Lu Yinxi quickly lowered her eyes and once again became the timid little wife in front of others. Shang Luoshu also changed his expression accordingly and opened the door first.
Standing in front of the door was unexpectedly the young man named Wang Cai who had shown them the way before. Judging from his appearance, he should not have reached the age of twenty yet.
Seeing the two strange outsiders again, Wang Cai's face was colder than before. He simply said stiffly, "The boss wants to see you," and then left indifferently.
The two of them subconsciously locked eyes with each other. In each other's eyes, they saw the same question. They had just left not long ago. Why did Wang Dali want to see them again?
Something had happened!
Shang Luoshu and Lu Yinxi were right. Something had indeed happened, but it was something about them.
"Lu Dashu, today is the first day. I hope you can keep your wife in check and don't let her wander around aimlessly."
Lu Yinxi shrank her neck and tried to hide herself behind Shang Luoshu. She couldn't let her persona in front of outsiders collapse. However, in her heart, she had a different opinion of this Wang Dali.
This man was highly vigilant.
When she had gone to gather information just now, Lu Yinxi thought she had acted quite naturally and hadn't shown any flaws. Unexpectedly, she had still caught the other person's attention.
"Don't misunderstand, Master. My wife, Xiaoxi, didn't mean anything else. She just..."
"Don't bother to explain,"
The conversation was forcefully interrupted. There was no hiding the irritation in Wang Dali's words. "If you can't do it, then please just leave."
...
The two of them returned to the thatched cottage somewhat disheveled. After they noticed that those people had gone far away, Lu Yinxi finally lowered her voice and said, "What should we do now?"
Their intention had been discovered on their first attempt. It would surely be extremely difficult to find out anything else later.
"Don't be in a hurry," Shang Luoshu comforted her. "You should eat something first and have a good rest. It's only the first day."
Shang Luoshu had now regained his usual calmness.
The more Wang Dali tried to cover things up and prevent them from finding out, the more it indicated that there was a secret hidden in this place. There was no such thing as an airtight wall in this world. They still had two days left. Sooner or later, he would find out the truth about some things.
It was already late at night, and the sounds of cicadas filled the surroundings. Ling Yin casually broke off a dry branch and threw it into the fire. Immediately, the flames in front of her jumped up higher. Her gaze passed through the flames and landed on the two people opposite.
On the other side of the fire were Hong Mei and Hong Rui. The three of them had been here for almost four or five days. It was only two days ago that Ling Yin had found out that the two people in front of her were women.
Based on this, she had reason to suspect that the young man who had threatened her that day was most likely not a man either, although his flirting methods...
Pulling her thoughts back, Ling Yin earnestly pleaded, "Come on, we're all women. Why do you have to make things difficult for me? Just let me go, okay?"
Hong Rui glanced at her and then quickly averted her gaze. She didn't say a word during this time, but Ling Yin somehow understood what she meant.
No way!
Alright, she got it!
Angrily, she threw the branch in her hand onto the ground. The little girl pouted and leaned against a tree trunk. Then she closed her eyes, crossed her arms, and decided to turn a blind eye!
She should have known better than to speak up. She had told the truth and now she was being semi - imprisoned here. It was simply annoying!
Seeing that Ling Yin had closed her eyes, Hong Rui's vigilance relaxed a little. As usual, she said to Hong Mei, "You go to sleep. I'll keep watch tonight."
In order to prevent Ling Yin from escaping, Hong Mei and Hong Rui had divided the work. One was in charge during the day, and the other was in charge at night, always ensuring that there was someone to watch over her.
After a few days, Ling Yin had gotten used to it, but that didn't mean she wouldn't resist.
The summer mornings came early. The sky was still dim. The fire beside them had gone out at some point. Ling Yin leaned against the tree trunk and quietly lifted her eyelids a little.
Hong Mei was still asleep. Judging from the usual situation, she would sleep for a while longer. Ling Yin wasn't worried about her. Her eyes moved, and she looked at Hong Rui on the other side. This was the person she really needed to pay attention to.
Through her observations over the past few days, she had learned that the one named Hong Rui seemed to know martial arts. As a weak girl, she would surely not be a match for her. Since that was the case, she could only outwit her.
So, for several consecutive days, she had given herself self - suggestions before going to sleep every day, forcing her body to wake up at this time.
At the transition between dawn and daylight, people were at their sleepiest. She had observed that even Hong Rui couldn't completely resist this drowsiness. This was the best time for her to slip away.
She had finally managed to escape from Yangxian and found a way out. She wasn't going to hand her fate over to others again.
She tilted her head to one side, completely relaxed her body, and even her breathing gradually became steady. Ling Yin really had to thank her good hearing. Even from this distance, she could hear Hong Rui's breathing.
So, she should be asleep by now, right?
After waiting for a while longer and seeing that neither of them showed any signs of movement, Ling Yin finally opened her eyes and carefully got up while holding onto the tree trunk.
She had observed in the past few days that the forest they were in was very large. Later, she would run deep into the forest. She didn't believe that Hong Rui could still find her.
Thinking like this, the little girl's movements became even more cautious. She tiptoed with every step, afraid of making the slightest sound.
"Where are you going?"
The cold female voice came to her ears along with the warmth of the early morning. Ling Yin could hardly control her facial expression.
No way. Wasn't Hong Rui asleep?
Inside Yangxian City
Xia Shouzheng hadn't slept all night. Or rather, since this incident had started, he had rarely been able to have a good night's sleep. Moreover, he had just received news that two strangers had sneaked into Wang Dali's group.
"Your subordinate sent people to inquire around the North Gate. A few days ago, it seems that Wang Dali's son got lost in the mountains. It was that young couple who found him. Then Wang Dali let them stay there."
"A couple?"
Xia Shouzheng was a bit unsure. Were female family members allowed in the military camp? Or were the two of them really just passers - by? Doubts filled his mind, and for a moment, he didn't know what decision to make.
Just then, another person rushed into the room. "Sir, there's news from over there."
Since the last time he had spoken too clearly and been overheard, Xia Shouzheng had referred to the news sent from the capital as "over there" uniformly.
Before Xia Shouzheng could say anything, the person had already cleverly presented the note.
The magistrate Xia didn't dare to delay and immediately unfolded it: "The army will arrive tomorrow."
So, it was time for him to act!
Without much thought, Xia Shouzheng asked, "You De, how many people in the prison are related to Wang Dali's group?"
"Reporting to my lord, there are exactly ten of them."
"Bind all of them up and take them to the North Gate." After a pause, he continued, "Send a message to Wang Dali as well."
When Shang Luoshu returned from the mountain, he found that there was chaos all around. Many people had worried and desperate looks on their faces.
"What happened?" When he found Lu Yinxi, the man went straight to the point.
The young girl didn't hide anything and directly said, "Wang Dali is missing!"