Feng Xianxian did not respond.
Shao Yutong refused to give up. “The two of them are missing.”
Feng Xianxian kept her eyes closed, but couldn’t help replying, “What’s so strange about that? They probably went to relieve themselves.”
“When Eldest Cousin needs to relieve himself, Ninth Cousin and Uncle Xiao always carry him there.” Shao Yutong’s voice was filled with mystery and barely concealed suggestion. “This is far too unusual. They may have secretly run off! You’re all exiled convicts, you know. If they escape, the whole family will be implicated!”
Feng Xianxian was frightened by her words and hurriedly turned around. “That can’t be, can it?”
“It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“Then… then what should we do?”
“We’ll report them.” Shao Yutong’s tone grew impassioned. “Let the guards go find them and drag them back! This could be a great accomplishment. The guards might even reward us if they’re pleased!”
Yet the furtive look in her eyes and the way she urged Feng Xianxian on reminded Feng Xianxian of what had happened before. Everyone had listened to Shao Yutong and eaten that deadly wild boar piglet, and Feng Xianxian had almost died beneath its hooves.
With a cold snort, she said, “If this is such a great opportunity, why don’t you report it yourself? Why do you have to drag me into it?”
Shao Yutong was momentarily at a loss. A flash of anger and embarrassment crossed her face, but she quickly suppressed it and put on a pitiful expression. “Third Cousin’s Wife, how could I dare show my face now? Everyone hates me so much they’d probably eat me alive… You go and report it. You can take all the credit. I only want a bite to eat…”
Feng Xianxian stared at her, her thoughts in a tangled mess.
She was afraid of the guards, and she was afraid of causing trouble. But more than anything, she wanted to see Cheng Yao suffer.
After an inner struggle, she gritted her teeth. “Fine. I’ll go.”
She rose to her feet and patted the dead grass from her clothes, as if trying to work up her courage. Yet she couldn’t help glancing at Shao Yutong.
“If you dare set me up, I won’t let you off.”
A false smile immediately spread across Shao Yutong’s face. “Third Cousin’s Wife, I have no reason to harm you. Go on, hurry! Be careful!”
As she watched Feng Xianxian shuffle toward the guards, looking anxious and glancing back every few steps, a cold, sinister smile curled Shao Yutong’s lips.
Then she walked toward Zhan Haochen.
Zhan Haochen had been lying quietly, seemingly asleep. In reality, he knew that Cheng Yao and her husband had left and had been secretly keeping watch on everything around him. The moment Shao Yutong approached, his eyes flew open.
Shao Yutong hurried over. “Ninth Cousin, this is bad! Third Cousin’s Wife has reported to the guards that Eldest Cousin and Eldest Cousin’s Wife have escaped!”
Zhan Haochen’s heart lurched. Without bothering to ask why Shao Yutong was here, he hurriedly called toward the corner beside him in a low voice, “Big Brother, Sister-in-law.”
Shao Yutong’s lips curved upward as she withdrew into the darkness again, waiting eagerly and nervously for the show to begin.
Feng Xianxian’s heart pounded like a drum. After finally edging her way over to a guard who was yawning, she stammered, “G-Guard, I-I noticed that two people are missing…”
The guard was already miserable from drowsiness. At her words, his brows shot up. “Who’s missing? What are you shouting about in the middle of the night?”
Feng Xianxian braced herself. “It’s… it’s my eldest brother and sister-in-law.”
“What?”
The guard’s expression changed.
That man was a high-priority prisoner under close watch. If he had really escaped, all of them would have to pay with their lives!
“Where are they? If you dare make a false report, I’ll beat you to death!” the guard snarled at Feng Xianxian.
Terrified, Feng Xianxian pointed in that direction.
The guard immediately woke Li Liming, told him what had happened, and the two of them set off with their swords toward the spot Feng Xianxian had indicated—the corner where Zhan Haoting and his wife had been resting.
Zhan Haochen, meanwhile, was frantic because he couldn’t get the two of them to return.
When he saw the two guards approaching with swords drawn, following Feng Xianxian’s directions, his heart tightened even more.
In desperation, he had no time to think. He abruptly stood up and pretended to have just been awakened. With a hint of drowsiness and irritation, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Who is it? What are you making such a racket about in the middle of the night? Are we ever going to get any sleep?”
His shout rang out with startling clarity and volume in the silent night.
Almost at the exact moment his voice faded, Cheng Yao, who was feeding Zhan Haoting the last spoonful of meat gruel inside the space, heard him clearly.
Her expression changed. Someone was definitely coming—most likely the guards!
Without time to think, she reacted instinctively. She grabbed the clothes she had not yet had time to put on Zhan Haoting and used a thought to leave the space.
Outside, the two guards had just arrived. Hearing Zhan Haochen’s shout, they cursed impatiently, “What are you howling about? We’re on night patrol.”
They hurried forward and raised their torches.
In the corner, Cheng Yao was half-crouched beside Zhan Haoting. The sudden glare of the firelight made her instinctively raise a hand to shield her face.
Zhan Haoting lay on the ground, his face pale and his clothes disheveled. One hand covered his abdomen, and his brows were slightly furrowed, as though his injuries had flared up.
Cheng Yao appeared to be treating his wounds.
“What are you two doing?” the guards demanded suspiciously, especially as they looked at Zhan Haoting, who was barely dressed.
Cheng Yao remained calm, her tone even carrying a trace of displeasure at being disturbed. “Guard, his wound has started to fester. I removed his clothes and cleaned it with warm water. I was about to apply fresh medicine. Have we disturbed you?”
Her explanation was perfectly reasonable, and her composure dispelled most of the guards’ suspicions.
One of them moved the lantern closer and examined the scene carefully. Zhan Haoting had a fresh bandage wrapped around him, and the guard saw nothing unusual. He withdrew his gaze, turned to the guilty-looking Feng Xianxian, and launched into a furious tirade.
“Damn it! Are you blind? They’re right here! What are you screaming about in the middle of the night? Making a false report and playing the guards for fools—I think your skin is itching for a beating!”
Tears streamed down Feng Xianxian’s face as she tried to defend herself incoherently. “I… I really didn’t see them just now…”
“And you still dare argue!”
The guard raised his whip and snapped it through the air. Feng Xianxian screamed and crouched down, covering her head.
“Get back to sleep! If you cause trouble again for no reason, I’ll throw you to the wolves!” the guard roared.
Feng Xianxian was so frightened that her hands trembled. Unable to swallow her anger, she pointed toward the darkness where Shao Yutong had been hiding. “She told me to report it!”
But Shao Yutong had already slipped away. There was no one there.
The guard glanced over. The area was pitch-black, without even the shadow of a ghost. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he whipped Feng Xianxian viciously.
“Staying up in the middle of the night and making trouble!”
Feng Xianxian’s skin burned with pain, but she did not even dare cry out.
Only after striking her several times did the guard finally stop. Sobbing and scrambling on all fours, she fled back to her original place, where she was met by even more disdainful and disgusted looks from those around her.
In an instant, her hatred of Shao Yutong surpassed her hatred of Cheng Yao.
Because of that little wretch, she had not only failed to earn any credit, but had also offended the guards, been beaten, and turned herself into a laughingstock in everyone’s eyes!
The next time she saw Shao Yutong, she would tear that mouth of hers apart!
Only after the guards had left did Zhan Haochen finally let out the breath he had been holding. Even so, his back was drenched in cold sweat.
He looked toward the place where Shao Yutong had been hiding.
