When he reached the main road, he was worried that he would lose Hu Wei's trail. Suddenly he saw a trail of blood that had not dried yet. Apparently the blood had just dripped down and formed a special mark. Li Yijie followed the trail and chased after him. He shuttled back and forth between the pedestrians. As soon as he turned the corner, his foot slipped and he staggered. The road was splashed with grease. Hastily he turned around and concentrated his chi to stabilize his center of gravity. He lifted the tip of his right foot and spun like a top to disperse the force.
At the critical moment, a shadow appeared above his head. A large gunnysack was falling straight down on him. It looked very heavy. If he was hit, he would suffer serious internal injury. Li Yijie had no choice but to draw his sword and swing it horizontally, chopping the sack into two halves. He heard a series of 'crashing' noises as grains of rice fell from the sack. It turned out to be a sack full of rice.
Li Yijie's body was already leaning to one side. His left foot stepped on a grain of rice, making the ground even rougher. But this was a blessing in disguise. He took a deep breath and leaped into the air. His qinggong was not his forte, but his internal energy was abundant. Naturally he had an advantage over other people. Chasing in the air, he did not have to worry about the traps on the ground. Soon he saw Hu Wei's shadow. Hu Wei heard the sound of wind behind him. Without turning his head, he threw out a yellow paper bag. Li Yijie brandished his sword to block. Suddenly he remembered that he had to be careful of poisonous smoke. Midway he turned his sword and used the blade of his sword to deflect the paper bag. The paper bag landed on a dirt wall in front of him. 'Bang!' It exploded. In a flash the wall was smashed into pieces and scattered in the air.
Hu Wei's move was to harm himself. His escape route was blocked. If this small gunpowder exploded on his body, the consequences would be unimaginable. Li Yijie's heart was filled with anger. As soon as he landed on the ground, he grabbed Hu Wei's collar with one hand, raised his sword to his neck and shouted, "Dog thief, where are you going?" The sword cut into Hu Wei's neck, deep enough to draw blood.
Hu Wei was in pain. He quickly begged for mercy, "Hero Li … Hero Li, please spare my life! Xiao Ren was just following orders … "Li Yijie said," Following orders? Who ordered you to bully the common people along the way? " Hu Wei said, "By Consort Yun's order, this lowly one won't dare to do it again. From now on, this lowly one will turn over a new leaf and turn over a new leaf …" Hearing Shen Shiyun's name, Li Yijie's heart ached. He shouted, "Shut up! Quickly hand over the blueprint!"
"Yes," Hu Wei said, "Li Da Xia, if you order me to go east, Xiaoren does not dare to go west. If you order me to kill a chicken, Xiaoren does not dare to kill a duck. If you order me to hand over the map, Xiaoren will immediately hand it over. But this lowly one is only a servant. I am not valued at all in front of the high officials and nobles. Killing me will only dirty your sword. It doesn't matter if I die in your hands or not … "
"No!" Li Yijie said. You're a parasite of the country, you can't be allowed to live! Listening to your flowery words and flowery speech, presumably you are the most skilled in sophistry. When the time comes, you will be able to gain benefits from both sides of the bureaucracy. Won't people with weak minds be easily bewitched by you and do evil deeds that will go down in infamy for ten thousand years? If you hand over the blueprint, at most I will give you a quick death, so that after you reincarnate, you can do good deeds and accumulate merit to repay the evil of this life. "
Hu Wei called out 'Hero Li', 'Grandpa Li', 'Ancestor Li' several times, but Li Yijie's attitude was still resolute, he was unmoved. Hu Wei was not willing to die like this. Thinking back to the Heroes Assembly, when he saw Shen Shiyun's soulless and infatuated appearance, he made one last attempt. He winked and said, "Don't tell me Hero Li doesn't want to meet Consort Yun's Niangniang? Xiao Ren can introduce her to you. Otherwise, it's easy for you to kill me today, but it will be extremely difficult for you to meet Niangniang in the heavily guarded Imperial Palace. Taking a step back, even if you destroy the Great Qing with your own hands in the future, she will become the beloved concubine of the fallen emperor. What will happen to her? When the time comes, she will be oppressed