The Escaped Sinners

Zhong Huaien soaked in the tub for three days, battling against Green Flower's illness for three whole days.

In the end, he couldn't win the fight and died in the bucket.

Looking at Zhong Huaien, Old Xu sighed repeatedly, "What a pity."

What a waste of this fine barrel, what a waste of this fine juicing liquid.

Old Xu had never had a good impression of the disciples of Sage Peak, but out of respect for the dead, Old Xu couldn't bear to let Zhong Huaien die far from home.

He grew two eggplant-shaped figures, made a stretcher, and sent Zhong Huaien back to Sage Peak.

In terms of eggplant growers, Old Xu and Zhang Wanlong have slight differences.

In terms of refined appearance, Old Xu is no match for Zhang Wanlong. The eggplant-shaped people he makes all look the same: thick eyebrows, big eyes, wide nose, square lips, and dark skin. They look like rough men who have been through a lot.

But in terms of combat strength, these two eggplant-shaped men were extraordinary. They carried Zhong Huaien's body through new lands, traversing mountains and rivers, and actually managed to send Zhong Huaien back to Bastard Slope.

Inside the mansion, the sage was cultivating when, at a crucial moment, a strong aura drifted into the bedroom. The sage immediately lost control and his interest in continuing his cultivation.

After driving the woman away from the bedchamber, the sage arrived outside the mansion and saw Zhong Huaien's corpse.

A group of people were kneeling in front of the door, waiting to become disciples of the sage. Because of Zhong Huaien's appearance, these people were now in a dilemma.

They've been kneeling for quite some time now, are they going to get up or not?

This is likely a test from the sages; if they rise up now, all their previous efforts will be in vain.

But if I don't get up, the smell is really hard to bear.

Several of the saint's disciples smelled the aroma in other residences and came forward to see it. When they saw the golden Zhong Huaien, the disciples covered their mouths and shed tears.

She covered her mouth not because she was afraid to cry out loud, but because she could also cover her nose.

The tears were genuine; the smell was truly pungent.

The sage looked at the two eggplant-shaped men, who were carrying a stretcher; it was clear that they were the ones who had brought Zhong Huaien back.

The person has been delivered, and so must the sentiments. The two little figures looked at the saint and sang a little tune as a farewell to Zhong Huaien:

Hi! Hi! Hi! Hi!

Hey, you idiot! Hey, you idiot! Hey, you idiot, you idiot, you idiot!

This folk song has a strong local accent, and the two men, both with loud voices, are in perfect harmony.

He sang it twice, and the saint's veins bulged.

The disciples trembled with fear. They knew the consequences of the sage's wrath; these two men of unknown origin were surely doomed.

The sage raised an eyebrow, and the eggplant-shaped man instantly exploded!

The golden juice gushed out from the eggplant man's body, spraying all over the saint!

The consequences were indeed severe; even the saint's clothes were soaked through.

The disciples were not spared either; each of them was surrounded by golden light, though the intensity varied.

One of the disciples, Gong Ziming, was quite prestigious among his fellow disciples. He first wiped his own face with a silk handkerchief, and then took out a new silk handkerchief to wipe his master's face.

As soon as the sage raised his hand, Gong Ziming dared not step forward, and no one else dared to utter a sound.

But the remaining eggplant-shaped man ignored him, continuing to shake his head, looking at the saint, and singing a folk song in his local accent. "You idiot! You idiot..."

The disciples and those who came to become disciples watched from the sidelines.

A wave of oppressive power swept over, and all the bystanders retreated, leaving only a few trusted disciples who followed the sage into the residence.

The sage stood in the center of the courtyard, his voice deep and hoarse, and said, "Xu Han's provocation must have its purpose. Who is willing to go to Medicine King Gully and see what this Old Thief is up to?"

The disciples lowered their heads and remained silent. The Sage looked at Gong Ziming and said, "This is your specialty. I will send you on this mission."

Gong Ziming didn't know how to refuse.

Gathering information wasn't difficult for him; he had previously gone to Inner State to gather information.

But if you try to find out about Xu Han and want to get away unscathed, it won't be so easy.

Is it possible to divert the sage's attention away from Xu Han?

Gong Ziming bowed and said, "Master, I have heard that my junior brother was injured by the Green Water Beggar."

This is serious. Zhong Huaien died at the hands of the Green Water Beggar. If anyone should be investigated, it should be the Green Water Beggar. Gong Ziming would rather keep an eye on the Green Water Beggar than cause trouble for Xu Han.

The sage had also considered this point, and he arranged for his disciple Xing Zhongquan go to Green Water City: "After arriving in Green Water City, first find your senior brother Bai Jin and complete the tasks assigned by Chu Shaoqiang."

Regarding the Green Water Beggar matter, do as Chu Shaoqiang instructed: temporarily sever all contact with Outer State, so as not to arouse Chu Shaoqiang's suspicion, and even more importantly, to prevent any misunderstandings within the Inner State.

"Let Medicine King Gully go to Yaowanggou. Xu Han must keep a close eye on him to prevent him from making any moves Medicine King Gully..."

The sage was still assigning tasks, and the eggplant man's singing outside the door hadn't stopped. "You stupid idiot..."

The sage glanced at Gong Ziming and said, "Go and deal with him."

Looking at the eggplant-shaped figure outside the door, Gong Ziming didn't know what to do.

At the Guanfang Hall, Liao Zihui was listening to Deputy General Envoy Tang Huanjie's investigation report. The bodies of the four people previously sent to Carefree Dock had been found.

The autopsy alone only revealed that the four people died from broken limbs and excessive blood loss, but it is currently impossible to determine who committed the crime or what methods were used.

Tang Huanjie said, "I suspect that this was done by Chu Shaoqiang, but there is no substantial evidence yet."

