Chapter 73 Late-night Help
"Shh! Liu Xunyi, I'm here."

When Liu Xunyi hurried back to Long'an Inn, Feng Tianba suddenly emerged from the dark alley and pushed Liu Xunyi aside as he was about to enter the inn. Before Liu Xunyi could speak, Feng Tianba suddenly covered his mouth with his hand, stared at the door of the inn with a gloomy look, and whispered, "Look!"

Liu Xunyi frowned and looked up, only to see four Western Region swordsmen walking out of the inn aggressively. From their clothes, Liu Xunyi recognized that they were Xunzhen's men.

"What's going on?" Liu Xunyi asked Feng Tianba in surprise.

Feng Tianba's eyes widened, and he asked back, "I was just about to ask you what happened. You left in a hurry without even explaining yourself. The more I thought about it, the more confused I became, so I decided to stay here and wait for you to come back. Unexpectedly, a group of Westerners suddenly rushed into the inn. They found your room and searched it before leaving in batches. The four you saw just now should be the last batch."

"It's Xunzhen." Liu Xunyi suddenly realized, "Xunzhen didn't want me to escape so easily, so he sent people here to hunt me down."

"How did they know you were staying in this inn?" Feng Tianba asked, "And how did they know which room you were staying in?"

"The head shopkeeper of Long'an Inn, 'Dragon King', is also Xunzhen's man." Liu Xunyi explained, "Xunzhen must have thought that I was poisoned by the incense and couldn't be completely sober, so he wanted to take the opportunity to cut off the roots."

"If that's the case, why are they leaving in such a hurry?"

Liu Xunyi looked at Feng Tianba who was serious, and said with a wry smile: "First, they couldn't find any trace of me in the inn, so they thought I wouldn't dare to come back. Second, Xunzhen's relationship with the Dragon King has been exposed, and I'm sure the people from Yuhu Hall will find this place soon. If they don't leave now, are they going to wait for Cao Qin to bring people to catch them in the trap?"

Feng Tianba stared at Liu Xunyi with suspicion, and said in a strange tone: "I found that you are really good at causing trouble. When you were in Quanzhou, the Lu Mansion in Jiangnan could not be at peace. When you came to Huodu, you made a big fuss here. You have only been in Huodu for two days? How could you attract so many enemies?"

Faced with Feng Tianba's sarcasm, Liu Xunyi could only smile bitterly and remain silent. He knew that no matter how much he explained, Feng Tianba would not be able to understand.

"Seeing that you came back alone, you must have returned empty-handed." Feng Tianba suddenly remembered Bai Shuang's matter and asked hurriedly, "But Yuhu Hall refused to release you?"

Liu Xunyi sighed and said, "It's not that easy. Cao Qin is more difficult to deal with than I thought. I thought he would let Bai Shuang go for Su He's sake, but he actually said that Bai Shuang came here to celebrate the birthday of the Jade Dragon Palace Master..."

Feng Tianba was completely confused and shook his head repeatedly, "You just don't want to let him go, right?"

"Forget it!" Liu Xunyi stared at Feng Tianba who was about to make a bold statement, and said seriously, "You don't have to interfere in this matter. I have my own plans. You'd better leave Huodu early tomorrow morning. This is not the place you should come." After that, Liu Xunyi turned around and was about to walk towards Long'an Inn.

"You want me to be a deserter?" Feng Tianba asked angrily at Liu Xunyi's back, "How about Yuhutang? How about Cao Qin? Although I, Feng Tianba, don't have much ability, I still have the courage to risk my life."

"For a woman you've never met before?" Liu Xunyi stopped and deliberately mocked him without turning his head.

"For the safety of the people of the Song Dynasty." Feng Tianba said bluntly, "I am an official of the Song Dynasty court, and I have the responsibility to protect the safety of the people of the Song Dynasty, especially in such a lawless place, I can't sit idly by. If everyone in the Song Dynasty is so indifferent and has the mentality of 'mind your own business', then there is only one outcome for us in the future, the destruction of our country and our race!"

Every word of Feng Tianba's was like a needle, piercing Liu Xunyi's heart. Hearing such remarks, even an ordinary citizen would be moved, let alone Liu Xunyi who was also an official of the imperial court?

Liu Xunyi slowly turned around, staring at Feng Tianba with a complex look, and said word by word: "Thinking of the former Yang family generals and Yue family soldiers, they must have been like you, serving the country and the people, willing to sacrifice their lives and shed their blood. If there were more officials like you in the Song Dynasty today, the conquest of the Central Plains would be just around the corner!"

Feng Tianba never expected that Liu Xunyi would suddenly say such a thing. He stared at him blankly, unable to speak for a long time.

"In that case, then come with me!" After thinking it over again and again, Liu Xunyi finally couldn't bear to hurt Feng Tianba's concern for the country and the people, so he said, "But you have to follow my arrangements and never act on your own, so as not to make mistakes for yourself."

"You are smarter than me. I know some things cannot be done recklessly. As long as it does not harm the world or violate morality, I can listen to you." Feng Tianba agreed happily. After that, he took the initiative to follow Liu Xunyi without waiting for her to call.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

On the second floor of the inn, Liu Xunyi knocked lightly on the door. Along with a rustling sound in the room, a soft candlelight slowly lit up in the room, and then an indistinct voice sounded quietly: "Disturbing people's sweet dreams is like killing their parents. Who is so blind..."

