"Why did you want the letter from Liu Wu?" Huangfu Yue's gaze returned to Zhang Lu as she questioned him again.
"Chang Qing instructed us to obtain the letter from Liu Wu at all costs, but we don't know the reason," Zhang Lu confessed truthfully.
"Do you know the contents of the letter?" Huangfu Yue inquired.
Zhang Lu shook his head. "No."
"Then who is Liu Wu?" Huangfu Yue asked, her brow furrowing slightly.
"Liu Wu is a household slave of Liu Tianci, the Minister of Personnel," Zhang Lu replied.
Upon hearing this, Huangfu Yue understood.
It seemed the letter on Liu Wu must contain a significant secret, likely related to the imperial court and its officials, given Liu Wu's master was the Minister of Personnel. However, it had nothing to do with her, nor did she have any interest in knowing or getting involved, as she was not part of the court.
Her only concern was how to safely escort the people of the Dai Prince's mansion to Lingping, help them settle down there, and live a peaceful and happy life.
"How did you know the letter was with us and find us?" Huangfu Yue asked Zhang Lu again.
"Black Crow told us," Zhang Lu obediently answered again.
Huangfu Yue lowered her gaze to the crow in her hand, which was struggling fiercely, trying to escape but unable to due to her grip on its wings. A flicker of curiosity flashed in her eyes.
"How did Black Crow tell you? How did it notify you?" Huangfu Yue asked Zhang Lu.
"Black Crow would leave signals for us," Zhang Lu replied.
"What is this Black Crow?" Huangfu Yue asked.
"It's a specialized tracker trained in Chang Qing's manor, responsible for surveillance, eavesdropping, and message delivery."
"Do you know how it managed to knock us unconscious?" Huangfu Yue asked, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
"It likely dropped its feathers into the water you drank, causing you to become unconscious. Its feathers contain toxins that, while not fatal, can induce unconsciousness."
Hearing Zhang Lu's answer, Huangfu Yue instantly thought of the river. She guessed that Black Crow had been following them, saw them stop to cook and fetch water from the river, and then stealthily went to the riverbank to shed its feathers into the water, poisoning it and causing them to fall unconscious.
Black Crow using its feathers to poison the water undetected, the only opportunity was the "river water."
As for the reason for poisoning them and making them unconscious, it was surely to ensure they waited for Zhang Lu and his men to arrive and retrieve the letter from them.
Since it had previously informed the first group of black-clad men that "the letter was with them," it must have been tracking them for a while. Seeing how easily she had dealt with the first group, it feared that if it notified Zhang Lu's men, they would be dealt with as easily as the first group. Therefore, it thought of finding an opportunity to poison them and make them all unconscious.
Huangfu Yue looked again at the crow still struggling fiercely in her hand. This creature was quite clever!
Afterward, Huangfu Yue questioned Zhang Lu about other matters, such as what things they had done for Chang Qing before, and what evil deeds they had committed. After Zhang Lu truthfully confessed, a deep killing intent flashed in Huangfu Yue's eyes.
The wicked deeds of this fellow and his subordinates could only be described by four words: "utterly wicked."
They were raised by Chang Qing in the shadows to handle his unsavory business, having committed countless murders, impersonated bandits to rob and kill, and raped and murdered over a dozen women before killing them.
It was an outrage to heaven and earth for such scum to live; she had to act on behalf of heaven.
"How do you wish to die?" Huangfu Yue looked at the black-clad men as if they were already dead.
Except for Zhang Lu, who was controlled by the truth serum and remained in a dazed, unresponsive state, unaware of fear, the other black-clad men were terrified. They knew Huangfu Yue intended to kill them.
Just as they were about to plead with Huangfu Yue to spare their lives, she spoke first...