Lao Dong was knocked down by San Chi and lay there for a whole hour before climbing up the mountain. The mountain was shrouded in clouds and mist, and San Chi had taken Zhou Xuan and Lin Hanyu to who-knows-where on the mountain?

  Lao Dong rushed back to the city on horseback, but saw a large number of soldiers mobilized in the city, checking pedestrians and strictly prohibiting exit from the city. Soldiers were searching door-to-door, and there were also large teams of cavalrymen galloping out of the city.

  Lao Dong grasped the reins of a general who was about to lead his troops out of the city and asked: "Where is the Grand Protector?"

  Lao Dong is now just a carriage driver, but he has deep experience in the Fuzhou Army. Those generals all know him and hastily said: "General Dong, something big has happened! The eunuch Li who was sent to select beauties has been taken away by San Chou of the Five Lunatics. The governor is now at the provincial government office planning a rescue strategy."

  Lao Dong rushed to the provincial government office and saw five people kneeling down in the hall, tied up with ropes. One of them was Lin Heishan, and the other four were the four bodyguards who often accompanied Lord Li.

  Lin He, the commander of Fenghua, and Xu Qingli, the governor of Jiangzhou, stood in the hall, not speaking a word. One's face was black as coal, the other's white as snow.

  Lin said with a bitter smile: "Your Excellency Xu, you and I are prepared to die to apologize to His Majesty."

  Xu Steward's mouth was half open, wanting to say something, but couldn't get it out, his hands shaking and trembling.

  Lao Dong rushed up and knelt down, saying: "Duhu, the three fools have taken Li Daren and Second Miss to Mount Lu, and also Zhou Xuan."

  Lin hastily rushed up and asked what was going on?

  Lao Dong carefully told the whole story again.

  Lin's face showed joy, rubbing his hands and saying: "So to speak, Lord Li can temporarily keep his life. Come on, pass the military order, gather 20,000 soldiers from Weng City, search the mountain!"

  Lao Dong hastily said: "Your Excellency, absolutely not. The three fools have said that if Your Excellency sends troops to enter the mountain before noon on the third day, he will kill Li Daren and the other two. The martial arts of these three fools are really extraordinary, and I am incompetent, being knocked down with just one move."

  Lin stroked his beard thoughtfully, gazing at the five Lin Heishan men kneeling below. These five were all highly skilled in martial arts, yet they had been struck down one by one by the three fools. With ease, they had taken Li Daren away. It seemed that sending people to search the mountain immediately would not be suitable. Turning his head, he asked Magistrate Xu, "Magistrate Xu, the three fools want to gamble with Zhou Xuan for their lives. Can Zhou Xuan win this gamble?"

  Xu Steward said cautiously: "I think, since the three robbers are known as 'Sword, Chess, and Bug' three absolutes, he wants to gamble with Zhou Xuan, it's nothing more than these three things. Whether Master Zhou is good at martial arts or not, I don't know..."

  Lao Dong interrupted and said: "Zhou Xuan is not good at martial arts."

  Xu Cishi said: "Zhou Gongzi is very skilled in Go and insect fighting, I'm sure the adults have also heard of it."

  Lin said, "I hadn't heard of it until yesterday that Zhou Xuan's writing was exceptional." He furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment before saying, "Select 500 elite soldiers. Disguise them as woodcutters, hunters, and herb collectors, and have them sneak into the mountains at night. First, investigate where the three fools are in the mountains, and do not make any rash moves."

  "Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief," Lin Heishan called out, "I am willing to lead the troops into the mountains."

  Lin Heishan was Zhou Xuan's elder brother, and he let him go at the right time. Lin ordered someone to untie the five people, instructed them for a while, and Lin Heishan led the way and left.

  Magistrate Xu sent someone to inform Doctor Qin, but Doctor Qin and his daughter had already returned to their residence from the medical office. On the way, they saw that the soldiers were asking questions very seriously, and they didn't know what had happened. As soon as they returned home and sat down, they received a report from Magistrate Xu's messenger, saying that Zhou Xuan, Lord Li, and Miss Lin had been kidnapped by San Chou to Mount Lu.

  The entire Qin estate was shocked, and Zhen knew that Zhou Xuan had won the Three Chi Sword. He thought it was San Chi seeking revenge and went with Qin Que to Zhou Xuan's bedroom to find the sword, then took a carriage with Qin Bo to the prefectural government office.

  Arriving at the provincial government office, he learned that Lin Du Hu and Xu Cishi had gone to Gantang Lake, so he rushed to Gantang Lake again.

  The idlers around Lake Gantang have been driven away, and tens of thousands of soldiers are ready to be deployed. The Smoke Water Pavilion on the lake is the temporary residence of the Fuzhou Jiedushi.

  Dr. Qin and his two daughters were unable to enter, no matter how they explained it to the soldiers, until Old Xun saw them from afar and came over to say a few words before letting them pass.

  Smoke and water pavilion, Lin Du Hu, Xu Ci Shi and other Jiangzhou military and government officials gathered here, each with a solemn expression, the atmosphere was oppressive.

  Lin Heishan led five hundred disguised elite soldiers who had already divided to climb the mountain, Lushan's east and west ridges spanned three hundred miles, these five hundred people scattered in the blink of an eye and left no trace, like a cup of water seeping into a large sand dune.

  Qin Que and Zhen sat in a corner of the second floor of the Smoke Water Pavilion, gazing out at the misty Lushan Mountains in the fading light, feeling extremely uneasy.

  Night fell, Dr. Qin advised the two women to return first, he would stay here and wait, but they refused, saying that if their husband did not come back, they would not leave this lake for a single step.

