Chapter Eighteen: Secret Passage and Assassination

  The benefactor's face only had a faint smile and didn't speak, so Tian thought he didn't believe her and became somewhat anxious: "Benefactor, everything I said is true, not a single word is false! That thief, in order to obtain the Zhao family's accumulated wealth of several hundred years, left behind eighteen personal maids who had followed the old master, young masters, madam, and elderly madam of the Zhao family. He used every trick in the book, and even cruelly tortured several sisters for two years before they revealed the possible locations of hidden treasures within the courtyard. The silver notes you just saw were obtained by that thief selling off the Zhao family's accumulated antiques, calligraphy and paintings, jewelry, and even silk stores, silver shops, and tens of thousands of acres of good land. He managed to gather all this wealth, and there are still several hundred thousand taels of silver hidden in the underground secret room in the southwest courtyard! That scoundrel somehow found out that I followed Old Madam Zhao and knew about the many secret passages within the estate... he spared my life just now... and also..."

  In the end, Tian's face was tearful, obviously thinking of her own misfortune again! However, she also helped Li Han solve a problem. If the money came from the Zhao family, after all, a prominent local family that had been passed down for hundreds of years and not destroyed, it is possible to have some assets!

  But anyway...

  "This... miss, you've misunderstood..."

  Li Han was stunned, this woman's crying was probably the scene he was least good at dealing with! Maybe it was because his sister often used this trick on him when they were young, and whenever he saw a woman cry, he became confused and lost his mind!

  He tried to comfort the unfortunate woman below, but after opening his mouth, he found that he didn't know how to comfort her at all. He had to change his approach: "Tian Niang, I think you may have misunderstood! I didn't mean to distrust you! Li Mou decided to come to this charity house for two reasons: first, Kuai Sheng has committed many evils and harmed the villagers; second, he received kindness from someone and came to eliminate the evil. Moreover, there are hundreds of Lu's family guards attacking outside the village, when the time comes, the village will be in chaos, and our family can take advantage of it to get rid of him! Besides, Li Mou has important business to leave Fuling County, missing this opportunity, who knows how long it will take to have another chance!"

  "Lu's family? But isn't that the one from Lu's Village thirty miles northwest?"

  "Exactly!"

  After getting Li Han's affirmative answer, Tian finally showed a hint of joy, "Great, great, the grudge against Master and Mistress can be avenged... Wuuu~~~"

  She stopped speaking and began to sob quietly again, as if she wanted to cry out all the grievances in her heart!

  "Alas..."

  Li Han suddenly became stupid and didn't know what to do!

  However, his ears moved slightly, and a faint smile hung on his face. The courtyard suddenly echoed with urgent calls to assemble, combined with the muffled gunfire he could vaguely hear, it was clear that Lu Junhao had arrived with their family's guards!

  "Alright, Tian Niang, this is not the time for crying! Just now, a faint gunshot was heard from outside the village. If I'm right, it's likely that the Lu family's soldiers have arrived nearby! You... hurry up and pack your things, escape with your life!"

  Hurry up and tidy up the firearms on your body, Li Han tidied up the bulletproof vest on his body, took out 10 thousand-yuan bills from a stack of silver tickets he had collected, and placed them on the table!

  "This money Li has greedily taken, but you, a woman, should be more careful in these chaotic times. I've left a 10,000 yuan silver note on the table for you, hurry and escape... escape from Hubei, the farther the better, best if you can make it to Shanghai or Tianjin, those big cities. When the time comes, find a decent family to marry into..."

  Li Han said with a heavy tone, in this chaotic world, even if there is one more person like him who tries to stop the wheel with his bare arms, it's unknown how much longer it will take for ordinary people to live a peaceful life.

  "Ah... Lord En, what's going on here..."

  "Stop talking, I know there's a weak spot in the wall at the back of the courtyard that we can climb over. Hurry up and gather some valuables. The front gate..."

  "It seems that things have already gotten out of hand here, and soon the whole mansion will be in chaos. So, I'll send you out first... take this silver note, and go save your own life..."

