He Yuzhu returns in Siheyuan

Chapter 765: Not Wanting to Save Liu Qi

In He Yao's opinion, since he already knew the spirit stone was probably in Liu Qi's hands, why bother caring about his life or death? Going to great lengths to save him was a sheer waste of time. He would be better off finding a quiet place with picturesque scenery to cultivate and improve his cultivation. The more he thought about it, the more he felt it wasn't worth it, and his brows knitted into knots.

Zhang Qi shook his head, his tone filled with helplessness. "He keeps saying he has a lot of spirit stones, but his mouth is as tight as a clam, impossible to pry open. He insists we rescue him from the Public Security Bureau first before he tells us where the spirit stones are hidden. He's clearly using the spirit stones as leverage to control us."

When He Yao heard this, he became furious. He clenched his fist and hit the tree trunk next to him hard. With a "bang", the bark cracked a little. He couldn't help but curse, his chest heaving: "This bastard, he dares to make conditions when he can't even protect himself!" But then he thought, the temptation of the spirit stone is too great - that is a treasure that can help them break through the bottleneck of many years, and many people beg for it. If he doesn't follow Liu Qi's wishes, he won't get a single spirit stone. It will be a waste of time and effort, and all the previous efforts will be in vain. He suppressed his anger, looked at Zhang Qi and asked: "Okay, scolding is useless. What are your plans? We can't just watch him being locked up in there and we get nothing."

Zhang Qi had already made plans. He said in a deep voice, "Burning into the prison by force is definitely not an option. The security here seems lax, but I have a feeling something is amiss. I have a vague feeling that we're being watched. Maybe there are other cultivators hiding in the dark. If we really make a fuss and get noticed by the higher-ups, we'll both be in big trouble. It's not worth it."

He Yao frowned and thought for a while, then his eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had thought of something: "You mean... to wait until he is transferred to another prison?" During the transfer, the guards are relatively scattered, the environment is complicated, and there are many people and eyes. It is indeed a good opportunity to take action, which is much safer than breaking into an impregnable prison.

Zhang Qi nodded, his eyes firm. "That's right. This is the safest way right now. Let's wait patiently and find out the time and route for the prison transfer. It won't be too late to take action then."

Having made up their minds, the two men found a secluded cave nearby for temporary shelter. He Yao volunteered to gather information, saying, "I'll monitor the prison transfer and make sure we find out the time and route." Zhang Qi remained in the cave, meditating and recovering his spiritual energy. Each of them performed their duties, waiting for the right moment to execute this meticulously planned rescue plan. Of course, their real concern wasn't Liu Qi's life or death, but rather the legendary magical stones that could grant a person a sudden ascension to heaven.

As time went by, He Yuzhu took Ma Xiuxiu to travel around the south and strolled around nearby in his spare time. He also heard a lot of news about Liu Qi. Naturally, he knew that he had been arrested and his crimes were serious. According to the neighbors' discussions, he was likely to be shot.

That day, the two of them sat on a stone bench by the lake, watching the cruise ships in the distance. He Yuzhu suddenly said, "Xiuxiu, we've been playing here for several days. It's time to go back." He was thinking about waiting until Liu Qi was shot before leaving. After all, this guy had dared to have someone beat him up, and he couldn't let this go. Once he got rid of him, he could also let those behind him know that there was no good outcome for offending him.

Ma Xiuxiu nodded, a look of longing on her face. "Yeah, I've been away for so long, I miss my kids a little. I wonder if they're eating well, studying well, and finishing their homework at home."

He Yuzhu smiled, reached out and patted the back of her hand to comfort her, saying, "It's okay, Xiaoli is at home to take care of her, so nothing will happen. That girl is very smart and more careful than us, so you can rest assured."

Ma Xiuxiu looked at him, her eyes full of curiosity: "Zhu Zi, can you tell me who this Xiao Li is? Why are you so confident in letting her take care of the child alone? I've heard you mention it several times, but I've never seen her."

He Yuzhu looked at Ma Xiuxiu's hesitant look and pursed his lips. She had been staring at Xiaoli for the past few days, and the doubts in her eyes could not be hidden. He knew that this girl must have a lot of questions in her heart, so he did not intend to hide them anymore. So he put down the teacup in his hand and looked at her gently: "Okay, Xiuxiu, since you have your thoughts, then I will tell you today what is going on with Xiaoli."

Ma Xiuxiu had expected He Yuzhu to be vague or perhaps just make an excuse, but she wasn't expecting him to be so frank. She immediately perked up. She quickly and obediently sat down on a pearwood chair nearby, subconsciously straightening her back and resting her hands on her knees. She stared at He Yuzhu intently, like a child listening to a story, unblinking, waiting to hear him explain Xiaoli's origins.

Seeing her serious expression, He Yuzhu stood up and walked to the table. He picked up the purple clay teapot and poured her a cup of warm Biluochun tea. The mist and the faint fragrance of tea wafted into the air. He handed the teacup to her and then slowly said, "Then let me tell you how Xiaoli and I met."

Then, he talked about his experience of going to the north twenty days ago - but when the words came to his lips, he skipped over the secret of the tragic battle between the demons and humans. He only said that when passing through the Taihang Mountains, he encountered a group of ferocious bandits. The other party not only robbed him of his money, but also released vicious dogs to chase and bite him, forcing him to the edge of a cliff, leaving him really desperate.

He paused, looked at Ma Xiuxiu, and spoke with genuine gratitude: "Xiuxiu, if Xiaoli's family hadn't happened to pass by and killed the bandits, I would have lost my life. I thought that at least I had this life-saving grace, so I brought her back. Just think about it, she was a little girl, without any relatives, and without anyone to rely on. How pitiful she was."

Ma Xiuxiu held the warm teacup in her hand. After hearing this, she felt a mixture of guilt and emotion. She raised her hand to smooth her temples and looked at He Yuzhu and said, "Zhuzi, why didn't you tell me about this earlier? I just found out about it. A while ago, I was always looking at Xiaoli with disdain and making random suspicions in my heart. I really shouldn't have done that."

What Ma Xiuxiu didn't say was that she had already noticed in the past few days that He Yuzhu truly cared for Xiaoli like his own sister—he always passed her meat during meals, reminded her to put on more clothes when it was cold, and even when Xiaoli occasionally threw a tantrum, he would just smile and shake his head. But at the same time, she could also sense that Xiaoli's eyes, when she looked at He Yuzhu, held a different kind of dependence. Those sparkling eyes occasionally flashed with a hint of admiration unique to young girls, especially when He Yuzhu bent down to repair her hairpin.

But she knew better. He Yuzhu was as shrewd as an abacus in business and personal relationships, but when it came to matters of love, he was as dull as a piece of unsharpened wood, completely oblivious to these subtle considerations. Thinking of this, she felt more reassured in He Yuzhu, and a smile crept into her lips.