The Double
Chapter 286 - 112 East Mountain_4

Chapter 286: Chapter 112 East Mountain_4

Ye Mingyu was taken aback.

Jiang Li’s eyes were clear and bright, like a pool of stream water, but her determination turned that pool into a solid rock. She was not lying, she really knew how to navigate inside the mine path.

Ye Mingyu suddenly did not know what to say. His niece seemed sincere, kind, and good-natured, yet her countless mysteries sometimes made others feel that they could never truly enter her heart.

"Fine," after a long while, Ye Mingyu finally said, "But I can’t let you go in there alone, Jiang Li, I will go with you."

Jiang Li wanted to say something else, but Ye Mingyu waved his hand, "Jiang Li, I know you have your own considerations in doing things, and I won’t ask you why, or what it is, but I am your family, and I can’t just watch you take risks. If I were the one entering the mine today, I think you wouldn’t just stand by either."

Ye Mingyu’s attitude was also very firm.

Tonger and Bai Xue looked at one and then the other, neither daring to speak.

After a while, Jiang Li said, "Alright then."

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingyu’s seriousness vanished, and he said, "Good! Jiang Li, when do we set off?"

Jiang Li: "Now."

"Now?"

"Yes, right now. Feng Yutang has not thought of the government officers yet, but he will soon. To be on the safe side, he will clear out everything that could become evidence, government officers included. So we don’t have any spare time; we must get those government officers out as quickly as possible."

"But miss, you just woke up..." Tonger reminded.

"I’m not bothered by it. Uncle Mingyu, I’m afraid we’ll have to trouble you again. As long as we get them out and hide them, we can be at ease for a while."

Ye Mingyu promptly replied, "It’s fine, Jiang Li, just let your uncle know if you need anything. I won’t hesitate, when it’s time to go, we’ll go!"

Bai Xue and Tonger exchanged helpless looks, these uncle and niece were indeed of the same fearless stripe, acting without fear.

"Then let’s set out."

...

From decision to departure, it was only half an hour.

Though Ye Mingyu acted rashly without considering the consequences, this kind of character, which didn’t hesitate or waste time on decisions, matched Jiang Li’s way of thinking perfectly. They took advantage of the early morning, avoiding pedestrians, and secretly set off toward East Mountain.

Not all of Ye Mingyu’s men were brought along. Some were left behind to impersonate Ye Mingyu, to mislead the watchers sent by Feng Yutang.

This group, not including Jiang Li, numbered seven. After discussing with Jiang Li, the other six would wait at the mine entrance to assist them while Ye Mingyu and Jiang Li went inside the mine path to search for the government officers. Before this, they had to knock out the men Feng Yutang had sent to guard the place. To be on the safe side and fearing they had special ways to send messages, it was best to complete the search and retrieval within half an hour.

Actually, meeting up with the others wasn’t difficult; the hard part was locating the government officers within the complex network of the mine path. After all, there were many paths inside, and it was unclear which one they took. The people of Tongxiang did not know the paths inside East Mountain Mine Path, and even for those who did, who would dare guide them through Feng Yutang’s territory?

All the responsibility thus fell on Jiang Li.

This time, due to the danger, Tonger and Bai Xue were not brought along. Jiang Li had also changed into men’s clothing: a short hemp coat, black trousers, deer leather boots, her long hair tied up and hidden under a hat, looking indeed like a handsome young man. This concealed her usual soft beauty, adding a sharp edge of valor instead.

Ye Mingyu asked Jiang Li, "Jiang Li, don’t worry too much. If we can’t find them, we’ll just go back and try again, eventually getting a clear sense of the path. You don’t have to take everything upon yourself." Ye Mingyu thought Jiang Li was taking the case of the Xue Family too seriously, and while he didn’t know the reasons behind it, he didn’t want Jiang Li to feel saddened or blame herself because of it.

"Not to worry." Jiang Li smiled slightly at him, "Uncle Mingyu, we won’t have trouble finding them."

Ye Mingyu paused, then scratched his head and said, "Alright then."

From Green Stone Lane to East Mountain, the distance was not far. Along the way, the carriage travelled according to the routes Jiang Li had told them. Gradually, Ye Mingyu realized the path Jiang Li made them take was devoid of pedestrians and very secluded. By going this way, it was indeed unlikely that Feng Yutang’s men would spot them. Ye Mingyu found it strange, to his knowledge, this was Jiang Li’s first time in Tongxiang, but her familiarity with the place surpassed even that of the locals.