bid farewell
The men sent out returned along the route to look for Chunlai, but there was no news for ten days.
Cui Dongchi suspected that she had wandered into the deep forest and gotten lost, and wanted to search for her himself. His subordinates earnestly advised him that at this critical moment, their master should not easily put himself in danger.
He was already in a state of panic, but dared not show it at all. He forced himself to calm down and could only send people to search for her in the mountains again.
Gu Qingchen felt sorry for Cui Dongchi, who hadn't eaten properly for days because of a maid, but she didn't dare to say anything to him.
Wearing armor, Cui Dongchi was no longer the elegant young man with a folding fan in the past. The murderous aura on his body had long since overwhelmed the shackles of kinship. Since learning that Chunlai had been left alone with Fu Kang, he had not spoken a word to him, and when they met, he walked past coldly.
Gu Qingchen was annoyed and could only complain to Xu Yingying. She didn't have any close friends in Luoxia Town, and Xu Yingying was the only girl of her age she could talk to.
What could she say? She could only complain that Cui Dongchi had quarreled with his own sister over a lowly maid. She couldn't bear to scold her brother, so she let Chunlai scold him instead, accusing her of trying to climb the social ladder and using her beauty to seduce him. She said that someone of lowly birth dared to try to be included in the Cui family genealogy...
Xu Yingying listened to her sister-in-law's words with a cold face, but did not respond. Instead, she cooperated with Cui Dongchi to search for Chunlai. She even went to Cui Dongchi and said that she would take the guards to Fu Kang again.
The guilt on her face made it hard to be harsh with her. In front of the sand table, the candlelight flickered. Cui Dongchi rubbed his aching brow and finally softened his tone: "Fine, you stay in Luoxia Town. I'll send people to search more thoroughly."
He had been cold to the two women in his family for a long time, but Xu Yingying came to him and said that she shouldn't have let Chunlai go alone. Even if only two people could leave, she should have let her older sister go first, and she should have stayed to accompany Chunlai.
Cui Dongchi knew in his heart that if only one of the three could stay, it could only be Chunlai.
Xu Yingying is the eldest daughter of the Xu family, and he still needs Xu Haiting's support; nothing can happen to the Xu family's daughter. Gu Qingchen is his biological older sister, born of the same mother. She is proud, but she loves him the most and has protected him since childhood. He grew up under his older sister's love, so how could he bear to see his own sister in trouble?
But what about Chunlai? What is her identity, and what does she have that he should consider?
No.
But... there is only one spring in the world... only her.
Xu Yingying brought the food to the small table and gently urged him, "Eat something. If you lose your energy, how will your husband find her?"
Cui Dongchi sighed deeply, finally managing to clear his mind of the turmoil, and picked up his chopsticks to eat.
After he finished eating, Xu Yingying carried the tableware out of the tent. A cool breeze came from outside, and she turned her head slightly, letting the breeze blow on her beautiful face. There was no jealousy on her face that showed her husband's concern for another woman, nor was there any haggardness from being neglected by her husband.
She was rather smug, displaying the arrogance often found in noblewomen.
Gu Qingchen always felt that Chunlai had captured her younger brother's heart, but Xu Yingying knew that what could capture Cui Dongchi's heart was not beauty, nor Chunlai, but power.
If she truly loved him that much, she should have gone to find him herself long ago, instead of being persuaded by a few words from her subordinates to stay in this tent.
Ultimately, it's not that important, which is why I'm leaving myself some leeway.
If Chunlai were to fall into the hands of the enemy, he probably wouldn't pose a threat to Cui Dongchi.
He would be sad for a few days after losing Chunlai, just like losing a beloved treasure. He would find a new treasure to replace her. He wouldn't be attached to her for long.
Fifteen days later, just as Cui Dongchi was about to send out a third group of people to search for the missing person, Chunlai appeared on her own. She came to Luoxia Town alone, dressed in the simple attire of a common woman.
She was dressed simply, with a headscarf covering her head, and without any makeup.
His face was calm, and he was dressed cleanly, showing no signs of being disheveled from his journey.
Xu Yingying was surprised, but still welcomed her into the mansion. She instructed her maid to go to the military camp to find the young master. Looking at the quiet Chunlai in front of her, she said, "Just say that Miss Chunlai has returned."
Xu Yingying walked forward, and Chunlai glanced at her before following behind.
"The house in Luoxia Town isn't big, but there are enough rooms. You can stay here. It's been cleaned up a long time ago and is quite tidy."
Chunlai curtsied and said, "Thank you, Madam."
Xu Yingying didn't ask her how she got here; it wasn't her place to know. She was much taller than Chunlai, and when they stood together, she exuded an imposing aura. She smiled and asked Chunlai, "Do you have any grievances against me?"
Chunlai paused for a moment before shaking her head: "This servant dares not."
Xu Yingying didn't care whether her words were true or false. She said, "If it happened again, I would do the same thing. And if it happened again, Cui Dongchi would do the same thing."
With her skirt fluttering, she gracefully departed. Long after she left, Chunlai slowly moved and entered the inner room.
Before they could rest, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Cui Dongchi strode in. Without saying a word, he simply hugged the person tightly in his arms.
In the past, Chunlai would have hugged him first and poured out her longing, but now, she paused for a long time before gently patting Cui Dongchi's back to comfort him.
