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墨書 Inktalez
Yun Kong glanced sideways at Mei Shuang, whose complexion was no longer the pale white of snow. "As long as her poison is cured and she gets better, we won't have to be afraid anymore..."
It must be said that Yun Kong's last remark carried a subtle warmth that Mei Shuang found quite comforting and deeply moving. Regardless of what motives Yun Kong might have or how useful she was, at least this was the first time she had heard such words, warming her heart. It indicated that there were still people in this world who cared about her well-being.
After the two of them exchanged a few words, Mei Shuang on the ground moved her fingers and slowly opened her eyes.
"Ah? Miss is awake?" Xiang Cao exclaimed in surprise.
Mei Shuang's gaze swept over the young girl who had just doubted her honesty, thinking that this naive girl was actually quite perceptive.
If it weren't for her protecting herself earlier, claiming to be gravely poisoned and enduring several wounds to be spared, who knows where she would be right now.
Xiang Cao helped Mei Shuang sit up and asked how she was feeling. Mei Shuang pretended to have a severe headache, looking around at the overgrown weeds and asked in astonishment, "What happened just now?"
"Nothing much," Yun Kong stood up and looked at the sky. "We need to leave. If those people come down the mountain and meet Mei Ru, discovering that you are not dead, they will quickly follow us..."
Clearly, Yun Kong's concerns were not unfounded.
When Mei Ru heard that Mei Shuang had not been killed, she flew into a rage. Just as her fearful subordinates were about to turn back to pursue, Mei Ru coldly laughed, "Fools, do you think the other side would be stupid enough to wait for you to catch them?"
"But we saw with our own eyes that Xiang Cao and that woman rolled down the mountain... And we even set a net at the main gate..."
"Rolled down the mountain?" Mei Ru was skeptical.
"Indeed," said the leading man in black. "Moreover, that woman is severely poisoned and looks like she won't survive. Only a little girl fought to the death, but unfortunately, she eventually exhausted herself and rolled down Mountain Base with that woman..."
"Very well then, let's go back and see... if Yun Kong has been captured by you."
An hour later, a group of people returned dejectedly, holding an empty net.
Mei Ru smiled coldly, "You bunch of useless fools, you can't even outsmart a little girl, and you still have the face to come back? That woman is a disaster; she may have already regained her memory. Keeping her alive is a threat for another day. You must follow the clues and find her as soon as possible... Meanwhile, I will return to the capital immediately..."
"The capital?" The leader of the black-clad men exclaimed in surprise. "Isn't it dangerous for you to go back now?"
"Are you suggesting I’m seeking death?" Mei Ru glanced disdainfully at her subordinates, raising her chin. "If I had your pig brains, would I have survived until now? The Emperor will surely blame my father for what happened before, and since I haven't heard from him in a long time, I must go back to see what's going on..."
After a moment's thought, a hint of worry appeared between Mei Ru's brows. "Listen carefully, you must not let Mei Shuang return to the capital alive... She has narrowly escaped death in the palace several times; we cannot afford to make mistakes again..."
One of the black-clad men asked with concern, "But now she is in Yun Kong's hands, what should we do?"
Upon hearing "Yun Kong," Mei Ru felt both anger and hatred. Her eyes flickered with unpredictable emotions before she said fiercely, "Since Yun Kong is ungrateful, don't blame us for being ruthless. He betrayed his oath first; for that woman, he has turned against us! How can we let him off? Kill without mercy!"
Since Little Beggar disappeared without a trace, Lin Yuan had been plagued with worry.
He thought that even if Lin Shoutong had committed a heinous crime, it shouldn't warrant the Governor's personal inquiry. Moreover, the Governor had repeatedly stated that as long as he was alive, it was invaluable and his identity was kept secret, indicating that Lin Shoutong was still highly regarded.
Recalling what Little Beggar said about Lin Shoutong being ill, Lin Yuan wondered how serious the illness could be to require such expensive medicine. The key issue was that the entire city was under martial law with strict searches everywhere; how could Lin Shoutong have the courage to seek treatment?
After much contemplation, Lin Yuan made up his mind; being captured was better than dying from illness.
When Lin Yuan nervously recounted this matter in front of Mr. Lin and the already helpless Prefect Lord Xu, Lord Xu widened his eyes but quickly calmed down. "What did you say? She has accomplices? A Little Beggar? Huh, that's strange. On what basis do you believe she came looking for you?"
"Uh... it's this..."
Lin Yuan took out a small piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over.
Lord Xu glanced at it, quickly pulled out another piece of paper from his own pocket, and couldn't help but clap his hands. "That's right! The handwriting is unmistakable... It seems to be her!"
Mr. Lin curiously leaned forward, pinching the note to take a look. It turned out to be an excerpt from the essay that Lin Yuan had written during his examination.
"No wonder I couldn't find that essay anywhere; it was taken by her..." Mr. Lin muttered to himself, then shot a fierce glare at Lin Yuan. "You wretch! Why didn't you report this sooner?! Do you think you can afford to delay such an important matter?!"
