The sky is getting dark and the evening wind is slightly chilly.
After the operation during the day, not many people were captured alive and returned to the guardhouse. Except for Qu Xin and several other killers who were in the thatched house at the time, most of the shadow members who were on guard and guard outside the house were dead. Under the encirclement and suppression of Jin Yiwei.
It's not that Shadow's killers are very good at martial arts, the main thing is that there is a huge difference in numbers.
After all, the Jin Yiwei is affiliated to the Dashu imperial court. The number of people they can mobilize is definitely not comparable to that of any private organization, not to mention that Youying itself is a secret organization with not too many members.
After this battle, the local members of Wuchang, that is, the Shadow Base Camp, were almost wiped out, and it was only a matter of time before the remaining fish that slipped through the net, such as those who were collecting intelligence in other places, were caught; because these people must be arrested regularly. They came back to Wuchang to take the medicine to rejuvenate the poison, but now their top line Qu Xin has been dismissed, so as long as these people come back, they will be arrested, and if they don't come back... they will die.
Ran Ling, who played a decisive role in the entire net-closing operation, certainly made a great contribution; compared with his role, Sun, Huang, and Lei, who traveled thousands of miles to Wuchang, seemed to be just three high-level decoys...
Even Zhuang Baihu told Ran Ling that he would be promoted no matter what, and that he should at least be given the position of Baihu.
What was a little surprising was that this time, Ran Ling did not refuse. Not only did he readily accept Zhuang Li's praise, he also made it clear that he hoped that the latter could help him say a few nice words.
…………
It's night, in Ran Ling's room.
Although he had been busy all day, he didn't lie down very early.
He sat at the table, with a rare pot of wine on the table, and drank from it.
Tuk Tuk——
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" Ran Ling asked after hearing the sound.
"It's me, Brother Ran." Huang Donglai's voice sounded outside the door, "I saw that the lights in your room were still on, so I came to bother you. Can we chat?"
Upon hearing this, Ran Ling thought for a few seconds, and then a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Okay, the door is unlocked, you can come in."
When Huang Donglai opened the door, the smile on Ran Ling's face had disappeared, and he still looked as serious as usual.
"Brother Ran, you are so entertained tonight." Huang Donglai was not polite to him. After closing the door, he talked to himself and sat down at the table.
"I'm really in a good mood today." Ran Ling replied, picking up another cup naturally and pouring a glass of wine for Huang Donglai. "Ran wanted to hold a banquet at a restaurant in the city tomorrow and invite the brothers to drink together. What a pleasure, I didn’t expect you to come now, that’s just the time... we brothers, we might as well have a few drinks tonight."
"Ha...then it's better to be respectful than obey Donglai's orders." Huang Dong said and took the wine glass handed to him.
The two raised their glasses, bowed to each other, and each drank a glass of wine.
As soon as the cup was put down, Ran Ling wanted to get the jug again, but Huang Donglai hurriedly took over and took the jug before him: "Hey~ Brother Ran, this cup should be served to you by me, please let me do it."
Ran Ling smiled: "Okay, okay."
So, Huang Donglai poured two glasses of wine this time. After pouring, he raised a glass and said loudly: "Today, the Jin Yiwei defeated the remaining shadow party and eliminated harm for the people. Brother Ran played an indispensable role. Donglai proposes a toast to you." "
"please."
"please."
Ran Ling was not modest and had another drink with Huang Donglai.
"Huh..." After finishing this, Ran Ling let out a long sigh of relief from his throat and continued, "Huang Shaoxia said something serious. Ran is just doing his duty, but you, Sun Shaoxia, Lei Shaoxia... all You are not a member of the public sect, but you can still travel thousands of miles to brave danger and become the enemy of the shadow... Ran Mou feels inferior to this chivalrous heart, and it is my turn to respect you."
As he spoke, he poured another drink.
Huang Donglai didn't refuse, and the two had a third drink.
"Alas..." But after drinking the glass, Ran Ling's expression showed a hint of solemnity, "But... Huang Shaoxia, there is something I want to say, I don't know whether to say it or not."
Huang Donglai knew that the other party would come like this. He had been waiting for it for a long time: "Oh? Brother Ran said it doesn't matter."
Ran Ling looked hesitant and confused, paused for a moment, and then said: "Well... Huang Shaoxia, how much did you write down about Gu Qiying's notes on making poison and refining Gu?"
"This..." Huang Donglai also pretended to be a little embarrassed, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "I won't hide it from you. I just left the notebook in my hand for one night. Although I am quite knowledgeable about toxicology and the like. I have done research and can remember it quickly, but many of Gu Qiying’s secret recipes are very weird and I can’t understand them, so I only memorized about 50% of them.”
"Oh..." Ran Ling nodded and asked, "I don't know, have you written down a recipe called 'Red Pus'?"
"Huh?" Huang Donglai's face changed obviously when he heard this, "Where did Brother Ran hear about 'Red Pus'?"
