Chapter 192 Missing (2)
When Meng Guanqi opened his eyes again, he found himself lying in bed, with Asheng sitting at the head of his bed, dozing off.
His consciousness was somewhat hazy, and he couldn't remember why he was lying in bed sleeping. Just as he was about to turn over and get up, he felt dizzy and weak, so he fell back onto the bed.
But his movement startled Ah Sheng, who opened his eyes, his eyes sparkling with surprise: "Young Master, you're awake!"
He turned around and shouted towards the outside, "Young master is awake! Young master is awake!"
A short while later, a group of people rushed into the room: Magistrate Meng, Madam Liu, Granny Qi... and finally, Wan Quan's godson, Rong Si.
Liu rushed forward excitedly and grabbed his hand, her eyes brimming with tears: "Qi'er, you're finally awake! You scared your mother to death!" He had been running a high fever for a day and a night, and imperial physicians were coming and going from the Li residence like a never-ending stream, which terrified his family.
So many people? Meng Guanqi was momentarily stunned. Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, memories from before he fell into a deep sleep suddenly flooded his mind.
Laughing...
He immediately gripped Liu's hand tightly and asked anxiously, "Mother, have you found Xiaoxiao?"
Liu's expression immediately showed a hint of distress. Meng Guanqi's fever wouldn't break, and she didn't want to tell him bad news to upset him, but this matter couldn't be kept secret any longer. She shook her head worriedly: "There's still no news about her..."
Magistrate Meng interjected, “After learning that Xiaoxiao might have escaped up the mountain, His Majesty dispatched an additional thousand Qilin soldiers to search for her. You should stay home and recover. It is precisely at this time that you must not fall ill… All of your lives were saved by her with all her might. As her husband, you must take even better care of your health.”
Rong Si also spoke up: "Knowing that Lord Meng has fallen ill, His Majesty, the Empress, and the Crown Prince are all very worried. Despite the heavy snow, they dispatched extra people to search the mountains and specifically instructed this servant to come and stay with Lord Meng. His Majesty's grace is immense; we hope Lord Meng will take care of his health..."
After Meng Guanqi fainted on the mountain, he could not be woken up no matter what they did, and soon his body was burning with fever. The imperial guards were terrified. They did not have time to stay on the mountain to look for him, and immediately wanted to send him back to the capital.
Halfway there, they encountered Pang Shi and his men, who were searching for Li Xiaoxiao with crossbows and rocket launchers. After understanding the situation, Pang Shi immediately ordered several of his attendants to send Meng Guanqi back to the Li residence and sent someone to report back to Emperor Hongxing. He then led the Imperial Guards who had come with Meng Guanqi back to search for Li Xiaoxiao's whereabouts again.
A day and a night have passed since Meng Guanqi was sent back, and Pang Shi is still searching on the mountain with more than a thousand people, but no news has come back.
No news...
Meng Guanqi stared blankly at the swirling snowflakes outside the door. In such terrible weather, if they couldn't find Li Xiaoxiao in a short time, they would never find her again once the snow covered all traces of her.
But now, burdened by his illness, he can do nothing.
He collapsed onto the bed, utterly exhausted, his face pale, his eyes closed, the base of his long eyelashes damp, and a tear occasionally rolled down his cheek, breaking Liu's heart.
The search and rescue operation continued, but just as Meng Guanqi had predicted, the heavy snow quickly covered up all traces of Li Xiaoxiao and Yinlang. Pang Shi led his soldiers all the way to the deep mountains and finally found that Yinlang's footprints disappeared in the back bend of a cliff.
"General! We've found something!" A soldier ran over shouting, holding half a piece of armor.
Pang Shi's spirits lifted: "What did you discover?"
The soldier quickly handed the fragment of the armor to Pang Shi, whose spirits plummeted.
This is Li Xiaoxiao's armor. She is favored and is the first female general of the Great Wu. Her armor was specially made for her by the Imperial Wardrobe at the Empress's behest. Everyone else's armor is black, but hers is vermilion.
The armor the soldier found was undoubtedly hers; it was something almost no one could mistake.
Her blood was even stained on this half of the armor.
Pang Shi asked in a deep voice, "Where did you find it?"
The soldier pointed ahead: "In front of that cliff."
Pang Shi followed the soldiers to the cliff. Before they even got close, they heard the rushing sound of water. He was startled and took a few steps forward to look down. The cliff was hundreds of feet high, and at the bottom was a rushing river.
His face immediately turned ashen.
The soldier pointed to a clump of withered grass in front of the cliff, with signs of human contact on it: "General, the armor was found here."
Li Xiaoxiao's armor fell off the cliff and disappeared from sight there.
The accompanying guards carefully began to sift through the snow beside them and, sure enough, they found the grass that had been crushed and was covered with bloodstains. Soon, they discovered a clear wolf paw print under some dry grass to their left and right.
The paw print was more than ten feet away from the messy grass, and it only pointed in the direction of the cliff edge, without any marks pointing away from it. This shows that after fighting with Li Xiaoxiao here, the Wolf King was not able to leave unharmed.
