Chapter 163: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 

 Chapter 163: 

 

However, Lu Yi, who was nearby, sensed something was off and cautiously asked, “Boss, what did you call Cui Xingzhou?”

Mian Tang looked at the usually reliable Lu Yi and furrowed her brow. “Aren’t the Yangshan brothers always calling that scoundrel ‘Cui the Traitor’?”

At this, the brothers exchanged glances, realizing something wasn’t right.

But Mian Tang didn’t have time to discuss it with them. Avoiding Prince Huaiyang’s warship was the most important thing. 

So she urged Lu Quan to row faster. Lu Yi said to Lu Quan, “Listen to the Boss. Let’s reach the shore first; otherwise, if the reinforcements from the Japanese Pirates arrive, it will be bad news.”

The small boat quickly changed direction, leaving the warship in the North Sea behind as it sailed through the lingering mist. It seemed someone on the large ship was shouting something, but the sounds were drowned out by the crashing waves, making it hard to hear clearly.

The distance to the shore wasn't too far, but it was enough for Mian Tang to explain her situation to them—she had sustained a blow to the head and could only recall events from three years ago, while the recent years were a bit foggy and unclear.

Lu Zhong and Lu Quan were stunned, repeatedly confirming that their boss wasn't joking with them.

Mian Tang was also troubled by her lost memories, feeling as though she couldn’t recall something very important. So she directly said, “You all tell me how I’ve been over the past few years.”

After a moment of silence, Lu Yi replied, “You… got married and even had a son.”

Mian Tang had suspected she had given birth to a child, but after a moment of silence, she asked, “He shouldn’t be called Ziyu, right?”

Lu Quan shook his head vigorously. “Of course not! He has since recovered his true form and ascended to the Golden Palace, becoming the emperor! With three thousand beauties in his harem, why would you want him again?”

Mian Tang held her breath, thinking her heart would ache. After all, the memory of leaving Yangshan was still vivid, and she had been deeply hurt at that time.

But for some reason, this feeling of sadness seemed insufficiently deep, and she couldn't seem to build it up.

Still, she felt compelled to ask again, but the others didn’t respond, as if they had something they couldn’t bring themselves to say.

Mian Tang's heart sank; she thought, “Could it be that I married into a family with poor morals, one that cannot be spoken of?”

With that thought, her expression softened as she said to the three of them, “Is there something you can’t say? As long as I didn’t fall into that traitor Cui’s hands and lose my skills, even if I married someone at random, it would just be a temporary measure. You don’t have to worry; just speak your minds!”

This made the three of them even more dumbfounded, unsure how to explain to their boss how she had ended up in the hands of the traitor Cui.

Lu Yi thought it would be better to explain to their boss slowly, so he hesitated and said, “You were rescued at the time and married a merchant named Cui Jiu…”

Mian Tang’s eyes widened as she exclaimed, “I married that fat pig?”

If her memory served her right, her father had arranged for her to marry the ninth son of the Cui family. Just thinking of that plump figure made her stomach turn. She had somehow circled back and married that man, shared a bed with him for three years, and even had a son—it was enough to make anyone feel nauseated!

Seeing that Lu Yi seemed about to continue, she waved her hand and said, “Don’t say any more… Give me a moment…”

Mian Tang patted her chest, finally managing to suppress the feeling of disgust. But just then, the previous warship appeared by the riverbank.

Mian Tang had sharp eyesight and noticed several people lowering a small boat, preparing to come ashore.

“Not good! The officials are coming to catch us—let’s go!” She said this while darting toward the nearby bushes.

Lu Quan was still in a daze, watching their boss move like a rabbit and vanish from sight. With a long face, he asked, “What should we do? Should we tell the boss the truth?”

Lu Zhong resigned himself to following Mian Tang and said, “You said it yourself; what if the boss doesn’t recognize you and assumes you were bought off by Prince Huaiyang? Be careful; she might not listen to your explanation and could stab you through the heart!”

Lu Quan thought about their boss's temper and felt that was indeed a real possibility.

Just then, the small boat reached the riverbank. They turned back to see Prince Huaiyang, with a grim expression, chasing after them.

Thinking about the various things that Prince Huaiyang had done after their boss went missing made their hearts race with fear.

It was truly a case of wolves in front and tigers behind!

So they hurriedly chased after their boss to avoid losing her again, lest the ruthless traitor Cui harm her.

As for Cui Xingzhou, he hadn’t closed his eyes for several days and nights since he heard the news of Liu Mian Tang's disappearance.

The whole situation surrounding Mian Tang’s abduction was shrouded in mystery. Especially the imperial envoy sent by the court seemed to be working in cahoots with the Japanese, keeping him firmly tied up and making Mian Tang miss the opportunity to discuss matters with him.

Initially, enduring the envoy’s difficulties, Cui Xingzhou thought he could save his breath and slowly deal with them. 

However, upon confirming that Liu Mian Tang had been taken to their Island, Cui Xingzhou confiscated the weapons of the imperial guards that the envoy had brought and directly tied the two officials to the torture rack, demanding to know their connections with the Japanese.

