Chapter 111: Chapter 111: Setting a Trap for Others

Liu Lanhua considered herself an expert at manipulating people and was confident she could pull this off.

"Heh heh, don’t you worry about it. I’ll go talk to Li Qiong and Wang Yuan," Liu Lanhua said with a smug smile. "Those two girls may look sharp, but they’re actually easy to fool. Just offer them some benefits, treat them a little better, and they’re sure to let their guard down. Then, we’ll arrange for them to meet the higher-ups. Once they see what we’re capable of, they’ll definitely cooperate with us for a chance to return to the city. Because working with us is their only way back."

Hearing her words, Li Siming found them more and more reasonable. He nodded and said, "Yes, you’re absolutely right. In a few days, I’ll go talk to Wang Dadan, and we’ll plan this out properly. As long as we have an informant in the Dragon King Temple, nothing they do will escape our notice."

The couple was overjoyed to have found a way to deal with them. A few days later, they met with Wang Dadan, and the three of them hit it off immediately, deciding to exploit this policy.

However, back at the Dragon King Temple, Zhao Nuanyue and Hua Yusen were completely unaware.

Taking advantage of the good weather, Hua Yusen made a trip to the city and brought back a set of high school textbooks for Zhao Nuanyue.

With the textbooks in hand, Zhao Nuanyue began to study. She didn’t understand many things, having been away from books for so many years. Fortunately, Old Sir Qian at the Dragon King Temple was a highly educated man who knew the material, so Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuan Yang started studying with him.

Though the going was slow, Zhao Nuanyue was so diligent that she still made surprisingly rapid progress.

The warm atmosphere at the Dragon King Temple continued until after the Lantern Festival, when Yang Guanghui, Li Qiong, and Wang Yuan were due to return.

Zhao Nuanyue found Hua Yusen and said, "Li Qiong, Wang Yuan, and Yang Guanghui are volunteers too, and we did save them before, but you can know a person’s face without knowing their heart. Sometimes, people will betray you for personal gain. It doesn’t matter as much for us—our records are clean—but it’s different for the old gentlemen. We have to talk to them before the others get back and tell them to keep a low profile."

Hua Yusen was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. "I was already planning to talk to them. With more people around, there are more prying eyes. We definitely need to be careful."

"Okay," Zhao Nuanyue nodded, ready to face this with Hua Yusen and complete their mission together. "Let’s go together and explain it to the old gentlemen."

In the main hall, the old men were chatting. When they saw Zhao Nuanyue and Hua Yusen approach, they noticed their grave expressions. He Qiang couldn’t help but ask, "What’s wrong? You two look serious. Did something happen?"

Hua Yusen answered, "The other three volunteers are coming back soon. To avoid any secrets being revealed, we need everyone to act more discreetly after they return. During meals, you’ll have to eat in the back. But don’t worry, Nuanyue and I will secretly prepare your food and bring it to you."

Hearing this, He Qiang felt a pang of disappointment. The easy days were over. He sighed and said, "I suppose it can’t be helped. We won’t be able to relax like before."

Old Sir Qian picked up a little red book from the side and smiled. "No need to be afraid. As long as we’re seen reading these, no one can point fingers at us."

"Alright, I’ve got it. We’ll stay in the backyard and won’t come here for meals. That way, those three won’t have anything to report, and we won’t have our peace disturbed," said Sun Haoran. "As for food, we’ll eat in the back. As long as you two can sneak us some tasty treats when you have time, I’ll be perfectly content."

Zhao Nuanyue listened and smiled. "That’s not hard. Tomorrow, Hua and I will go up the mountain to find a cave and hide our extra grain, oil, and other things. We can prepare food like meatballs and biscuits there and secretly bring them to you. Just be careful when you eat, and there shouldn’t be any problems."

"You need to be well-fed to have strength," Hua Yusen added reassuringly. "It might be difficult at first, but we’ll overcome it."

Gu Qingyu didn’t speak, but he was also satisfied with the arrangement. ’It never hurts to be careful,’ he thought.

Before the others arrived, Zhao Nuanyue went with Hua Yusen to check the three locations he had found earlier.

These were small, hidden caves that Hua Yusen had only found after spending several days scouring the mountains.

"Nuanyue, what do you think? Which of these three spots is best?" Hua Yusen asked. "I found all three. They’re all caves and very well-hidden. I can’t decide which one to use."

After careful comparison, Zhao Nuanyue replied, "I think the third one is the best. It’s close to a water source, it’s extremely secluded, and you can hear the slightest disturbance from outside. Plus, it’s the farthest from the Dragon King Temple, which makes it safer. We’re young, so walking a little extra is no big deal!"

"Alright, then. I’ll start moving things here bit by bit tonight," Hua Yusen said. "I can’t let those three young people know I don’t trust them."

Zhao Nuanyue nodded. "I don’t trust them either. But if we’re both out at night, won’t they get suspicious if they need us for something and we’re not there?"

Hua Yusen chuckled smugly. "Heh heh, I’ve already thought of that. I’ve prepared some sleeping pills. When I cook dinner, I’ll put a little in their food. They’ll eat it and sleep very soundly through the night. They shouldn’t wake up for no reason."

"What?" Zhao Nuanyue was stunned. She herself had almost been drugged once, and hearing Hua Yusen’s words, the thought that she would now be on the other side of it left her at a complete loss. "Is that... is that really a good idea?"

Seeing how frightened she was, Hua Yusen guessed what she had gone through before. He quickly reassured her, "I’ll use a very small dose. It will just make them sleep more deeply; it’s not harmful to their bodies. I know you can’t bear the thought of it, but if they discover our secrets and report us, we’ll be in a terrible position. We can’t afford to take that risk."

Hearing his words, Zhao Nuanyue gradually calmed down.

’Yes,’ she thought, ’this is not the time for kindness. If I can’t even protect myself, how can I protect the people I care about? How can I complete my mission? And how will I ever secure a bright future?’

"Yes, I understand your reasoning," Zhao Nuanyue replied softly. "Our mission cannot afford any mistakes. We can’t let it all fall apart at the last minute."

Seeing that she had come around, Hua Yusen felt a bit more relieved. Under the cover of moonlight, the two of them worked like ants, moving all their surplus grain, oil, meat, and other supplies to the remote cave five li away from the Dragon King Temple.

Inside were the pots Guo Datou had prepared, as well as oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and all the other basic necessities for cooking.

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