Chapter 93 : Li Yanyan’s Revenge

“I don’t know if there are other spies in the village, or whether the rest of the Li family is involved,” said Nangong Ruoyi.

“It’s better to arrest them all to avoid alerting the enemy, including the Xue family,” Nangong Ruochen added without even looking up. He hadn’t forgotten Shu Ruxue either even if she truly was, whether she had participated in the enemy spies’ activities still needed to be verified. They would never falsely accuse someone but they also couldn’t afford to let a spy go free.

The two brothers studied the map for a while, and Nangong Ruochen sighed. “This group is too cunning like foxes with three dens. The hardest part is figuring out how to ensure the safety of the people inside.”

“That’s really the toughest problem. If we force our way in, our own people could get injured or killed, and the civilians in the cave could be taken hostage,” Nangong Ruoyi agreed. The situation was difficult. The cave was large, with complex and interconnected passages, and exits in various hidden directions.

“See if we can lure all the enemy spies out first, and then send people in to rescue them,” Nangong Ruochen suggested, frowning as he tried to think of a perfect plan.

“It’s not realistic to lure all of them out,” Nangong Ruoyi said, taking a sip of water from a porcelain jar.

“It’s not that hard,” Yun Siying suddenly said. She watched the two brothers discuss strategies without hesitation. Were they not worried that she would overhear? No, they must know that with her abilities, even if they weren’t speaking in front of her, she could still find out if she wanted to.

“Let’s hear your method,” Nangong Ruoyi said, clearly intrigued. What would this young girl suggest?

“Use incense,” Yun Siying said. “At midnight, light the incense simultaneously at the entrances and exits of the ten tunnels. Then wait at the cave entrances. Even if someone isn’t knocked out, they’ll still be captured. After twenty minutes, send people in and tie everyone up.”

She believed that when dealing with those despicable traitors, underhanded methods were necessary and ensuring the safety of the innocent people was the top priority.

“It’s hard to find incense like that now,” one of the brothers replied. They weren’t the type to stick rigidly to rules, and they agreed it was a good idea but the incense was indeed difficult to obtain.

“I can make it. Just make sure to pay me for it,” Yun Siying said matter-of-factly. She hadn’t read all those books for nothing. She had once found the formula in an old, worn-out book. Curious, she had developed it herself, and even enhanced it with supernatural floral ingredients that belonged to the wood element, making it even more effective.

“Great. How soon can you make it?” Nangong Ruochen asked eagerly. He wanted to rescue their fellow citizens as soon as possible. The sooner, the safer. And the sooner they could catch those lunatics, the better.

“I already have a batch ready. You can use it. But you can’t say it came from me, and you can’t mention me or my abilities to your superiors,” Yun Siying said firmly, laying out her conditions.

“I promise. Get the incense ready, we’re going up the mountain tonight. I’m heading to the county police station first,” Nangong Ruoyi said before hurrying off.

Meanwhile, in the Shu family compound in Kyoto, a car and a large truck drove through the military district gates. The guards didn’t dare stop them and let them pass straight to the Shu residence. A dozen people wearing red armbands got out of the vehicles and knocked on the door.

It was just after working hours, and neighbors gathered, watching from afar with a mixture of disgust and fear as they noted the markings on the vehicles. No one dared get close, they only dared to watch from their doorsteps.

What surprised everyone was that among the group was Li Yanyan, the newlywed daughter-in-law of the Shu family. At that moment, her eyes gleamed with the satisfaction of revenge.

It was said that Li Yanyan was just a village girl who had schemed her way into marrying Shu Chengzhi and joining the Shu family. Ever since she entered the household, Tang Lingxue had fired the housemaid, leaving all the chores to Li Yanyan.

Could she have reported the Shu family just because of that? God, what a terrifying thought. This Li Yanyan was truly ruthless. Tang Lingxue had finally met her match.

“Who is it?” Tang Lingxue came out and opened the gate. When she saw a group of people wearing red armbands, she froze in shock. Then she shouted, “Get out! Who told you you could come to my house?!”

“We received a report from your daughter-in-law that there are contraband items in your home. Step aside, we’re going in to search.”

As soon as those words were spoken, the group shoved Tang Lingxue aside and barged into the Shu residence, aggressively rummaging through everything.

“You can’t break into my house! There’s nothing illegal here! Li Yanyan must’ve falsely accused us!” Tang Lingxue glared furiously at Li Yanyan and tried to stop them, but someone pushed her down and she ended up squatting on the ground.

Suddenly, the sound of crashing and smashing echoed from the yard. Shu Guofeng and Shu Zhisheng had just returned and happened to witness the chaotic scene. They got out of the car and rushed into the courtyard. But seeing that it was the red armbands, they didn’t try to interfere. Their expressions were dark and grim.

“Lingxue, get up,” Shu Guofeng said, helping his wife up from the ground. His eyes were cold as he looked toward the people ransacking their home.

Tang Lingxue angrily pointed at Li Yanyan, who stood there with a look of satisfaction on her face, and said, “Dad, you’re back. It’s that bitch Li Yanyan’s fault! She went to the Revolutionary Committee and reported that we had contraband in the house, she’s trying to destroy us!”

Shu Zhisheng trembled when he heard this. In that moment, he seemed to age ten years. It appeared that trouble had truly come to their family. There was no doubt contraband would be “found.” One look at Li Yanyan’s pleased expression, and he understood she had definitely planted something herself.

Shu Zhisheng looked at Tang Lingxue with deep dissatisfaction. This was all her doing. Even if she disliked Li Yanyan, the girl was already married into the family. Yet she had abused her constantly. And now? She was getting her revenge. There were likely others pulling strings behind the scenes too. The Shu family was finished.

Just then, Guo Pingfei, the deputy head of the Revolutionary Committee, came out holding a few books. When Shu Guofeng and Tang Lingxue saw the covers, their faces turned ashen.

“Sure enough, contraband,” Guo Pingfei announced. “Take the Shu family away.”

And so, the Shu family was loaded into the truck. The guards didn’t dare intervene and instead went to report to the army. Tang Lingxue, seeing that Li Yanyan wasn’t being taken away, shouted, “She’s my daughter-in-law! Why aren’t you taking her too?!”

“She denounced her own family for the sake of justice,” the deputy replied with a grin. “She even posted a notice in the paper severing ties with your Shu family. There’s no need to take her.”

As he spoke, his men loaded all of the Shu family’s valuables including their bank passbooks into the truck.

The sky darkened like ink, and the group departed quickly. The neighbors, who had gathered to watch, pointed at Li Yanyan as they headed back home with mixed feelings.

Li Yanyan walked into the empty Shu residence, turned on the lights, and began searching again. She left no corner unchecked. After two hours, however, she still hadn’t found the lotus jade pendant her parents had instructed her to retrieve.

Suppressing her irritation, she dressed herself up elegantly and went straight to the Revolutionary Committee, to the office of Deputy Guo Pingfei.