Nine-layer armor-breaking

Chapter 316 Arrival
Reality was not what the leader wished for, and things rarely went as he imagined.

Even though he desperately wanted to know what Jiang Xian and Guard Liu were plotting or doing, his vision couldn't reach that area.

His head was facing the exact opposite direction from Jiang Xian and Guard Liu.

Even if he tried to look up, he wouldn't see the scene he wanted to see.

Therefore, he naturally gave up struggling. It was better to appear more composed in front of Jiang Xian and Guard Li, since they would be spending the rest of the journey together, and he hoped to make himself feel better.

His vision went black as he waited for the storm to rage against him.

However, along the way, Li Huwei kept asking him to point out the way for the two of them.

He was in so much pain and nausea that he really didn't want to keep traveling, so he had to take advantage of the time the two of them gave him to relieve his pain and clear his head to carefully adjust himself in order to buy some time.

That's why, before setting off he estimated he could reach the place before dark, but now he's been dragged on until it's already getting dark and he still hasn't reached the tunnel.

Right now, he had only one thought in his mind. He encouraged himself, telling himself, "We'll be there soon!"

He dared not think about his way back. Although he knew they would definitely be able to get and take the horses with them on this trip, it was still unknown whether Jiang Xian and Guard Li would let him ride alone on the return journey.

The thought of the unpredictable and unstable personalities of Jiang Xian and the other two gave him a splitting headache.

He didn't want to think about it anymore, fearing that the two of them would make him have to rush back like this.

By not overthinking things, we avoid feeling disappointed.

He knew that he might be fine today, but if he stayed up overnight and his body relaxed a little, he would feel as if all the parts of his body were about to fall apart.

If he couldn't break free from Jiang Xian and his two companions' control by then, he knew his life would be in grave danger.

Therefore, he was not willing to give up at all. He dared not slack off and was trying his best to think of ways to deal with what was about to happen.

The three of them walked and stopped frequently along the way.

Jiang Xian could roughly understand the discomfort caused by the horse's jolting, but he could also tell that the main character was using every stop as an excuse to stall for time.

So either the leader is really feeling extremely unwell and is using the task of giving directions as an excuse to rest a little longer, or he is deliberately stalling for time.

Jiang Xian still found it difficult to guess what specific signal the core leader wanted to convey.

The signal settings can be multifaceted, including arrival time and even avoiding triggering traps along the way.

Therefore, even if the leader guides the two of them without encountering any traps along the way, it is not necessarily a good thing.

Sometimes, these criminals might agree to precisely trigger one or more small traps in order to prove their allegiance to each other.

All of these need to be agreed upon in advance. Jiang Xian finds it difficult to guess whether there will be a mark on the road, a time, or a mark left after arrival. He can only take it one step at a time.

Jiang Xian knew that as long as the core leader was planning something, he would definitely show some unusual reactions.

However, Jiang Xian and Li Huwei need to pay close attention to these things during the rest of the journey.

As dusk fell, apart from the faint light emanating from the moon, which allowed them to vaguely see the road ahead, Jiang Xian and Guard Li proceeded almost entirely in the dark.

The two horses stopped at the same time. Along the way, Jiang Xian and Li Huwei didn't see many people.

Based on previous experience, Guard Li did not ask the leader for directions again. Instead, he gave the leader enough time to adjust. Once the leader had calmed down, he would naturally give directions to Jiang Xian and Guard Li.

"There's only one road ahead. Keep going straight, and you'll see a house." The leader's face was ashen, and he coughed softly as he spoke, looking extremely haggard and weak.

Jiang Xian took a small water bottle off his horse and tossed it to Guard Li.

"Clatter!" The small kettle fell to the ground with a thud, landing steadily in the hands of Guard Li.

Li, the bodyguard, instinctively caught the small water bottle that Jiang Xian tossed to him, but he had no idea what Jiang Xian meant by doing so.

