Lin Sheng pondered for a moment and murmured, "Ling Xuan always claims what he takes a fancy to as his own. It won't be easy for him to let you go down the mountain. If you disappear, he'll suspect me first. If he blames me, I'll be in big trouble."
"I've got an idea. I'll set the Suiyu Hall on fire and then escape while making it seem like I've been burned to death," Tang Youyou said, her eyes lighting up. As long as people thought she was dead, it would surely break Mo Lingxuan's attachment to her.
"It's a good idea, but it's a pity for such a nice house."
After they finished discussing, Tang Youyou finally got a good night's sleep. Two days later, when Mo Lingxuan went down the mountain on business, Lin Sheng would have a chance to set the fire. While everyone was busy putting out the fire, Tang Youyou would slip away quietly. By the time Mo Lingxuan came back, she would have already successfully gone down the mountain, and he would think she had perished in the fire and was gone forever.
Tang Youyou lay on the couch, smiling from ear to ear. She was finally going to escape from his clutches. Once she got down the mountain, she would definitely go look for Rong Xun. She really missed him after not seeing him for a few days.
If she hadn't met Rong Xun, maybe Mo Lingxuan would have been a good choice. But now there was only room for one person in her heart, and there was no space left for anyone else. Tang Youyou never thought she would fall for someone one day.
She, a living person, had been imprisoned in this mountain villa. The venerable mother must have known about it. As for why she didn't seem to mind, that was a mystery. Maybe she didn't want to interfere in the venerable lord's private life?
The moon was covered by dark clouds. When the cold wind howled, Mo Lingxuan returned drunk. As soon as she opened the door, he fell straight onto her, almost knocking her to the ground.
"Can you still walk? I can't drag you like this," Tang Youyou complained. She didn't expect this man to get drunk. He smelled of alcohol, but it wasn't unpleasant. Instead, there was a faint aroma of wine.
It took her a great deal of effort to move him onto the bed. Although she wanted to just leave him there, there were several pairs of eyes staring at her from the door, making her extremely uncomfortable.
Looking at the man sleeping soundly on the bed, Tang Youyou was so tired that she leaned on her waist and gasped for breath. "I'm not going to undress you. Sleep by yourself. In a few days, I'll be gone, and our fateful encounter will come to an end."
Tang Youyou heard the man mumbling something. She couldn't hear clearly, so she leaned closer and put her ear to his mouth.
"Don't go, You'er. Don't go..."
Hearing this all - too - familiar nickname, she was so shocked that she took several steps back. "You'er?"
Since they got married, Rong Xun had always called her You'er. He was the only one who used this nickname.
Surprised, she stared at the man on the bed carefully for a while. Although he looked similar to Rong Xun, there were still some differences upon closer inspection. Moreover, she was Rong Xun's lawfully wedded wife and would never marry someone else.
"Maybe there's another person named You'er?" Tang Youyou could only think like this.
If he was really calling her, it would be too unbelievable. They had only known each other for a few days, and Mo Lingxuan was the venerable lord of the Mo Clan. How could he easily fall in love with a woman of unknown background? It was simply impossible.
But it was also possible that he had already investigated her thoroughly.
She got up to cover him with the quilt, but suddenly felt a sinking sensation. She fell onto him, and his arms tightly wrapped around her, making it impossible for her to move.
"Let go of me," she struggled, but found that the grip on her waist was getting stronger and stronger, even hurting her. "Mo Lingxuan, do you want to strangle me?"
The man below seemed to hear her words, and the strength in his hands loosened a bit. Only then could she take a deep breath. This man was really a handful even when drunk.
She rolled over and lay on the inner side. Turning her head, she saw the man's sleeping face. In her memory, Rong Xun would also unconsciously frown when he was asleep. The two were somewhat similar in some ways, but no matter how alike, they were ultimately not the same person.
These two days, Mo Lingxuan had been busy with clan affairs. Every day after he woke up, he would disappear. Tang Youyou reached out and touched the side of the bed. There was still a bit of warmth, which meant he had just left.
Today was the day for her to escape. Tang Youyou prepared the servant's clothes and sat by the window waiting for Lin Sheng.
She saw a note and a fire starter by the window. Tang Youyou quickly grabbed them when no one was looking. She opened the note and saw it read: I've gone down the mountain. Light the fire quickly. I'll wait for you at the southwest corner of the courtyard wall.
Tang Youyou smiled sweetly. She had been waiting for this moment.
With the fire starter in hand, she blew on it, and a small flame immediately sprang out, emitting a blue light.
She started the fire from the warm curtain. Since it was made of silk, it was highly flammable. Soon the fire was raging. Tang Youyou took the opportunity to fuel the fire. When the smoke became unbearable, she shouted at the top of her voice, "Fire!"
The guards outside quickly rushed in with buckets to put out the fire. Some people were looking for Tang Youyou's figure but couldn't find her. They only saw the half - burned clothes on the charred couch.
More and more people joined in the firefighting. By this time, Tang Youyou had already dressed up as a servant. Looking at the raging fire in front of her, she walked away without looking back.
"It's really a pity for this house. Let's go quickly," Lin Sheng said when she saw Tang Youyou coming. She thought the outfit looked familiar, and then suddenly realized, "You're the servant that day?"
Tang Youyou knew she would be exposed sooner or later because this was the only servant's clothes she had.
"Yes, it's me. Hurry up and take me down the mountain."
Lin Sheng felt deceived. If she offended Mo Lingxuan, she wouldn't be in a good situation either.
"It's too late for you to regret now. If you don't take me down the mountain, when Mo Lingxuan comes back, I'll say it was you who deliberately set fire to the Suiyu Hall to force me to leave."
Lin Sheng was speechless. At this moment, she was in a dilemma. But after weighing the pros and cons, she still followed Tang Youyou's request.
Tang Youyou followed her to a hidden secret room. She turned the stone disk beside it a few times, and the door in front of them opened.
"This is a secret passage leading directly down the mountain. Hurry up and go. Don't ever come back."
"Even if you beg me, I won't come back."
Tang Youyou entered the secret passage and took out the fire starter to light the way. The passage was really dark. She didn't know how long she had walked, but finally, before she ran out of strength, she saw a glimmer of light in the distance.
The moment she saw the hope, she happily started running. When she walked out of the secret passage, she found that she was really at the foot of the mountain.
"I'm finally out."
Tang Youyou took a few deep breaths of fresh air, and immediately felt relaxed both physically and mentally.
She wondered if the people of the Blood Clan knew she was missing. It had been so long, and no one had come to rescue her. What kind of saint was she?
Just as she was thinking about where to go next, a familiar figure appeared in front of her.