Chapter 51 Broken and unable to suppress the pain in his heart, he embraced her…
Outside the water prison.
Bai Xingzhi sat in the carriage sipping tea, his eyes occasionally glancing at the exit of the water prison.
He was toying with a silver hairpin in his hand, his fingertips repeatedly tracing the words engraved on it. Suddenly, his fingers slipped, and the hairpin fell to the ground.
He stared at the hairpin, lost in thought, then picked it up again, put it back in his pocket, and glanced out the car window once more.
Xiao Heng came out, and behind him Zhao Fuquan was pushing a huge wooden box, big enough to fit a person.
Zhao Fuquan handed the box to Lu Xiao and Lu Yong.
"Let's do it the way we agreed before," Xiao Heng said.
"Yes, sir," the two replied, Lu Yong's voice slightly breathless.
Xiao Heng looked up at the beads of sweat on Lu Yong's forehead and asked, "Where did you go just now?"
"Your Majesty, I went to the outhouse several times today."
Xiao Heng glanced at him and said, "Don't mess things up."
Lu Xiao also gave him a disgusted look. He had been staring at him all day and almost fainted from the stench.
"Yes!" Lu Yong replied.
The two then took the box away.
Xiao Heng watched the departing box, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
He didn't want to play this card so quickly unless absolutely necessary, because he didn't know if the other person had any other tricks up their sleeve.
Just as Xiao Heng was about to board the carriage, he suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves in the distance, which was particularly clear in the quiet night. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw Wei Lin riding towards him, with a clear knife wound on his left arm in his black outfit. Xiao Heng's heart tightened immediately, and he had a bad feeling.
Bai Xingzhi also saw him, and the scene of the hairpin falling just now suddenly flashed through his mind, and his heart sank.
Before Xiao Heng could ask any questions, Wei Lin, standing a few feet away, quickly pulled on the reins and said without pausing for a moment, "My lord, the Black Stone Stronghold's men have stormed the villa. We were no match for them, and the young mistress..."
"How is she?!" Xiao Heng asked sternly.
Wei Lin gritted his teeth and said, "I led men to search everywhere, but there was no trace of him. Wei Ran is also missing, and his fate is unknown!"
The pressure around Xiao Heng dropped, his voice as cold as ice: "Why didn't you send a signal?"
After she was kidnapped that time, he warned them to signal him immediately if anything happened to her.
He mounted his horse, tightening the reins so much that his knuckles turned white, and his eyes were filled with barely contained rage.
Wei Lin's voice tightened: "We couldn't get the phosphorescent fire going today, so we couldn't send the signal."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Heng flicked his whip and galloped off towards the villa.
By the time we returned to the villa, it was almost dawn.
Corpses lay scattered haphazardly in the courtyard, their blood staining the floor tiles a dark red. In the past, he would not have even blinked at such a scene.
But at this moment, he only felt terrified.
He comforted himself, saying that it was alright, that she was probably just hiding. She was intelligent but timid, and most afraid of seeing such bloody scenes.
He searched the house, calling her name, but no one answered him.
Oh, right, there's a secret passage in the side room! He told her the location of the secret passage, and only she knew it, which is why Wei Lin couldn't find her.
Thinking of this, Xiao Heng was overjoyed and turned to run towards the side room, but he suddenly stopped the moment he stepped into the room.
A male corpse lay in the side room, his neck pierced and bleeding to death. Beside him was her maid, who was also dead.
He stepped over the corpse and hurried toward the entrance to the secret passage when his toe suddenly kicked something, making a "clang" sound. He looked down and saw that it was her hairpin.
It was the hairpin she had begged him to give her on the street that day; she wore it in her hair every day, but now it lay alone in a pool of blood.
He bent down and picked up the hairpin, his throat tightening suddenly. She must have used this hairpin to kill the thief.
He could imagine how scared she was; she was the kind of person who would tear up at the sight of someone else being hurt.
Now he has killed someone with his own hands.
*
A secluded corner outside the villa.
"When was the last time you saw her?" It was Bai Xingzhi who spoke. His voice sounded calm, but his eyes were anything but.
Ever since she was kidnapped that day, he had been sending Lu Feng to keep an eye on her from a distance, hoping that if anything happened, he could get clues as soon as possible, so that he wouldn't have to snatch her away from under a knife like that day.
"Young master, I followed from a distance and saw Wei Ran escape with Miss Gu." He saw many thieves rush in from outside the villa, but he didn't dare to rush in rashly. He could only wait outside for an opportunity to search for Gu Xi's whereabouts.
"They were ambushed halfway up the mountain. Miss Gu ran up the mountain alone. I bypassed the ambush and went up the mountain by a side path, but when I got there, Miss Gu had disappeared. I searched everywhere on the mountain, but I couldn't find her," Lu Feng continued.
"Okay, I understand." Bai Xingzhi thought for a moment and continued, "I'll go look for people first. You go check the recent whereabouts of these people in the villa. If you find anything suspicious, report it immediately."
He always felt that her two near-death experiences were too coincidental, and wondered if someone was working on them from the inside.
Lu Feng hesitated before saying, "Young Master, Xiao Heng will send people to search for him; you don't need to..."
Butler Bai specifically instructed him to take good care of the young master and not cause any trouble, especially regarding Miss Gu's affairs, and not to let him interfere too much.
Bai Xingzhi lowered his eyes and said calmly, "I'll go take a look and then come back." After saying that, he turned and left.
