The ink-black sky was adorned with a high-hanging bright moon, its cunning light spilling over the earth, casting a faint glow on every blade of grass and tree.
Tonight's moonlight was exceptionally bright.
Having swum for a long time and just emerged from the river channel utterly exhausted, Meng Ling'er dared not sit for too long, fearing the other party might also follow the riverbank searching for her.
The urgent task now was to leave quickly.
The young girl struggled to her feet, staggered a step or two, then seemed to remember something and turned back. By the moonlight, she carefully examined the grass where she had just come ashore.
A smooth, round pearl lay in the grass.
Meng Ling'er let out a heavy breath, pressing a hand to her chest, trying to force her heart, which was practically leaping into her throat, back down.
She picked up the small pearl that should have been sewn onto her clothing, then ruffled the grass she had flattened when coming ashore.
Sharp blades of grass cut a gash on her finger, but the girl who would once hiss and suck in air from a mere prick while doing needlework now showed no expression beyond lips trembling slightly from the cold after her swim.
After completing this, Meng Ling'er casually drew the short dagger from inside her boot, straightening up with the blade in hand.
Moonlight fell on her face, revealing not only pallor but also a rare stern coldness and sharpness. If Huo Zhizhang were here now, he would certainly notice that his younger sister's expression bore a two or three-point resemblance to their father's when his face turned cold.
The landing point was all wilderness, with a view of dense woods not far away on one side and gentler terrain dominated by low shrubs on the other.
The young girl headed toward the former without hesitation.
Soaked through, the night wind chilled her to the bone, but at this moment Meng Ling'er only felt relief. Thankfully it was summer; if it were winter, just that ordeal in the river would likely have given her a high fever by tonight.
"Awooo."
A wolf's howl sounded in the distance. Meng Ling'er paused, but ultimately entered the woods. After walking a stretch inside, she stopped and looked around.
The bright moonlight tonight allowed faint, mottled patches of its glow to be seen on the ground. Meng Ling'er surveyed her surroundings and finally chose a spot where the light patches were least dense.
She used the dagger to cut a long, thin strip from her skirt hem. One end of the strip was tied to the dagger's hilt, the other to her own wrist.
Finding a spot on a tree above waist height, the young girl mustered all her strength to drive the dagger into the wood.
The dagger was a top-quality blade, piercing the tree easily.
After this step, the small figure retreated a few paces, then charged forward, leaped up to hug the trunk with both hands, stepped onto the dagger hilt positioned as planned, pushed off hard, and used the momentum to reach the first fork.
That push had loosened the dagger. Now Meng Ling'er tugged sharply on the strip, alternating tension and slack. After a few tries, the dagger embedded in the trunk came loose, and she retrieved it by pulling on the strip.
She continued climbing upward.
Only when she reached a high point, where the tree crown's branches and leaves were extremely dense, did Meng Ling'er stop. Fortunately, she was much lighter than a grown man and could now sit steadily on a branch.
It was at this moment that the tightly strung cord in Meng Ling'er's mind finally relaxed a little, like a machine wound to its limit by a taut belt, beginning to operate slowly only after the constraint was released.
Memories rewound.
At noon, after dining at her aunt's... no, at Lü Hongying's place, she had felt drowsy right after finishing the meal. At the time, she thought it unusual, as she typically had no habit of napping at noon, but the wave of sleepiness was so overwhelming it was nearly irresistible. She couldn't help but doze off.
When she awoke, her hands were bound behind her back, a cloth gag stuffed in her mouth, and several ropes tied around her waist, securing her to the rider.
She understood everything now. The kin she believed still cherished her as in childhood had betrayed her...
She carried no secret treasure; capturing her was surely to use her to threaten her father. Given her mother's deep care for her, if things proceeded, her father and mother would certainly fall out.
This absolutely must not happen. She had to escape.
The rider in front of her wore a black cloak that enveloped her, blocking her view of the outside. She could only feel the jolting from the galloping horse.
She struggled constantly on the horse, but the ropes were tight, with hemp cords even binding her ankles, looped under the horse's belly. These people clearly intended to fix her firmly to the horse.