Lord Xu couldn't be bothered with him. Although it was late to remedy the situation, they had to try.
Several days had already passed, and if they didn't act quickly, it would be even harder to find clues.
Thus, he forced himself to focus and asked Lin Yuan in detail about where the Little Beggar had appeared, what time it was, where she got the medicine, and where she disappeared... He asked many questions meticulously, especially about the Little Beggar's appearance.
Unfortunately, in the dead of night, the Little Beggar was ragged and her face was obscured in darkness. Coupled with Lin Yuan's drunken haze, he hadn't seen clearly—at most he had a rough idea.
Lin Yuan stammered through his explanation, infuriating Mr. Lin so much that he picked up a ruler from the table and struck him with it. "Unfilial son! Worthless thing! I told you not to go drinking! Last time you went to that cursed place for Gardener's Family's daughter and ran into a Noble Person; that was bad enough! You brought such a disaster home! Now you're off drinking again and hiding such a major issue from me; I see you truly want to get beaten!"
As he spoke, Mr. Lin had already struck Lin Yuan several times with the ruler. Lin Yuan winced in pain but dared not resist in the slightest.
Lord Xu naturally understood that Mr. Lin was putting on an act to make his son shed the blame for neglecting official duties; his words were also meant for Lin Yuan's ears. He couldn't be bothered to argue about it at that moment.
At this critical moment, however, Lin Tian'er stepped in to mediate. "Uncle, it was my idea to bring Lin Shoutong home; it has nothing to do with Yuan'er. I only slapped her because I couldn't stand what she did to Yuan'er; that's why I resorted to such measures. Additionally, there's something important: I just asked one of the shop assistants at the pharmacy. One of them said that because Young Master Lin used medicine late at night and the medicine was precious, he peeked through the window. That Little Beggar is quite small in stature; they said her voice sounded like a girl..."
With this hint from Lin Tian'er, Lin Yuan suddenly remembered and brightened up, nodding repeatedly. "Yes, she should be a girl! Moreover, she moves swiftly; it seems she knows lightness skills..."
If she didn't know lightness skills, how could she run away so quickly?
Yun Kong, Mei Shuang, and Vanilla had not yet made it down the mountain and were hiding in a tree hollow, watching as those who had come up earlier turned the dilapidated temple inside out, smashing everything to pieces.
The tree hollow was already small, and with three people squeezed inside, the space felt even more cramped. They were practically pressed against each other with hardly any gaps between them.
Vanilla cleverly moved closer to the entrance, having already used grass and bushes to create the best camouflage around the opening, observing the movements outside through the narrow gaps.
Behind them, Yun Kong was also cautiously listening to the sounds from outside through the small opening.
Both Yun Kong and Vanilla were martial artists capable of holding their breath for long periods, so in this enclosed and silent space, Mei Shuang could only hear her own breathing.
Hearing the sound of bottles and jars being smashed outside sent a wave of fear through Mei Shuang, making her scalp tingle. The intruders did not seem friendly, and given how close they were, if discovered, this small tree hollow could become their tomb.
Yun Kong was focused on listening to the commotion outside when he suddenly noticed that Mei Shuang's breathing had become heavy just inches away from him. The warm breaths she exhaled made him glance sideways.
He saw Mei Shuang staring in his direction, her eyes wide with terror.
His thick brows furrowed slightly as he turned his gaze but saw nothing.
In the dark tree hollow, only a sliver of moonlight filtered in, illuminating the area behind him. Clearly, Mei Shuang had seen something frightening to be so scared.
Just as he was about to turn his head again, Mei Shuang suddenly grabbed his arm, her eyes conveying a sense of urgency that said "don't move."
At that moment, he seemed to hear a hissing sound growing closer.
A snake!
The tree hole was inherently dark, a damp place where snakes, rats, and mosquitoes thrived. However, there seemed to be an indescribable fear in Mei Shuang's eyes.
"Is the snake very big?" Yun Kong frowned.
Having spent years on the road, he had seen all kinds of poisonous creatures; even venomous snakes did not frighten him. The antidote he carried could counteract any snake venom.
Just as he was feeling impatient, he suddenly saw Mei Shuang raise her hand and shiver all over.
Realizing something was wrong, he quickly turned around and, in a swift motion, flicked a red-black patterned venomous snake that was hanging down behind him. The force of his flick was considerable, and the snake that had bitten Mei Shuang's arm was sent crashing against the wall of the tree hole before falling down like a limp noodle.
Mei Shuang trembled as she pulled back her bitten hand, beads of sweat forming on her forehead, her expression one of extreme pain.
In the cramped space, Yun Kong quickly scanned to ensure there was no further danger before pulling out the antidote from his pocket. He took Mei Shuang's hand and swiftly wrapped a cloth around her arm, applying pressure to expel the venomous blood.
Even the slightest movement startled the nearby herbs. When they turned to look back, they were shocked to see that this fortunate young lady had been bitten by a venomous snake.
What bad luck! She had just taken the antidote and then got bitten by a snake!
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