His answer actually admitted that he remembered it from a certain perspective.
Seeing this, Ran Ling smiled slightly: "Oh~ Because I have fought against the people of Youying many times before, and I have also captured and interrogated several people alive, so I know that every member of their Youying body has They were all poisoned by Gu Qiying, and the 'red pus' is the poison carried by the highest-level members."
"Brother Ran means..." Huang Donglai asked tentatively.
Ran Ling was also unhurried and replied slowly: "If nothing unexpected happens, the Qu Xin we caught today was infected with 'red pus'. If you still remember this recipe, it will help." We are very busy... We can use this recipe to remove the poison to blackmail Qu Xin and ask him to gather the remaining shadow members for us as soon as possible..." At this point, he raised his hand and made a "cut" The action, "... Let's cut the grass and root out the roots."
"Oh~" Huang Donglai shook his head and continued, "That's what you mean..." He suddenly laughed, "Ha...it's a small thing, I just remember this recipe."
"Are you serious?" Ran Ling couldn't help but widen his eyes in excitement when he heard the other party clearly say the word "remember".
"Of course." Huang Donglai added, "And I have already made the medicine just now." He paused, "Not only did I make it, but I also gave it to Qu Xin."
"What?" Ran Ling was surprised when he heard this. He even wondered if he heard it wrong.
But before he could fully appreciate the true meaning of these words, another person opened the door and walked into his room.
That was none other than Qu Xin...
At this moment, Naqu Xin was no longer wearing the prison uniform he had changed into in the afternoon, but... a flying fish uniform.
"General Ran Qi, we meet again." When Qu Xin said this, his expression was indifferent and his tone was calm.
But the way he looked at Ran Ling was cold.
"You..." Ran Ling stood up immediately and instinctively reached out to grab the sword hanging on the bedside. "How brave Qu Xin! How dare you pretend to be a Jin Yiwei! Who released you from prison?"
He didn't expect that an acquaintance of his would immediately answer the question.
"Me." Zhuang Li said as he also came in from the door.
Behind Qizhuang Baihu were Sun Yixie, Lei Buji, and five or six Jinyi guards who were among the best in this guardhouse.
"Baihu, what are you..." Ran Ling began to feel that something was wrong. An ominous premonition spread like a swarm of spiders on his back, making him sweat.
"General Ran Qi, let's get acquainted with each other again." Qu Xin said, "Next to Qu Xin, ten years ago, I was also a Xiao Qi. After that, I left Jinyiwei and lurked in the shadows for ten years, until just now... …The official was reinstated.”
Ran Ling just looked at the other person and said nothing, because he was afraid that if he said something wrong, he would be exposed.
"We are destined to be together. When I was sent to Shadow, you happened to be sent to Jin Yiwei, so neither of us met each other, and neither of us knew that the other was an undercover agent." Qu Xin continued, "In fact, ...I still don’t know what your real name is.”
When he finished speaking, Huang Donglai also stood up, and retreated to the crowd's side, away from "Ran Ling", and continued: "Let me tell you, the two of you are most destined to be... the one in your body. Gu are all the same."
"Hey~ Huang Shaoxia, this is wrong." Qu Xin said, "This is not fate, but because...in Gu Qiying's heart, he and I are equally important, so the poisons on us are also of the same level. .”
"Master Baihu! Is there any misunderstanding here?" At this moment, Ran Ling, who had been holding back for a long time, finally spoke. His thinking was very clear. Among the people present, the only one he needed to convince was Zhuang Li. The others People are secondary.
But Zhuang Lili ignored him and just stood there expressionless.
It was Qu Xin who responded: "General Ran Qi... ha... I'd better call you Ran Ling. After all, I don't know what your original name is..." He said leisurely, "Actually, when I think about it now... Your plan is very good.
"When Gu Qiying first died, you must have been very anxious, because if you couldn't get the recipe to cure the poison within half a year, you would die.
"But when you get the news that Huang Shaoxia, who has mastered part of Gu Qiying's secret recipe, is coming to Wuchang, you suddenly have hope...
"As everyone knows, this news is actually the smoke deliberately released by Master Yun and Master Shui. On the surface, these three young heroes are here to assist the Jin Yiwei in exterminating the remaining shadow party, but in fact... their real mission is to use their own Use it as bait to help me find out the inside story of Shadow lurking in Jinyiwei."
Ran Ling's expression was tense and his thoughts were spinning rapidly. When he heard this, he interrupted: "If that's the case, why did you lead people to sneak attack them last night?"
"Heh..." Qu Xin smiled, "Did the sneak attack succeed?"
When he said this, Ran Ling remembered Qu Xin's voice shouting "kill me" in the official post last night...
Only then did Ran Ling realize that this seemingly retarded move was actually intentional.