She didn't know how long it lasted—perhaps one hour, maybe two—before the horse finally stopped.
The black cloak that had shrouded her head was also removed.
She saw daylight again.
No, there was no more "daylight." Dusk had ended, the sky's light faded, leaving only an increasingly bright moon in the night sky.
The group that had abducted her wasn't large, only about ten people. They likely feared passing through towns and villages might encounter hidden Youzhou scouts, so they actually camped in the open wilderness.
She didn't know this group's destination; her mind held only one thought: "escape."
They dismounted, untied the ropes on her ankles, and let her down.
Later, after her frantic signaling, they removed the gag from her mouth. Surrounded by wilderness, even if she screamed herself hoarse, no one would heed her; they were confident and unafraid.
She watched as some of them were sent to scout the area. Later, she heard one return from fetching water, telling his companions they were nearing a ferry crossing.
With little time to weigh all considerations, she immediately declared she had an urgent need to relieve herself, demanding they untie the ropes on her hands.
Perhaps seeing she was alone and just a young girl, and possibly having received some instructions from their mastermind, they didn't ignore her.
The ropes binding her wrists were undone, replaced by a single long rope tied to one wrist, with one man holding the other end leading her into the bushes.
Once in the bushes, she squatted down, her hand trembling as she felt the outside of her right boot.
No one knew that when she discovered the slender, hard object was still there, it was like a lost traveler wandering a vast cave finally glimpsing a sliver of light named hope, squeezing through a crack.
Her short dagger was still there. There was still hope.
She screamed, tugged the rope, and told the man it seemed she'd been bitten by an insect, that the spot now hurt and felt numb, asking him to check if it was a poisonous bug.
The man didn't suspect.
As he approached, her heart pounded wildly. Success or failure hinged on this move. If she couldn't kill this man, raising the alarm would leave her with no real chance to escape later.
In that moment, she thought of nothing, only that the man before her must die! If he didn't, she would suffer, and so would her father and mother, implicated because of her.
Drawing the blade and thrusting it hard into his neck seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. His warm blood splattered onto her cheek. She had no time to wipe it, using her non-dagger-holding left hand to tightly cover his mouth and nose, preventing him from uttering the slightest cry.
After taking down one person, she skirted around the area and headed in the direction from which the water-fetcher had returned earlier. Midway, she unexpectedly ran into another man.
The man was greatly alarmed and immediately moved to seize her. A moment of carelessness on his part also led to his throat being slit by her.
But by now, the others had been alerted.
She could handle one overconfident grown man, but if ten came at her together, she knew full well she had no power to withstand them.
Escape, she had to escape immediately!
Under the cover of night, she dashed into the woods. Strange noises followed close behind her like hunting hounds. Perhaps Heaven did not wish her dead, for just as the sounds from behind drew nearer, she spotted a river channel.
Without a moment's hesitation, she jumped in.
She had only learned swimming in theory, at most paddling a couple of strokes in the bathing pool of the Provincial Governor's residence. When she jumped, she thought only that even death was preferable to being captured and used as a pawn to threaten her parents.
Human potential might be limitless. Not only did she not drown, she also luckily shook off her pursuers.
The memory cut off abruptly there.
Meng Ling'er curled up, hiding in a tree. It felt as if she had returned to that moment not long ago—warm blood splashing on her cheek, the thick, pungent smell of blood assaulting her nostrils.
The young girl fiercely wiped her face with her hand.
But there was actually nothing on her face; the blood had long been washed clean in the river.
A night breeze brushed past, and Meng Ling'er shivered, feeling cold again. She began to tremble as she wrung out her clothes, twisting every part that could squeeze out water until it was dry, but the fabric remained essentially soaked.
If she didn't want to fall ill tomorrow, she should get down from the tree quickly, find a cave, take off her clothes, and build a fire.
"There are wolves below, and people might still be searching. I can't go down," Meng Ling'er murmured to herself.
What was merely a night's sleep for others felt exceptionally long to her. Only when the sky began to lighten on the horizon did Meng Ling'er shake her head, forcing herself to snap out of her daze.
"Achoo!" She couldn't help but let out a small sneeze.
