Han Dan Chun went to find Luo Yuan.
Yang Ruo Ning hid alone in a teahouse on the second floor, not far from Luo Mansion, and observed the situation at Luo Mansion with binoculars. The view here was quite good, and she could clearly see the main entrance of Luo Mansion.
Even though it was only an engagement ceremony, Luo Yuan and Luo Qian Qiu had made it grander than a wedding. It was said that all influential people in You Zhou City had received invitations from Luo Mansion, and those who didn't receive one had mostly come to join the fun today. Even the teahouse owner and the waiters had gone to get a taste of good fortune, leaving the entire teahouse empty, with only Yang Ruo Ning as a guest and a waiter who had disappeared after serving her tea.
At this moment, guests were arriving in an endless stream at the wide-open gates of Luo Mansion. General Luo, dressed in silk robes embroidered with intricate patterns, stood at the entrance, receiving guests. This was Yang Ruo Ning's first time seeing Luo Yuan's uncle. Although he was old, it was still evident that her uncle had been a handsome and elegant man in his youth. It was no wonder Luo Yuan and Luo Qian Qiu were so outstanding; this was the power of genetics.
"We gon na make beautiful babies," Yang Ruo Ning muttered to herself.
She didn't see Luo Yuan, assuming he was busy inside the mansion. Yang Ruo Ning put down her binoculars and checked the time. It was already two fifteen in the afternoon, and Han Dan Chun had slipped into the mansion an hour ago. She was growing impatient. Was Luo Mansion too large, causing him to get lost inside? Or was he unable to find Luo Yuan? Yang Ruo Ning began to worry.
She picked up her binoculars again and scanned Luo Mansion. Luo Yuan's uncle was still warmly greeting guests at the entrance, and there seemed to be no unusual activity inside Luo Mansion.
"Yang Ruo Ning!" Han Dan Chun's voice suddenly came from behind.
Startled, Yang Ruo Ning immediately put down her binoculars and looked back. She saw Han Dan Chun slowly ascending the stairs. Yang Ruo Ning quickly stood up and asked, "How did it go? Did you see Luo Yuan?"
However, Han Dan Chun was expressionless, his face stern. Yang Ruo Ning had never seen him so serious and quickly realized something was amiss. She subtly reached for the two pistols tucked into the small of her back.
She had taken them from Kinsey on her last trip back. The enormous backpack she had carried back was actually filled with enough weapons and ammunition to arm a ten-person assault team. Kinsey's mansion had an entire room full of the latest weapons, most of them military-grade. Yang Ruo Ning had chosen all the weapons she could carry—she had to, as her plan at the time was to rescue Qing Ye and bring him back to her own world, and the only way she could think of to counter a well-trained army from the cold weapon era was to bring heavy firepower. She had originally buried the backpack and her bicycle in a secluded forest on the way to You Zhou City, and a few days ago, she had secretly retrieved the backpack by herself.
After narrowly escaping Luo Qian Qiu's clutches twice, even the most foolish person would know to carry a gun for self-defense. Although she was very reluctant to use these firearms in a cold weapon era, Luo Yuan couldn't protect her all the time, and she didn't want to be the kind of 'weak woman' who needed protection; she could and was capable of protecting herself.
On this hurried trip to You Zhou City to find Luo Yuan, she had brought two P50 pistols. Kinsey had told her they were the latest model, lightweight but with a magazine capacity comparable to a submachine gun.
As her hand touched the grip of the gun on her back, Yang Ruo Ning saw a man emerge from behind Han Dan Chun. He was tall and burly, with a face full of coarse flesh and a fierce appearance. At a single glance, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and the suffocating sensation of being submerged in icy lake water swept over her once more.
He was Luo Qian Qiu's subordinate, the one who had tried to drown her by the lake that day.
"Are you alright, Han Dan Chun?" Yang Ruo Ning took a step back and asked warily.
Han Dan Chun wore a pained expression. "I'm sorry..."
"Don't say sorry. This time, they should be the ones to be afraid!" Yang Ruo Ning whispered from behind, having silently released the safety of her gun, ready to draw and fire at any moment.
