They spent the night in the cave to rest and recuperate and planned to look for Xu Qiao and the others the next morning. Huang Yu assured Jinshui that Xiaoshan and Xiaohu were reliable enough, and those two servants must have taken Xu Qiao and Liuxin to safety, leaving a trace for them to find.
In the morning Jinshui and Huang Yu said goodbye to Zeng Baifeng and walked out of the cave. It was less than a hundred feet after, they found an array of dry leaves and gravel, forming an image of an arrow. They followed the sign, walked over the green hills, continued towards a cliff, and found a hut on high ground.
Huang Yu preceded Jinshui into the hut, this time he was careful and didn't want to be caught like yesterday. The door of the hut was broken, slashed with a saber, traces of fighting were all around and there was even a trail of blood splattered.
There was no one in the hut, Huang Yu found Liuxin's short blade lying on the floor, he picked it up and handed it to Jinshui. Jinshui immediately felt that something had happened and was really worried about Xu Qiao.
Three girls came close before the two of them did anything. They were Xiaoshan and Xiaohu, Huang Yu's two trusted servants, both brought along a stubborn-looking young girl, the little poisoner Zhou Yanzi.
"Ershaoye," Xiaoshan called Huang Yu. "You made it?"
"I told you they can definitely escape," Zhou Yanzi said. "That Lin Tongtian can't hold off Jinshui Gege for a long time." She called Jinshui Gege imitating Xu Qiao's exact call.
"Xiaohu, Xiaoshan, what happened?" Huang Yu asked his servants.
"Last night we saw you get captured by the enemy on the ship, we knew we had to take Xu Guniang and Liuxin Junzhu to safety first," Xiaohu replied, "we know they are still very weak, and if they stay with you, it will only make things difficult."
"You did it right," replied Huang Yu.
"We escorted them to this hut, and asked them not to turn on the light for fear that the enemy will also send some men here," Xiaoshan continued her sister's speech. "We waited here for a while. Xu Guniang was very uneasy, then asked us to go and find you."
"When we arrived at the bank of the river, the ship had already left, and we met this Miss Zhou, she said she would take us to meet you," continued Xiaohu.
"Take them to meet Lin Jixuan," Yanzi corrected. "That honorable Lin Gongzi apparently stole his father's ship, the ship was later retaken and he was kicked out." She giggled. "Lucky for me, I can escape and don't have to get involved with Lin Tongtian."
"Where's Lin Jixuan now?" Huang Yu asked.
"I don't know," replied Yanzi, "he went straight to Wenhu District, I suppose, because his one-armed friend looked impatient, eager to find his wife."
"Then we came back here and met you," continued Xiaoshan.
"Xu Guniang and Liuxin Meimei are no longer here," said Huang Yu, "Xiaohu Xiaoshan, you two go that way, we will look for them in another direction. After noon we will gather here again."
The two servants nodded and left them immediately. Jinshui and Huang Yu walked quickly, trying to find Xu Qiao and Liuxin as soon as possible. Yanzi followed them.
"Zhou Guniang, your yeye is in a cave about two miles that way," Huang Yu asked her to go. "He left the valley to look for you, you should go meet him."
"There's no need to rush," Yanzi replied with a laugh. "The medicine smell on my body is very strong, if he's around, he can smell it and will soon meet me here."
Jinshui and Huang Yu were still weak and injured, their whole bodies still felt sore, and they were unable to rush their steps. They could only search by walking and half running, Yanzi was easily able to follow their steps.
After about an hour of walking and searching, from the top of the cliff, they saw a path beside the river stream, and some figures were seen walking along the path. Jinshui recognized Liuxin and Xu Qiao as being among them, he almost forced himself to jump down and meet them. Huang Yu hastily stop him.
Xu Qiao and Liuxin were following a grown woman leading a little girl walking down the path. The woman was still wearing the same clothes and appearance as the woman who had given the poisonous tea to Xu Qiao the previous day, only that she was no longer a middle-aged woman but had changed her makeup and revealed a much younger face, not older than sixteen years old.
The woman walked quickly while leading, or rather dragging a twelve-year-old girl, and the girl repeatedly looked back at Xu Qiao and Liuxin.
Jinshui and Huang Yu recognized the girl as Xiu-er, the mean girl who was about to be taken as a disciple by Yuan Wancui's follower of Haitang Jian Pai, a young girl whose twin had died at the tip of the xuanlong sword. Somehow she got here and got caught.
Xu Qiao seemed to be walking with difficulty, Liuxin who was supporting her also looked weak. Jinshui saw quite clearly that Xu Qiao's clothes were covered in blood, and there was even a dagger stuck in her chest. Just as he was about to run down the cliff, once again Huang Yu stopped him, Yanzi also pulled his sleeve to keep him there.
"I think I know that girl," Yanzi said, pointing at the teenage girl who had poisoned the tea. "She looks like my sister, but not quite the same either."
