Chase Game

The severed arm rolled into the depths of the grass, and then a large black dog ran out, sniffed it carefully, and carried it away.

Zhao Dayou reappeared in a secluded place far away, his face pale, with blood gushing uncontrollably from the severed wound on his left arm.

If the bleeding is not stopped quickly, it could be life-threatening.

With this thought in mind, he barged into a clinic.

He should be thankful that Zhang Qiang was confined to the Meng residence and unable to leave.

The time limit for Ling Yi's identity reversal has also come.

Zhang Qiang, inside the yard, yawned, watching the big black dog carry away the severed arm, and muttered something.

"It looks like that blond guy. If only I could have hit him on the head. Too bad, I missed such a great opportunity..."

Zhang Qiang had gotten very close and recognized Huang Mao's identity, but he didn't hold back at all.

Perhaps it was his thick skin that gave him an advantage, allowing him to quickly adapt to the "winner takes all" nature of the chase game.

He turned to leave when suddenly his nose twitched, and he caught another scent.

Zhang Qiang sneered and said, "Fine, fine, another one coming to my doorstep..."

Huh, wait!

This aura seems somewhat familiar?

He hesitated, unsure, until he saw another dark figure climb up the courtyard wall and call out to him in a low voice:

"Qiangzi~"

The familiar scent, the familiar voice...

Holy crap, it really is Ling Yi!

Before the two even met, a commotion arose in the distance.

Zhang Qiang's roar naturally alerted the other guards in the mansion, so they are now noisily rushing over here with torches and lanterns in hand.

He quickly stepped forward and saw Ling Yi.

"There's no one in that house up ahead. Go in and hide for a bit. I'll cover you from here!"

Ling Yi didn't say much. He also saw the guards rushing over, so he ran in the direction Zhang Qiang pointed.

After he entered the room, he gently closed the door. The dimly lit room was filled with miscellaneous items.

There were some rustling sounds in the corner, probably from mice.

The guards outside had also arrived, and Ling Yi could see Zhang Qiang talking to them through the crack in the door.

Among the visitors was a middle-aged man in his forties, one of the stewards of the Meng family and also the leader here.

He asked, "Master Zhang, we heard the noise and rushed over immediately. Could you please tell us what happened?"

Zhang Qiang displayed an air of profound mystery.

"Oh, it's nothing, just a petty thief. I broke one of his arms and he got away... Look, that's what that big black dog is carrying."

Upon hearing this, the crowd began to discuss among themselves. Some expressed admiration and gratitude, while a few others grumbled sourly:

"How could they have gotten away...?"

"Exactly, they made such a big commotion, yet they didn't catch them red-handed..."

Zhang Qiang glanced coldly at the two men who had spoken; one was short and stout, the other tall and thin.

The tiger is the king of beasts, and its imposing presence sent a chill down the spines of the two men.

The steward then reassured them, "Master Zhang is indeed incredibly brave. With you protecting the Meng residence, we can rest easy!"

"Hehe, you flatter me. Since there's nothing else, everyone should head back."

Zhang Qiang thought he should get rid of this group of people as soon as possible so he could meet with Ling Yi.

If he had known Ling Yi was there, he wouldn't have yelled.

Actually, the housekeeper only got out of bed because he heard the commotion. Now that everything was alright, he naturally wanted to go back as soon as possible.

Even though it's not long until dawn, who wouldn't want to stay in bed a little longer?

Therefore, he was preparing to dismiss everyone.

Just as he was about to speak, a noise came from the room where Ling Yi was hiding, in front of him and behind Zhang Qiang.

The butler wondered, "It sounds like the noise is coming from the storeroom?"

Zhang Qiang was startled and wondered what excuse he could come up with to get out of this.

Just as the butler decided to go and investigate, a meow rang out.

A tabby cat darted out from under the door.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

"Phew~ It was just a cat, what a relief..."

The butler said in a low voice.

After exchanging a few more polite words with Zhang Qiang and instructing him to strengthen the guard in each area, he quickly ran back to his own private quarters.

Seeing the group of people walk away, Zhang Qiang also turned and walked towards the storage room.

Ling Yi, who was in the storage room, was staring at a calico kitten.

"Why does it look so much like a tricolor dumpling? And that tabby cat that ran out just now, it looks like a sesame ball too..."

A strange, indescribable feeling welled up in Ling Yi's heart.

Anyway, the noise we heard earlier was made by these two kittens.

Thankfully, the tabby cat that looked just like a sesame ball ran out and dispelled any doubts; otherwise, we would have had to use our skills again.

Normally, without any special methods, entering the Meng residence would have been no different from swaggering around.

The blond guy from before is a case in point.

Fortunately, Ling Yi already knew Zhang Qiang. If it were someone else guarding the area, he wouldn't have been able to get in even without using [Silence] and [Invisibility].

The calico cat tilted its head and glanced at Ling Yi a couple of times before nimbly leaping out through the crack in the door.

Shortly after, Zhang Qiang arrived at the door of the storage room, knocked lightly twice, and said:

"Come with me, this is not the place to talk."

Caution is the right thing to do. Ling Yi silently followed Zhang Qiang, winding his way through the crowd.

During this time, Ling Yi also discovered that the layout here was indeed not much different from the garden layouts he had seen before.

With mountains, water, and trees, and buildings arranged in a pleasing and orderly manner, it truly resembles a "wealthy family's residence."

There were many buildings here. Soon, he was led into a room, and then Zhang Qiang lit a candle.

Zhang Qiang placed the candle on the candlestick and said, "This is my room, no one will come here..."

He secured the candle, but when he turned around, he was startled.

"Holy crap, you're covered in blood! Are you injured?"

Ling Yi also took a look by the firelight, and indeed, the long robe was covered in blood, which was from when he killed rats and cattle in the cave.

"I'm not injured. It's a long story... Never mind, do you have any extra clothes here? Give me a set to change into."

He wouldn't be polite to Zhang Qiang at all.

"You're not injured, but there's so much blood. Did you go and commit murder and arson?"

Zhang Qiang muttered to himself as he looked for clothes for him.

Ling Yi nodded silently, thinking to himself: There was no arson, but the guess about murder was correct.

"Well, this is the only one I have left. It might be a little big on you..."

Ling Yi took the clothes and looked at them. This set of clothes in the style of the Imperial Guard was similar to the one Zhang Qiang was wearing.

After comparing them, it was indeed a bit bigger, after all, Zhang Qiang was muscular and broad, while Ling Yi was the type with a more even build.

"It's not much bigger, I can wear it... Why are you still staring at me?"

"Damn it, you think I want to see you?"

"Then I wouldn't know..."

"Give it back to me if you dare, don't switch it!"

"hehe……"

In a casual moment of commotion, Ling Yi quickly changed her clothes.

After standing up and stretching a bit, Ling Yi smiled and said:

"Wow, it fits quite well... By the way, what role are you playing again?"

Zhang Qiang changed Ling Yi's clothes, crumpled them into a ball, and carelessly tossed them under the bed. Hearing Ling Yi's question, he answered truthfully:

"The bodyguard, who is actually a pursuer, has tasked me with protecting the Meng family mansion. All my abilities are restricted to this area, and I can't even go outside."

As expected, although Zhang Qiang was the pursuer, he was also restricted to the specific area of ​​the Meng residence.

If Ling Yi goes to Dongshan Village, Zhang Qiang will not be able to keep up.