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Chapter 184: Chapter 184: They Are All Dead...
Ouyang Qingming’s pupils dilated as he looked at his subordinates leaning against the doorway stone wall.
They were covered in snow, turned into snowmen.
The men that Ouyang Qingming brought with him brushed the snow off them, revealing their heads.
Their faces were purplish, and after a night, their bodies were all stiff.
The man took a few steps back and told Ouyang Qingming in horror, "Young Master, they, they’re all dead..."
The cold wind carrying snowflakes drilled into Ouyang Qingming’s neck, making him shiver uncontrollably.
It seemed someone had infiltrated his secret base, he urgently said, "Quick, go check if those beauty pots are still there!"
"Yes!" His subordinates didn’t dare to delay, immediately supporting Ouyang Qingming into the cave.
A few people arrived at the second underground floor, Ouyang Qingming saw the beauty pots and let out a sigh of relief.
He counted them, one beauty pot was missing, Ouyang Qingming’s eyes darkened.
It appeared someone had rescued one of the women.
Suddenly, he heard a woman’s shout, "Let me go, I am the daughter of the Minister of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, Cui Ying, let me go, or you’ll pay for this!"
Ouyang Qingming looked in the direction of the scream, he squinted his eyes, and saw the woman in front of him tied up, appearing in his dungeon.
This was not his doing!
Someone must be trying to frame him intentionally!
He couldn’t let his enemy succeed.
Ouyang Qingming instantly rebuked his subordinates, "Where did this lady come from, quick, release this lady!"
Cui Ying, hearing Ouyang Qingming’s words, felt relieved; it seemed it was not them who did this.
She was saved!
Ouyang Qingming knew that he was about to step half a leg into the court; he couldn’t afford to offend the Minister of the Ministry of Criminal Justice. If he offended him, his own career would be over!
No matter whether the woman in front of him was the Minister’s daughter or not, he needed to handle the situation carefully.
After all, the official army was already on their way here. Cui Ying angrily said, "Hurry up and untie these ropes!"
Ouyang Qingming gestured for his men to step forward and untie the ropes on her limbs.
While doing so, he also tried to reassure her, "Miss, don’t worry, I am not a bad person, I am here to rescue you!"
Cui Ying inwardly rejoiced, thankful for her father’s reputation.
Her gaze turned towards Zhan Liluo; should she rescue Zhan Liluo along with her?
After all, she had had a decent relationship with Zhan Liluo before!
But then she thought again about Zhan Liluo’s haughty demeanor and no longer wanted to save her.
After all, Zhan Liluo looked as if she wished for death, and even if she returned home, she would not be warmly welcomed; perhaps it was better for her to just die!
Cui Ying looked at Zhan Liluo with pitying eyes, only to find that Zhan Liluo was trembling ever since Ouyang Qingming entered.
Cui Ying wondered, the Young Master in front of her seemed to be quite presentable and even came to rescue her, so why were Zhan Liluo and those women so frightened of him.
Could it be that this man was pretending, and perhaps he would take her away and treat her cruelly, breaking her arms and legs and stuffing her into a pot just like the others?
Cui Ying broke out in a cold sweat as she sized up Ouyang Qingming and suddenly realized, "You’re Ouyang Qingming!"
She had seen him at the Martial Arts Examination before, but she was far away at the time and didn’t see him very clearly.
In Ouyang Qingming’s heart, there was a touch of smugness; it seems he had made some impression during the Martial Arts Examination after all.
He straightened his sleeves and nodded elegantly, "Miss recognizes me, indeed it is I!"
After confirming his identity, Cui Ying suddenly screamed loudly, "Don’t come near me, you’re a bad person!"
She heard from Zhan Liluo that it was Ouyang Qingming who had severed her legs and put her in the beauty pot.
Now he was so hypocritically saying he was a good person; who would believe that!
Ouyang Qingming was originally pretending to be a good man, and now with Cui Ying shouting like this, it would only draw the attention of other sect members or the official army.
It seemed he must make Cui Ying shut up first!
Ouyang Qingming signaled to his men: "Gag her mouth!"
The subordinate immediately went to do it, Cui Ying had just gained her freedom, and suddenly she lost it again, her mouth stuffed with dirty rags.
Every hair on her body stood on end, her pupils shrank, and she was certain Ouyang Qingming was a bad person.
Ouyang Qingming looked at Cui Ying, "Miss Cui, please calm down, don’t be afraid, don’t shout, I will ensure your safety."
Cui Ying didn’t believe Ouyang Qingming’s words at all, but she had to pretend to be calm to stabilize him.
So she nodded at him.
Ouyang Qingming smiled and said, "Good."
After finishing speaking, he turned around with the support of his subordinates, and his eyes immediately became sinister.
He led his men to where the Great Elder kept the children.
If the official army found this place, none of those children could be spared!
The door to the cell had already been opened, and the children were long gone!
Ouyang Qingming angrily said, "Quickly find the Great Elder, also, our people must stand guard here, if the official army really comes to search the mountain, set this place on fire immediately, we absolutely cannot leave any trace!"
"Young Master, shall we set the place on fire right away!" a subordinate asked.
Ouyang Qingming slapped the man’s face and scolded, "Idiot! If you burn it now, isn’t that telling the official army we have problems here! Don’t scare yourself, in case they didn’t come for this, wouldn’t we be confessing without being pressed, don’t burn it unless it’s absolutely necessary!"
He was still planning to sweet-talk Cui Ying, personally send her down the mountain, then bribe Cui Hao, perhaps find support from Cui Hao in the court, which would make things more convenient in the future!
"Yes, subordinate obeys!"
Ouyang Qingming certainly did not want to let go of the beauty pots he had tortured for years so easily!
He enjoyed seeing them struggle between life and death.
Just like when he was tortured by others, no matter how much he pleaded, that person had never let him go.
...
The official army’s journey up the mountain was difficult due to the snowfall.
Cui Hao sat in the sedan chair with a somber expression.
Because he hadn’t slept all night, his daughter Cui Ying had gone missing last night.
This morning, someone had brought her hairpin that had fallen in a tavern.
Then, he heard that the Capital Governor received a case where a woman was imprisoned in the Heavenly Slaughter Sect and had been rescued.
After hearing this, Cui Hao rushed to the scene and saw the woman with severed hands and feet stuffed in a clay pot, pale-faced like a ghost.
Seeing such a scene, Cui Hao felt as if a poisonous snake was crawling up his back, because his daughter had also disappeared.
If it was the Heavenly Slaughter Sect’s doing, he didn’t know if his daughter was also suffering at their hands at this moment.
With this thought, he personally led people to investigate, hoping to save his daughter even if there’s a sliver of hope.
If the Heavenly Slaughter Sect dared to touch his daughter, he would annihilate them!
Another person was also on the way up the mountain just behind him!
