Clouds and Moon Shadow

Chapter 53 Yuan En

Approaching the corner of the wall, Gu Qingyue quietly sensed the situation in the courtyard; there were at least eight guards outside.

There were three people in the southeast corner of the courtyard, three people in the northwest corner, and two people hidden in the shadows in the tree.

Inside the room were an old man and a young man. The old man was in good spirits and was reading a book, while the young man was leaning lazily against the soft couch with a blade of grass in his mouth. Yes, a blade of grass.

Gu Qingyue felt a little withdrawn. Could it be that she had misjudged the situation, and that these two people were not arrested, but rather guests or hosts here?

So carefree and languid, he doesn't look like he's been arrested at all.

But what about the tight security outside?

Suddenly, a noise came from outside the courtyard; bandits were coming.

Gu Qingyue leaned closer to the corner of the wall, trying to hide herself even more.

She glanced around and saw that it was the scarred man who had brought two other people with him.

Sure enough, the scarred man was fine. Gu Qingyue really wanted to go up and grab the scarred man to find out where Liu Feng had been taken.

"Have you thought it through? Who should go see him?" Gu Qingyue was pondering this when the man's voice was low and hoarse.

The two men inside remained silent. The scarred man scoffed, "Have you forgotten you're all scholars? What's with all this talk of integrity? Forget about Old Lin, but you... you're his brother, kid. What do you say? You're perfect for this. Try to persuade him. What's wrong with turning a blind eye? You're both family-oriented..."

The boy interrupted the man's mocking voice, saying, "Wishful thinking, get lost."

The scarred man remained silent for a moment, then sneered again, "Looks like you're eager to experience the eighty-one forms of torture from Tiger Peak Village!"

Gu Qingyue's eyes flickered upon hearing this. She immediately released her spiritual power and saw that the boy still had that carefree attitude, saying, "Whatever."

The scarred man's expression froze, and he glared fiercely at the boy. "Just you wait!"

Seeing the three of them walk away angrily, Gu Qingyue straightened up and looked towards the room.

Who exactly are these two people? Who should turn a blind eye?

Inside the room, the two were completely unaffected by the scarred man from before.

"Sit properly! You have no manners at all! Do you even care about your old face?" The old man turned a page of the book in his hand and said irritably.

"I'm getting so impatient waiting, Third Brother, when are you coming? Has that guy sent the message yet?" The boy took the grass out of his mouth and flicked it into the brazier not far away. He changed his position and continued to curl up on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"It will come, be patient," the old man said, taking a sip of his tea and rolling his eyes at the boy.

"I believe he will come, but I don't know if I'll still be alive when he comes. What exactly do these bandits do? Should my third brother turn a blind eye?" The boy said lazily, resting his chin on his hand.

"Naturally, it's within Young Master Gu's authority. He must have blocked these bandits' path to wealth. Just wait, they'll definitely come," the old man said, turning another page of his book without even looking up.

“They’re coming? We’ve been imprisoned for five days, and the message has been sent out for two days already.” The boy sat up, put on his shoes, walked to the low table, and sat down to face the old man.

"Move aside, you're blocking my light," the old man tapped the boy's head with his book, shoving the boy's head aside before continuing to read.

The boy snorted defiantly, stood up again, and walked towards the window.

It's clear these two oddballs have already sent out the message and are waiting for someone to rescue them. No wonder the young boy was so arrogant just now.

Gu Qingyue squatted in the corner and drew circles. After thinking for a moment, she went to the back wall of the courtyard.

In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Gu Qingyue was standing in the room where the two were being held.

The old man glanced at the boy who had climbed in through the back window, then looked down and continued reading.

Gu Qingyue: ...You're so calm!

The boy turned around and curiously examined the 'short guy' in front of him.

Indeed, Gu Qingyue was at least half a head shorter than the boy in front of her.

"Who are you?" This was the question Gu Qingyue asked.

The boy, who was about to question them, froze on the spot.

Shouldn't he be the one asking that question? Wasn't this short guy here to rescue them?

However, looking at the boy, Gu Qingyue was suddenly struck by a feeling; those eyes and brows looked strangely familiar!

"None of your business," the boy said, a beat late in the minute.

