027
While Jinyun was searching room by room, Xie Suian rushed to the street and asked every stall owner he could find. Finally, a woman selling sweet soup provided a clue. She pointed to a child next to the spice shop who was licking the last candied hawthorn and reluctant to finish it. She said, "Young master, ask him. I saw him giving directions to two pretty girls just now."
Xie Suian rushed over immediately, startling the child so much that he almost cried out.
Fortunately, Xie Suian stopped in time, ordered a bowl of sweet soup from a dessert shop, and brought it to the child. After patiently and carefully questioning him, he finally confirmed that Qin Sang had been kidnapped.
But with so many people coming and going in Cuiyun Tower today, there must be quite a few who are attracted to Qin Sang. Where is he supposed to find someone?
For a moment, Young Master Xie was in a state of utter confusion. He stood on the bustling street, feeling very flustered. He thought of many things, and every scene he imagined made him want to go crazy.
He followed the child's directions to the secluded alley where Qin Sang had just walked, trying to calm himself down and look for any clues, but there was nothing, except for the warm spring night breeze.
Quzhou Prefecture is neither too big nor too small; amidst the myriad lights of countless homes, one is utterly lost and unsure of where to go.
He could only resort to the most rudimentary method, walking and calling out, "Qin Sang! Qin Sang! Qin Sang!"
After walking through two streets and calling out to each other, an old woman with downcast eyes suddenly opened a small door and poked her head out. She said, "If someone is lost, go look outside the Wu family's villa. Maybe you can save their life."
"Which Wu family villa?" Xie Sui'an was a little confused.
"Besides the Wu family, which other lawless Wu family is there in Quzhou Prefecture?" After the old woman finished speaking, she quickly closed the door.
Xie Sui'an finally understood. His expression changed from bewilderment to raging anger. He ran back to the main street and grabbed someone, asking, "Where is the Wu family's villa?"
A passerby gave him directions. He ran a few steps, then turned back and took out a piece of silver from his pouch: "Go to Zhaixing Tower and find a man named Jinyun. Tell him to come to the Wu family's villa to find me. Once you find him, tell him to give you another piece of silver. Go quickly!"
The passerby weighed the silver in his hand and happily ran towards the Star-Picking Tower.
Other passersby watched with envy, feeling that such a windfall was so close to them, yet they hadn't caught it. They couldn't help but feel resentful, and one said sourly, "Going to the Wu family's villa? What for? To find someone or to die?"
"Hey, trying to snatch someone from Little Tyrant? Is he from out of town? Is he out of his mind?!"
News of Xie Sui'an searching for someone all over the streets quickly reached Linlang Pavilion. Bai Yiqing, who was dozing in a rocking chair, opened her eyes upon hearing this and said, "He doesn't even know about the Wu family's villa. Is it really just a coincidence? Was he just traveling around and bumped into this young lady?"
The guard said, "After discovering that the person was missing, only he and his young guard searched the streets from beginning to end. No more helpers appeared. Moreover, Young Master Xie had his young guard search the inn in a big way while he shouted in the streets. It seems that he did not suspect Young Master Wu at first. However, Young Master Wu has a bad reputation, and everyone knows it, so... Young Master Xie came to Linlang Pavilion very quickly."
"Coming alone and revealing his identity, it seems he's not here undercover." Young Master Bai closed his eyes again, his expression unchanged. "Alright, go and lend a hand, make sure Young Master Xie takes that young lady away properly, and doesn't cause any more trouble."
"yes."
"Furthermore," Bai Yiqing added, seeing the guards about to leave, "tell that Wu fellow not to provoke this young lady, and to let him go."
"yes."
******
After being unconscious for an unknown period of time, the numbness in Qin Sang's body finally subsided. She could move again, but her hands and feet were bound with ropes. Fortunately, her mouth wasn't gagged with a cloth strip; having that stuff stuck to her mouth would have been very uncomfortable.
She looked around and found that it was a very elegantly decorated room. The furnishings and utensils inside were all of the highest quality. Even the furnishings in the Zhaixing Tower, which was known as the best in Quzhou Prefecture, were no more than this.
Has she been kidnapped by some wealthy family?
Why kidnap her?
She suddenly realized something was wrong and thought: Oh no! Some villain is eyeing my beauty! I should have listened to that boy and not taken off my veil!
Although he knew he had been arrested, he didn't know who had arrested him, and he was so rushed that he didn't even leave a message. Qin Sang felt very dejected. His mission had failed miserably. Society was a dangerous place!
She tried to move her hands and feet, but the rope was tied up in three layers, round and round, leaving her no chance to break free. The only way was to bite with her teeth.
She hoped the person dealing with her would remember her soon, but just as she thought this, she realized something terrible: her clothes had been changed!
Could her kidnappers have already succeeded?
So that's why they can let her concentrate on biting the rope here?
A chilling aura rose within Qin Sang, and she felt her blood surging, her head almost being steamed by the heat!
"You dare touch me? Just you wait, I'll kill you when I get out of here!" She gritted her teeth and bit the knot in her hand. Suddenly, she heard a cracking sound as a window broke, followed by the sound of a small metal object falling to the ground with a soft clinking.
A sliver of light reflected the moonlight and swept across Qin Sang. Near the window, on the ground, lay a gleaming, concealed throwing knife.
Our poor fairy of Nanyin music, unable to move her hands and feet, could only lie on her side on the ground, crawling over with great difficulty like a caterpillar, twitching and shuffling.
