Chapter 52 052 ... Escape, the madman's words fell unintentionally.
The sun is setting in the west.
In a secluded courtyard in Pear Blossom Lane, a carriage bearing the words "King of Xiangyang" slowly drove out, passing through the bustling streets outside the lane, and gradually blending into the pedestrians on the street.
In a secluded corner on the street, where the only remaining light was blocked, a person stared intently at the carriage that was leaving Pear Blossom Lane.
Only when he saw the carriage he was watching disappear at the end of the bustling street did he turn and slip away from his hiding place.
The carriage continued towards the palace, but as it exited the street, it suddenly changed direction, quickly dodging and turning into another dark and secluded alley, before resuming its original course.
Before long, in a secluded alley adjacent to Pear Blossom Lane, the carriage stopped in front of a dilapidated and inconspicuous house.
Xie Huaiyuan stepped out of the carriage, dressed in fine clothes, exuding elegance and charm.
Even amidst the desolate and dilapidated surroundings, he remained as handsome and radiant as the bright moon.
The servant guarding the door quickly stepped forward and pushed it open, saying, "Your Highness, the person is already inside."
Xie Huaiyuan nodded slightly, lowered his eyes, and stepped straight across the half-missing threshold, striding inside. In the remaining light of the setting sun, his brows and eyes were filled with a chilling coldness, devoid of any warmth.
As dusk fell, the dilapidated courtyard appeared even more eerie and terrifying.
Xie Huaiyuan stopped in front of one of the half-open doors. His attendant immediately stepped forward and pushed the door open with a creak, which seemed to startle the woman kneeling on the cold floor inside.
The woman's palace official robes were covered in dust from the ground, and some of the edges showed signs of being whipped and torn, making her look nothing like a palace official.
Hearing the footsteps stop in front of her, her kneeling back trembled involuntarily. She jerked her head up, her breath catching in her throat, and whispered tremblingly, "Your Highness..."
Xie Huaiyuan stood before her, looking down at her with a mocking smile on his lips. "Speak, who ordered this?"
That sharp gaze fell upon her, making her tremble all over. She opened her mouth and hesitated whether to tell the truth, but the pain in her body reminded her that the consequences of not telling the truth would be even more serious.
She swallowed hard, and said in a trembling voice, "Yes... Her Highness promised Miss Lin that she would help her leave."
"continue."
Having received the promise, she tried her best to calm herself down. "Set it on fire. Someone will sneak in and set it on fire at night. Once it's on fire, someone will be waiting at the back door to meet Miss Lin."
After she confessed in a trembling voice, all that remained was silence.
Xie Huaiyuan's expression changed drastically, becoming increasingly cold and his aura of malevolence surged.
But she was afraid, so she had no choice but to kneel down and prostrate herself on the cold floor, pleading, "Your Highness, please spare my life. I have confessed everything I know. Please have mercy on me."
Her heart pounded with terror, and she desperately hoped that the person in front of her would give her a way out.
But the sound of it falling shattered her hope of survival.
"Only the dead will be spared."
Upon hearing this, the woman froze in terror, then let out a trembling, broken scream, and even knelt on the ground, begging for mercy.
However, Xie Huaiyuan remained unmoved. He slowly raised his eyes, his dark pupils filled with a chilling coldness.
Overwhelmed by despair and fear, she turned to cursing.
Xie Huaiyuan didn't even look again. Amidst the vicious curses, he coldly turned around and walked out into the faint sunset.
The door behind him closed silently again, and the curses that had been echoing in the dilapidated room suddenly stopped.
As the sun fell, the last remaining ray of light disappeared, adding to the eerie chill of the house.
He stood in the courtyard, the cold moonlight highlighting his desolate state.
Night had fallen, and the lanterns hanging on both sides of the street outside the houses were lit up instantly, as bright as day, and looked like the Milky Way in the distance.
Xie Huaiyuan remained trapped in darkness, the only faint moonlight bathing him, his dark eyes reflecting a fierce aura that blotted out the sky.
He looked up and gazed in the direction of the courtyard in Pear Blossom Lane. It was silent and still. Even though it was completely dark, he stood there motionless. His attendants dared not make a sound and kept their heads down in silence.
Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of hurried footsteps approaching from afar.
They were the secret guards who stayed in the villa in Pear Blossom Lane.
“Your Highness, a man in black has indeed sneaked in through the side gate of the backyard. He set fire to the firewood storage area behind the kitchen. If it is not put out in time, it may spread very quickly.”
Xie Huaiyuan looked towards that side of the sky and vaguely saw thick, gray-black smoke spreading and rising into the air.
"Since she's hoping for this fire, then I'll go along with it. I just hope she won't disappoint me."
Suddenly, the wind picked up, and the thick, gray-black smoke swayed with it. Even from the dilapidated houses, one could vaguely smell the smoky scent of everything being burned.
He lowered his eyes and looked at his hands, the same hands that had just been guiding her as she played the zither. She looked so gentle and submissive in his arms, as if she wanted to stay by his side forever.
