The Bodyguard King’s CEO Wife Chapter 1732: Gathering Information

"There are no insiders left in the city. Even if we manage to enter, gathering information won’t be easy. Besides, Mi Wen seems intent on not letting us go. Patrols are everywhere these days, inside and outside the city alike. She won’t stop until we’re dead."

"This woman is truly vicious, nothing like her usual self when she turns against you," Man Cang complained. "Why did Sister-in-law get impulsive and go to her on her own? We should have stopped her at all costs back then."

"Perhaps... Sister-in-law was worried that in Mi Wen’s wrath, she might kill Old Ye, so she went to her willingly to ensure his safety. Although we don’t know where Sister-in-law is right now, at least Old Ye is safe and housed within the government office," Shangguan Jian analyzed. It was very timely for Xue San to arrive, as having someone responsible for gathering intelligence made things considerably simpler.

"I’ve contacted some of my old troops. They were members of my former team. I’ll take them into the city first to establish an intelligence base there. If we can find out Sister-in-law’s whereabouts, all the better."

"I have quite a few former soldiers in the army as well. Although they’ve been demoted, there are still plenty of them. If I persuade them, we could have our own force," Shangguan Jian and Man Cang were both generals in the military; naturally, they had many trusted confidants. Now cornered, they were eager to rally any available forces.

"Not possible," Xue San suddenly interjected.

"What’s wrong?"

"This is absolutely not possible. The two of you are too well-known in the army. Even if you disguise yourselves and enter the camp, the soldiers might recognize you. As for your former troops, although many in number, their size means some might have already pledged loyalty to the lord, which would completely expose us," Xue San explained. Thinking carefully, his words rang true. In these treacherous times, loyalty was hard to gauge, especially when they were already at their wits’ end with only a few dozen people left. How many would still willingly follow them to the end? Should Mi Wen discover their location, she would surely send troops to wipe them out, jeopardizing not only He Linghan’s rescue but also their own safety.

The most crucial point is that when they were at the base, how did Mi Wen know their location? It seems there would be only one explanation: there’s a spy among them. Even one is fatally dangerous.

"You all stay here. The more critical the moment, the more you must be patient. Leave the city’s matters to me."

"Very well then, Xue San, take care."

.................................

Linxiang City, government office.

"What’s wrong? You don’t seem very happy. Today the guards reported that you wanted to go out." Mi Wen sat beside Ye Shikai, but he showed no interest. Instead, Ye Shikai lay on the bed, turned away, seemingly quite averse to her.

"If you were under house arrest, you might just commit suicide," Ye Shikai mocked, waving his hand to dismiss Mi Wen, "The Illusion Pupil you cast last time still has my head spinning, so don’t bother me anymore. Let me rest for a while."

"Don’t be angry. After some time, I’ll take you out."

"I’m very tired and sleepy right now. You should just leave," Ye Shikai impatiently shouted. Mi Wen had no choice but to leave him alone in the room.

"Sword Soul, what exactly is this Illusion Pupil technique, that’s so formidable I had no resistance against it?" Ye Shikai inquired secretly.

"It’s likely a type of pupil skill. I’m not too sure of its origins; history is long, it might even predate my existence. But judging from your reaction that day, it’s definitely a mental attack with immense power. If I hadn’t been helping you resist, your neural system would have been destroyed at that moment."

"I didn’t expect... it to be this powerful." Ye Shikai inhaled sharply; the scenes from that day vividly replayed in his mind. As soon as Mi Wen activated the Illusion Pupil, Ye Shikai fainted immediately, not even having time to react or the strength to resist.

"Of course, mental attacks are insidious and can cause brain damage. You hadn’t encountered it before, so naturally you fell unconscious this time.

"However, while the Illusion Pupil is mighty, it also carries significant side effects for its user. Typically, a user needs to possess very strong Inner Strength to offset its rebound. Frankly, Mi Wen shouldn’t be capable of activating the Illusion Pupil yet; perhaps she has more tricks up her sleeve," Sword Soul’s explanation left Ye Shikai both understanding and very worried. He had no way to defend against the move; should Mi Wen use it again, he would fall for it once more.

The sleepless Ye Shikai slowly rose, walked to the window, and the visage of He Linghan appeared in his mind. He wondered about her whereabouts and well-being at this very moment.

The next day.

"Master Xue, there has indeed been a new prisoner in the dungeon recently, but the lord only ordered to clean a room for the prisoner. We don’t know who it is."

"The date?"

"Six days ago, early morning."

Xue San nodded silently; six days ago was precisely when He Linghan voluntarily went to Mi Wen. The dungeon environment is filthy and chaotic, always housing the most severe prisoners. For Mi Wen to directly order a room cleaned, it’s likely none other than He Linghan.

"Alright, Xiao Wuzi, you’ve done me a big favor this time." Xue San casually tossed a few pieces of silver to the man in front of him.

"Hehe, Master Xue, what are you saying? It was just a simple task. But... Master Xue, where have you been these days? I’ve not heard any tales of you on the rivers and lakes lately."

"Haha, just wandering aimlessly, going here and there. This time, asking you for this information is to help a brother of mine," Xue San didn’t elaborate further, as he peered out from the teahouse window towards the distant dungeon. Since Ye Shikai and the Hidden Guard had forcefully broken in to rescue Manager Chen last time, the guarding force here has significantly increased. Arrow towers were even built on the outskirts for lookout and warning, making rescue attempts exceedingly difficult.

"Xiao Wuzi, I might need to call on you again sometime."

"What are you saying, Master Xue? As long as I can be helpful, I’d scale the knife mountain, brave the sea of fire, and die a hundred deaths without hesitation."

"Alright, but our conversation today, you mustn’t divulge to anyone, nor can you tell anyone that we’ve met."

"This... Master Xue, what’s going on? The prisoners in the dungeon aren’t simple characters. You don’t intend to..."

"That’s something you don’t need to know. Sometimes, knowing too much about certain matters isn’t a good thing."