HBWnovel Chapter 237 Young in age but ruthless in heart
Chapter 237 Young in age but ruthless in heart
"Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You'd better give up on leaving clues along the way. I'll cut off one of your fingers every time I find one." A cold voice came from behind, the warning clear.
Shen Li has no shortage of experience dealing with intelligent people, and she finds this straightforward threat much easier to handle than the hidden daggers in the palace and court.
She looked up at him and suddenly laughed: "Little brother, you're so young but you've got a heart of stone."
As soon as she said this, the two maids accompanying her clearly gasped and looked at Shen Li with even greater vigilance.
The cold eyes behind the mask paused for a moment, then showed a hint of anger: "Stop talking nonsense, or I'll shut you up."
Shen Li chuckled softly.
The man suppressed his anger for a long time before he managed to stop arguing with her. What was this woman pretending to be so mature for? She clearly looked younger than him!
But he couldn't say more, otherwise she would trick him into revealing information.
Shen Li had already gotten the information she wanted, and she didn't think that leaving clues would be discovered.
When the group arrived at the Taoist temple, it was already completely dark. The temple had obviously been deserted for a long time. The wooden gate was rotten, the well in the courtyard was dry, and only one door of the main hall remained. The window had fallen to the ground and was covered with a thick layer of dust.
Upon entering the main hall, one can see that the enormous statue of the Great Dao Lord is dilapidated. Cobwebs hang everywhere in the hall, and the bare floor is covered with moldy and dusty straw, indicating that it has been a long time since anyone spent the night here.
Upon entering the main hall, the group first bowed to the Daoist Master on the high platform, apologized for the inconvenience, and explained that they had no choice but to stay there for the night.
"This place is far too dilapidated. Let us tidy it up first before inviting you in, sir." One of the accompanying subordinates, dressed as a villager, couldn't bear to look at it any longer.
The masked man waved his hand: "There's no time. You should all go back now and not be discovered by the authorities."
"Yes, we will take our leave." Before leaving, those people returned Shen Li's packed luggage to her.
"Thank you." Shen Li took out a silver note from her sleeve and handed it over. She never used people for free.
The villager was taken aback. Although they didn't know Shen Li's exact identity, they could guess that she seemed to be on a different side from their master, so they didn't dare to accept the money and waved their hands before leaving.
"The fact that a lowly guard like you can give away a hundred taels of silver as a reward shows how corrupt the court is." The maid named Mingyue looked disgusted.
"You don't need to tell me, this corruption isn't something that's out in the open," Shen Li said, stuffing the money back into her sleeve.
"Shameless!" Mingyue cursed.
Shen Li raised an eyebrow indifferently, covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, flicked the wide, coarse cloth sleeves she was wearing over her hands, and then reached out through her clothes to drag the half of the fallen door panel.
After dragging the door panel to the corner, I opened the package containing the quilt, laid the quilt on it, and then put the pillows and the blankets on top.
Although the movement was very gentle, it still stirred up a cloud of dust, causing others to wrinkle their brows and cough.
After doing all this, Shen Li took off her outermost layer of loose clothing and covered herself with the quilt. She then sat on that layer of clothing and took out some dry food and water from her pack.
The members of the Red Lotus Sect were stunned by her appearance. Was this what someone who had been kidnapped should look like? Anyone who didn't know better would think she was on a picnic. She seemed far too relaxed!
They were furious to see corrupt officials throwing their weight around, and now that they had caught one, they were even seeing her putting on airs in front of them. Their murderous intent was already flaring up.
"The authorities won't be able to catch up for a while, so you can use this time to hunt some game," Shen Li kindly reminded them when she saw them all standing there motionless.
Mingyue threw down her sword and pointed it at Shen Li: "You corrupt official, give up your bed, or don't blame me for being impolite."
Several people also drew their swords, all wanting to kill.
"You didn't bring your own people, so what's the logic behind you trying to take mine now?" Shen Li raised an eyebrow at the man who had been helped to sit on the ground by the window and asked, "Aren't you going to do anything about your people?"
"If you can protect it, then you can sleep." The masked man watched the commotion with a leisurely air.
Seeing that he ignored it, eight of the dozen or so people, except for those who couldn't stand up, pointed their swords at Shen Li.
"Oh?" Shen Li laughed: "You think you can bully me with numbers just because you see that I've lost all my internal energy? Well done, Red Lotus Sect. You've certainly broadened my horizons."
“You corrupt official, there’s no need to talk about chivalry when dealing with you,” a man said. “If you stand up now and kowtow to my master to admit your mistake, I might go easy on you.”
Shen Li glanced at him lazily, but her gaze eventually settled on the masked man, or more precisely, on his waist.
"What are you looking at?" The man was getting impatient with her stare.
From any aesthetic point of view, the woman in front of him was an absolute beauty. Seeing the teasing look in her cool eyes, he couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed.
"My external martial arts skills are more than enough to deal with your small fry, but you'll have to lend me a weapon, won't you?" Shen Li pointed to the dagger hanging at his waist: "How about that?"
"How dare you! You know what this is and yet you dare to take it?" Mingyue scolded.
"Scared?" Shen Li raised an eyebrow at her. "Afraid that even if I lose my inner strength and am only holding a dagger, I can still knock my weapon out of your hand?"
“You…” Mingyue felt a slight pain in her hand when she thought of the scene of their fight.
In terms of internal strength, he was indeed far inferior to this woman.
"Here you go, I want to see what you're capable of." The masked man also wanted to test Shen Li's true abilities, so he took off his dagger and threw it over.
Shen Li then discovered that the dagger was lighter than she had imagined. The scabbard and hilt were inlaid with colorful gemstones, with a black cat's eye stone on the hilt being particularly eye-catching.
Upon drawing the dagger, I discovered its chilling gleam; reflecting the moonlight in the pitch-black night, it seemed even more dazzling than the moonlight itself.
Shen Li had no knowledge of weapons, but even with ordinary eyes, she could tell that this was a good weapon.
Those who drew their swords showed some apprehension upon seeing Shen Li's dagger unsheathed, and some even took a step back.
"Come on." Shen Li stood up and glanced at the men with swords. Her expression seemed casual, but her eyes were dark. "Don't cry if you kill them."
Even in dangerous places like the palace and the imperial court, few people dared to point a gleaming sword at her; these people were quite bold.
The group trembled from the bottom of their hearts when Shen Li glanced at them, but since they were ready to make a move, there was no reason to back down. They exchanged glances and prepared to rush forward.
Just then, Shen Li's ears twitched.
"Stop!" the masked man said. "Someone's coming. Put out the fire and hide."
The group glared at each other resentfully, then, with swords in hand, they skillfully hid behind the doors and windows, listening intently to the sounds outside.