Chapter 1042: We’re Not Laughing at You

Chapter 1042: Chapter 1042: We’re Not Laughing at You

Da Hei and Old Liu’s faces were deathly pale, their bodies covered with various wounds, clearly showing they had been severely tortured before.

Their bodies were like rags tossed into sacks, eyes tightly shut, with only faint breaths barely proving they were still alive.

Chen Rui led his men out of the palace, repeatedly looking back at the great hall where Jiang Qi was, his heart still not settled.

He walked to a secluded spot, couldn’t help but stop, raised his hand to pat his chest, and spoke with a thick sense of lingering fear: "I almost died here today... Fortunately, Elder Li spoke up, otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to keep my life."

Chen Rui was filled with fear as he thought about the dangerous scene earlier, and cold sweat soaked his back.

Recalling Jiang Qi’s anger and Elder Li’s coldness, he became increasingly aware of the severity of this mission.

This time, he could no longer be careless. If there was any more mistake, his life would really be at risk.

All the way, Chen Rui took deep breaths, trying to calm his tense mind.

He understood that in the next two days, he must use all available means to capture Ye Qingchen, or else not only his future, but even his life would not be guaranteed.

On the way back, Chen Rui’s mind was in chaos.

His gaze kept sweeping over the barely breathing Da Hei and Old Liu, his heart filled with confusion and unease: "What on earth is going on? I clearly ordered people to capture Ye Qingchen and Xiao Xiao, so why have Da Hei and Old Liu been sent to me now?"

Chen Rui furrowed his brows, and a series of thoughts flashed through his mind.

The more he thought about it, the more something seemed wrong. All of a sudden, Chen Rui stopped in his tracks, a flash of inspiration struck his mind: "Wait a minute! Then who was the Da Hei who was following me all along? Could it be... that wasn’t Da Hei at all? It was Ye Qingchen! Damn it! He actually disguised himself as Da Hei, fooled everyone, and played me for a fool for so long!"

Realizing this, Chen Rui’s face changed suddenly, anger rose instantly from the depths of his heart, and his eyes almost shot out flames.

He clenched his fist tightly, gritting his teeth and cursing lowly: "Ye Qingchen! You cunning rascal, how dare you mock me! Luckily, I found out early, otherwise, I’d probably be dead by now!"

The more Chen Rui thought about it, the angrier he became. Recalling Ye Qingchen’s every move while disguised as Da Hei, he suddenly felt he had been completely played, utterly losing face.

His face was ashen with rage; he couldn’t wait to catch Ye Qingchen immediately and tear him to pieces.

Furiously, he kicked a stone on the side of the road, unable to quell the anger in his chest: "Ye Qingchen, just you wait! I will definitely find you and destroy you completely!" He silently vowed that he would not let Ye Qingchen escape next time no matter what.

Chen Rui repeatedly cursed Ye Qingchen in his mind, determined to drag Ye Qingchen out no matter the cost in the remaining two days.

Now, he had no way back; only by going all out could he salvage the situation, otherwise, endless punishment awaited him.

Chen Rui led the almost lifeless Da Hei and Old Liu to the palace gate, and the guards immediately noticed the two being carried.

The first person to see them had a hint of surprise flash in his eyes, followed by the guards’ expressions turning into a spectacle.

"Oh! Isn’t that Da Hei and Old Liu?" A guard pointed to the two being carried out, his voice full of surprise and schadenfreude.

He squinted, scrutinizing Da Hei and Old Liu carefully, and couldn’t help but shake his head with a laugh.

Another guard couldn’t help but say excitedly: "Hahaha, these two guys just swaggered past us with their heads held high! Now look, they’re being carried out! Look at their miserable state, karma sure comes fast!"

Hearing these words, other guards also came in agreement, winking at the barely conscious Da Hei and Old Liu, their faces full of mockery and ridicule.

"Exactly! These two arrogant fellows were just bossing us around, and now look at them, it’s divine retribution!"

"Isn’t it! Usually relying on Chen Rui’s power, they acted all high and mighty in front of us, and now they’re reduced to this!" Another guard joined in with a big laugh, as if watching a comical play.

The whole palace gate was filled with laughter and jeering, as if the plight of Da Hei and Old Liu had become their source of amusement.

At this moment, they were completely immersed in the pleasure of seeing their superiors get their comeuppance, as though all their bottled-up frustration and anger were being vented in this instant.

As Chen Rui walked out of the palace gate, he happened to hear the guards laughing.

Although he didn’t hear what they were saying, in this tense moment, he immediately felt that the laughter was mocking him, as if ridiculing his failure.

Anger suddenly surged in his heart, his face instantly darkened like the sky before a storm.

He suddenly stopped, turned around and walked towards the laughing guards, his eyes filled with uncontrollable fury. Chen Rui strode quickly towards them, demanding angrily, "What are you laughing at?!"

The guards obviously didn’t expect Chen Rui to suddenly explode, and for a moment they were stunned, the laughter came to an abrupt halt.

But Chen Rui did not stop, his anger made him lose his composure, he walked up to them, his eyes like knives, his voice low and full of threat: "You are nothing but lowly servants, how dare you laugh at me behind my back? Do you want to live?"

The guards were terrified, the smiles disappeared from their faces quickly, replaced by panic and fear.

They knew that although Chen Rui was usually arrogant, he did indeed have some status in the palace, and offending him was not wise.

For a moment, the guards fell silent, not daring to make any sound, fearing to anger Chen Rui.

One guard timidly lowered his head, quickly explaining: "Young Master Chen, we... we weren’t laughing at you..."

"Shut up!" Chen Rui didn’t want to hear their explanations, coldly interrupted, his eyes showing undeniable coldness, "You better remember, if I hear you talking nonsense behind my back again, don’t blame me for being rude."

The guards were silent like cicadas in winter, nodding repeatedly, not daring to say another word. Chen Rui snorted coldly, though his anger hadn’t completely dissipated, he knew he had more important matters to attend to, so he said no more and continued walking away, his mind filled with thoughts of how to handle the situation ahead.

Seeing Chen Rui finally leave, the guards secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but dared not make a sound, only lowering their heads to do their own work, not daring to make any inappropriate moves.

Chen Rui left the guards’ sight, his steps were fast and heavy, as if every inch of ground was innocently bearing his anger.