Chapter 177 He Can't Escape

Chapter 177 He Can't Escape

Even if it's dangerous down there, at least Cheng Lanzhou is inside!

But as soon as he jumped, his hair was grabbed tightly by the guards halfway down.

A sharp pain instantly spread throughout her body; she felt as if her scalp was about to be ripped off.

"ah--"

The guard grabbed her hair and pulled her back. Jiang Yutang was in so much pain that tears almost came out. In desperation, she took out a folding knife from her pocket and cut off the hair that was being held.

Losing all support, his body plummeted straight into the tunnel, the guards' furious roars still ringing in his ears.

The tunnel is deep and long, with its inner walls polished smooth, resembling the curves of a slide.

Jiang Yutang felt weightless, as if she were on a roller coaster, crashing and falling rapidly, making her heart feel like it was about to jump out of her chest.

At first she wanted to scream, but the sound was blocked by the airflow as soon as it reached her throat. She held the folding knife high in her hand, afraid that she would accidentally hurt herself if she rolled over.

Just when she thought she was about to fall flat on her face, a warm and strong embrace caught her steadily.

Jiang Yutang opened her eyes, still shaken, and met Cheng Lanzhou's worried expression.

In an instant, all the pent-up grievances and lingering fear surged into my heart, and tears almost welled up in my eyes.

"What happened?" Cheng Lanzhou frowned and reached out to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead.

He had just heard a scream from above, and his intuition told him he had to catch the person.

Jiang Yutang grabbed his collar with her trembling left hand and said, word by word, "The mole has been found. It's one of your bodyguards!"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Lanzhou's brows furrowed even more deeply, and his face became terribly gloomy.

He gently put Jiang Yutang down, and as soon as he let go, he saw her legs go weak and she almost fell to the ground. He quickly reached out to support her.

His gaze swept over her uneven hair, and his voice deepened: "Your hair..."

Jiang Yutang raised her hand and grabbed a handful of her short hair at the nape of her neck, and said with a wry smile, "It looks bad, doesn't it? I found the recording pen that Su Wan left behind in the house, and I was just about to listen to it when that person started watching me. When I jumped into the tunnel to escape, he grabbed my hair, and I had to cut my hair off to save my life."

After a long silence, Cheng Lanzhou slowly spoke: "I'm sorry, it was my negligence, I didn't protect you well." His voice was full of self-reproach.

In this era, hair is a gift from one's parents, and cutting it off at will is comparable to losing a hand or foot, a great humiliation, especially for women.

The thought that Jiang Yutang had cut off his own hair to protect herself made his heart ache as if it were being stabbed with a knife.

Jiang Yutang shook his head and comforted her, "It's none of your business. Blame that old scoundrel, Magistrate Li!"

She tugged at Cheng Lanzhou's sleeve: "Let's go find him and settle the score, don't let him get away."

Just then, a soldier's voice rang out from ahead: "General! We've found the exit!"

Two soldiers carrying tinderboxes walked quickly over. They were stunned when they saw Jiang Yutang's messy short hair, and then lowered their heads.

"Chase him! Find him alive or dead!"

Cheng Lanzhou's voice was chilling, and his murderous aura made Jiang Yutang shiver.

Cutting one's hair was a very serious matter in the eyes of ancient people, so it's no wonder that Cheng Lanzhou was so angry.

The group continued along the tunnel and soon arrived at the exit, which turned out to lead to a hidden cave in the back mountain.

Cheng Lanzhou continued walking and asked in a low voice, "Is there any evidence on the recording pen?"

"I was targeted by that person as soon as I found him, and I didn't even have time to listen to the recording." Jiang Yutang quickly took out a recorder from his sleeve and pressed the play button.

In the silent woods, the only sounds besides the rustling of people's footsteps on the fallen leaves were the sounds coming from the recording pen.

Li Tongpan's greasy, sly laugh rang out first, his tone arrogant and conceited: "Su Wan, do you think you can do anything to me by finding Cheng Lanzhou? My Li family has been officials for generations, and we have plenty of connections in the capital! Even if I admit to embezzling military rations and buying and selling official positions, what can you do to me?"

Immediately following was Su Wan's angry rebuke, followed by her unheard cry for help, and then several muffled thuds of heavy objects hitting the ground, after which the recording pen went completely silent.

After listening to the recording, everyone's expression turned extremely grave.

One soldier couldn't help but speak up: "General, Miss Su Wan... I'm afraid she's in grave danger."

Cheng Lanzhou shook his head, his gaze firm: "If Judge Li wanted to kill her, he could have done it inside the house. There was no need to take her with him when he fled."

"Could it be that he wanted to take the person to a secluded place and then destroy the evidence?"

Another soldier muttered something under his breath, but his comrade next to him nudged him with his elbow, signaling him to be quiet.

"Su Wan must still be alive."

Jiang Yutang also affirmed, "We didn't see any bloodstains in the house, and Judge Li took her away to use her as a hostage. As long as we can catch up with him before he makes a move, there is still hope."

Upon hearing this, everyone's fighting spirit was rekindled.

Although Su Wan was a woman from a brothel, she possessed courage and determination that were beyond the reach of ordinary people. She was willing to risk her life, and for this reason alone, everyone should do everything in their power to save her.

Cheng Lanzhou raised his hand, signaling everyone to speed up: "Prefect Li is carrying hostages, he can't run fast."

The group followed the hoofprints left by Magistrate Li and chased after him.

The soldiers, who had been training in the military camp for many years, walked steadily, but the intensity of the forced march gradually became too much for Jiang Yutang to handle.

She was still wearing a simple undergarment, the hem of which was torn by tree branches, and her heavy breathing was particularly clear among them.

She could tell that Cheng Lanzhou had deliberately slowed his pace to wait for her, and a stubborn feeling welled up inside her; she absolutely could not hold him back.

But as her strength was about to run out and she was about to break down, a young soldier beside her couldn't help but speak up: "Madam, please hang in there! There are tracks left by carriages ahead, we'll be there soon!"

Jiang Yutang barely had the strength to nod. The next second, she suddenly felt her body lighten and her feet completely leave the ground.

When she came to her senses, she found herself firmly perched on Cheng Lanzhou's back, the familiar scent making her feel relaxed.

"Hurry up."

Cheng Lanzhou's deep voice rang out above him. He quickened his pace and soon caught up with the soldiers in front of him.

Jiang Yutang lay on his back, her arms tightly wrapped around his neck, and whispered worriedly, "Won't this affect your stamina? If we encounter danger later, you'll be the one in charge. If it really doesn't work, just leave me here, and I'll wait for you to come back."

"no."

Cheng Lanzhou refused without hesitation: "Li Tongpan is meticulous. His confidants must have caught up with us by now. Leaving you here alone would be more dangerous."

He paused, his tone softening slightly: "Don't worry, this is no problem for me."

Jiang Yutang thought about it and realized that this made sense, so he stopped insisting and could only silently pray that he could find Li Tongpan and Su Wan as soon as possible.

The group chased after the forest and found themselves in a desolate wilderness. Under the moonlight, the distant scenery gradually became clearer.

"General, look!" a soldier exclaimed in a low voice, pointing ahead.