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the other side.

Despite carrying two people, Lu Chen's speed did not decrease at all.

This weight was negligible to him.

Qingzhu and the others were already a step behind, and then they were delayed. Now the distance between them was getting farther and farther, and they lost sight of Lu Chen before they could even see the hem of his clothes.

"Damn it, that bastard!"

Qingzhu gritted his teeth countless times.

This feeling of not being able to catch up and constantly being toyed with is so unpleasant.

Lu Chen was hiding in a deserted, dilapidated courtyard. He found a relatively clean spot, placed the two unconscious children on the ground, and looked at his control panel.

Under the host's guidance and impetus, the fates of Zhang San and the other eight people have changed.

[Hit Value +1660]

[Luck value +8]

Under the host's guidance and impetus, the fates of Liu Xiaohua and the other person have changed.

[Hit Value +60]

"What should we do with these children? Go to the local government? I don't really trust them!"

Lu Chen frowned as he looked at the two unconscious people on the ground.

"Looking for Hu Bufan? He... is indeed a candidate!"

He then thought of the remaining twenty-odd children underground at Sanyuan Temple.

"I wonder if that bronze alchemy furnace will be destroyed. Even if they have a spare furnace, it might not be enough to delay their alchemy process!"

He gazed at the horizon.

A sliver of dawn light pierced through the darkness.

"The child can be saved, but the person must be killed! The problem is, my strength isn't enough. I can only run away; I can't fight back. Even kiting them is like dancing on a knife's edge. If more people come to surround and intercept me, I'll have a hard time escaping. So, the key now is still my strength!"

After thinking for a moment, he decided to take advantage of the time, pick up the two children, and quietly return to the inn.

Then, he knocked on Hu Bufan's door.

"Brother Hu, it's me!"

Hearing Lu Chen's voice, Hu Bufan opened the door.

"Why so early?"

"It's getting late, come with me!" He grabbed Hu Bufan and led him into his room.

"What's the rush?"

As Hu Bufan spoke, he followed Lu Chen to his room, his sleepiness instantly vanishing without a trace.

"You!" He looked at the two dirty children on Lu Chen's bed, quickly closed the door, and pointed at Lu Chen, "What did you do? Where did these children come from?"

Lu Chen explained, "I saved them! It hasn't been that long since the Black Gang incident, and you've already forgotten?"

"I knew it was you who did the Black Gang thing!" Hu Bufan muttered, looking at the two unconscious children. "You went out last night? How did you save them?"

Do you still remember the Sanyuan Temple?

Hu Bufan's eyes widened immediately: "Sanyuan Temple? They're the ones who trafficked children? You went there during the day, that's..."

"No, I only found out later. At first, I was just looking for a pill-refining furnace. Also, I'm not sure if the children were trafficked by the Sanyuan Temple, but children trafficked from the county must have been sent here! Besides, those beasts want to use them to refine pills!"

Lu Chen looked at the two children with a cold expression.

Hu Bufan was stunned for a moment.

"What do you mean? Use them to refine pills? They are..." He hadn't reacted yet, but when he saw the two children, his face turned pale.

"Are...are you sure?"

He had never heard of using this to refine pills!

Treating people like medicinal herbs?

This is utterly inhumane and outrageous!

"I'm absolutely certain! There weren't just two children there, there were more than twenty in total. I could only rescue two, and they were just the first batch! I don't know how many people were sent in before them, or how many more will be sent in later!"

When Lu Chen said this, his voice was low and his mood was very complicated.

This is truly a cannibalistic world!

Hu Bufan was silent for a moment, then looked up at Lu Chen: "What do you want me to do? What do you need me to do?"

"It's very simple. You'll take care of the children and help find their families. You did something similar in Shahu County before!"

Lu Chen offered his opinion, "Also, the remaining children need to be saved! You're not strong enough, so don't get involved rashly. You just need to help me take good care of these rescued children."

"I still have some trustworthy people I know in Shanyang Prefecture! Moreover, they're not from the same faction as these people from the Sanyuan Temple. We could consider getting them involved; it's definitely better than you fighting alone!"

Hu Bufan offered his suggestions.

He had some understanding of the Three Elements Theory, and his previous aversion to it was not without reason.

Lu Chen frowned.

He actually wanted to find someone to help him, but he didn't know anyone and didn't dare to trust anyone.

