Chapter 93: It

Qu Shi screamed, pushing Li Chao Jing aside: "You're the one who fell to demonic influence!! Zhu Er has been raised by your side since she was a child! Husband, how can you not recognize her?"

"She's a good child; you don't know how kind her heart is, how innocent she is. She could never have done those things, husband…"

"Husband, trust me. And it's not that I won't save Luo Er! But Zhu Er, we also have to look for her, husband…"

Li Chao Jing didn't want to hear any more of her nonsense, turned and hurried out of the room.

In the courtyard he gazed at the vast sky and sighed: "Marry a virtuous wife, the household is safe! What a foolish woman I've married!!"

"Could it be that my Li family is truly doomed by my own hands, Li Chao Jing?"

"Mother, Mother surely has a way to save Luo Er—"

Li Chao Jing staggered out of Spring Hall, cloaked in moonlight, and hurried to Jingci Tang.

Qu Shi was inside, her eyes about to swell from crying.

Qingyi and Granny Chang also had to bear their injuries, continuing to comfort her.

At that moment the candle flickered a few times, and with a "whoosh" a flying arrow tore through the window and slammed into the wooden wall inside!

"Ah!!"

The few people inside all jumped in fright, their faces pale as they clutched a bundle.

But after waiting a good while, there was no further sound.

Qingyi saw that a small pouch was hanging on the arrow.

"Madam, look!"

Granny Chang mustered courage, took it down, and brought it before Qu Shi.

Qu Shi trembled as she opened it; inside was a cloth handkerchief, a piece of paper, and a jade pendant.

When she saw the jade pendant, Qu Shi was completely stunned.

"Zhu Er, this is Zhu Er's jade pendant! It really is Zhu Er's jade pendant!!"

Qu Shi cried and laughed, suddenly agitated: "When she was in trouble, I had you search the ruins, search her corpse, and you found nothing! Yet now this jade pendant appears—what does this mean?"

Granny Chang's face was full of surprise: "Madam, the eldest daughter surely hasn't died!"

Qu Shi's trembling hands shook: "Yes, Zhu Er must be alive; she has returned to find me!"

Qu Shi quickly opened the handkerchief; on it were several lines written in blood.

"Father and Mother, Luo Er is in their hands, currently safe. Please, Father and Mother, help me return home."

Qu Shi's heart tightened, yet she was puzzled: "Luo Er, how could it be Luo Er? But isn't this Zhu Er's jade pendant?"

Qingyi reminded: "Madam, there's also a note; take a look at what it says."

Qu Shi hurriedly opened it, and on it was written: "Both young ladies are in our hands! If you wish to save their lives, raise three thousand taels of gold; three days later at Qishan Guanshui Cliff we will ransom them! If you dare report to the authorities, they will be made to suffer worse than death!"

Qu Shi, as if struck by lightning, went rigid, her eyes vacant as she stared at the note unmoving.

"Madam, Madam? We should quickly tell the Master and the Old Lady, right? This is three thousand taels of gold, and the whereabouts of both girls are…"

Qu Shi snapped back to herself, raised her hand and seized Qingyi and Granny Chang tightly: "No!"

"If the two of them are bound at the same time, I'll just raise the money, that's all. But if Mother and the Master find out, they now hold a bias against Zhu Er, so they certainly won't care about Zhu Er's life or death!!"

"I will save Luo Er, but Zhu Er must not have any mishap!"

"Zhu Er is mine, I raised her with my own hands! Even if Luo Er is my own blood, Zhu Er is so innocent. In my heart she is as my own child; how is she any different from Luo Er?"

"Zhu Er, Zhu Er has barely come back to life; I am both delighted and… excited. This matter must not be messed up."

"Raising the money, I will raise it myself; I can certainly save both of them at once!"

Granny Chang and Qingyi looked at each other, both terrified inside.

If the Madam makes a mistake and later the Old Lady and the Master learn of it, won't they suffer again?

Qu Shi has a sizable dowry, but she still needs to raise three thousand taels of gold herself, which will require great effort.

However, this time she even kept Li Kechuan in the dark about it, yet her movements were still noticed by Pei Lao Furen.

Pei Lao Furen was about to send someone to investigate, but Granny Chang had already quietly arrived at Jingci Tang.

Li Qingluo opened her eyes, sat up from the bed, and surveyed her surroundings.

It was a tasteful, clean room, and she had slept there peacefully last night.

Honestly, even she could not believe she had been bound and yet received such treatment?

The clean bedding, and she even ate something before sleeping.

Of course she wouldn't be foolish enough to think these bandits were so kind.

Because Li Qingzhu and the woman beside her were locked last night in a nearby woodshed, and when they made a bit of noise they were dealt with again.

"You're awake?"

A voice sounded through the window, and Li Qingluo immediately got up and put on her shoes.

"Where are my maid and Granny?" she asked anxiously.

The person was silent for a moment, then said, "Why don't you first worry about yourself? If I'm in a good mood, perhaps I'll let you go."

Li Qingluo walked to the window, reached out to open it, but the person clutched her tightly.

"Don't move! If you see my face, you will never return!"

Li Qingluo's hand instantly loosened.

"Who exactly are you? Do you know me?"

Otherwise, after seeing her dagger last night, even those bandits would not have suddenly changed their attitude toward her!

And she even has a clean room to rest in—this is not the treatment of a hostage.

It's so strange that even she can't believe it.

The person outside the window smiled: "Yes. I know you, but you don't recognize me."

Li Qingluo hates being toyed with.

"What exactly do you want to do?"

The person said, "Don't rush; I'm the one who wants to ask you—what exactly do you want to do?"

"I heard from a few of them that you voluntarily asked to be kidnapped? You even gave them a plan on how to send word to your family."

"Are you truly unafraid of death, or do you have some other motive?"

"If you're willing to speak honestly, perhaps I'll grant your wish."

Li Qingluo couldn't tell whether this person was testing her or just wanted to continue teasing her, so she didn't reply immediately.

The person didn't press her, but instead asked, "Do you want to go out for a walk?"

However, the condition was that she needed to blindfold herself first.

A woman who looked skilled walked in, covered Li Qingluo's eyes tightly, and only then was she led out.

After taking just a few steps, her hand was transferred to another person's, who gently held it.

Li Qingluo realized that it was a man's hand!

She immediately struggled to break free, but the person gripped her tightly and refused to let go, saying, "If you want your maid and granny to stay safe, just obey."

Li Qingluo felt a mix of shame and indignation, and, unable to help herself, took a deep breath, "What exactly do you want to do?"