BSI Chapter 469 Qin Mu and Liu Ruolan's bet: Are these people here to rescue or kill?
Chapter 469 Qin Mu and Liu Ruolan's bet: Are these people here to rescue or kill?
Upon hearing this, Liu Ruolan felt a chill run down her spine.
She didn't say anything, but Qin Mu caught her thoughts with just a slight expression.
Her fear intensified; His Majesty's power was unfathomable, and he could see right through people's hearts.
In his presence, she was like an open book, every page clearly visible, nothing could be hidden.
Liu Ruolan lowered her head, not daring to show any expression, and only continued to watch the prison break below out of the corner of her eye.
Inside the prison, the group of men in black's operation went surprisingly smoothly.
They knew the layout of the prison like the back of their hand, which passage led to which place, how many locks were on which iron gate, and which corner had hidden sentries.
They didn't even kill a single person; they simply took advantage of the guards' laxity and the time difference between shifts to sneak in silently.
A guard was dozing against the wall when they silently passed by him without even touching the hem of his clothes.
Two patrolling soldiers brushed past each other at the corner, and they slipped through the gap between them just as their backs met.
Liu Ruolan watched this scene, feeling a mix of emotions she couldn't quite describe.
If only these people weren't here to kill Han Zhong.
If they really came to rescue Han Zhong, that would be wonderful.
Qin Mu shook his head, his voice cold.
"It seems I'll have to drag all the guards of this prison out and behead them tomorrow. They're utterly useless."
Liu Ruolan felt a chill run down her spine.
She knew Qin Mu was telling the truth; he really would kill those people.
Those guards, those complete strangers she had never met, their lives hung in the balance with Qin Mu's single sentence.
But Liu Ruolan dared not speak.
She's in dire straits herself, barely able to save herself, so how can she possibly care about others?
The man in black moved through the passageway, bypassing iron gates and passing through cold, dark corridors.
The prisoners in the cells on both sides huddled on piles of straw, some groaning, some crying, and some laughing wildly.
They didn't even glance at it, heading straight for the deepest part of the prison.
The deepest, most secluded, and darkest cell.
The iron gate was rusted and the iron lock on it was as thick as a child's arm.
The darkness seeping through the crack in the door was so thick it seemed impenetrable, like a giant beast with its mouth wide open.
A man in black took a thin wire from his sleeve, inserted it into the keyhole, and turned it gently. With a "click," the lock opened.
The iron gate was pushed open with a sharp, teeth-grinding creak.
The man in black bent down and went inside.
The cell was small, containing only a stone bed covered with straw, a dilapidated wooden stool, and a chipped earthenware bowl.
Han Zhong sat on the stone bed, his back against the cold stone wall, his hands hanging at his sides, his shackles dragging on the ground.
His hair was disheveled, lying on his shoulders like withered grass. His face was covered with dried bloodstains and dirt. Thick scabs had formed on the wound on his forehead. His lips were cracked and peeling. His eyes were sunken, bloodshot, and his pupils were unfocused, his gaze empty.
His official robe was tattered beyond recognition, covered in mud and bloodstains, with several holes worn through, revealing bruised skin underneath.
He lowered his head and curled up in the corner of the stone bed, like a soulless corpse that had not yet completely decomposed.
Compared to the General Zhennan who was full of vigor and commanded 50,000 elite troops just a few days ago, he was like a completely different person.
One is in the sky, the other is on the ground.
One is in the clouds, the other is in the mud.
Han Zhong heard footsteps but did not look up.
In the past few days, the Golden Armor Guards have come, Li Si has come, and the jailers have come, but none of them have come to release him.
He had given up hope.
His heart was filled with only despair and pain, like a desolate desert, devoid of any life.
The man in black walked up to him and stopped.
He looked down at Han Zhong, at his inhuman, ghostly appearance, his eyes filled with indifference and no pity.
"General Han."
Han Zhong's fingers twitched slightly.
He hadn't heard that title in a long time.
He slowly raised his head, and a glimmer of light finally appeared in his cloudy, bloodshot eyes.
Han Zhong looked at the man in black in front of him, at his tight-fitting clothes that concealed his face, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.