by both sides, I am afraid the two of you won't even be able to see each other. How can you expect to have a future? " As soon as he finished speaking, he felt the pressure on his neck suddenly lessened, the sword tip slightly deviated. He was secretly proud of himself, and then he added fuel to the fire by saying, "Niangniang has always been worried about you. She often told us, your servants, how handsome and divine Hero Li is, how your martial art skill is superior, how you have the courage to fight ten thousand men. You are chivalrous, righteous and courageous, you are always eager to save her from danger. She is also often separated from you to the north and south, unable to meet you … "
Actually, every time Shen Shiyun gathered people for a discussion, she would always ask about Jiang Liechen's recent movements. She was also plotting how to fight with him, how to put him on his knees and beg for forgiveness. Then she would use all kinds of cruel methods to torture him, so that he would suffer ten times, a hundred times, the pain that his family suffered. Her entire mind was focused on revenge and wiping out a grudge. In her eyes, their former friendship was worthless. She did not mention a single word about Li Yijie. However, Hu Wei was very observant, he was very clear about what he should say and what he should not say in front of other people. With just a few words of provocation, he really coaxed Li Yijie into bursting with joy. During the Heroes Assembly, he decided to pursue the officers and soldiers on the spot. His purpose was precisely this. Now the opportunity was right in front of him. As long as he nodded his head, he could realize his long-cherished wish. How could he easily let it go? Slowly he returned the sword to its scabbard and said, "All right, after all … you can't be considered guilty of unpardonable evil. I will spare your life. If in the future you continue to be unjust, there will be people who will deal with you. "
Hu Wei's heart was singing a song of victory, thinking that Li Yijie was no more than a mercenary. As long as he could control his weakness, he would not have to worry that he would not be able to control him. However, on the surface he pretended to be moved to tears. "Thank you very much, Li Daxia," he said, "You are Xiaoren's second parent!" Li Yijie knitted his brows and said, "Put away your rhetoric toward the government. Why bother belittling other people? You and I belong to the same tribe, we ought to live together as equals. "" Yes, "Hu Wei happily said," Xiaoren. In that case, Xiaoren … I have a 'personal request' here, I presume Li Ye will not refuse? "
Li Yijie was surprised. "Personal request?" he asked. "Exactly," Hu Wei replied, "That's a request that is within reason. You know that I have not completed the mission Consort Yun Niangniang assigned to me, she will certainly be unhappy. How can I dare to talk about personal matters at this time? Even if she sees you, she will certainly keep a straight face. If a woman gets angry too much, it will be easy for her to grow old, it will not be good for her skin … If Xiaoren can present the drawing to her, it will be considered a small merit. If she is happy, when I report to her, it will be like a double blessing; won't that be good? "
Li Yijie's heart shivered. "That won't do!" He said, "The Tear of Severing Soul is a rare treasure. If I lose my mind because of personal gain, and my plan is short-sighted, how can I face the brothers who have bathed in blood and fought alongside me until now? I can spare your life, but this matter is absolutely out of the question! "
"Li Ye," Hu Wei said, "You only need to deduce that the Tear of Severing Soul is a gift from a Manchurian prince to his nephew's full moon birthday; it is not something from the Central Earth, it has nothing to do with recovering the lost territory. Besides, you should not look at the immediate benefit. Let's say this drawing is a paving stone to please people. Let's say you are sent to the Palace first. When the time comes, you and Niangniang will not be outsiders, you will personally ask her, how can she refuse? In this way, Xiaoren will not have to bear any responsibility; it will be the best of both worlds! "
With great difficulty Li Yijie was able to straighten his attitude, but when he heard that he and Shen Shiyun were 'not outsiders', he could not help but feel very happy. Trying hard not to laugh, he said, "How are we going to the Imperial Palace?" Hu Wei's countenance changed. "Li Ye, please follow me," he said.
