Chapter 151 Searching for the Corpse
As dusk deepened, the lights inside the embroidered pavilion began to come on.
As Lu Zhaoruo inspected her luggage, a strange and inexplicable sense of unease lingered in her heart.
She frowned and pondered for a moment, then turned to Dongrou, who was standing beside her, and instructed her: "Dongrou, go and buy another set of clothes for Lü'er to wear on the road tomorrow. That girl is thoughtful, but she is always reluctant to spend money on herself. Pick out some durable and decent materials."
Dong Rourou agreed, "Yes, my wife, don't worry, I'll take care of it tomorrow morning."
Just then, a fluffy shadow darted in lightly.
It's Abao.
It skillfully leaped onto Lu Zhaoruo's lap, tilted its little head up, and looked around with a pair of emerald green eyes full of confusion: "Mother, where did Aunt Green go? Abao has been looking for her all day, but she hasn't been seen."
Lu Zhaoruo was also puzzled, as she hadn't seen her all day.
Ah Bao flicked her tail restlessly and said, "She used to always look for me and play with me when she had free time."
Although Dongrou, who was standing to the side, could not hear the specific conversation between the person and the cat, she had already noticed that her wife could communicate with the cat in an unusual way.
She guessed that perhaps her mistress understood cat language, but since her mistress didn't say anything, she never asked.
Lu Zhaoruo looked up and asked Dongrou, "Dongrou, where did Lü'er go?"
Dongrou replied softly, "My lady, Lü'er said early this morning that she went to the mountains outside the city to dig up bamboo shoots, saying she wanted to dry them so we could take them with us on the road."
"Digging bamboo shoots?"
Lu Zhaoruo repeated softly, but her brows furrowed even more.
Ah Bao, perched on his lap, tilted his head as if he understood but not quite.
She suddenly stood up, walked quickly to the window, looked out at the deep night, and said in a hoarse voice, "It's so late, why haven't they returned yet?"
Before I could finish speaking, I felt a sharp pain in my heart, as if I had been stabbed by a needle!
She quickly clutched her chest, the ominous premonition suddenly amplified, making her uneasy. She immediately called out, "Dongrou! Go and call Shimozi, Niqiusan, and Sun Jing right now. Light the lanterns and go up the mountain to search for them!"
Seeing that her expression was strange, Dongrou didn't dare to delay and immediately nodded, turned around and walked out quickly.
With worry in his bright green cat eyes, Abao asked, "Mother, has something happened to Aunt Greenie?"
Lu Zhaoruo held it in her arms, her fingertips stroking the soft fur on its back. Her voice was extremely gentle, both to comfort it and to reassure herself: "Don't be afraid, Aunt Lü'er will be fine. Perhaps she got lost in the mountains... or perhaps she was too greedy and dug up too many bamboo shoots, which delayed her for a while."
She looked out the window: "Maybe... when they're halfway there, they'll be able to meet her on her way back."
The night was as dark as ink, and the chill deepened.
In front of the embroidered tower, lanterns swayed in the wind, casting long, thin shadows of Lu Zhaoruo, Dongrou, and Abao.
They waited for a long time, gazing at the road leading to Wanghai Mountain, their hearts clenching with every gust of wind.
Until midnight.
Mudfish Three returned alone, carrying a lantern and dragging his weary steps.
He approached, not daring to look up, his voice hoarse with guilt: "My lady... we've searched the whole mountain, shouted until we were hoarse, but we haven't found any trace of Miss Lü'er... Sun Jing and Shi Mozi are still searching on the mountain, so they sent me back to report."
Dong Rou's eyes reddened: "We've been searching for so long, why haven't we found it yet?"
She already had a bad feeling.
Lu Zhaoruo's heart sank. She clenched her fists and ordered, "Dongrou, immediately wake up all the workers, light all the lanterns and torches, and have them all go up the mountain to search! Search inch by inch, and make sure you find him for me!"
The embroidered tower was instantly brightly lit, bustling with voices and a chaotic sound of footsteps rushing towards Wanghai Mountain outside the city.