I wonder which kind-hearted spy gave me this life-saving throwing knife. Perhaps they couldn't stand their master's beastly behavior and secretly saved my life.
Good deeds are rewarded. When he returns to the ranks of the immortals to uncover the truth, he will surely be blessed with more good fortune.
The blade was sharp, making it easy to cut the ropes. Moments later, Qin Sang's hands were free again, and she quickly cut the foot ropes as well. She rubbed her aching arms and carefully examined her body, unsure whether she had lost her virginity.
She couldn't worry about anything else. She looked around the room but couldn't find Ying'er. These bad people certainly wouldn't treat a maid well. Thinking of this, her heart sank. Although Ying'er was mute, she had taken care of her day and night for many years.
Of course, I can't just abandon her and run away like I'm throwing away an object; I need to figure out where I am first.
Qin Sang tiptoed to the door and put her ear close to listen to what was happening outside, but apart from the sound of the wind and birdsong, there was no human voice.
How could this be? There isn't a single guard watching over her. Could it be that after they succeeded, they just left her here to fend for herself? That can't be right. With Qin Sang's looks, if not stunningly beautiful, she's definitely breathtakingly beautiful. What man would waste such a gift?
But after listening intently by the door for a long time, she found there was indeed no sound outside. So she put the throwing blade into her sleeve and gently opened the door.
Only the palace lanterns were dimly lit under the eaves outside. It was very quiet all around, and an owl was hooting somewhere.
A refreshing floral scent wafted through the air, giving her the illusion that this wasn't a den of thieves. Disoriented, she could only wander aimlessly through the luxurious yet elegant mansion. She pondered that since someone had handed her a knife at this moment, it must be the perfect opportunity to escape.
So he quickened his pace, trying to head towards the light, first eavesdropping to find out where he was, then finding someone to take hostage and find Ying'er.
She walked along the corridor with her head down, like an ordinary maid. Suddenly, she heard a series of footsteps from the opposite side. Qin Sang paused. Coincidentally, the house next to her was dark and quiet, so she figured no one was there. She pushed open the door and slipped inside.
Qin Sang's heart was pounding like thunder. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so tense and excited. If she were still a god, she could easily use an invisibility spell and wouldn't be so worried.
She turned around quietly and belatedly looked around the house. However, she had already made a judgment before coming in: there was not a single guard in this row of houses, and it was pitch black, so there was probably no one there.
She waited quietly for a while, and indeed there wasn't even a faint breath coming from inside the room, so she felt relieved.
Since each row of houses actually has a back window and a backyard, and she had been heading in this direction, if she could just walk through this house, go around to the back, and climb out the window, she could save a lot of walking distance and the risk of being discovered.
She walked into the middle of the room with cat-like steps, barely avoiding bumping into anything by the faint light filtering through the paper window.
At that moment, on the roof, two men dressed in black, resembling black crows, one large and one small, exchanged a glance. The smaller one then said in a very low voice, "They're inside. What do we do now?"
The other man barely moved his mouth, saying, "It's alright, she's just hiding by the door for a bit, she'll be out soon. The young master said not to disturb her escape."
"But she's already been inside for a while."
"It's alright. Maybe he's just a little timid. He'll be out soon after waiting inside for a while."
"...Will the young master kill us?"
"No. He only killed us because we ruined the young master's plans."
"Should I go down and show her the way?"
The taller one glanced sideways at the shorter one, the meaning clear: if you want to die, go ahead, but I'm not going.
In fact, Bai Yiqing had already opened his eyes the moment Qin Sang pushed the door open and entered. But he didn't move; he simply slowly lifted his eyelids to look at the small figure at the doorway.
Just as the two people in the house had guessed, Young Master Bai also thought that this uninvited guest would leave soon. However, a moment later, she swaggered towards his bed, oblivious to her own mortality.
Bai Yiqing was momentarily at a loss.
But he knew very well that he couldn't let her see his face, and he couldn't let her find out that he had any connection with the Wu family.
So he turned over slightly, took a deep breath, and deliberately made some noise in an attempt to drive away the bold young woman.
Qin Sang, who was crossing the room, was startled by the sudden breathing and froze on the spot, petrified.
Good heavens, someone's sleeping in this room!
After standing there for about five breaths, Qin Sang, sweating profusely, heard the person on the bed breathing evenly, seemingly still unconscious, and finally felt relieved. She freed herself from her stiff posture and stood in the middle of the room, somewhat conflicted. Should she continue out the back window or retreat back to the front door? That was the question.
However, at that moment, another possibility suddenly flashed through her mind—who was sleeping here?
Judging from the escape route, the room where he was imprisoned was not far from here. These rooms were unguarded, but their layout was not ordinary. If they were not the owner's, they were the residence of a guest or important servant of the mansion.
She let out a soft breath, thinking that instead of wandering around the mansion aimlessly, it would be better to ask someone for directions. Although it would be risky, it would also make the escape route clearer and simpler, which was much less risky than just wandering around aimlessly on her own.
She slid the flying blade from her sleeve into her hand and slowly moved toward the bed.
First, cover her mouth, then hold the knife to her neck. The depth of the knife against her neck must be precisely controlled, otherwise it will not have a threatening effect—that's what she thought.
Over the years, she had learned a lot of martial arts from Qin Baoyun, so subduing an ordinary servant was not a problem for her.
Having thought all this through, she was already standing by the bed. The person on the bed was facing inwards, so she couldn't see his face, but from his back, it seemed to be a man, and those thin shoulders looked somewhat familiar...?
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