Chapter 522: Chapter 522 Leaving Chapter 522: Chapter 522 Leaving “Indeed,” Long Yi replied carefully as he pushed the door open.
Big Bull lay lazily on the bed, a thin blanket covering up to his chest. His fingers lightly flicked, and the oil lamp in the room suddenly lit up. He parted his lips and asked softly, “What urgent matter brings you here in the dead of night?”
Long Yi hurried to his side, whispered a few words into his ear, and then respectfully stepped back a few paces.
“What?” Big Bull’s expression grew solemn.
“This matter cannot be delayed. Please, Master, you must return to the Capital immediately to take charge,” Long Yi implored, kneeling on the ground with a serious face.
“Return to the Capital.” Big Bull pondered for a moment, then quickly got out of bed and dressed.
There were some things that couldn’t just be left hanging; they needed to be resolved, so that he and Xuexue could enjoy better days ahead.
Hearing this, Long Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, the Master had agreed to return to the Capital to take charge. That was a relief. He had been afraid that it would be like the previous times when, no matter how much he tried, the Master refused to return. He had prepared himself to kneel there indefinitely if the Master decided against going back.
“Let’s go.”
Big Bull, though dressed plainly, exuded an innate nobility that made his coarse clothes seem dignified.
“Yes.” Long Yi followed happily behind, relieved that the Master was indeed leaving.
As they reached the door, Big Bull paused, then turned back to the room.
Long Yi, standing at the doorway, turned around, watching anxiously, thinking to himself, ‘The Master isn’t having second thoughts, is he?’
“Master?” Long Yi looked pitifully at Big Bull.
“Wait a moment, I’m leaving a letter for Xuexue,” said Big Bull, giving Long Yi a cold glance, then pulled out pen and ink from the cabinet. He wrote a few words briskly on a piece of paper, placed it on the desk, and weighed it down with a small piece of wood, before heading out.
It was very late, and he didn’t want to wake Xuexue. Once he dealt with the matters in the Capital, he would return quickly to fetch her.
The barking of dogs rose and fell in the village; some of the Mo Family Village residents were awakened, not knowing what was happening, and felt uneasy.
He and Long Yi bounded out and were soon at the edge of the village.
Big Bull leapt onto the horse, gave its hindquarters a slap, and rode off into the distance.
Several men in black, seeing this, quickly mounted their horses as well.
Soon after, the sounds of horses echoed from the village entrance, growing fainter and fainter.
Mo Family Village returned to silence.
The next day
In the early morning, Madam Xie got up and, seeing that Big Bull’s door was wide open, she looked inside, found no one there, and thought nothing of it, assuming he had gone out.
However, as sunrise approached and Madam Xie returned home from washing clothes in the river, having prepared breakfast, the family sat down to eat. It was only then that they noticed Big Bull had not been seen that morning, which caused them to grow anxious.
Madam Xie asked Xuexue, “Xuexue, did you not see Big Bull this morning?”
Xuexue shook her head, equally baffled, and said, “No, after I got up and washed up, I went to check on the watermelons in the field. I’ve only just come back. What’s happened, mother?”
Madam Xie looked worried: “Big Bull is missing.”
A sense of dread filled Xuexue’s heart; recalling the loud barking of the dogs in the village the previous night, she wondered if Big Bull had left without a word. With this thought, she hastily put down what she was holding and ran to Big Bull’s room.
The room was tidy, except for the bed covers, which were a mess as if someone had got up hurriedly in the middle of the night.
Xuexue hoped, against hope, that it would be like the last time and that he would return on his own shortly.
“Xuexue, look, there’s a letter here,” Madam Xie, who followed and couldn’t read, pointed out when she saw a letter on top of the cabinet.