Chapter 34

 Xu Guang knelt on the ground, staring at him in disbelief.

Blood continued to flow from his eyes. Soon, the ground turned crimson. His followers behind him were so scared that one screamed and ran away, and the rest threw down their weapons and fled like birds and beasts scattering. Only Zhao Li remained standing by Xu Guang's side, but he too was petrified with fear.

The soldier on horseback ordered his men to pursue.

"Are you going to talk or not?"

Pei Yuan was full of murderous intent. He dismounted and held his long knife horizontally at Xu Guang's neck, shouting angrily, "Speak now, and I'll leave you a complete corpse. Otherwise, I'll torture you to death!"

Xu Guang's face turned pale yellow, his lips trembling as he looked at him. Suddenly, he burst into a terrifying laugh, his expression ghastly, "You ruined my future as if you killed my parents. I don't care about my worthless life, but I'll make sure to get even with you! Since you care so much about that woman, I'll ensure you never find her again, Pei Yuan, do you regret it?"

"You're asking for death!"

Pei Yuan's brow furrowed, and suddenly, he pulled the arrow from Xu Guang's eye. Fresh blood sprayed out, and Xu Guang collapsed on the ground, rolling and screaming, "My eye, my eye!"

Pei Yuan's cold gaze swept towards Zhao Li standing beside him. Zhao Li was already terrified, trembling with both hands, standing there. Pei Yuan approached, grabbed him by the back of his neck, and pressed him against the wall, his eyes fierce, "Where is my wife?"

Zhao Li swallowed hard, about to speak, when Xu Guang loudly interjected, "If you say another word, I'll kill your mother at home!"

Zhao Li burst into tears, "I don't know, I don't know..."

Veins bulging on Pei Yuan's forehead, his grip tightening on Zhao Li's neck. He was on the edge of losing control, his mind focused on one thing:

Kill them all. If Bao Ning is harmed, they all must die. All of them!

With his neck choked, Zhao Li's legs kicked, his eyes rolled back, and he was about to suffocate when Xu Guang slowly stood up, pulling at the corners of his lips, "You want to know where that woman is? Let me tell you, where did I put her?"

Pei Yuan released his grip. He turned around, grabbed Xu Guang by the collar, his voice hoarse, "Where is she?"

Xu Guang looked provocative, mocking him with a hollow laugh, "She's dead."

He laughed wildly, "Pei Yuan, you never expected this, did you? After all these years of power and prestige, you couldn't even protect a woman! Do you want to know how she died?"

Pei Yuan's throat emitted a beast-like roar. Then, with a swift motion, his shining blade swept through the air, accompanied by the sound of flesh being cut. Xu Guang was cleaved in half at the waist.

Intestines spilled out, the strong smell of blood filling the air. Xu Guang's eyes widened, unable to even scream, writhing on the ground.

The soldiers who had arrived earlier hadn't expected such a scene. Faced with the gruesome sight, they all gasped in shock.

Pei Yuan seemed addicted to killing. He dragged his bloodied long knife to Zhao Li's front and swung it down, severing his head!

"Fourth Prince!" The leading soldier's face turned pale. He hurriedly dismounted and tried to stop him, "There are civilians living here, and people pass by frequently. You can't, you can't do this... sigh!"

Pei Yuan stood there, covered in blood-red, with traces of blood on his face. His muscles were tense and contorted, like a demon from hell.

"I don't care who lives here." He pointed to the alley behind him, gritting his teeth, "Even if I have to tear down these houses, I will find them! I want to see them alive or dead!"

With that, Pei Yuan turned and stepped over Xu Guang's chest, leaving bloody footprints as he walked deeper into the streets and alleys...

Bao Ning rushed into the city just as the gates were closing, utterly exhausted, drenched in sweat, every step feeling like floating.

Luckily, there was no one chasing from behind. Bao Ning thought, perhaps the soldiers had tripped Xu Guang, or they had lost him. For now, she was temporarily safe, but Bao Ning couldn't relax. She wanted to find her third sister, Ji Anlu, as soon as possible.

Feng Yongjia was still following behind her, hesitating and uncertain.

Bao Ning looked up at the signs on the roadside, searching for the words "Ancient Well Restaurant." She had been there before; it was a not-so-tall two-story building that mainly sold noodles and pastries. Ji Anlu's husband, Zhang Heyu, used to be a chef in the Duke's mansion and had long admired Ji Anlu. However, due to their different statuses, the Duke obstructed their relationship, and nothing came of it.

Later, Ji Anlu was engaged, married, and then divorced within a year to a declining nobleman's illegitimate son. Zhang Heyu continued to wait faithfully. Touched by Ji Anlu's gesture, they eventually became a couple despite the Duke's strong opposition.

Ji Anlu's aunt, Madam Liu, had passed away early, leaving her with no close relatives and little dowry. With some borrowed money from her sisters, they opened this restaurant together, which reportedly did well, and the couple were very loving.

Bao Ning asked for directions and focused on finding it, unaware of Feng Yongjia's movements behind her.

Suddenly, Feng Yongjia lunged forward, attempting to embrace her from behind. Hearing his footsteps, Bao Ning instinctively squatted down, narrowly avoiding him.

