Chapter 74: Catching the Person in Black

Hearing him suddenly shout for help at the top of his lungs, the person who had originally intended to rush over and deal with Lian Li was clearly caught off guard by such a reaction.

Normally, shouldn’t one let out a scream or immediately slam the window shut?

Lian Li’s excited shouting was clearly contrary to common sense.

In an instant, the person abandoned the idea of killing Lian Li to silence him, turning around to flee.

By this time, Yun Huizhou had already heard Lian Li’s summons. He vaulted out of his window and charged toward the figure.

Seeing that his bodyguard had appeared, Lian Li no longer felt intimidated. He quickly scrambled out of his own window and followed after them.

The person fled at high speeds while clutching a person, with Lian Li and Yun Huizhou in hot pursuit.

In truth, it wasn’t much of a pursuit. The person’s Lightness Skill was simply no match for Yun Huizhou’s speed. Before long, Yun Huizhou overtook them and blocked their path.

Lian Li caught up from behind, cutting off the rear escape route.

Of the four directions, only two were now open.

Lian Li didn’t know the extent of the opponent’s martial arts, but judging by the visible features around the eyes, he determined that the person in black was quite young. Among the younger generation, there shouldn’t be many who could defeat Yun Huizhou.

Therefore, this person likely had no way to escape.

Sure enough, once Yun Huizhou blocked the way, the person was unable to withstand his attacks. Soon, the combined pressure from Yun Huizhou and Lian Li forced the figure into a corner.

Lian Li took the opportunity to snatch the large sack from the masked person’s hands. At the same time, Yun Huizhou tore off the person’s mask.

The moment he saw the other person’s face, Lian Li was stunned. It was a young woman. While not a peerless beauty, she could certainly be considered attractive.

The woman stared fixedly at Yun Huizhou, biting her lip slightly. Her eyes held a hint of grievance that looked heart-wrenching to any observer.

Even though she wasn’t looking at Lian Li, he suddenly felt a sense of guilt, as if he were bullying her.

However, if one were to speak of having a heart of stone, it had to be Yun Huizhou.

Despite the way she looked at him, his expression didn’t change in the slightest. He even moved his blade a few inches closer to her neck.

Instantly, the woman’s gaze became even more resentful, as if she were looking at some sort of unfaithful heartbreaker.

Lian Li’s scalp practically tingled with discomfort.

“Put that expression away,” Yun Huizhou said coldly to the woman before glancing at Lian Li. “What are you standing there for? Open the bag and see who’s inside.”

Lian Li snapped back to his senses. “Oh, right.”

Yes, checking the person was the priority. He had to make sure no one died. He could watch a performance whenever he wanted, and he could even pay to see one, but money couldn’t buy back a life.

Lian Li hurriedly opened the bag. As expected, there was a person inside—a child, in fact. He lifted the child out of the bag and turned him over to see his face. A second later, he set the child back down on the ground and stopped holding him.

“What is it?” Yun Huizhou asked, his blade still pressed against the woman’s neck as he turned his head toward Lian Li.

“It’s that little tyrant from this afternoon,” Lian Li said.

Yun Huizhou: “…He’s not dead, is he?”

“Not dead,” Lian Li replied. “Just drugged unconscious.”

After saying this, Lian Li shifted his gaze to the woman. They had just had a conflict with the little tyrant’s family this afternoon, and tonight, this woman had kidnapped him.

Whether it was a coincidence or not, once the townspeople realized the child was missing tomorrow, they would undoubtedly suspect the two of them first.

If he hadn’t happened to open the window and see this, and if he hadn’t worried about a villain kidnapping a resident and called Yun Huizhou out to catch them…

He feared that by tomorrow morning, they would have been cornered in their rooms by the townspeople. At that point, they wouldn’t be able to clear their names even if they had a hundred mouths, unless they could find the little tyrant and bring him back.

Furthermore, with the child missing for an entire night, no one could guarantee the little tyrant would still be alive.

By then, wouldn’t they have become the scapegoats while they were still fast asleep?

If Lian Li could think of this, so could Yun Huizhou.

His gaze moved to the woman, his eyes gradually turning cold as a faint killing intent began to permeate the air.

Lian Li looked down at the little tyrant, having no intention of trying to persuade Yun Huizhou to show mercy.

Kidnapping the little tyrant with such precision was clearly not a spur-of-the-moment decision, especially considering Yun Huizhou had been wandering around outside for half the night and had even passed near the little tyrant’s house.

The town was only so big, yet they hadn’t discovered this woman’s presence until now. It was highly likely she had been intentionally avoiding them.

When they had clashed with the little tyrant’s family this afternoon, it was during a busy time with many townspeople around.

If this woman had a long-standing plan to deal with the little tyrant’s family, it was impossible for her not to know about the conflict. Therefore, there was a high probability that this woman was intentionally trying to make them take the blame.

It wasn’t that Lian Li wanted to think the worst of people, but he had to consider the possibilities.

However, Lian Li didn’t understand one thing: with this woman’s martial arts, it should have been quite easy to deal with the little tyrant’s family directly. Why go through the trouble of escalating the conflict between them and the family just to find a scapegoat?

Seeing that Lian Li—who usually seemed soft-hearted—remained silent, and that Yun Huizhou was unmoved by her aggrieved, tearful appearance, the woman felt the blade at her throat showing signs of cutting down.

Finally, she could no longer hold back. She tilted her head back slightly, exposing her fair, slender neck completely to the blade. A single tear escaped the corner of her eye, trailing down her cheek and landing on the blade with a soft “tap.”

“Little brother, little sister… your elder sister is useless. I cannot avenge you.”

Her voice was melodious and desolate, sounding as though it were filled with ten thousand measures of grief.

Unfortunately, she was facing Lian Li and Yun Huizhou.

One remained looking down at the unconscious child on the ground, while the other’s expression flickered with a hint of impatience.

Neither of them responded.

For a moment, all the words the woman had prepared were stuck in her throat. Since no one replied, it was difficult for her to continue her speech.

She looked at Lian Li, then at Yun Huizhou, secretly gritting her teeth. On the surface, however, she maintained a look of extreme sorrow. Her grieving eyes held a sliver of hopeful light as she spoke to the two of them.

“Great Heroes, could you listen to this humble woman…”

“No!”

“No time!”

Lian Li and Yun Huizhou spoke simultaneously.

Lian Li glanced at the woman and noticed she almost failed to maintain her expression.

He felt that regardless of what grievances or hatred this woman harbored, none of it was a valid reason for her to plot against him and Yun Huizhou. If her scheme had succeeded and they couldn’t find the little tyrant or if the child died, their reputations in the Jianghu would be completely ruined.

They would also have to face an investigation by the Martial Arts Alliance and might even end up with a criminal record.

At the thought of himself and Yun Huizhou inexplicably becoming scapegoats and having a record, Lian Li felt that he didn’t necessarily have to be a perfectly kind and sympathetic person.

However, how to handle this woman was also a troublesome matter.

If they let her go, he feared she would continue to cause trouble for the little tyrant’s family. As long as she didn’t expose herself, he and Yun Huizhou might end up taking the blame for her at any moment.

But if they didn’t let her go, it seemed that killing her was the simplest solution. After all, they couldn’t keep her imprisoned forever, and they had nowhere to hold her.