The young girl rubbed her nose and then felt her forehead. Thankfully, it was just a slight chill, no fever.
She stood on the tree branch and scanned the surroundings. After confirming no one was around, she slowly climbed down. Her legs went soft when her feet touched the ground, but she forced herself to stand straight quickly. "Licorice and ephedra can treat wind-cold. They can also be eaten raw. I need to find some herbs first..."
The red sun in the sky gradually rose higher.
Meng Ling'er stuffed the herbs, cut into small pieces with her short dagger, into her mouth. Without water, she could only chew them dry and struggle to swallow.
After finishing the herbs, the young girl looked up at the sky. The golden sun hung slightly to the east. "I need to head north."
No matter where she was now, she had to go north.
The northern part of Jing Province bordered three other provinces. From west to east, they were:
Yong Province, Si Province, and Yu Province.
Si Province was her father's territory. Everything would be fine once she entered her father's domain. The people who had kidnapped her yesterday didn't have reinforcements immediately following them, so they likely weren't from the Jing Province side.
Head north, to Si Province!
Chenyuan Dao, the Temporary Headquarters.
Pei Ying woke up; it was already the beginning of the Si hour (around 9 AM). After washing up, she asked Xin Jin, "Has Nannan come yet?"
Since staying at Chenyuan Dao, mother and daughter had been having breakfast together every morning.
"She has not," Xin Jin replied, then added something Huo Tingshan had mentioned not long ago, "Madam, the Grand General said the council meeting concluded today."
Pei Ying was taken aback for a moment, interpreting this as the meeting having ended, her husband now having free time, and their daughter resuming her lessons.
Lessons started early, and she woke up late, so normally when her daughter had lessons, they wouldn't have breakfast together. They might not have lunch together either, but they always had dinner together.
Since her daughter was busy, Pei Ying had her meal alone. After breakfast, she continued reviewing the account books she hadn't finished last night.
She had only flipped through a few pages when Huo Tingshan arrived.
It was not yet noon, an unusual time for him to be in the main courtyard. Pei Ying glanced at him. The man went straight to the soft couch, sat down, and casually picked up the travelogue she had left on the small side table, starting to read.
He was uncharacteristically at leisure.
Pei Ying lowered her head and continued with her own work.
If he was idle, so be it. He couldn't be expected to spin like a top after being so busy for so long, not even allowed to rest.
So Pei Ying paid him no mind and focused on her own tasks.
Time flowed slowly by. Her daughter didn't come at noon, and Pei Ying didn't disturb her either. She considered herself not a controlling parent who needed her daughter to report every little thing.
Time swiftly turned to the afternoon. The golden sun sank in the west, dyeing the sky with vast stretches of beautiful sunset glow. Clouds were scattered across the sky, and against the brilliant backdrop, they looked like skewers of roasted meat served on an orange platter.
The more Pei Ying looked, the more her mouth watered.
"Huo Tingshan, let's have barbecue tonight," Pei Ying said with a smile. "Roasted meat dipped in a bit of white sugar—the taste is simply too good. Last time, Nannan ate five or six skewers in one go."
Huo Tingshan's Adam's apple bobbed. "Madam..."
"It's settled then," Pei Ying decided for him. Then she turned to Xin Jin and said, "Xin Jin, please make a trip to Linglong Courtyard."
Xin Jin accepted the order.
Huo Tingshan watched the departing maid's back, a vein twitching at his temple.
"Grand General." Guo Dajiang came to report at that moment.
The man, who had been sitting on the soft seat, abruptly stood up. But after taking a few steps, halfway there, sensing a puzzled gaze resting on him, he couldn't help but stiffen slightly.
Huo Tingshan paused for half a breath before continuing to walk out. "What is it?"
"The guards found a letter that had been thrown over the wall into the residence from outside." Guo Dajiang presented the letter with both hands.
Huo Tingshan took it, opened it swiftly, and instantly his face turned as dark as ink, his eyes flashing with a terrifying ferocity. His hand holding the letter involuntarily tightened, veins bulging on the back, creasing the corners of the letter deeply.
The letter read:
Deliver Lady Pei to Chang'an, and your daughter will be safe.
