The night grew deeper, and there was still no clue. They searched the entire house, but Shi Buping was nowhere to be found; they had no idea where he had gone.
Nan Yi expanded her search area. As she passed a small garden, she caught a glimpse of a dark shadow flashing by the rockery. A thought struck her, and she quickly followed.
The dark figure looked around, its hand groping on the stone carving. Then, a soft sound of a stone door turning was heard, and the dark figure suddenly disappeared behind the stone door, which closed again.
Nan Yi quietly approached, pressed her ear to the stone door, and waited for a while. Then, she turned the stone carving as well, and in the blink of an eye, she slipped into the secret passage.
This Shi Buping is clever; he built a secret chamber in the artificial hill, which is quite secluded.
An oil lamp was lit in the secret passageway. After walking for a short while, she heard the voices of a man and a woman.
The man laughed lewdly, while the woman screamed, cried, and cursed.
Nan was overjoyed. It was Zhou Ruxue; he had found her.
She strode forward, but the scene before her made Nan Yi's expression change drastically, and she was filled with uncontrollable rage, her eyes instantly turning bloodshot.
We arrived too late.
Shi Buping, naked from the waist down, grinned maliciously as he thrust into Zhou Ruxue. Zhou Ruxue, also naked, had her hands bound to the bedposts and could not move. Her curses only excited Shi Buping, who then assaulted her even more.
"Go to hell, you bastard!" Nan Yi roared, stepping forward and shoving Shi Buping aside. He swung his hand...
"Bang!" Shi Buping's body crashed into the stone wall, then fell to the ground, spitting out blood and losing consciousness.
"Miss Zhou~"
Nan called out to her anxiously, quickly took off his outer robe, and covered her body, which was covered in bruises like a tattered rag.
Shi Buping, that scoundrel, couldn't wait a moment longer after kidnapping Zhou Ruxue.
She lowered Zhou Ruxue's hands, and with trembling hands, half-lifted her up, calling out repeatedly, "Miss Zhou, Miss Zhou... it's alright, it's alright."
Upon hearing the familiar voice, a light flashed in Zhou Ruxue's eyes, and tears instantly welled up. Through her blurred vision, she murmured, "Young Master Nan, is that you?"
"It's me, it's me. Sorry I'm late."
Zhou Ruxue raised her head, clutching her clothes tightly with both hands, and burst into tears, throwing herself into Nan Yi's arms.
"Why did you take so long to come? Why...? I was violated by that bastard... My body is impure... He killed Father, Mother was raped by them, why weren't you here—"
Captured and imprisoned in a dark room by Shi Buping, she was filled with despair that night, and every moment she wished that Nan Yi would descend from the sky to save her.
But no one came, only the demon.
Zhou Ruxue cried her heart out, feeling utterly devastated.
Nan Yi felt a pang of sorrow. She hugged Zhou Ruxue tightly and explained in a low voice, "I didn't know that Shi Buping was so ruthless, disguising himself as a bandit and breaking into your house at night. This morning, I only heard about it from the shopkeeper... Sigh... Miss Zhou, I'll take you away. We can't stay here any longer. Your parents' funeral arrangements are still waiting for you to handle."
It's awful; my chest feels like it's on fire.
"Sweetie, let's get out of here first," Nan Yi coaxed Zhou Ruxue.
“Leave, heh heh~” Zhou Ruxue chuckled coldly. “My parents are gone, I’m tainted, and I have no home. Where can I go if I leave? It’s better to die.”
Having suffered such a devastating tragedy, losing her family and loved ones, she had no face to live and had long since resolved to die.
Zhou Ruxue suddenly stood up and let out a final, desperate cry, "Father, Mother, your daughter is unfilial." With that, she got up and banged her head against the wall.
Nan Yi stepped forward to stop her and angrily rebuked, "Are you crazy? The enemy who killed your family is still alive. How can you talk about death so easily? Your uncle and aunt have raised you for nothing."
Zhou Ruxue was stunned. "An enemy, Shi Buping?"
“He doesn’t have that ability. I bet his brother-in-law, Prefect Liu, was involved too.” Nan Yi grabbed her and dragged her to the unconscious Shi Buping’s side, saying in a cold tone, “Kill him first. We still need to get revenge on that Prefect Liu.”
Like a sudden awakening, the word "revenge" ignited a burning desire in Zhou Ruxue. "Yes, and there's Prefect Liu. I heard it from Shi Buping himself. He wants to seize my family's wealth, but... he's the prefect. Can we handle him?"
With her parents gone, she became a rootless duckweed, a weak woman like herself, how could she possibly seek revenge?
"Don't worry, I'll help you." Nan Dao is just a prefect, so open confrontation is definitely out of the question. She'll have to do it covertly. He's just a corrupt official, so she'll consider it a favor to the people.
Zhou Ruxue's tears fell again, and she choked out, "Young Master Nan, you..." They were complete strangers, yet Young Master Nan had helped her time and time again.
Young Master Nan is a good person, but unfortunately she is now in poor health and is not worthy of him.
Nan waved her hand, "Just call me Sister Nan, it sounds awkward to call me Young Master Nan." She had nothing to hide from Zhou Ruxue, especially since she had witnessed the most shameful moment of her life.
It's alright if it's a woman, but if it's a man, his chastity will be in jeopardy again. Once Zhou Ruxue comes to her senses, how will the young lady face the consequences? Does she have to die again?
"What? You're a woman?" Zhou Ruxue was stunned, completely taken aback by the news.
"Yes, for some unavoidable reasons, I happened to pass through this place and met you, my good friend." Nan scratched his head and embarrassedly pulled at his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lie to you. It's just a long story. I'll tell you in detail when I have time."
Zhou Ruxue was completely at a loss for words, utterly unsure how to react. Just now, she... Oh well, it's fine this way.
Compared to her ordeal, Nan Yi's cross-dressing is insignificant.
She looked around and spotted a lampstand on the table. She picked it up, held it in her hand, and without thinking, raised it and smashed it hard on Shi Buping's head. Shi Buping groaned and died in his sleep.
In retaliation, he launched a night raid on the Zhou family. The Zhou family was completely unprepared and were like meat on a chopping board, at his mercy.
Zhou Ruxue killed him before he could fight back, and his brains spilled out.
The woman holding the lampstand seemed tireless, striking it again and again, venting the hatred in her heart.
"That's enough. We need to leave quickly. Before news of Shi Buping's death spreads and Prefect Liu is on guard, let's settle the score with him tonight."
"Yes, I'll listen to Master Nan... Sister Nan." Mentioning revenge, Zhou Ruxue's courage increased. The woman who had just been contemplating suicide showed a resolute look on her face. She casually found a robe in the secret room and wrapped herself up tightly.
Nan Yi nodded and left the secret room, leading Zhou Ruxue away from Shi Buping's house.
The prefectural government office was some distance away, and it took them nearly half an hour to reach Prefect Liu's residence.
Nan Yi hid Zhou Ruxue in an uninhabited old house not far from the Liu residence. He broke into the Liu residence at night, but it was inconvenient for Zhou Ruxue, a weak woman, to move around with him.
She took out the thousand-tael silver note that Zhou Ruxue had used to buy the horse from her bosom and stuffed it into Zhou Ruxue's hand. "Take it and keep it safe. I don't know what's going on at the Liu residence. If I haven't returned in half an hour, take the silver note and run away quickly."
I've hidden a horse in the woods by the official road outside the city. With the silver and the horse, you can follow the road to seek refuge with relatives or... go to Luoyang.
I've heard there's a high-ranking official in Luoyang, a very kind one. Staying there might not be as nerve-wracking as it is in Qi County.
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