The Demon Lords

Chapter 533 42: Light at the End of the Tunnel_1

You might not believe it, but we've been laying low in these mountains for three days, only to end up capturing one of our own.

At that moment, Zheng Fan, A Ming, and the blind man's eyes met. The blind man had no sight, but he pretended as if he did!

This misunderstanding couldn't possibly be resolved because two Spy Bureau members had already been killed by our side. Even if this incident were reported, it wouldn't end well. Lord Jingnan could cover up many things; his protective influence was among the top three in all of Yan. But the question remained: since you discovered the Helian Family's treasury, why didn't you report it? How dare you, a mere City Defender of Shengle City, secretly seek out the treasury for yourself, intending to swallow it whole? What were your intentions?

The whole affair had become a problem that clung to them.

Therefore, this brave man from the Spy Bureau... whether he wanted to meet his end or not, he had to. Regardless, he wasn't leaving here alive.

Zheng Fan reached out and removed the file previously jammed in the man's mouth. The man promptly spoke, "Who are you people!"

Zheng Fan calmly replied, "The Eastern Depot of Dacheng State!"

The blind man: "..."

A Ming: "..."

"The Eastern Depot?"

"An agency like your Yan State's Spy Bureau."

The man's eyes narrowed slightly; he seemed to be mentally analyzing the accuracy of the information.

"The Helian Family's treasury belongs to us, the Jin people! You Yan people took our land and are still not satisfied. Do you still intend to covet the hard-earned wealth of us Jin people?"

"What a joke! The Helian Family's lands are clearly the territory of our Great Yan. The Helian Family's possessions are therefore the possessions of our Great Yan!"

Quite the brave fellow, and he certainly sounded like someone from Yan, Zheng Fan thought.

A thought struck Zheng Fan, and he chuckled, "You've certainly gone through a lot of trouble, painstakingly releasing Miss Helian. Unfortunately for you, it's we who benefit now."

Upon hearing this, the man's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "You—you have a secret agent in the Spy Bureau!"

He didn't say the next part, but everyone could guess it: Otherwise, how could you know this information?

Zheng Fan heaved a sigh of relief. He had guessed correctly. In fact, after learning Helian Baozhu's identity, Zheng Fan had his suspicions. He deeply understood the methods of the Yan people. Tian Wujing was the kind of man who could annihilate his own entire clan, and a madman like Li Fusheng was a commander also trained by the North Army. The Helian Family had dared to kick Yan when they were down and attack them; how could Yan not retaliate by wiping them out completely?

It appeared this was indeed the case. Helian Baozhu had clearly been intentionally released by the Spy Bureau, who were hoping to use a long line to catch a big fish.

The man sneered, saying, "You won't get away! There are several thousand of my Yan Army soldiers nearby!"

Zheng Fan was taken aback for a moment, then quickly understood what the man meant. Obviously, the military action a few days ago had surprised these Spy Bureau agents, causing them to lose track of Helian Baozhu and her party.

So, the thousands of Yan Army soldiers this man just mentioned must be my own troops, Zheng Fan mused. Heh, interesting. Threatening me with my own troops?

At this moment, the blind man spoke, "My lord... Director."

"Hmm?"

"I have a few words for him."

"Go ahead."

The blind man lowered his head, looked at the man, and said, "You see, your two brothers are already dead, and you've fallen into our hands. If you're willing, you can defect to our Eastern Depot. In the future, you'll enjoy endless..."

The man's body suddenly trembled. Blood began to gush from his mouth, his eyes filled with mockery. He had bitten his tongue.

The blind man sighed and looked back at Zheng Fan, who nodded. Understanding, the blind man covered the man's eyes and plunged a silver needle directly into an acupoint, giving him a quick, painless death.

Fanli, who had been by the edge of the pool, climbed out, completely drenched and carrying a corpse on his back.

"Just in time, Ah Li. Dig a hole and bury these three."

Fanli scratched his head, then nodded. Hoisting the three bodies onto his broad back, he walked off into the distance and began digging.

Just then, Xue Three returned, a bloodied dagger in his hand.

"My lord, I've taken care of the other two over there. Huh? Where's the live captive?"

Xue Three was puzzled. Why are they all dead?

"We killed the wrong people. They were from the Spy Bureau," the blind man explained.

"The Yan State's Spy Bureau?" Xue Three seemed to have an epiphany. "No wonder the last man I killed cursed me with a Yan accent before he died. I thought I'd misheard."

Zheng Fan sat down again at the cave entrance and said, "San'er, go retrieve those two bodies. Give them to Fanli to bury as well."

They were fellow soldiers, after all. Killing them had been a misunderstanding, Zheng Fan thought.

Xue Three nodded and turned to fetch the corpses.

A Ming sat down, examined the wound on his abdomen, then silently took out his waterskin and drank a few mouthfuls of blood.