"Jinshui, don't forget our condition. If you play hero now, it may even cost your life," Huang Yu reminded his friend, "Laofeng will soon come here, he can help save them." He looked at Yanzi, hoping that the little girl's words could be trusted.
"Qiao-er is injured," Jinshui hissed quietly, obviously very worried.
"Small wounds," said Yanzi, "easy to deal with."
"Zhou Guniang, can you please invite Zeng Laoqianbei, tell him we need his help here," Huang Yu said to her.
"Well, you two should not die until I come back," said Yanzi before running in the pointed direction.
On the mountain path down there, the woman who gave the tea poison had met one of her friends at a mountain pavilion on the side of the cliff and it was a young man who looked familiar. The woman suddenly threw Xiu-er to the ground and hugged the young man, embracing him affectionately.
"I take them here as you asked," the woman spoke to him. "I don't know who cures the tea poison, but they're going to die anyway, so I'll just give them one stab to the chest."
"Good job," the young man replied. "But why did you bring this little one here?" he pointed at Xiu-er.
Huang Yu and Jinshui were still on top of the cliff, they could hear quite clearly the conversation below. The young man's voice was familiar, and it was Huang Yu who first recognized it as the voice of his older brother, Huang Zhe.
Huang Zhe was a fake Yumen Mowang. Last time he was caught by Jinshui and handed over to the members of Jianyin Bang. Later, according to Han Budian, Huang Zhe was snatched by Jiuwei Bian Zhou Xiangnu. But the woman who hugged him just now wasn't Zhou Xiangnu. Somehow he was able to escape from the Jiuwei Bian.
"This little girl told me that her twin sister was killed by Hua Jinshui, and that she wanted revenge," the woman replied again, her voice sounded horrible. "I've given qiuxiangwei (nine-flavored poison) to her. In the next five days, she has to take one of nine different kinds of medicine every twelve hours to cure the poison."
Xiu-er was already trying to stand up, and as soon as she saw that there was someone else at the pavilion, she looked very frightened and her finger pointed at something without being able to make a sound.
Jinshui and Huang Yu just realized that behind Huang Zhe there were still two other men, their figures were blocked by the roof of the stop. One of them then stepped forward, approaching Xiu-er, instantly making Jinshui and Huang Yu hold their breath.
It was a skinny old man wearing a wide hat, the one who had thrown Xiu-er's twin sister, Shuang-er, straight at the tip of the xuanlong sword in Jinshui's hand that day around Bai Tu Shanzhuang. Xiu-er still clearly remembered what happened, and she still quite recognized the ghastly skinny, but she was no longer able to escape. Liuxin also looked pale when she saw the skinny man, but she couldn't just leave Xu Qiao alone.
"Diedie," the woman who brought Xiu-er rebuked the skinny man. "That little girl can still be used as my toy, you can't kill her yet."
"Qianniu, what do you want to play with her for?" Huang Zhe asked. "If you like, I'll find another little girl."
The woman laughed strangely, like someone with a crazy illness. She kept hugging Huang Zhe in a sickening way. The skinny man didn't care about her, nor did he care about Xiu-er. He stepped closer to Liuxin and stood right in front of her like a beast ready to eat its prey.
"Liuxin Junzhu, my master already told you about the secret, is that right? I think you can now tell us," the skinny man said horribly at Liuxin, making her even paler.
"There's no need to rush," another voice of the other man came from the pavilion. "Where are Hua Jinshui and his friends?" The voice of the large tall man, the mysterious killer who murdered Huang Weiqun and his wife, seemed to be asking Huang Zhe.
"They just left the two girls behind," Huang Zhe said proudly, "Xie Qianbei, wanbei managed to arrange Xun Guniang to present the poisoned tea without Hua Jinshui suspecting it, caught not only Liuxin Junzhu but Xu Guniang as well. You have promised to be willing to accept me as your disciple. I pay my respect to Master."
He knelt down and even prostrated, startling Huang Yu who was watching from atop the cliff. He had never thought that his own brother intended to become a disciple of their parents' killer. For a moment he really held his breath, not knowing how to deal with this situation.
Jinshui didn't think about Huang Zhe, he just realized that the tea poison that was served to them this morning was not meant for him or Huang Yu, but for Xu Qiao and Liuxin. He could vaguely guess the reason, but he found it hard to believe.
By that time down there, Xu Qiao had already fallen to her knees on the ground, almost losing consciousness. She pointed at the tall man, trying to say something but couldn't. Her wound was too severe and she was sweating profusely. Jinshui watched everything very anxiously, almost creating a diversion for those down there.
Huang Yu realized his action and suddenly knocked an acupuncture point on his back, making him unable to move, and asked him to wait for Zeng Baifeng and Yanzi for a few more minutes.
"Wu-er," the tall man stepped out of the pavilion, came closer to Xu Qiao, and pushed Liuxin towards his skinny friend. That tall man then viciously pulled Xu Qiao to her feet, his hands was gripping the girl's neck and ready to break it. Xu Qiao looked at him very curiously, her expression clearly said that she was recognizing him, but she didn't know the reason why that man intended to kill her.
