Hu Xiaotian said, "It isn't too late to mend the pen after losing a sheep. As long as we get into the prison first and join up with my men, we'll have a chance to turn the tables."
Yan Tianlu said nothing. Thinking he was still hesitating, Hu Xiaotian urged him quietly, "The three of us alone can't possibly stand against them. Although you're the island lord and plenty of people here respect you, Lu Qingyuan has spread word of your death far and wide. He even produced a corpse convincing enough to pass for yours and let people pay their respects. I'm afraid that even if you step forward now, people may not believe you're the real thing. A spear in the open is easy to dodge, but an arrow from the shadows is hard to guard against. The people from the Falling Cherry Palace may not have left yet, either. Only by rescuing my men first can we get reinforcements. Then we can use the prison's high walls to our advantage and launch a counterattack."
Yan Tianlu said, "What if they refuse to believe who I am?"
Hu Xiaotian smiled. "We'll take it one step at a time. You're already in this predicament. How much worse can it get? Rather than sit and wait for death, we might as well join forces and fight with our backs to the river."
Yan Nujiao said softly, "Uncle, I think Young Master Hu is right."
Yan Tianlu shook his head. A girl's heart turned toward an outsider-truly an unshakable truth. As an onlooker, he saw things clearly: affection had already blossomed between his niece and Hu Xiaotian. Yan Tianlu said, "Come on, then. To the prison."
Hu Xiaotian asked, "Is there a secret passage we can sneak in through?"
"What?" Yan