Chapter 77 Pei Mingli, who had been pinned to the ground, slightly tilted his head back as he successfully left the capital…
Pei Lang's lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but when he turned around, he couldn't find anyone. He only saw people splashing water on the remaining flames, and no one noticed him returning to the mansion.
"Miss!"
The piercing scream brought Pei Lang back to his senses. He turned his head and saw the two maids who were always by Lin Zhi's side kneeling on the ground, their faces covered in dust, digging at the broken beams and tiles in front of them.
Pei Lang felt as if his eyes couldn't move and his mind was numb and blank. He tried to lift his leg to go over, but his legs seemed to be nailed to the ground.
It felt as if a huge hole had been torn in my heart, letting in the cold winds of winter.
Where is Lin Zhi?
He walked up behind Chuntao and Xiaying and spoke softly.
Where is Lin Zhi?
He let out a low growl in a daze, but all he saw were the servants who came to put out the fire, all of them stopping what they were doing, their faces full of hesitation.
"She's pregnant, she definitely can't be here. I'll go find her..."
But as soon as Pei Lang turned around, Xia Ying stood up, ignoring her bloodied fingertips, glaring angrily at Pei Lang's back with tears streaming down her face, and rushed forward, shoving him hard so that he stumbled.
"Miss is dead!"
"The young lady went into premature labor and just gave birth. She had a difficult labor that lasted a day and a night before finally delivering the baby. She was so weak and then encountered a fire!"
"How could she have escaped!"
"You've long since grown tired of Miss, what are you pretending for now!"
Xia Ying cried so hard she could barely stand. She knelt on the ground, resenting herself for helping Chun Tao, just so her mistress could eat the honey soup sooner. She hated herself for not staying by her mistress's side every step of the way.
Pei Lang was shoved and forced to hold onto a charred pillar, the still-warm pillar telling him that it was all real.
His stomach suddenly churned, but his eyes were bloodshot and frighteningly red.
"How...how did you protect her?!"
"Who caused her premature birth?!"
The deathly silence was broken only by the cries of Chun Tao and Xia Ying, while veins bulged on Pei Lang's neck and forehead.
Who ruined her life...? It was him...
A profound and overwhelming grief swept over Pei Lang. He felt pain all over his body, more painful than being shot by arrows on the battlefield or copying books with frostbitten fingers as a child.
It hurts more than seeing my mother die in front of me.
Pei Lang staggered a step, but lost his balance and knelt on one knee.
"My lord! My lord!"
Xingyun and Jifeng rushed over and were terrified when they saw the scene. They tried to help Pei Lang up, but he pushed them away with a wave of his hand.
"Go...go dig. I need to see her one last time, no matter what..."
The two looked at each other and saw the difficulty in each other's eyes. With such a big fire, even the house was burned down, how could there be any people left?
Seeing that they didn't move, Pei Lang stumbled and put on his heavy armor to dig himself, digging until his ten fingers were broken and his nails were bleeding, but he still wouldn't stop: "You guys do it! If anyone doesn't find the lady, I'll chop you all down!"
Pei Lang drew his long sword with bloodshot eyes, but the servants all lowered their heads and no one dared to respond.
If the lady's remains were actually unearthed, she would likely suffer an even more gruesome fate.
Pei Lang gripped his sword and pointed it at each face, then suddenly raised his hand to strike, only to be stopped by a weak cry.
"...My lord, I took the young master to breastfeed and bathe him, and I don't know why...why he got such a high fever!"
At this moment, Pei Lang only had eyes for the tiny baby in her arms, who was crying incessantly. The little body struggled in the swaddling clothes, as if it wanted to find the person who brought it into this world.
Pei Lang took the child in his trembling arms. The little child was less than half the weight of his longsword, as light as a soft feather.
He held the child so tightly he didn't dare move his arms, afraid that he might crush her with a sudden force.
But the child, whose eyes were still closed and large tears were welling up, seemed to sense something. He stopped crying and slowly turned his head toward him, gradually calming down.
Looking at the tiny child, about half the size of a newborn kitten, Pei Lang, whose knees had never buckled before, knelt down with a thud, pressing his face against the small swaddling clothes. He felt salty, bitter tears mixed with the blood from the tiny wounds on his face flowing down.
That night, after digging for several hours, they finally unearthed a jade bead necklace that was mostly broken. When Xingyun took it to Pei Lang, he saw the adult, who was drunk, holding the necklace tightly and refusing to let go.
He frowned and slowly retreated, looking at the dark clouds obscuring the moon, he couldn't help but sigh, "How did the fire start?"
"It's all over now."
Unlike him, Jifeng was not sentimental. He simply crossed his arms and leaned against a pillar: "The master has changed. He has become vulnerable."
"In the past, I went to great lengths to do things for that young lady, but now, she's gone, and the master has completely fallen from grace."
"I was originally going to receive a great reward from His Majesty today."
Xingyun clicked his tongue: "You really are heartless!"
But before their bickering could end, the tightly closed door behind them was suddenly yanked open: "Go to the city gate."
Xingyun and the other two were still a little confused, thinking that Pei Lang was drunk and talking nonsense. But when they turned around, they found that Pei Lang's dark eyes were very clear, and his dark eyes were as if he was brewing a storm.
"...Sir, what are you doing at the city gate at this time?"
