Chapter 74 A desperate move

The next morning, Cao Qin, who had another sleepless night, sat restlessly in the hall, looking anxiously at Lei Biao who was hurriedly walking out of the yard.

"Master, I..."

"Where is he?" Before Lei Biao could enter the main hall and kowtow, Cao Qin could not wait to ask, "Can you rescue the young master in Luohan Temple?"

"Lei Biao is ashamed and has failed the hall master's trust." Lei Biao knelt on the ground with a look of annoyance. He looked dusty and exhausted, as if he had been tossing and turning all night.

"What?" Although Cao Qin had expected this, his expression still turned ugly when he heard Lei Biao admit it himself. He asked in a low voice, exhausted, "Have you searched the Luohan Temple carefully?"

Lei Biao took out a jade pendant from his bosom and said, "Master, we found the room where the young master was held hostage in the temple, and also found the young master's jade pendant there. I think it is true that the young master was hidden in the Luohan Temple before. However... we were a step too late. When we arrived at the Luohan Temple, the gang of thieves and the young master had disappeared."

Cao Qin took the jade pendant, a trace of sadness flashed in his eyes, and he said quietly: "I had expected that a cunning rabbit would have three burrows, and you would definitely come back empty-handed this time, and it turned out to be true..."

"Master." Lei Biao's eyes suddenly turned fierce, and he said viciously, "If anyone is to blame for this, blame Su He. If he hadn't deliberately watched them die without rescuing them, with his martial arts skills, how could he have easily let the gang of thieves leave?"

Cao Qin's face turned cold, and he scolded: "I don't want to hear this from you again. Su He is just helping us, and he doesn't owe us anything, so we have no right to order him to do anything. He has done me a favor by finding Luohan Temple. How can we blame him? If there is any fault, there is only one person who is wrong, and that is Liu Xunyi. If he hadn't alerted the enemy, how could the gang of thieves escape my net?"

"Master, do you want me to go to Long'an Inn and capture that Liu..."

"Forget it." Cao Qin shook his head with tired eyes, "The situation is already chaotic enough, I don't want to create more trouble." At this point, Cao Qin suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "The Dragon King who secretly colluded with the thieves..."

"He ran away too." Lei Biao said angrily, "I led people to search all the places where he might appear last night, but found nothing. He must have fled Huodu, probably to avoid the limelight for a while. No matter when he comes back, I will tear him into pieces."

"The exposure of the Dragon King's identity was their miscalculation." Cao Qin muttered to himself as he analyzed, "They thought they were absolutely sure to kill Liu Xunyi last night, but they didn't expect Su He to show up and ruin everything. It seems that the saying 'Man proposes, God disposes' is equally useful in front of anyone."

"Master, who is that Liu?" Lei Biao asked. "He dared to break into Yuhu Hall last night. It seems that he has a close relationship with that woman surnamed Bai..."

"He came here for the Jingfenghuayutu." Cao Qin sneered, "I met Liu Xunyi when I was in Lu Mansion in Jiangnan. He is from the Xianwang Mansion. He came all the way to Huodu, I think he must have followed Luo Tianjin's orders."

"Could it be... that he has discovered the identity of the hall master?"

"There is no such thing as a wall that is impenetrable." Cao Qin said, "It is unknown whether he has discovered my identity, but he must have known that Jingfenghuayutu has come to Huodu, otherwise he would never have followed. And that Bai Shuang... When I saw her at the Jiangnan Lu Mansion, she was clearly standing behind Lu Tingxiang, so how could she be related to this Liu? And they even made a fuss about them being brother and sister. There must be something strange going on."

"Maybe Bai Shuang has been having an affair with Liu Xunyi without telling Lu Tingxiang." Lei Biao sneered, "This kind of woman is unruly and specializes in seducing lustful men. You can tell at first glance that she is not a good person..." Lei Biao suddenly realized that he had said something wrong before he finished speaking. If Bai Shuang specializes in seducing lustful men, then why did Cao Qin arrest her?
Seeing Cao Qin's unfriendly expression, Lei Biao quickly changed the topic and said, "Master, what are you going to do with this woman? Do you want to keep her for yourself or..."

