we going to do?”
Yu Qing gave a baffling answer. “I am afraid we have to pick a quarrel and let the Zhenhai Department arrest us and lock us up for three days.”
“What?” Nan Zhu cried out in surprise. Is there anyone who seeks thrills by getting themselves into trouble like this?
Mu Aotie was also stunned, thinking he had misheard.
Yu Qing said, “Nine times out of ten, this is Wang Wentian’s doing. No matter who kidnapped Xiao Hei, dealing with Xiao Hei is not the goal. They will come after us next. Only if we are arrested and the other party’s plan is delayed can we buy some time and gain some initiative.”
Nan Zhu asked, “What do you mean?”
“Stop looking. It is useless to look. They will not let you find Xiao Hei so easily. You two go back first and arrange some matters with Hu Youli…”
Yu Qing pulled his two senior brothers closer and whispered in their ears for a good while.
Thoughtful expressions gradually appeared on the faces of Nan and Mu. They roughly understood what the fifteenth brother wanted to do.
After the instructions, Nan Zhu asked Yu Qing, “Are you not coming back with us?”
Yu Qing asked in return, “Their invitation might already be waiting for me. How can I go back? You already know the banquet is not a good one. In short, if I do not go back, fine. If I go back, it is best to get arrested immediately. I cannot go back right now anyway. I still need to make some preparations. After you go back, open the window immediately. Liu Piaopiao should be watching closely. I need to meet her one more time. Alright, there is no time to chatter. If we chatter any more, they will come directly to find me here. Hurry up and go.”
Hearing this, Nan and Mu knew he did not want to be passive and at the mercy of others. He wanted to confront the one who struck in the dark. They needed to race against time now and could not afford to chatter. The two could only tell him to be careful and then left.
Yu Qing also quickly slipped into the streets and alleys to escape. Along the way, he found an opportunity to tear off a piece of rag and took it with him. He detoured to an uninhabited place, quickly lifted a manhole cover, and slipped down, once again sneaking through the underground sewage channels.
It was like navigating through an underground maze. After wandering around for a good while, he finally reached the second meeting point on the map given by Liu Piaopiao.
Liu Piaopiao had not arrived yet, and he did not know when she would come. He squatted down, spread out the rag he had picked up along the way, caught a rat, killed it directly, wrote something on the rag with its blood, and then waited quietly.
After waiting for just under half an hour, Liu Piaopiao, also wearing a cloak, finally arrived.
During their previous meeting, neither of them expected to meet again so soon. As soon as they met, Liu Piaopiao asked, “What is going on with someone catching your child?”
Yu Qing said, “I do not dare to be completely sure who did it, but I estimate nine times out of ten it is that bastard Wang Wentian.”
Hearing this, Liu Piaopiao understood what was going on. After all, she was the one who pointed out that Wang Wentian was jealous. She nodded slightly, “Since you have ruled out others, it must be Wang Wentian. I know his father Wang Xuetang has contacts with the Zhenhai Envoy Zhu Xuan, which matches up.
“However, it is useless for you to come to me about this. The Grand Inspector of the Zhenhai Department, Qi Duolai, who is also Zhu Xuan’s confidant, has stepped in. He intentionally intervened and stopped me from getting involved in this matter, leaving me to watch helplessly as the child was taken away. You also know Tianyu’s current situation. He cannot stand firm, so it is hard for me to do anything.”
“I guessed you would have difficulties, so I did not ask you to gather people to help find him.” As Yu Qing spoke, he took out the rag from his cloak and handed it to her. “This is a letter. To avoid anyone discovering I want to send a letter out, I wrote the content on this, along with the mailing address. Please help me copy it later and send it out as soon as possible.”
Liu Piaopiao immediately shook it open to check. As soon as she saw the content, she knew what was going on and said in surprise, “Such a small child has already joined Youjiao Bu?”
Yu Qing nodded. “Also, you need to find an excuse later to arrest the three of us and take us to the Zhenhai Department. Lock us up for a few days.”
Liu Piaopiao did not react for a moment and asked in astonishment, “Arrest you? What for?”