He smiled heartily at Jiang Xian, then whispered, "Master, I have more here!"

After saying that, he raised the water bottle hanging on his horse's back and shook it at Jiang Xian.

Jiang Xian knew that Guard Li had misunderstood, so he slightly raised his chin, signaling Guard Li to take the kettle to the leader.

Li, the bodyguard, then realized that he had misunderstood Jiang Xian's meaning. He frowned slightly, and although reluctant, he still handed the water bottle that Jiang Xian had given him to his leader.

At this moment, the backbone of the organization was bound hand and foot, leaning against a thick tree, sitting on the ground, looking listless.

Even when they stopped to rest, Li, the bodyguard, did not give his leader a free rein.

In fact, the core leader was more willing to accept this.

We can still tolerate him for now, but if we let him off the hook and then tie him up again when he's on his way, then this back and forth will wear down his last bit of patience and endurance.

After the initial comfort comes even more unbearable constraints, so the core of the matter is willing to accept this.

Although Guard Li did hand the water bottle to the leader, he did not put it to the leader's mouth or feed him water directly.

The leader could see that Guard Li was unwilling, but given his current situation, it was not the time to lose face and hold a grudge.

He nodded slightly and said to Guard Li, "Thank you." His voice was weak and feeble.

Seeing the leader nod, Guard Li removed the stopper, moved the water bottle closer to the leader's mouth, and placed it near his lips.

The moment his mouth touched the kettle, the main character began to gulp down water, completely disregarding his appearance.

Jiang Xian frowned slightly upon seeing this scene.

Actually, they were about to set off again, and the leader shouldn't drink so much, but she couldn't bring herself to say so, so she let the leader go. Anyway, with her there, if she didn't want the leader to die, there was a way.

After feeding his trusted lieutenant, Li, the bodyguard, walked over to Jiang Xian's side. Jiang Xian did not dismount to adjust; he remained on his horse, waiting.

Guard Li leaned closer to Jiang Xian and whispered, "Master, why don't you come down and rest for a bit?"

Li, the bodyguard, knew that since Jiang Xian wanted to conceal her identity while traveling, he couldn't keep calling her "Miss" and had to address her as "Master."

In fact, as long as they still follow Jiang Xian's orders, anyone with eyes can tell at a glance who is in charge among the three of them. Therefore, there is no need to hide the fact that Jiang Xian is the head of the family, and it doesn't matter if the core leader finds out.

The core leader was simply eliminating their identities bit by bit, comparing Jiang Xian and the other two with the wealthy families he suspected, in order to deduce their identities.

Even so, as long as they don't reveal more, the core leadership will absolutely not suspect the Jiang family of Yingzhou.

Jiang Xian shook his head and remained silent.

Li, the guard, originally wanted to give Jiang Xian one of his spare water bottles, but when he saw that there was another water bottle hanging on the back of Jiang Xian's horse, he stepped aside and said no more.

With their leader's guidance, the three of them were indeed able to avoid numerous obstacles and traps.

Although it's unclear whether it's something to be thankful for now, the fact remains that the three of them did not fall into a trap.

As Jiang Xian and Li Huwei's horses finally stopped to let their leader point the way, the three of them soon arrived at the place their leader had mentioned.

Jiang Xian and Li Huwei groped their way in the dark under the moonlight, but they both managed to spot the house.

The house wasn't large, but the courtyard was quite spacious. In this desolate place, they had enclosed a rather large area, which gave off a slightly eerie feeling.

There were no lanterns lit, and no one was around the courtyard.

Li Huwei and Jiang Xian's horses stopped not far from the courtyard. Jiang Xian signaled Li Huwei to untie the main horse. Although Li Huwei did not understand, he did as Jiang Xian asked.

Even if Guard Li was clueless, he knew that Jiang Xian was a woman of her word and it was difficult to change her mind or decision, so he didn't bother to say anything more, since it wasn't a big deal.

