Chapter 25: So Unlucky (1)

Night fell, and the moon climbed to the treetops; it was already the hour of the pig (9-11 PM). In the main hall, it was still brightly lit. Lou Xiyan sat in the main seat, his index finger lightly tapping the armrest of the wooden chair, one tap after another. The sound wasn't loud, but in the silent main hall, it appeared exceptionally clear. Lou Xiwu raised her head slightly, secretly glancing at Lou Xiyan. Her brother wasn't speaking or scolding her, and no anger or joy could be seen on his face. The heavy rain just now had drenched her from head to toe; she was now cold and hungry, shivering. But Lou Xiwu still kept her head lowered, not daring to say a word.

She had left a note and run away on impulse, and later she regretted it, but she couldn't just run back on her own. She guessed that Jing Sa and her brother would find her soon, and the facts proved that it was indeed soon. But if she had known that this damn weather would have such a heavy rain and her brother would be as terrifying as he was now, she would never have run out even if she died.

"Mo Bai." Lou Xiyan's low voice suddenly rang out, startling Lou Xiwu. Glancing secretly again, she found that Lou Xiyan wasn't looking at her at all, just saying softly to Mo Bai beside him: "Go and tell Tianyu and Qingfeng that Xiwu has been found. Tell them they don't need to look anymore."

"Yes." When Mo Bai passed by Jing Sa, he gave him a look that said *don't be impatient*, and then hurried out.

Seeing Lou Xiwu shivering like a fallen leaf in the wind, Jing Sa originally wanted to say something, but because of Mo Bai's look, he finally swallowed it back.

The main hall returned to a suffocating silence.

Half an hour later, Lou Xiwu really couldn't stand it anymore. Let him beat or scold her as he pleased; she didn't want to suffer this torment anymore. Raising her head, Lou Xiwu opened her mouth: "Brother..."

Unfortunately, she had only said one word when Lou Xiyan suddenly called out in a faint, raised voice: "Someone. Help Miss back to her room to rest; without my order, she is not allowed to step out of her room for a single step!"

The guards standing outside the door came in and stood behind Lou Xiwu. They exchanged glances, but still stepped forward to carry Lou Xiwu away.

"Brother! You can't lock me up like this?!" Lou Xiwu came to her senses and shouted loudly. Unfortunately, from beginning to end, Lou Xiyan didn't even look at her properly.

Lou Xiyan remained calm throughout, without the slightest sign of anger. Jing Sa, however, knew deeply that he was not lightly angered. Jing Sa stepped forward and said in a deep voice: "Master, this matter was all caused by me and has nothing to do with Miss. Please punish this subordinate."

Lou Xiyan raised his hand lightly, stopping what he was about to say, and replied faintly: "I have my own measure; you go and rest too."

"Yes." The master didn't want to hear him speak, and Jing Sa's heart sank. He could only bow and leave.

Jing Sa turned and left stiffly, even his back revealing stubbornness and cold rigidity. Lou Xiyan shook his head helplessly; he had long known that Xi Wu liked Jing Sa, and that Jing Sa was not without feelings for that girl either. He was not a pedantic man; if they were truly of one heart and mind and wished to be wed, it would be a fine thing. Yet, due to Jing Sa's stubborn temper and his insistence on the distinction between master and servant, even if he were to personally arrange it for them, Jing Sa would not agree. To avoid making Jing Sa uncomfortable, he had always acted as if he saw nothing. It was just that Xi Wu was so headstrong and did not understand that constant dripping wears away the stone; it was hard for him not to have a headache.

Rubbing his temples, Lou Xiyan stood up, preparing to return to his room, when he saw Mo Bai hurrying over. His footsteps seemed somewhat hurried, and an inexplicable bad premonition arose. Before Mo Bai could speak, Lou Xiyan asked: "What happened?"

"Qingfeng has disappeared."

Disappeared?! Lou Xiyan looked up abruptly, a ripple crossing his eyes.

Without Lou Xiyan asking in detail, Mo Bai had already replied truthfully: "I searched the entire Wenquan Xiaoyuan, but didn't find a shadow of her. In the afternoon, everyone in the villa went out to look for Miss Xiwu, and no one discovered how she disappeared."

Did she run away? It wasn't very likely; she wasn't that stupid. If she wanted to run, she could have found other opportunities; she shouldn't have chosen this sparsely populated valley. Or was she captured by someone? Thinking of this, Lou Xiyan's face darkened, and his voice sounded somewhat hurried: "Mobilize all the guards brought here; turn this Hong Shan upside down if you have to, but find her."

"Yes." Mo Bai's brows furrowed involuntarily. This Qingfeng seemed to have already been able to stir the master's heart.

She is a pig!

She is a stupid pig!

She is an extremely stupid pig!

She is an extremely stupid pig beyond redemption!

Why did she care about Lou Xiwu's life or death? Why didn't she wait idly in the villa for news? Why did she have to look for her in the vicinity of the villa for no reason? Why did the heavens suddenly have a heavy rain? Why did she get lost?!

Yes, she was lost—lost for the first time in her life! With her super-strong memory, she had actually gotten lost!

Zhuo Qing cursed herself thoroughly in her heart, but her footsteps didn't dare to stop for even a second. In the mountains after the heavy rain, mist swirled, and all around were trees of varying heights. It was pitch black, and there was no visibility to speak of; she could only grope her way forward. She should still be on the mountain where the Wenquan Xiaoyuan was, so the possibility of encountering large wild animals wasn't high. There were hot springs here, so there must be flowing water; as long as she found flowing water, she could walk out.

The night wind was chilly, and she was cold and hungry. She had been walking in the darkness for who knew how long when, finally, faint firelight flickered in the distance. Zhuo Qing almost wanted to scream! If there was fire, there must be people! Zhuo Qing quickened her footsteps and walked quickly toward the source of the fire.

Getting closer and closer, just when Zhuo Qing felt that hope was right before her eyes, a roar made her so shocked that she didn't dare to move—

"Shut your mouth, you bastard; if you cry again, I'll slaughter you!"

Zhuo Qing's whole body stiffened. Heavens! How unlucky was she?! She had finally seen hope, but it turned out to be despair.

Zhuo Qing was very close to the mountain cave where the firelight came from. Fearing to alarm the people inside, Zhuo Qing took a deep breath. After calming down, she lifted her feet lightly and walked back with the lightest steps possible.

Having only taken a few steps, that rough male voice cursed: "You Qi family are really not things; you opened a casino to swindle my money. Don't think I'm easy to bully; don't bother asking who your grandfather is! If the Qi family doesn't obediently pay the money to redeem you, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

The Qi family? It couldn't be such a coincidence, could it! Could this person be the one Qi Tianyu asked Qian Jing to capture? He wasn't stupid; Qi Tianyu wouldn't have thought that he was hiding right under his nose. Besides, in such a dense jungle, hiding one or two people was truly too easy.

A low female voice, carrying tears and panic, said: "Don't kill me; my brother will pay to redeem me!"

*Smart girl, she didn't expose her identity as a maid, otherwise, if the bandit got angry, her little life would be over. * Zhuo Qing took another step forward, secretly praying that she could leave smoothly. The girl's wit could let her hold on for a while longer, until she found someone to save her.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 26 =====