He didn't notice anything amiss with her, and just kissed her fiercely. Her pink lips were icy cold, and she responded softly.
Her clothes fell off, and she collapsed onto the cold, unfamiliar bed. The person on top of her was warm, but her own body just wouldn't warm up.
After it was over, Chunlai's eyes were still clear. She did not look at Cui Dongchi with the same lingering affection as before; instead, her thoughts wandered to the heavens.
"What's wrong? What are you thinking about?" Seeing that Chunlai didn't respond, Cui Dongchi put an arm behind her head and asked softly.
Spring came to her senses and smiled faintly: "I didn't hear you clearly just now, what was the young master asking?"
Thinking she had been frightened on the way, he felt even more sorry for her, and his voice became even gentler: "Where have you been all this time? My men have been unable to find you."
She smiled somewhat awkwardly and said, "I didn't have any money on me. Luckily, I met a kind old lady who let me work at her stall so I could save up enough money for the journey."
Cui Dongchi didn't ask any more questions. He simply held her in his arms and comforted her, saying, "Sleep well, I'm here."
Chunlai nestled quietly in his arms, without saying another word.
She didn't tell Cui Dongchi how she was abandoned in the mountains that day, how scared she was at the time, or how difficult it was for him to come here.
She wouldn't answer unless he asked.
He pretended not to know, and she pretended it had never happened.
This is better for everyone.
Chunlai did not stay in Luoxia Town for long. A few days later, Cui Dongchi sent the women to Lingnan.
He wanted to eliminate Yuan Qifeng's influence, as it would be unsafe for the women to remain in Jianchuan.
Xu Yingying refused to leave, saying, "With me by your side, Father's men will trust you more. Besides, we are husband and wife, and we should share hardships together. If I leave first in times of trouble, wouldn't that make me a heartless and ungrateful person?"
Upon hearing this, even Chunlai was moved. She smiled faintly, realizing that she really had no reason to stay. She quietly got into the carriage and sat there obediently without saying a word.
She sat quietly behind a curtain, separated from Choi Dong-chi, without even saying goodbye to him.
Cui Dongchi wanted to say something more to her, but after thinking about it, he decided against it, as he didn't want to be too close to her in front of outsiders.
The carriage left Luoxia Town and headed east.
Finally, she left. Chunlai leaned back in the carriage, letting out a long sigh of relief. A single tear slid down her cheek, but only one.
She wiped the damp spot clean and smiled.
After Chunlai left, the steward of the manor came to report that there was a man outside the manor gate. He was mute and only carried a piece of white paper with the words "Mingli" written on it.
The butler wasn't an old member of the Cui family and didn't know Mingli, but Cui Dongchi knew who he was just by hearing his name.
The young and strong members of the Cui family arrived in Luoxia Town a few days ago, but Mingli was the only one who was late. According to the group of people who came with him, he turned back halfway and disappeared.
"Give him some silver and send him on his way!" He disappears and reappears without a trace, and we don't know if he has been bribed by the enemy. It's better not to do it.
Cui Dongchi didn't dwell on these trivial matters; he still had to deal with Yuan Qifeng.
A spy reported that Yuan Qifeng had entered Dancheng, attempting to seize Jianchuan's capital, unaware that he had already fallen into the trap set by the Cui family.
Back then, Cui Lang didn't want to confront him head-on, but after several attempts to win him over, he discovered that this man was truly loyal to the emperor. Unfortunately, his loyalty was misplaced, as his emperor had long since died.
When Cui Lang left Danzhou, he personally left a letter, urging Yuan Qifeng to lay down his sword and abandon darkness for light.
Cui Lang was more than twenty years older than him. His words in the letter were sincere and earnest, as if he were an elder patiently persuading a child to turn back from the wrong path.
After reading the letter, Yuan Qifeng laughed three times and then gathered men, women, and children of all ages in the city below the city wall. He personally read the words of the letter to the people one by one.
After reading it aloud, he simply threw the letter into the air, and an arrow pierced through it.
"These traitors have the audacity to advise me to abandon darkness and embrace light! I will take the heads of the Cui family father and son to offer as a sacrifice to the Emperor!"
This means a complete break.
Cui Lang no longer harbored any intention of forcing them to surrender without a fight. Instead, he and his son deployed their troops in two locations, ready to strike at any moment.
Spring arrived in Jinning City. The Cui family had a residence there. After getting off the carriage, Gu Qingchen went to rest first, and her maid Zhiqi helped her walk forward. Chun followed behind, carrying everyone's luggage.
Upon learning that Chunlai had come to Chaozhou again, Jingwan was naturally delighted and personally went to the Cui family to invite Chunlai to rest at the Lu family's residence.
Spring is here, which should be good, but unfortunately, before I had taken more than a few steps, Zhiqi came over: "The young lady did not allow you to leave the manor, how dare you make decisions on your own?"
With Lu Chang's indulgence, Jingwan has become quite assertive lately, as if she has returned to the Northwest and become that outspoken and bold young girl again. Just as she was about to pull Chunlai behind her to talk to Zhiqi, she heard Chunlai in front of her say, "Before coming to Jinning, the young master had already returned my indenture to me. I am no longer a slave."
Zhiqi retorted angrily, "So what?"
Chunlai smiled and said, "How about that? Of course, you don't need to listen to the young lady anymore."
She took Jingwan's hand and led her away from the Cui family: "Let's go."
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