PDLP Chapter 2081 The Man in Black Kills to Silence
Chapter 2081 The Man in Black Kills to Silence
Yan Ruyu saw right through Ding Hengshou's scheme.
I'm too lazy to waste my breath arguing with him.
He glanced at Huo Changhe, who then gave Su Zhenhai a meaningful look.
Su Zhenhai immediately understood and sneered at Ding Hengshou: "No need for Governor Ding to worry about it. However, in order to capture Liu Jiulang, Governor Ding would be better off staying in the mansion and not going out to wander around, so as not to be accidentally injured."
Ding Hengshou's face turned pale. He said it sounded nice, but it was actually a form of house arrest, no different from being imprisoned.
He was dissatisfied, but his men were no longer of any use, so he had no choice but to listen to Su Zhenhai.
Su Zhenhai waved his hand and sent men to escort him back to the yamen.
……
Liu Jiulang pulled on the reins, and his chestnut horse snorted and stopped in place. The horses following behind him also stopped one after another.
"Ninth Master, what should we do next?" Zhou Lie's voice was steady as his gaze swept over Liu Jiulang's pale face.
His left hand remained on the hilt of his sword at his waist, and he kept an eye on the sounds on the official road behind him. He only relaxed slightly when he was sure that no more horses were following.
Liu Jiulang leaned against the tree trunk to steady himself, his chest heaving. He took several breaths before speaking: "Wait here for a bit, we'll talk later."
Zhou Lie nodded, then turned to Wu Liang and said, "You stay here with Ninth Master and keep an eye on the surroundings."
Wu Liang responded, "Okay."
Liu Jiulang walked straight into the shadows of the trees, leaned his back against the trunk, and closed his eyes.
In a clearing at the edge of the woods, Yin Ding was staring intently at the myna bird on a branch. Seeing Zhou Lie approach, he immediately stepped forward: "Send a message to the Prince?"
He spoke in a very low voice.
Zhou Lie nodded.
Yin Ding snapped his fingers, and the glossy-feathered myna bird immediately flapped its wings and flew over, landing on his outstretched arm.
He leaned close to the myna's ear and whispered rapidly, "Old forest in the western suburbs."
The myna tilted its head and rubbed against his fingertips, then flapped its wings and flew towards the east of the city, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.
"Should we arrest him?" Zhou Lie glanced towards the woods. Wu Liang was kicking pebbles on the ground idly, while Liu Jiulang was still leaning against the tree trunk, only now his head was lowered even further.
Yin Ding narrowed his small eyes, picked up a willow leaf from the ground, and twirled it around with his fingers along the edge: "No rush."
With a flick of his wrist, the willow leaf "whooshed" and stuck to the tree trunk not far away, right in the small circle he had drawn earlier.
"Anyway, he's a cooked duck; he can't fly away."
He walked up to the tree, plucked a willow leaf, and held it in his hand: "I always felt something was wrong. He ran away and came straight here. Why did he have to go to this city? He must be waiting for someone."
Zhou Lie recalled the situation on the road and realized it was indeed suspicious: "Alright, let's check it out first."
He leaned against a tree trunk, his right hand resting on the hilt of his knife, his gaze never leaving the movements in the woods.
Just as Yan Ruyu had instructed the bee whistle to guide the people to safety during the sacrificial ceremony, she turned around and saw a myna bird flying over.
She waved for the myna to stop, fed it, and then turned to see Huo Changhe.
Huo Changhe was discussing the next steps with Su Zhenhai when she came in and asked, "Any news?"
"In the old forest in the western suburbs, Yin Ding said Liu Jiulang is waiting for someone there," Yan Ruyu said. "I'll take some men over there."
Huo Changhe glanced at Su Zhenhai, who immediately said, "Your Highness, please go ahead. I will handle things properly here as Your Highness has instructed."
Huo Changhe nodded, and he and Yan Ruyu quietly led their men toward the western suburbs.
At the edge of the woods, Yin Ding was practicing his skills by pinching a few willow leaves, nailing them one by one to the tree trunk, the red heart in the circle almost completely filled with leaves.
Suddenly he felt a slight vibration under his feet, and he immediately stopped what he was doing and listened carefully.
Zhou Lie also noticed it, and stood up straight, looking in the direction from which the tremor came: "Someone's coming."
As the dust settled closer, a group of more than twenty people gradually came into view. Each of them rode a black horse, wore a black cloak, and had bronze masks on their faces, revealing only their cold eyes.
"They came here for this." Yin Ding's voice deepened, his fingers tightening around the dart pouch at his waist.
Zhou Lie nodded, gripping the hilt of his knife with his right hand. He could feel the killing intent emanating from the other man.
Liu Jiulang, who was in the woods, also heard the commotion. He suddenly opened his eyes, quickly walked out of the woods, and the moment he saw the group of men in black, he stopped abruptly. His body involuntarily shrank back, and his ankle hit the tree root behind him, almost causing him to fall.
Yin Ding caught a glimpse of his reaction out of the corner of her eye and felt even more puzzled. This Liu Jiulang clearly knew these men in black, but judging from his appearance, he seemed terrified, as if he had seen a ghost.
The black horse team stopped three zhang away from them. The leader, dressed in black, sat upright on his horse, the hem of his cloak fluttering slightly in the wind. His gaze was fixed on Liu Jiulang without moving an inch.
The air seemed to freeze, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.
Zhou Lie and Yin Ding stood side by side, their gazes shifting back and forth between the man in black and Liu Jiulang, their hands never leaving the hilt of their swords.
Wu Liang also sensed something was wrong and quietly moved to Liu Jiulang's side, watching the man in black warily.
After a long pause, Liu Jiulang finally couldn't hold back any longer. His throat moved, and his voice trembled noticeably: "What... are you going to do?"
He took half a step forward, then quickly stepped back. "You're not here to pick me up, are you?"
The leader of the men in black remained silent and did not move an inch.
The men in black around them remained silent, their eyes behind their masks like cold pools, devoid of any emotion.
Yin Ding's doubts grew stronger. Just then, the leader of the men in black suddenly raised his hand, flipped his wrist, and two red round objects flew out from his sleeve, heading straight for Liu Jiulang.
Yin Ding's pupils contracted, and he instantly recognized it as the "Fire Thunder Pearl" he had seen before.
"Not good!" he shouted, his left hand quickly pulling out two darts with clothing attached from his dart pouch. With a flick of his wrist, the darts left two afterimages in the air and accurately struck the two fire and thunder beads.
With two crisp clangs, the fire bomb was deflected by the dart, rolled a few times on the ground, and then exploded.
Smoke rose, flames shot out, igniting the dry branches nearby, and the fire quickly flared up, the kind that was not easy to extinguish.
Liu Jiulang took another step back, and his fear could be felt even through the mask.
Just as Yin Ding was about to warn everyone to be on guard, the leader of the men in black suddenly waved his hand, and the men in black behind him immediately spurred their horses forward, drawing their long swords, which gleamed coldly.
Zhou Lie was the first to draw his sword and charge forward. His sword was a broad-backed blade, and its slashes were incredibly powerful. As soon as they clashed, he blocked the opponent's long sword, and sparks flew as the blades collided.
Yin Ding flicked several darts with his right hand, each aimed at the wrist of the man in black. One dart struck the wrist of the man in front, causing him to wince in pain and drop his long sword with a clang.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Liu Jiulang turned and ran into the woods.
Yin Ding caught a glimpse of Liu Jiulang disappearing into the woods and cursed inwardly.
He had just dealt with the men in black in front of him when he saw the leader of the men in black ride off into the woods, clearly heading for Liu Jiulang.
"Stop him!"