Zhao Yanke's heart began to pound.
He squinted his eyes and fixed his gaze on the odd - looking man in front of the three Anluo people.
Judging from his clothes, he was a stooped man from Dacheng.
He was thin, with a sallow complexion. His tattered clothes made him look as if he had just crawled out of a gully. There was also a purplish - red bump on his forehead, bright and red, as if bitten by some venomous insect...
After seeing his face clearly, Wanxin suddenly tightened her grip on Zhao Yanke's arm.
Chen Mazi!
It was actually Chen Mazi!
How... How could he be with the Anluo people?
Could it be that he had betrayed Dacheng and defected to the Anluo people?
Wanxin observed carefully for a while and quickly dismissed this thought.
Because the Anluo people treated Chen Mazi extremely roughly, almost like driving away a stray dog!
The leader of them continuously whipped his back with a long hardwood stick. Each strike made a dull and teeth - grating sound, and he kept muttering curses.
"Sir... Sir, please calm down... We'll be there soon..."
Chen Mazi was trembling all over in pain, but he still forced a flattering smile. His back was already lacerated, and the blood had soaked through his tattered clothes, yet he didn't even dare to groan loudly.
It wasn't until the figures of this group of Anluo people disappeared into the dense forest that Zhao Yanke noticed Wanxin's strange behavior.
Her fingers were tightly clutching his sleeve, and her slender knuckles had turned white from the force. Her whole body was trembling slightly.
"Do you know him?" he asked softly.
"Yeah..." Wanxin's lips were trembling. "His name is Chen Mazi. He was a bandit from the former Black Wind Stronghold... The other day when my younger sister went into the mountain, she saw him..."
Zhao Yanke thought for a moment. "Oh, so it's him. The one who brought the grass - flower snake gall to Jiang Xiaohuan and was then detained to do hard labor..."
When Li Wanming told them how she met Wanmo in Dayi Mountain, she had mentioned this man.
At that time, he had even thought indignantly that it wasn't right for them to detain a reformed mountain - goods merchant to make arrows for no reason...
But now, how could Chen Mazi be with the Anluo people? And leading them deep into Dayi Mountain?
"I just heard them say that they seem to need Chen Mazi to find something... There have always been Anluo merchants coming and going in Min region all year round. I also understand some Anluo language."
Wanxin's face was as white as a sheet. She tightly grabbed his sleeve, and her fingernails were almost digging into his flesh through the cloth. "Chen Mazi has always been in Jiang Xiaohuan's Tiger Head Stronghold, and Jiang Xiaohuan is my younger sister's subordinate... His sudden appearance here, could it be... could it be that something has happened to my younger sister?"
"Don't be in a hurry," Zhao Yanke's heart sank when he heard her words. "Li Wanming is so smart. She must be fine." He held her cold fingers in return and said in a deep voice, "We have to find a way to rescue Chen Mazi. Once we save him and ask him, everything will be clear."
The Anluo people's offensive against Yanchuan had become even more fierce in the past two days, and the communication with Qingzhou had been completely cut off. If, as Wanxin said, something had happened to Li Wanming, it would mean that Feng Xiao and Qingzhou were in danger...
Zhao Yanke closed his eyes tightly and forced himself to suppress the surging thoughts in his mind.
He tightened his grip on Wanxin's hand. Under the cover of the dense shrubs by the stream, he quietly followed the group of Anluo people.
The stream gurgled, leaping and flowing among the jagged rocks.
Zhao Yanke and Wanxin stepped on the moist soil, taking each step carefully.
Fortunately, although the Anluo people looked ferocious, they completely trusted the path led by Chen Mazi. They walked upstream along the winding mountain path and didn't notice the movement behind them at all.
The rushing sound of the water just right covered the sound of them accidentally breaking a dead branch from time to time, perfectly hiding their tracks.
When it was broad daylight, the Anluo people finally stopped under a leeward rock wall and started making a fire to cook.
Zhao Yanke pulled Wanxin to hide behind the bushes a dozen steps away. They saw two Anluo people get up cursing and go to gather firewood, leaving only one person sitting on the rock, guarding Chen Mazi.
"We can't wait any longer," Zhao Yanke whispered. "We've been walking on the mountain road all night. We've consumed too much energy... If we keep following them, we may not have the strength to rescue Chen Mazi!"
Wanxin bit her lower lip and nodded nervously. "I'll do whatever you say..."
Zhao Yanke straightened up slightly, and his palms were full of sweat.
Although he sounded determined to Wanxin, he had no confidence at all in his heart.
The three Anluo people were tall and big, and they had sharp blades in their hands. They clearly looked like good fighters in the army. Although he had also practiced martial arts, he had never fought with anyone in a life - or - death situation.
Could he, a pampered good - for - nothing, deal with three experienced Anluo soldiers?
Zhao Yanke held his breath and locked his eyes on the remaining Anluo man. That man was of a burly build, with a snake - skin short knife tucked into his waist. He was idly poking at the bonfire with the tip of his knife and kicking Chen Mazi from time to time.
"I'll distract him," Zhao Yanke whispered. "You take the opportunity to rescue him."
Wanxin's face was pale, but she still nodded. She handed the sickle from her waist to Zhao Yanke. "You... be careful..."
Zhao Yanke took a deep breath, picked up a pebble from the ground, and flicked his wrist. The pebble "snapped" into the bushes not far away.
The Anluo man suddenly looked up, squinted his eyes warily, and placed his hand on the hilt of his knife. He muttered a few words and took a few steps towards the source of the sound.
Zhao Yanke didn't hesitate. He flashed out from the other side and deliberately broke a few dead branches. As expected, the Anluo man was attracted. He cursed angrily, drew his knife, and chased after him.
Wanxin rushed forward in a hurry, grabbed Chen Mazi's arm, and said, "Come with me!"
"Grand... Grand Mistress?" Chen Mazi looked up in surprise. "Why are you here? Where is our leader?"
While dragging him desperately down the mountain, Wanxin said anxiously, "You're asking me? I want to ask you! Why are you here? Where is my younger sister?"
On the other side, Zhao Yanke dodged left and right in the forest.
Although he had never fought in a real battle, he had practiced martial arts since childhood. His body - movement skills were top - notch. Coupled with his thin and flexible body, he had a great advantage when shuttling through the dense forest at this moment. He was as light as a mountain sparrow.
The Anluo man, on the other hand, was in a sorry state...
He was tall and burly. When running in the dense forest, he either bumped his head against the protruding branches or got his clothes caught by the thorns and vines.
He was so angry that he went crazy and kept drawing his knife to chop at the surrounding vines.
But his short knife was far less useful than the sickle in Zhao Yanke's hand when it came to chopping.
Zhao Yanke suddenly stopped, his chest heaving violently. Sweat slid down his temples.
He suddenly realized that he wasn't completely powerless in this fight.
Calm down...
Calm down...
He silently repeated in his heart, then began to take slow steps forward. At first, his speed was extremely slow, but then he gradually accelerated. Taking advantage of the moment when the Anluo man was entangled by the vines, he raised his sickle and struck!