Escape

As Zhou Ming stepped into the underground chamber.

The pupils of the woman bound by all four limbs and suspended above the bed contracted slightly.

"Smack! Smack!"

This time, the woman struck by two lashes did not scream. The deadness in her eyes had been replaced by shock.

Yet when he did not hear the woman scream.

Third Brother gripped the whip, pressed it against the welt on her thigh, and roared, "Why aren't you screaming? Scream! Scream for me!"

But the woman bit her lip hard, staring straight past him.

Third Brother looked up at the woman, then froze in alarm and hurriedly turned around.

Seeing Zhou Ming covered in blood, with a faint glow swirling around him, Third Brother shed his crazed expression and said, "Brother, are you here to have some fun?"

Zhou Ming did not answer.

Villains died from talking too much.

Not launching a sneak attack was already his final act of mercy.

Watching Zhou Ming charge at him without a word, Third Brother cried in terror, "You can't kill me! I'm a County Guard!"

Grasping the spear embedded in his chest, Third Brother glared at Zhou Ming. "Sky Patrol won't let you go."

With a sweep of the spear, Third Brother's corpse slammed into the wall and slid down.

Zhou Ming raised his head slightly and looked at the bound woman.

Seeing the killing intent in his eyes, the woman's expression changed. Seemingly realizing something, she merely bit her lip hard and closed her eyes.

The moment she closed her eyes, she felt the restraints on her limbs loosen, and then she fell onto the bed.

The woman opened her eyes, rose from the bed, and said, "This humble woman is Liu Xiaoling. Thank you, young master, for sparing my life."

Zhou Ming glanced at Liu Xiaoling, turned around, cleared his throat, and said, "Put your clothes on first."

Liu Yuling gave Zhou Ming's back a long look.

A moment later.

"I'm dressed."

Liu Yuling was now wrapped in fine clothes, sitting on the bed.

Zhou Ming turned around and said blandly, "There's a mother and daughter in the other hidden chamber. Save them and get them out later. Then we're even."

With that, Zhou Ming turned and left.

"Benefactor, wait. That bastard wasn't talking nonsense. If he really was a County Guard, Sky Patrol will certainly come looking for you."

Zhou Ming paused. "Do they have experts at investigating cases?"

"Sky Patrol is not just an empty name. I hope you leave the city at once and find somewhere to lie low for a while."

"Mm, got it."

Watching his figure disappear into the passage, Liu Xiaoling also rose and left.

Holding a candle, she followed the stairs and soon reached a fork in the path.

Standing at the fork, she glanced ahead.

The stairs there led downward. After a brief consideration, she followed them down.

Half an hour later, Liu Xiaoling emerged from the courtyard with two figures behind her and vanished into the pitch-black streets.

Zhou Ming stood quietly in a tree and withdrew his gaze.

That woman had suffered miserably, but at least she had some sense.

After returning to the inn, Zhou Ming changed into clean clothes and left through the window once more.

Those who listened to advice got to eat their fill.

Run, run.

Standing on the roof, Zhou Ming caught Er Zhuang moving in the courtyard from the corner of his eye.

With a flash, he appeared beside Er Zhuang, crouched down, and struck with one palm in a single fluid motion.

Looking at Er Zhuang sleeping peacefully, Zhou Ming's eyes shifted.

Damn!

He hadn't looted the bodies yet.

Back when he escorted caravans, Wang Quan handled the looting, so he had gotten used to not doing it himself.

A moment later, Zhou Ming left the city with a satisfied look.

Half an hour later, Zhou Ming stood atop a mountain, looked toward Hua'an County, and muttered, "Little Huang, if fate allows, we'll meet again in the martial world. This young master is making a run for it."

Morning light spilled over Hua'an County.

"Freezing, freezing."

Er Zhuang lay on the floor, crying out unconsciously.

His body trembled as he reached out and grabbed wildly in every direction.

Suddenly, as if recalling something, Er Zhuang snapped his eyes open.

