Fu Yunchen and his group stepped forward to greet him and were about to exchange a few pleasantries when the middle-aged man said directly, "You don't need to say anything more. You are allowed to stay here tonight, but my family has many taboos, so you cannot wander around at will. You must leave as soon as possible tomorrow morning."
Qiao Dongzi and Yu Shan were somewhat dissatisfied. What kind of attitude was this? They thought they would just stay away from the hotel.
Just as the two were about to get angry, Fu Yunchen spoke up.
"Thank you very much." Fu Yunchen was like a spring breeze in February, gentle, calm, and nonchalant, his eyes filled with a warm light, composed and at ease.
The middle-aged man whispered a few instructions to the woman before turning and entering the inner hall.
The woman respectfully saw the middle-aged man off, and only returned to the front hall after she was sure he had gone far away.
“Sister, you don’t look like you’re from this village!” Yu Shan couldn’t help but ask directly. They had heard along the way that bandits were kidnapping people and selling them here. At first, they didn’t believe it, but the woman’s appearance and manners were indeed different from those of the villagers.
Upon hearing this, the woman slowly shed two streams of tears, and choked out, "To be honest, my name is Wen Shuang. I was kidnapped by bandits. With me was my younger sister, Wen Yu. We sisters were sold here by bandits. Because we were not violated on the way, we were chosen by the head of the family to be his daughters-in-law."
At the time, my sister was pale and thin, and not very pretty. The head of the family didn't want to buy her, but I begged and pleaded, vowing to dedicate my life to their family, before he reluctantly agreed to take her in as well.
"Oh? So your patriarch trusts you quite a bit, allowing you to receive guests alone. Aren't you afraid you'll expose this?" Yu Shan was relentless and aggressive.
Wen Shuang smiled bitterly, gently wiping away her tears with her sleeve, her movements surprisingly elegant. "I've been here for seven years, and I've always been dutiful and never caused any trouble. They still trust me to some extent. Besides, many women in our village were bought from bandits; it's commonplace, and everyone's used to it. Even if I told them, it wouldn't make any difference."
After a pause, Wen Shuang sighed again, "Thinking about my background, I couldn't help but feel emotional. Please forgive me, guests. Please come with me, and I will arrange accommodations for you."
She moved with light, graceful steps, her figure still exuding elegance.
"You...don't you want to escape from here?" Yu Shan asked.
"Escape? Why should I escape?" Wen Shuang turned to look at Yu Shan. "I'm married now. My husband and family are all here. Where can I escape to?"
Yu Shan choked, unsure of what to say next.
She still felt that the woman was hiding something from her, but they were just guests seeking lodging, and it was already kind of her to take them in. There was no need for her to be so open and honest with her.
Fu Yunchen remained silent and followed Wen Shuang into the main hall.
The main hall is quite spacious and has a grand appearance.
Wen Shuang didn't stop and continued walking. Behind the main hall was an arched gate, inside which was a stone bridge, and opposite were two side rooms.
Wen Shuang stood by the door of the side room and introduced to Fu Yunchen, "There are two guest rooms, fully equipped. You can use them as you like. I'll head back now and bring the meals over in a bit." With that, she left.
"Why does Wen Shuang look so preoccupied? She left without even leading us inside." Yu Shan insisted that there was something wrong with Wen Shuang, but she couldn't figure her out yet.
"Why do you keep harping on other people? I think she's just an ordinary woman. You brought up the topic, which made her think of the past and feel sad, so she acted this way. There's nothing strange about it." Qiao Dongzi glanced at Yu Shan. "Some people are so cunning, they think everyone is like her."
"You!" Yu Shan was instantly furious and wanted to drag Qiao Dongzi out and beat him up.
A thoughtful look flashed across Fu Yunchen's eyes, which instantly filled with a smile. "No matter what, this is their family matter. As long as it doesn't endanger anyone else, it's not appropriate for us to interfere."
Yu Shan and Qiao Dongzi noticed that Fu Yunchen emphasized the words "endanger others," and they both felt a chill.
The night was cool and still, with a chilling cold.
The waning moon cast its last rays, the candle wax had burned out, and all was silent. A figure flashed by, completely shrouded in black, blending seamlessly into the darkness. Unless one possessed exceptional eyesight, they would be virtually undetectable.
The shadowy figure gradually slowed down, meandering east and west, and finally stopped beside the well in the center outside the main hall.
The shadowy figure reached out and touched the well opening, standing there for a long time as if hesitating about something. Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he took out a palm-sized paper package from his pocket, opened it, and was about to shake it out.
Suddenly, a group of people holding torches appeared and surrounded the dark figure, making the silent night suddenly noisy.
"Wen Yu, I was worried about not being able to find you, but you've delivered yourself to my doorstep. Since you're here, then stay!" The one who spoke was the patriarch. At this moment, he stood outside the circle, coldly watching Wen Yu. His expression was still arrogant, but now it had a more ferocious and smug look. He shouted sharply, "Take her down! Remember, capture her alive. I want her to experience the methods of Lei Hu!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the surrounding crowd swarmed forward like hungry tigers pouncing on sheep, and it was clear that Wen Yu had nowhere to escape and was about to fall into enemy hands.
Suddenly a thin figure rushed out, grabbed Wen Yu, and cried out in a pitiful voice, "No, no, please, let her go."
The newcomer was Wen Shuang. She suddenly knelt down before Lei Hu and kowtowed repeatedly. "Master, please forgive my sister for all the hard work she has done for this family over the years. Even if she hasn't made any great contributions, she has still put in a lot of effort. I'm willing to take the blame for her!" "Sister!" Wen Yu, who was standing to the side, hurriedly pulled her up. "Sister, don't beg this bastard. He has done all sorts of bad things and will get his comeuppance sooner or later. I'd rather die than beg him."
"Shut up, quickly beg the patriarch." Wen Shuang was exasperated.
"Hmph, Wen Yu poisoned them, and you must have known about it too, Wen Shuang. You two conspired together from the beginning. Who are you putting on this act for? Arrest both of them!" The patriarch's face was clouded with anger.
"It's the middle of the night, yet this place is unusually lively!" a lazy voice came from behind.
Everyone turned around in surprise.
The three of them strolled leisurely, as if enjoying the scenery along the way.
The most dazzling figure was the one in the center, tall and imposing in a crimson robe, with exquisitely beautiful features, moving with an air of effortless grace. To his left stood a burly young man, his sharp eyes gleaming with an intense, piercing light. To his right was a young woman, equally unique in her气质 (qi zhi - a combination of temperament, bearing, and presence), stunningly beautiful.
These three men didn't seem like ordinary people no matter how you looked at them. Lei Hu was surprised to see that they were guests who had come to stay in the evening; how could he have misjudged them?
Little did he know that when the three of them first arrived, their auras were completely concealed, their faces were somewhat dull, and they were as ordinary as could be.
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