klisemfg Chapter 2104 Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole Begins
Chapter 2104 Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole Begins
As soon as the morning light of Rongzhou City spilled over the patterns on the bluestone pavement, the alleyways came alive.
An old man selling vegetables pushes his wooden cart, the sound of the wheels rolling over the road mingling with the aroma of tea wafting from the teahouse at the alley entrance, weaving together the background of ordinary days.
A sudden rumor disrupted the calm.
"Have you heard? Liu Balang! He actually went to the magistrate of Su City to turn himself in!"
At the entrance of the teahouse, a lean man dressed in shorts and carrying a cloth bag was standing on tiptoe and shouting; it was Bee Whistle.
He had a loud voice and always chose to stand where there were many people. As soon as he finished speaking, people buying breakfast, carrying loads, or sitting idly all gathered around him.
"Are you sure you mean it? The Liu brothers have been running rampant in Rongzhou for years. Do you really think Liu Balang will stay put?" someone asked with skepticism.
Bee Whistle said earnestly, "It's absolutely true! I saw Liu Balang's servant deliver a visiting card at the gate of the Su residence, saying he wanted to expose a major case!"
He paused deliberately, glancing at the silver ingots in the crowd. The other person immediately understood and squeezed to the front of the crowd to continue the conversation.
"That's not all!" Yin Ding's voice was rough, with a hint of deliberate excitement. "I heard from an old servant in the Liu family that Liu Balang has irrefutable evidence that Liu Jiulang instigated those heinous acts!"
He had also secretly seen what Liu Jiulang looked like under the mask, and he was going to go to the Su residence to have his portrait drawn, so that the evil spirit would have nowhere to hide!
"My God! It's Liu Jiulang!"
"No wonder no one has ever seen his true face; he's been hiding it so well!"
"That's it, the Liu family is going to fall!"
The discussions erupted instantly, like boiling oil poured on water.
"For years, the Liu family has controlled Rongzhou, making it hard for us to breathe. Only if Liu Jiulang can be overthrown will Rongzhou have a chance to rise again."
"The Liu family's wicked servants have been causing trouble all day long, but their days are finally coming to an end!"
Rumors spread like wildfire through the streets and alleys of Rongzhou City.
From the silk shops in the East Market to the general stores in the West Alley, from the ferry boats on the river to the guard posts at the city gate, everyone was talking about the news of Liu Balang turning himself in and Liu Jiulang committing evil deeds.
Some spoke with great enthusiasm, as if they had personally witnessed Liu Balang presenting the evidence; others gritted their teeth, recounting the Liu family's misdeeds over the years.
Yan Ruyu and Huo Changhe sat in the teahouse, nodding in satisfaction.
Next, it's time to lure the snake out of its hole.
Just as the whole city was buzzing with discussion, a hurried shout suddenly came from the street corner: "Look quickly! At the execution ground in the west of the city, Liu Jiulang's double is about to be beheaded!"
The shout was like a boulder thrown into a boiling lake, instantly changing the direction of the crowd.
The people who were originally gathered in the teahouse and on the street corner immediately surged towards the west side of the city like a tide.
"Whether it was a stand-in or not, it's satisfying to be able to kill people related to the Liu family!"
In the chaotic crowd, no one noticed that the back door of the Liu residence had been quietly pushed open a crack.
An inconspicuous blue-canopied carriage slowly drove out along a quiet alley, making only a very soft rumble as it moved.
Inside the carriage, Liu Balang huddled in a corner, his plain robe already soaked with cold sweat.
His eyes were filled with panic, and his voice was very low, but with an undisguised urgency: "Hurry, hurry up, don't let anyone find out."
Liu Balang shifted uncomfortably, moved closer to the side of the carriage, and peeked out through a corner of the curtain. The walls of the courtyards on both sides of the alley were mottled, and occasionally a few barks of dogs could be heard, but there was no one else around.
But his fear did not diminish at all, and he hurriedly lowered the curtain again.
"Don't worry, Eighth Master," the coachman's voice was low and hoarse, "this road is secluded, no one will come here. The Su residence is not far from here, it's only a quarter of an hour away."
Liu Balang nodded, but he still couldn't calm his emotions. He clasped his hands together, his fingertips icy cold, and repeatedly murmured, "As long as we get to the Su residence, we'll be safe..."
Just then, the carriage suddenly jolted, as if it had run over something hard.
Immediately afterwards, the car's speed suddenly decreased, and it eventually came to a complete stop.
Liu Balang's heart sank. Just as he was about to lift the curtain to check the situation, an arrow "whooshed" in through the carriage window, grazed his shoulder, and embedded itself in the carriage wall, its fletching still trembling slightly.
"Ah!" Liu Balang screamed in fright, his body instantly shrinking into a ball, his limbs going weak.
Outside the carriage, the once docile horse suddenly reared up, neighed loudly, broke free of its reins, and ran wildly.
Immediately afterwards, a series of chaotic footsteps approached, and several men dressed in black and wearing masks rushed to the carriage, their steel knives gleaming coldly in the morning light.
"Driver! Driver! Hurry up!" Liu Balang shouted outside, but the only response was the neighing of horses and the footsteps of men in black.
He peered out through the crack in the car window and saw that the driver had vanished, presumably having run away in fright.
Despair gripped Liu Balang's heart in an instant.
These people must have been sent by Liu Jiulang to kill him, fearing that he would go to the Su residence and expose the truth.
A man in black slashed his knife at the carriage curtain, tearing a large gash in the fabric instantly.
Liu Balang trembled with fear, scrambling to the back of the carriage while repeatedly shouting, "Help! Is anyone there? Help!"
But in this quiet alley, all the people had gone to the west of the city to watch the beheading; who would come to save him?
A man in black stepped forward, lifted the carriage curtain, and slashed at Liu Balang with a knife.
Liu Balang instinctively rolled to the side, the blade grazing his arm as it struck the floor of the carriage with a dull thud, sending wood chips flying.
Before he could catch his breath, the man in black slashed at him again. He could only roll and dodge, but his forehead accidentally hit the side of the carriage wall, and the pain made his vision go black.
Seeing that he had missed with both of his slashes, the man in black simply leaped onto the carriage and used the floorboards to approach him step by step.
The man was tall and imposing, casting a shadow over Liu Balang that made it almost impossible for him to breathe.
Liu Balang huddled in the corner, watching the man in black raise his knife, the blade still stained with wood chips and drops of blood seeping from his arm.
He closed his eyes, with only one thought in his mind: It's over, I'm really going to die this time.
Just at this critical moment, a hidden dart suddenly shot from the direction of the alley entrance, accurately hitting the man in black in the back.
The man in black grunted, the knife in his hand clattered to the floor of the carriage, his body swayed, and he fell straight down in front of Liu Balang.
Liu Balang screamed in fright, suddenly opened his eyes, and looked at the black-clad man lying in front of him, as well as the hidden dart protruding from his back. For a moment, he forgot to react.
Immediately afterwards, a steady footstep sounded, and someone lifted the carriage curtain and bent down to enter.
Liu Balang looked up and saw the person's face clearly. His lips trembled, and his voice was filled with sobs and disbelief: "Sun Qing...it's you? You've come to save me, right? Quick, please help me!"
Sun Qing stood in the carriage, his figure upright, his face expressionless. He glanced at the man in black on the ground, then looked at Liu Balang, who was terrified, and said in a deep voice, "The rest of the people have been dealt with."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a reassuring power.
Liu Balang looked at him, and finally couldn't hold back his tears. He slumped down in the carriage, panting heavily. The relief of surviving the ordeal and the lingering fear were intertwined, making him tremble all over.