A moment of shock passed, and the man felt warm liquid flowing from his neck. He quickly raised his hands, "Mercy, good sir, mercy."
Immediately after, a woman's overly cold voice sounded from behind him:
"If you want to live, do as I say."
"Certainly, certainly."
The man was about to nod, but fearing accidental injury from the sharp dagger, he could only gesture with his hands.
"Take me to your hiding place."
"What?"
The unexpected turn of events left the man dazed, but the dagger at his throat forced him to comply.
"I told you, if you want to live, do as I say."
With that, the dagger was pushed forward slightly. Startled, the man quickly waved his hand, indicating he understood.
"Open your mouth."
After his initial surprise and a quick glance around, hoping to escape, the man vaguely identified the veiled, pretty woman behind him through a nearby bronze mirror.
However, the woman's aura was intimidating, and he couldn't find any weakness in her. Years of navigating the martial world had honed his sense of danger, telling him that any slightest move would result in her ending his life without hesitation.
Ultimately, he had no choice but to open his mouth in frustration.
The next moment, his mouth was stuffed with an incredibly bitter pill.
His expression twisted for a fleeting instant.
Before the man could spit out the pill, his chin was gripped by two fingers and forced upward.
Thus, the small, round pill slid down his throat and into his stomach.
"What I just gave you was poison. Without my antidote, you will die in three days, bleeding from all seven orifices. Of course, you can choose not to believe me. But only if you can escape from under my nose."
With that, Leng Ningyue withdrew her dagger.
"You're not the Prefect's daughter?"
Although the man asked a question, his tone was extremely certain.
"Besides the Prefect's daughter, did you capture any other child today?"
"I did indeed capture a child. It's said to be the son of the Magistrate of Changzhou County. You are...?"
"I am the wife of the Changzhou County Magistrate you mentioned."
...
Finally understanding the reason for the woman's fierce, life-threatening demeanor, the man, while clutching his bleeding neck, cautiously said:
"Well, well, I can help you."
Meeting her gaze, which felt like looking at a dead person, the man swallowed and tried to explain:
"Really. I, the renowned flower thief, the celebrated Ye Shengge, have always only plucked flowers, never taken lives. Young master here made an exception for this job out of obligation. Although I'm no saint, I wouldn't go so far as to kill a mere infant. In this current situation, you might not believe what I'm about to say. But I must say it. Actually, I had originally planned to sneak the child back to Changzhou County while they rested at night. As for the woman I abducted last night, I also intended to release her. But because you spread false information, I was forced to make this extra trip and change my plans. My new plan was to leave obvious clues along the way after abducting you, the true Prefect's daughter. But it seems that will no longer be necessary."
After hearing his heartfelt confession, Leng Ningyue coldly commanded:
"Take me to your hiding place."
"No way? That place is very dangerous! Moreover, I already said I'll return your son to you safely. Why must you, a delicate woman, go to such a treacherous place?"
"Lead the way."
The two icy words finally reminded Ye Shengge who had inflicted the wound on his neck. Ye Shengge, who had failed in his flower-plucking attempt for the first time and been stung, fell silent. He tore a handkerchief into strips, tied it around his neck wound, applied the wound medicine, and obediently led the way.
Previously, Leng Ningyue, to avoid alerting the enemy, had ordered Xu Changling's men to lie in ambush outside the Prefect's yamen. Yan Tinghao had been dispatched back to Changzhou County to deliver a message. Therefore, Leng Ningyue and Ye Shengge, without receiving any signal, easily left the yamen.
"Well, well, Magistrate's wife, there's still quite a distance to their hiding place. Do you think we should..." It wasn't that Ye Shengxiao wanted to take advantage, but he and his men could get there much faster than the slow-paced woman. However, Leng Ningyue shook her head. "No need. I've already instructed someone to prepare horses outside the city."
Upon seeing the horses tied to the bushes, grazing with their heads down, Ye Shengxiao couldn't help but give a thumbs-up, then asked in confusion: "There's only one horse, what about me?"
Leng Ningyue directly mounted the horse and looked down at Ye Shengxiao. Her icy expression seemed to convey, 'Do you, an ant, even deserve to ride a horse?'
Feeling offended, but unable to fight or flee, Ye Shengxiao could only lead the way with a heavy heart.
Meanwhile.
Lin Qingge, who had galloped back to Changzhou County, first carefully examined the entrance of the sweet soup shop where Lin Zimuo had been abducted. Although the incident was sudden and the abductor wore a veiled hat and her appearance couldn't be seen clearly, many people had witnessed the crime. Following the direction indicated by witnesses, Lin Qingge discovered sugar candies that frequently appeared on the road. Considering Lin Zimuo's disposition, which was to stuff all the candies in the world into his pockets, Lin Qingge was almost certain these candies were Lin Zimuo's doing. However—
Lin Qingge's gaze flickered. Leading her horse, she followed the trail to the outskirts of the city. However, upon reaching a desolate area, Lin Qingge stopped and spoke in a low voice: "My friends hiding in the dark, I have arrived as you wished. You should also show some sincerity and come out for a meeting, shouldn't you?"
...
"I said, didn't you scatter sugar candies all along the way just to lure me here? Mo'er is just a child. Now that I'm here, whatever grudges you have, take them out on me. Aren't you afraid of wetting the bed at night if you trouble a child?"
...
Silence still reigned.
"No, you may lack education, but you cannot lack common sense. So much time has passed since Mo'er was abducted. There were so many pedestrians on the road, how could the candies remain undisturbed, waiting for me to find them? The candies outside the city are even more absurd. Forget about birds or animals carrying them away to eat; there should at least be ants and insects gathered around, right? You've gone to such great lengths, isn't it all to lure me here?"
...
"Stop hiding. The mosquitoes and insects in the trees and grass bite painfully. Hurry up and get down here."
...
Seemingly surprised that Lin Qingge knew their hiding place so clearly, the two black-clad figures, who had inadvertently revealed themselves by dropping candy, hesitated for a long time.
Finally, the two revealed themselves. One of the black-clad figures cupped his fist and said to Lin Qingge: "Lord Lin, you've misunderstood. We are not the ones who abducted the young master. We were ordered by our master to lead Lord Lin to the young master's hiding place."