A scene flashed before Pang Shi's eyes: Li Xiaoxiao, covered in blood, was forced to the edge of a cliff by the wolf king. The wolf king leaped and tackled her to the ground. During her struggle, Li Xiaoxiao broke countless withered grasses, and in the end, the two of them fell off the cliff.
Thinking of this possibility, Pang Shi's mood plummeted. He ordered his personal guards to bring ropes and personally climbed down the cliff. Below was a fast-flowing river, with water rushing down from the high mountains, rushing over jagged rocks on both banks. The river was extremely deep, and even though it was not the rainy season, the current was still strong. Pang Shi tried throwing down a piece of dead wood, but it was quickly swept away by the current.
If Li Xiaoxiao and the Wolf King fell into the river together, would there be any chance of them surviving?
Thinking that Li Xiaoxiao had no way out, was being pursued, was seriously injured, and was in such terrible weather, Pang Shi couldn't convince himself that she could find a way out in such a desperate situation.
But she is Li Xiaoxiao, so maybe she really can swim ashore and escape?
With a glimmer of hope, Pang Shi searched along the river for a long time until he finally found a place where the current was not so swift. He crossed the river to the other side and began to carefully search for any traces left by Li Xiaoxiao and the Wolf King.
Unfortunately, he found nothing. The other side of the river was still just jagged rocks, withered trees and decaying grass, with thorns everywhere, and there was no sign of human intervention.
Her personal guards didn't say a word, but almost everyone was convinced that Li Xiaoxiao had fallen into the river and been swept away by the water along with the Wolf King.
He stood by the river for a long time, wondering how he would explain this to those who were eagerly waiting to know about Li Xiaoxiao.
But until he found Li Xiaoxiao's body, he couldn't convince himself that she was gone.
His hoarse voice rang out: "First Column, five men per group, search downstream along this river. Inquire at every village, town, and mountain stronghold you may pass through to find out if anyone has seen General Li. A reward of twenty taels will be given to anyone who finds her belongings. And a reward for finding her remains—"
His facial muscles twitched, his eyes turned red, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Two hundred taels of silver as a reward. Go."
The 100 soldiers of the first column received their orders and immediately split into groups to search down the river.
Pang Shi stood by the river, watching the soldiers of the First Column disappear from sight, his whole being seemingly frozen in place.
But what's coming will come, and what's to be faced will be faced. The wind howled and the snowflakes fell heavier. The more than a thousand people who had come with him were already frozen to a crisp. His hoarse voice finally rang out: "Everyone else, follow me. Let's pack up."
When Pang Shi returned to the capital and met with Emperor Hongxing, he learned that Li Xiaoxiao had most likely fallen off a cliff with the Wolf King and been swept away by the water. A tear welled up in Emperor Hongxing's eyes, and he could not accept this fact for a long time.
How could this be? She was Li Xiaoxiao, the all-powerful Li Xiaoxiao. When Emperor Hongxing was the crown prince, she had saved him from countless dangers. She was brave, optimistic, confident, and strong. It seemed that all difficulties could be overcome in front of her. There was nothing in the world that could defeat her. How could he accept that she would die at the hands of a wolf?
He said in a deep voice, "Keep searching along the river. No matter how far you search, bring her back."
Pang Shi said, "I have already given the order. One hundred men from the First Column of the Imperial Guards have already searched downstream along the river."
Emperor Hongxing's gaze was resolute: "That's not enough. I will issue a proclamation to the whole world, ordering all the prefectures and counties along this river to join the search for Xiaoxiao. A reward of a thousand taels of silver will be given to anyone who finds her... In addition, I have something else to tell you. Although Xiaoxiao fell off the cliff with the wolf king, the wolf king is very strange, being impervious to swords and spears. Even if it fell into the water, we cannot be sure that it is dead. Besides looking for Xiaoxiao, you must also keep an eye on the wolf's movements. I will leave those three crossbows to you, and I will have Lü Tong assist you in tracking down the wolf king."
Pang Shi accepted the order and retreated with a gloomy expression.
His Majesty already knows the truth. How is he going to face Li Xiaoxiao's family? Especially since his residence is next to hers.
Pang Shi went to find Wan Quan: "How is Meng Guanqi's illness?"
Wan Quan sighed, "It was very dangerous. He had a persistent high fever, which kept coming back, and he looked extremely haggard... He and General Li had known and loved each other since they were young, and their feelings for each other were very deep. It's understandable that he couldn't bear the blow of this sudden incident."
The two had overcome numerous hardships to be together, making them far better off than couples arranged by their parents. Moreover, Li Xiaoxiao had such an incident less than a year after their marriage, so it's no wonder Meng Guanqi was devastated.
Actually, it wasn't just him who fell ill; Lady Liu and Rui Rui also fell ill. Aze wanted to visit them, but the Empress stopped him.
His presence would only cause them to shed more tears; he wouldn't be able to help in any way.
Pang Shi took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and finally headed towards the palace gate.
