Chapter 231: What Profit Is There?
The name Li Badao had stuck in Shi Hao’s mind, partly because it was unusual, partly because, of the various factions secretly supported by the Evil Lotus Sect, his was currently the most successful.
And he also had an adopted daughter, taken in when she was eleven, now sixteen.
But this adopted daughter had been raised by the Mirror Flower Water Moon Pavilion and planted beside him. She had almost succeeded in having him “killed” and replaced by her own people.
Fortunately, with the three factions reunited, the Mirror Flower Water Moon Pavilion and the Black Lotus Realm had shared information in time to prevent it. Otherwise, Li Badao would have died without knowing why.
Shi Hao had marveled at the demonic sects’ methods, their long-term planning, their insidious schemes. How could Li Badao have possibly suspected an eleven-year-old girl?
“Wait here,” Shi Hao said, “I might have a solution.”
Xu Xiaoyan looked up at him, “Really?”
Shi Hao smiled, “Don’t you trust me?” He turned and left.
He undid his disguise and hurried back to Haiyan County, not bothering with the main gate but scaling the walls and entering the inn, where he knocked softly on Yue Yaotai’s door.
She opened the door, fully dressed, and welcomed him in, “Young Master.”
“I found Xiaoyan,” he said, “But she’s in trouble.”
He explained the situation with Lin Jing’s family.
“Can you help them escape the barbarian army and the Six Gates, Branch Leader Yue?” he asked, “And also inform Long Niu and have Li Badao send someone to meet them?”
Yue Yaotai said, “The biggest problem isn’t the barbarian army or the Six Gates, but the Sea Shark Gang. They control the underworld in this region, not just the salt trade, but also smuggling and other illegal activities.
“We have some ships and connections here, some discreet business ventures. We can even bribe some of the Sea Shark Gang’s lower-ranking members to use their smuggling routes. As for the Yellow Heaven Army, Li Badao is Long Niu’s… associate. I’m not comfortable contacting him directly.
“But if you write a letter, Young Master, I can have it delivered to Long Niu discreetly. She can arrange everything. For Li Badao, offering sanctuary to Lin Jing’s family would earn him favor with the former members of Dark Thunder, strengthening his position.”
She hesitated, then asked softly, “But what do you gain from this, Young Master?”
Shi Hao thought, Sha Lingshan wouldn’t have asked that.
But Yue Yaotai, raised in the pragmatic, self-serving culture of the demonic sects, couldn’t understand his motives. Why go to such lengths to help a widow and her child?
He sighed, “I had no choice. Xiaoyan wants to help them. I couldn’t just… abandon her.” He shifted the responsibility to Xu Xiaoyan.
Yue Yaotai’s expression softened. She understood.
After all, Xu Xiaoyan had grown up in the Moon Lotus Pavilion, leaving only at the age of ten.
And although her mother was technically a traitor, Yue Yaotai, Zhu Ping, Huan Tingting, and the others still had some affection for their former senior sister.
And Xiaoyan herself was a beautiful young woman. It wasn’t surprising that the Young Master, a young man, would be… smitten.
For a young man to help a beautiful girl, hoping to… well… it was a perfectly understandable “profit.”
“I’ll make the arrangements,” she said.
Shi Hao knew the Moon Lotus Pavilion’s attitude towards Xu Xiaoyan, the former Pavilion Lord’s daughter, was complicated.
He had seen it when Huan Tingting had met with her in Dàxīng City.
“And one more thing,” he said, “Daoist Zhong. He’s been captured by the Six Gates. He often travels to the East Sea. He might be able to help us reach the Crystal Palace. Can you find out where he’s being held?”
“Consider it done, Young Master,” Yue Yaotai said.
Shi Hao wrote a letter to Long Niu, and then returned to his room.
Just before dawn, he heard Yue Yaotai, Zhu Ping, and Huan Tingting leaving.
He slept for a while, then, around noon, he went to check on Xiang Gu.
She seemed to have reversed her sleep cycle, always tired during the day.
Her door was slightly ajar. He knocked, but there was no response.
He opened the door and saw her sprawled on the bed, her arms outstretched, sleeping soundly, like a child.
He quietly closed the door and left.
Yue Yaotai returned around noon, “Everything is arranged, Young Master. Lin Jing’s family will be leaving tonight.
“But they can’t take too many people with them. Just Madam Lin, her son, and three others.
