Chapter 154: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 

 Chapter 154: 

 

Mian Tang's scalp stung from having her hair yanked, but she didn’t struggle too forcefully. Instead, she put on a frightened expression.

The guard’s shout attracted a few more of his comrades. After a quick exchange of words in Japanese, one of them brought over a wet cloth and roughly wiped Mian Tang’s face. Her stunningly beautiful features were fully revealed, causing the group to momentarily lose themselves in awe before their lustful desires surged. They immediately began groping her.

Mian Tang cleverly used their strength against them, collapsing to her knees while pretending to cry. "Heroes, my father is wealthy. If you let me go back, he’ll pay you a large sum of silver."

One of the men, who understood Chinese, chuckled and said, "Alright, have your father send plenty of silver. We’ll make sure you leave here with a baby in your belly, so your father gets his money's worth!"

After repeating the joke in Japanese, the group of ruffians burst into laughter.

Outside, Lu Zhong, Lu Yi, and the other brothers saw everything clearly, and each of them was fuming with rage. Lu Quan, trembling with anger, pulled out his blade and was ready to rush in to save their leader.

Lu Yi quickly grabbed Lu Quan, restraining his own burning fury. "Don’t act rashly. If we charge in now, Big Boss' entire plan will be ruined. Let’s assess the situation first. If things become hopeless, we’ll go in and rescue her—even if it costs us our lives, we’ll make sure she’s safe."

At that moment, Zhao Quan, who had cried himself hoarse in the cage, followed the sound of the commotion. When he saw the woman surrounded by the group of Japanese bandits, he thought his eyes were deceiving him. Blinking in disbelief, he took another look—wasn’t that Liu Mian Tang?

Could it be… that Beihai had fallen and Prince Huaiyang's family members had also been captured?

While he gaped in shock, Mian Tang caught sight of him. She raised her voice slightly and said, "Please, my lords, have mercy! If you don’t release me, my… my husband will come looking for me with reinforcements!"

Hearing her words, Zhao Quan quickly clamped his mouth shut. It seemed her identity hadn’t been exposed yet. Besides, he had never seen Prince Huaiyang's wife act so submissive and frightened before—it struck him as rather odd.

One of the Japanese bandits grabbed her arm and yanked her up, sneering, "Your husband is nothing but a scrawny chicken! He’s no match for us men from Japan. Once you’ve had some fun with me, you’ll forget all about him! Hahaha!"

Just then, a bandit who had been pushed to the outer edge of the group shouted, "Such a beauty, and you dare to take her for yourselves instead of offering her to the Leader? You’re bold indeed!"

The Japanese bandits froze upon hearing this. In their strict hierarchy, anything valuable had to be presented to the leader, and those below were not allowed to keep it for themselves. Since this particular raid was led by a minor leader named Hayabusa Juro, any beautiful woman had to be offered to him first.

Though Mian Tang didn’t understand their language, she could guess the gist from their actions. She allowed herself to be pushed by two bandits toward the center of the camp.

In the middle of the camp stood a large tent. As soon as the flap was lifted, a wave of heat, the stench of alcohol, and the pungent odor of makeup and sweat hit Mian Tang’s face, almost making her gag. The two bandits, however, took a deep breath, their faces showing expressions of delight.

Mian Tang held back her disgust and, while being shoved into the tent, quickly surveyed her surroundings.

The tent was spacious. At the north side, there was a small bed. Long tables lined both the eastern and western sides, loaded with meats, fruits, and large jars of wine. A large carpet was spread in the center, where a man with an open robe, his face bloated with fat, sat.

This man wasn’t tall, but his enormous belly hung over him, and he couldn’t even touch his navel. His body was covered in layers of fat, and this was none other than the infamous Hayabusa Juro.

The fat leader frowned when the tent was opened, barking out a few sharp words in Japanese, clearly scolding his men. But when he saw Mian Tang, he immediately stopped speaking, his mouth agape as he stared at her, shoving aside the woman who had previously been sitting in his lap.

Nodding repeatedly, Mian Tang paid no attention to what the two bandits were saying; she merely waved her hands, urging them to leave quickly.

In her heart, Mian Tang felt a surge of joy. Inside the tent, there was only the fat leader, the highest-ranking individual in the camp. If she could capture him, not only would she have a chance to escape, but she could also ensure the safety of the other women and Zhao Quan.

While tracking this group of bandits, they had left markers along the way, and Fan Hu was surely leading the elite cavalry toward their location. If she could buy some time, reinforcements would arrive shortly, and she would be safe.

She picked up a bunch of grapes from the table beside her and stepped over to the fat leader, placing the grapes in front of his head. The leader, Hayabusa Juro, let out a hearty laugh, tilting his head back to reach for the grapes while also trying to embrace Mian Tang from behind. 

Mian Tang tossed aside the grapes, evading Hayabusa Juro’s large hand, and swiftly drew the small willow-leaf dagger from her hair, pressing it against his neck. “Don’t make a sound; if you do, I’ll slit your throat,” she whispered.

