Lu Manor.
"My lady, please eat something?" Nanny Yang pleaded with concern. Her mistress hadn't eaten all day—how could she endure?
"No need. I have no appetite. Stop bothering me and go search for them if you have time." Lady Lu waved her hand dismissively. She had already sent out everyone available, her palms red from clenching. Qingshan stood below the hall, repeating the events of that day over and over.
As for Lu Yuanyi's study attendant, he had long been kneeling at the entrance, awaiting punishment.
But how could she punish him? On the very first day, the boy had privately reported the matter to her. She had thought it harmless curiosity—as long as it didn't interfere with studies, she allowed it. And then? He went the second day, the third... Who knew disaster would strike on the third? She hated herself for it.
If Yuanyi was gone, she didn’t want to live either.
"My lady, the young master is blessed with great fortune. He will be fine. He’s waiting for you to bring him home—you mustn’t collapse!" Seeing Lady Lu’s desolate expression, Nanny Yang wept openly. They had all watched the young master grow up—how could they not grieve?
"Yes, yes! Quickly—let’s go to the prayer hall! I must chant sutras for Yuanyi and Chaochao!" At Nanny Yang’s words, Lady Lu suddenly stood, only to sway and nearly collapse—whether from hunger or rising too quickly.
"Bring me the ginseng soup." She couldn’t afford to fall now.
All night, the sound of galloping horses echoed through Yingchuan City. The townsfolk shut their windows tight, hearts uneasy with fear.
Government Office.
"Urgent report!!!"
A courier dismounted, dragging an old man with him as he rushed into the hall.
"My lord! A horse was found eighty li outside the city, near Banyan Village! The witness has been brought back!"
Lord Zhou strode forward. "The horse? Summon the stablehand at once! Old man, tell us—where and how did you find it?"
Old Man Zhang’s legs trembled violently. After a night of jostling on horseback, he could barely stand. Not daring to offend the officials, he prostrated himself on the ground.
"R-reporting to my lord... yesterday, on my way home..."
After finding the horse, Old Man Zhang had boasted all the way back, claiming his ancestors had blessed him in a dream. Horses were valuable—he didn’t dare keep it, planning to sell it in the city for profit. But then, in the dead of night, his door was pounded open. The officer’s gleaming blade had terrified him into confessing everything.
As soon as Old Man Zhang finished, the stablehand was brought in.
"Is this the horse used by the criminals?"
"Yes, yes! This was the very horse pulling the carriage. I even asked if they needed a place to stable it!"
"Split into two groups! Lord Meng, take your men to the checkpoint. I’ll lead the search in Banyan Village!"
The horizon lightened with the first glow of dawn. Birds chirped in the trees outside as Lu Chao stretched lazily, nudging Lu Yuanyi and Yingge, who clung to his legs.
"Brothers, we’ve survived another night!"
"Ow! Damn it! Piggy, you’re crushing my leg!" Yang Zongze yawned, his leg numb from Xu Zhiren’s weight.
To calm the children last night, Lu Chao had told them tales from Journey to the West. Soon, their sniffles had turned to rapt attention.
Xu Zhiren, with his round frame, was promptly dubbed "Pigsy"—a title he accepted cheerfully, even vowing to craft an iron rake when he got home. The others squabbled over who’d play the Monkey King, though no winner emerged.
"Let’s eat some rations and fruit, then head down the mountain!"
Who knew how far they were from Yingchuan City?
"We’ll clean up and restore our handsome appearances. If anyone asks, we’re students from a nearby academy on a study trip."
Like children carrying gold through a marketplace, they couldn’t risk stumbling into another den of thieves after escaping the last.
Branches in hand, the boys poked at grass and ant nests, creeping down the mountain like little bandits.
On the main road, galloping horses kicked up dust before fading into the distance.
Old Man Zhang, vomiting the entire way back to Banyan Village, wailed that he’d never covet easy gains again.
Father Lu and Father Yang, leading a search party, combed the mountain—never realizing their sons had descended just before their arrival. Two groups, one mountain, a perfect miss.
"Whew! I’m exhausted!" Xu Zhiren gasped, plopping down to wipe his sweat.
"Pigsy... don’t you feel a chill down your back?" Lu Chao yanked the boy up.
"Nope, just hot. I’m tired. I don’t wanna move."
"You’re sitting on someone’s ancestor! Careful, or they’ll visit you tonight."
"Eek!" Xu Zhiren’s heavy body suddenly turned light as a feather, leaping up in terror.
"Quick, apologize to the departed."
The others stifled laughter.
"Sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean it! Honored ancestor, please don’t haunt me tonight. Please!" Xu Zhiren clasped his hands in frantic prayer.
Having visited the underworld himself, Lu Chao treated such matters with reverence and bowed as well.
"Passing through—our apologies for the disturbance."
Now Xu Zhiren forgot his fatigue, urging everyone to run.
Chasing each other, they made it safely down the mountain.
"How do we get back?"
The joy of reaching the foothills faded as Lu Chao frowned, longing for a navigation app.
"Let’s ask a local? We have money—maybe hire a donkey cart to the city!"
"Backwater areas breed bandits. What if they cheat us? Or sell us again?" Zhou Youcheng refused to trust blindly.
Lu Chao pondered. "We’ll observe first. If they seem decent, we’ll ask."
"Look! Smoke over there—must be a house!"
Moments later, six sneaky heads peeked over a farmhouse’s rear fence before ducking back.
"Damn brats! Who trampled my seedlings?! If I catch you, I’ll break your legs!" The sheer volume left no doubt—this was not a woman to cross.