Upon learning that Pang Shi had returned, Liu, despite her illness, rushed to Meng Guanqi's bedside. He calmly recounted the results of his investigation, revealing that Li Xiaoxiao had likely dragged the Wolf King off a cliff and perished together, leaving no trace of their bodies. The room erupted in tears.
Pang Shi's eyes were bloodshot, and he trembled as he pulled a piece of shattered armor from his robes and handed it to Meng Guanqi, saying with difficulty, "This was found on the edge of a cliff. It belongs to her... Keep it."
In just a few days, Meng Guanqi became extremely thin, with unkempt stubble on his lips, sunken cheeks, and a listless appearance, as if his soul had been taken away.
He reached out and grasped the broken piece of armor in his hand. Before his eyes appeared the image of her when she had just been appointed a third-rank military officer. The Empress had specially tailored this armor for her, and she wore it with great joy, sharing her happiness with him. She was so radiant and spirited. Now, only a fragment of this majestic armor remained, and she was nowhere to be found.
Tears fell drop by drop onto the tattered armor, as if an invisible hand were tearing his internal organs apart, causing him unbearable pain.
A sweet taste rose in his throat, and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. He clutched the broken armor tightly, his whole body writhing in pain.
Seeing that he was not well, Pang Shi became very anxious: "Imperial Physician! Quickly go and fetch the Imperial Physician!"
...
After spitting out a mouthful of blood that day, Meng Guanqi seemed to have recovered from his lingering illness. He gradually regained his energy, was able to get out of bed, and even returned to the palace to take up his duties a few days later.
When Emperor Hongxing saw him, he was surprised. He was very thin, but his gaze was still firm and his mind was clear.
Aside from the fact that he still doesn't smile, he seems to have truly recovered.
Emperor Hongxing sighed inwardly. Half a month had passed, and the twenty imperial guards had carefully searched the river for nearly three hundred miles, until the river's flow slowed down and eventually flowed into the plains to irrigate tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, but they still found nothing.
They inquired in every town and village they encountered along the way, but no one had seen the Wolf King, nor had anyone seen Li Xiaoxiao.
Who knows how many undercurrents flow into other places beneath such a deep river? No one can guarantee whether Li Xiaoxiao and the Wolf King, who fell from the hundred-foot cliff, were swept away by these undercurrents.
The proclamation issued by Emperor Hongxing to the world has been disseminated, but so far there has been no progress. They have no choice but to accept the fact that Li Xiaoxiao may have left us forever.
They hadn't seen the body yet, and they didn't dare to upset the Meng family, especially Meng Guanqi.
Emperor Hongxing thought it would take him a month or two to recover and accept the fact that his wife had left, but he was surprised to find that he had already cheered up in ten days. That was good, as being busy would keep him from overthinking.
Seeing how thin he had become, Emperor Hongxing felt a pang of heartache and couldn't help but ask when he was alone with the man, "Are you feeling any better?"
Meng Guanqi paused, put down his pen, and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My illness has been cured."
Emperor Hongxing sighed: "I'm asking if you feel any better? Xiaoxiao has already left. I hope you've truly pulled yourself together, instead of pretending nothing's wrong and torturing yourself in the dead of night."
Meng Guanqi paused for a moment before speaking, "Your Majesty, Xiaoxiao did not leave."
Emperor Hongxing was taken aback and looked at him with concern.
Meng Guanqi said, "The Imperial Guards didn't find her body, did they? Then she might still be alive. Maybe she was seriously injured and hid to recuperate, or maybe she was rescued but didn't know because of the inconvenience of transportation. Although His Majesty has issued a notice to all the prefectures and counties in the country, there are still many people who haven't heard the news, aren't there?"
His gaze gradually hardened: "As long as I haven't seen her body, I will absolutely not believe that she has left me."
Emperor Hongxing's gaze grew even more worried. It turned out that his seemingly calm and self-assured demeanor was not a return to normalcy, but rather a sign that he had fallen into a daze.
But how could he dare to force him at such a time?
He only hoped that time would heal his wounds.
As time passed, everything about Li Xiaoxiao remained as calm as finding a needle in a haystack. Her name gradually became a taboo subject, and everyone seemed to be deliberately locking this matter away in a box and hiding it in the deepest part of the house, where no one was allowed to touch it.
Six hundred miles from the capital, in Jizhou, a rustling sound arose, and a person dressed entirely in black, resembling a wild man, emerged from the forest. The early spring weather was still quite cool, but this person was barefoot, her clothes were torn to shreds, and her hair was tangled and matted with dirt. But miraculously, she dragged a wolf the size of a calf behind her, its mouth tightly bound by a thin necklace that had embedded itself into its flesh.
The wolf was heavy, and she staggered and struggled to walk, but her goal was clear: she was getting closer and closer to Huangshiling Town in Jizhou.
Li Xiaoxiao raised her hand, trembling, to shield her eyes from the dazzling sunlight. She looked into the distance and saw a deep, unfathomable lake with dark, chilling water.
This must be it. She spent three months living a primitive life again, and finally made her way here after crossing mountains and valleys.
Niutou'ao Village, Huangshiling Town.
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