The man let out a cold laugh, seemingly finding Yang Ruo Ning's words presumptuous. "On what grounds? On the grounds of this kid's pathetic skills?"
Yang Ruo Ning replied, "Ha, the thing I rely on, you absolutely wouldn't imagine! It's enough to scare you to death if I take it out! If you want to live, you'd better let us go!" But just as she was about to draw her pistol, she saw Han Dan Chun winking at her, gesturing as if telling her to calm down and not to ruin Luo Yuan's plan by acting rashly. Yang Ruo Ning hesitated.
The man said, "Miss Yang, please don't be nervous. I won't do anything to you this time. After all, today is a big day for Luo Mansion, and we mustn't spill blood."
The man seemed to be serious, and Yang Ruo Ning withdrew her hand from her back. "What do you want?"
"The young lady merely wishes for you two to come inside for a chat." As he spoke, he swung his arm and knocked out Han Dan Chun, whose eyes had rolled back to the point where his pupils were no longer visible.
Yang Ruo Ning gasped and covered her mouth as she saw Han Dan Chun fall. Then, the man walked towards her, and realizing he intended to knock her out as well, Yang Ruo Ning hastily retreated. "You don't need to knock me out, I'll go with you obediently!"
"Didn't you say you had something that could scare people to death?" the man scoffed, grabbing her collar.
"...I was just saying that to scare you," Yang Ruo Ning explained. "You really don't need to knock me out."
"Who knows what you might do once you're inside the mansion?" With that, a fist swung towards her nose, and Yang Ruo Ning instantly lost consciousness.
When Yang Ruo Ning woke up, she found herself in a dark room. The room was covered in thick dust, suggesting it had been unused for a long time. She could faintly hear the distant sounds of music and a bustling crowd, indicating that this room was likely in a corner of Luo Mansion that few people frequented. Her hands and feet were tied with rope, rendering her immobile. Her nose throbbed painfully, as if it had been broken. "Luo Qian Qiu, you're dead!" Yang Ruo Ning cursed, attempting to get up from the floor.
"Yang Ruo Ning, you're awake!" Han Dan Chun's surprised cry came from behind.
She twisted her head with effort to look at Han Dan Chun. She saw that Han Dan Chun's hands and feet were also bound, and he was wriggling towards her on the ground like a caterpillar.
As Han Dan Chun crawled, he muttered to himself, "Wow, Luo Yuan's women are truly something. One knocks people out and locks them up, or kills her love rivals and throws them in the lake; the other claims to be from another world and says she has amazing things that will scare people to death, only for it to be just bluffing! Weirdos, all of them! Luo Yuan owes me a huge favor this time. Building me a city like You Zhou City won't be enough to get rid of me! I want ten You Zhou Cities! No, ten Bian Liang Cities!"
When he finally wriggled his way to Yang Ruo Ning's side, Han Dan Chun said, "There's a small knife hidden in my trouser leg. My hands are tied, so I can't reach it. I'll extend my leg to your hands now, you take it."
Saying this, Yang Ruo Ning felt Han Dan Chun's extended foot. After fumbling for a while, she managed to get the small knife and then, under Han Dan Chun's guidance, began to cut the ropes binding her hands.
As she cut the ropes, she asked Han Dan Chun, "Where is that person? Did he just leave us here and forget about us? Didn't you say Luo Qian Qiu wanted to see me?"
Han Dan Chun watched her cut the ropes with palpable anxiety, ignoring her questions. "Hey, can you concentrate? A little more to the left with the knife... no, not there, a little more to the right... Can you even cut ropes?!"
Yang Ruo Ning was annoyed by Han Dan Chun's incessant chatter and couldn't help but yell at him, "Han Dan Chun, shut up! I need to concentrate! I don't have much experience escaping by cutting ropes, okay? Also, I really don't understand why Luo Yuan left you to protect me? With your pathetic skills, who is protecting whom?"
"Luo Yuan didn't leave me to protect you, but to prevent this situation from happening! You foolish woman! Don't you understand your impulsive personality?! And who knows why Luo Yuan thinks you can protect yourself?" Han Dan Chun yelled back at her.