Chapter 24 Disappearance: It was all Jiang Xu's trap.

At the door, Liu Ying smiled, but when she saw her gaze fixed on him, a hint of tension and fear flashed in his eyes, as if he were gritting his teeth.

"Wan'er, a new play started outside the city today. Let's go check it out after we finish shopping..." She seemed to have racked her brains to come up with this reason, and asked, "How about it?"

Shi Wan naturally couldn't refuse. Now that Jiang Xu was gone, there was no one who could forcefully stop her. The two of them hitched up a carriage together and, as usual, lingered in the shops they had visited before before heading out of the city again.

Upon arriving at the city gate, the guards, seeing that it was the Prince of Jingbei's carriage, immediately stood at attention. "Please, Your Excellency, lift the curtain so that we may inspect it."

As soon as he spoke, Feng Hui immediately said, "It's only been a few days since we last met. Why are you even checking the King's carriage?" His tone was very familiar. Shi Wan, sitting upright in the carriage, couldn't help but glance at Liu Ying upon hearing this.

Inside the carriage, Liu Ying's expression remained rather unpleasant.

"Wan'er." Her hands didn't stop as she mouthed to her, seemingly worried. Her eyebrows were furrowed into a knot. Seeing that Shi Wan's expression was calm, she continued to apply makeup to her, though her fingers holding the powder were still trembling slightly.

Outside, the soldiers guarding the city recognized them as old acquaintances, scratched their heads awkwardly, and waved them out of the city.

suburbs.

The summer heat was intense, and the willows along the official road drooped listlessly. As dusk approached, the cicadas' chirping subsided somewhat. Shi Wan subconsciously looked out the window, where pale pink lotus flowers rested in the pond, their edges curled up from the sun.

Despite the unbearable heat, she felt more relaxed than ever before. The commotion in Jichuan City gradually faded away, and the fresh scent of grass wafted into her nostrils through the swaying carriage curtains, dispelling some of her tension.

Beside her, Liu Ying was still rambling, "That was terrifying! I'm telling you, this is absolutely the last time!"

Having gotten herself into this mess, she had no other choice but to seek help from her sweetheart. Fortunately, fate was kind to her, and she, Liu Ying, actually ran into it.

Shi Wan looked at her, then smiled gently. "Thank you." Her words were sincere, and even Liu Ying, who harbored resentment, was taken aback.

"Now that the money and goods are settled, I've repaid your favor." Liu Ying's tone became somewhat evasive. "Once we get off the carriage and enter the theater, we'll be separated. After that, whether you live or die is none of my business."

“It’s not about turning back.” Shi Wan looked out the car window, where the outline of the opera house slowly came into view. Her tone was quite resolute, with an overwhelming joy in her voice. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”

*

Theater.

This is a private area set aside by the restaurant owner. Unlike the usual places for brothels where people listen to music and singing, this place is purely for watching plays. The only money earned is tips for the plays. It has only been open for a short time, so not many people know about it.

Jichuan was under the jurisdiction of the Prince of Jingbei, and the area was quite peaceful. As a result, people were willing to spend some money in this place of spiritual sustenance to seek a moment of pleasure and enjoyment.

The four were led upstairs by the waiter. Besides Liu Ying's sweetheart, there was also a guard, Shi Wan, who was quite unfamiliar with him. She had been trying to get rid of him every day for the past few days, but she still hadn't been able to.

Even after most of the play had been performed, this man remained standing a few steps away from her, like a fierce demon, without moving an inch.

Shi Wan made up her mind and said, "I need to use the restroom." Upon hearing this, the guard hesitated for a few moments before replying, "His Majesty has ordered that I cannot stray too far from you."

"I need to use the restroom, you..." Shi Wan's expression was somewhat complicated, but she was wearing a veil, so no one could see what was under the veil. After a while, she compromised and said, "Then you can wait for me in the corridor, okay?"

The guard looked troubled, but then remembered the king's special instructions before he left, and he backed down.

Once the agreement was reached, Shi Wan took small, quick steps toward the inner room.

As the opera drew to a close, the music slowed, and all the rhythms gradually faded away, isolated by the walls.

At the side door, Shi Wan sneaked forward furtively.

Following her memory, she found a dog hole. She quickly crouched down and crawled through it, and soon she was safely inside.

The sky was completely dark at this moment, like a black curtain covering everything, including Shi Wan's whereabouts.

A night breeze rustled the leaves hanging on the branches, dispelling the summer heat of the day. Moonlight spilled down, gilding the pedestrians on the street with a layer of silver frost.

In an instant, unexpected changes occurred.

Inside the theater, the string music stopped abruptly, followed by the sound of clashing weapons. The crowd of spectators immediately scattered like birds and beasts.

Instantly, the stench of blood spread, quickly permeating the summer night through the half-open window.

The sky was already dark, and seeing this, people pushed and shoved each other, none of them giving way, and surged forward in a swarm.

Upon hearing the commotion, Shi Wan hurriedly moved to the center of the crowd. Fortunately, she managed to find a convenient spot to escape amidst the chaos.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye, so much so that she even... somewhat inappropriately thought of the night she was summoned by Jiang Xu for dereliction of duty, the blood-red color on the ground, glaring and pungent, just like now.

It was a physiological nausea, mixed with a touch of natural fear.

