"Xu Cheng, I command you to strike me with one palm and kill me, come!"
"Chen Mo straightened his neck and brought his head directly to Xu Cheng's face, roaring like a wild beast."
"This roar was not only heard by Xu Cheng, but also by Chen Jin and the crowd gathered on the square, causing them all to freeze in place."
No one expected that Chen Mo would seek death at this moment.
"San Shaoye, you, you are putting me in a difficult situation."
Xu Cheng's throat rolled slightly, he dared to scold Chen Mo, but was absolutely unwilling to kill him.
"Am I making it difficult for you? Isn't it you who are making it difficult for me? You start by touching me, and you still think of yourself as a worth of my Young Master?"
"To publicly humiliate me like this, do you even have any regard for our Chen family, or for my father?"
"No, it's not like that, Master. The patriarch commanded me to..."
Xu Cheng let go in a panic and stepped back two steps in rapid succession.
"Kneel down"
Chen Mo's eyes blazed with fury, as if a fierce lion were enraged. "I am the son of the patriarch. Today, either kill me or kneel down to me."
"Third Young Master, it's the patriarch who ordered me to come..."
"Kneel down to speak."
Thud——
Xu Cheng's legs betrayed him, and he knelt down involuntarily. He never expected that the Third Young Master, who usually appeared timid and fragile, like a quail, would be so resolute today.
Kill him or kneel down, there are only two options. As Xu Cheng, who is loyal to the patriarch, he would never dare to choose the former.
"Speak."
Fang Bai took a deep breath, then looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, appearing enigmatic and profound.
But in reality, his face was almost contorted into a mess.
Pain
The shoulder is too painful.
"Third Young Master, the patriarch ordered me to come and fetch you back to the manor."
Xu Cheng bowed with both hands, respectfully saying: "The carriage is ready, please get on the carriage."
In the past, Xu Cheng would never have been so respectful to Chen Mo. But today, something was off about him; it's better to avoid trouble than to court it.
"Understood"
Chen Mo took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, enduring the pain in his shoulder.
Xu Cheng quickly got up and hurried to the carriage outside the square to greet Chen Mo.
Chen Jin was still in a daze. Today's Chen Mo seems to be particularly stern, and even Xu Cheng has to give him face.
Who is Xu Cheng? He is the most trusted companion of our father, and even I have to be respectful to him. But Chen Mo? He actually shouted at him.
As he was thinking, Chen Jin saw Chen Mo getting into the carriage, and then, it drove away, getting farther and farther.
"This Chen Mo, what is going on today... Ah, wait, that's my carriage, I haven't even gotten on it yet..."
In the carriage
Chen Mo occupied the seat of honor, his expression grave; Xu Cheng sat beside him, acting as a guard, looking embarrassed. He opened his mouth, as if to speak, but stopped short.
Glancing at Xu Cheng, Chen Mo felt a bit headache. It wasn't because he had to go back to meet that imposter father.
Instead, there was another month and a half left before Ye Liangchen returned from the restricted area.
That means Chen Mo has only about a month to save his life, and now there are only three paths before him.
First, escape.
At this point, Ye Liangchen was no longer the naive novice village kid, but had already climbed to a high position and had many intelligence organizations under his command. If Chen Mo wanted to escape from his pursuit, it would not be so easy.
Moreover, Ye Liangchen was known for his ruthless nature. He would not only cut off the roots but also strike the grass, and even dogs passing by would have to take a beating. How much more would Chen Jin, who was not even a close relative, be affected?
Second, sever ties with Chen Jin.
This seems feasible on paper, but it's not realistic. Not only would the patriarch not permit it, but even if he managed to do it, Ye Liangchen might not let him off either.
Third, find a patron.
This also seems feasible, but the actual implementation is extremely challenging.
After returning from the restricted area, Ye Liangchen had already reached version T1. Only a few T0 versions across the entire land of nine provinces could match him.
But based on Chen Mo's status and strength, it might be impossible for him to even see Ye Liangchen, let alone seek help.
Dead end
Impossible dilemma
Chen Mo bit his thumbnail, his face growing uglier and uglier.
Xu Cheng casually glanced at this suddenly changed Third Young Master and noticed that something was wrong with his face. He felt a chill run down his spine, thinking perhaps Chen Mo was contemplating some bad idea.
Thud——
The carriage, which was traveling smoothly, suddenly stopped abruptly. Unprepared, Chen Mo leaned forward, and Xu Cheng saw this happening. He lifted his hand and pressed down on Chen Mo's shoulder to push him back to his original position. He then shouted at the driver: "You damned fool! How can you drive a carriage like this?"
"Sir Xu, Third Young Master, there's a procession of carriages blocking the way ahead."
The coachman responded.
Xu Cheng pulled back the curtain of the carriage window and looked out. Chen Mo, using this tiny gap, also saw some of the outside situation.
A crowded mass of people chattered, like a market, and Chen Mo couldn't hear what they were saying clearly, but in the forefront of the crowd was a long line of carriages.
"It's a convoy transporting prisoners, I reckon they're headed to the prison outside the city. Third Young Master, just wait a bit, it'll be over soon."
Xu Cheng smiled slightly and then pulled the curtain of the carriage window back.
Prisoner convoy?
Chen Mo furrowed his brow. The Imperial Capital has its own prison, so if there are prisoners, they would be held in the prison within the Imperial Capital. Unless there was some significant event that caused the number of prisoners to increase exponentially, these less important criminals would not be transferred to the prison outside the city.
Has anything significant happened in the Imperial Capital in the past few days……
Suddenly, Chen Mo seemed to remember something, his eyes lighting up. He quickly pushed open the curtain of the carriage door and jumped down to the ground.
"Third Young Master"
Xu Cheng called out, unable to stop him, so he jumped down from the carriage as well.
Crossing through the crowded mass, Chen Mo stepped forward one step at a time, being pushed and shoved, until he finally reached the front of the crowd.
The long convoy was like a dragon, stretching endlessly, with four-wheeled carriages carrying the cages. Each cage housed three prisoners, and each prisoner had shackles on both hands and feet.
On either side of the prisoner convoy, were soldiers with swords at their sides, their eyes sharp like hawks, vigilantly scanning the surroundings to prevent anyone from attempting to rescue the prisoners.
Following along, Chen Mo quickly scanned each of the dilapidated prisoner convoys. Suddenly, he noticed one of the most dilapidated ones.
The cage was in ruins, with scattered pebbles of varying sizes lying inside, which were thrown there by the passersby on the street.
Inside the carriage, there were three delicate women being held captive.
The youngest was about six or seven years old, with some baby fat on her cheeks. Her expression was dull, she hung her head, and she looked a bit silly.
The oldest was eighteen years old, with a good facial contour. However, her face was grotesque to look at, with scars and burn marks on it. It seemed as though someone had deliberately disfigured her face.
The last one, who drew Chen Mo's gaze, was in her early teens with a head of wild, black hair. Her cheeks and arms were covered with patches that were disgusting to look at.
Their bodies were thin and weak, almost like skeletons. They looked like they would collapse at any moment if a wind blew.
Most attention-grabbing was her eyes, one blue and one red, a rare heterochromatic iris in this feudal ancient society. It was considered an omen of misfortune from birth.
Therefore, she was the one who attracted the most stones thrown at her by the crowd among these prisoners.
As soon as he saw the girl with heterochromic eyes, Chen Mo's face broke into a rare smile. "Found her, the Magical Sovereign of Female Emperors, Liu Wuxin."