“We’ll transport them by boat to a location about a hundred li south. It’s a safe route, used for smuggling. We’ve bribed the officials in charge, even those from the Sea Shark Gang. They’ll cooperate.
“There’s a safe house there, where they’ll wait for Long Niu to contact Li Badao and arrange for the Yellow Heaven Army to meet them. And just in case, I’ll have Zhu Ping escort them.”
She paused, then added, “We’ve also located Daoist Zhong. He’s being held in the Qiantang Town jail.”
Shi Hao smiled, “You’re very efficient, Branch Leader Yue.”
After discussing the details with her, he left Haiyan County and returned to the forest where he had left Xu Xiaoyan and the others, changing his appearance along the way.
He rejoined Dai Liang, Lin Jing’s family, and Xu Xiaoyan, informing them of the escape plan.
He said, “Tonight, at a place called Stone Shore by the Qiantang River, a ship will be waiting for you. They’ll take you about a hundred li south.
“The Six Gates have set up checkpoints everywhere, assuming you’re still in the area. Leaving by sea is the safest option. But you can’t take too many people. Just Madam Lin, her son, and three others.
“I’ve already contacted the leader of the Yellow Heaven Army through other channels. They’ll send someone to meet you, and then you’ll be escorted to their territory, where even the barbarian army can’t reach you.”
Dai Liang and the others were overjoyed. Dai Liang said, “Thank you, Brother Hao. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
Shi Hao turned to Xu Xiaoyan, “Daoist Zhong is being held in the Qiantang Town jail.”
Xu Xiaoyan sighed in relief. His capture had been expected. As long as he was still alive, they could rescue him.
The two Daoist priests exchanged glances. One of them said, “Since only three can accompany Madam Lin tonight, we’ll leave her to you, Brother Dai. We’ll go to Qiantang Town and see if we can rescue Old Zhong.”
Dai Liang said, “Be careful. I don’t know when we’ll meet again.”
They had mostly been strangers before this, united by their shared desire to help Lin Jing’s family.
Now, with their mission almost complete, their paths would likely diverge again, the dangers of the jianghu making future reunions uncertain.
That night, they reached Stone Shore. A merchant ship was waiting, a woman standing on its deck.
It was Zhu Ping, the Crimson Lotus Fiery Blaze, disguised as an ordinary woman, dressed in simple clothes.
The woman with the infant, who also had some martial arts training, thanked Shi Hao, Xu Xiaoyan, and the two Daoist priests again, then boarded the ship with Dai Liang and the other two, and the ship quietly slipped away.
Shi Hao turned to Xu Xiaoyan and the two Daoist priests, “The Six Gates will be searching for you. Kill a few of them tomorrow morning, make it look like you were discovered and forced to defend yourselves, and then leave. That will keep them occupied in this area.”
Xu Xiaoyan chuckled, “You’re always scheming.”
The two Daoist priests also smiled, “Those barbarians and their Six Gates lapdogs are ruthless and cunning. A little trickery is justified.”
They turned back, and at daybreak, finding an opportunity, they killed a few isolated barbarian soldiers before leaving.
That night, they reached Qiantang Town.
Shi Hao said to Xu Xiaoyan, “A direct assault on the jail is too risky. Why don’t we use our magical weapons to infiltrate and rescue him while the two Daoist priests create a diversion outside?”
Xu Xiaoyan grabbed her hair in frustration, “I’ve used up all the Void Traversing Bricks. I only have three uses left on the Night Wanderer Talisman.”
The Night Wanderer Talisman contained the Night Wanderer divine crystal, while the Void Traversing Brick contained the Path Opener.
Combined, they were invaluable tools for infiltration and escape, but their uses were limited, and Xu Xiaoyan clearly hadn’t been conserving them.
Shi Hao said, “In that case, I have two… associates here. We’ll rescue him tonight, before they move him.”
He hurriedly left… He had already arranged for Yue Yaotai, Huan Tingting, and Xiang Gu to be in Qiantang Town.
He soon returned.
He looked at the two Daoist priests, “It’s done. Xiao Yan and I will infiltrate the jail using the Night Wanderer Talisman. After midnight, there will be an ‘assassination attempt’ on the magistrate, creating a diversion.
“After most of the guards are gone, set a fire northwest of the jail and meet us at the east gate.”
The two Daoist priests, knowing his resourcefulness, readily agreed.
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