Meanwhile, in the backyard wing room.
Wan Wanning lay on the bed, tossing and turning, the bedding already a mess from her rubbing.
She closed her eyes tightly, trying to force herself to fall asleep, but as soon as she closed them—Greenie's eyes, filled with fear and disbelief, and the warm blood gushing from the back of her head, appeared before her eyes with uncanny clarity!
She suddenly opened her eyes, gasping for breath, her nightgown soaked with cold sweat.
Outside the window, the sounds of bustling voices and hurried footsteps could be heard continuously.
She knew that Lu Zhaoruo had mobilized all the staff of the Embroidery Pavilion to go up the mountain to search for the person.
She pulled the blanket over her head, her voice trembling as she murmured, "Search... it's no use... she fell down by accident... what does it have to do with me... who told her to go to that godforsaken place to dig for bamboo shoots..."
But the next second, as if stung by something, she suddenly threw off the covers and sat up!
no!
She must go and search for it too!
She quickly put on her outer garment, tidied her hair, and strode towards the entrance of the embroidered tower.
Outside the door, torches flickered, and shadowy figures moved about.
Lu Zhaoruo and Dong Rou were standing on the steps when A Bao anxiously circled around her feet.
The men were walking briskly in groups of three or five towards the outskirts of the city.
Wan Wanning stepped forward quickly, her eyes reddening, her face filled with urgency and worry: "Sister! Let me go up the mountain with everyone to search! The more people there are, the more effort we'll have, and perhaps... perhaps we can find Lü'er sooner!"
Her tone was earnest, as if she were speaking from the heart.
Lu Zhaoruo looked up at her, her emotions unreadable in the darkness, and simply nodded, saying, "Go ahead, the mountain path is difficult to traverse, be careful."
"Um!"
Wan Wanning nodded emphatically, her voice trembling with emotion, "I will... I will definitely find Lü'er!"
After saying that, she turned and hurriedly merged into the crowd searching for her.
The group, carrying torches and lanterns, trudged along the steep, dark path of Wanghai Mountain.
The mountain road was rugged and covered with loose stones.
Wearing embroidered shoes, Wan Wanning walked with great difficulty, stumbling several times and nearly falling.
Seeing that she was unsteady, Shi Mozi quickly reached out to help her, his honest face full of concern: "Miss Wanning, watch your step! It's dark on this mountain path, why don't you rest here for a while and let us go find her?"
Wan Wanning grabbed his arm, her eyes instantly welling up with tears, her voice trembling with sobs and urgency: "No... Brother Shimo, how can I rest? I don't know where Lü'er is suffering right now... I must find her myself before I can be at ease!"
As she was speaking, her foot slipped again.
Seeing this, Shi Mozi stayed close to her side, afraid that she might get hurt again.
As Shi Mozi crossed a bamboo grove and was about to turn back, Wan Wanning suddenly stopped. Her gaze swept seemingly unintentionally toward the dark cliff, and her voice trembled with a deliberate hesitation: "Brother Shi Mo...you, you hear...is there any movement down that cliff over there?"
The stone mill immediately held its breath and listened intently, but apart from the sound of the wind and the waves, there was nothing unusual.
He was about to shake his head when Wan Wanning grabbed his sleeve tightly, half out of fear and half out of insistence, pulling him toward the edge of the cliff: "I really think I heard something just now... Brother Shimo, come with me to see it, just once..."
Stone Mill couldn't dissuade her, and worried about her safety, so he had no choice but to raise the torch high and carefully protect her as she moved towards the edge of the cliff.
The flickering firelight barely illuminated the edge of the cliff.
Wan Wanning suddenly let out a short exclamation, her finger trembling as she pointed to the ground: "Brother Shimo! Look... isn't that Greenie's bamboo basket?"
Shi Mozi's heart tightened, and he quickly brought the torch closer.
A familiar bamboo basket lay overturned on the ground, with a few bamboo shoots covered in mud scattered around it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