Moreover, since such rescue operations involve one's own safety, it is best to keep it secret. The more people who know, the greater the risk of something going wrong.

Who knows if these people will pull a double agent trick on him, with both sides planting spies?

"Are they really trustworthy?" Lu Chen asked seriously.

This could be a matter of life and death for him.

Hu Bufan said earnestly, "I'm sure! I guarantee it with my life!"

After a moment's thought, Lu Chen said, "If possible, I won't meet with your people. I'll act alone. Just delay and distract them as much as possible to create opportunities for me."

"That's fine too!"

After discussing it, Lu Chen asked Hu Bufan to take the child away and immediately began to act according to their plan, while he himself sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate.

After a night of continuous fighting and fleeing, his energy was almost completely depleted. Otherwise, he would have immediately returned to the "secret room" after entrusting the man to Hu Bufan to prevent the other party from changing positions if things went wrong.

However, even when it comes to saving people, his own safety must be the priority. Without energy, he simply cannot outrun Qingzhu. If he gets past him and is discovered, it will be a dead end.

Although the energy recovery speed is much faster than the speed of starting cultivation again, it still takes some time.

By noon, under the bright sunshine, he was bathed in sunlight and his body had already gained five strands of energy.

The filamentous energy not only circulated in his dantian, but also seeped into his body in wisps of mist, strengthening his physique.

"It's still too slow. I wonder when the entry will appear!"

Lu Chen clenched his fist, feeling the power that made him stronger once again.

He didn't know how strong he was now, but he still felt a little anxious.

He was afraid he wouldn't have enough time.

He knew exactly where his child was, but because he lacked the power to do anything about it, he could only watch helplessly. That feeling of powerlessness was very distressing for him!

"Let's go again and check things out!"

Lu Chen immediately changed his appearance and body shape, changed his clothes, filled his clothes with caltrops, and hung a knife at his waist before arriving at the Sanyuan Temple.

The Sanyuan Temple remains relatively quiet during the day.

There are indeed not many tourists here.

But Lu Chen had already keenly noticed the difference.

Many Taoist priests were casually guarding various intersections, and their density was much greater than what I saw yesterday.

They probably increased their guard because they were afraid of being disturbed.

"I wonder how things are going over there in the secret room? Have they moved the child?"

Lu Chen was actually quite worried about this.

If he were the Lord of the Azure Dragon, he certainly wouldn't be foolish enough to stay here after realizing it was no longer safe.

However, it's possible that the other party is stubborn or takes advantage of this idea to choose the opposite approach.

Lu Chen disguised himself as a tourist and headed towards the location of the secret room.

However, there were more Taoist priests there; some were sweeping the floor, while others were strolling around, their eyes never leaving him.

He turned a corner and went to other places, seemingly like a normal tourist.

"Does this action by Sanyuan Temple indicate that they haven't relocated yet? Otherwise, why would they send so many people to keep an eye on the tourists? Or are they just pretending to show me?"

After walking around for a while, Lu Chen left the Taoist temple and headed towards the river. He reached the corner, which was the opposite bank of the underwater steps leading to the secret chamber.

This place is full of rocks and a row of bushes, making it impossible for ordinary people to pass through. In addition, the willow trees here are very dense, so there are not many people here.

Avoiding the gaze of passersby, Lu Chen jumped onto a tree and peered inside.

The roof of the house had been repaired, but there was no one inside.

"strangeness!"

He looked around, but there was no one there.

I didn't feel like I was being watched.

He hesitated for a moment, then simply went into the water and swam to the railing of the underwater steps.

Grasping the two adjacent fence posts with both hands, Lu Chen slowly applied force.

His muscles tensed, and the two fences slowly bent under his strange strength, revealing a gap that a person could squeeze through.

Looking through the water, Lu Chen saw no one. He passed through the fence and quietly peeked out from under the steps.

He emerged from the water, his blood and energy flowing freely, the scorching heat slowly drying his clothes, causing steam to rise from them.

Carefully approaching the room with the black stone tablet, I hid behind a pillar and peeked inside.

Four Taoist priests were sitting cross-legged, guarding the entrance.

Each of the four people had a gong beside them.

"Holy crap? Did they put something that makes a sound to warn us that someone has broken in?"

He looked toward the underground entrance.

The entrance door was open at the moment, and there was no sound coming from inside.

"Something feels a little off."

He frowned, a sudden, piercing thought urging him on.

"Danger!"