Lin En brought the chicken soup to the table, divided it into two bowls, sat down and took a sip herself; it was very flavorful.
Ronava sat down opposite her, a faint smile still playing on her lips.
" Master Lin, please serve me a bowl of soup."
"What's wrong with you today? Fine, fine, go ahead and yell."
Lin En gave up resisting, took the bowl that Ronava was facing forward, and ladled a bowl of chicken soup for her.
"Whatever makes you happy."
Ronava picked up the bowl, took a sip of soup, and put it down after two sips.
"Those people are coming to ask you about the situation tomorrow morning. What are you going to say?"
"Let's see if we can rescue them tonight. As for the mines in the Abyss, the Millelith has its own methods. Wait! What about the traitor inside? Let's write a letter and have Zhongli handle it."
Lin En drank the soup again and let out a long sigh of relief.
"We've done everything we were supposed to do; the rest is none of our business."
"What about Zhou Dashi's 100,000 Mora?"
"I've already taken it; it's practically in my pocket."
Lin En patted his chest and laughed.
"The debt has decreased again, although it's still far from two million, but at least it's a good start."
Ronava didn't reply, and continued drinking her soup. Lin En chewed on his biscuit and watched her for a while, then suddenly spoke.
" Ronava."
"Um?"
You acted too decisively today.
Ronava paused, holding the bowl, and looked up at him.
What are you trying to say?
"It's nothing, I just feel that you sometimes do things more decisively than I do."
Lin En stuffed the last piece of biscuit into his mouth and patted the crumbs off his hands.
"I was thinking of keeping some survivors as evidence, but you just shot them all. Now we'll have to rely on Zhao Siyan. But at least you remembered to tie up the others and leave them alive, which at least gave me a way out."
Ronava put down her bowl and looked at him for two seconds.
Are you praising me or talking about me?
"I guess you could say that's a compliment."
"Doesn't sound like it."
Lin En chuckled and offered no further explanation.
The two cleared the table, Lin En went to the kitchen to wash the dishes, Ronava checked the locks on the front and back doors.
After finishing these tasks, the two sat down at the table in the front hall. Lin En spread out the letters and diagrams he had collected that day and went through them again.
"Capture Zhao Siyan first, don't let him escape. We'll rescue the others later."
"I've already tied him up."
Ronava said calmly.
"Already tied up? Where?"
"Basement."
Ronava stood up and walked towards the stairs.
The rest is up to you.
Lin En nodded, blew out the lamp on the table, and followed him upstairs.
Lin En went upstairs, Ronava was already lying down, her back to him, her silver hair spread out on the pillow.
He sat down on the outside, stared at the wall for a while, and went over his plans for the evening in his mind.
Zhao Siyan has already been tied up in the basement by Ronava. The rest are the people who have been tied up in the strongholds above Chenyu Vale.
" Ronava, did you get anything out of Zhao Siyan up in the basement?"
"I got the question."
Ronava turned over to face him, her silver hair rustling against the pillow.
"He also has two hideouts on the mountainside north of the town, one in an abandoned hunter's shed and the other in a cave halfway up the mountain."
"There are seven or eight people locked up in both locations, all arrested in the last few days, and they haven't had time to be sent to the mine yet. He was planning to have them moved tonight, but I stopped him before he could even move."
"That's perfect. Before they realize Zhao Siyan is missing, let's go and take him out tonight."
"Okay, be careful."
Lin En thought that Ronava had been very tired lately, so she should let her rest. She could handle this little thing herself.
"Yes, I will. I'll go up the mountain and bring everyone back. I should be able to get it done before dawn."
Ronava looked at him for two seconds.
Okay, remember not to get lost.
"What a joke! When have I ever gone the wrong way?"
Ronava ignored him, turned over, and went back to sleep. Lin En waited until it was completely dark, then got up, put on a dark coat, and slipped out the back door.
The town had quieted down, with only a few streetlights still on at the entrances of alleys.
Lin En left the town and headed north, climbing up the mountain path in the dark.
The hunter's hut that Zhao Siyan had told him was behind a grove of mixed trees halfway up the mountain. He walked for about half an hour and finally saw the outline of the hut at the edge of the grove, with a dim yellow light shining from inside.
He crouched behind the tree and observed for a while, then circled around to the side, crept along the wooden wall of the shed, and while the man bent down to add firewood, he suddenly appeared from the side and delivered a karate chop to the back of the neck.
The man stumbled forward, nearly burying his face in the fire. Lin En quickly pulled him back to prevent a noise and dragged him to a nearby tree where he was tied up.
There were five people inside the shed, their hands and feet bound, their mouths gagged, huddled in a corner.
When Lin En went in, their eyes lit up, and they whimpered. He tore off the cloth, untied the rope, and lowered his voice.
"Be quiet, come with me."
The five men stood up, their legs shaking. Lin En led them down the mountain for a while, then pointed out the way for them to head towards the town on their own.
The five people left, expressing their gratitude profusely. He then turned and began to feel his way towards the cave halfway up the mountain.
The hideout in the cave was even simpler; there was only one person guarding the entrance, dozing off against the cave wall. Lin En went over, took the knife from his hand, threw it aside, and tied him up with a rope, but he still didn't wake up.
There were three people locked in the cave: two young men and a young woman, all of whom were herb gatherers from the surrounding area.
Lin En led the men out, had a young man tie the cave guards securely with a rope, and then the group headed down the mountain.
It was already past midnight when they arrived at the town entrance. Zhou Dashi was actually waiting with several people. It must have been the same group of people who had returned earlier. He saw that Lin En had brought everyone back, and a group of family members rushed up to greet them, crying and laughing.
After handing over the last few people, Lin En dusted off his hands and turned to go back to the shop through the back door.
It was early morning, Ronava was still awake, sitting at the table in the front hall with the old booklet in front of her. She looked up when she saw him come in.
"You brought them all back?"
"We brought them all back, five plus three, plus the Zhao Siyan caught before, that's a dozen or so today. Has the one in the basement woken up yet?"
"He's awake, cursing in there."
Let him curse.
Lin En sat down in a chair and poured himself a bowl of cold tea.
"Tomorrow, hand him and those kidnappers over to the villagers. Our mission will be complete."
Ronava closed the booklet.
" Zhou Dashi's 100,000 Mora should be enough to live on for a while. The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor branch hasn't even opened yet; let's win over the townspeople first."
"Um."
Lin En leaned back in her chair, staring at the ceiling.
"Speaking of this trip, from the fake quest in the Chasm to the rescue in the Chenyu Vale, it seems like we've been doing all the work for others without taking care of anything for ourselves."
Ronava glanced at him sideways.
" The Tsaritsa suffered a loss in the Chasm and won't be coming back for trouble anytime soon. Having a branch of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor provides a stable base, which is better than constantly running around."
Lin En thought for a moment and nodded.
"That works too. Once Zhongli has dealt with the mine and the traitor within the Millelith, we'll set up the branch here properly. We'll take business when it comes, and rest when it doesn't. We can always make a living."
Ronava stood up, walked towards the stairs, and glanced back at him after taking two steps.
"Aren't you going to rest?"
"Coming right away!"
She went upstairs, and Lin En sat for a while, going over tomorrow's schedule in her mind, before blowing out the light and going upstairs to sleep.