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Chapter 527 The Third Ransom Transaction

Qihuang Mountain is the main mountain range among the mountains to the east of Beiji City.

The northwest is surrounded by waterways, and the southeast is surrounded by land routes. The main northwest waterway is the Jinmin River, which runs through the northwest and directly leads to the outside of the northern Vietnam. The southeast main land route connects Linguo and Shenguo.

In order to save time, Zhou Chang came from the southwest by land and water.

It goes without saying that he traveled day and night, but there was always a question lingering in his mind, that is, what should he say when he met Yuan Qi?

Whenever I think of this question, my head becomes confused and my heart goes blank.

However, after Zhou Chang arrived at the Beijicheng official posthouse yesterday evening, he realized that all his wild thoughts for more than a month were unnecessary.

It is better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. The kidnappers moved up the time of the third ransom transaction to the morning of the next day, and Yuan Qi had already set out and stationed at the foot of Qihuang Mountain.

It was only when Zhou Chang entered Beiji City and went to the Yuan family's mansion in Beiji to inquire about it that he found out.

After revealing her identity, she unexpectedly met an "acquaintance". When she was congratulating someone, she had specifically asked the escort leader Wu Hong to teach the bear man a lesson. Unexpectedly, Wu Hong has been promoted to the deputy chief escort.

When Yuan Yu was kidnapped this time, Yuan Qi transferred almost all the bodyguards, guards and others from the Yuan family, and Wu Hong was no one to shirk his responsibility.

So, after revealing her identity, Zhou Chang asked Wu Hong to lead the way to Qihuang Mountain the next day. After all, she was unfamiliar with the place.

It was still dark this morning, and Zhou Chang had no intention of alerting the local officials, so he took a dozen people with him and set off with Wu Hong, also heading to Qihuang Mountain, the place designated by the kidnappers for the ransom transaction.

Zhou Chang felt that the kidnappers were not simple since they dared to conduct transactions three times at the same place.

When we reached the foot of the mountain, the sun had already risen above the top.

In the north in late June, as the sun shines, the heat rises.

Qihuang Mountain is covered with lush vegetation and has a complex terrain. At the foot of the side peak where the kidnappers demanded a ransom is a smooth east-west road, leading to the Jinmin River on one side and the Vietnam North checkpoint on the other.

Following this road, going up leads to the boundless peaks of Qihuang Mountain, and going down there are several small roads leading to all directions, including waterways, land roads, official roads, and paths.

Zhou Chang and his group successfully approached the transaction location.

But as the distance was still several miles away, he did not dare to approach rashly.

Zhou Chang first asked Wu Hong to go over and report, while she stayed where she was and observed the terrain.

"Ouch..." Zhou Chang almost fell off his horse as Wu Hong left.

"Your Highness, be careful..." Shouhou and Gao Yuan supported each other.

Ever since he fell off his horse at the Jingyang Hunting Ground last year, although he knew that Peng Liang was behind it, Zhou Chang still had a lingering fear of riding a horse.

However, if Zhou Chang was not in a real hurry this time and had to travel by land and water at the same time, he would never have been willing to ride a horse again.

Along the way, Prince Yi Fengming was always aware of taking the lead and rushing to the front even on horseback. As a result, within two days, his buttocks and thighs were all rubbed raw, and his bones were loose for several days. He thought he could rest for two days after arriving in Beiji City, but he didn't expect the kidnappers would not even give him a chance to breathe.

Not long after, a burly man from the Yuan family, wearing armor, followed Wu Hong back. He first stepped forward to greet him and said, "I am Yuan Liang, the chief guard of the Yuan family. I am here to see you, sir."

Yuan Liang addressed Zhou Chang as "Sir" instead of "Your Highness" and glanced at him stealthily, clearly not trusting Zhou Chang's identity.

Zhou Chang was wearing an old light green gauze outfit today. He was exhausted from traveling for days, so neither he nor his clothes looked good.

As for the dozen people following behind him, they were all selected by Gao Yuan as his friends from the underworld. They were all in plain clothes and their identities were hard to tell. It was hard to believe that they were the noble princes.

But Zhou Chang didn't care about that now, he just asked: "Where is your young lady? Does she know I'm here?"

Yuan Liang looked to be in his early thirties, a little younger than Wu Hong, but he introduced himself as the "chief security guard", probably because of his surname "Yuan".

Hearing Zhou Chang's question, Yuan Liang could not help but glance at him again, but still did not answer directly. Instead, he asked: "Excuse me, sir, what are you doing here at this time?"

"What? Do you doubt my identity?" Zhou Chang finally reacted and took out the "Si Cao Golden Token" badge. "Even if people don't recognize it, you should recognize this token, right?"

Yuan Liang lowered his head and said nothing.

Zhou Chang pointed at Wu Hong again and asked: "Why does he believe it, but you don't?"

Wu Hong followed Yuan Liang back and had been by Yuan Liang's side the whole time, but now his face was stiff and he said nothing.

Yuan Liang bowed slightly and said, "My lord, I'm sorry. My Yuan family has been going through a huge change these days, and there are many people coming from Jindu. I really have to be cautious..."

"Did you inform Yuan Qi? Does she know I'm here?" Zhou Chang asked anxiously.

Yuan Liang just asked: "My young lady is negotiating with the kidnappers in front, and she is also guarded by local officials. I don't know why you are here?"

"Of course I'm here to help. Master Yuan has been kidnapped. Are you going to trade the ransom here for the third time today?" Zhou Chang was originally in a restless mood because he was about to meet Yuan Qi, but this Yuan Liang had completely worn away his mood.

Yuan Liang was still cautious. He glanced back at the expressionless Wu Hong and said hesitantly, "If it is really His Royal Highness Prince Yi..., please wait a moment. I will report to my young lady..."

This person's disbelief that Prince Yi would come in person was not entirely unreasonable.

Zhou Chang didn't care, but he had another plan in mind. He said in a deep voice: "No need, it's okay if you didn't report it. You should be familiar with the terrain in this mountain area. Tell me what the current situation is first."

The location chosen by the kidnappers was the side peak of Qihuang Mountain, at the intersection of the southwest and the waterways. It was not far from either the land route or the waterway, so they could advance or retreat, and it would be difficult to intercept them if they went there.

Yuan Liang seemed to have pondered it for a long time in his mind. Due to the connection between Prince Yi and Yuan Qi, he was puzzled, but finally decided to believe it first.

So I will just give a brief introduction.

After the introduction, he asked tentatively, "My lady has already prepared the ransom. As long as the transaction goes smoothly with them, the master can be exchanged back. Your Highness Prince Yi came here in person at this time. Is it for official business or...?"

"Stop talking nonsense. According to your idea, can we successfully rescue Mr. Yuan this time?" Zhou Chang asked back.

Yuan Liang was speechless. This was the third time he had to pay the ransom. Who could guarantee that the kidnappers would be here by now? "I'm afraid I'm here temporarily..."

"In that case, you go first and tell Yuan Qi privately, asking her to act according to the circumstances." Zhou Chang looked ready for a head-on confrontation.

Yuan Liang had been undecided to begin with, so once he released the person, he quickly reported back.