dognovel Chapter 2302 Hostage Exchange
Chapter 2302 Hostage Exchange
Princess Mingzhao's gaze was as cold as ice.
“That night at the cemetery, when you were burying my cousin, I heard you say, ‘It’s not a good death after all,’ which shows that her death was suspicious. Tell me, how exactly did she die?”
Master He was taken aback, never expecting that she was also in the desolate forest and graveyard that day, and that she had heard his words.
His lips moved, but before he could utter a single word, a chilling voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Release Master He, or I'll kill your men!"
Princess Mingzhao turned around abruptly and saw a person dressed in black standing at the entrance of the alchemy room. His face was covered by a black iron mask, obscuring his features, except for his eyes, which were sinister in expression.
The man held Mu Chen's sword in his hand, holding it against Mu Chen's neck, the blade barely touching his skin.
Mu Chen lowered his head, his eyes were slightly closed, and his body swayed slightly, still in a semi-conscious state.
"Who are you?" Princess Mingzhao frowned slightly, her grip on the dagger not loosening even slightly.
The masked man let out a hoarse laugh, the gender of which was indistinguishable: "That's none of your concern."
I'll only ask you this: do you want your people to live or die?
Princess Mingzhao stared at the sword held to Mu Chen's neck, pondered for a moment, and said in a deep voice, "Then let's exchange hostages."
I'll release Master He, you release Mu Chen. Let's take it one step at a time, and no one should try anything funny.
"If you dare to lay a hand on me, I'll make sure Master He bleeds on the spot first."
As she spoke, she slightly tightened her wrist, bringing the dagger closer to Master He's neck.
Master He groaned in pain, not daring to even breathe loudly.
The masked man was silent for a moment, then said coldly, "Fine."
"You go first, slowly push Master He over here, and don't use any tricks."
"the same as you."
Princess Mingzhao looked back at him and pushed Second Master He forward slowly.
The masked man, holding Mu Chen captive, slowly walked towards the center.
The distance between the two gradually closed, and the smell of medicine mixed with the stench of blood in the courtyard created an atmosphere of extreme tension.
The two walked to the center of the courtyard, only a few steps away from each other.
Midway through the exchange, Mu Chen, who had been looking dazed and confused, suddenly opened his eyes wide. His gaze was no longer dull; instead, it was sharp as a hawk's.
He moved with lightning speed, his left hand suddenly gripping the masked man's wrist as he held the sword, his fingertips digging into the man's tendons. The masked man felt pain, his wrist went numb, and his grip on the sword loosened instantly.
Mu Chen seized the longsword, flicked his wrist, and with a cold wind, thrust the blade straight at the masked man's chest.
The masked man was shocked, never expecting that Mu Chen had been faking it all along. In his haste, he had no time to mount a proper defense and could only grit his teeth and turn sharply to the side, barely avoiding a fatal blow to his chest.
But the sword still grazed his chest and plunged into his shoulder with a hiss, and blood instantly soaked through his black clothes.
In a split second, Master He seized the opportunity to escape, shouting at the top of his lungs towards the outside of the courtyard, "Men! Seize them!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the gate to the alchemy room was suddenly pushed open.
A dozen or so He family guards swarmed in, each wielding a long knife and with fierce expressions, instantly surrounding the courtyard.
The blade gleamed coldly in the lantern light, its menacing gaze fixed on Mingzhao and Muchen.
Princess Mingzhao glanced at the scene and knew that it was not advisable to linger in battle today. The He family had a large number of guards, and a direct confrontation would only result in losses.
She immediately grabbed Mu Chen with one hand, reached to her waist with the other, pulled out a brown medicine ball, and threw it hard to the ground.
With a muffled "bang," the medicine ball exploded, instantly sending up a thick cloud of black smoke!
The smoke was thick and pungent, with a pungent smell. In the blink of an eye, it filled the entire courtyard, obscuring people's eyes and making it difficult to breathe.
The guards covered their mouths and noses, coughing violently, unable to even discern their direction.
Master He and the masked man were also choked by the smoke and retreated repeatedly, waving their hands to try to dispel the fog in front of them. When the fog gradually dissipated, there was no trace of Mingzhao and Muchen on the ground.
The masked man clutched his bleeding shoulder, his eyes beneath the black iron mask gleaming with a ruthless light.
"Find them!" the masked man gritted his teeth, his voice filled with rage. "Search every inch of Chongzhou, and find those two!"
"I want to see him alive or dead!"
Master He roared at the guards, "Whoever catches them will be richly rewarded!"
The guards responded in unison and rushed out of the alchemy room, heading in all directions of Chongzhou City.
Yan Ruyu and Huo Changhe's group traveled south, galloping at full speed for three days, and finally got closer and closer to Chongzhou City.
That evening, the group arrived at the post station closest to Chongzhou City.
The innkeepers had already hung up lanterns early. Several people led their horses into the courtyard, rested briefly, and then Yan Ruyu spread out a map of Chongzhou on the table.
Huo Changhe bent down to look at the street and alley markings on the map, his fingertip lightly touching the surface.
"I've been to Chongzhou once before, but that was many years ago. The city has probably changed a lot over the years, and I'm not very familiar with it now."
We need to meet with Mingzhao first to understand the He family's situation and the layout of the city's streets and alleys before making any plans, so as not to alert them.
Yan Ruyu nodded, her gaze slightly darkening: "The He family has deep roots in the area, so I'm afraid they won't be easy to deal with."
Princess Mingzhao is inside the city. We must find her as soon as possible to prevent her from being alone and encountering any accidents.
The two were talking in hushed tones when they suddenly heard a series of urgent horse neighs and hurried footsteps coming from the courtyard outside.
Huo Changhe and Yan Ruyu exchanged a glance, then opened the window and looked out into the courtyard.
In the dim light, a courier, his face pale, mounted his horse, rushed out of the post station, and galloped away.
Two post station workers under the eaves were watching the direction he had gone, shaking their heads and sighing repeatedly.
"I don't know if they can be saved."
"I think it's risky. Childbirth is a life-threatening event for women, and I'm afraid..."
Yan Ruyu's mind stirred slightly, and she gave Yin Ding, who was standing in the corridor, a wink.
Yin Ding understood and carried over a small jar of wine.
"Gentlemen, what are you chatting about?" Yin Ding asked, carrying a wine jar. "Want some drinks?"
The courier knew it was against the rules, but the wine in the silver ingot was just too tempting to resist.
Since there weren't many guests and nothing much to do, the two nodded in agreement.
After a few drinks, Yin Ding figured out the situation and returned to report to Yan Ruyu.
"Your Highness, that courier's name is Zhao Yong. Just now, his family sent someone to deliver a message. His wife's due date is early, and it seems she is having some difficulties in childbirth. I'm afraid this is not good."
Yan Ruyu's expression changed slightly: "Do you know where he is?"
Yin Ding nodded: "I've found out. They live in a nearby village, about three miles away."
"go!"
Without saying a word, Huo Changhe immediately followed.
He instructed Linlang and Su Shengsheng to stay at the post station while he and Yan Ruyu took the silver ingots and went to Zhao Yong's house.