Gu Qingyue snapped out of her daze and froze. "Young man, I have a few words of 'MMP' to say, but I don't know if I should."

"Oh, I was just passing by and asked if you were interested in going out?" Gu Qingyue said casually, leaning against the window with her arms crossed.

"Mind your own business," the boy repeated, his expression quite arrogant.

“Yuan En, alright, this young man meant well,” the old man finally raised his head and spoke, then turned to look at Gu Qingyue: “Come, come, young man, sit down.”

Gu Qingyue did not refuse, lifted her clothes, and sat down cross-legged gracefully.

The boy named Yuan En was furious. How could someone be more arrogant and rude than him? Where could he put his face?

He looked Gu Qingyue up and down, noticing his disheveled hair and obviously torn sleeves. He paused, the words of ridicule he wanted to say stuck in his throat.

"Hmph," the young man flicked his sleeve and sat down as well.

"Old man, were you arrested and brought here?" Gu Qingyue asked knowingly.

"Tch! Mind your own business," the boy immediately retorted.

“Yuan En, you must not be rude,” the old man said, his wise eyes shining with loving light as he looked at Gu Qingyue.

"We have indeed encountered some trouble. And you are?" the old man asked with a smile, then his gaze lingered on Gu Qingyue's features.

"Oh, my senior brother was captured by this bunch of bastards... bandits today. I came in to look for him," Gu Qingyue said without further ado, as now was not the time for dawdling or arguing.

However, she always speaks very politely; it was a mistake just now.

The old man's smile grew even more meaningful. "Young friend, do you know where he's being held?"

Gu Qingyue: ......

This master and apprentice are just trying to annoy people!

Do you know where you can still pass by their room?

"I don't know," Gu Qingyue said firmly.

"Ha!" The boy next to him gave him a look that said, "Look how stupid you are."

Gu Qingyue: I'm so angry! What kind of person is this?

Without hesitation, Gu Qingyue stood up and prepared to leave.

"They usually lock up the people they capture on the back cliff, about 25 minutes from here, to the northeast," the old man said slowly, watching the figure get up to leave.

"Thank you!" Gu Qingyue paused, turned around, and bowed to express her gratitude.

"And you?" Gu Qingyue asked.

"You should hurry and save them," the old man said with a smile.

Gu Qingyue thought about it and realized that finding Liu Feng's location was the most important thing right now. She took out two packets of powder from her pocket and placed them on the table in front of the old man. "These are sleeping pills and poison. Use them carefully, they might be of some help to you."

After saying that, he turned around and nimbly jumped out of the window.

The boy behind him was furious. "Hmph!" This kid! So arrogant?!

People usually only see his back!

"Put it away, this kid's interesting," the old man said, glancing at the paper package on the table before picking up the book again.

Turning around, the boy had returned to his original appearance, showing no trace of the arrogance and provocation he had displayed in front of Gu Qingyue. "Teacher, who is this boy? Is he trustworthy?"

"Those who are destined to meet will meet again," the old man said after a pause.

"The teacher just revealed the location of the prison cliff to him. Will he believe it?" the boy wondered.

"I think so," the old man said after a moment of silence.

After they finished speaking, the two fell silent.

Gu Qingyue leaned against the back wall. She hadn't gone far. Hearing the conversation coming from inside the house, she silently thought to herself: "Demon, climb over the wall and get out."

You can't judge a person by their appearance alone. That boy was definitely doing it on purpose, trying to make me so angry that I'd reveal more information.

Ah!

Looking at the flickering lights not far to the northeast, it seemed there were torches moving around; the old man hadn't lied to her.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Gu Qingyue squatted behind a tree and began to observe the wooden fence gate embedded in front of a huge stone cave. It looked a bit like a prison, so this must be the place.

Looking at the bandits coming and going in front of her, Gu Qingyue was at a loss.

With so many guards and only one entrance, it would be extremely difficult to enter without alerting anyone.

Gu Qingyue leaned against a big tree and began to think of a solution.

As he stood up, preparing to approach and use his mental energy to investigate the situation inside, a sudden force pulled him back by the back of his collar.

Gu Qingyue's heart skipped a beat. She was so focused on looking at the cave entrance that she hadn't noticed anyone approaching!