Chapter 251: Things Can Be Done Ruthlessly

Inside the underground cavern, the room was a mess, with bloodstains everywhere.

The surviving underlings curled up on the ground, groaning.

The women in the cages were so terrified that they had long since turned away, not daring to look at the scene before them, with a few irrepressible sobs occasionally escaping.

“Chest Hair? Maozi?”

Chest Hair lay amidst a pile of broken wood.

This damn ‘Immortal-Bewildering Powder’ was potent.

Chest Hair was, at the very least, a Manifesting Elemental State Martial Artist, yet after several hours, there was still no sign of him waking up.

Ding Suian crouched down beside him and raised his hand to check Chest Hair’s breathing, but stopped halfway.

“Hoh~ hoh~ hoh.”

Two long, one short, rhythmic and drawn out.

Was this guy snoring?

“Slap~”

“Slap~ slap~”

“Chest Hair!”

Ding Suian’s hand, which had been checking for breath, turned into a slap, hitting him on the face a few times, neither too hard nor too soft.

Chest Hair, like a delicate Sleeping Beauty, slowly opened his eyes.

Staring at the uneven ceiling of the cavern, he looked blankly for a moment before he seemed to remember. He remembered that tonight he had volunteered, snatching the task from Gongye Ni to personally follow the Boss to explore the tunnel at night.

This was an extremely dangerous mission!

As the Boss’s number one fierce general and a brother he had risked his life with, he had to perform well!

With a start, Chest Hair suddenly flipped over and stood up, shoving Ding Suian behind him, and opened his mouth with a roar exclusive to fierce generals, “Halt! I, Zhu, am here; who dares to harm my Master!”

“…”

Ding Suian silently glanced at the iron chains still locked around Chest Hair’s wrists.

“…”

Chest Hair looked around the shura-like cavern, seeming to understand something, but was stung by his superior’s look, which was like looking at trash. He hurriedly defended himself, “Boss! I was faking unconsciousness the whole time! I was just waiting for the critical moment to catch them off guard!”

“Mm-hmm, then I thank you.”

“Boss, why do I feel like you’re mocking me?”

“Oh? You’re quite smart, actually able to hear the sarcasm? Alright, I’ll take them out first. You keep an eye on these people. After I go out, I’ll have Gongye Ni bring people in, and you all can escort these filthy wretches out together.”

“Understood!”

“…”

“Hey, Boss, what are these lumps on the ground?”

“Birds~”

Central Heaven City, the sun was bright.

It was just the Si hour of the morning, and the heat was already making people sweat profusely.

South City, Tongqu Ward.

Outside the entrance of the Yi-7 Culvert, hundreds of Winged Tiger Army Soldiers stood solemnly, keeping the onlookers far away.

The onlookers on the periphery stood on tiptoe, whispering and speculating about what major case had occurred in the dilapidated South City that had alarmed so many people.

Not far away, in a teahouse that happened to have a view of the Yi-7 Culvert entrance, it had been temporarily cleared. Princess Xingguo, dressed in a lotus-root-colored casual outfit, sat by the window.

On her well-maintained, calm face, no emotions could be seen, but the fingertips that kept rubbing the edge of the cup seemed to reveal the anxiety perfectly concealed beneath her graceful demeanor.

Beside her, Lin Hansu, who was gradually developing a hint of Princess Xingguo’s demeanor, was clearly still a bit greener than her Senior Sister and boss. Her pair of Phoenix eyes were fixed on the culvert entrance, her eyes slightly red.

Her worry for the Young Master was practically written on her face.

Over at the culvert entrance, a Soldier who had gone inside walked out covered in mud and reported something to Lu Zihong, the Commander of the Winged Tiger Army who was in command outside.

In the teahouse, Lin Hansu pursed her lips and said in a low voice, “Your Highness.”

Princess Xingguo glanced at her; everything was understood without words.

Princess Xingguo knew that Lin Hansu wanted to go over and ask Lu Zihong if there was any progress.

In the hour or so since they arrived, Lin Hansu had already asked him five or six times, “Have you found the Duke of Chu County?”

But Princess Xingguo did not refuse her overly frequent requests, only saying softly, “Eunuch He, please ask Commander Lu to come over again.”

“Yes.”

A moment later, Eunuch He brought Lu Zihong into the teahouse.

“Commander Lu, any news?”

“Replying to Your Highness, Deputy Commander Ding has already personally led people into the tunnel.”

