Chapter 48: The Nine-Striped Dragon's Desperate Situation (Three)

  Shi Jin's expression changed as soon as he heard Li Bai Cao's words, and his heart cooled down by half. Shi Jin suddenly remembered what Zhu Wu had said, and instantly broke out in a cold sweat all over his body.

  Li Bai Cao was not only a hidden chess piece inserted by Mount Shuaishan in Huayin County, but also one of the main leaders of the mountain stronghold. Li Bai Cao had a good understanding of the mountain stronghold's foundation, including the amount of grain and grass, the layout of the terrain, and the conventional password for the black language used by the stronghold, as well as the source of living water on the mountain. If he hadn't been tortured to death, he would have revealed everything. Shi Jin thought that if they had recruited 8,000 soldiers, but tonight's chaos didn't seem to involve enough people, maybe... Maybe I launched a surprise attack on Huayin County, and that corrupt official had already arranged for troops to launch a sneak attack on our mountain stronghold from the back of the mountain while my father was holding his memorial service. Was the mountain stronghold also in chaos at this moment?

  Just as Li Bai Cao's words turned, Shi Jin thought a lot, but heard Li Bai Cao sigh and continue to say: "When the big punishment was used, I... couldn't bear it. These hands were also cut by the bailiffs with a cow ear knife at that time. However, being thin has its advantages, and when I suffered, I fainted, and didn't feel any pain. They tortured me for two days, killed my two stubborn subordinates, but gained nothing. I insisted that the prescription was given to Zhu Liang's family in Shi Jia Village, and the dog county magistrate was afraid of my medical skills being useful during the war, and he was also afraid that the people in the city would riot if he continued to make things difficult for me. So he changed his plan to deal with me."

  "Isn't it that he wants to win you over with soft words and hard cash, so that the people can charge forward without worrying about their backs?" Shi Jin heard Lei Baicao say that he had not betrayed his brothers, and stood up for him, feeling slightly relieved, but couldn't help but secretly harbor doubts.

  "This is just one of them. But he wanted to buy me off, and it wasn't bad, not only treating me well with good food and drink, but also renovating those two shops for me, until last night that dog official said: 'After that battle, Shi Jin must have been seriously injured, you continue to go and treat Zhu Liehu's illness in Shi Family Village, at that time someone will definitely send him to Mount Shao Hua to see his injuries, you just need to kill him, then not only will I not make things difficult for you, but your wife and children will also be safe.' It was only then that I knew, it wasn't just me, my wife and children were also trapped in prison. What can I do now, as a husband, as a father...I don't know." Li Bai Cao's voice became lower and lower, his words touching on the painful spot, he turned his head to one side, and let out a deep sigh.

  "Bai Cao, don't be too worried, I think they'll all be fine. It's just that you've been troubled." Shi Jin couldn't help but feel some sympathy. To be honest, he didn't know what the situation was like in Huayin County Prison right now. The important places in this city had all been messed with by the wind direction people, everything was a mess. Who knows, they might also play some tricks on the county prison. But comfort is always necessary, no matter when, no matter who it's for."

  Shi Jin looked at Li Bai Cao's painful and worried appearance, his heart was filled with sympathy for him and concern for his wife and children. But in Shi Jin's mind, he suddenly became vigilant. It wasn't that Shi Jin was two-faced or deceitful, but living in this chaotic world, he had encountered many critical moments. Facing the not-so-familiar Li Bai Cao, various reasons added up together, giving rise to a natural sense of alertness.

  Since Li Bai Cao was locked up in a large prison, he must have been unable to bear the comfort of his relatives being threatened by that scoundrel and agreed to it, so he was released, but his wife and children were detained to prevent him from cheating. Seeing how distressed he is, he must be particularly concerned about his wife and children. So at this moment, what he is weighing in his heart is no longer the emotional position of Shao Huashan and Huayin County, but has become a balance between family affection and brotherly loyalty. And the scale in his heart, no matter which side it leans towards, is torture for him, but how will he choose?

  Shi Jin didn't know. He was now lying here, whether dead or alive, it all depended on Li Bai Cao's mood. Perhaps with a change of heart, he would be left to die without even a burial ground. Shi Jin thought this and suddenly broke out in cold sweat. The warmth and comfort he had felt just now when he saw the kindness in people's hearts instantly vanished without a trace. The warm bed he was lying on now seemed to be full of thorns.

  Li Bai Cao knew it wasn't the time to be sad, so she secretly wiped away her tears with her sleeve. She simply composed herself and turned back around to face Shi Jin, calmly saying: "Master of the house, you must be hungry, I'll go make some rice porridge for you." As she spoke, she used those crippled hands to twist the brass lamp post by the bed, muttering to herself: "Everything will get better... it will all get better soon..."

  Lai Baicao's words, which were full of hidden meaning, reached Shi Jin's ears. Shi Jin had originally wanted to test Lai Baicao's loyalty with this, but after some consideration, he really didn't dare use his own life as a bargaining chip. Just as Lai Baicao was about to step out through the secret door, Shi Jin called him back and was just about to tell him that the corrupt official had been killed by himself when a commotion broke out outside the house.

  Li Bai Cao and Shi Jin were both shocked.

  Li Baicao couldn't help but call out to Shi Jin, and with his other foot, he quickly stepped out. With one hand, he swiftly and accurately reached for the control outside the secret room, and hastily pressed it down with all his might. Because of the stark contrast between light and darkness inside and outside the house, Li Baicao was worried about attracting unwanted attention, so with a racing heart, he desperately squeezed his body in front of the rapidly closing door.

  Shi Jin watched as Li Bai Cao disappeared behind the door, while he himself was trapped here. What's going on outside? Are those government soldiers or something else? Shi Jin couldn't guess. Although Li Bai Cao had been with him since he came in and hadn't left his side, he still feared that Li Bai Cao would report to the authorities. Shi Jin suddenly panicked and shouted at Li Bai Cao: "Don't run!"

  But before Shi Jin had called out a few times, the door closed tightly again.

  Shi Jin became even more anxious, especially when he saw the door closed to a slit at last. When he saw Li Bai Cao trying his best to block everything inside the door, Shi Jin felt a hundred times more uneasy. Now, for some reason, his body didn't hurt anymore, but when he wanted to stretch his limbs, he felt numb and tingling all over. He had once heard from his previous martial arts master that there was a kind of anesthetic in the Jianghu that could make a person's whole body feel numb, with mild cases resulting in complete loss of strength and severe cases leading to unconsciousness.

  Shi Jin quickly got up, his whole body upside down, but all the severe pain was gone. Shi Jin didn't have time to think about these things carefully, he just anxiously looked around the room with his eyes and finally fixed his gaze on a large white porcelain tray. Shi Jin quickly stepped down from the bed, walked over to the side of the table, picked up the tray in his hand, weighed it, found an angle, pressed both hands against the edge of the table, and "crack" - the tray split into two halves with a crisp sound. Shi Jin held one half of the cracked tray like a knife blade outside, walked back to the bedside, twisted the lamp column hard, and the hidden door opened again, followed by Li Bai Cao's desperate cries for help. But the situation in front of him made Shi Jin extremely surprised!