Cake Fragrance (12)
Night fell quietly, and the entire Yunchong City was shrouded in deathly silence.
Crows circled above the roofs, and the whole city seemed to be waiting for a powerful beam of light to pierce the annoying darkness.
Tomorrow is the day of Gao Chang's formal trial and Rong Ye's execution.
Most of the guards stationed at Gao Mansion by the prefect were transferred away, and the remaining ones became depressed.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Gao Qing, Gao Hui and Xiao Lin tiptoed into the lobby of Gao's mansion.
The three of them crouched down, being extremely careful with every move, for fear of making any noise.
Then, Gao Qing took out an exquisite porcelain bottle from his chest, unplugged it, and gently shook the potion inside onto the ground. After a while, a faint fluorescent light appeared on the ground.
Just as Gao Hui was about to ask, Gao Qing covered her mouth.
Gao Qing waved to Gao Hui and Xiao Lin behind her, indicating that they should follow. Seeing this, Gao Hui did not ask any more questions and carefully followed her pace.
The three of them sprinkled potions on the ground and followed the fluorescent light, passing through a secret passage that was extremely difficult to detect and leaving Gao's mansion.
After a while, Fluorescence brought the three of them to a deserted suburb that was overgrown with weeds.
"Sister Qing, where... where are we going?" Gao Hui finally couldn't help but ask.
Gao Qing finally stopped, took a deep breath, and replied, "Before, I had Aunt Ma drop a bag filled with official silver into the main hall of the Gao Mansion. Inside that bag was firefly powder, and I deliberately poked a few small holes in it so that the powder would fall out as the bag shook."
Xiao Lin knew that she had asked Chu Mo for firefly powder, but she had no idea what she would use it for. However, her intuition told her that what she was doing now would be a game at the cost of her life.
So, she also asked: "So? What are you going to do?"
Gao Qing didn't hear the worry in Xiao Lin's tone, and instead started explaining himself.
"In my opinion, your father might be the mastermind behind the Yunchong City corruption case."
She gradually lowered her voice as she spoke to Gao Hui.
"I just had a guess, so I put out a bait to lure him out, but he actually fell for it."
"This bag contains government silver. If your father is innocent, why would he bring a bag of government silver to this remote place? And I will use this firefly powder to find their secret base."
When Gao Qing said this, Gao Hui was so frightened that she didn't dare to blink.
In her impression, her father really didn't care about her and had ignored her since she was young.
But no matter what, he is still her father! He is her biological father!
Even though Gao Qing's previous actions had all hinted to her that her father was most likely the mastermind behind the strange events in the city, she still had her doubts.
Until now, the evidence is conclusive, and no matter how she deceives herself, she has to face this glaring reality.
Gao Hui's expression suddenly changed, and only Xiao Lin noticed her abnormality.
Xiao Lin has always been thoughtful and is the only person who can give Gao Hui comfort at this moment.
So she slowly placed her hand on Gao Hui's shoulder, hoping to give her some strength.
But at this moment, Gao Qing turned around, bowed righteously to Xiao Lin, and said, "Thank you for your help during this period. Without you, we would not have been able to succeed."
Xiao Lin didn't understand, but nodded anyway.
After that, Gao Qing continued, "So, please do us one last favor, sister."
"Please go ahead."
Then, Gao Qing turned sideways and raised his arm to point into the distance.
"Looking at the trend, their hiding place should be in this direction. I will sprinkle potions along the way, so you won't get lost, sister."
Xiao Lin frowned slightly: "What are you going to do?"
"I need you to turn back now and find the governor. Let's uncover the truth together in front of everyone."
The light emitted by the fireflies on the ground was very faint, not even half as bright as Gao Qing's eyes.
At first, Xiao Lin did not give an answer, but she looked around and saw that it was indeed quiet. Moreover, this place was a plain, not a deep mountain, and there was no ambush by wild beasts. Overall, it was safe.
Moreover, what Gao Qing said was absolutely right. We should indeed bring the prefect with us, so as to avoid any problems when we come back tomorrow morning.
"Okay...okay..." Xiao Lin hesitated and agreed.
When Gao Qing and Gao Hui held hands, Xiao Lin wrapped his cotton coat tightly around him, looked back every few steps, and finally trotted away from them.
Little did she know that this separation would be a scar that she would never forget.
After watching Xiao Lin leave, it was already late at night.
There were no candles in the entire suburbs, so Gao Qing and Gao Hui could only move forward by moonlight.
The faint night light and the faint fluorescent light intertwined, causing pain in the two people's eyes.
Fortunately, they were extremely efficient and soon arrived at a dilapidated house.
"It should be here."
