At the city gate, the group asked the guards if they had seen a wolf pass by in the vicinity, but the guards all said they had not seen one. Tian Yu prepared to go out of the city to search in the nearby woods, but it was already late. Lv Liu said, "Why don't we go look for it tomorrow? Otherwise, if it gets too late and the city gates close, we won't be able to get in."
"Tangyuan, shall we come again tomorrow?" Tian Yu asked, squatting down in front of Tangyuan.
“But Mao Rong will be sad,” Tang Yuan said, looking down.
"Okay, I'll go with you to look for it, but we have to come back before the city gates close, okay?"
"Let me and Brother Xuanyu go look for it. Mother, you can stay here and wait for us," Tangyuan said.
“No!” Tian Yu said.
"Are you looking for a very big dog?" a soldier asked as he approached.
"Yes! You've seen it?" Everyone was very happy to hear this, and Tangyuan asked excitedly.
"I think I've seen it before. I was on duty that day, but it was night, so I didn't see it clearly. However, I did see a very large white dog wandering around the city gate for a long time, and it didn't leave until dawn."
"Where did it go?" Tangyuan asked excitedly.
"The fog was thick that morning, and I couldn't see clearly, but it seemed like they were running towards the woods over there," the soldier said, pointing to the woods outside the city.
“Hey! Now that you mention it, I think I’ve seen it too. It was also at night, and it seemed to have come and lingered at the city gate for a long time before leaving,” another soldier said.
"Mommy, it's fluffy! It must be fluffy! Let's go find fluffy!" Tangyuan said excitedly, pulling Tianyu along with a sob in her voice.
"Alright! Let's go right now." Tian Yu didn't care about anything else and asked when the city gate would close before getting into the carriage and heading in the direction the soldiers pointed.
The four men arrived in a grove of trees on the outskirts of the city by carriage. As the sun was already setting, they called out "Mao Rong" loudly in the woods, searching for him, hoping to find him before the city gates closed!
When Zhao Moyan returned to his residence from the army, he saw that there were more people in front of the Marquis's mansion than when he left. He forced himself to walk up and bow to the scholars who had grown tired of standing and were now sitting on the ground. He then said loudly, "Please go back, everyone! Madam is not feeling well today and cannot see you for the time being. Please understand."
Those sitting on the ground stood up to return the greeting. After hearing Zhao Moyan's words, some sighed, while others said, "Mr. Tian has just been released from prison; we were impolite."
"That's true. I heard that Mr. Tian was seriously injured when he came to Beijing. I wonder how he is now?"
"Please rest assured, everyone. She is fine now and just needs to rest and recuperate. Once she is better, she will naturally have the opportunity to meet with you all."
"Indeed, but we have waited so long just to catch a glimpse of Ms. Tian. She is now a role model for all scholars in the land and the pride of our Wu Kingdom. Lord Marquis, could you please allow us to take just a brief look? We promise not to disturb Ms. Tian's rest."
"Yes! Even just a glimpse from afar would be nice; we've been looking forward to this for so long!" the crowd echoed.
"Well then, gentlemen, I have a poem here that was also written by Madam. Why don't you take it and appreciate it first? When Madam is feeling better, she will definitely meet with you all. What do you all think?"
After some thought, everyone nodded in agreement. Zhao Moyan then wrote down the poem "Bring in the Wine" that Tian Yu had recited to him when he was drunk, and had the steward deliver it to them. They were very excited to receive the poem and started discussing it on the spot. The more they talked, the more excited they became. Finally, they recited it loudly while shouting, "What a wonderful poem! What a wonderful poem!" before leaving the Marquis's residence one after another.
Upon learning from Li Xingyun that Tian Yu and Tang Yuan had gone out of the city to find Mao Rong, Zhao Moyan didn't even change his clothes before mounting his horse and heading towards the city gate. He then learned from the gatekeeper where Tian Yu had gone, and whipped his horse to quickly ride towards the woods, not daring to delay for a moment.
Tian Yu and the other three searched the forest for a long time but found no trace of the furry creature. Xuan Yu reminded Tian Yu that it was getting dark and the forest was dangerous, so they couldn't search any further. Hearing the howling of wolves in the distance, Tian Yu realized that the situation was not good. After discussing with Tang Yuan, the group quickly headed back. However, it was already dark, and the forest was overgrown with weeds and trees, making the way back difficult. They felt something getting closer and closer behind them. Suddenly, they saw green eyes slowly approaching from the woods ahead. Tian Yu felt a chill run down her spine. Looking around, they realized they were surrounded by a pack of wolves.
Tian Yu was terrified, but she remained calm, picked up the branches from the ground, and reassured Tang Yuan, "Don't be afraid! They're just a few wolves, nothing will happen."
"Madam, I'll deal with them. You all find a chance to run. You'll be safe once you're out of the forest," Xuan Yu said, drawing his sword and facing the pack of wolves ahead.
“No, we can’t run fast. You’re good at kung fu, so take Tangyuan and leave. Green Willow, you’re quick on your feet, so find a chance to run away. Don’t worry about me.”
"I won't leave my mother!" Tangyuan said, hugging Tianyu.
“Green Willow will not leave Madam either,” Green Willow said fearfully.
"Are you all stupid? Survival is the most important thing right now. Run if you can!"
As they spoke, wolves began to pounce on them. Xuan Yu kicked a pebble that hit a wolf in the eye, then turned to deal with the other wolves that pounced on them. But even though Xuan Yu was highly skilled in martial arts, it was difficult for him to protect the three of them. The wolf pack attacked them again, and Tian Yu used the branch in her hand to block it, but it was bitten off by a wolf. Seeing that the wolves were pouncing on them again, Tian Yu held Tang Yuan in her arms, and Lv Liu also turned around and hugged Tian Yu.
Zhao Moyan saw their carriage outside the woods and rushed over when he saw wolves attacking Tian Yu. He threw his sword and pinned the wolf to a tree. He then flew back to Tian Yu and the others, made sure they were alright, and stared at the pack of wolves in front of him. He said to Xuan Yu, "I'll deal with them in a bit. You take them and leave first."
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