"Once you say something, it's hard to take it back." Cao Qin snorted, "Yesterday I personally admitted in front of Su He that Bai Shuang came to celebrate his birthday. If I don't bring her with me to Tianshan, Su He will definitely not let it go. Although Su He is a man of unfathomable martial arts, he is a stubborn person and doesn't know how to adapt to circumstances. Last night he promised Liu Xunyi that he would take care of Bai Shuang, and sure enough, he has been secretly guarding Bai Shuang. Even the servants who deliver meals are not allowed to approach easily. It's really troublesome."

"Then what the hall master means is..."

"Humph! She's just a pretty woman, so I don't want her." Cao Qin said viciously, "But even if I can't get her, I will never let Liu get his way. I will present Bai Shuang to the Palace Master to help him practice the art of taking Yin to replenish Yang."

"The hall master is very smart!" Lei Biao echoed, "Bai Shuang is indeed very beautiful. If the hall master presents her to the palace master, the palace master will definitely reward you handsomely. Maybe the hall master will have the throne of the three flags, haha..."

The "three flags" that Lei Biao mentioned refer to the positions of the three flag masters in the "three flags and twelve halls" of the Tianshan Yulong Palace. The status of the three flag masters is second only to the palace master and higher than the twelve hall masters.

"No matter what, the most urgent thing is to rescue my son from the thieves." Cao Qin waved his hand and said, "I am determined to have a good talk with that woman. Send someone to Longxiang Inn..."

"Report!"

Suddenly, a hurried voice interrupted Cao Qin's words. Then a Jade Tiger Hall disciple walked into the hall quickly, holding an exquisitely carved red wooden box in both hands, and knelt down and said, "Master, someone just sent this box, saying it's a small gift for you."

"A small gift?" Cao Qin frowned, looked at Lei Biao suspiciously, and speculated, "Tomorrow is the Jade Dragon Festival. If you want to give a gift, you should send it to Tianshan. Who would give me a gift for no reason?"

Before Cao Qin finished speaking, Lei Biao had already stepped forward quickly, opened the wooden box, and asked casually, "Where is the person who gave the gift?"

"gone……"

"Oh!"

Without waiting for the disciple's voice to fall, Lei Biao, who had just opened the wooden box, suddenly closed it again. At this moment, his eyes were as cold as ice, his face was ashen, and even his lips were trembling slightly.

"What is that?" Cao Qin, who was confused, looked at Lei Biao's motionless back and asked in confusion.

"Who sent it?" Lei Biao did not answer Cao Qin's words, but asked the disciple who reported it in a heavy tone.

"A strange face..."

"What's going on?" Cao Qin seemed to realize that something was wrong and asked loudly, "What's in the box?"

Lei Biao had no choice but to take the wooden box with trembling hands. He turned around with a bitter look on his face and looked at Cao Qin awkwardly. His ugly expression, which seemed to be neither crying nor laughing, looked very strange. He didn't say a word for a long time, just standing in the hall holding the wooden box in a daze. "What's in the box?" Cao Qin raised his eyebrows, becoming more curious, "Let me see it."

“Master… this…” Lei Biao shook his body twice, but did not take a single step. He stammered with an embarrassed look on his face, “Actually… this…”

Gradually realizing that something was wrong, the curiosity on Cao Qin's face gradually disappeared. He rushed to Lei Biao in two steps, frightening Lei Biao so much that he staggered, lost his balance and nearly fell to the ground.

Cao Qin glanced at Lei Biao suspiciously, then held the lock of the wooden box with his hand and lifted it up slightly. In an instant, a strong smell of blood escaped. When Cao Qin quickly opened the wooden box completely, a severed hand that was still bleeding appeared in front of him.

This is a left hand with a jade ring on the little finger.

Cao Qin recognized the ring; it was the birthday gift he gave to his beloved son last year.

In other words, this severed hand was cut off from the body of Cao Qin's son. Cao Qin could guess who sent this "small gift" without asking.

"That bunch of bastards are going too far!" Lei Biao shouted angrily, "Master, I will take people to Longxiang Inn and bring back that man and woman. You can do whatever you want to them." After saying that, Lei Biao was about to turn around and leave, but Cao Qin suddenly grabbed him. When Lei Biao looked at Cao Qin with a pair of resentful eyes, he saw that Cao Qin was already in tears.

"Master, you are..."