Accompanied by a resentful curse, the door opened, and Ding San, with disheveled hair and sleepy face, appeared in front of Liu Xunyi and Feng Tianba, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

As soon as he saw Liu Xunyi, Ding San stopped cursing, but he still complained with dissatisfaction: "Little brother, what are you doing in the middle of the night?" As he spoke, Ding San moved aside to open the door and let Liu Xunyi and Feng Tianba in.

"Brother Ding, I want to ask you for help with something." Liu Xunyi said straight to the point.

"Oh?" Ding San poured himself a cup of cold tea, the sleepiness on his face gradually disappeared, and he smiled evilly, "Have you thought it through? Do you want to ask me for help?" Liu Xunyi smiled bitterly, "But I don't have one thousand taels of gold to give you now."

"Haha..." Ding San laughed when he heard that, "I knew you came to Huodu for that picture. You didn't admit it before, why did you admit it tonight?"

"Brother Ding, I'm here for this." Liu Xunyi took out the golden hairpin that Bai Shuang gave him and said seriously, "Its owner is now under house arrest in Yuhu Hall, and I want to rescue her."

Ding San frowned and asked, "Are you looking for me for the woman or for the picture?"

"What's the difference?" Liu Xunyi asked, "As long as you are willing to help me, I will definitely give you as much benefit as possible..."

Without waiting for Liu Xunyi to finish her words, Ding San shook his head repeatedly with a dull look and said, "If you want to save a woman, then I have no interest in helping you. After all, even if I help you rescue this beauty, you won't be willing to let her spend a night with me, right?" Ding San said with a wicked smile, "You look like you're poorer than me, so you definitely can't come up with anything good."

"you……"

"But!" Before Feng Tianba could scold him, Ding San suddenly changed the subject, staring at Liu Xunyi with a vague look, and said with a half-smile, "If you want to do this, I am still willing to cooperate with you, and by the way, I can also think of a way for that woman to get out of this situation. Hehe..."

Liu Xunyi frowned and argued, "Even if I get the map, I can't give you one thousand taels of gold. What difference does it make to you? Do you really think I can find the treasure of the Jin Kingdom?"

Ding San squinted at Liu Xunyi and said in an indirect way, "Little brother, although I am not a big shot, I don't like being used by others. You have always refused to tell me the truth, but you want to use me to help you deal with Yuhutang. What's the use of just relying on your three-inch tongue? If you want to ask for help, you must learn to be honest. Otherwise, you hide everything from me, but I will do my best to help you succeed. How can this be justified in the world?"

"What the old man said makes some sense, I think..." Feng Tianba nodded in agreement subconsciously, but under Liu Xunyi's murderous gaze, he swallowed the rest of his words back.

"Brother Ding, are you forcing someone to do something unmanageable?" Liu Xunyi said.

"You are not a duck, and that map is not a fire rack." Ding San smiled, "Even without me, you will not give up the map. You hide it from me because you don't trust me, or you are worried that I also covet the map. There is only one day left until the Jade Dragon Festival. You and I are both smart people. Why do you have to pretend to be confused at this critical moment? What's more, Cao Qin has a beauty in his hand that you want to rescue. Hehe..."

"You old man, although what you said makes some sense, the way you wink at me always gives people a feeling of being treacherous and cunning." Feng Tianba scolded, "If I were him, I wouldn't want to be honest with you either. It's not that I don't trust you, but I can't stand your smug look. Don't think you have us by your side. I can still save people without you."

"Then why did you come to see me so late at night?" Ding San was very casual and acted fearless. He pointed at the door with his hand and said, "The door is right there. Goodbye, my two little brothers!"

"What a villain!" Feng Tianba cursed angrily, grabbed Liu Xunyi's arm and tried to leave, "Let's go..."

"I'll tell you!" Liu Xunyi first calmed down the restless Feng Tianba, and then said to Ding San in a serious tone, "I did come here for a plan, and I've been waiting for an opportunity to act. But now my situation is worrying, so I have to ask Brother Ding for help."

Ding San was startled for a moment, then stood up, stared at Liu Xunyi with deep eyes, and said, "Are you serious?"

"If you tell lies, you will be punished by heaven and earth!"

"Okay!" Ding San agreed readily. "In that case, I will help you find out more about that woman and the picture, as well as Yuhutang's next move, so that you can act more conveniently."

"I can't wait too long!" Liu Xunyi said frankly.

"Don't worry, come find me here tomorrow evening and I'll tell you the news." Ding San said with a smile, "But let's make it clear in advance that I'm only responsible for helping you get the news, as for what happens next..."

"I'll take care of it myself!" Liu Xunyi replied, "In that case, we'll wait for your news tomorrow. Goodbye!"

"Hold on, little bro!"

After saying goodbye in a hurry, Liu Xunyi and Feng Tianba quickly left Long'an Inn, this place of trouble.

After they left, Ding San slowly put away the smile on his face, and a hint of coldness and arrogance suddenly flashed in the depths of his eyes.

……

(End of this chapter)