He Yuzhu returns in Siheyuan

Chapter 763 Prepare to save people

He Yao listened to Zhang Qi's words and just nodded indifferently without even raising his eyelids. Then he turned around and faced the center of the yard. There was no extra expression on his face, as if he had not met anyone just now. His whole body exuded a sense of alienation and alienation.

Zhang Qi, observing his expression, understood roughly what was going on—he was waiting for a show. The two of them sidled aside in unison, standing in the corner. The Public Security Bureau had rounded up nearly all of Liu Qi's company, leaving no one behind. The empty courtyard was hushed and eerie, devoid of even a guard. The only sound was the wind rustling through the leaves of the old locust tree in the corner, a sound that seemed to lament the desolation.

Zhang Qi spat on the ground, curled his lips, and looked at He Yao and said, "Say, what are we still doing here? That loser Liu Qi has been arrested, and all the valuables in the company have been confiscated. There's not even a decent table left. We should leave. Do we really have to go to the trouble of saving him? That guy is usually very stingy, and he might even want us to help him for free."

He Yao's lips curled up into a playful smile, his eyes filled with calculation. "Why are you in such a hurry? I want to see what price Liu Qi can offer us to rescue him. Every day he stays in there, the more scared he becomes. If the price isn't right, we can just leave and continue living somewhere else. With our skills, how can we be afraid of those Public Security Bureau people? If they really start fighting, they might not be able to stop us."

Zhang Qi was amused by his words. He raised his hand and patted his arm, then stopped laughing and said seriously, "Okay, that's what you say. But even though the Public Security Bureau is no match for us, we still have to be careful. If they really target us while we're trying to rescue someone, and it turns into a city-wide manhunt, we're probably going to end up in a bad situation. It's better to have less trouble than more. There's no need to take risks for someone who has nothing to do with us."

He Yao nodded, agreeing with him. "Alright, I know my limits. Besides, the current Tiger Sect is a bunch of losers. They can barely protect themselves. All they do is fight among themselves over their small sect territory. One day they fight for the position of elder, the next day they fight for a training ground. How can they care about our affairs? We can relax."

The two exchanged glances, each seeing a hint of indifference in the other's eyes. To them, Liu Qi's life or death was irrelevant; what mattered was whether they could reap tangible benefits from this. If they could, they would put in some effort; if not, they could always withdraw and continue their carefree life elsewhere, perfectly at ease.

The wind blew harder, picking up a few dead leaves on the ground and swirling them past their feet. The yard was still empty, with only their shadows stretched out by the setting sun, revealing a sense of carefree casualness.

Zhang Qi said nothing more, merely exchanging a glance with He Yao. Using the thick darkness as cover, the two men slipped silently through the back wall. Their feet landed as light as falling leaves, and following the previously memorized route, they found the entrance to the secret room through twists and turns. He Yao stepped forward and, following the signal Liu Qi had left, carefully turned a loose brick in the corner. The secret door clicked open, a crack visible.

Entering the secret room, the only light filtering through the cracks in the wall was a faint glow. They immediately spotted a yellowed piece of paper on the wooden table against the wall, with a small object beside it. In the dim light, it shone with a warm sheen, resembling an unassuming pebble, yet possessing a more lustrous sheen than stone.

Before He Yao could react, Zhang Qi's pupils suddenly shrank. He quickly walked over and grabbed the object in his hand. The moment his fingertips touched it, a weak but pure energy passed through his fingertips. He exclaimed, "This is a spirit stone! I didn't expect Liu Qi to have this thing. I wonder where he got it from!"

He casually picked up the paper on the table and unfolded it in the dim light. The handwriting was crooked, as if written in haste, but the content was simple and straightforward. It turned out that Liu Qi had long anticipated that his many evil deeds would eventually be exposed, and he had deliberately left this letter as a bargaining chip.

"He Yao, Zhang Qi, I know this kind of stone is useful to you cultivators. I still have quite a few, hidden in a secret place. I guess by the time you see this letter, I'll have been captured. If you want to get the remaining spirit stones, you must rescue me, otherwise forget it."

He Yao came over to read it, then looked up at Zhang Qi with a somewhat anxious look in his eyes: "What do you think about this?"

Zhang Qi stroked the spirit stone in his hand, feeling the pure spiritual energy, his eyes gleaming with greed. "Think about it, if we could have enough spirit stones to break through our current bottleneck and reach the legendary realm, then even if the sect elders came in person, we wouldn't have to be afraid. Then, wouldn't we be able to do whatever we want in this world? This little risk is worth taking!"

He Yao nodded vigorously and clenched his fists. "You're right! We really have to save Liu Qi. Without the spirit stones, we might be stuck at this point for the rest of our lives!"

"But there's no rush." ​​Zhang Qi held his arm, his tone grave. "What kind of place is the Public Security Bureau? It's definitely heavily guarded. Let's go explore the area first, see what the defense arrangements are like, and get to know the details first. Otherwise, we might act rashly and alert the enemy, ruining the situation. Then we won't get the spirit stones, and we'll get ourselves into trouble."

He Yao responded repeatedly, and the two of them immediately turned off the dim light in the secret room and retreated quietly. They soon reached the vicinity of the Public Security Bureau and hid in the shadows of the street corner, like two dormant wolves, carefully observing the movements around them.

Liu Qi, now in the detention room, was fidgeting restlessly, pacing back and forth in the cramped space. The pale light from outside the iron bars only made his face look even uglier. He kept thinking to himself: They must have seen the letter and understand the importance of the Spirit Stone. They would definitely come to save me. The stone was just a beautiful toy for me, but for those of us who practiced Taoism, it was a life-saving treasure. They would never watch him being executed, cutting off his source of Spirit Stones.

He knew all too well the magnitude of his crimes—smuggling contraband, hiring a hitman, each one worthy of the death penalty. If he were to go to trial, there would be only one outcome: death. So even if he could only hide in the mountains and forests after being rescued, never to live an upright life, it was better than waiting for death in this cold iron cell. He had to give it a try!

Liu Qi clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. He had only one thought in his mind: once they made their move, even if he had to risk his life trying to escape, he would never die in this iron prison surrounded by walls. At least outside, the sky was blue and the wind was free.