Gao Qing straightened her back and carefully pried at the crack of the door, but it was locked. She pulled it several times but still couldn't get in to check.
Just as Gao Qing was looking for tools to pick the lock beside the house, Gao Hui's gaze fell on the distance.
After squinting her eyes to see clearly in the distance, she suddenly grabbed the corner of Gao Qing's clothes and said tremblingly: "Qing... Sister Qing... There seems to be a fire over there..."
Fire?
Gao Qing straightened up with doubt in his heart, and suddenly turned his head to look into the distance——
Oh no! Someone is coming!
Seeing this, Gao Qing immediately grabbed Gao Hui's hand and ran to the bushes behind the house and squatted down.
As the firelight and human voices became clearer, Gao Qing and Gao Hui's pulses became more rapid.
"Quick! Move these things away!" A familiar voice came from the other side -
It’s Liu Tao!
Sure enough! The corruption case was related to Gao Chang! She was right!
As they listened to the sounds of them unlocking and moving things, the sound of horse hooves that they had been expecting could never be heard from the distance.
What to do? It's too late!
They are about to move all the stolen goods away!
For a moment, Gao Qing thought that tomorrow was the day of Rong Ye's execution, but the real murderer was still at large!
Her heart gradually became anxious.
There was really nothing he could do, so Gao Qing had to grit his teeth, hold Gao Hui's hand, and give her detailed instructions word by word.
"Gao Hui, listen carefully. We can't accomplish anything if we continue like this. I'm stronger than you. I'll distract Liu Tao and the others and buy some time. You must escape and stop the execution. Bring the adults here to expose the crime and clear the county magistrate's name!"
"But if I leave, what will you do if you can't escape?" Gao Hui heard Gao Qing say this, and hot tears suddenly welled up in her eyes, "I can't... I can't..."
"I want the truth to come to light! I have no other choice. If we go together, we'll be too conspicuous. Only one of us can go. I run fast, so I have to be the one to lead them away." Gao Qing gripped Gao Hui's hand even tighter. "Listen carefully to every word I say next..."
Although Gao Hui took note of what Gao Qing said, she was still worried. Before she could react, Gao Qing had already rushed out of the bushes.
As expected, the noise made by Gao Qing's running successfully attracted the attention of Liu Tao and his group.
"Who! Who's there? Chase! Chase!"
Liu Tao let out a roar and immediately ordered a search for Gao Qing.
Seeing the fire and footsteps getting farther and farther away from her, Gao Hui had no time to hesitate. She could only wipe away her tears and grit her teeth as she ran in the opposite direction.
Everything Gao Qing had just said kept echoing in her mind. She ran forward desperately, tears streaming down her temples. As she ran too fast, Gao Hui fell heavily to the ground.
Her palms were rubbed bloody by the gravel, but even so, she still staggered to her feet and continued to run to the end of her way.
Gao Hui ran halfway when she happened to run into the governor, Chu Mo and others who were riding on horseback, led by Xiao Lin. However, she was already out of breath at this time. She used all her strength to squeeze out a few words from her throat: "Master... Sir... Quick... Help me..."
As soon as Gao Hui finished speaking, her legs felt weak and she was about to fall. Fortunately, Mu You was quick-witted and immediately jumped off the horse to pick her up.
At this moment, Gao Hui finally breathed a sigh of relief, but she couldn't stop sobbing: "Go quickly... hurry up and save Sister Qing..."
What? Save who? Save Gao Qing? Is Gao Qing in trouble?
Gao Hui's cry for help immediately brought Xiao Lin's heart to the bottom - she never thought that her ominous premonition would come true.
"Hurry! Lead the way!" The prefect, sitting on his horse, also urged everyone to move forward.
Xiao Lin panicked, his mind in a mess.
On this side, Gao Qing was also running.
But how can a child outrun an adult?
She ran for several miles with all her might, but was still caught by one of them. With a burst of rapid breathing, Liu Tao slowly came over.
Liu Tao, panting heavily, straightened his clothes. With a fierce look in his eyes, he grabbed Gao Qing by the collar and asked, "Why are you here?"
"Just wandering around."
"Wandering around?" Liu Tao sneered, lifting Gao Qing even higher. "Who would wander around here?! This place is so far from the city! You're making a fool of me!"
"Oh, aren't you a monkey?"
As soon as Gao Qing finished speaking, Liu Tao slapped her hard. Unfortunately, the corner of Gao Qing's mouth hit her teeth and bright red blood slowly flowed out.
Gao Qing grimaced in pain, then sneered and turned to glare at Liu Tao: "What do you want?"
"Tell me, what did you see?"
"It's pitch dark in this sky, what can I see?" Gao Qing denied it again and again, just to buy Gao Hui some time.