  A tall and slender Taoist nun appeared opposite, wearing a Taoist crown and a bun on her head, with a veil covering her face. She came over and said: "Miss Qin, the female Taoist is quiet and polite."

  Qin Que was taken aback for a moment, then quickly came to his senses and hastily stood up to return the courtesy, saying: "Lin Xiao - no, Jing Yi Xian Gu please..."

  Jing Yi sat down beside Qin Que, gazing at Mount Lu, silent for a moment before speaking: "Miss Qin needn't worry, Master Zhou isn't an unlucky person, and my family's Han Yun is not someone with a thin fate either. We should be able to turn bad luck into good fortune."

  Qin Que and Zhen forced a smile, neither of them knew what to say, nor were they in the mood for polite small talk.

  At the third watch of midnight, two robust men dressed as hunters rushed down the mountain to report that they had tracked down the three fools' trail at Shimen Brook, and that Lord Li, Second Miss Lin, and Young Master Zhou were all safe.

  Lin Xi asked for details, and the two soldiers said they didn't dare get too close, it was seen on a mountain top several miles outside of Shimen Stream.

  Lin warned him to continue investigating, and not to let the three thieves discover anything.

  The next morning, another strong man came to report that Zhou Xuan was now washing in a small pool near Shimen Stream, and Lin Er also stood by, seemingly very leisurely.

  Lin and Xu Xian discussed with the officials, guessing that Zhou Xuan was going to gamble with the bandit San Chui for victory, but didn't know when it would end. Once Zhou Xuan lost, the bandit San Chui might immediately kill Lord Li. Since San Chui said that he would only allow the Fuhua army to enter the mountain tomorrow at noon, the gambling game was likely to end tonight.

  Lin Chuan ordered Lin Heishan to gather his men at Shimengou and prepare to launch a surprise attack under the cover of night.

  —

  Two soldiers took their orders and left.

  ******************************

  As for Zhou Xuan, having his head on Lin Hanyin's lap should be a comfortable thing, but the high fever was really unbearable, with rapid breathing, as if there was a big furnace in his chest that was burning fiercely, and he could only breathe desperately to dissipate some of the heat.

  Lin Han Yun looked east and west, muttering softly in her mouth: "Come on, come on, come on..."

  I thought it would take at least an hour for the reinforcements to arrive, but unexpectedly, in less than a quarter of an hour, I saw a group of woodcutters, hunters and herb collectors rushing down from the mountain ridge. The leader, a burly man with a short beard and wide mouth, shouted from afar: "Little sister, little sister, what's wrong with my sworn brother?"

  Lin Heishan had clearly seen that the one standing was Lord Li, and it seemed like he was unharmed. The man lying down was naturally Zhou Xuan. Thinking that his sworn brother had been harmed, he felt anxious in his heart, with tiger-like eyes brimming with tears, and with a fierce burst of energy, he rushed over.

  "Heishan! Heishan!" Lin Han Yun excitedly shouted, hastily getting up, Zhou Xuan's head slipped from her legs to the hard stone ground, "thud" a loud noise knocked him awake, rousing the dazed Zhou Xuan.

  Lin Heishan rushed up the mountain like a whirlwind, saw Zhou Xuan's head still on his neck, eyes open and called him "Shan Ge", only then did he feel at ease. While asking about the gambling den, he ordered the guards to set up three stretchers to carry the three people down the mountain.

  The stretcher was quickly tied up, and Lin Heishan personally lifted Zhou Xuan in front. Going up the mountain was easy, but going down was difficult. When they encountered steep slopes, Lin Heishan would raise his arms high to lift the stretcher over his head, while Jian Zuozuo crouched behind him, trying his best to keep the stretcher balanced.

  In the late afternoon, a group of people arrived at the side of Gan Tang Lake. The soldiers had already rushed ahead to report their arrival, and all the officials from the Smoke Water Pavilion came out to greet them.

  Lin Han and Li Daren had also rested enough, when they reached the flat ground, they got down from the stretcher and walked on their own, only Zhou Xuan was still carrying it.

  Xiao Di, accompanied by Lai Fu, who was carrying a load on his shoulders, waited at the Yan Shui Pavilion for an entire afternoon. At this time, he and Qin Que and Zhen, two sisters, joyfully welcomed him out together. Sharp children's voices called out: "Brother-in-law——brother-in-law——", patting Lai Fu's head and urging him to hurry up.

  Qin Que and Zhen were running, when they saw Lin Hei Shan and a soldier carrying a stretcher coming towards them. The two women almost simultaneously saw the feet sticking out from the front of the stretcher, which belonged to their husband. The unique boots had been worn through, revealing his dark toes.

  It was as if a thunderbolt had suddenly struck, and Qin Que and Zhen Yi were both stunned: Lord Li and Miss Lin had returned safely, but her husband had to be carried, what happened to him?

  The two women didn't dare to think anymore, but tears flowed down their faces. With blurry eyes from crying, they heard Zhou Xuan's voice: "Xiao Di, your brother-in-law is ill, where is your sister Ya Er? Tell her to come and take care of me quickly."

  Zhou Xuanhua didn't say a word, and two tear-stained faces appeared in front of him. Three fingers rested on his left wrist, and the two voices calling "husband" warmed his heart.

  Zhou Xuan moved his dry and cracked lips, smiled and said: "Sparrow, Needle, I'm fine, just caught a chill."

  "Sir, close your eyes and rest. We'll hurry back home, and I'll brew some medicine to cure your illness."

  Zhou Xuan's heart finally relaxed and he fell into a deep sleep.