The Ning Family wasn't far from the Dingtai Martial Arts Hall, just two blocks away, but when Ning Shan arrived at the entrance of the hall, she hesitated to go in.
What reason should she use to request to see him?
And when she saw him, would he help her?
These thoughts swirled in Ning Shan's mind, causing her steps to become hesitant.
As she hung her head in thought in a small alley opposite the Dingtai Martial Arts Hall, a figure stealthily approached her and struck her suddenly, hitting her on the neck.
Ning Shan didn't make a sound before passing out.
The figure then exclaimed excitedly, "Damn, you've been hanging around the martial arts hall entrance all day, did you really think Gu Mingdong didn't notice you?"
The one who knocked Ning Shan out was Gu Mingdong, the guard at the entrance.
Logically, with his current status, he shouldn't be doing such guard duties anymore.
But due to special circumstances, for the sake of safety, Gu Mingdong had taken up this guarding responsibility.
That night, he was at the entrance, boasting to some martial arts hall disciples about his glorious past of stopping his junior uncle Zhao Ya at the door when he caught sight of a figure moving in the distant alley.
Gu Mingdong became suspicious immediately.
Late at night, instead of sleeping, someone was sneaking around the martial arts hall.
No need to ask, it was definitely no good person.
Surely it was a scout sent by Wei Hongbin or the Chenfeng Martial Arts Hall.
So, Gu Mingdong ordered his disciples to stay alert and guard the entrance while he sneaked up quietly.
Although Gu Mingdong's martial arts weren't great, dealing with Ning Shan, who knew nothing of martial arts, was easy.
After knocking her out, Gu Mingdong happily bent down and lifted Ning Shan's cloak.
"Let's see where this spy came from... hmm?"
Unexpectedly, beneath was a delicate face.
Gu Mingdong froze for a moment, then cursed.
"Damn, it's a woman. Wei Hongbin and his people are really perverted, sending a woman as a spy."
But no matter what, she was already knocked out, and leaving her here wasn't a solution.
So Gu Mingdong carried Ning Shan back to the martial arts hall.
Such a big issue naturally needed to be reported.
So, moments later, Zhao Ya and the returning Shen Dao and others gathered in the hall.
Seeing Ning Shan still unconscious on the ground, Zhao Ya was taken aback.
"Is this the spy you mentioned?"
"Yeah! Junior Uncle, you wouldn't believe how cunning this spy was, hiding in a distant alley to sneak a peek. It's only because I was alert that I noticed her; otherwise, she might have gotten away." Gu Mingdong said proudly.
Zhao Ya was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
At this moment, Meng Shiwen also recognized Ning Shan and exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this Miss Ning?"
Originally proud, Gu Mingdong was stunned, then cautiously asked, "Uh, Elder Sister... do you know her?"
"Of course, I know her; she's the young boss of the Yongsheng Cloth Shop. You've got the wrong person!"
Saying this, Meng Shiwen hurried forward to help facilitate Ning Shan's blood flow.
Gu Mingdong's face turned red upon hearing this, and he said awkwardly, "Well… what can I say? I saw her wearing a black cloak, sneaking around from a distance, so I thought she had ill intentions. Who would have known…"
"Alright, it's not entirely your fault. After all, it's part of your duty." Zhao Ya comforted him.
At this time, Ning Shan groaned softly and gradually regained consciousness.
The first thing she saw was Meng Shiwen, which startled her.
In her memory, she was wandering in the alley when suddenly it all went dark, and she lost consciousness.
How did she wake up and see this senior sister from the Dingtai Martial Arts Hall?
While she was confused, Zhao Ya spoke.
"Miss Ning, I really apologize. My nephew was reckless and mistook you for a spy, knocking you out. How are you feeling now?"
It was then that Ning Shan noticed Zhao Ya beside her, and, drawing strength from somewhere, flipped over and knelt down.
"Young Hero Zhao, please, I beg you to save me."
Everyone was taken aback, except for Zhao Ya, who wasn't surprised at all.
In fact, from the moment he saw Ning Shan, he knew this young lady was definitely looking for him.
And she must have encountered an unsolvable problem; otherwise, she wouldn't have come here alone in the middle of the night.
"Get up, take your time to explain," Zhao Ya said.
So Ning Shan recounted the events. When she mentioned that her father was arrested by the cavalry and thrown into prison, her voice choked with sobs.
Everyone listening became filled with righteous indignation.
"This is outrageous! These cavalrymen are lawless," Miao Shaocheng exclaimed angrily.
Xu De gave a slight smirk, "To them, Wei Hongbin's word is the law; as for everything else, they simply don't care."
Compared to the two's excitement, Shen Dao remained much calmer.
"Ya, what do you think?"
Zhao Ya replied calmly, "What else is there to think? This so-called marriage is just a facade. The other side clearly wants both wealth and pleasure, and once they get bored in a few days, they'll probably treat Miss Ning as a gift to be given away."
These words made Ning Shan's face turn pale.
Even Meng Shiwen found it hard to believe, "Isn't that too exaggerated?"
"Exaggerated?" Zhao Ya sneered.
"Never underestimate these soldiers' and bandits' evil, for they have no humanity."
"What shall we do then? Do we break into the prison to rescue her father now?" Meng Shiwen asked.