The man who had struck Zhou Wenju's acupoint was a middle-aged scholar in a coarse yellow robe, his hair tied in a Daoist-style topknot. He had long brows, narrow eyes, and a sinister expression. "If you want to live, come with us quietly," he said in a low voice.
A wise man knew when to bend with the times. Now that they were in enemy hands, struggling would only bring suffering upon themselves. Hu Xiaotian nodded and said with a beaming smile, "Brother, I don't think I know any of you. Have you got the wrong man?"
"No mistake! You're exactly who we want!" the middle-aged scholar said. Together with the other man, he hauled Hu Xiaotian and Liang Dazhuang to their feet and shoved them toward a residence a short distance ahead. The front door opened as they reached it, and a short, stout man came out to meet them. "Third Brother, did you get him?"
The middle-aged scholar told them to take the captives inside first. He stayed behind to look around outside, then, once he was certain no one had followed them, closed the door and barred it from within.
Hu Xiaotian had not been in Azure Cloud long, but he had already offended plenty of people. He silently ran through his enemies, wondering which one wanted to deal with him. Liang Dazhuang had already announced his identity, yet these men had remained completely unmoved. Clearly, they were not afraid of trouble. This really was a predicament. With Murong Feiyan protecting him in the past, he had never worried about his safety, but she was now looking after Le Yao and was not even in the Azure Cloud County seat. Liang Dazhuang was even less capable in a fight than he was. In their present circumstances, he