However, the Red Pavilion, which they considered impenetrable, was like walking through their own backyard to Li Chonglou under his Heavenly Eye perspective, as he strolled leisurely.
Each time they used hidden doors to enter and exit, Lu Niu couldn't help but ask, "Brother, have you been here before?"
"I saw the terrain map of this place in their secret room."
Beneath his mask, Lu Niu's brows suddenly furrowed. "Secret room?"
"It was on the second floor. When Xiao Yue was targeted, I took the opportunity to sneak up and have a look while they weren't paying attention."
This was a far-fetched, even ridiculous, reason, but Lu Niu was speechless for the moment. If one considered extreme possibilities, it was conceivable that this could happen…
More importantly, besides this explanation, he simply couldn't fathom why Li Chonglou would be so familiar with this place. If he had truly been here before, he wouldn't have needed Lu Niu to lead the way. And if he were one of Huang Bao's men, why would he be acting this way?
Lu Niu fell silent, obediently following behind. Perhaps due to his comparatively weaker strength, Lu Niu gradually fell behind the others as they walked. Although he wasn't being left behind, he had drifted out of the trio's line of sight.
It wasn't until they had dealt with a wave of guards and escaped outside that Li Chonglou noticed this. "What, can't keep up?"
Lu Niu waved his hand, panting slightly. "Don't worry about me, let's get to a safe place first."
Li Chonglou nodded, then removed his mask and led the group to find Lao San. "Quick, let's head back to Ah Niu's place."
The safest place closest to the Red Pavilion was undoubtedly the hideout of Ah Niu, Lu Niu's subordinate. However, as Li Chonglou said this, Lu Niu beside him suddenly spoke up. "No, no need to go back to Ah Niu's. I know a place that's even safer."
Li Chonglou's expression froze for a moment, then he looked at Lu Niu. The latter's expression remained unchanged as he said seriously, "Trust me, and it's closer too!"
"Alright." Li Chonglou gave Lu Niu a deep look, then let him give the address to Lao San. Ah Bao, whom they had captured, lay at their feet.
Less than a minute after Lao San's car drove away, vehicles of various types began to arrive near the Red Pavilion, surrounding it layer upon layer until no one could get in or out. The news of Huang Bao's Red Pavilion being attacked quickly spread throughout Shangjing.
However, this had no impact on Li Chonglou and his group. In just about half an hour, Lao San arrived at the location Lu Niu had mentioned. It was a manor. Several farmhouses were situated at the front, while the interior was filled with large greenhouses, cultivating various precious green plants.
"Is this yours?" Upon alighting from the car, Yue Hai, seeing the vast manor before him, couldn't help but ask Lu Niu in surprise.
Lu Niu shook his head. "It belongs to a friend of mine."
"Let's find a place to rest first." Li Chonglou urged. Whose the manor belonged to was not important; what mattered now was dealing with Ah Bao as quickly as possible.
Lu Niu nodded and led the three of them into a long-neglected house. The house was self-built and had not been inhabited for years; even the doorknob was covered in a thick layer of dust. However, due to the sealed environment, apart from being stuffy, it was otherwise acceptable.
"By the way, brother, why did you capture him?" Lu Niu suddenly asked. He wanted to find Ah Bao to know if his goods had been stolen and if he was involved, but he had never asked why Li Chonglou and the others were looking for Ah Bao.
"We need to find someone's information, and he happened to know. You ask first, I'm going to take him back."
"Take him back?" Lu Niu's brows suddenly furrowed. This would prevent him from using extreme methods to quickly get what he wanted. However, considering that Li Chonglou and Yue Hai had saved his life, Lu Niu eventually nodded.
However, things went far more smoothly than he had imagined. Once Ah Bao was woken up, there was no need for interrogation; the man was already answering every question truthfully. However, he could only judge the veracity of Ah Bao's answers himself. As an informant, judging such things was second nature to Lu Niu, so after only ten minutes, he handed the man over to Li Chonglou.
"We'll be going now."
"Don't overthink it. We saved your life, but you've also helped us greatly. Consider it even."
"While that may be true, this small matter cannot compare to the favor of saving my life. Let's get together again if we have time in the future, at least have a meal together."
Lu Niu did not try to keep Li Chonglou and the others from leaving, but before they parted, he still exchanged contact information with Li Chonglou.
It was only after leaving the manor that Yue Hai couldn't help but ask, "Brother Li, why the rush to leave?" Yue Hai was not stupid; he could sense that Li Chonglou seemed to want to avoid Lu Niu. Li Chonglou stated directly, "This person is not simple. If we can avoid contact, it's best not to."
Yue Hai's expression froze. He hadn't thought there was anything unusual about Lu Niu from the beginning, so he didn't understand why Li Chonglou had suddenly said that. Just then, Ah Bao, who had been tied up and seated on the far left, suddenly spoke, "Excuse me, sirs, what are you guys after?" Perhaps having come to terms with the series of events, Ah Bao had put the matter of life and death aside… Originally just an ordinary small-time hoodlum, perhaps with a gambling problem, he never expected that by simply trying to earn some extra cash, he would get entangled in an inexplicable incident, forcing him to flee and seek refuge in the Red Pavilion. And it wasn't over. He had originally planned to settle down and work at the Red Pavilion for a while, but then he was suddenly dragged out. Already living in constant fear, Ah Bao now had a "what the hell" attitude. He had even prepared himself for the possibility of dying at any moment!
Li Chonglou turned to look at him and said calmly, "Don't worry, we won't harm you. We just need you to take us to find someone."
"Who?" Li Chonglou spoke the name of the pregnant woman. Ah Bao's expression immediately went blank. It took him a while to react. "You're looking for her?"
"Otherwise?" Ah Bao was momentarily speechless. But he had a nagging feeling that something was too absurd. For the sake of a pregnant woman, for the mere thousand or so yuan he had agreed to collect each month from someone, they had pulled him out of the Red Pavilion? The more Ah Bao thought about it, the more disheartened he became. After all, following this incident, he would absolutely not be able to stay in Shangjing. A group of outsiders attacking the Red Pavilion just to take him away meant that even if he was innocent, he was now considered guilty! Ah Bao knew very well that his life was far from being worth the reputation of the Red Pavilion, which belonged to Huang Bao…