Nian Jiaojiao’s question made Tong Fu pause.
“My brother? He returned a long time ago.”
It was Nian Jiaojiao’s turn to be surprised. She looked down at Xingyun and asked,
“Yun’er, Young Master Tong has already returned. Did you not see him earlier?”
Xingyun tilted her head and thought, confirming,
“I didn’t. I was painting in the front courtyard the whole time.”
Tong Fu said nonchalantly,
“Perhaps you were too focused on your painting to notice someone enter. It’s fine, you all go eat first. I’ll go call my third brother.”
Xingyun considered that it might indeed be that she hadn’t noticed, and said no more.
…
The dining room.
Nian Jiaojiao and the four husbands were already seated at the table, waiting for the Tong siblings.
Just then, Tong Fu rushed in, her face etched with worry, saying,
“Jiaojiao, what do we do? No one is in the side courtyard. My brother didn’t come back!”
Nian Jiaojiao furrowed her brow.
“Little Fu, don’t worry. Perhaps Young Master Tong is out shopping in the vicinity.”
As she said this, Nian Jiaojiao wasn’t entirely confident.
Tong Ziyao was considered a “young lady of noble birth” in Dayue. If placed in her previous life, he would be considered quite a homebody.
Generally speaking, he shouldn’t be out wandering alone for so long.
Once Tong Fu calmed down a little, Nian Jiaojiao said,
“We’ll go search the surrounding streets for Young Master Tong.”
At this, Yu Chuan also stood up.
“I’m going too.”
The Xuan Yi brothers also stood up.
Nian Jiaojiao thought for a moment and said, “Let’s split into two groups. You, Yu Chuan, and Xingyun will go together, and the three of you will go together.”
Considering Xuan Yi’s martial prowess and Nan Qing’s intellect, Nian Jiaojiao asked the two to accompany Tong Fu.
“Alright.”
“Good.”
“Okay.”
“Very well.”
…
The group agreed in unison.
……
Southern Outskirts.
It was already dark. Nian Zhenzhen carried a sack and walked towards the forest.
Since she rarely left after coming to the academy, Nian Zhenzhen was not familiar with Qingzhou, nor did she have a residence there.
When she knocked someone out with resentment in her heart, she was somewhat at a loss at the time.
After all, such a large person needed a place to be dealt with.
Furthermore, moving them in broad daylight was difficult.
So, she waited until it was dark before renting a cart to transport the person out of the city.
However, after leaving the city, she encountered another problem.
The road outside the city was muddy and difficult to navigate. After pushing for just a few steps, the cart hit a stone, and the person on it fell out.
With no other option, Nian Zhenzhen had to place the cart in a slightly concealed corner and then carry the person herself.
Nian Zhenzhen walked into the forest for a while, and Tong Ziyao, who was being carried on her shoulder, also woke up.
He felt himself being carried and gradually recalled the events of the day. Soon, he understood his predicament.
He had been kidnapped!
Tong Ziyao didn’t struggle or shout immediately. He tried to calm himself and began to think about how to escape.
Because his head was covered with a sack, Tong Ziyao couldn't see what was happening outside.
However, it was unusually quiet outside, and he couldn’t hear any sounds.
Tong Ziyao estimated that the place was quite remote.
*Creak—*
*Creak—*
Tong Ziyao concentrated, not letting any sound escape him.
In this quiet place, the sound of the other person’s footsteps was particularly noticeable.
However…
The sound seemed to be of someone stepping on leaves.
It was autumn, and although there were fallen leaves, the sound wouldn't be so pronounced. Clearly, there were a lot of fallen leaves here.
It was like being in a forest…
Upon reaching this conclusion, Tong Ziyao’s heart sank.
This was not good news at all.
As if to confirm his guess, a “flutter” sound from above startled over a dozen crows as the person entered the woods.
As the crows flew away, they let out strange cries.
*Caw— caw—*
These cries added a sense of gloom and terror to the dense forest.
Nian Zhenzhen suddenly stopped and put down the person on her shoulder.
“Hoo, hoo, hoo… I’m exhausted!”
She gasped and complained while beginning to untie the sack.
Feeling the other person’s actions, Tong Ziyao quickly closed his eyes and pretended to be unconscious.
After Nian Zhenzhen removed the sack, she saw Tong Ziyao appear lifeless and breathed a sigh of relief. She sat down on the ground to rest.
But as soon as she sat down, she felt the urge to urinate.
Because it was her first time doing something like this, Nian Zhenzhen was extremely nervous. Even though she needed to use the restroom, she had been holding it in, and by now, it had been three hours.
After much hesitation, she gritted her teeth and began to relieve herself under a large tree not far from Tong Ziyao.
Now!
Tong Ziyao suddenly opened his eyes and ran in a particular direction.
On the other side, Nian Zhenzhen had just taken off her pants when a warm sensation came. Just as it was about to emerge, she saw Tong Ziyao escaping and quickly pulled back.
“Damn it! Don’t run!”
Hearing the shout, Tong Ziyao didn’t dare to look back, only increasing his speed.
Nian Zhenzhen stood up abruptly, a few drops of yellow liquid slipping from her thighs. She ignored it, didn’t even bother to put on her pants, and chased after him.
……
On the other side.
Nian Jiaojiao and the others regrouped at the entrance of their home after failing to find Tong Ziyao.
Following Nan Qing’s suggestion, they searched around the newly opened bookstore twice more and asked many passersby, but found nothing.
At this point, Nan Qing said,
“A person cannot simply disappear without a trace. The city is crowded with people, yet there is no news. Then there is only one possibility…”
“Outside the city.”
“Outside the city!”
Nan Qing and Nian Jiaojiao said in unison.
Nan Qing cast an approving glance at Nian Jiaojiao.
At this moment, Tong Fu was almost crying from worry. She looked pleadingly at Nian Jiaojiao and choked out,
“Jiaojiao, what should we do?”
Nian Jiaojiao thought for a moment.
“This is close to the South Gate. If the other party wanted to transport someone out, they wouldn’t go the long way around. Let’s go to the southern outskirts!”
…
South Gate.
The city gate was now closed.
“Who goes there!”
The guards at the city gate drew their swords and warned sternly as they saw Nian Jiaojiao’s group running towards them.
Tong Fu quickly waved her hands.
“Sir, there’s been a misunderstanding. I have urgent business to attend to. Please be accommodating!”
“No! If you wish to leave the city, come back early tomorrow,” the guard refused unceremoniously.
“But…”
Tong Fu wanted to say more but was stopped by Nian Jiaojiao.
“Sir, please just open a small gap and let the two of us out.”
As she spoke, Nian Jiaojiao quietly offered ten taels of silver.
But unexpectedly, the other party did not play by the rules.