The entrance and surrounding areas of Yongquan Villa are tightly guarded.
The crowd drove the car into the bushes, untied the horses and got out of the car, put down the flags, knocked the prisoners unconscious and put them into sacks.
A strong wind blew, and sleet and snow came, covering my head and face.
Then Dong Rui released Snail Toad.
"Go quickly!"
…
Half an hour later, the rain and snow stopped and became as rustling as silk.
Another carriage slowly approached the woods.
No one got out of the car, but a group of big moths flew out of the car window, gray-headed, flapping their gray wings and flew into the woods.
About a quarter of an hour later, they flew back and got into the car curtain again.
The carriage started to move again, slowly driving into the darkness.
There was yellow mud everywhere, but it was hard to find a patch of green.
Soon, it met another carriage by the stream. A man came out of it and saluted to the other side: "Master, the disciple is back."
The curtain opposite opened and Cao Wendao walked down and sat by the stream.
After the two disciples were busy, they made a hole in the ground and lit a bonfire, fetched clean water, found a large flat stone to dry the water stains, and spread two layers of soft animal skin mattresses on top, before inviting their mentor to sit down.
It had just rained, and there was water everywhere, dead branches and leaves everywhere, and the smell of wet earth. But it was only three miles away from Yongquan Villa, and the woods were dense, and there was no high ground nearby. Even if a fire was lit, there would be no fire in the distance.
No one can see it either.
On winter nights, the countryside becomes even colder after the rain.
Cao Wendao stretched out his hand to warm himself by the fire and asked the disciples who had just got off the carriage: "Are they not in the woods anymore?"
"The people and the carriage were empty, and the horses were also untied. Two of them were hiding in the jungle and grazing." The disciple replied, "Those people are missing."
"It's time to go back to the villa." Cao Wendao stroked his chin, "Why don't they just drive back? He Xiao doesn't want the Yao people in the villa to know about his outing tonight?"
As a "target", He Xiao went to track and fight against the killer, so why didn't he dare to speak out?
Most of the guards of the Yao Kingdom are willing to be driven by him. Once the killer is caught and sent to the palace, they can be remembered as supervising the Qingyang Kingdom.
Why is He Xiao unwilling to do this? What is he worried about?
Cao Wendao pressed his forehead and remained silent for a long time.
The disciple asked with concern: "Master, are you feeling unwell?"
"Your second senior brother is dead, and these people will not leave him alive."
The remaining disciples looked concerned, and one of them asked tentatively: "Master, we, who are next?"
Before they could take action, their own side was reduced by three people.
The opponents even turned against the visitors and chased after them.
If Cao WenDao hadn't acted according to the situation, He Xiao would have blocked him in the Fenxiang Inn.
After so many years of taking orders to kill, this was the first time he encountered such a difficult target.
No wonder Qingyang wants to entrust this task to him, she can't handle it herself.
"Wei Yishan will return west tomorrow morning to pick up Xiao An."
This was the best news he received tonight.
All the disciples were shocked and then overjoyed: "Xiao An is still alive!"
"It's amazing, this is an unprecedented breakthrough!"
"Success? How can we talk about a breakthrough until we find Xiao An?" Cao Wendao said this with a smile on his face. Xiao An is not only alive, but judging by the voices of those few people, she is still in a very stable state, both mentally and physically.
What an amazing surprise!
"Oh, I can be sure of one thing: Wei Yishan is our colleague!"
This is the second good news.
If Cao Wendao was just doubtful before, now he is certain.
"Although he has not personally admitted that he is a demon puppet master, he really knows too much about demon puppets and us."
Only an expert can tell the truth.
As soon as Wei Yishan's posture came out, Cao Wendao understood that he was a member of the same group!
"Wei Yishan's departure from Yongquan Villa is a good opportunity for us. We have to capture both this man and Xiao An!"
Kill two birds with one stone!
Thinking of how helpful these two people were to his research, Cao Wendao couldn't help but gear up.
As for He Xiao's mission goal, it will be put aside for the time being.
Anyway, he promised Qingyang to kill He Xiao, but he didn't say when he would kill him.
You have to find the most suitable time, right?
The disciples said one after another: "It will be easier if he is not in the villa and not with He Xiao."
Wei Yishan spent all day in the cellar, with nearly a thousand guards outside. Even Cao Wendao found it difficult and could not kidnap him quietly.
Now that he is willing to come out on his own and still walk a long distance to pick up Xiao An, that is the best thing for Cao Wendao.
How many opportunities are there to make a move along the way?
A disciple asked: "Master, where is Xiao An?"
"I'm afraid only He Xiao and Wei Yishan know this." Cao Wendao said in a deep voice, "They are also very interested in my research mission. Why?"
"Xiao An is still alive, could he be related to this person named Wei?"
The disciples all said: "How can a nameless demon puppet master have such ability? The reason why Xiao An is still alive must be because his teacher's method is correct!"
Cao Wendao glanced at them and snorted softly.
A bunch of horses.
"Wei Yishan will set off for Zhu County tomorrow morning. Apart from Mangzhou, that is the best way to return west by boat." Cao Wendao pondered, "Once he goes up the mountain, it will be difficult for us to track him."
Boating on the water is inherently hidden and difficult to follow. In this season, the rivers are often foggy and thick.
If you meet him once, you will lose him.
Therefore, if you want to capture Wei Yishan, it is best to do it before Zhu County to isolate yourself from many unfavorable factors.
"With the footsteps of a good person, you can reach the south gate of Tianshui City within two hours of dawn, and then walk westward from there."
"This is the route we took to come to Tianshui City!" A disciple said, "From the south gate of Tianshui City to the west, the route perfectly avoids the two posthouses, so if you want to rest, you have to go to the nearest village or town."
Cao Wendao casually broke off a branch and drew a simplified map on the ground.
"How can there be villages and towns there? They are all self-built camps." The design of the route south of Tianshui City is very unreasonable. It is obviously an official road and is close to Tianshui City. As a result, merchants and travelers have to walk seventy miles in a row to get supplies.
.
Of course, Cao Wendao and others did not know that the plan to add a post station had been made seven years ago, but had never been implemented.
Both Yao Wang and Yao Ting were very busy and rarely had the energy to glance here.
Of course, if there is demand, there will be business. There is a flat land by the river called Huilongpo on this official road. I don't know who spontaneously built a wooden house there, and then quickly developed into a camp, food, accommodation, storage, and even
Commercial orders can be supplied, but the conditions are definitely not as good as the official inn.
After walking for seventy miles, most business travelers and convoys would stop at Huilongpo to feed their horses and replenish water before they could start on the road again.