The man in black's voice remained low and devoid of any emotion.
"We're here to rescue you. Come with us."
Han Zhong's pupils contracted slightly.
Save him? Someone's coming to save him?
A surge of immense joy welled up within him; his lips trembled violently, and his voice became hoarse.
"Who...sent you?"
The man in black remained unmoved, his voice as calm as still water.
"It doesn't matter who sent us. What matters is that you get out of here alive."
Han Zhong's eyes flickered.
He instinctively felt that something was wrong, but he desperately wanted to live.
These days, he has been locked up in this dark and gloomy prison, regretting every moment, fearing every moment, and thinking about his wife, his daughter, and his home every moment.
He doesn't want to die.
Han Zhong gritted his teeth, braced himself against the stone wall, and slowly stood up.
At that very moment, Liu Ruolan in the sky also saw these scenes.
A glint of joy flashed in her eyes, and she screamed wildly in her heart.
These men in black aren't here to kill Han Zhong!
They've come to rescue Han Zhong!
Your Majesty is wrong! Your Majesty has misjudged the situation!
Although she knew that even if these people rescued Han Zhong, he wouldn't escape; there were Golden Armor Guards, Imperial Guards, and His Majesty's inescapable net outside.
But she doesn't care.
She only cares about that one moment.
Qin Mu was wrong.
Even the emperor, who is high above, all-powerful, and seems to control everything, makes mistakes.
A faint yet indescribable sense of joy welled up within her, as if long-suppressed emotions had been released.
Qin Mu's voice suddenly rang out, tinged with a hint of amusement.
Do you think I'm wrong?
Liu Ruolan's body stiffened abruptly, and she quickly lowered her head, her voice trembling.
"I wouldn't dare. I was just wondering if these people might not have been sent by Xu Longxiang?"
Qin Mu smiled and said casually:
"How about we make a bet?"
Liu Ruolan was stunned. She looked up at Qin Mu, her eyes filled with confusion.
"Your Majesty... what kind of bet would you like to make with me?"
Qin Mu's gaze fell on the group of men in black, and the smile on his lips deepened.
"Let's bet on whether this group is here to kill Han Zhong."
Liu Ruolan was slightly taken aback, then blurted out.
"Didn't they just say they were here to rescue people?"
Qin Mu smiled and tapped his finger lightly in the air.
"Very well. Since that's the case, it seems you've chosen them to save people. Then I'll choose them to kill. What do you say?"
Liu Ruolan hesitated.
Her instincts told her it was a trap and she shouldn't agree.
But another voice in her head was saying...
They've already said they came to rescue people, and so many people heard that, how could it be a lie?
Besides, even if His Majesty loses, can he really keep his bet?
Qin Mu's voice rang out again, with a hint of persuasive smile.
"If you win, I will not touch you for the next three years."
Liu Ruolan was immediately overjoyed.
Qin Mu said he wouldn't touch them for three years, so she had three years to figure out a way, three years to wait for Xu Longxiang to raise an army, three years...
Qin Mu's voice suddenly turned cold, like a blade.
"But if you lose, don't blame me for being impolite."
Liu Ruolan's heart sank again.
Her mind raced.
She knew, of course, that this gamble could be a bottomless pit, but she had no way out.
Besides, even without this bet, her and her daughters' safety wouldn't last long.
His Majesty can take action against them at any time. But if he wins the gamble, it means three years of safety.
Considering all that, it's still more worthwhile to take the gamble.
Liu Ruolan bit her lip, a resolute glint in her eyes.
"Very well, then I will make a bet with Your Majesty."
Qin Mu looked at her gambler-like mentality and nodded with a smile.
"Alright. Let's bet then."
Liu Ruolan lowered her head and continued watching the scene in the prison. Her heart was in her throat, and her palms were sweaty.
She prayed frantically in her heart, hoping she would win the gamble and that the men in black really had come to rescue Han Zhong.
Her two daughters also started to get nervous after hearing these words.
Han Xin'er gripped her mother's clothes even tighter. Although Han Qin'er didn't quite understand, she knew that her mother and the Emperor were making a bet, and she knew that her father's life was in this gamble.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she bit her lip and held back her tears.