  It seemed that she had something to say, but Li Han missed the opportunity because it was the best time for an assassination. By the time the horse thieves in the village adapted, it would be difficult for him to find another chance to assassinate the leader of the horse thieves - Kui Sheng! Therefore, he was preparing to set off!

  "No... Second Master, there are currently over 600 bandits in this village. Kuai Sheng is not only cunning and treacherous but also a coward who fears death. Although he has left some men to guard the estate in the county town and Nanguo, there are dozens of carrier pigeons raised here that will be released in times of crisis to send messages. The magistrate of Fuling County is timid and afraid of trouble, and since the Zhao family has been showing respect and loyalty all along, within an hour or so, hundreds of men and horses from the county town will come to provide support! Moreover, when Master previously hired people to renovate this village, he was worried that bandits would covet it, so not only did he build the estate like a small fortress, but also set up hidden traps in many places. Unless the Lu family's soldiers bring several small cannons, even a thousand or more ordinary soldiers may not be able to break through the walls in a short period of time!"

  Seeing his anxious expression, it seemed like he was about to take action! Tian Shi, on the other hand, had gone through a struggle and finally told him some secrets of Zhao Zhuang. "However, there are still some hidden passages in the manor that I knew from serving Old Lady Tian when I was young. She liked me very much and told me many interesting stories and even unimportant secrets about the manor. That's why I know a secret passage that leads directly to a dark place outside the back wall. I'm not trying to stop you from assassinating that evil Kuai Sheng, just mentioning him makes me want to rip his flesh... But I must repay your kindness, so I'll tell you where the secret passage is. If you succeed, you might be chased by the enemy and can escape through this passage..."

  "What..."

  Li Hanyi smiled, "Well, thank you so much, miss. Please trouble yourself to tell me later where that scoundrel Kui Sheng might be hiding in the manor. As long as I find him, I'll guarantee to take care of him with one shot!"

  Tian stood up, lightly wiped away the tears on his face with his hand, and his voice still had a hint of crying, "Please follow me..."

  After finishing speaking, he took the initiative to stand in front of him and brought up the road for him!

  "The ancients were indeed very skilled in this mechanical art, but it's a pity that it's hard to imagine that such an ingenious device could be made from just wood and ordinary iron sheets in this ancient country, which was first invaded by barbarians and then became a colony of foreigners in the modern era!"

  Li Han sighed.

  He followed Tian's lead to a secluded corner of the room, where she signaled him to stand still while she walked over to the opposite side and flipped a switch on the wall. A low hum of machinery emanated from within the walls, almost imperceptible unless one listened carefully.

  After the sound, it was only half a day's work that he didn't notice any movement anywhere! It wasn't until later when he looked towards Tian Shi that he discovered Tian Shi had somehow moved to another corner of the wall, struggling to move the dresser that was blocking the way. Li Han walked in and took a look, only to find an extra handle on the ground!

  "This room was originally the old lady's resting place. And this is the real secret passage switch! It was set up by the old master himself. If it wasn't for that treacherous thief who bribed the insiders to put poison in the well, more than a thousand people in the village wouldn't have died, leaving only over ten survivors..."

  Tian's voice was choked as he spoke to him, and as soon as the words were spoken, he pulled up the guard, and inside the house, there was another faint sound of machinery. Then, at the corner of the wall where it had been before, a spiral staircase slowly emerged, which was the secret passage leading to the hidden place outside the villa!

  "Sir, there are some lanterns in this secret passage, but since no one has come to add oil for a long time, I'm afraid they can't be used now! Later, sir, it's best to bring an oil lamp with you. Sir, when you escape to the first fork in this secret passage, please take the left tunnel. The other two are dead ends. If sir escapes from the righteous village and is in a critical situation, you can take some gunpowder below and blow up the secret passage! That scoundrel Kuai Sheng usually stays in the main hall at this time, which they now call 'Zhongyitang'. After leaving the courtyard, turn left and walk straight, passing two small courtyards and turning again to cross another courtyard. Please be careful, sir..."

  Li Han nodded and said, "You go first!"

  Having said that, he didn't linger any longer. After bidding farewell to the Tian family, he put on his night vision goggles again and left the house, disappearing into the darkness!