"That post house is very dangerous. If I don't do anything, there's no guarantee that someone will take action without my knowledge." After a breath, Qu Xin continued, "And if I leave full power to my subordinates, then It's hard to say what will happen last night... Only if I personally lead the team and select the people, can I ensure the failure of the operation to the greatest extent." He said, shrugging, "Of course, your appearance, Mr. Ran, will not It was not in my prediction, but judging from the results, you did help me."
"If I were really an undercover agent, I would have brought people to your lair a long time ago. Killing all of you will clear your name. Why should I wait until today?" Ran Ling changed the topic again.
"Isn't that too obvious?" Qu Xin continued with a smile, "If you really do that, you have to explain how you found the shadow's lair; a question like this is not 'I arrested someone and asked him about it, and that person is now dead' can be used as a prevarication; even if you can get away with such nonsense for a while, sooner or later you will be suspected by the two masters Yunshui..."
He paused again, and then said: "What's more, even if you take away the shadow's lair, it won't be able to help you get rid of the poison on yourself; it may even make Huang Shaoxia and the others lose the reason to come to Wuchang. When the time comes, you Where else can I get the antidote?
"So, it's best to leave things like 'discovering the shadow's lair' to others. As for you... you just have to arrange the so-called 'backup' in advance, and then take the three of them to the teahouse you already know about. Just set up a stronghold, pretend that you were caught accidentally, and throw yourself into a trap.
"Also... you hid in their room downstairs last night, but you didn't rush up as soon as the raid happened. It must have been because you were hesitating at the time... hesitating whether to simply let Huang Shaoxia and the others be captured. , and you ran back to the guard base, claiming that you found the Shadow's lair by following us, and then brought people to take us away.
"But you soon figured out that if you did that, there would be too many variables and things you couldn't explain clearly... so you gave up."
When Qu Xin said this, he tilted his head and scratched the back of his neck, and sneered: "Ha... Ran Ling, do you still remember that when we were in that thatched house during the day, I once said something to you with a look of enlightenment? 'It's you'?" He paused for half a second, "At that time you thought I wanted to say 'it was you who made the plan', so you proudly told me your 'back-up plan', but in fact... That's not what I meant by that sentence, but what I meant was that I already knew at that time that the undercover was you."
When Ran Ling heard this, his face was ashen, but he still held on and answered bravely: "You have said so much, but it is just speculation. Do you have any evidence?"
"You want evidence? It's very simple." At this time, it was Huang Dong's turn to perform, "If you are not from the shadow, you can't have the 'red pus' in your body, right? As for me... I know How to match the incense that induces this kind of poison, I’m going to match one now, and we’ll find out in a moment.”
This sentence is decisive.
The so-called straw that broke the camel's back.
"No need..." Ran Ling, or the shadow craftsman pretending to be Ran Ling, finally gave up his excuses when he heard this sentence, "I admit it..." His tone was relieved, "Not bad , I am a member of Youying. Ten years ago, I killed an unrelated Jin Yiwei who looked similar to me, and then pretended to be his. The organization spent a little money and smoothed the relationship, and then 'transferred' me. Come to this place where no one knows me."
"Hmph..." Qu Xin snorted immediately and said in a sarcastic tone, "In the past ten years, Youying has been able to establish a foothold in Wuchang and run smoothly, and you, Mr. Ran Qi, are also indispensable."
"I'm just following orders." Faced with a desperate situation, Ran Ling remained neither humble nor arrogant, and said calmly, "Qu Xin, you have been under the control of Gu these years. You should be able to understand me. When Gu Qiying was still alive, No one can disobey him... But now, he is dead, and what I did is just because I also want to be a new person... and be a good person."
As he spoke, he cupped his fists and raised his hands, and said to Zhuang Li: "Sir Baihu... What Ran Ling has done over the years has been witnessed by you and the brothers. Ran Ling does not dare to take credit. Now I just ask you to let Mr. Huang give me the cure for the poison." The medicine will save my life, and I will leave on my own after that. I hope you will take this ten years of love into consideration..."
"Ran Ling." Unexpectedly, Zhuang Li didn't move at all, but interrupted him coldly, "No... you are not Ran Ling, no matter who you are... you just killed Jin Yiwei, stole officials and deceived nobles. Two of them are capital crimes, and I won’t list them all.
"You said it yourself just now, you were acting under orders, so what you did as Ran Ling was nothing more than part of your orders, the need to disguise...
"And now I am acting in accordance with the law. Not to mention that the love between you and me may not be true. Even if it is, I will not let you go."
These words were said to death by him.
People usually talk about death, but people... there are many ways to die.
"Ha... Okay." After hearing Zhuang Li's response, Ran Ling gave up his last attempt at words, and then... revealed his true face, "Okay, then I'll kill you all, and then I'll take my time... Just ask Mr. Huang."
As the words fell, the sword roared.
In the already crowded room, Ran Ling stepped forward, drew his knife and headed towards Naqu Xin first.
