The night breeze was cool, and the air was filled with a strong, lingering smell of blood and a chilling atmosphere. The pale moonlight illuminated the soaring eaves, which were empty, yet the feeling of being spied on was so real that it sent a chill down one's spine.

"General!" A guard came running up quickly.

"Found it? Where is it?" Meng Yuxiu asked anxiously.

The man, panting heavily, pointed in a direction, and Meng Yuxiu left without a word, as fast as the wind.

But he only found the general's carriage in a dead end.

The man in black driving the carriage, seeing that he had been captured alive and had a knife to his neck, trembled with fear when he saw Meng Yuxiu emerge from the darkness like a god of death.

Meng Yuxiu didn't bother to interrogate him, but went to lift the carriage curtain, only to find the carriage empty.

He turned around abruptly, his eyes faintly bloodshot, his voice growing increasingly deep: "Where is he?"

The man in black trembled violently, then his eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the ground, dead.

The guard pulled back his mask, and blood was still flowing from his mouth.

"We've fallen for their trap! Mobilize all the guards and soldiers in the General's Mansion, seal off the city gates, and find them no matter how hard you try!" Meng Yuxiu turned and said emphatically.

The night breeze ruffled his black hair, and his sharp features cast shadows under the moonlight. For the first time, the Yun Kingdom's number one general, who had always been a master strategist, felt restless and uneasy.

The guards scattered like a gust of wind upon receiving the order, and one of them immediately spurred his horse back to the general's mansion to mobilize manpower.

The night was like a painting, growing richer and richer with the passage of time.

The night watchman rang the gong again and again, and people were immersed in deep dreams, but Meng Yuxiu was wide awake and even more awake.

His soldiers and guards were secretly searching the city, unaware that the large number of men in black had already broken up into smaller groups. Some were responsible for diversionary tactics, while the men in black who had taken Chang Lili had already escaped.

As dawn broke, there was still no news. Meng Yuxiu frowned, his whole being like a taut string.

Judging from the situation last night and the injuries sustained by Chen Yuan, these people had been planning this for a long time and came prepared.

The first person Meng Yuxiu thought of with this motive was Xiao Shuer, who had just come out of the Imperial Clan Court. She was not one to give up easily and would only escalate her actions. He dared not think too deeply about Chang Lili's situation.

As dawn broke, Chang Lili groggily opened her eyes, feeling as if her whole body ached as if it had fallen apart, and her head felt very heavy.

She tried to rub her temples, but to no avail. Looking down at herself, she saw a thick rope binding her like a dumpling; she had been tied up like that all night.

Looking around, the strong smell of dust in the air made Chang Lili cough involuntarily.

This house has been abandoned for who knows how long; it's covered in cobwebs and dust, and there are all sorts of insects chirping and scurrying through the straw.

Chang Lili felt her head spinning. Although she wasn't a rich young lady and lived the hard life of an ordinary family, her mother-in-law would always keep the place clean and spotless, no matter how dilapidated it was, let alone have any strange insects.

Surrounded by so many men in black last night, in that terrifying scene, Chang Lili didn't beg for mercy. But looking at the insects crawling around her, she couldn't hold back anymore.

"Help! Help!" she screamed desperately with her eyes closed.

Before she could finish her call, the door was kicked open roughly, and a burly man dressed in black shouted, "What are you yelling about, you stinking woman? Be careful, or I'll cut your tongue out!"

Chang Lili ignored his furious shouting. Even though she knew that she had been knocked unconscious by these men in black last night, she still couldn't help but cry out for help, "Why are there so many bugs here? What if they bite me? You don't want me to die so soon, do you?"

"You think these bugs can kill you? You're asking for it!" The man said, charging aggressively toward Chang Lili, but was stopped by several people who came in afterward.

The group huddled together and whispered for a while. Chang Lili looked outside and found that the courtyard was in a terrible state. Now that she was tied up, it would be extremely difficult to get out, and it seemed impossible to escape.

At this moment, the men in black had also discussed their plan. The fierce-looking man in black put on a sinister smile and approached Chang Lili step by step.

"What are you going to do? Be careful, or I'll bite my tongue and kill myself. If I die like this, let's see how you explain it!" Chang Lili said, trying to remain calm.

But then the man chuckled, and Chang Lili felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck, her vision went black, and she lost consciousness.

The man walked back satisfied and said, "It's still so much easier this way. Women are such a hassle."

In the general's mansion, Meng Yuxiu could no longer contain himself. This search was not a solution; in such a vast capital city, finding someone was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

He led his horse, intending to head straight for the palace, thinking he could simply capture Xiao Shu'er to exchange for her.

When they reached the gate of the general's mansion, a soldier came to report that he had discovered suspicious traces. Meng Yuxiu immediately rode his horse to the place the soldier had mentioned.

The place the soldier was referring to was the western suburbs, a desolate area with sparse population.

In the past, war raged and people suffered greatly, unable to even get enough to eat, let alone afford to buy houses in the capital. But in recent years, as people's lives have improved, they have begun to move to the city, leaving these houses in the western suburbs vacant.

Long uninhabited, it is dilapidated.

After searching the city for a long time without success, Meng Yuxiu thought they had left the city long ago, but he didn't expect them to hide in such a place, making them easy to find.

The further west you go, the more desolate it becomes, overgrown with weeds. Passing through a patch of grass, you come to a dense forest, but the ground and under the trees are clean, with only some small grasses covered with soil.

After passing through the forest, Meng Yuxiu finally saw the houses.

From afar, one can see the weathered house, teetering on the verge of collapse, while a person dressed in black strolls leisurely around it.

A huge weight lifted from Meng Yuxiu's heart. Despite having traveled so far, he felt increasingly energetic and rode his horse at breakneck speed.

Hearing the commotion, the men in black all turned to look, and when they saw Meng Yuxiu rushing towards them like an arrow released from a bow, they were all terrified.

Some hurriedly went to find their swords, while others pushed open the door and went inside.

Meng Yuxiu knew they were probably going to take Chang Lili away again, so he immediately rode his horse and used his light footwork to fly over.

Its speed surpassed that of a running horse, and it arrived at the house in the blink of an eye.

The men in black gripped long swords, each one looking as if facing a formidable enemy.

They knew what kind of opponent they were facing, and they had no intention of fighting. They only wanted to take Chang Lili away and escape once again.

But they didn't get what they wanted. The people who rushed out of the house cried out in panic, "The person...the person is gone!"

The men in black, including Meng Yuxiu, were all startled.

Neither side had the will to fight anymore, so they put away their weapons and rushed into the house.

Inside the dilapidated house, thick layers of straw were scattered haphazardly on the ground, and in one spot, there was a small dent.