"You'll follow behind me for a bit, and just say you're someone I rescued on the mountain," Lin Cuiying said, turning to An Yunzhou.
An Yunzhou nodded. "Okay."
“My home is in Luhua Village, which is a bit far from here. We need to hurry, or we won’t get there before dark,” Lin Cuiying said.
An Yunzhou nodded again, then followed Lin Cuiying forward.
As Lin Cuiying walked, she observed her surroundings.
According to the map, she quickly found her way home.
Because the cave was quite far from their home, and An Yunzhou was rather weak, the two did not walk very fast.
By the time we reached Luhua Village, it was already dark.
That's just right, as it prevents An Yunzhou from being discovered by the villagers.
From a distance, Lin Cuiying could see a firelight not far away.
She was overjoyed. Could it be that her family had come looking for her?
Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Lin Changgeng and Lin Tiandong.
"Father, Tiandong, what brings you here?" Lin Cuiying asked.
Lin Changgeng and Lin Tiandong both showed expressions of surprise and delight when they saw Lin Cuiying.
"Why aren't you home yet, it's so late?" Lin Changgeng said. "Your mother was worried sick and sent us out to look for you."
"I...I ran into some trouble on the mountain," Lin Cuiying said somewhat embarrassedly. "But it's all over now."
Lin Changgeng was relieved, and then he saw An Yunzhou following behind Lin Cuiying.
"Who is this...?" Lin Changgeng asked with a puzzled look.
“Oh, he’s the person I rescued on the mountain today,” Lin Cuiying explained. “He was injured and alone on the mountain, so I brought him back.”
Lin Changgeng looked An Yunzhou up and down, then nodded. "In that case, let's take him home first."
Lin Tiandong didn't think much of it. He just glanced at An Yunzhou curiously and then said nothing more.
The four of them walked home together.
When he got home, Mrs. Chen was waiting anxiously at the door.
Seeing Lin Cuiying return, her face lit up with surprise and delight. "Why haven't you come back so late? I was so worried about you."
“Mother, I’m fine,” Lin Cuiying said. “I ran into some trouble on the mountain, which is why I’m late coming back.”
Chen looked Lin Cuiying up and down, and only when she saw that she was alright did she feel relieved.
Then, she also saw An Yunzhou following behind Lin Cuiying.
"Who is this...?" Chen asked with a puzzled look.
Lin Cuiying explained it again.
After listening, Chen looked An Yunzhou up and down, and then said, "Since you saved him, let him stay here for now."
"Thank you, Auntie," An Yunzhou said gratefully.
"Don't be so polite," Madam Chen smiled. "Please sit down and rest for a bit."
An Yunzhou nodded and then sat down in the chair.
"Mother, let me go get him something to eat first," Lin Cuiying said.
Mrs. Chen nodded, "Okay, there's something ready in the pot."
Lin Cuiying turned and went to the kitchen.
Chen looked at An Yunzhou and asked, "What's your name? Why are you alone on the mountain?"
“My name is An Yunzhou,” An Yunzhou said. “I accidentally rolled down the mountain, so…”
"I see." Madam Chen nodded. "Then you should stay here for now, and we'll talk again once your injuries have healed."
"Thank you, Auntie," An Yunzhou said gratefully again.
"You're welcome. Please have a seat. I'll have Tiandong tidy up your room."
As she spoke, Chen instructed Lin Tiandong to tidy up the room.
Lin Cuiying brought out the food and saw An Yunzhou chatting with Chen Shi. She walked over and said:
"Eat something, and then get some rest. Your injury hasn't healed yet, so you need to rest more."
“Okay.” An Yunzhou took the bowl and began to eat heartily.
Perhaps he was extremely hungry, because he ate very quickly, finishing the bowl of rice in no time.
"Do you want more?" Lin Cuiying asked.
An Yunzhou nodded somewhat embarrassedly, "Thank you, thank you for your trouble."
Lin Cuiying served him another bowl, and An Yunzhou ate again.
He was finally full after finishing that bowl.
"Thank you," An Yunzhou said gratefully.
"You're welcome," Lin Cuiying smiled. "Go and rest first; your room has been prepared."
An Yunzhou nodded, and then, led by Lin Tiandong, went to his room to rest.
After settling An Yunzhou in, the whole family surrounded Lin Cuiying, asking her in detail about An Yunzhou.
Lin Cuiying briefly explained the good points she had made with An Yunzhou.
"I never expected you to encounter something like this on the mountain."
“Yes, I didn’t expect it either,” Lin Cuiying said. “However, since I’ve run into this situation, I can’t just stand by and watch someone die.”
“You’re right,” Lin Changgeng said. “Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. You did the right thing.”
"Father, is he alright staying here?" Lin Cuiying asked with some concern.
"It's alright." Lin Changgeng shook his head. "Our family doesn't have anything that anyone would covet, so there won't be any problems for him staying here."
Lin Cuiying was finally relieved.
The family chatted for a few more minutes before going back to their rooms to rest.
Lin Cuiying returned to her room with the two young maids.
In the stillness of the night, the Lin family members were all fast asleep.
Two men in black silently entered An Yunzhou's room.
Their faces were covered with black cloth, revealing only their eyes, making it impossible to see their features.
"Master." The man in black knelt down before An Yunzhou. "We have finally found you. You have suffered these past two days."
An Yunzhou glanced at them and said calmly, "Get up."
"Thank you, Master." The two stood up. "Master, we have already sent someone to inform the others, and they will be able to arrive tomorrow."
An Yunzhou shook his head, "No need, I'll stay here to recover from my injuries. You all need to withdraw your people and make sure no one discovers my whereabouts."
"But Master..." the man in black hesitated, "This place isn't safe, what if..."
“There’s no chance of anything going wrong,” An Yunzhou said in a deep voice. “Just do as I say.”
"Yes." The man in black dared not object further. "Your subordinate obeys."
"Go ahead." An Yunzhou waved his hand.
The two turned and left the room, quickly disappearing into the night.
An Yunzhou lay on the bed, looking at the ceiling, his mind filled with countless thoughts.
Although he narrowly escaped the assassination attempt, it made him realize the seriousness of the situation.
He must recover from his injuries as soon as possible, then return to Beijing to find out the truth and expose the person behind it all.
However, he cannot reveal his whereabouts before that, otherwise it will only bring him greater danger.
Thinking of this, An Yunzhou took a deep breath and then closed his eyes.
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