Although Li Yijie had never been to the Imperial Palace, he felt that Hu Wei was taking him to some remote and small paths. They entered an unattended courtyard, which looked like an abandoned farmhouse. There was only a crooked old locust tree. The ground was covered with broken branches and withered leaves. A dry well stood alone in the middle of the courtyard. Hu Wei walked to the side of the well and shook the handrail forcefully. From the well, a dilapidated wooden barrel was hoisted up. The straw rope tied to the barrel was worn out in many places and had a rough edge. It looked like it would break with a little force.
Li Yijie looked all around, but all along he did not understand. "Aren't we going to the Palace?" he asked. "That's right," Hu Wei said, "Li Ye is with me. If your subordinates see us, I am afraid it will damage your prestige. Xiaoren knows a secret passage leading to the Imperial Palace, it can be concealed from other people's eyes. "
With a cold laugh Li Yijie said, "You are very considerate." Hu Wei laughed embarrassedly and said, "Working for Consort Yun Niangniang, I must do my best. Li Ye, please get into the wooden barrel first, let Xiaoren put you down at the bottom of the well. " Li Yijie looked into the well, the water in the well had already dried up. It was dark and bottomless, revealing some kind of unknown gloominess. "What kind of trick are you playing?" he asked with a frown.
"I am innocent!" Hu Wei called out, "Li Ye, could it be that before I finished my apprenticeship at the Heroes Assembly, I already knew that I would fall into your hands? How can Consort Yun Niangniang's subordinates do something like that? " Li Yijie's heart skipped a beat. With a straight face he said, "If you want to boast, just say it, but don't involve Yun 'er." "Roger that!" Hu Wei said, "If Li Ye is not afraid that I will run away, let Xiaoren be the first one to get into the barrel, I will take the lead. That will work."
Li Yijie did not pay any attention to Hu Wei's words; he thought, "They say a crafty rabbit has three burrows. If the well is connected in all directions, he could take advantage of this loophole and slip away. If the blueprint is still in his possession, the gain will not make up for the loss. Things have come to this point, I must not make the slightest mistake. " Having made up his mind, he put his hands under Hu Wei's armpits and jumped down to the bottom of the well. While he was still in midair, he was ready to defend himself against any secret projectiles coming from the wall. Because the environment was narrow, it was inconvenient for him to draw his sword. Thereupon he flipped Hu Wei's body around to cover his vital parts.
Hu Wei's internal energy was relatively weak, his eyes were tightly closed, hence he did not know Li Yijie's movements. Li Yijie did not have a good time either; he had no place to exert his strength, plus he had to bear Hu Wei's weight. His body was empty for a very long time. Fortunately, the journey was safe and sound.
His feet touched the ground at the bottom of the well, but all around was still pitch black; he could not even see his own five fingers. When his eyes were slightly adapted to the darkness, he could only see a small path in front of him turning to the left. His eyesight was very limited. Li Yijie twisted Hu Wei's arm behind his back and ordered, "Let's go!" Hu Wei reluctantly took several steps forward, his mouth muttering, "You just said we are equal, and now you are forcing me to walk. You were talking, not farting." Li Yijie angrily said, "Who is forcing you to walk? Do you want me to lead the way for you to walk the secret path you are familiar with? "
With a cold laugh Hu Wei said, "The Great Hero wants me to walk in front, he wants me to be your shield." Li Yijie faintly had this intention in his heart, but implicating a weaker martial artist and causing him to lose his life was not something a hero should do. He argued, "You are familiar with this path, if you did not arrange a trap early on, where would the arrow come from? You don't need to be afraid of 'sneak attack'. If there is a trap, and you don't want to die in vain, you'd better tell me in advance. "Hu Wei mumbled several times, but it was difficult for him to refute.
The path at the bottom of the well was winding and tortuous; every few steps there would be a turn, and then there would be a fork in the road, at least two, at most several. Hu Wei did not hesitate, as if there was only one path in front of him. Li Yijie wanted to remind him to be considerate, but he thought that Hu Wei would not put himself in a difficult situation, so he felt at ease and followed him. At first he tried to remember, but gradually he realized that it was futile. New paths appeared one after another, and as soon as he remembered this one, the previous path became blurred. If he wanted to go back the way he came, he would have to overturn everything. As soon as he thought of this, his heart was flustered and he lost his confidence.
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