"Zhe-ge, why do you call me Xun Guniang again?" the lunatic woman asked Huang Zhe loudly. "My name is Xun Qianniu."
Huang Zhe signaled her to not say anything, and Xun Qianniu really kept her mouth shut, watching the tall man, and seemed to be delighted to see the man was going to kill someone like that.
"Stop," Liuxin spoke in a trembling voice, her hairpin already clutched in her hand and ready to be stabbed into her own neck. "If you kill her, then you will never know the secret."
The tall man threw something at Liuxin, easily dropping the hairpin held in her hand. He continued to stare at Xu Qiao, clearly wanting to kill her slowly and enjoying the moment of her death, his face full of hatred and satisfaction at the same time.
"Shixiong," his skinny friend rebuked him, "Xu Chenghai had sinned so much against you, are you going to give his daughter such a pleasant death?"
"Shifu, that Xu Guniang is Hua Jinshui's lover," Huang Zhe spoke as well, "we can use her to catch Hua Jinshui before we kill her. That way, there's one less person to give you trouble in the future."
"Hua Jinshui is nothing," the tall man said, "he's not enough to give me trouble."
Yet, he slowly let go of Xu Qiao anyway, pushing her towards Liuxin, alive. Little Xiu-er suddenly stood up, quickly pulled out the dagger stuck in Xu Qiao's chest, then used it to attack the skinny man. Her reckless action really shocked everyone, even Jinshui on top of the cliff suddenly felt his whole body breaking out in cold sweat.
"Yu," Jinshui whispered weakly, "let me go."
"I won't let you die for her again," Huang Yu replied stifledly, "Wait for just a minute will you, Yanzi will be back soon."
Xu Qiao felt excruciating pain, the blood was flowing profusely. It was still lucky for her, Liuxin acted quickly and immediately knocked the blood path around the wound, then used her outer sleeve to stop the bleeding.
The skinny man was attacked by a small child, he easily caught the little girl, then threw her like throwing a piece of wood. Liuxin and Xu Qiao couldn't do anything to help.
It was at that precise moment that a shadowy figure shot out caught Xiu-er's body and placed her safely on the ground. At the same time, a small figure appeared beside Jinshui and Huang Yu, the wayward Yanzi. The one who saved Xiu-er just now was none other than Zeng Baifeng.
The arrival of an old man who came out of nowhere shocked everyone there, including the two mysterious men. Judging from his quiet steps, it was clear that the old man had good martial abilities. None of them knew who the old man was, except for Xu Qiao, but her vision was too blurry to recognize the old man's face.
The tall mysterious man immediately looked at Xu Qiao and stared closely at her, not wanting to let the girl escape. He and his two companions did not initiate any attack, probably worried that the old man would be able to recognize the origin of their martial arts once they had a fight.
"Who else are you?" the skinny one was the one who asked.
"Two old men and one young man bullied an injured woman and a child," Zeng Baifeng said ignorantly, "uh, you two…." He seemed to have met the tall man and his skinny friend once, but it was a long time ago and he couldn't immediately recall their names.
Zeng Baifeng was still trying to remember the identity of the two mysterious men when two horses came from the other direction, galloping fast, lunged at those who were there, heading straight for Xu Qiao and Liuxin.
The two young men riding the horses pulled the reins right beside them. A loud neigh was heard. Xu Qiao and Liuxin recognized the two young men as Yue Songdai and Han Budian. The two of them didn't care who was around, Yue Songdai took the lead, pulled Liuxin to sit behind him, then back on the horse, leaving the others behind.
Han Budian still managed to jump down, pulling Xu Qiao into his arms before returning to the horse's back and following his friend. Zeng Baifeng saw someone else take away Jinshui's girl, he only raised an eyebrow for a moment, then grabbed Xiu-er, and put her on the horseback with Han Budian to take her away. His movements seemed very relaxed and easy, making the two mysterious men too late to decide to pursue.
Zeng Baifeng had already set three rules for himself when he left Wansui Gu: not to use poison, not to use inner energy and have a fight with anyone, and not to kill anyone. He didn't fight anyone there, and his arrival could be said to be almost late.
But he had already prepared everything. At that place suddenly dozens of bugs and hundreds of snakes had come down from the cliff wall and crawled on the roof of the pavilion and between the branches of the trees. The two mysterious men were about to rush after Han Budian and the others, but the snake had already wrapped around their legs, crawled up their bodies, and some of them even bit them, making them both have to work hard to get rid of the animals first.
Xun Qianniu was already screaming at the arrival of so many snakes, Huang Zhe slashed the blade in his hand frantically, and all of them were in complete chaos.
Zeng Baifeng slipped away from them, climbed up the cliff with a style, grabbed Yanzi who was still there, and brought him to meet Jinshui and Huang Yu up there. Jinshui had managed to release Huang Yu's knock on his acupuncture point himself, he quickly chased Han Budian and Yue Songdai who took the girls away, and the others followed him.