The fat man hesitated, "This..."
The thin man stood up and patted his shoulder, "Brother, don't worry, I'm quick. I'll be out in a bit."
Under his persuasion, the fat man also stood up, "Alright, then let's go together."
As they spoke, they moved to a corner. The fat man reached out and fumbled along the wall. With a creak, a secret passage opened in the wall. Inside was a dark iron door.
The thin man stepped forward with a key, unlocked it with a click, and pushed the door open with a creak.
Seeing this, Liu Rumei quickly retreated a step and beckoned to Huang Ying and Shen Ziyan on the roof.
After the thin and fat men entered the secret passage, the three of them quietly pushed the door open and went inside.
Liu Rumei gestured to Huang Ying to stay and guard the entrance, while she took Shen Ziyan inside.
The fat and thin men entered the secret chamber. Three cruciform wooden stakes were lined up in the chamber, and the Lotus Cult Leader, the young girl, and Chu Han were all tightly bound to them with chains.
Hearing the movement, the three, who had been drowsy, opened their eyes almost simultaneously.
The thin man approached the Lotus Cult Leader, raised his hand, and pinched her cheek with a lecherous grin. "Little girl, you look a bit old, but I like your type. Let me have some fun today, so it's not a waste when you're beheaded tomorrow with such a good figure."
The Lotus Cult Leader was in a state where she couldn't call for help and couldn't escape. Her leg was injured, and her hands and feet were tightly bound by chains. Even with divine powers, she couldn't use them.
As the thin man spoke, he reached out and with a rip, tore open the Lotus Cult Leader's clothes.
The Lotus Cult Leader was so angry she cursed, "You scoundrel, be careful, I'll kill you."
The thin man laughed heartily and his wicked hands reached out again, directly tearing off the Lotus Cult Leader's bodice. "Alright, then I'll see how you kill me!"
Chu Han, standing nearby, couldn't help but roar, "Scoundrel, release the Cult Leader quickly, or our Chu family from Jiangnan will never forgive you!"
The fat man, hearing this, also burst into laughter. "You won't forgive us? You'd better think about yourself. Believe it or not, I'll send you to the west right now!"
As he spoke, the fat man also reached out and tore open the young girl's clothes. The Lotus Cult Leader, being more experienced and having had a past relationship, knew about such matters. But the young girl was different. This pure, innocent young girl was so scared by the sight that she could do nothing but cry.
Seeing the young girl crying with tear-filled eyes, the fat man's lust only intensified. He raised his hand, dipped it in the young girl's tears, and shamelessly put them into his mouth to taste. "Oh, these tears are so damn sweet. Oh, you've captured my soul."
The Lotus Cult Leader was still making a last effort. "Hey, fat man, leave the little girl alone. If you have the guts, come at me. She's still a child."
The fat man laughed heartily and walked up to the Lotus Cult Leader, patting her face. "What, you want to fight both of us? Don't rush, I'll let you taste my power later."
Before he finished speaking, he felt a coolness on his neck. He swiped his hand and felt a sharp pain. Looking down, his finger had been cut.
"Thin man, you tnd..." the fat man cursed and turned around, only to see the thin man standing there, frozen. In front of him stood three people, one of whom had a curved blade at his neck.
The fat man looked at the three people and asked with a face full of confusion, "Who... who are you?"
"People who are here to take your life," Liu Rumei said. With a wave of her hand, a splurt of blood gushed out, and the fat man was dead.
Seeing this, the thin man was so scared that he fell to his knees and kowtowed repeatedly. "Great heroes, spare me, spare me."
Liu Rumei kicked the back of the thin man's neck. The thin man also fell unconscious with a thud.
At this point, Shen Ziyan and Huang Ying quickly rushed to the Lotus Cult Leader. "Senior Sister, are you alright?"
Upon hearing their voices, Tang Lianhua's tears began to flow. "Oh, why are you two here?"
Shen Ziyan and Huang Ying helped the Lotus Cult Leader dress and then untied the chains. Meanwhile, Liu Rumei quickly untied the young girl and Chu Han.
The young girl rushed forward and hugged Liu Rumei, sobbing, "Aunt Rumei, I thought I would never see you again."
Liu Rumei patted the young girl's shoulder. "Alright, this is not a place to talk. Let's leave first."
Upon hearing this, the Lotus Cult Leader let out a bitter smile.
"Both of our legs are injured, we can't walk at all."
Liu Rumei frowned. At this moment, Shen Ziyan and Huang Ying spoke almost in unison, "Senior Sister, I'll carry you."
Hearing this, Chu Han felt a little awkward. Everyone else was a woman, but he was a grown man. What should he do?
Just then, Liu Rumei generously walked over and looked at Chu Han. "Don't worry, I won't leave you behind. I'll carry you."
At this moment, Huang Ying smiled and stepped forward, kicking the fat and thin men fiercely in the backside.
"Ow!" The thin man let out a wail and slowly opened his eyes.
"Sister Rumei, isn't there a ready-made laborer right here?"
Her words made everyone laugh.
Liu Rumei stepped forward, brandished her curved blade, and pointed it at the thin man's head.
"You carry him and take us out of the city."
The thin man looked bitter, but in the end, he could only nod in agreement.
Led by him, they soon left the Jizhou government office through the back door and headed towards the nearest North Gate through a small alley.
The sky was already beginning to lighten, so the patrolling soldiers were lax, and the soldiers guarding the city gate were sleeping in disarray.
The thin man stopped them at the mouth of an alley, looking dejected. "I can only escort you this far. Any further..."
Before he could finish, the Lotus Cult Leader suddenly waved her hand. A cold glint flashed.
The thin man felt a chill on his neck, and then slowly collapsed to the ground.
Seeing this, Liu Rumei felt a pang of regret. She had initially intended to spare the thin man's life for guiding them.
But now, she couldn't afford to dwell on it.
Liu Rumei called out to Huang Ying and Shen Ziyan, "It's getting light, we need to hurry!"
"Resolve the guards ahead as quickly as possible, so we can take them down."
Before she finished speaking, a horn sounded.
Hearing this, the Lotus Cult Leader reacted the fastest. "We must have been discovered, quickly..."
Indeed, as daylight broke, it was time for the shift change, so someone quickly discovered the escape of the Lotus Cult Leader and the others, and naturally sounded the alarm horn.
Liu Rumei, Huang Yang, and Shen Ziyan three rushed out of the small alley and began a bloody massacre of the soldiers at the North Gate.