"No need to go..." Cao Qin sighed weakly, "This is their punishment for me, punishing me for secretly finding Su He to follow them. This group of thieves is more ruthless than I thought. I thought they were just threatening me and didn't dare to do anything... but I didn't expect..." Cao Qin pointed at the severed hand in the wooden box, and he choked three times in a row while saying one sentence.

Lei Biao was so angry that he screamed, but he could do nothing.

"I can't go." Cao Qin shook his head with a depressed look, "If I go again, I'm afraid my son's life will be in danger... These people dare to do anything, and now I can't help but trust them..."

"Then let's capture that woman and force them to exchange one for another," Lei Biao suggested.

Cao Qin waved his hands and said, "It's useless. If they dare to do this, they have already made up their mind to fight back. This gamble concerns the only incense of my Cao family. I can't gamble, and I can't afford it... That woman has already seen through me..."

"Then..." Lei Biao hesitated, turned around and blasted the messenger out, then stepped forward and whispered to Cao Qin, "Why don't we give them the Wind and Rain Painting? Nothing is more important than getting the young master back now."

"If I hand it over to them, how can I explain to the Palace Master tomorrow?" Cao Qin was already at a loss, and he muttered to himself anxiously, "But if I don't hand it over, my son will surely die..."

"Then give them the map!" Lei Biao said straightforwardly, "At worst we can take it back."

"Give it to them?" Cao Qin looked at Lei Biao hesitantly, as if he had already wavered.

"Here!" Lei Biao encouraged, "Even if they get the map, they can't take it away. Master Ding San will never let them leave Huodu easily."

When Lei Biao said this, Cao Qin's eyes suddenly changed, and he asked anxiously: "What did you just say?"

"I said Ding San..."

Before Lei Biao could finish his words, Cao Qin suddenly interrupted him with a wave of his hand and whispered, "He is in Huodu? How did you know?"

Lei Biao explained with a bewildered look on his face: "I saw him at Long'an Inn the day before yesterday."

"Did he really come to Huodu?" Cao Qin's face became extremely solemn, and he repeatedly asked with a frown, "Did you see it clearly?"

Lei Biao nodded firmly and said, "It's absolutely true! When I saw him, he was sitting and drinking with that Liu Xunyi."

"hiss!"

Cao Qin took a deep breath, and after a long pause, he became determined, and turned to Lei Biao and instructed: "The Wind-Turning-Rain Map must not be handed over. Send someone to Tianshan immediately to report the situation to the Palace Master, and ask the Palace Master to arrange for experts to ambush in Yezilin at the beginning of the morning tomorrow. That is the only way to Yulong Palace. Tomorrow I will take the Wind-Turning-Rain Map to Yezilin to trade with the thieves face to face. After rescuing my son, I will kill the thieves on the spot!"

Lei Biao was shocked when he heard this, and asked hurriedly: "Master, you want to set a trap to lure them in? Isn't this too risky? If something goes wrong, the young master's life will be in danger. Didn't the master just say that you can't gamble on this game and you can't afford it? Why is it suddenly..."

"What do you know?" Cao Qin shouted coldly, "It's not a coincidence that Ding San appeared in Huodu. He didn't come for Liu Xunyi, but for me, or to be more precise, for the Jingfenghuayu Tu. If I make any unusual moves, I'm afraid I'll be dead before I can get the Tu back from the thieves."

Lei Biao was terrified when he heard this. He nodded repeatedly and said, "I will do it right away. On the one hand, I will send someone to Tianshan to report the matter to the Palace Master and ask him to arrange for experts to set up an ambush in Ye Zilin tomorrow. On the other hand, I will send someone to Longxiang Inn to inform the gang of thieves and tell them to redeem the young master in person at Ye Zilin at the beginning of the morning hour tomorrow."

After saying that, Lei Biao did not leave immediately, but waited for a moment thoughtfully. Seeing that Cao Qin was reluctant to speak, he could not help but remind him in a low voice: "Master, that woman is not a fool. If we tell her this, she will definitely guess that there is something fishy. What if she doesn't go to Ye Zilin tomorrow, then the young master will..."

"At this point, I have no choice!" Cao Qin's eyes flickered as he said quietly, "I just hope that this group of thieves will be like me, risking everything on one throw and having no way out..."

……

(End of this chapter)