Xie Huaiyuan's lips curled into a mocking smile, his expression growing increasingly cold: "Wanwan, you'd better not disappoint me!"
Elsewhere, a fire broke out in Pear Blossom Lane.
Amidst the chaos, the courtyard was filled with the crackling sounds of the spreading fire, mixed with the clamor of people rushing to save lives. The raging flames, carried by the wind, licked and burned everything in their path. In the midst of the chaos, no one paid any attention to the veranda in the front courtyard, where the fire had not yet spread.
Lin Wan ran frantically and silently, her heart pounding with fear. Every step felt like a return to freedom, and she ran towards the door indicated on the note.
She placed her hand on the doorknob, took a deep breath, then quickly opened the door and rushed outside.
Lin Wan's smile crumbled as she made out the person standing outside the door, her face full of anticipation and joy.
She hesitated, then had to put her foot down. Trembling, she raised her eyes to look at Xie Huaiyuan, who was gradually emerging from the shadows of the dim doorway. His dark eyes were like a deep, still pool, chillingly cold.
Xie Huaiyuan remained silent. He stood tall and elegant, his brocade robe billowing in the wind, thick smoke rising from the fire. This sight sent a chill down Lin Wanyou's spine.
Lin Wan and Xie Huaiyuan's eyes met. He remained silent, his expression inscrutable.
"I miss my family... Please let me go back."
Xie Huaiyuan raised his eyes, his dark eyes sweeping across her face with a hint of a half-smile. "Wanwan, where do you want to go?"
The firelight behind him shone on him from afar, and danced in his eyes, which were devoid of any warmth.
Lin Wan froze on the spot, feeling an indescribable chill from head to toe. Before she could even pull her hands away from the doorknob, they trembled even more violently, and cold sweat soaked her back.
"Your Highness... I miss my maternal grandmother. I heard she is ill, and I want to go back to see her."
Suddenly, a strong wind blew, carrying with it the thick smoke from the fire behind her, making Lin Wan feel short of breath. The pungent smell of the smoke made her teeth chatter, and she managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Please, Your Highness, let me go."
Xie Huaiyuan's eyes turned cold. He slowly approached her, his dark eyes filled with a hint of iciness as he stared at her intently. "Wanwan, wouldn't it be better if you just stayed by my side?"
The voice, without the slightest inflection, reached Lin Wan's ears, yet carried an invisible, powerful pressure, forcing her to retreat inch by inch.
Lin Wan's face was ashen, and she barely managed to keep her voice steady. She almost fell to her knees in front of him, begging him to spare her.
But just as she was about to kneel down, Xie Huaiyuan reached out and pulled her back to her feet.
He forcefully grabbed her hand, leaving her no strength to resist. If Lin Wan moved even slightly, he would hold her firmly, giving her absolutely no chance to kneel and beg him.
The pain from the forceful pulling on Lin Wan's hand forced her to follow Xie Huaiyuan's steps, and she could only walk behind him.
Fortunately, the fire was discovered in time, and only a corner of the kitchen was burned. The rest of the house was fine. However, although the fire was extinguished, there was still a faint smell of pungent smoke in the air.
The maids and servants who were helping to put out the fire were all speechless with astonishment when they saw him pulling Lin Wan past them.
As he passed a corner of the kitchen, which had been ravaged by fire, he turned his head, curled his lips into a smile, but a cold glint appeared in his eyes. His face carried a strange, mocking smile, yet his handsome features gave off a sinister feeling.
"It really is a case of cause and effect. Two years ago, I used the fire to cover my tracks and left without saying goodbye. But today, it is you who is using the fire to escape."
Xie Huaiyuan's eyes darkened slightly as he stared intently at her, not missing a single change in her expression.
Upon hearing this, Lin Wan naturally remembered what he meant and knew exactly when he was referring to.
The kitchen in the backyard was a bit far from the bedroom, so it didn't affect this area. The maids and servants saw them from afar and dared not approach, which made the bedroom unusually quiet at this moment.
The dimly lit dormitory room was silent and cold. Xie Huaiyuan, who was holding Lin Wan's wrist tightly, gradually changed his expression after pulling her into the dormitory room, and his eyes showed an undisguised madness and bloodlust.
The dormitory was still the same as it had been before he left today. The image of him holding her in his arms and teaching her to play the zither flashed before Xie Huaiyuan's eyes, piercing his heart.
"Wanwan, are you in such a hurry to leave me?"
Xie Huaiyuan stared intently at her, then suddenly lowered his eyes and smiled, his eyes dark and unfathomable, a surge of madness churning within them.
He pulled the person in his hand sharply, forcibly trapping them next to the guqin, which had not yet been put away.
With a "zheng" sound, the strings vibrated.
Lin Wan was so frightened that her eyes widened and she almost screamed. She was scared; Xie Huaiyuan was acting very strangely at this moment!
Before she could even utter a plea, Xie Huaiyuan's frantic shove completely silenced her...
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