Chapter 29 Her Death His left ear was ringing; he watched with his own eyes as she was swallowed up…

"Where is Qing'an?" The clash of swords produced a loud, resounding sound that made Lou Yanxu even more flustered. She asked as she walked quickly.

Qingrui followed with small, quick steps. "Young Master Wan has passed away, and Madam Wan rushed back last night."

Lou Yan hesitated for a moment, then made up her mind, "Then let's go back to Chang'an City." Taking advantage of the ongoing fighting in the inn, she grabbed Qingrui and ran back the way they came.

Fortunately, she had paid attention yesterday and remembered the way she came.

A light drizzle fell like threads onto their heads, dark clouds obscured the moon, and the desolate road was difficult to traverse; one careless step could lead to a hidden pit. The two of them didn't stop for a moment, their hearts pounding as if they were about to burst, their calves aching and sore, yet they dared not relax for even a moment, still determined to climb to the top of the wind speed.

The night was pitch black and the surroundings were deathly silent. The occasional chirping of cicadas and croaking of frogs in the distance only made people more uneasy. The two of them didn't know where they had run to. They only stopped when the sounds of their fighting were far behind them, and they rubbed their hearts and gasped for breath.

Qingrui hunched over and swallowed a couple of times, somewhat worried, "We finally escaped with great difficulty. What if we go back to Chang'an and are discovered by Minister Xu?"

"Qingrui, do you know what it means to be in the dark under the lamp?" In the darkness, Lou Yanxu's pupils gleamed. "The more dangerous the place, the safer it is. He would never expect us to dare to return to Chang'an. Besides, we don't know how Qing'an's trip went. We have to go and see."

"This servant will obey my wife." Qingrui nodded and helped Lou Yanxu continue on her way.

The rain-soaked road was even more difficult to walk on. With no light to see, Lou Yanxu slipped and fell to one knee, hitting her head squarely on a protruding rock. The sharp, shattering pain brought tears to her eyes, and it took her a while to recover. Qingrui felt so sorry for her that she wanted to cry too. She quickly broke off two shrub branches to use as guides, and they proved to be very effective.

But their relaxation lasted only a moment. The rapid, urgent sound of horses' hooves made Lou Yanxu tense up. She pulled Qingrui behind a bush. In the desolate wilderness, they dared not trust anyone.

A group of people stopped. The leader looked around, while the two men crouched low, holding their breath, their clothes damp and sticky. Finally, when the group whipped their horses and drove off, Lou Yanxu, exhausted, collapsed to the ground and tumbled down the slope.

"My lady, are you alright?" Qingrui called out softly as she chased after her and helped her lean against the boulder.

Her body and legs ached, and the darkness made travel difficult. She didn't know what snakes, rats, insects, or ants she might encounter. Moreover, it would take several days to reach Chang'an, so she decided to rest until dawn before looking for a way out.

The two were already sleepy with heavy eyelids, but the whistling of the night wind, the rustling of falling leaves, and the chirping of insects all filled their ears, making them tremble with fear. They could only hug each other for warmth and try to get through the night.

Since they had left in a hurry and their clothes were disheveled, the next day the two passed by a house, asked the woman for two clean clothes, left a hairpin as payment, and then hired the owner to hitch up an oxcart and head straight for Chang'an.

Upon entering the city, it was midday. Lou Yanxu slipped an agate hairpin into Qingrui's hand and asked her to go elsewhere. She then headed straight for the General of the Garrison's residence. In the blink of an eye, Yun Lu came towards her. She quickly slipped into an alley and made her way through several twists and turns to Qinren Lane.

White flowers hung in front of the general's mansion, and a large "奠" (meaning "offering sacrifice") character was painted on a white paper lantern. Inside the mansion, a mourning banner hung loosely on a bamboo pole, and the mourners, dressed in mourning clothes, were wailing and coming and going.

Lou Yanxu mingled inside to offer libations and pay respects. She glanced around but couldn't find Wan Qing'an. Just as she was pondering this, she suddenly heard the sound of fighting at the alley entrance. She rushed over and saw Wan Qing'an fighting with about ten servants, who were now surrounded.

Her hands and feet were bound, but she refused to back down. She swept through a crowd and knocked them down, then angrily cursed, "How can there be a wedding so soon after my brother's passing? That heartless Aunt Lin, what kind of rumors did she spread to my father!"

Lou Yanxu was shocked to hear this. The funeral was not over yet, and now a celebration was being held. How could they do this? Seeing Wan Qing'an being carried into the mansion, she became anxious and used a long bamboo pole against the wall to poke at her. In an instant, chickens and dogs flew and panicked.

"Qing'an!" she cried out, rushing over to untie Wan Qing'an.

What brings you here?

Without a word, before anyone could react, she pulled Wan Qing'an and fled into the alley. But the guards pursued them closely, taking a winding and circuitous route, and had already sent men to surround and block them. They ran to the end of the long alley, which was a dead end, and the sound of footsteps approached.

Seven or eight people, their faces beaming with joy, blocked the way out, thinking the two of them would have no chance of escape. But then a shout came from around the corner, and Qingrui arrived with a group of beggars. They brought out all sorts of weapons, including clubs, spatulas, and butcher knives, and they were all fearless. The servants were so frightened that they fled in panic.

Fearing that the general's mansion would send more people to block them, the group did not linger and hurriedly boarded their carriages and left the city.

Wan Qing'an took off her mourning clothes and stroked them absentmindedly. The car was silent for a long time before she asked, "Where are we going now?"

Lou Yanxu was feeling listless and drowsy. When she came to her senses, she said, "I received news a few days ago that Coroner Feng has returned to Suzhou. I want to go back and take a look." After speaking, she briefly explained the background of this person.