Pei Lang carefully tucked the beaded necklace into his pocket, but his voice was hoarse and rough: "Pei Mingli is not dead, and he has returned to the capital."
"What!"
Xingyun turned pale with fright. The second young master had been gone for a long time. What were you talking about now, sir?
But Pei Lang's gloomy face made him unable to ask the question, so he could only quickly mount his horse and follow.
The city gates of the capital close late at night, and one must present a pass to pass through. Only foreign merchants are subject to stricter checks, but today is unusually lively.
What happened?
"His Majesty's birthday is just around the corner, and all the vassal states will come to offer their congratulations and gifts..."
As soon as Ke Xingyun finished speaking, he saw Pei Lang tighten his hind legs around his horse's belly and order the guards to close the city gates first.
With his sharp, hawk-like eyes sweeping over everyone, Pei Lang fixed his gaze on a strangely dressed, heavily armed man.
As the horse's hooves rose and fell, Pei Lang pulled on the reins, looking down at the man. After carefully examining him, he spoke softly, "Long time no see, little brother."
Pei Mingli stiffened, realizing he had been recognized, and raised his hand to remove the hood from his head.
Even though he was somewhat prepared, Pei Lang still couldn't help but be shocked when he saw that face. Pei Mingli's appearance was not much different from before, but his temperament was completely different.
If he was once a sharp knife, now that knife is stained with blood.
"You're still alive."
His voice was calm, but the veins on the back of Pei Lang's hand, which was gripping the reins tightly, were bulging.
He had suspected something was amiss with Lin Zhi's death, but after carefully investigating the midwife and the doctor, he found no clues whatsoever.
Apart from a small petal that the midwife inadvertently left on the baby's swaddling clothes, that thing only grows in the border desert, something his father had taught him and Pei Mingli.
"If you pick one of these flowers and place it on your chest, you will be able to return home safely from the battlefield."
He still remembered his father's words, and Pei Mingli had not forgotten them either.
But this talisman for protection has reappeared.
Pei Lang's gaze swept over every part of Pei Mingli's face, wanting him to tell him that Lin Zhi was not actually dead, but had been taken away by him.
Even though Pei Lang's heart ached just thinking about that answer, he didn't care; all he wanted was for Lin Zhi to live.
"...Brother, all I want now is to save my life. I want to leave the capital and live a peaceful life."
Pei Mingli's eyes were frighteningly calm, as if Pei Lang's appearance could not stir the slightest ripple in his heart, and he only wanted to leave.
Peaceful days...that was what Lin Zhi wanted most in the past.
Pei Lang was so anxious he was about to go crazy. He dismounted and approached him: "You can leave, but where is Lin Zhi?"
Where did you hide her?
He stared intently at Pei Mingli's expression, trying to find a trace of panic, but all he found was an endless, deathly calm.
"Cousin Azhi? Didn't she become my elder brother's concubine?"
"I heard she's pregnant. What, is your older brother treating her badly?"
Pei Mingli's calm tone sounded like a provocation to Pei Lang. He clenched his fists and looked at the heavily obscured carriage behind Pei Mingli.
What's inside?
Although Pei Mingli reacted extremely quickly, Pei Lang still managed to catch that moment of awkwardness.
"Open it and show it to me."
Pei Mingli frowned, but suddenly spurred his horse as if to rush out. However, the carriage was too heavy and could not withstand Pei Lang's reaction and the encirclement by his men.
Pei Mingli, his hands tied behind his back, glared at him with bloodshot eyes: "Don't touch my carriage!"
Pei Lang ignored him, his throat bobbing slightly, and with a trembling hand, he lifted the carriage curtain, only to see some ordinary bedding and clothing inside.
After searching through them all, I still found nothing.
Pei Lang's five fingers formed a claw, nearly tearing the carriage curtain apart, and the tight muscles on his face almost trembled.
Where are they?
Pei Mingli, who was pinned to the ground, tilted his head back slightly, his wild eyes full of laughter: "Big brother, who is it?"
"I don't understand what you're saying."
"But now I am no longer a member of the Pei family, nor am I the young general. You can't control me."
Before he finished speaking, Pei Mingli forcefully broke free of his restraints and got up to stretch his arms.
He slapped the prepared pass onto Pei Lang and said, "Please cooperate and allow me to pass, Lord Pei."
After checking and confirming that it was not a forgery, Pei Lang was reminded in a low voice by his subordinate that some people were already dissatisfied and about to cause trouble, and it was probably no longer possible to block them from leaving.
Pei Lang remained silent for a long while before finally asking people to make way.
Pei Mingli forced a smile and cupped his hands in thanks to him: "Thank you for letting me pass, Lord Pei."
As the carriage drove away, Pei Lang crushed the travel document in his hand into dust and scattered it in the wind.
Only after they were far from the city gate did Pei Mingli's face gradually darken. Fortunately, Lin Zhi was clever enough to let the two of them leave separately, otherwise they would have been caught in one fell swoop by Pei Lang.
But those few rats behind me are still quite annoying...
Pei Mingli slightly turned his head to look at the figures that were faintly fluttering about. His eyes sharpened, and he spurred his horse to run in the opposite direction. Sure enough, he soon left the people behind him far behind.
Only then did I feel at ease heading back in the agreed-upon direction.
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