“No matter if it is Wang Wentian or not, kidnapping the child is aimed at the three of us. They have a hostage in their hands. If they find me again, will I comply or not? I need time to hide.” Yu Qing pointed to the rag letter in her hand. “Three days. You must lock us up for at least three days!”
Liu Piaopiao stared at him blankly. She had to admit she was impressed by him. He actually came up with the trick of going to jail. The method was a bit unconventional, but it was indeed effective. However, she had difficulties. “It is easy to arrest you, but have you thought about it? Once the situation changes after three days, someone will immediately suspect me and suspect I am helping you stall for time.”
Yu Qing said, “That is why I am consulting you on the most appropriate way to get in. It should not be so hard just to go to jail, right?”
“This is my first time meeting someone who is eager to go to jail.” Liu Piaopiao was somewhat amused and exasperated. She slowly put away the rag in her hand. “Let me think about it.”
Yu Qing stopped talking and waited for her to think it over slowly.
After a while, Liu Piaopiao pondered and said, “It is naturally easy to go to jail. Getting in is not hard. The problem is you want to stay until after three days. How can it be up to you how many days you want to stay? After all, the Zhenhai Department is controlled by Zhu Xuan. I am afraid if you commit some minor offenses and get in, the Wang family will just make a casual request, and you will be released very soon. You will still have to face them. If the offense you commit is blown out of proportion, I am afraid it will play right into the hands of those with ulterior motives. They might just keep you locked up inside and torment you.”
Yu Qing said, “Are there not many shops belonging to big shots on Qianliu Mountain? Find one with enough weight, one that Zhu Xuan cannot easily brush off. The three of us brothers will go smash one.”
The corner of Liu Piaopiao’s mouth twitched slightly. “Enough weight? Can a matter involving someone of that magnitude be settled by compensating a little money? You do not have money to compensate. Are you not afraid of getting in and never getting out? How about this? Just go smash Zhu Xuan’s family shop instead. If they suffer a loss and you do not compensate for it, the Wang family will have to compensate.
“After all, they were implicated by the Wang family and were helping the Wang family. The Wang family would not dare not to pay. As long as there is compensation, Zhu Xuan will not make things difficult for you. However, there is one thing to remember. When you smash Zhu Xuan’s family shop, you must insist that it was the people from his family shop who kidnapped your person.”
Yu Qing was suspicious. “Pin the blame on Zhu Xuan? What do you mean?”
Liu Piaopiao said, “Only in this way can the Wang family not easily get you out. The Zhenhai Department is not a place where Zhu Xuan alone can cover the sky with one hand. There are people from other cave dwellings watching. As long as you do not back down for a day, Zhu Xuan cannot clear his name for a day, and this matter cannot end for a day. If he dares to wrap it up hastily, people from other cave dwellings, including me, will have something to say. He will not be allowed to act recklessly. At that time, when the matter ends will be in our hands.”
Yu Qing thought for a moment and nodded, but he was still slightly worried. “If I pin the blame randomly like this, are you sure we can still get out alive?”
Liu Piaopiao said, “As soon as you back down, the case will be closed and the people released immediately. What else do you expect? Does the Wang family dare to find out the truth, or does Zhu Xuan dare to really find out the truth? At the very least, the Wang family will try their best to stop it. You can rest assured about this. I know the internal situation of the Zhenhai Department better than you do. I have it in my mind, and there will be no mistakes. If necessary, I can also intervene a bit and will not let them mess with you. Qi Duolai stopping me from chasing the kidnappers is a loophole I can exploit at any time.”
Speaking of this, Yu Qing had to admit that he really did not know or understand the internal situation of the Zhenhai Department. If this person had not pointed the way, he would definitely not be able to figure it out in a short while.
“Alright, I get it. We will do it as you said.”
After the two of them detailed the specifics, they left separately.
Yu Qing directly navigated through the tunnel to a position relatively close to Hu Youli’s house before popping his head out and climbing out. He found someone loitering on the street, gave them silver to run an errand, and asked them to help call Nan and Mu over, promising to give the other half of the silver after the job was done.