Wang Qi'an was surprised and said:
"Xu Tianheng and Wen Yueying are both weak in martial arts. I didn't expect that they would be vulnerable to these two people. It seems that we have to be more careful."
Xu Gongming smiled and said:
"This may not necessarily be a real sword fight. It is said that Quan Zitan's martial arts is good, but at most he is on par with Xu Tianheng and Uncle Zhong.
In order to deal with them, there are many tricks in the world, not to mention that the tea they drank was drugged. "
Wang Qi'an showed his original expression.
"Listening to their words, it sounds like they are waiting for someone?" he pondered.
Xu Gongming said "hmm" in agreement and thought:
"Nanwu...could he be waiting for the villagers you happened to rescue?"
Wang Qi'an's eyes flashed and he said with great joy:
"If this is the case, then there is a high probability that there are people kidnapped from other places hiding here. Otherwise, let alone ten days, they may have to wait forever."
Xu Gongming also felt that it made sense and said in an excited tone:
"Let's go, let's search from this mansion first."
The two of them returned to Ji Wurui's speedboat with disappointed faces, showing that the search in Quan Mansion yielded no results.
"It seems we have to look elsewhere." Xu Gongming said.
Sanjiang Wharf is the confluence of Fenghua River, Yao River and Yongjiang River. Ships and boats of various sizes are scattered all over Sanjiang, stretching for several miles.
From here, you can go to the sea along the Yongjiang River in a matter of hours, or go east to Fusang, Ryukyu and other places in Japan, or go south to Sri Lanka, Tianzhu, Brahman and other Southeast Asian countries.
Therefore, the dock is the busiest in East Vietnam.
At this moment, boats are coming and going, cargo is being loaded and unloaded, carriages and horses are coming, and people are noisy.
Three four-masted, three-story giant ships were docked at prominent locations along the river.
On the deck of each ship, there are seven or eight men in blue suits guarding the entrance to the boarding ladder.
At this time, I saw two young men with torn and dirty clothes, weaving in and out of the crowd and goods at the pier, pushing and dodging, and escaping in a panic.
Many boxes and bags were knocked to the ground, causing people on the side to curse.
A group of policemen in official uniforms and armed with swords followed closely behind them, shouting:
"Don't run, don't run, come on, help catch these two thieves!"
It turned out that the officers and soldiers were catching the thief, so everyone ducked aside and got out of the way.
The two sloppy young men rushed to the three giant ships on the riverside. They saw pursuers on the left and right, and the police were gradually surrounding them.
The two looked at each other, spread out their movements, and swept towards one of the giant ships.
"Hey, what are you doing? Do you know whose boat this is? Get off quickly!"
When a group of green-shirted guards saw the two thieves daring to escape onto the boat, they stepped forward to stop them and scold them.
But despite looking like sloppy beggars, these two men were extremely fast. They were dodging left and right, but the guards couldn't catch them.
At this time, the group of officers and soldiers who were following closely also boarded the ship along the vertical ladder.
The green-clothed guard tried to stop him, but someone next to him shouted:
"This is Mr. Xu, the capital's best catcher. He has the emperor's mandate to capture serious criminals. What do you want to do? But do you want to take advantage of the opportunity to hide your accomplices in the crime?"
The tall, thin and lean man at the head was Xu Gongming. He took out something from his waist. When everyone saw that it was a genuine official token, they had no choice but to retreat.
The two slovenly men were so dexterous that they often slipped away from everyone at critical moments.
In this way, a large group of people chased each other on the ship, jumping up and down, crossing the hall and the house, and jumping from this ship to that boat. The three giant ships suffered together and were turned upside down.
Seeing more and more people gathering on the shore, the two slovenly men suddenly landed on the shore, passed through the crowd, and escaped quickly.
All the officers and soldiers shouted, got off the boat one after another, and followed closely behind.
The dock returned to calm in an instant, leaving only a mess on the three merchant ships.
In the official courtyard of the city, in the meeting hall.
Wang Qian and everyone gathered together to discuss.
The two sloppy men just now were dressed up by brothers Ji Wen and Ji Wu, and now they have returned to their original appearance.
Xu Gongming, still dressed as a police officer, said:
"The lower warehouses of those three Quanfu ships are all made of wood. Although there are some suspicious rooms above, they definitely don't look like they can hide many missing villagers."
"How about we search the suspicious rooms one by one at night."
Ji Wu seemed to be enjoying what happened today, but he still had some unfinished thoughts.
"If we make such a fuss, Quan Zitan will become suspicious, and the alert will be greatly increased, but we don't have to go back to the ship to take risks. Mr. Xu, are the people you sent to watch outside Quan Mansion reliable?"
Wang Qi'an asked thoughtfully.
"These are my subordinates who have been following me for many years, and there is no doubt about their ability to do things."
Xu Gongming said.
"Didn't the young master and your lords search the Quan Mansion and find nothing, so they asked us to act like this and go out to inspect the ship today? Why do we have to go back and stare at the Quan Mansion again?"
Ji Wen said doubtfully.
"You kid, you've read a lot of books, but you haven't made any progress!" Ji Wurui scolded with a smile.
"What Young Valley Master said is absolutely true. Compared with me, Ji Wen's brain is indeed ineffective." Ji Wu agreed at this time.
"Oh? Since our Master Wu's brain is so good, but what clues did he see? Why don't you tell us!"
Ji Wurui suppressed a smile and joked.
"What's so difficult about this! After we made such a fuss, Quan Zitan must have felt that it was not safe on the ship. Once he was worried, he would have to transfer important things back to the palace. That's why the prince asked people to keep an eye on him outside and wait."
Ji Wu was full of confidence and felt proud after speaking.
"Although this statement is not correct, it is not far off!" Wang Qian said with a smile.
"No? Did I guess wrong?" Ji Wu scratched his arm and said slightly embarrassed.
"If Quan Zitan is suspicious, he will definitely check whether the things he is nervous about are safe and sound in case something changes." Xu Gongming said.
"The person is not hiding on the boat, and we can't find any other suspicious places, so we have to let him take us there by himself. That's why I asked Mr. Xu to send someone to keep an eye on Quan Mansion."
Wang Qian explained with a smile.
As soon as he finished speaking, someone hurriedly came to report from outside the door: "Your Majesty, Quan Zitan has left the house."
Everyone was overjoyed to know that Quan Zitan had fallen into the trap.
After Quan Zitan left the mansion, he led his men out of the city and headed southeast.
I saw them staying away from official roads and walking on remote mountain roads.
"Where are they going? Are they hiding in the wilderness?"
Ji Wurui said with a confused look.
"Master Xu, do you know where they are heading now?"
Wang Qian turned to Xu Gongming and asked.
"Further forward, at the foothills of Taibai Mountain, there is an ancient temple that was destroyed by fire, named Ashoka Temple. Could it be that they are hiding people in the temple?"
Xu Gongming was also puzzled.
"Does this temple still have incense?"
Wang Qian asked.
Xu Gongming said:
"I heard that the monks have moved to other surrounding temples. It should be an abandoned temple now."
