Chapter 238: Trapped in a Predicament

He Yuzhu peered through the reeds and discovered a large compound; he ran toward it in excitement.

Suddenly, a person ran out of the courtyard at high speed.

He Yuzhu hid behind the reeds, and seeing the person approach, he flicked his wrist, and a cold light broke through the air.

The Flying Knife precisely pierced the other person's thigh; the man let out a miserable shriek and stumbled to the ground.

He Yuzhu pounced forward like a leopard, clamped his hand onto the man's throat, and asked in a low voice: "Is Chen Xueru in this courtyard?"

Seeing the man grit his teeth and refuse to speak, He Yuzhu covered his mouth without hesitation and used a dagger to stab two holes into his thigh, blood gushing out.

The excruciating pain made the man twitch all over, and he nodded desperately.

"Is Chen Xueru in the courtyard?" He Yuzhu asked again.

"In, in..." the man said before fainting away.

He Yuzhu did not linger, took the man into his space, and strode toward the large compound.

He brushed past a dense cluster of reeds and happened to see Siqiang Chen Qingshan vaulting over the courtyard wall.

Immediately after, fierce barking erupted from inside.

"Not good! Judging by the sound, there must be several dogs inside; Siqiang can't possibly handle them alone."

He Yuzhu put strength into his feet and leaped directly over the high wall.

Inside the courtyard, four North China Greyhounds and three Inner Mongolia Tibetan Mastiffs were surrounding Chen Qingshan.

They bared their fangs, saliva dripping from the corners of their mouths, their eyes gleaming with bloodthirsty ferocity.

A sturdy Tibetan Mastiff took the lead, kicking off with its hind legs, its massive body lunging through the air at Chen Qingshan.

Chen Qingshan dodged to the side and struck it with a heavy punch, sending it flying seven or eight meters away.

Two greyhounds seized the opportunity to pounce from the side, while the other five dogs tacitly circled behind Chen Qingshan to attack.

Chen Qingshan swung his fist to beat back the greyhound attacking from the front, but his back was left completely exposed to the sharp teeth of the three Tibetan Mastiffs.

Just as a Tibetan Mastiff opened its bloody maw to bite at his neck—

At the critical moment, He Yuzhu, who had not yet stood steady, threw three Flying Knives.

A cold light flashed; two Tibetan Mastiffs were struck in the throat by the knives and collapsed to the ground after a final whimper.

Another greyhound was struck in the rump by a Flying Knife and fled with its tail tucked, howling.

Chen Qingshan beat back the two greyhounds, wiped the sweat from his head, and said with lingering fear: "Dealing with these beasts is actually more dangerous than dealing with three men!"

"Siqiang, which house is Xueru in?" He Yuzhu asked urgently.

"It should be the main room! I only rushed in after hearing her screams." Before Chen Qingshan finished speaking, three men holding guns rushed in from outside the courtyard.

He Yuzhu flipped his wrists, and two Box Cannons appeared in his hands.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The three gunshots almost merged into one, and the three gunmen fell to the ground in response.

Just as He Yuzhu was about to rush into the main room, seven more people holding Box Cannons rushed out from the Houyuan.

They fired their guns as they charged.

Chen Qingshan quickly hid behind a tree to return fire, while He Yuzhu rolled and took cover at a corner of the wall.

The master and apprentice coordinated tacitly, their barrage of bullets weaving into a net.

Within moments, those seven men were hit one after another and fell to the ground, unable to rise.

"He Yuzhu!" A roar suddenly came from the main room, "If you dare to fire again, I will kill Chen Xueru immediately!"

He Yuzhu recognized this voice as that of Lian Wu, and he shouted: "Lian Wu, if you want Xiao Erduo to die without a whole corpse, then go ahead and do it."

"Bullshit! Bureau Chief Feng already said my brother is dead!" Lian Wu shouted.

"Don't think I don't know what scheme you're playing. You're dying for Xiao Erduo to be dead so you can take his position. But I'm telling you, your brother is right outside the wall; you release Chen Xueru, and we'll make an exchange, otherwise none of you will live today!"

"Fifth Brother, do you really have that thought?" Ma Shuan asked.