Lu Zihong cupped his hands, bowed his head, and continued, “Currently, there is no news.”

Deputy Commander Ding was Ding Lie, the biological father of Young Ding.

Since the Duke of Chu County’s father had personally gone in, the Winged Tiger Army had exerted its greatest effort and would definitely not slack off.

“Mm, thank you for your hard work. If there is any news, report it immediately.”

“Yes.”

Once Lu Zihong left, Lin Hansu’s emotions were on the verge of collapsing.

They went in at the Chou hour last night, and now it was the Si hour; a full five hours had passed.

And the tunnel was fraught with danger.

What made Lin Hansu even more miserable was that the day before yesterday, the two of them had a conflict at the Tianzong Prefecture Yamen.

If that had been the last time they met… Thinking of this, she couldn’t hold back her tears.

Princess Xingguo seemed to sense something, turned her head to look, was silent for two breaths, then said, “Hansu, come here~”

Lin Hansu, who was immersed in her own world, looked up upon hearing this, hurriedly wiped her tears with her sleeve, stepped forward, and said in a low voice, “Your subject has been rude~”

Before being Senior Sister and Junior Sister, they were ruler and subject; shedding tears in front of Princess Xingguo was indeed a bit rude.

But Princess Xingguo did not rebuke her; instead, she sighed softly, took a handkerchief to wipe her tears, patted her hand to comfort her, “The Duke of Chu County is blessed by good fortune and will surely be fine.”

“…”

Listening to Princess Xingguo’s gentle words of comfort, Lin Hansu’s slightly pale lips trembled, and the tears she had just wiped away rolled out again.

She had lost her mother at a young age, and after her father forced her to marry into Lanyang Prefecture, the relationship between father and daughter had been estranged for many years.

She had long been accustomed to solving problems on her own and dealing with her emotions by herself; it had been many years since she had encountered such care.

A feeling akin to admiration for an elder couldn’t help but arise in her heart.

Emotional fluctuations combined with anxiety and worry caused Lin Hansu to lose control a little, and she immediately said the words she had been brewing in her heart for a long time, “Your Highness, why not summon… summon the Prince of Linping, and let him…”

“Silence!”

Princess Xingguo gave a low reprimand, and Lin Hansu instantly became mostly sober.

If she could know that Wangchuan Ferry had countless connections with Chen Hong, how could Princess Xingguo not know?

Some things are not put on the table, and everyone can pretend not to know.

But once spoken aloud… it would set off a monstrous wave.

Lin Hansu, whose emotions had become increasingly stable in recent years, lost her composure today, all due to Ding Suian’s disappearance. But seeing Princess Xingguo’s attitude, she felt regretful and also a bit angry.

She regretted saying that.

She was angry that the Young Master had reached such a dangerous situation, yet Princess Xingguo only cared about the royal reputation.

Naturally, she would not show her emotions, but her head, slightly tilted to one side, still exposed a little bit of defiance and grievance.

It was rare for Princess Xingguo to see her act like a little girl, so she couldn’t help but shake her head gently and say, “I have already sent someone to invite Chen Hong and the Heir of Prince Leyang to come.”

“Uh.”

Lin Hansu was stunned, unable to understand Princess Xingguo’s meaning for a moment. Are you helping or not?

Princess Xingguo sat back in her chair slowly, her plain tone hiding a kind of earnest teaching, “Hansu, you must remember: Things can be done ruthlessly; but words cannot be spoken ruthlessly.”

“…”

While Lin Hansu was still contemplating the meaning of these words, Princess Xingguo broke them down and explained them to her in detail, “When things are done ruthlessly, the risks and benefits are certain and can be thought through before taking action; conversely, if words are spoken ruthlessly, there are only incalculable risks and the other party’s vigilance.”

Combining this with the current situation, Lin Hansu’s understanding was that if she spoke openly and forced Chen Hong into a desperate situation, it would only be counterproductive.

To put it more bluntly, either endure and don’t let the other party feel any threat to avoid them acting like a cornered dog; if you want to act, then cut the weeds and eliminate the roots to prevent future trouble.

Lin Hansu was greatly shocked, not just because Princess Xingguo was so patiently teaching her these principles.

More of it came from the deep meaning behind the principles. Chen Hong was a Prince of Great Wu and Princess Xingguo’s own nephew; what did ‘things can be done ruthlessly’ refer to?