She wasn't afraid of death, but she was afraid of dying here, dying in such a ridiculous and meaningless way.

Once she left the theater, she completely severed ties with Liu Ying, just as they had agreed. If Jiang Xu were to settle scores later, Liu Ying and the others could take the blame onto her and save their lives.

Now, she can only rely on herself.

Her clothes were those of an ordinary servant, a straight-cut robe. Without the restraint of a belt, she looked rather clumsy. Combined with her deliberate attire in the carriage, her face now resembled that of an ordinary man.

Unfortunately, time was short, and if someone were to look closely, the deception would be exposed in an instant.

For example, the guard who kept a close eye on her.

Shi Wan crouched down, pretending her legs were weak, and stumbled into the crowd. After making sure she was hidden, she mustered all her strength and shouted, "Fire!!"

The crowd froze for a moment, then erupted into even louder gasps of surprise.

This is undoubtedly like putting boiling water into a frying pan.

Someone's outer garment was torn in two and laid flat on the blue brick ground. Blood dripped down, drawing a long arc that stretched outwards. Shi Wan seized the opportunity and quickly ran out with the crowd.

Without looking back, he ran a long distance until the surroundings gradually became quiet and he had difficulty breathing, at which point he stopped.

Everything was going so smoothly today, it was almost like a dream. Shi Wan didn't have time to think much. After a short pause, she mustered all her strength and ran forward. She ran to a reed bed and heard footsteps getting closer and closer behind her. With a determined heart, she closed her eyes and jumped down.

Instantly, the icy lake water filled her nostrils. Fortunately, she was always mischievous and had learned to swim when she was a refugee in her childhood, so she was able to stagger forward.

The assassins' targets were clearly someone else; aside from a few unfortunate individuals who shouted wildly and met their untimely demise, the rest were... unexpectedly merciful.

She was a little panicked from the fright, but now that she thought about it carefully, the assassin's killings were extremely targeted, as if... he had specifically sought out the target before making his move.

The reeds swayed slightly, and Shi Wan's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively bent her body, almost shrinking into the water. Fifteen minutes later, she quietly poked most of her head out and looked around.

After patiently waiting for a while to make sure no one was around, he quietly found a haystack, swam to the shore, and wrung out his clothes as he went.

After everything was finished, he got up, intending to find another place to rest. Just as he was pondering this, a slight rustling sound suddenly came from not far away.

"Who?" Shi Wan's body tensed, her gaze fixed on the suspicious spot.

Before long, a dark figure slowly emerged from behind the bushes. It was tall and slender, and looked like an adult man.

Her knuckles unconsciously tightened around the short blade under her sleeve, and her heartbeat almost stopped at that moment.

The man opposite her seemed oblivious, giving her a shy and helpless smile. "To be honest, my disheveled state is due to an accident."

They even tried to get closer, saying, "If that's the case, then it means we're destined to be together."

In the dead of night, alone with a man and a woman, who is destined to be with him?

Shi Wan thought to herself, but bowed gently on the surface. Taking advantage of the moment when she squatted down to pay her respects, her eyes quickly swept over the other person.

Although her clothes, like hers, were damp, the material was of excellent quality, suggesting she came from a good family, either rich or noble.

When she spoke just now, her teeth were neat, and although her demeanor and appearance were not extremely outstanding, she was still quite good.

Furthermore, since this person didn't rush up immediately, but instead followed her furtively for some time, it seemed unlikely that he was too aggressive. It would be wise to chat with him from a distance and try to extract some information.

His face immediately flushed slightly, and he quickly returned the greeting, saying, "I'm from over there too."

As the man moved, sparse moonlight streamed in from behind him, brightening Shi Wan's vision. She then realized with a start that this man gave her a sense of familiarity, like the advisors in the prefect's office.

That's the style of a scholar.

She asked tentatively, "The world is in such chaos these days, why are you running around outside like this?"

"To be honest, young lady, I had heard that the Prince of Jingbei's rule was outstanding, and I inquired about it long ago, intending to visit him. But unfortunately, he left the city three days ahead of schedule this time!" The other party said with certainty.

Upon hearing this, Shi Wan felt a buzzing in her ears, and her voice trembled slightly, almost unsteady. "You said the Prince of Jingbei left the city three days early..."

His blood seemed to cool rapidly at that moment. "What does that mean?"

*

Wandering along the riverbank.

Jichuan's army was stationed here. Tens of thousands of troops, led by Jiang Xu, arrived first and stayed for half a day, but they did not cross the river.

Jiang Xu stood in front of the desk, his gaze still fixed on the military report on the table, and gave a soft "hmm".

"A day ago, Miss Wan'er went to see a play outside the city and suddenly disappeared!" The guard's tone was urgent. "Our men have searched all over Jichuan, but we haven't found any trace of her."

The sound seemed to come from a very far place, causing Jiang Xu to be momentarily dazed. He slowly got up and looked up at the scout.

The man stood with his back to the light, his tall figure shrouded in a terrifyingly oppressive atmosphere. After a long while, he suddenly let out a sneer. He took the letter handed to him by his guard, glanced at it hastily, and his icy gaze seemed to pierce through the paper.

On the military report, the ink from the pen suddenly spread, leaving a glaring red mark on the report. The suspicions in his heart were put into practice, but at this moment, Jiang Xu's heart was calmer than ever before.

Since she did it first...

Now, he can't be blamed.