Still shaken, Bao Ning saw his sweat-soaked face and shouted, "What are you doing?"

"I regret it," Feng Yongjia clenched his fists, "I really regret it. I shouldn't have gambled from the start. Otherwise, I wouldn't have fallen into Xu Guang's trap and ended up like this. I don't know what to do now. I can't repay the debt, I dare not go home. My father is still waiting for me. I'm afraid Xu Guang will find him for revenge. I don't care if I die, but I'm afraid my father..."

His words were incoherent, his face filled with sorrow, "I can't stay in the capital anymore. I'm scared. Let me hold you one more time, and then I'll go..."

Bao Ning didn't want to waste any more words with him. She backed away, keeping an eye on Feng Yongjia's movements. Seeing him about to pounce again, Bao Ning screamed and turned to run towards a crowded place.

People on the street turned to look.

"Bao Ning!" Suddenly, a woman's voice called out to her. Bao Ning sharply turned her head and followed the voice to see Ji Anlu leaning out of a second-floor window.

"Bao Ning, come up here quickly!" Ji Anlu anxiously called out to her, then looked behind Bao Ning with alarm, "Be careful behind you!"

Bao Ning rushed into the restaurant ahead of Feng Yongjia. Immediately, a group of staff rushed out with clubs. One swung and struck Feng Yongjia on the back, causing him to scream in pain and collapse.

Zhang Heyu ordered, "Drag this kid to the backyard and tie him up on the grinding stone!"

Inside, Bao Ning wiped away tears, crying out, "Third Sister!"

"I'm here!" Ji Anlu had already come downstairs to meet Bao Ning. Seeing her tear-streaked face, she felt heartbroken and hugged her, soothingly patting her back, "It's okay, Bao Ning, don't cry. You're home now... How did you end up like this?"

...

After washing up, Bao Ning sat in her room, arms crossed, lost in thought. She couldn't eat; all she could think about was Feng Yongjia's face and his wretched appearance. Just thinking about it made her want to vomit.

Today's experience was too risky. While she was in it, she could convince herself to stay calm. Now that she was in a safe place, however, she felt overwhelmed with fear and confusion.

Although she had been close to Ji Anlu before, they hadn't seen each other in many years. Bao Ning felt embarrassed to cry in front of Ji Anlu, so she could only endure silently.

She tried to sleep but woke up at the slightest noise, drenched in cold sweat. Even when she managed to sleep, nightmares filled her mind. She didn't dare to sleep anymore, so she lit a lamp and sat beside it, lost in thought.

Bao Ning wondered, what was Pei Yuan doing right now?

He probably noticed she was missing a long time ago, right? Is he searching all over the city for her? According to Feng Yongjia, Xu Guang wanted to send him a letter to lure him over and then kill him.

Bao Ning worried whether something had really happened to Pei Yuan?

As soon as this thought crossed her mind, Bao Ning felt her heart pounding. She couldn't bear to imagine it. Pei Yuan had a bad leg and was limited in movement. Even if his martial arts were strong, he couldn't handle so many people like Xu Guang. What if...

Bao Ning was in a panic, afraid. Just at noon, they were laughing together. Bao Ning could still remember the warmth of his hand. He couldn't have gotten into trouble just like that.

Suddenly, Bao Ning thought of something else.

Would Pei Yuan not see through this deception? He's such a smart person.

Thinking of this, Bao Ning tightened the fabric of her dress. Would Pei Yuan not want to come and save her at all? Would he risk his life? Maybe in his heart, she wasn't that important at all.

This realization also made Bao Ning feel bitter.

Bao Ning rested her forehead on her knees, alternating between various thoughts, feeling a headache coming on, feeling uncomfortable in her arms and legs, feeling uncomfortable everywhere.

"Bao Ning, why aren't you asleep yet?" Ji Anlu pushed the door open and came in, sitting beside her. "What are you thinking about?"

Bao Ning lifted her head, her eyelids reddened. "I'm thinking about going home."

Ji Anlu patted her back sympathetically. "Tomorrow morning, I'll have my husband send you back."

"Thank you, Third Sister." Bao Ning nodded.

Ji Anlu said, "Alright, go to sleep early and rest well. Otherwise, your husband will be worried when he sees you tomorrow."

Bao Ning bit her lip and smiled. Ji Anlu said a few more words to her, intending to sleep with Bao Ning, but she politely declined. Ji Anlu didn't insist and left after closing the door.

Bao Ning blew out the lamp and lay down. In her heart, Pei Yuan might be perfectly fine at home now. She would return early tomorrow morning and see him.

She tried to control herself from thinking about useless things, staring at the ceiling with her eyes open. After a while, drowsiness overtook her, and she fell asleep.

Little did Bao Ning know, while she slept peacefully, someone had almost torn apart half the streets and alleys searching for her.

...

Early the next morning, Bao Ning was awakened by the noisy sounds from the street. She rubbed her eyes, got up, and opened the window to hear the discussions downstairs.

"Did you hear? The Fourth Prince has gone crazy again, wandering the streets with a knife, looking for someone. Who knows which unlucky guy provoked him... Could that incident from years ago be happening again?"

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