freenovelworld Chapter 558 The High Priest is Missing
Chapter 558 The High Priest is Missing
Lu Yangyang looked at Mingruo and asked, "Shall we go together?"
She hesitated for a moment, then said to Mingruo, "Our journey might be dangerous, but... we have someone who can guide us, so, would you consider it?"
It was quite a coincidence that I met Mingruo here.
If they were to enter Miao territory together, it might implicate Mingruo and the others, since they were just ordinary merchants on this trip, while the others might be in trouble. However, with Huarui leading the way, they could avoid unnecessary casualties along the way.
Mingruo chuckled and looked at her gently: "Yangyang, without your help, I would have died in the capital long ago. Without you, I would have died from the poison long ago. Now you tell me it's dangerous, but where do you place me?"
Lu Yangyang was slightly taken aback.
"Are you still resentful towards me?" Mingruo asked her.
Lu Yangyang shook her head subconsciously.
When they were in Jiangnan, she had already told him that she had never resented him.
But every time she saw Mingruo, she would unconsciously think of Xiaoli, who was all alone in a foreign land. Was she doing well?
But Mingruo was also a victim in that accident.
Lu Yangyang apologized softly, "I'm sorry."
Mingruo knew perfectly well that Lu Yangyang wasn't blaming him, but simply didn't trust him that much.
"Get some rest. We'll meet here first thing tomorrow morning." Mingruo didn't say anything more and got up.
Lu Yangyang quickly stood up and thanked her, "Thank you."
Back in her room, Lu Yangyang told Wen Qingqing and Hua Rui the news.
Wen Qingqing had met Ming Ruo, but it didn't bother her. Her only thought was to go to Miao territory to see what real Gu worms looked like, how they were cultivated, and the poisonous creatures she had only seen described in books. She had no mind for anything else.
Hua Rui, however, seemed a little nervous. "The Miao region rarely trades with the outside world. What are they doing?"
“They’re just ordinary merchants, people I knew from my time in Jiangnan. Don’t worry, they won’t do anything to Miao territory.” Lu Yangyang knew what she was worried about, but Mingruo should know her limits and wouldn’t do anything immoral for the sake of the Salt Gang’s business.
"Mmm," Hua Rui responded softly.
Lu Yangyang quickly understood her thoughts; she was probably worried that she would bring trouble to Miao territory by inviting trouble into the country again.
Even if she explained to Hua Rui now, she couldn't dispel her concerns, so she said, "Since we're going together, you should keep an eye on things yourself."
Hearing her say that, Hua Rui relaxed a little.
Meeting Mingruo was an accident. Although Lu Yangyang didn't trust Mingruo enough, she didn't think too much about it. After resting for a night, she took Wen Qingqing and Hua Rui downstairs to meet Mingruo early the next morning.
The mountains and forests in the southwest are often treacherous and the mountain roads are rugged and difficult to traverse.
Without a guide, crossing Crescent Moon Mountain in a short time is not an easy task.
Even with Hua Rui leading the way, by the time they set off early in the morning and crossed Crescent Moon Mountain, the sun had already set.
All entrances to the thirteen Miao villages are guarded, and any outsiders entering or leaving will be immediately detected.
Therefore, as soon as they entered the Miao territory, they were immediately surrounded.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" The leader, a young man in his early twenties, stared at them warily.
Mingruo quickly explained, "We are merchants from Jiangnan. We have come to your esteemed land to discuss a business deal with your chieftain."
"Talking business?" The young man looked at them with a hostile expression and raised his hand: "Arrest them all!"
The group of people following Mingruo immediately surrounded her and her companions, demanding, "What do you want? Do you know who we are?"
The young man didn't waste any words with them: "I don't care who you are! Everyone who enters Miao territory, arrest them all!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the young man and his dozen or so men pulled down the ropes hanging from their waists and stepped forward to tie them up.
Seeing this, Hua Rui hurriedly called out, "Wait a minute!"
She quickly pulled off the veil covering her face and stepped forward: "Thirteenth Brother, it's me, Hua Rui."
The one she called Thirteenth Brother was the young man who was leading the group; he was the thirteenth in his generation in Qianli Village.
When Li Shisan saw Hua Rui's face, he was somewhat surprised: "Hua Rui? How come it's you! How did you end up with these merchants?"
Hua Rui quickly explained, "Thirteenth Brother, I haven't come back to pay my respects to Mother for a long time. I happened to run into some merchants, so I came with them on my way back to pay my respects to Mother. Thirteenth Brother, has something happened?"
Upon hearing Hua Rui's explanation, Li Shisan frowned slightly, but did not doubt it.
Although Miao territory does not trade with the outside world, the thirteen Miao villages, totaling over a thousand households and several thousand people, are self-sufficient and still need to exchange goods with the outside world at times. Therefore, they occasionally allow some merchants and peddlers to enter. Even the people of the Miao villages go out to make a living, so they are not truly isolated from the world.
Therefore, it is normal for Hua Rui to say that she is returning with the merchants, since it would be inappropriate for a weak woman like her to travel alone.
But today is different from the past, especially...
Li Shisan looked at Hua Rui with a hint of hesitation, and after a while, he finally spoke: "Since that's the case, I won't hide it from you anymore. I'll assign two people to go to Yuhua Village with you. You'll know when you get there. As for the others, I must bring them back to the village."
When Hua Rui heard about Yuhua Village, her heart sank, and she subconsciously looked at Lu Yangyang.
Lu Yangyang turned and looked at Mingruo. Mingruo nodded slightly, and Lu Yangyang glanced at Huarui again.
Hua Rui said to Li Shisan, "I'll listen to you, Brother Shisan. These two are my sisters, and they came with me. Can I take them with me to Yuhua Village and then come back to find you? Is that alright?"
Li Shisan thought for a moment, then raised his hand and beckoned someone over: "Take these people back to the village and tell Fifth Brother that I'm taking them to Yuhua Village."
The man nodded, and Li Shisan said to Hua Rui, "Let's go."
Hua Ruixin's unease became increasingly apparent, but she did not show it. She simply took Lu Yangyang and Wen Qingqing with her and followed behind Li Shisan.
To save time, Li Shisan had someone bring a donkey cart. Although the terrain in the villages varied, roads had been built. Li Shisan led them on a detour and arrived near Yuhua Village in just over an hour.
Unable to travel the rest of the way by car, he found a nearby house to park the car and led them toward Yuhua Village.
After walking for about half an hour, until it was completely dark, they finally arrived at Yuhua Village.
But for some reason, the closer she got to Yuhua Village, the more panicked and uneasy Hua Rui felt. Until she walked onto that familiar path and saw that at this time of day, the village at the foot of the mountain, which should have been lit up with some lights, was now as silent as a huge black hole.
Li Shisan patted her on the shoulder from behind.
“Thirty-six households and one hundred and fifty-four people in Yuhua Village were all wiped out overnight and burned to the ground.”
"The high priest has gone missing."