Even though he didn't say it, he was still worried that loosening the reins on the leader would allow the leader to make some hints or signs, or that something might happen that would be detrimental to him and Jiang Xian.

Jiang Xian, however, had other considerations. She did this because she wanted to give the core leader a chance to fully demonstrate his abilities. She wanted to let the core leader do things freely so that she could better observe him, thereby learning about his intentions and the secrets behind him.

Jiang Xian was confident, so although she was cautious, she was not afraid.

However, in Li Huwei's mind, he only thought of Jiang Xian as an ordinary person, or even a woman with less strength. No matter how Li Huwei thought about it, he could not have imagined that Jiang Xian was a real Heaven-rank martial artist.

Therefore, Li Huwei had to take care of himself while also devoting his energy to protecting Jiang Xian, which made him very worried.

The core leader clearly did not understand Jiang Xian's meaning.

He didn't understand why Jiang Xian would still ask Guard Li to release him now that they were here. He really couldn't figure it out.

In the leader's view, if Jiang Xian and Guard Li continued to tie him up and send him to the people inside to be used as a hostage to threaten them, wouldn't it be better to exchange him for some horses and prevent him from transmitting some signals?

"Could it be to cover up the fact that they were coerced? That's why they loosened their grip on me. What are these two's motives?" the core leader wondered to himself.

The leader, unaware of Jiang Xian's intentions, could only quietly await Jiang Xian's next move.

Now, his mind is much clearer.

Even though they had just arrived at their destination, their core member's condition inexplicably improved.

Based on the leader's previous state, aside from the part where he deliberately delayed, he knew that he was genuinely feeling unwell, listless, weak, and didn't want to continue his journey.

The constant jolting he experienced while being carried on horseback made him feel as if he were being electrocuted, leaving him numb and unable to think effectively. He could only empty his mind, try to numb himself, and that was the only way he could feel a little better.

Otherwise, if he tries to force himself to think about things or constantly reminds himself that he is in a painful state, he will only suffer more and more.

Obviously, he only realized after experiencing it firsthand that the trick of diverting his attention to other things was completely ineffective for him.

He could only try to endure and gradually adapt by emptying his mind of everything and doing nothing, remaining on the horse and letting the horse and guard Li do as they pleased.

He could only rest and adjust himself a little more if he forced himself to reach the next place where he needed to give directions.

But now that he has arrived at this familiar courtyard, things have become strange.

He not only felt much more energetic, but the weakness he had felt gradually dissipated, and he even became somewhat excited.

He didn't know the underlying principle, but for the first time, he felt the power of hope was so strong, and in short, it made him very satisfied.

Hope was within reach, and support was just around the corner. He was incredibly excited, an excitement he had never felt before.

Now that his backbone has recovered somewhat, he feels full of energy, a stark contrast to his previous listless state.

Jiang Xian didn't know what the situation was like inside the courtyard, but he knew the key person in charge.

Guard Li asked the leader, "Is anyone inside?"

Upon hearing this, the leader shook his head and said to Guard Li, "I haven't been here for a long time and I don't know the situation inside."

After saying this, seeing that Guard Li was somewhat dissatisfied, he added, "However, regardless of whether there are people inside or not, we can still find horses."

As he spoke, Li Huwei even tried to conceal his unusually excited and energetic state, attempting to appear as weak as he had been before in front of the two men to avoid arousing their attention and suspicion.

The leader was extremely excited. He thought to himself, "Heaven doesn't want me to perish; Heaven is helping me!"

In reality, there is a world of difference between genuine distress and feigned distress.

In particular, even the core leader himself doesn't believe his own feigned pain and weakness; instead, he feels excited. How can he possibly convincingly portray an extremely weak state?

However, those involved are often blinded, while bystanders see things clearly. The leader was unaware of the sense of disconnect he was exhibiting, but Jiang Xian had observed his state of mind in detail.

(End of this chapter)