“Young Master,” Lu Feng suddenly called out to him, “Perhaps Miss Gu has already…” In fact, he suspected that Miss Gu had already fallen off the cliff and died, but he didn’t know how to tell the young master. Butler Bai had told him that, and he had already guessed that the young master probably had different feelings for Miss Gu.
Bai Xingzhi did not respond to him. Lu Feng saw his back stiffen, and then he walked out as if nothing had happened.
Bai Xingzhi returned to the villa; he needed to think of a way to lure Xiao Heng down the mountain to find her.
He couldn't find Xiao Heng anywhere, but found Wei Lin and his other guards outside the villa.
"Where is your lord?" Bai Xingzhi asked.
Wei Lin replied, "Mr. Bai, the master and the others have gone to look for the young mistress. We are just about to go up the mountain to look for her." We also want to see if we can find Wei Ran.
Bai Xingzhi remained silent for a moment, but did not inform Wei Lin of the news, as he did not trust his personal guards.
Perhaps the person who colluded with the thief from the inside is hiding among them.
"Okay, I understand."
He had to find her faster than them.
*
"Qing'er, look, there seems to be someone lying there, it looks like a woman," a man said.
The man's name was Lin Hesheng, and he was a villager from Shuangxi Village in the valley.
“Where is it? I see it... Let’s go take a look…” Qing’er replied.
The two were both startled when they got closer.
"Why is he covered in blood?" He Sheng looked up from the bottom of the valley. "Could he have fallen from above? Is he already dead?"
Qing'er felt the woman's pulse and exclaimed in surprise, "She's actually not dead! It seems like something cushioned her fall. This girl is incredibly lucky."
“Look at what’s that on her face?” They removed the fake cartilage from the woman’s face. “The injuries on her face are too severe. We need to see a doctor.”
The villagers nearby saw this and gathered around, chattering about the woman who had fallen from the sky. Suddenly, a cold voice came from behind them.
"Please make way." The voice trembled slightly, carrying a hint of doubt, a hint of hope, and some fear.
Bai Xingzhi walked through the crowd and stepped steadily toward the woman. He kept his eyes fixed on her, as if afraid that she might disappear from his sight.
It was late autumn, and she lay motionless among the fallen leaves, her eyes closed, her face covered in bloodstains, her plain dress torn to shreds, her body stained with blood, looking lifeless.
His heart suddenly felt as if it had been gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and the sharp pain spread from his chest to every part of his body, even stopping his breathing.
It's her.
He finally found her. He had been searching for her in this valley for who knows how long, and finally he found her.
But she looked broken and battered.
He tried to remain calm as he checked her breath, but his hand trembled slightly uncontrollably.
He has always prided himself on his calm and self-control. This calmness and self-control has been his greatest pride since childhood. No matter what happens, he can remain indifferent and no one or nothing can get into his heart.
Even when the person who loved him most died in front of him, he only sighed that life is fleeting.
But at this moment, he couldn't suppress the pain in his heart and pulled her into his arms.
He dared not use force, but she still let out a soft moan of pain, just like the day he picked her up in the snow.
Why do you always make me see you so vulnerable?
He gently picked her up and carried her out of the crowd. He wanted to get her out of there; he wanted to save her.
"Young master, do you know this girl? Where are you taking her?"
Suddenly someone called out to him, but he ignored it.
"Young master, are you taking her out of the valley? You can't take her away. It will take half a day to get out from here. This girl is dying and needs immediate treatment!" A woman blocked his way.
Is she dying?
No, she was on the verge of death that winter, but she eventually survived.
This time it will definitely work too.
"Where is the doctor?" His voice trembled.
"Come with me quickly." The woman led the way.
"Father! Look quickly, this girl is badly injured, please take a look!" the woman said urgently.
Upon hearing this, the doctor initially frowned, but when he saw the woman's condition, he couldn't help but gasp.
He shook his head after taking the pulse.
Bai Xingzhi's heart sank, and he was about to get up and take her away.
If they can't cure it, there are always people outside who can. Medicine King Valley... go to Medicine King Valley!
Just as he was about to pick the person up, the doctor stopped him and angrily asked, "Put the person down!"
“You can’t treat her here, I’ll take her out,” Bai Xingzhi said calmly.
He had to stay calm; every choice he made now would determine her life or death.
"Did I say it was incurable? It's difficult to cure, but it can be treated. Put him down right now!" the doctor said, his beard bristling and eyes wide.
Upon hearing this, Bai Xingzhi put her down. Her breathing was already weak. He knew she couldn't handle the strain, and he could only trust the person in front of him.
The doctor carefully examined her pulse again, from left to right. "Does this young lady have any pre-existing condition? This pulse..."
“She has a heart condition,” he had asked the doctor in the manor that day.
The doctor was startled upon hearing this: "Qing'er, quickly bring me my heart-protecting pills!"
He glared at Bai Xingzhi and said, "Get out of here. Don't get in my way. I'm fighting with the King of Hell for someone!"
Bai Xingzhi looked down at him but did not make a move.
"If you don't get out of here soon, I won't be responsible if you die!" the doctor said, his neck stiff.
Seeing this, Qing'er quickly advised, "Young master, please leave. My father doesn't like others being around when he's performing acupuncture."
Bai Xingzhi gave the battered woman a deep look, then turned and left the house.
He waited outside. It was only late autumn, but the wind in the valley was biting him. He felt that every moment of waiting was torture. He had never felt this way before.
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Author's Note: Lord Bai really loves tea. When did he buy that hairpin? I mentioned it in a previous author's note [winking emoji].
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