"My Lord, we haven't found Lu Hao anywhere in the capital. He seems to have vanished into thin air," a hidden guard reported, clearly frustrated, to Zhan Ming.
Upon hearing this, Zhan Ming erupted in rage. He slammed his hand on the rattan chair and leaped to his feet. "He just vanished into thin air?! And this is the best you can report to me after all this time – no news?!"
The hidden guards lowered their heads.
Zuo Yan, seeing Zhan Ming on the verge of another furious outburst, quickened his steps as he walked away.
Even after he had put some distance between himself and the manor, he could still hear Zhan Ming's shouts and curses: "Keep looking! Keep searching! I refuse to believe a person can just disappear!"
As Zuo Yan walked, he mused to himself.
How could a person just disappear?
He was supposedly under guard, yet he was gone without a trace. It sounded utterly bizarre.
And who would want to abduct a swindler like Lu Hao?
Could it be the same person who rescued him?
Zuo Yan pondered this as he walked.
The sounds of shouting and scolding continued behind him.
He recalled hearing once that the most dangerous people in the capital were the Night King and the Regent. Now, he believed the Night King was far more formidable. The Regent, if not for his weakened state and the deliberate poisoning and schemes against him, would never have become the hollow shell he was now.
Furthermore, the Regent was cunning and cruel, lacking any affection for his subordinates, and thus utterly unpopular.
Therefore, in his opinion, the Night King was the one not to be trifled with.
"Investigate all suspicious individuals! This includes everyone who was at the manor yesterday."
"I want results! I want the result of you catching the person!"
"..."
Zuo Yan secretly shook his head. The Regent was truly disliked. In the Night King's manor, he had observed that everyone, from top to bottom, acted as the Night King's eyes, and his every move with Miss Jiang was closely monitored. They were genuinely loyal to the Night King.
Whereas the Night King, despite appearing taciturn and cold, treated his subordinates with respect.
This alone made the Night King a figure to be admired.
With this thought, he murmured, "I need to return to the Night King's manor as soon as possible. Miss Jiang has already left for home."
...
...
The night was deep and dark.
The moonlight was intoxicating.
Inside the Ruan manor, music and revelry filled the air.
Ruan Xi continued to embrace women on both sides, reveling in his pleasure.
Not far from the entrance, Ji Rong and Qin Yiqing passed by.
Upon witnessing the scene within, Qin Yiqing's lips twitched fiercely. "This is truly an indecent sight!"
Ji Rong looked at her gently. "Let's go, we can wander somewhere else."
"Alright, just a glance makes me have nightmares," Qin Yiqing said, still unnerved by what she had just seen, her mouth twitching uncontrollably.
"Nightmares?"
Qin Yiqing nodded vigorously. "Yes, nightmares! I've been having these occasional nightmares for the past few days. I dream that you and Ruan Xi have gone bad and have actually taken multiple concubines outside. Then, those concubines flaunt themselves in front of me every day, and in my dream, I'm so angry I grit my teeth, wishing I could kill Ruan Xi with a single blow."
Ji Rong looked at Qin Yiqing with a mixture of helplessness and indulgence. "Yiqing, those are just dreams, not reality. In my eyes, whether in the past or in the future, there has never been anyone else but you."
"I know! Ji Rong, my heart also belongs only to you. In the future, you and I will journey together to the ends of the earth!" Qin Yiqing nestled into Ji Rong's embrace, holding him tightly.
Her grip was strong, as if letting go would mean Ji Rong would leave her, just like before.
Or perhaps fall into a slumber again.
But Ji Rong, who could no longer divine for others…
She could feel his unhappiness.
Therefore, she felt a sense of fear.
"Yes, to the ends of the earth, no matter where, we will be together," Ji Rong replied softly.
Qin Yiqing buried her face in Ji Rong's chest, her eyes slightly red and stinging. She fought back the tears with all her might. Now that Ji Rong was alive, and they understood each other's hearts, other matters…
Things that could help him find his direction again, they could search for them together, slowly.
"Ji Rong, let's prepare to leave the capital in a few days. We encountered so much beautiful scenery on the way here. I was too preoccupied to appreciate it then, but now I recall how truly beautiful it was. I remember thinking that if I could share those beautiful sights with you, I would have no regrets in this life," Qin Yiqing murmured softly in his arms.
Ji Rong let out a soft hum. "Alright, we'll admire them together."
The two leaned against each other.
Under the moonlight, their figures were perfectly in sync.
Yun Shu, who had just arrived, overheard their conversation.
She couldn't bear to disturb them.
However, she cast another glance at Ji Rong's back. The Ji Rong who had awakened seemed somewhat forlorn.
She wondered if Qin Yiqing had noticed.
A thought crossed her mind. Qin Yiqing, who knew Ji Rong best, would naturally perceive this. Turning, she walked in another direction.
The Ruan manor was vast.
The East Wing was not far away.
Meanwhile, in the East Wing, Lu Hao sat with a pained expression, grimacing as he applied medicine to his wounds. He treated the parts he could reach himself, while servants applied medicine to the areas he couldn't.
The sounds of decadent music and singing continued to reach his ears.
He was incredibly envious. "Your young master knows how to enjoy himself too well. I forgot to ask before, how many concubines does your young master keep in his manor?"
"How many? It should be over twenty," the young servant thought carefully. "There are ladies who don't wish to serve the young master, so they leave with several hundred taels of silver given by the young master. And there are many new arrivals, so I'm not sure how many there are now."
Upon hearing this, Lu Hao became even more envious. This was true enjoyment!
He had earned so much money, yet he hadn't enjoyed it much.
Thinking about how he had almost died last night and would never have enjoyed anything in his life, a pang of pain shot through him. He sighed, "Your young master is truly someone I should emulate. In the future, I too will take ten or eight young wives."
They would sing soft tunes for him every day.
Suddenly, a cool voice came from the doorway. "You're about to lose your life, and you're still thinking about taking concubines?"
Lu Hao recognized this voice too well; it was almost like the voice of an immortal!
He quickly looked towards the doorway. "Master!"
With Master here, what were Ruan Xi's coveted concubines to him? In front of Master, those concubines were all ugly monsters!
It was so easy to let Master know his complex inner world.
"How's your injury?" Yun Shu walked in, holding a bottle of medicine.
She handed the medicine to the servant. "Apply this medicine to him."
The servant respectfully acknowledged, "Yes."
Lu Hao's eyes gleamed. He stared at the medicine bottle in the servant's hand, sniffing it greedily. "Master, are you being too good to your disciple? This ointment must be extremely valuable, filled with incredibly precious medicinal herbs!"
"It's good that you know it's valuable. Once your injury heals, directly send ten thousand taels of silver to the General's manor," Yun Shu examined Lu Hao closely. His physique was quite robust.
Lu Hao sputtered, "Ah!"