The Bodyguard King’s CEO Wife Chapter 1740: Realization

At this point, it’s all about whose speed is faster. Shangguan Jian took a gamble in his heart, betting that the Chu Army still didn’t know about their plan to dig a tunnel. As long as He Linghan wasn’t transferred from the dungeon, they still had a chance. Otherwise, once the Chu Army starts searching the city, it’s only a matter of time before they’re found.

"Alright, let’s pick up the pace." Man Cang nodded, then turned to pick up a hoe and entered the tunnel. As calm as a mountain collapsing before him, their trail might have been exposed, but if they outpaced the Chu Army, they could still succeed. The premise was that the tunnel had to be completed before the Chu Army discovered this stronghold.

"Hehua, it’s likely that you’ve already been exposed, so don’t return to the palace. Just stay here. This stronghold is small, but it shouldn’t be an issue to spare a room." Shangguan Jian said softly, trying to comfort the scared Hehua.

"Lord Shangguan, can we succeed?"

"Of course, we’ve been following Old Ye for a long time, been through countless battles, and have been in life-threatening situations more than once or twice. Didn’t we get through those as well? I firmly believe that this time will be no different." Shangguan Jian reassured.

"Indeed, back when I was surrounded by hundreds of Qin soldiers in a small room, I thought I was doomed, and jumped off a cliff. Luckily, I was tough, and the God didn’t take me. This time, I’m even less afraid." Xue San joked, "Tomorrow, I’ll continue to gather intelligence at the dungeon. If she’s been moved, we’ll call off the operation and make our escape from the city in batches. If not, then we’ll go for it."

"Alright, we’ll go for it. Victory or death."

The authorities.

When Ye Shikai awoke again, he felt like an entirely different person. The first time he was struck by the Illusion Pupil, he was comatose for three days. This time, he only slept for a day and a half.

Mi Wen’s attitude towards him remained the same; each day brought him extravagant meals, but he smashed all the food. Since waking, he hadn’t eaten or drunk anything, nor moved, like a "living dead."

Bang.

The door slowly opened, and Mi Wen walked in from outside. Ye Shikai ignored her, offering no curse or action, merely watching her in silence.

"What’s the matter? You’ve gone so long without eating, are you not hungry, or are the meals not to your taste?" Mi Wen sat at the bedside, her eyes speaking volumes. Her gaze was piercing. Ye Shikai instinctively turned his head, not wanting to fall under the Illusion Pupil again.

"What do you want?" Ye Shikai said flatly.

"I came to tell you something—today, my imperial guard discovered... your friends."

"Shangguan." At this, Ye Shikai perked up, quickly getting up from his chair and moving towards Mi Wen. "How are they? You... didn’t kill them, did you?"

"They were quite lucky. My imperial guard surrounded the inn, yet they still managed to escape, albeit at a small cost. The whole inn was burned to ashes. I must admit your subordinates have some skills."

Ye Shikai stared angrily. The woman before him was a viper. For a fleeting moment, he’d hoped Mi Wen might have a change of heart. Now it was clear her malice was deeply ingrained.

"They’re trained by me. You can’t catch them. When you do, it will only be corpses." Ye Shikai said resolutely.

"Is that so? Then let’s see." Mi Wen suddenly laughed, "By the way, do you know how we discovered them?"

"There’s a maid by Miss He’s side, loyal yet inexperienced with battle. My people have been watching her, and that silly girl was completely oblivious."

"You’re talking about Hehua."

"Probably, I don’t know her name." Mi Wen waved her hand and walked up to Ye Shikai. "She’s He Linghan’s personal maid. So why would she be with your friends?"

The answer was clear and obvious—both of them knew.

To need help from Hehua, there could be only one reason: to rescue He Linghan. Ye Shikai’s heart tightened. He hadn’t expected Shangguan Jian to be so bold. But he was more worried about their safety. Shangguan Jian now had very few people to command, even fewer Hidden Guards. The place where He Linghan was held was heavily guarded. How could they possibly succeed?

"These friends of yours are quite intriguing. Logically, I could have moved Miss He to a safer place, like the authorities or even my sleeping quarters. But I don’t plan to do so." Mi Wen sneered.

"I want to watch them come and die."

"Alright, I wish to see if you can catch them. But kindly allow me to remind you, just as you consider them prey, they will see you as prey as well. Don’t end up getting trapped by your own plans." Ye Shikai mocked.

"Thank you for the reminder. I’m very interested to see what tricks they have up their sleeves."

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

The next day, in the dungeon.

The guards around He Linghan had increased, and even prison guards were forbidden from approaching the area—under penalty of death. Many prison guards gossiped about this. In reality, they had never seen what the prisoner looked like, knowing only that it was a woman. Most prisoners in the dungeon were heinous criminals or captured Qin generals, but none had garnered such caution. People were curious about who she was but knew better than to risk their lives just to satisfy curiosity.

Despite the increase in security, Mi Wen still hadn’t relocated He Linghan’s holding area, an oversight that left Ye Shikai uneasy. Mi Wen wasn’t a careless person, and Linxiang City didn’t lack places more secure than the dungeon. Knowing the site had likely been exposed, why would she not opt for relocation, but rather bolster defense?

Xue San had an ominous feeling that Mi Wen intended to lure them into a rescue, then capture them all in one fell swoop, especially Shangguan Jian, whom she deemed a close associate of Ye Shikai, and certainly wanted eliminated swiftly.

If this were true, rescuing her would be no different than stepping into a trap. Yet, not rescuing her meant all previous efforts were in vain.

It was a gamble, with everyone’s lives at stake.

"Hey, Brother Xue San, what are you looking at?"

"Nothing."

"You were staring at that cell again, weren’t you?" Old Wu teased.

"Yeah, secretive as it is, now we’re not even allowed near. I wonder who that ’God’ inside is." Xue San replied nonchalantly.

"Haha, whoever it is, it has nothing to do with us. Quit overthinking it."