Chapter 95: Only one can be saved—who lives, who dies?

Duan Rongshi's eyes sank, and he followed her into the room.

"Search!"

Po Feng, Zhui Yu, and the subsequently arriving Sha Lei and Leng Dian immediately began to search.

"Everyone, look for the mechanism——"

On the roof, outside the courtyard, almost all the soldiers and officials were searching every room.

Soon, someone discovered the entrance to the mechanism!

As soon as it is touched, the corner of each room's wall will automatically split open a large gap.

Below the gap is a pitch-black tunnel.

Duan Rongshi walked over and stared down: "Enter——"

Po Feng and the others leapt down first to take the lead, and Duan Rongshi closely followed.

Li Qingluo walked to the entrance, without a moment's hesitation, turned and prepared to climb down herself.

Seeing her movement from below, Duan Rongshi called out: "Jump down!"

Hearing this, Li Qingluo almost without hesitation released her hands and feet and leapt downward.

Duan Rongshi swiftly reached out, caught her in his arms, and Li Qingluo landed steadily.

She lifted her head, gauged the height, and realized that if she had tried to climb down on her own, she could not have made it.

She turned and thanked Prince Su again: "Thank you, Your Highness, for lending a hand!"

Duan Rongshi stared at her, thinking: She is indeed no ordinary young lady; when faced with danger she is always calm and composed, and her boldness can even be called recklessness!

"There will be a time for you to repay me."

He tossed off those words lightly and then walked into the darkness.

Li Qinglo looked at the few black shadows ahead, took a deep breath, and steeled herself to follow.

Po Feng took the lead, having already struck a tinderbox; the faint light it produced weakly illuminated the tunnel.

Soon, everyone gathered at a fork, and directly ahead of the fork was a main passage now completely blocked by a collapsed boulder.

Po Feng: "They got away again! In that charity estate, there is also a tunnel leading out, and just like here, it has been sealed and destroyed."

Zhui Yu: "These Lotus Sect people are like rats, digging holes everywhere and burying them everywhere—really hard to catch!"

Duan Rongshi stepped forward, eyes icy as he stared at the boulders blocking the way: "If one can enter, there must naturally be an exit. Unlike the charity estate, fleeing outside the city leads to the Qinhuai River; here the exit must surely still be on this mountain!"

"Search——"

Everyone and their mounts set out again.

After everyone dispersed, Li Qingluo hurried forward and stopped Prince Su: "Your Highness, please wait! This commoner has something to say."

She lifted her gaze to him; though her heart trembled slightly, she steadied herself and said: "This commoner dares to ask, please allow this commoner to leave, Your Highness."

Duan Rongshi lowered his gaze to her: "I will personally send you back to Jinling."

Li Qingluo bowed her head: "No. What I mean is, I wish to return to the Lotus Sect!"

Even the ever-composed Prince Su, who is usually unflappable, now showed an expression of disbelief.

"Do you know what you are saying?"

Li Qingluo: "I know. Since the day I was kidnapped, I have harbored a plan that was about to be carried out; that is why I wish to return to the Lotus Sect."

"Moreover, my maid Que'er and my personal granny are still in the Lotus Sect; I cannot abandon them and leave."

"Your Highness, I know I am being reckless, but a crafty rabbit has three burrows—how much more so the Lotus Sect? They will surely not be easily eradicated, so please grant me a chance."

"Furthermore, I have something I wish to show Your Highness first."

Saying this, she held out the dagger she had just picked up from above.

Duan Rongshi took it, examined it carefully, and discovered its subtlety.

Duan Rongshi was not particularly angry.

Rather, he was curious why she had shown him this object.

"Raise your head and speak."

Li Qingluo swallowed, then slowly lifted her head.

Yet she dared not meet his gaze directly.

She looked ahead and spoke calmly: "This dagger is based on a design I myself drew earlier; later it was bought by an obscure iron workshop in the West Market."

"I myself also have a dagger like this, but mine was clearly taken by the Lotus Sect cultivators; yet I just now picked up another one from the ground."

"Furthermore, they previously treated me with extra kindness because of this dagger."

"So I suspect that the iron workshop in the West Market might be a Lotus Sect outpost."

Duan Rongshi: "That iron workshop—can you give its exact location?"

Li Qingluo nodded, offering her sincerity: "Yes. I have been there twice myself, so I remember it naturally."

Duan Rongshi, however, thought: "Been there twice? Zhui Yu investigated her, yet found no trace of this."

Duan Rongshi: "So you actually can draw weapon schematics."

He examined the object in his hand more closely, and his interest in her grew involuntarily.

Li Qingluo herself was unaware of Duan Rongshi's thoughts.

After a moment's thought, she added: "Furthermore, a certain incense master of the Lotus Sect seems to know me, but I do not know who he is."

"Perhaps, by returning this time, I can clarify this matter."

Duan Rongshi raised his finger and made a soft 'shhh' in the dim passage.

Upon hearing his warning, Li Qingluo's heart tightened instantly, and she broke out in a sweat.

How could she have blurted this out as well?

The person before her is clearly a Yama judge—does she not fear death at all!?

If he judges her to be colluding with the Lotus Sect……

Then she would be completely finished!

Li Qingluo immediately dropped to her knees: "Your Highness Prince Su, everything I have said is true, not a single false word. I, a commoner, will never collude with the Lotus Sect."

Duan Rongshi stared at her for a long time without replying.

As he turned to leave, he left only one sentence: "Do as you see fit."

Li Qingluo was thrown into the forest.

She vanished without looking back; Zhui Yu anxiously asked, "Prince, are you really not going to care about Miss Li the Second?"

Duan Rongshi: "Manage? This young lady is extremely opinionated; she's not easy to control!"

But if she returns, she would indeed have greater use value.

Duan Rongshi stared at the direction Li Qingluo had vanished, then coldly ordered: "Po Feng, Sha Lei, you two take all the troops back to the city. Zhui Yu, Leng Dian, you two stay with me."

Li Qingluo ran for about an hour before reaching the foot of a towering tree at the cliff's edge.

She had just sat down and caught her breath when a dense footsteps sounded from behind.

She jumped in fright, sprang up, drew her dagger at the group appearing before her, and demanded, "Who are you?"

Those people looked at her, stepping closer: "I didn't expect there to be a runaway fish that would walk right into the net! Acting so secretly, you must be a spy sent back by the court, right?"

Li Qingluo flushed with anger: "Nonsense! You've captured my maid and granny; I'm here to rescue them! Also, bring out Chen He so I can see him. I know it's him!"

Two days later.

At the same cliff edge, Li Qingluo and Li Qingzhu were both hung from that large tree.

Beneath them was a sheer cliff of ten thousand feet shrouded in mist.

Before them stood over a dozen masked Lotus Sect followers, as well as Qu Shi, who had come alone for her two daughters.

"Mother——"

The instant Li Qingzhu saw Qu Shi, all her grievances exploded.

She cried out to Qu Shi, and Qu Shi, seeing that she was truly still alive, responded again and again, unable to hold back from stepping forward: "Zhu'er, my child——"

"Stop! Take another half step forward and they'll both be dead!"

The Lotus Sect followers drew their bows, aiming at the ropes in Li Qingzhu and Li Qingluo's hands.

Qu Shi's face turned deathly pale in an instant, and she finally glanced at Li Qingluo.

"Zhu'er, Luo'er, don't be afraid—Mother has come to save you!"

The Lotus Sect followers gave a cold smile: "General's wife, the gold you brought is not enough. So today you can only choose to save one daughter; the other must die. Tell me, who do you want dead, and who do you want alive?"