At first, the two officials held their ground, thinking that Cui Xingzhou was just trying to scare them, as even the emperor would never demean scholars in such a way.

But when the various torture instruments were actually brought out, they realized that Prince Huaiyang was serious.

Cui Xingzhou explained that the northern seas were filled with poisonous miasma, and when the time came, he would tell the court that the envoys had collectively contracted a plague and perished together. To prevent the spread of infection, he would order their bodies to be cremated on the spot. They wouldn’t even be able to rest in their ancestral graves.

At this point, the two men realized that Prince Huaiyang had truly gone mad. Unable to withstand the pressure any longer, they quickly revealed that this was an order from the Stone National Father-in-law, but they genuinely did not know how this matter was related to the Japanese.

While the imperial envoys were being interrogated, Cui Xingzhou, filled with killing intent, personally kicked open the door of Master Xie’s residence. He told the startled Old Xie that his wife had put herself in danger to save the old man, and now he needed sea vessels to assault the island and rescue her.

Thus, Master Xie and his apprentices had to quickly modify two usable boats. Of course, if they were a little slower, it would still be acceptable—if it took more than half an hour, he would kill one of Master Xie’s apprentices, continuing until all of them were dead.

Master Xie’s usual aloofness could no longer hold its ground in front of the mad dog prince. He quickly got to work, sketching out plans and organizing the craftsmen to work overnight. They temporarily modified two small warships, adding cannons and protective plating. Although these boats couldn’t compare to the originally planned larger ships, they were barely sufficient for the task of going to the island to rescue people.

Just a while ago, when they encountered the Japanese cargo ship along the way, Cui Xingzhou’s subordinates captured two Japanese men who were preparing to escape into the water. Upon questioning, they learned that their general had already fled by ship.

The reason the General had personally come was that they were chasing after a beautiful woman from the Great Yan, who had already jumped into the water to escape.

Cui Xingzhou instinctively guessed that the one who had fallen into the water was Mian Tang, especially since someone had seen the three brothers who had left first apparently pulling someone out of the water before heading ashore.

Immediately, Cui Xingzhou ordered his men to split into two groups—one group would take the warship toward Ko Island, while he would pursue the three loyal brothers' boat to land first.

From a distance, he spotted Mian Tang's figure, and he was extremely excited. 

What Mian Tang had experienced in the past few days was unimportant; as long as she was safe, that was all that mattered!

However, when the woman saw his ship, she ran away faster than a rabbit! In the blink of an eye, she vanished without a trace. What on earth was going on?

Cui Xingzhou felt a sinking feeling in his heart, intuitively sensing that Mian Tang had encountered something unfortunate on Ko Island and was unable to face him.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t even wait for the ship to dock; he leaped into the water and swam toward the forest on the shore.

Just as he plunged into the dense woods, a sharp sword energy suddenly came at him from an angle. Cui Xingzhou dodged, but the sword continued to attack him relentlessly.

The intense and murderous moves were no joke; they were aimed to kill.

Though Cui Xingzhou had often sparred with his beloved wife before, he had never encountered such a life-or-death fighting style.

“Dog thief! Come and take your life!” With a sharp shout from Liu Mian Tang, another sword thrust came at him.

This time, Cui Xingzhou simply grabbed the sword's body with his gloved hand, made of iron wire, and pulled her into his embrace, his face filled with surprise and anger. “You... want to kill me?”

When Mian Tang initially saw someone chasing after her, she planned to capture a hostage to determine the number of pursuers.

However, she never expected that the soldier pursuing her would be so skilled, able to disarm her with his bare hands and pull her over.

As she looked up, she finally saw his face... Goodness, there really were such handsome men in the world! Beneath his high nose, the corners of his thin lips seemed to naturally curve into a smile, slightly lifting, which softened the intense and ominous aura that radiated from his eyes.

The first thought that flashed through Liu Mian Tang's mind wasn't how to break free from his grasp but rather: I wonder if this guy is married... Though he’s good-looking, he doesn’t seem the type to settle down. With a face that has a hint of a romantic aura, whoever becomes his wife will surely find it exhausting.

Cui Xingzhou noticed that Mian Tang was staring at him in a daze, seemingly startled. He instinctively loosened his grip slightly and was about to speak to her when she suddenly smiled at him.

Cui Xingzhou couldn't help but curve his lips in response, but in that moment of distraction, she suddenly struck a pressure point on the side of his neck with her delicate fingers. Half of his body went numb, and he tilted to the side slightly.

At that moment, Mian Tang had already seized the weapon from his hand, placing one foot on his chest while pressing the tip of her sword against his throat. "Be honest! Don’t move!" she commanded.

Cui Xingzhou looked up at her, seemingly still defiant, his thin lips pressed tightly together. Mian Tang glanced at his stubborn expression and couldn't help but pick up the scabbard with her other hand, playfully patting his face. "You're quite handsome. Now tell me, how many of you are there? If you’re honest, I won’t cut this pretty face of yours."

Her demeanor resembled that of a mountain bandit who had just robbed a young bride.

Cui Xingzhou could no longer hold back his frustration and shouted at the three men hiding behind the trees, "Lu Zhong, you all come out! What the hell is going on here?!"

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