Chapter 642

At that time, the Young Master might just let us out.

Lü Liu transmitted another message.

Bai Yang thought what he said made sense, and immediately spoke up,

"Young Mistress, after all these days, Xiao Shiyilang hasn't made any progress—he's only been doting on you, hey!

Now he suddenly says he's found a way out in the middle of the night—could he be fooling you?"

"Exactly! Xiao Shiyilang is a notorious thief by origin, most skilled at deceiving others; Young Mistress, you'd better stay alert."

Lü Liu chimed in as well.

Xiao Shiyilang felt puzzled—why had these two old men suddenly started slandering him?

Shen Bijun, however, was wise and perceptive, and instantly grasped the reason.

Bai Yang and Lü Liu were people of Liancheng Shanzhuang, most loyal to Lian Chengbi.

This was why, after learning Lian Chengbi's secret, they were not killed or stripped of their Wu Gong—only imprisoned in the Puppet Shanzhuang.

Now that Xiao Shiyilang publicly claimed to have found a way out, these two old men likely intended to continue serving Lian Chengbi faithfully, openly and covertly obstructing him.

At once, Shen Bijun spoke,

"Xiao Lang, are you lying to me?"

"No! Bijun, you must believe me—how could I ever lie to you?"

Xiao Shiyilang felt deeply wronged and immediately protested.

"If you're not lying, why not say it in daylight? Why wait until night?"

Shen Bijun deliberately provoked him, hoping to make Xiao Shiyilang leave temporarily so they could plan further.

But Xiao Shiyilang failed to grasp her intent and prepared to explain further.

"Hmph! Bijun won't stay with someone who lies. Goodbye!"

With that, Shen Bijun slammed the door shut.

Xiao Shiyilang didn't understand why Shen Bijun, who had shared life and death with him multiple times, had suddenly turned cold.

Seeing her shut the door and ignore him, Xiao Shiyilang immediately rushed to the room to explain.

Bai Yang and Lü Liu gave him no chance—they stood like door gods, blocking the entrance.

He called out desperately, but Shen Bijun made not a sound.

Helpless, Xiao Shiyilang could only leave for now.

He pondered repeatedly in his mind: why had Shen Bijun suddenly turned against him?

Yet after much thought, he still couldn't figure it out.

He went to the dining hall, found a jar of wine, smashed the seal, and drank it down in one go.

Bai Yang and Lü Liu secretly watched as Xiao Shiyilang drowned his sorrows in wine, while Shen Bijun lay in bed, furious and asleep.

The two old men confirmed for a long while, convinced the matter was settled—they had misinterpreted each other.

They then felt at ease and went to sleep.

By midnight, Xiao Shiyilang had drunk three jars of wine and lay passed out drunk in the dining hall.

Only then did Shen Bijun tiptoe quietly into the dining hall.

Seeing Xiao Shiyilang so heartbroken, she felt both pleased and pained.

Pleased, because Xiao Shiyilang cared for her so deeply; pained, because he didn't care for his own body.

She took a packet of sobering medicine from her bosom and poured it into Xiao Shiyilang's mouth.

After a while, Xiao Shiyilang vomited up most of the alcohol and grew dazed.

He caught sight of Shen Bijun standing beside him and immediately said,

"Bijun, Bijun, you..."

Seeing him like this, she feared he'd cry out loud and immediately covered his mouth.

"Xiao Lang, be quiet—if you wake those two old men, we'll never get out."

Half-drunk and half-awake, Xiao Shiyilang heard Shen Bijun's words and instantly understood.

Shen Bijun had realized the two old men were suspicious and had pretended to be angry to put them at ease.

He had foolishly considered himself superior, yet failed to grasp Bijun's meaning.

At once he became fully alert, nodded, and gently pulled her hand away from his mouth, whispering,

"Bijun, it's my fault..."

"Enough. Quickly take me out of here—I don't want to stay another moment."

The Puppet Shanzhuang was a cage; how could Shen Bijun bear to stay longer?

"Alright. Follow me."

In truth, Xiao Shiyilang had chosen to get drunk in the dining hall first because the wine was there.

Second, he had surveyed the place and, using Qi Men Dun Jia, determined the exit lay behind this very dining hall.

Thus, he planned to get drunk—if Shen Bijun still misunderstood him, he would leave through this exit first, then find another way out.

Now that he knew it was all a misunderstanding and Shen Bijun was beside him,

He rose at once, walked to a wall at the back of the dining hall, lifted a painting off the wall, and said,

"Behind this wall is the exit, Bijun—I'll take you out."

Saying this, he prepared to pull Shen Bijun through.

Shen Bijun, seeing him about to crash into the wall, found it strange; she was about to follow him when suddenly she remembered,

"The Cutting Deer Blade!"

"Wait, Xiao Lang—the Cutting Deer Blade!"

The Cutting Deer Blade was originally kept by the Shen family, a treasured heirloom of their lineage.

Xiao Shiyilang is also of the clan sworn to protect the blade, so to both of them, the Cutting Deer Blade is of great importance.

Hearing Shen Bijun's words, Xiao Shiyilang suddenly remembered the Cutting Deer Blade.

"Wait here for a moment—I'll go get the Cutting Deer Blade."

Saying this, he slipped out of the dining hall without a sound.

For a great thief, Wu Gong is secondary; the most crucial skill is Qing Gong.

Xiao Shiyilang's Qing Gong was unparalleled—he ran from the dining hall to the front courtyard without making a single sound.

After taking the Cutting Deer Blade, he returned the same way.

Seeing Shen Bijun still waiting for him, he exhaled in relief, grabbed her hand, and slammed into the wall.

Strange as it seemed, the wall felt and looked solid.

Yet when the two of them crashed into it, they felt as if they had plunged into water.

The next instant, they found themselves in a dark cavern.

"Where is this?"

Looking around at the spacious but dimly lit space, Shen Bijun whispered softly, "Where are we?"

"This seems to be the Xiao Yao Cave…"

Xiao Shiyilang examined it closely, his heart leaping in shock.

The Xiao Yao Cave was a heretical Men Sect within the Song Empire, extremely secretive, its disciples notoriously cruel.

And the master of the Xiao Yao Cave was none other than the famed Xiao Yao Marquis.

His cultivation had reached the Earthly Immortal Realm, and he had long been an enemy of the Wu Gou Shanzhuang.

Rumor had it that the old lord of Wu Gou Shanzhuang—the father of Lian Chengbi—was killed by this man.

Indeed, the Xiao Yao Cave and the Xiao Yao Marquis were infamous throughout southern Song.

"How did we end up here?"

Shen Bijun was utterly baffled—why had Lian Chengbi imprisoned her and Xiao Shiyilang in the lair of Wu Gou Shanzhuang's deadliest foe?

"Someone's coming!"

Xiao Shiyilang's hearing was sharp—he heard footsteps and immediately used Qing Gong to scoop Shen Bijun into his arms.

The two pressed tightly together against the cavern ceiling.

The place was dim, and the ceiling held not a trace of light.

Once they were hidden, two cloaked disciples of the Xiao Yao Cave appeared, patrolling forward.