The brightly lit Yinglou Pavilion, filled with laughter and chatter, seemed to contrast sharply with the deep night.
The night was as dark as ink, dotted with starlight, which, together with the lights inside the Ruying Tower, created a unique and picturesque scene.
The laughter and cheerful chatter inside the building were like a gentle spring breeze, bringing a lively and joyful day.
The music of the zither is melodious, and the sleeves of the dancers flutter gracefully.
But this lively atmosphere held no appeal for someone who simply stood there drinking alone.
"Young master, it's time to go back. Master will be worried," a servant reminded him.
He looked up at the window; the night was already deep.
He put down his wine glass, a faint trace of sorrow crossing his face, as if the laughter and joy were a stark contrast to the loneliness in his heart.
"Ha, what does it matter whether he goes back or not? He doesn't care at all." He poured himself another glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp.
"Young master, the master is also busy with his own affairs." The man's voice carried a hint of pleading.
"Yes, he's the busiest, so busy that you hardly ever see him!" He sneered, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.
He gently swirled the wine glass in his hand, as if telling of his helplessness and loneliness.
"Do you really think he cares about me? He just uses me as a tool, a tool to show off his power and status." His words were full of bitterness.
"Young Master, please don't say that, Master..." The man seemed to want to defend him, but he was interrupted by the wave of his hand.
"Fine, you can leave now. Let me have some peace and quiet." He closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
Taking advantage of the servants' inattention, he quietly left through the back door.
He staggered through the bustling market and through the dimly lit alleyways.
His appearance, exactly like that of a drunkard, attracted the attention of several thugs with ill intentions nearby.
"Hey kid, you're dressed pretty well. Do you have something valuable on you?" A thug with a fierce face walked up and reached out to pat him on the shoulder.
He frowned slightly. Although he was displeased, he had no desire to get entangled with these people at the moment.
He subtly shifted his body to the side, avoiding the man's hand.
"Oh, you've got quite a temper!" The thug thought he was easy to bully because he didn't react.
He immediately became interested and called over the other thugs to surround him.
He tried to drive the thugs away, but unexpectedly fell under their spell.
An unusual fragrance wafted over, and he immediately felt dizzy and disoriented, as if his body had lost control.
He struggled to stay conscious, but the fragrance was like a poisonous fog, rapidly eroding his consciousness.
"Hahaha, judging by your appearance, you've fallen into our hands today." The leader of the thugs laughed triumphantly and grabbed his collar.
"What do you want?" He tried to compose himself, but his voice was already trembling noticeably.
"What are you doing? We want you to hand over something valuable, of course." The thugs grinned maliciously and began to grope him.
Just then, a soft cough interrupted their actions.
They turned around and saw a smartly dressed young man walking slowly towards them.
"I'll give you a chance, now get out of here!" The young man's voice was authoritative and cold.
"Mind your own business, kid!" The leader of the thugs glared at the young man and said menacingly.
However, before he could finish speaking, the young man appeared in front of him like a ghost, raised his leg and kicked him to the ground.
Upon seeing this, the remaining thugs scattered in terror and fled.
"Hey, how are you?" Li Xi gently patted the man's cheek.
When she saw the man's face clearly, she exclaimed in surprise, "It's you? Situ Feng..."
After recognizing Li Xi, Situ Feng tried to respond. But before he could utter a word, he fainted due to exhaustion.
Having no other choice, Li Xi took him back to the manor.
Meanwhile, Situ Feng's men discovered he was missing and, after searching everywhere without success, headed south.
In the Li residence, Chen Quan was woken up by Li Xi.
"He must have been drugged. Get him some antidote." With that, she instructed the steward to arrange for him to stay.
It's late, let Situ Feng stay here for the night. After all, he's a friend. Let him leave tomorrow when he wakes up.
After making the arrangements, Li Xi returned to her courtyard to rest.
She had received word tonight that members of the Red Lotus Cult were conducting a transaction at Ruying Tower, so she was staking out there, waiting for the people to appear.
However, after waiting for a long time without seeing anything, I went back, only to be robbed.
Meanwhile, Situ Feng's subordinates found their leader, "Master, we are incompetent. The divine messenger has disappeared..."
The candlelight flickered, illuminating his sinister and deep-set face.
Upon hearing his subordinate's report, his brow furrowed deeply, and a barely concealed anxiety flashed across his previously calm eyes. "Missing?"
His voice was deep and serious, tinged with displeasure and skepticism.
However, he quickly regained his composure and seemed unconcerned about the news.
He waved his hand and said casually, "Fine, I've never been able to control him anyway, let him be!"
It was as if this matter was unimportant to him.
But in reality, he was secretly plotting a deeper plan.
The missing person was just an adopted son, a pawn he used to deceive those old guys.
Hearing the cult leader's cold reply, the man was momentarily at a loss for words.
He was the person sent by the cult leader to be by the side of the divine messenger, responsible for taking care of and protecting the divine messenger as he grew up.
At this moment, he couldn't help but feel confused, not understanding why the cult leader was suddenly so indifferent to his son.
Did the cult leader have other plans? He was puzzled, but dared not question the cult leader.
Left with no other choice, he secretly resolved to personally go and find the divine messenger.
After the man left, the boy who had been hiding in the secret room came out, somewhat puzzled: "Father, why didn't you bring Brother Situ back?"
“He’s just an insignificant person. The most important thing right now is you. You’ve now gained that person’s trust.” A complex emotion flickered in the cult leader’s eyes.
He turned to his son and slowly said, "My son, you must understand that every person and every piece in this world has its value. Situ... I have raised him, which is more than enough."
His adopted son is incompetent and not ruthless enough, so he won't be of much help to what he's going to do.
"I understand, Father. I'll go back now."
Situ Feng woke up in the middle of the night and recalled the scene before he fell into a coma.
Seeing that it was Li Xi confirmed to him that he had been rescued. A sense of relief washed over him, and he drifted back to sleep.
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