Chapter 685: Master!

Tuan Tuan thought for a moment, opened the small Sachet, pulled out a small round disc, and swung it proudly: "Sure!"

The two stared, and realized it was the thing Tuan Tuan had picked up from the treasure cave in Luoying Gorge back when they were in Xibei, which had once been used against Taoist Priest Xuanxu.

"Seventh Uncle, help me follow it."

Lu Qi brought the flame fan close to the small round disc in Tuan Tuan's hand.

Tuan Tuan held the disc up before the black‑clad person's eyes and shook it forcefully.

The Glass beads inside the disc began to roll rapidly.

Red, yellow and blue beads interlaced, and the glass dome, illuminated by the flames, traced a dazzling path.

Tuan Tuan said softly: "You just fought, very tired, very tired."

"So tired my eyelids are heavy! Just want to go back to sleep."

"Now, speak properly, ask whatever, and after you're done you can sleep!"

The two black‑clad people stared at the endlessly rolling beads, their eyes growing hazy.

Xiao Er timed it and asked: "Are you guards of King Chen?"

The two shook their heads.

"Then whose people are you?"

The two shook their heads again.

Lu Qi asked: "Where did you learn your kungfu? So strange."

The two continued to shake their heads.

Xiao Er and Lu Qi exchanged a glance: "Mutes?"

Tuan Tuan, feeling drowsy and impatient, said: "Hey! Why are you out here late at night without sleeping?"

The two black‑clad people finally moved, speaking stiff Zhongyuan speech with a strange accent: "Looking for a secret passage."

Xiao Er was startled: "What secret passage?"

The two fell silent again.

"Miss," Lu Qi understood, "you should ask."

"Hmm," Tuan Tuan asked, "what secret passage are you looking for?"

"Here, underground."

Xiao Er whispered: "Miss, ask who sent them to look for the secret passage."

"Okay." Tuan Tuan asked again.

"One, a person wearing a mask."

A masked person? Tuan Tuan recalled the weird guy in Zichen Hall who was looking at the scroll!

"Who is he?"

"Don't know."

"By their accent they're not Central Plains people," Lu Qi, most interested in their kungfu, said, "Miss, ask how they came here."

"Oh." Tuan Tuan asked again.

"Lu Wu has destiny."

The three were startled; are these people from that Eastern Sea mage's group?

Tuan Tuan asked again: "Who are you?"

The two black‑clad people spoke simultaneously: "Number Twenty-Three."

"Number Seventy-Eight."

Tuan Tuan was stunned: "What's that name? Don't you have surnames?"

The two shook their heads.

Tuan Tuan tilted her head: "What is the first character of your father's name?"

"My Second Uncle and Seventh Uncle's names are similar to yours."

"See, by your logic, my Second Uncle is Number Two, Seventh Uncle is Number Seven, but their fathers don't share a surname…"

Xiao Er clamped a hand over Tuan Tuan's mouth: "……"

Miss, I'm not Number Two!

Lu Qi's flame fan nearly fell to the ground.

I'm not Number Seven either!

Tuan Tuan stared with big eyes at Xiao Er: "Second Uncle, not asking anymore?"

Xiao Er hurriedly nodded: "Not asking, not asking! Enough."

"Oh," Tuan Tuan put the small disc away, yawned, stretched a little arm toward Xiao Er, her voice a bit sticky, "Second Uncle, hug!"

Xiao Er lifted her up, gave Lu Qi a look: "We'll go first, Brother Lu, you handle the aftermath."

Lu Qi nodded.

Xiao Er, carrying Tuan Tuan, leapt onto the roof.

After a while, Lu Qi also jumped up.

The three rushed back to the secret chamber from the desiccated well of the Cold Palace before the Palace gates opened.

Seeing them, everyone suddenly stood up.

Xiao Ningyuan was frantic: "Where did they go…"

"Shh…" Lu Qi whispered.

Xiao Ran punched Xiao Ningyuan and pointed at Tuan Tuan on Xiao Er's back.

Xiao Ningyuan hurriedly covered his mouth.

Xiao Er hurried inside and gently placed the already sound‑asleep Tuan Tuan onto the bed.

Xiao Feifei immediately scurried up, gently grabbed the cloth rabbit, and lay down right next to Tuan Tuan.

Eunuch Cheng took off Tuan Tuan's small shoes and spread the quilt over the person and the fox.

The adults walked out quietly and sat down.

Xiao Ningyuan then asked, "Why did it take so long? Did something happen at the Jinghai Marquis's manor?"

Xiao Er shook his head and recounted everything that had happened tonight.

Xiao Ningyuan widened his eyes: "Did that Masked Man know there is a secret passage beneath Jingcheng?"

"It seems so," Lu Qi nodded, "Fortunately the miss wanted to go out tonight, so she happened to encounter him."

"May the Sanqing Immortal protect!" Eunuch Cheng couldn't help but chant, "If this had remained unknown, it would have caused a disaster."

Feng Zhou, frantic, asked, "What should we do? Isn't Second Young Master and the others in danger?"

Xiao Ran asked, "What about those two people?"

"Killed them," Lu Qi snorted, "The corpses were thrown into the well."

Xiao Er frowned tightly, "Eldest Young Master, those two came with that Japanese mage Lu Wu."

"So the black‑clad men we met before were also Japanese."

"What connection do they have with Japan? They managed to summon so many Japanese experts!"

Lu Qi nodded, "They are indeed experts; tonight, for these two, Xiao brother and I can each handle at most one."

He paused, "We might not even win; at best we can draw."

Xiao Ran was stunned, "Better than your skill? Then are they even human?"

"Number Twenty‑Three, Number Seventy‑Eight…" Chen Hao muttered, "Sounds like those trained death soldiers."

"No name, only a number."

Xiao Er nodded, "I thought the same."

Xiao Ningyuan said, "The top priority is to quickly inform Second Younger Brother of this news."

"These Japanese have such excellent martial arts; if they find the secret passage, Second Younger Brother will suffer a huge loss."

"Father's siege plan will also fall through."

"From their numbers, there must be more than just these two; we must determine exactly how many they are."

"Everyone's tired, let's sleep," he paused, "Tomorrow night, we'll go to Lu Wu's place again."

"Alright."

That night, Xiao Er carried Tuan Tuan on his back, Lu Qi lifted Xiao Ningyuan, and they went again to Lu Wu's residence.

The group arrived at Mo Zhanggeng's small house; Lu Qi gently lifted a tile, and the four looked down, their faces all changing.

They saw Mo Zhanggeng lying quietly on the bed, motionless, eyes tightly closed, his face pale.

Tuan Tuan shouted, "Master!"