RPAGF Chapter 236 The Refugee Team
Chapter 236 The Refugee Team
They walked through the mountains for a whole night, not because they had gone very far, but because the road was difficult and all of the dozen or so people were injured. Only Shen Li was alright, and she even managed to take some dry food, water, and two clean sets of coarse cloth clothes that had been prepared in the mountains.
Clearly, this place served as a refuge for all living needs, so she wore her coarse cloth clothes over them. She neither got cold nor hungry along the way; compared to the previous forced marches, this time it felt more like a stroll.
But she still had to appear weak. She thought that a martial artist who had lost all his internal strength should be a little weak, not as energetic as she was in her normal state.
It was already dawn when they left the mountains. They were in a mountain village, where the farmers welcomed them and settled them in an empty house. Everyone changed into farmers' coarse cloth clothes.
Shen Li finally understood why the government could never find anyone during their raids: the Red Lotus Sect had penetrated too deeply into the lives of the people, and with the people providing cover, it was indeed difficult to be discovered.
But this time the officers and soldiers conducted a particularly thorough search, checking every household and even empty houses.
They could only hide temporarily in the secret cellar, waiting for the others to leave before coming out.
A maidservant leaned against the window and waited until all the soldiers had left before saying, "Master, everything is alright now, you can come out."
As Shen Li watched the people slowly emerge from the cellar, she couldn't help but laugh and said, "I thought you Red Lotus Cult members lived a carefree life with your followers all over the world, but it turns out you're nothing special, just like rats in the ground."
There was a hint of anger in the man's eyes beneath his mask.
"I misspoke. You don't even dare to show your faces. You're worse than rats," Shen Li said again, before taking over the only bed in the room.
"Get out of here! Didn't you see that your master is injured?" the maid said angrily.
"That's your master, not mine." Shen Li lay down leisurely and said, "Don't disturb my rest, or I'll definitely cause some trouble when they come back."
“You…” The maid almost drew her sword again.
"I won't argue with her." The man in red waved his hand and pointed to the couch in the outer room: "Help me to that side."
"Master, she..." The maid's face turned red with anger, but she dared not continue speaking because of her master's authority.
The man was clearly badly injured and had walked such a long way that he had no energy left to deal with Shen Li. He quickly fell into a light sleep after lying down.
Hearing that there was no noise from the outer room, Shen Li found some bedding in the closet and went to sleep.
She was also a light sleeper, and although she seemed fearless, it didn't mean the environment was truly safe.
Moreover, she stayed with a purpose: she wanted to gather information at all times.
Sure enough, she hadn't slept for long when the door to the outer room opened, and someone came in. The man was also awake, but they didn't speak.
She must have sent a note in, because she could vaguely hear the sound of paper rubbing together.
Then the man lay down again, and she heard a faint sound of something being put down, most likely his mask.
This is a ghost mask, it looks fierce and menacing, and I wonder what kind of face is behind it.
Shen Li slept until evening. She woke up when she heard a noise outside the door, and a moment later the door was pushed open.
"My lord, I have received word that the government troops are going to search the village again, and towns and villages within a hundred miles will be sealed off and searched every day. I'm afraid we can't stay here any longer."
"Why are the officers and soldiers so vigilant this time?" a maid asked in surprise.
"It is said that the dog emperor has appointed a cabinet minister to oversee this matter, and the capital has mobilized tens of thousands of troops from three major camps overnight. As soon as the troops arrive, they will set up checkpoints everywhere to seal off this area," the man added.
Shen Li blinked. A cabinet minister? Such a dedicated cabinet minister must be her father.
“This is troublesome. If we can’t get into the city, we can’t go back to the south. But being stuck here isn’t a solution either,” another maid said.
The masked man spoke after a while: "Contact the nearest branch to provide support. We must get through Anzhou City before the three main camps arrive."
"Yes, sir, I'll arrange it right away." The man replied, then asked, "And what about you now, sir?"
"We can't stay here any longer. Are there any more secluded places to stay outside the city?" the masked man asked.
"There's an abandoned Taoist temple in the mountains five miles away. Few people go there, but it's too dilapidated..."
The masked man said decisively, "Right there. The branch members must arrive before tonight."
"Yes, I will go right away."
Shen Li was then called to her feet and escorted out of the village along with the dozen or so injured people. Under the cover of night, they made their way into the dense forest on the mountain.
She brought some clothes, blankets, dry food, and water, and asked the escorts to carry them on their backs.
The maidservant couldn't stand it anymore: "What time is it? You're still carrying these things. We'll be dragged down by you sooner or later."
"If you don't want to be dragged down, you can let me go." Shen Li replied calmly, "Do you think I want to be a rat in the street with you? I've never suffered like this in my life."
"You..." The maid was speechless with anger, but she couldn't find any way to refute it.
Shen Li kindly said, "If you ask me, you should turn yourselves in. You're going to die sooner or later anyway, so why suffer like this?"
"Shut up!" another maid scolded. "My mistress will be fine. Even if she is in danger, she will kill you first."
“Even if you kill me, your rebellion won’t succeed; you’ll still be caught,” Shen Li replied calmly.
Now it wasn't just two maids; the whole group was furious. Was this woman's mouth poisoned?
"But I'm also curious, you all know that assassinations are unlikely to succeed, so why do you still take the risk?" she asked, observing the expressions of the people in the darkness.
The maid snorted, "It's all because of you..."
"Mingyue," the masked man interrupted sharply, "Stop talking."
The maid belatedly glared at Shen Li, realizing she had almost been tricked into revealing information.
Shen Li's gaze darkened slightly. She became increasingly certain that this assassination attempt was unusual, and that there must be a traitor within the court, most likely from the Crown Prince's faction.
Judging from the current situation, the one who benefits the most from Emperor Cheng's death is the Crown Prince, while the one who is most disadvantaged is Prince Yi. Not only will he no longer have the opportunity to seize the throne, but he will also be killed by the new emperor to establish his authority.
But based on her understanding of Li Heng, she knew he didn't have the guts. At least he hadn't done it in his previous life. He was only desperate because he was in a losing situation this time.
She wanted to continue investigating this matter. Whether Li Heng did it himself or his subordinates did it, he couldn't escape responsibility.
If the crown prince is not guilty of any wrongdoing, then colluding with rebels is simply courting death.
Shen Li made up her mind to follow this team, but she wanted to find a way to leave some clues for Gu Chang'an so that he wouldn't worry.
Where should I leave this message so that he can see it without attracting the attention of this group of people?
She looked around and noticed that the masked man had been helped to her side at some point, his eyes behind the mask staring at her seemingly unnoticed.