"Bah!" Liu Tao was completely enraged and kicked Gao Qing in the stomach. "Do you really think I'm stupid? I don't care if you saw it or not. Tonight is the day you die!"
As he spoke, Liu Tao turned around and pulled out a knife from a guard of Gao Mansion. While he was not paying attention, Gao Qing took a step back, shook off the hands that were trapping her, and ran away.
Gao Qing did not delay for a moment. She did not even have time to cover her aching abdomen. The shouts and footsteps behind her made it impossible for her to pay attention to anything else.
She ran like mad, the biting cold wind swept across her cheeks, like sharp blades cutting her face, making her feel so cold that it hurt.
Then, in this absolute darkness, Gao Qing saw a little light.
Slowly approaching, she suddenly seemed to hear the sound of horse hooves, which seemed particularly faint amidst the panting, and she also saw hope.
But Gao Qing ran too fast and missed a step, falling straight to the ground, and was caught by the pursuers who caught up with him.
She was lying on the ground, and only then could she clearly hear the sound of horse hooves, and the corners of her mouth immediately curled up.
Soon, Liu Tao caught up with him. He was furious and decided not to play the so-called cat and mouse game with this bastard anymore.
Gao Hui led the prefect to this place on horseback. Because she was sitting higher, she could see Liu Tao standing still with a torch in his hand from a distance.
She immediately realized that Gao Qing might have been arrested, and tears burst out uncontrollably.
"You are a rat that everyone shouts and beats when crossing the street! A bastard without father or mother who is hated by everyone! You have ruined our big plan! Today, I will kindly send you to the gutter where you belong!" Liu Tao roared.
He snatched the wooden spear from a guard, looked at Gao Qing's face pressed tightly against the grass, sneered, and then stabbed her in the chest without hesitation.
The corners of Gao Qing's mouth drooped instantly.
Her eyes suddenly blurred the scene in front of her, and a warm current flowed from her throat to her mouth. She could no longer make a sound, and it was difficult for her to breathe.
Her blood splattered on Liu Tao's eyebrows, nose, and face, and also dyed the pure wood and the gun tip red.
Liu Tao did not intend to stop. Instead, he roared and raised the wooden spear with all his strength, lifting the young Gao Qing into the air.
As a beggar and a thief, Gao Qing was far away from the sky, and the only places they stayed were dark corners.
No matter where she is, she is always inferior to others and her life is worthless. In the eyes of everyone, they are the people who least deserve the sunshine and stars in the world.
"You shameless little thief!"
"What great things can you, a little girl like you, accomplish?"
"You're more of a hindrance than a help! Everyone hates you and despises you!"
"A thief is a thief! A thief is a thief!"
…
All the curses she had heard in the past now flooded into her heart like a flood.
But this time, she was closer to the sky than anyone else, closer to the light she longed for.
Liu Tao's eyes were bloodshot with killing intent, and Gao Qing's breath suddenly became weak, calm, and still.
Her blood flowed along the wooden pole to Liu Tao's knuckles, warming a small part of the surrounding air and bringing a hint of warmth to the cold night.
Liu Tao just picked her up and threw her down hard the next moment.
Sadly, even though the troops were getting closer, Gao Hui could only watch helplessly as Gao Qing was cruelly ended by Liu Tao.
Finally, she screamed heart-wrenchingly, her eyes turned red, and blue veins popped out on her forehead.
The prefect couldn't bear it and raised the reins.
It was not until this moment that Liu Tao heard Gao Hui's shouting and the sound of hurried horse hooves. He immediately realized that something was wrong, and hurriedly threw down his wooden spear and turned to run.
But how could a human's legs outrun a horse's hooves? They were eventually caught up by the governor and his men, who locked their necks with sharp swords.
Gao Qing's chest was still gushing with blood as he lost all strength, and he looked extremely miserable.
Xiao Lin just took a glimpse and couldn't control himself anymore and broke down.
Mu You then held the back of her head and held her in his arms.
Xiao Lin's tears kept flowing, sliding along her chin into Mu You's collar and wetting his neck.
His Adam's apple rolled up and down, and he whispered to her ear to comfort her: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm here, I'm here..."
Gao Hui, in a daze, jumped off the horse anxiously and fell into the grass with a thud.
She grunted as she got up and limped to Gao Qing's side.
She held Gao Qing's head tremblingly, patted her face with her left hand, pressed her chest with her right hand, and muttered desperately: "Sister Qing... Sister Qing... Please don't sleep... Please don't sleep... I'm scared..."
However, as the night deepened, Gao Qing's body grew colder, and the blood color slowly faded from her face. Gao Hui called her thousands of times, but never received a response.
The blood from the gun tip soaked into the white wood under the blowing of the cold wind.
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