Hayabusa Juro was taken aback. However, the sight of a delicate girl wielding a dagger barely half an inch long seemed like child's play to him. He thought he could easily deal with such a frail girl, so he wasn’t particularly worried. Instead, he shifted his body to evade the dagger and swung his hands back to strike Mian Tang.

Mian Tang stepped back, avoiding Hayabusa Juro's hands, and quickly kicked the sides of his shoulder blades with the tips of her feet. The kicks struck vital points, causing him to feel a sudden wave of soreness and numbness in his upper body. He couldn't hold himself up and fell to the ground with a thud.

She moved forward and targeted the vital points on his hips, rendering his legs weak and powerless, unable to stand. He was left lying on the ground in shock. Just as he opened his mouth to shout, Mian Tang pressed a finger against his mute point.

Kicking at the soft flesh of his belly, she squatted down, carving a few shallow cuts on his oily face with the dagger before bringing it back to his neck. “Now that you’re in my hands, you’d better behave. Otherwise, I’ll stab you a couple of times first.”

As she spoke, she released the mute point on Hayabusa Juro.

At that moment, Hayabusa Juro looked up at the woman who was raising her eyebrows and staring at him with a wicked expression. She was no longer a delicate flower but a deadly female demon!

The cuts she had made earlier were surprisingly deep. He never expected that such a beautiful woman would be so ruthless; her grip was steady, clearly indicating she was someone formidable!

Now, feeling weak all over and not daring to confront her directly, Hayabusa Juro spoke softly in Chinese, “I understand. Heroine, please don’t hurt me. If you want money, I can have my men give it to you…”

Mian Tang smiled at him and replied, “You’re quite generous! Let’s take a stroll outside! Have your men release the people in the cage and the women outside. Once it’s dawn, I’ll let you go.”

Hayabusa Juro’s eyes darted around, and he agreed.

Mian Tang then drew a long knife from his tent's weapon rack and pressed it against his neck. After unblocking the vital points in his legs, she pushed him out of the camp.

Outside the camp, the atmosphere was still thick with the stench of drunkenness. Hayabusa Juro, with a darkened face, called out to his men, but no one even glanced in his direction.

Fuming with rage, the rotund Hayabusa Juro shouted, “Baka! Are you all dead?”

This outburst indeed drew everyone’s attention. When the raiders saw the little beauty they had previously discovered holding a long knife to their leader's neck, they were all dumbfounded.

Mian Tang coldly ordered, “Hurry! Release those women and the man in the cage, or I will chop your leader into pieces!”

At that moment, the previously submissive Hayabusa Juro burst into a boisterous laugh and said to Mian Tang, “As a noble warrior, how could I surrender to a mere woman? If I’m captured like this, I’d have no face to meet General Eagle! Even if you kill me today, don’t expect to leave the camp alive!”

As he spoke, he shouted in Japanese, “Don’t mind me! Shoot that filthy woman!”

Hearing this, a few men actually picked up their bows and aimed their arrows at Mian Tang.

Unfortunately, Mian Tang swiftly kicked Hayabusa Juro's knee point, causing him to collapse to the ground, his legs giving way beneath him. She then shielded herself behind his bulky frame. Three arrows struck Hayabusa Juro's shoulder and abdomen, causing him to curse loudly, “Baka! Baka! Can’t you aim better before you shoot!”

Using Hayabusa Juro as a makeshift shield, Mian Tang kept silently counting in her head. When she felt the effects of the knock-out powder should be kicking in, she suddenly let out a sharp whistle.

The Yangshan brothers had been waiting for their leader's signal, and upon hearing the whistle, they sprang into action, charging toward the camp.

At that moment, Hayabusa Juro could only watch as his men began to collapse one by one, succumbing to the effects of the knockout drug. They fell to the ground, utterly incapacitated.

However, a portion of the bandits had not consumed the drug-laced wine and quickly drew their blades to engage in battle.

These Eastern bandits had finally met their match against the warriors from the Great Yan.

The loyal brothers remembered how these ruffians had previously mocked their leader, and their rage boiled over. Wherever their swords went, they sliced arms and severed legs without mercy.

In an instant, blood splattered everywhere, brains were shattered, and intestines lay strewn across the ground...

Zhao Quan, suspended in the prison cart, could see the gruesome scene unfold, and his scalp tingled with horror, his pupils dilating in shock.

The nighttime raid did not last long, as the vast majority of the bandits had succumbed to the knockout drug, falling unconscious before being stabbed.

"Boss! None of them escaped; they're all here!" 

Lu Zhong exclaimed with delight as he surveyed the camp, turning to Mian Tang.

She nodded and approached the prison cage, raising her knife to sever the iron chains. Turning to the Marquis, she said, "I apologize for coming late; I hope I did not alarm you..."

The Marquis shrank back in the cage, glancing at the blood-smeared face of Princess Consort Huaiyang, and stammered, "Not late... not late..."

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