When the hostage was brought to Mother Luo's side, the rude thugs finally removed the black cloth from her head.
As expected, it was Zheng Huiyi.
At this moment, Zheng Huiyi was overwhelmed with emotion, tears streaming down her face. Her eyes were filled with longing, as if she were about to rush towards Gu Qinlan at any moment.
However, her body was restrained; her hands and feet were tightly bound, and even her mouth was stuffed with a wad of cloth, preventing her from moving freely. She had already been pushed into the bathtub by the stern old woman to be washed, but unexpectedly, she was pulled out again and restrained in this way. She thought she was going to be sent to some man's bed, but when she opened her eyes again, she saw Gu Qinlan's figure.
In fact, she had already heard Gu Qinlan's voice while she was in the carriage, but she was too weak to do anything else and could only lie in the carriage and wait anxiously.
Gu Qinlan was equally anxious, but she remained unusually calm, observing Zheng Huiyi with composure. Although Zheng Huiyi appeared disheveled, she showed no signs of having been violated, which finally put the weight off her heart after several days.
Seeing her so calm, Luo's mother became even more certain of her suspicions.
She narrowed her eyes slightly again: "Alright, you've seen the person, now it's time to show your sincerity."
Gu Qinlan glanced at the thugs: "Do you really trust them completely?"
Mrs. Luo narrowed her eyes slightly and asked suspiciously, "What do you mean?"
Gu Qinlan gently waved her folding fan: "I suggest we talk privately. What's the environment like in the pavilion?"
Mrs. Luo smiled confidently: "Why not? Let's go."
The two entered the pavilion one after the other. Mother Luo asked impatiently, "Now can you tell me where my son is?"
Gu Qinlan took out a neatly folded letter from her sleeve and handed it to Luo's mother.
With a look of doubt, Mrs. Luo took the letter and carefully examined its contents by the soft light of the lanterns lit in the pavilion.
With just one glance, tears welled up in Luo's mother's eyes.
It was a portrait of a child.
It's a portrait of Luo's mother's son!
The child in the painting is about ten years old and bears a resemblance to Luo's mother in his features. The key to Luo's mother's immediate recognition that this is her son is the small, hitching post-shaped birthmark on the child's left ear.
Mother Luo clutched the portrait tightly, tears blurring her vision. She wanted to examine it closely, yet feared her tears might damage it. Gu Qinlan witnessed this scene and was filled with mixed emotions.
This Madam Luo is no benevolent person. She aided and abetted the evildoer, helping the Third Prince frame countless innocent women and providing him with a great deal of valuable information.
However, everything Luo's mother did was in order to find her lost son.
Although she was not a virtuous person, she was a great mother.
With great effort, Luo's mother managed to suppress her tears and carefully put away her son's portrait. Then, her gaze sharp as a sword, she glared at Gu Qinlan: "How can a mere portrait satisfy me? What I need to know is where he is right now!"
Gu Qinlan stared into her eyes and said firmly, "He is now in the hands of your master."
Mrs. Luo was stunned for a moment, then her face changed drastically, as if the wind and clouds had changed color.
Gu Qinlan watched as Luo's mother's expression changed, and wondered to herself: Could this be considered karmic retribution?
Madam Luo aided the Third Prince in committing numerous evil deeds, harming countless innocent women. Meanwhile, the child she desperately sought was subjected to torture by the Third Prince.
The third prince was ambitious and eager to usurp the throne, so he secretly cultivated many forces. One of them was to train his own assassins and loyal followers.
These talents had to be trained from a young age to ensure their absolute loyalty. Therefore, the Third Prince sent people to collect orphans from all over the country and send them to a mysterious place called "Dark Valley" to be subjected to cruel training by specialists.
The children who grow up there are all ruthless and highly skilled killers. To reach that level, they must endure endless hardships from a young age, erasing all traces of humanity and turning them into emotionless killing machines.
In her previous life, Gu Qinlan had witnessed the true face of Luo Mama's son, the assassin known as "Twelve Knives," and thus she knew his appearance well.
"The children were named according to the order in which they entered the Dark Valley. He was the twelfth."
Mother Luo's face was as pale as paper, and her lips trembled uncontrollably.
Twelfth place!
As far as she knew, there were over four hundred children in the Dark Valley, and she had personally handled dozens of them.
Therefore, her child was immediately sent to that terrifying place after being abducted.
Gu Qinlan's words were like sharp blades, piercing her heart once again: "Your master knew his identity from the very beginning."
The Third Prince never considered allowing the mother and son to meet; they were both sharp swords in his hand. If they were to recognize each other, he would lose two loyal henchmen.
It's even possible that the murderer who kidnapped the child back then had some connection with the Third Prince.
Knowing this all too well, Luo's mother felt increasingly overwhelmed. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face as if her broken heart were bleeding.
The Third Prince had personally come to her, promising to help her find her lost son. It was because of this promise that she reluctantly agreed to assist the Third Prince in his unscrupulous deeds.
However, who could have predicted this!
Her child was being tortured by the Third Prince!
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