The blind man turned to Zheng Fan and said, "My lord, since the Spy Bureau managed to find their way here, it proves that the Yan court hasn't found the treasury's contact person either. We still have a great opportunity."

Zheng Fan rubbed between his brows and said, "Things aren't as simple as they were before."

"My lord, don't worry about that. Isn't the identity you mentioned earlier perfect? We can just pin the blame on someone else—Cheng State's Eastern Depot, Qian State's Silver Armored Guard, or even some Jianghu gangs. If we stage it cleverly and leave a few clues, we can definitely clear our names. Even if we find the treasury, we can find a way to launder the money. It's just wealth, after all. No need to spend it like a nouveau riche."

Zheng Fan nodded and said, "You always think things through so thoroughly."

No matter what, he couldn't let go of the treasury. They had waited nearly three days. To give up now would be a terrible loss, wouldn't it? The Spy Bureau, while adding some pressure, didn't mean much to Zheng Fan and his group. They harbored no profound patriotic feelings for Great Yan, nor did they feel much guilt.

"Once Ah Li finishes burying the bodies, we'll continue. We'll wait another three days. If the contact person still hasn't appeared by then, we'll stop this foolish waiting." After all, there were still many things to do back home; they couldn't just stay here indefinitely, dreaming of striking it rich.

"Understood, My lord," the blind man affirmed.

...

"Ah Li, dig a little deeper. Bury these two as well."

"Alright."

Xue Three clapped his hands and said, "Well, I'm heading back to My lord. You carry on here."

"Alright."

Xue Three successfully slacked off and hurried back. He knew that taking advantage of such brief gaps to offer some flattery was an easy way to score points.

Fanli was left alone, digging the grave. He worked quickly, and soon, a large pit was ready. He climbed out, sat down, and prepared to rest for a moment before placing the bodies inside.

But just then, a sudden noise came from the woods ahead.

Fanli seemed not to hear it at all, merely shifting his body slightly closer to the twin axes he had left on the ground.

The next moment, two figures emerged from the woods. Yes, they just walked out, bold as brass. This made even Fanli, who was usually quite simple-minded, feel that these two were being audacious to the point of foolishness.

Both were dressed in typical wild people attire—animal skins—one carrying a bow and arrows, the other a knife.

The one with the knife walked straight to the five unburied corpses, squatted down, and examined them. Then, he excitedly turned to his companion and exclaimed, "No mistake! These are men from the Yan bastards' Spy Bureau!"

Fanli furrowed his brows. This isn't as simple as it looks, he sensed. At the same time, he unconsciously reined in his impulse to swing his axes.

Fanli stared at them and asked, "Which hill are you from?"

The wildman holding the bow immediately said, "That's right, we're from Geda Mountain!"

Fanli: "..."

Fanli now understood how the other Demon Kings must feel when they looked at him.

"When Boss Yang came to find us, he was being chased by Yan bastards and had been shot with several arrows. By the time he made it to Geda Mountain and found us, he was gone. My brother and I left Geda Mountain and have been searching for you for days. We almost ran into the Yan bastards' Spy Bureau a few times. A while ago, the Yan bastards' troops also came, causing a huge commotion. Thankfully, we finally found you."

At this point, the other wildman spoke, "Is the Young Lady alright?"

"She's fine," Fanli replied.

"Take us to see the Young Lady. It's not safe here. After we meet up with her, we'll leave immediately."

"Alright," Fanli continued to nod. However, he then pointed at the five bodies on the ground and said, "Let's bury these men first."

Saying this, paying no mind to the two men beside him, he bent down and tossed the five bodies of the Yan people into the pit.

The wildman with the bow nodded and said, "Right. We should deal with these Yan bastards' bodies first, or they might expose our tracks. You're very thorough."

Fanli nodded earnestly, agreeing completely.

After the bodies were buried, Fanli pointed behind him and said, "The Young Lady is over there. Follow me."

With that, Fanli picked up his axes and headed back, the two wildmen following him.

Then, to the utter astonishment of Zheng Fan, the blind man, A Ming, and Xue Three, Fanli brought the two men straight back, pointed at them, and announced, "People from Geda Mountain. They're here to pick us up."

The two wildmen immediately cupped their fists in greeting.

"I am Ah Tong."

"I am Ah Mu."

Xue Three desperately wanted to ask Fanli, You were sent to bury corpses; where in the world did you manage to pick up a pair of Astro Boys?

But soon, Xue Three noticed that something was amiss, because he saw My lord and the blind man both begin to tremble slightly. The corners of their eyes even brimmed with tears. Their mouths were slightly ajar, with a few strands of saliva glistening between their lips.

Holy crap, are you two getting into character that fast?!

Zheng Fan immediately stepped out of the cave, walked three paces, stopped, then took three more. His face was etched with the expression of one who had endured countless hardships and finally found their compatriots.

With a voice choked full of shock, anticipation, caution, and disbelief, he cried out, "Really? Is it truly you? Is it really you? Why did it take you so long? Why are you only here now?!"