Liu Huan cut the rope and tied it to the grass next to her, replying, "Uncle, wait a minute, my stomach hurts, it'll be fine soon."
The burly man looked disgusted. "Hurry up," he said, then turned away and covered his nose.
Liu Huan hunched over and ran a long way before disappearing into the woods.
The big man waited a while and called out a few times, but no one answered. When he went over, he found that the other end of the rope was tied to a tree. "Damn it, you little brat, you dare to lie to me. I'll catch you and beat you to death."
He called over his thugs, "Hurry up, the people are coming."
"Damn it, hurry up and find it, or we're dead."
One person was left to keep watch, while the rest of them, carrying torches, searched for the trail where the grass had fallen.
"They must have gone deep into the mountains, let's chase them."
Liu Huan did indeed run into the deep mountains, because she discovered there was a cliff next to her, and she made a mistake.
I haven't dared to eat much these past few days in order to stay awake, and now I feel weak all over. In just a short while, those big men have caught up with us.
"Quick, she's right ahead, grab her."
With ample moonlight, even in the woods one could vaguely see figures, and Liu Huan realized she had miscalculated.
Reaching the highest point, I discovered it was also a cliff.
...
"Can't run anymore? Keep running, keep going."
It was still that same big man, his face all scrunched up, looking at Liu Huan as if he could devour her.
"Come back with me obediently, or I'll beat you to death."
Liu Huan knew that once she failed, there would be no next time, and she might even suffer inhuman torture because of her escape.
I can't go back. I'll take a gamble. Since she was able to travel through time and the wolves didn't eat her, I suppose I won't be hurt if I jump down from here.
After figuring it out, she started to back away, firmly believing that although she would be injured, she would definitely not die.
She moved to the edge of the cliff, turned around and jumped, startling several burly men.
"Damn, they actually dared to jump down."
"Brother, what do we do now?"
"Falling from that height is certain death. Forget it, take the other two and get out of here first. It's better not to risk it all."
As they were walking back, several wolves surrounded them. "Run! There are wolves!"
Only two managed to escape; the last two were caught by wolves and killed.
The two who had escaped were still in shock when they heard screams coming from the woods. "Big brother, what do we do?"
The leader made a snap decision, "Let's go, ignore them."
They went back, loaded up the carriage, and drove off, abandoning the other one.
The wolves didn't chase after her; instead, they went down towards the cliff and found the little girl covered in wounds at the bottom.
Several wolves carried her to the roadside, licked the blood off her body, and prevented other wild animals from approaching, until a convoy passed by.
"Sir, there is a little girl lying here."
Upon hearing this, the person inside the carriage lifted the curtain, "Go check if he's dead?"
The servant dismounted to check, "Master, he's still breathing."
The man in the carriage pondered for a moment, then, thinking of his critically ill daughter, felt a pang of pity: "Then take her with you."
During the day, the carriage on the cliff was discovered and reported to the authorities. After inspecting the scene, the officers discovered that the two dead men were human traffickers they had been arresting for some time.
After taking them back, they discovered that they were also related to the three children who had recently gone missing, and then headed towards Fengzhou Prefecture to investigate.
Su Yi also received the news and obtained a beaded flower from the soldiers; it was stained with blood.
"This beaded flower was found in the woods, along with the bodies of two adult men. Could it be..."
"No," Su Yi rejected without even thinking.
It's just a single beaded flower; it doesn't mean anything, he kept reassuring himself.
He personally searched the crime scene again and again. When he saw a cliff, he suspected that the person might have fallen off. He searched for a long time at the bottom of the cliff, but found nothing.
They abandoned their original destination, Suzhou Prefecture, and instead headed towards Fengzhou Prefecture.
The officers reminded him, "Scholar Su, Fengzhou Prefecture is far from Suzhou Prefecture. If you go there, you will definitely miss the autumn hunt."
"Thank you," Su Yi said without hesitation. He was determined to find the person he had lost.
A month later, he found two of the girls in the brothel.
“We don’t know. One night she went out to relieve herself and never came back. Two men also didn’t come back. We don’t know where she went.”
Su Yi's heart sank to the bottom; all hope was gone.
He assisted the officers and soldiers in destroying the human trafficking den, and only then did the officers and soldiers of Fengzhou Prefecture realize that he was a scholar.
"Scholar, the autumn imperial examination is about to begin, why aren't you going?"
"I am from Suzhou Prefecture."
The officers and soldiers sighed with regret, "What a pity, it's too late to go now. If we miss it now, we'll have to wait another three years."
When Su Yi returned to Qingyang County, the whole family was very happy. "Shi Tou is back, where's Huan Huan?"
Seeing that only he had returned, Su's mother asked.
Xiao Shi said calmly, "I know, Huanhuan must be doing business in the prefecture, right?"
Su's mother also thought it made sense and disagreed, saying, "How can you leave her alone in the prefecture? You can just send a letter back and that will be enough, right?"
Su Yi didn't reply, but simply locked himself in his room.
Yes, even my mother, who was illiterate, knew that I shouldn't have left her alone. Why was I so stupid?
He stayed in his room for several days without coming out, and his food was placed at the door every day.
When Guan Chang brought Su Wan back, he heard that Su Yi had returned.
At first, he was happy for Su Yi, but then he realized something was wrong. "Wait a minute, according to the exam dates, even if he gets home quickly, it should be at least half a month before he gets home."
Everyone was stunned; they didn't know the exact time and were completely bewildered.
Clinging to a sliver of hope, Su's mother asked, "Could it be that he came back quickly?"
Guan Chang shook his head. "No, even if they come back quickly, they won't be back at this time. My housekeeper tried, and even if they come back quickly, it will be at least half a month later."
So that means he didn't take the exam. Why didn't he take the exam?
Su's father dared not think of the reason. He banged on Su Yi's door, "Come out here and explain what happened. Why didn't you take the exam?"
Fang Yi held her daughter, and a terrible thought suddenly occurred to her: "Mother, could something have happened to Huanhuan?"
Upon hearing this, Su's mother collapsed to the ground, shouting, "Come out here! Come out and explain yourself!"
Su's mother knelt down and pounded on the door, her unease growing stronger.
The door was opened from the inside, and Su Yi came out and knelt in front of his mother.
"Mother, I..."
Su Yi was unshaven and his hair was a mess; he was a completely different person from the spirited man he used to be.
Su's mother pounded his fists with her fists: "Huanhuan, I'm asking you a question."
Su Yi whispered, "Huanhuan, I lost Huanhuan."
Su's mother's pupils dilated in shock, and she fainted instantly.
Su Wan also collapsed to the ground, clutching her stomach, leaving a pool of blood on the floor.
The Su family was thrown into chaos. Su Wan couldn't give birth at the Su family home, as everything was prepared there. Several people carried her back on stools.
Guan Chang held her hand and comforted her, "Don't worry, we'll ask you more questions after the baby is born. The baby is the most important thing right now."
Su Wan was in tears, ignoring the tightening in her stomach, her mind preoccupied with what Su Yi had said: he had lost Huanhuan.
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