"Evidence is not important," Liao Zihui put down the report. "What I'm concerned about now is Chu Shaoqiang's intentions."

"Do you think he came here specifically for us?"

After pondering for a long time, Liao Zihui said, "On the surface, it shouldn't be. Chu Shaoqiang is from Inner State probably doesn't want to break ties with us yet."

But Chu Shaoqiang and we have a deep personal grudge, and it's hard to say what he might do personally.

Tang Huanjie also felt that this matter was somewhat difficult to handle. "Inner State doesn't want to break ties with us, and we can't start a war with Inner State either, at least we can't directly take action against Chu Shaoqiang."

Liao Zihui recounted the whole story. "In Carefree Dock, these four people lost contact with us, and this matter is inextricably linked to Li Qi."

"You suspect that Li Qi and Chu Shaoqiang are connected?"

"I suspect that Chu Shaoqiang was in Carefree Dock at the time, and I suspect that they were originally accomplices!"

Li Qi isn't officially a member of Inner State yet, so targeting him wouldn't be considered a betrayal of Inner State. I also really want to teach him a lesson.

Tang Huanjie said, "But Li Qi is not easy to deal with either."

"We need to mobilize more manpower. Li Qi has caused us considerable losses in terms of transportation costs. Because of this, the higher-ups will support our operation."

Once Li Qi is dealt with, Chu Shaoqiang will naturally restrain himself. Then, by deploying Balance Person through Sage Peak to ease tensions with Chu Shaoqiang, the entire incident will surely be resolved quickly.

"Please work hard today and draft a plan. We'll have a meeting tomorrow to finalize this action."

The next morning, Liao Zihui was having a meeting with several Deputy General Envoy when his secretary, Ling Sujun, entered the meeting room and reported an important situation to Liao Zihui: "There is a problem in the Three-Headed Fork Sinner City; more than 3,000 people have fled outside the city."

Liao Zihui frowned and asked, "Is it still because of the Dark Matter Stream?"

Ling Sujun nodded.

Deputy General Envoy Du Liyong said, "I sent someone to check out the Sinner City a couple of days ago, and the situation there is indeed serious; many people are dying every day."

Liao Zihui knew about the situation in the Sinner City, but that wasn't what he was concerned about. What he was concerned about was the escapees. "How did these more than three thousand people escape? There are boundaries outside the Sinner City."

Ling Sujun presented her report, "According to current information, they should have escaped through Xindi."

Liao Zihui felt relieved. "Let them fend for themselves. There is no way out of the new land of the Sinner City."

The group continued discussing their plan to target Li Qi. In the afternoon, just as the plan was finalized, Ling Sujun entered Liao Zihui's office:

"Envoy Liao, escapees from the Sinner City have appeared near Sea Eat Ridge."

Liao Zihui was shocked. "Impossible! How did they get to Sea Eat Ridge? The new land of Sinner City doesn't lead to Sea Eat Ridge!"

Ling Sujun shook her head and said, "The reason is unknown."

Liao Zihui couldn't sit still any longer; something bad was about to happen. "Arrange for key personnel to go to Sea Eat Ridge and try to persuade the escapees to return."

"What about Li Qi...?"

"The operation is on hold for now; let's deal with the Sinner City issue first."

At the edge of Sea Eat Ridge and Third Ridge, a man stands near the boundary of the new land, anxiously awaiting news.

It was hard to tell whether this person was male or female. He was over two meters tall with unusually broad shoulders. There were three heads on his shoulders: the middle head was a woman, the head on the left was a man, and the head on the right was a child.

A biting wind blew, and the person shivered. The child on the right cautiously said, "Sister, I'm hungry."

The woman said, "Bear with it. When we get to Sea Eat Ridge, there will be plenty of delicious food."

The man on the left said, "We only have so little money on us, what can we afford to eat?"

"We should have enough for ourselves." The woman turned around and looked at the forest behind her.

There were still quite a few people in the woods, waiting for their meal.

The man sighed. He, or rather, they, waited quietly in the snow.

After waiting for more than an hour, Pan Dehai's figure slowly appeared in front of them. "Everyone, you have suffered and worked hard. I brought you some food as a token of my appreciation. Please don't find it offensive."

More than a dozen sacks of grain appeared on the ground, estimated to weigh more than two thousand catties.

The child was excited to see the grain, and the woman looked up at Pan Dehai: "Uncle Pan, can we go into Sea Eat Ridge now?"

Pan Dehai shook his head. "I'm afraid it's not possible now."

The man asked, "When will that be possible?"

Pan Dehai was silent for a moment before saying, "I am a virtuous man, and there are some things I don't want to hide from you. Going to Sea Eat Ridge is not an option at any time. After you finish this meal, you should find another way out."

The woman exclaimed in surprise, "Master Pan, you promised us..."

Pan Dehai sighed and said, "I agreed before because I was afraid that you would be left with nowhere to turn and become disheartened. I am a virtuous person and I really couldn't bear it."

What this means is that if I had told you the truth before, I was afraid you would have done something rash in a desperate situation.

The woman looked bewildered. "Master Pan, what's the reason for this?"

"Because Sea Eat Ridge has just enjoyed a few days of peace and doesn't want any more friction with Outer State, gentlemen, take my advice: go back to where you came from. No one in Pro State dares to take you in."

The man gritted his teeth and said, "Old Pan, it's wrong of you to go back on your word. We've been waiting here for two whole days, and we're almost starving. If you don't give us an explanation, we're not leaving today."

Pan Dehai smiled and said, "You know you've been starving for two days. To be honest, if you don't want to leave, I can find a way to send you away."

PS: Sinner City is part of Three-Headed Fork, and this Three-Headed People once appeared.