"Shuanzi, I know you have a good relationship with Big Brother, don't listen to his sowing of discord!"

"Fifth Brother, let's listen to him and make the exchange!" Ma Shuan said.

"Fine, He Yuzhu, we'll keep our word," Lian Wu said.

"Brother, come out; hiding in the room doesn't look like a man," He Yuzhu mocked.

Inside the room, the two men discussed for a long time.

With a sound, the wooden door was pushed open.

Ma Shuan walked out slowly, holding a gun to Chen Xueru's temple.

Lian Wu followed behind, searching for He Yuzhu with his gun muzzle.

He Yuzhu walked out slowly and said calmly: "Lian Wu, you release Chen Xueru, and I will hand Xiao Erduo over to you. From now on, we will mind our own business."

He Yuzhu tried his best to stabilize their emotions, looking for an opportunity to save her.

Lian Wu grinned and sneered: "If my brother is really outside the courtyard, have him shout twice!"

He Yuzhu suddenly turned his head to the left and shouted loudly: "Senior Sister, hurry up and bring Xiao Erduo in!"

Lian Wu's mind was shaken, and he subconsciously turned his head to follow He Yuzhu's gaze.

In that split second, He Yuzhu pulled the triggers with both hands simultaneously.

Bang! Bang!

The two gunshots almost overlapped into one.

Blood holes bloomed simultaneously in the centers of Ma Shuan's and Lian Wu's foreheads; the two men widened their eyes, wearing expressions of disbelief, and fell straight backward.

Chen Xueru trembled, startled by the gunshot so close at hand; seeing Ma Shuan, who had been holding her hostage, fall to the ground, her legs went weak, and she slumped to the ground, sobbing softly.

"It's alright, Xueru, get up." He Yuzhu stepped forward quickly and gently helped her up.

Only then did Chen Xueru come to her senses; she threw herself into He Yuzhu's arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, as if only this could make her feel safe.

Chen Qingshan nervously searched everywhere with his gun, fearing that someone might still be hiding somewhere. After searching both the front and back yards, he walked over and said: "Zhuzi, this courtyard is a bit strange. With so many dogs and chickens, why is there no caretaker?"

"Siqiang, you don't need to worry about this; just take Xueru and leave first! Leave this to me."

"Be careful, those dogs are extremely vicious!" Chen Qingshan said with lingering fear.

"Rest assured, Siqiang, I have a way to deal with them."

Chen Xueru lifted her head from He Yuzhu's embrace: "Zhuzi, I want to be with you."

He Yuzhu gently let her go and persuaded her in a soft voice: "Your parents are waiting anxiously at home. Go back quickly; later, I'll take care of the big roosters raised here and bring them to your house for roasted rooster."

"I'll wait for you!" Chen Xueru finally broke into a smile through her tears, and followed Chen Qingshan toward the outside of the courtyard, looking back every few steps.

Once their figures disappeared, He Yuzhu immediately collected all the corpses in the courtyard into his space.

He carefully searched every corner to ensure no future trouble was left behind.

When he approached the shed where the dogs were kept, he couldn't help but gasp—inside were locked over a hundred vicious dogs, each one baring its fangs and showing its ferocious nature.

Who on earth is raising these dogs? He Yuzhu pondered to himself.

Suddenly, a thin, frail old man darted out from a pile of hay, his withered hand pressing against the fence of the dog pen, and he said viciously: "Little beast, it was you who killed my nephews. Although I don't have the ability to kill you, these dogs will tear you into pieces!"

He opened the fence and blew three whistles toward the dog pen; the hundred-plus vicious dogs immediately acted as if they had gone mad, scrambling to rush out of the pen, baring their fangs as they lunged at He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu finally understood the old man's cunning—during the fierce battle just now, he had remained hidden the whole time, and now he was actually using these vicious dogs to take his life.

To force these dogs into a circle, He Yuzhu quickly took a long staff from his space and swung it with a whistling wind.

The pack of dogs was forced back three meters, but they still bared their teeth and growled, ready to strike.

Seeing this, the thin old man blew three more whistles.

This time, the pack of dogs seemed to have been injected with magic; they roared, saliva flying everywhere, eager to swallow He Yuzhu alive on the spot.