In the prison, Han Zhong slowly stood up, the shackles rattling loudly.
His legs were trembling and his knees were weak, but he gritted his teeth and walked step by step toward the prison door.
He took three steps.
Then it stopped.
A picture suddenly flashed through his mind.
His wife, Liu Ruolan, stood at the gate of the mansion, looking at him with slightly red eyes, but a smile on her lips.
She said, "Husband, come home soon."
His daughter, Han Xin'er, held her younger sister's hand and stood under the ginkgo tree. The sunlight shone on them, making their two identical faces exceptionally clear.
He cannot leave.
He cannot leave.
If he just goes with this group of men in black, what will His Majesty think?
His Majesty will surely think that he fled to escape punishment, and that he ran away with Xu Longxiang's men.
Then his wife, his daughter, his family—all of them were finished.
None of them will survive.
As I said before, they will only have a chance to live if he dies.
Of course, there is another possibility: even if he dies, they may not necessarily survive; there is only a certain probability.
But if he escapes, they certainly won't survive.
Thinking of this, Han Zhong felt as if his feet were nailed to the ground, unable to move at all.
He shook his head, his voice hoarse, carrying a deep-seated weariness and resignation.
"No... I can't leave with you."
The leader of the men in black frowned sharply, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes.
He waited so long, put in so much effort, and set up such a grand scheme, not just to hear Han Zhong say "you can't leave."
"General Han, you have no choice."
Han Zhong shook his head, took a step back, and the shackles clanged.
"No. I can't leave. If I leave, my whole family will be ruined. You...you can leave. Just pretend you never saw me."
A murderous glint flashed in the eyes of the leader of the men in black.
He looked at Han Zhong, at his timid and indecisive appearance, and his last bit of patience ran out.
His original plan was to lure Han Zhong out of the prison first, and then kill him.
That way, there's no need to go through the trouble of moving the body out.
The prince's order was to remove the corpse from the prison, which would make Qin Mu more suspicious and divert his attention.
So he thought it would be easier to lure Han Zhong out first and then kill him outside.
But to my surprise, Han Zhong was so foolish that he refused to leave.
It seems he has no choice but to take action now.
The man in black winked at his men behind him.
The four men in black simultaneously drew their crossbows from behind their backs, their movements perfectly synchronized and without making a sound.
The crossbow bolts were specially made, with the arrowheads coated with a ghostly green venom that gleamed ominously in the dim light of the oil lamp.
They crouched on the ground, nocked their bows and arrows, and aimed them at Han Zhong's chest, throat, forehead, and heart, blocking all his directions and escape routes.
Han Zhong's eyes widened suddenly, filled with fear and confusion!
"You—you all—"
The leader of the men in black lowered his head and looked at Han Zhong, his gaze calm and still, without a trace of emotion.
"I'm sorry, General."
He waved his hand. The four men in black simultaneously pulled the triggers.
"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—"
Four crossbow bolts shot through the air with a sharp whistling sound, flying towards Han Zhong!
Seeing the four crossbow bolts flying towards him, Han Zhong felt a chill in his heart, followed by a sense of relief.
He slowly closed his eyes.
He thought, "That's fine."
It's okay to die.
Once you're dead, you won't have to suffer anymore, you won't have to worry anymore, and you won't have to regret anything anymore.
But he still felt a trace of resentment and regret.
He had not yet met Ruolan, Xin'er, and Qin'er, nor had he told them that he loved them.
This time!
A sword light descended from the sky!
The sword light was as fast as lightning, slashing down from the void and accurately striking the shafts of the four crossbow bolts!
"Clang clang clang clang—" Four crisp metallic clangs rang out almost simultaneously as four crossbow bolts were cut in two, the broken arrowheads falling to the ground with a "tap-tap" sound.
Han Zhong suddenly opened his eyes and saw four broken arrows lying at his feet, the venom on the arrowheads corroding several small black holes in the ground.
His legs buckled, and he knelt on the ground with a thud.
"Splash—"
The shackles slammed to the ground with a dull thud.
The men in black all changed their expressions and looked up.
A tall and imposing figure slowly appeared in the prison.