He looked at the blue bricks beside him.

Damn it!

It's over, it's over. Had they discovered him?

How had he fallen asleep?

He hurriedly picked up the blue brick and stuffed it back in place, while also glancing into the hidden chamber below.

That one glance made his entire body shudder.

He recognized that corpse. It was Li Zhao, a County Guard.

Li Zhao and the other County Guards often frequented the county's restaurants and inns, eating without paying.

As an inn waiter, Er Zhuang naturally knew them.

As for what they were doing here.

He had discovered it by accident.

He often waited outside the inn for customers to arrive.

One night, several men in black carried sacks into this courtyard. He happened to see that it was Li Zhao who opened the door for them.

Driven by curiosity, he spent half a year observing them and learned that this was Li Zhao and his group's hideout.

They only came here when they were doing this sort of thing.

He had slipped in when no one was around and discovered the hidden chamber. In the end, he came up with a method: prying open the wall bricks to peek inside.

But now Li Zhao was dead, and he was still lying in the courtyard. Everything was over.

"Smack!"

Er Zhuang slapped himself, then shouted, "There's a dead man! There's a dead man!"

It was the only way he could think of to save himself: make a big scene and report the case himself!

Before long.

Five people clad in the embroidered uniforms of County Guards, with blades and swords hanging at their waists, strode into the courtyard.

When Er Zhuang saw the man leading them, his face went pale.

Guan Zhou.

The commander of Hua'an County's County Guards.

Guan Zhou glanced at Er Zhuang. "Tell me everything you know, and I'll make sure you're unharmed."

Er Zhuang took a deep breath and told him everything, from the time he had accidentally caught Li Zhao and the others doing this years ago to waking up this morning and discovering Li Zhao dead.

After hearing him out, Guan Zhou let Er Zhuang leave.

Once Er Zhuang was gone, he led the other four County Guards into the house.

Not long after, they emerged from the hidden chamber.

He looked at the four people before him and said coldly, "Li Zhao, Sun San'er, and one more whose body was completely destroyed. At roll call this morning, besides those two, who else was absent?"

Among the four, a slightly thin man said in a low voice, "Reporting to the commander, other than those two, everyone was present."

Guan Zhou stared at the man and snapped, "Fu Shan, roll call is held twice a day, morning and evening. Why did you not report the missing men?"

Fu Shan looked troubled and lowered his head slightly.

The other three turned their heads away, wearing expressions that said it had nothing to do with them.

Guan Zhou glanced at Fu Shan. "When we return, collect ten lashes yourself."

"Yes!" Fu Shan lowered his head slightly and answered in a deep voice.

Guan Zhou narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the figure squatting nearby, teasing ants. "Fang Yang! I'm assigning you to investigate who else was involved in Li Zhao's filthy business."

Fang Yang extended a finger and crushed the largest ant, then turned to Guan Zhou and asked with a smile, "Commander Guan, where should I stop once I've investigated?"

Guan Zhou did not answer. Killing intent flickered around him as he barked, "Investigate everything!"

Fang Yang stood and patted his large belly. "Understood. I'm hungry, so I'll go get something to fill my stomach first."

Ignoring Fang Yang, Guan Zhou continued, "Has Sky Patrol been notified?"

The only woman among the five spoke. "Sky Patrol has provided leads. Yesterday, 1,832 newcomers entered the city, including eighteen Martial Artists."

"Among them were one Fifth Grade, three Sixth Rank, two Seventh Rank, and six each of Eighth Rank and Ninth Grade."

"By the time Sky Patrol provided the cutoff for their leads, eleven Eighth Ranks and eight Ninth Grades had left the county city."

"A total of nineteen Martial Artists left, five of whom did not take the official roads."

Huff!

Hearing this, Guan Zhou exhaled.

Whenever something happened in the city, the information provided by Sky Patrol brought such invisible pressure that he could barely breathe.

Sky Patrol seemed to know everything.