Having received news of Xu Congjing's wedding date on the very day he learned of it, he had intended to return home, but was delayed until now due to being imprisoned by Xu. Moreover, he was currently empty-handed, possessing nothing but some jewelry, and was determined to return to the Lou family.

She touched herself; her brother's wooden box had never left her side, and only this could ease her longing. Her head throbbed dully, but she suddenly remembered her confrontation with Xu Congjing.

He said his brother intended to take liberties with Sister Rou, leading to her death. He said she was the one who orchestrated it, and that he had written to her to inquire about the details. But she knew nothing of any of this.

A cold sweat broke out on their foreheads. They felt like puppets being manipulated by a pair of large hands. The deaths of Sister Rou and Brother A, and the truth that Father A had concealed, were all things they were determined to investigate thoroughly.

After this ordeal, all three looked listless. Lou Yanxu no longer felt the joy of regaining her freedom; she only felt exhausted, had a headache, and her knees ached even more.

The carriages continued non-stop all the way to Tongzhou, where they hired a doctor to treat their injuries. The next morning, Qingrui went out early to buy some food. Since they didn't have much money, they could only buy some flatbreads. The three of them silently swallowed them whole and continued on their way.

Several days later, they arrived in Suzhou. The three of them first searched around the Lou residence but found no trace of Xu Congjing. They waited until nightfall, when the sky was overcast, before sneaking into the residence through a side gate.

The next day, the three disguised themselves and went to the Feng family's house, only to find the gate locked and no one answering their knocks. A neighbor, seeing the young women pacing anxiously in front of the Feng family's house, kindly reminded them, "He left yesterday! He said he was going to Jiaozhou in Lingnan to stay with relatives."

The old man scooped a spoonful of food for the chickens in the enclosure and said cheerfully, "He gave me all the chickens; they won't be coming back!"

Another step too late, Lou Yanxu was dejected, not knowing what to do next.

Wan Qing'an patted her shoulder and said, "Then let's go to Jiaozhou."

Jiaozhou is no small place; finding one person in such a vast sea of ​​people is like picking up a sesame seed from a black sesame seed. Lou Yanxu looked up at the clear blue sky and nodded to herself after a long while. She had to go to Jiaozhou, but she couldn't go blindly. Coroners were often summoned to assist the government in examining corpses, so finding one wasn't too difficult. No matter how big Jiaozhou was, it couldn't compare to the endless sky.

After much deliberation, she agreed to the suggestion.

Having made up her mind, she returned to the Lou residence, but as soon as she turned around, she saw the two young men looking in her direction. Wan Qing'an froze, turned back, and whispered, "Let's go quickly!"

Lou Yanxu glanced at him, feeling as if she were sitting on pins and needles. Her face remained expressionless, but her steps faltered.

Across the street, Xu Congjing squinted as he watched three slender figures disappear around the corner of the alley. He was startled and when he chased after them, the alley was deserted. He fell into deep thought.

Raindrops dripped densely from the gray eaves, pelting his back. The words of their argument that night still echoed in his ears. He desperately wanted to find Lou Yanxu and find out the details of that letter, but the world was vast, and she seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace despite his extensive network of informants.

"What's wrong?" Wen Jie caught up and looked in the direction he was looking, but there was nothing unusual. He just shook his head and said, "You must have seen wrong."

“You were ordered by the Emperor to capture the wanted criminal, which is why you had the opportunity to come here. Now that the matter is settled, we cannot linger too long. Let’s go to the Lou residence to take another look. If there is no news, let’s return to Chang’an first.” Wen Jie sighed, hoping to clear up the misunderstanding as soon as possible.

Raindrops soaked his shoulders and back, but Xu Congjing was completely unaware. He nodded and returned to the Lou residence.

As expected, there was no disturbance inside or outside the Lou residence. He still had to rush back to Chang'an to report, so he had to put aside his personal matters for the time being and instructed his subordinates to be careful, preparing to return to the capital by water.

The afterglow of the sunset was like a beautiful painting, and the clear river was calm, shimmering with golden light. When they arrived at the dock, the bustling crowd split into three lines to board the ship. Xu Congjing was on an official government ship, so he was spared the crowding. He stepped aside to board the ship and stood alone at the bow, gazing into the distance.

The gangplank was retracted, the mooring lines were loosened, the ship weighed anchor, and slowly sailed towards the vast river.

Lou Yanxu's face was so clearly reflected in his eyes!

The person he had been searching for was right in front of him, and he was overjoyed.

Found it! He found it!

Unexpectedly, a dozen or so bandits, with their lewd and smirking faces, pounded on the hull of the boat. With a quick hook of a thick rope, they flipped themselves aboard, startling the passengers and eliciting a chorus of shouts.

This is an attempt to hijack the ship!

Xu Congjing broke out in a cold sweat and ordered the ship to approach, shouting, "Wanwan!" Lou Yan and Xu Ben fled in panic, but upon hearing the shout, their expressions changed drastically, and they shrank back.

In the commotion, the stove overturned, and someone knocked over several buckets of lacquer that the ship owner had secretly hoarded. The lacquer splashed onto the red-hot charcoal, sparking and burning fiercely, eventually spreading along the ship's planks.

Everyone fled in all directions, but there was nowhere to escape.

"Wanwan, come here quickly!"

The two ships were separated by only a thin line. Xu Congjing wanted to risk crossing, but at this moment the fire was raging, thick smoke was billowing, and flames were engulfing the cabin. With a "boom", it exploded and swallowed the deafening cries.

A wave of scorching heat hit him, and Xu Congjing's left ear was ringing as he watched Lou Yanxu being engulfed in the raging fire.

He swayed precariously and fainted.