Chapter Fifty-Nine: Captured Once Again

As expected, the soft couch that Lian Yue had just been sitting on was slowly pushed open from within under her unwavering gaze. Then, before the eyes of Lian Yue and her companions, a tall, masked man dressed in black emerged from inside. Only his eyes were visible, emanating an icy coldness that kept others at a distance. The dried bloodstains on his black clothes openly declared his identity.

Lian Yue rolled her eyes in annoyance and said, “What a clever ploy, sir!” She couldn’t help but wonder how he’d managed to squeeze himself into such a cramped space.

“I had no choice. I meant no harm. Please forgive any offense,” came a deep, low voice through the black cloth, tinged with a strange allure. If one could overlook the chill in his tone, this was a voice one could easily become lost in.

Lian Yue exchanged a glance with Lan Shui, who spoke calmly, “If you mean no harm and are now safe, kindly hand over the antidote. We’ll pretend none of this happened, agreed?”

Outside the carriage, Yue Lingjun, slumped weakly over his horse, heard the man’s voice and felt the gloom in his heart deepen. He forced himself to sound composed, calling out loudly, “Since you mean no harm, perhaps you could come out and speak with us!”

The masked man's cold gaze swept across everyone in the carriage, finally settling on Lian Yue, still sitting on the carriage floor. His stare made her skin crawl, but she glared fiercely back at him.

“What… what do you want?” If she could move, she would have used both hands to shield her chest.

The masked man looked at her wordlessly—yes, wordlessly; that was the message Lian Yue read in his glacier eyes, and she felt a flush of embarrassment.

He stepped past her and, with a sharp movement, flung the carriage door open. There was a thud, and Lian Yue could well imagine Qing Qiu’s face twisted in a grimace—violent, far too violent! But thankfully, he was gone now. The four people left in the carriage all let out a sigh of relief, exchanged glances, and simultaneously peered outside, ears straining for any sound.

The black-clad man emerged from the carriage, scrutinizing Yue Lingjun and his party, whose own horses were as exhausted as they were. His gaze fixed on the reddish-brown horse under Qing Feng, which was still snorting spiritedly. He walked over and addressed Yue Lingjun: “I need to borrow this horse.” His words were brief and firm.

Yue Lingjun signaled to Qing Feng, who, with great effort, slid down from the horse—yes, slid, not stepped.

The masked man nodded to Yue Lingjun, then moved to the other horses, detaching water flasks and wine gourds and hanging them on the horse Qing Feng had vacated. He drew a porcelain vial from his robe, uncorked it, waved it before the horse’s nose, then returned it to his chest.

He then took a water flask and began cleaning the reins. At this, Yue Lingjun and the others realized their predicament must have stemmed from the reins—this man’s meticulousness was astonishing.

Soon, the horse, previously listless, perked up with renewed vigor.

The masked man nodded again to Yue Lingjun in thanks and was about to leave when the sound of galloping hooves came from behind.

He gave Yue Lingjun a long, deep look, then strode to the carriage. Lian Yue, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, felt her heart leap into her throat. Her instincts screamed that trouble was coming.

And she was right. The masked man seized her arm and hauled her from the carriage.

“What are you doing!” Lan Shui cried in alarm.

“Let go of Miss!” Zi Zhu was at a loss.

“Stop!” Yue Lingjun, still too weak to move, flushed with anger as he watched the man lay hands on Lian Yue.

“Big Sis Yue’er… Bad man!” Only poor Yao Yao, unable to move, tried to bite him, forgetting the little table between them and ending up gnawing on it instead.

Spurred by Yao Yao’s attempt, Lian Yue jerked her head aside and bit hard into the black-clad man’s arm.

He paused for a moment—the flesh in her mouth trembled twice—but her body was still being dragged along. Lian Yue released her bite and shouted at him, “What on earth are you doing? Can’t you see pursuers are coming? If you want to escape, why drag me along?”

“Noisy,” he muttered, pressing her mute acupoint and hauling her out, tossing her sideways onto the saddle.

The world spun, and Lian Yue was forced to silence. A masked man, a mute acupoint—was she about to be kidnapped again?

Undeniably, yes. The man vaulted onto the horse, called back to Yue Lingjun, “Thanks for the horse and water! Hold off the pursuers—the girl will be safe.”

With that, he clamped his legs, cracked the whip, and the horse bolted.

The flying hooves sent dust up Lian Yue’s nose, but she couldn’t utter a word. In her heart, she cursed the black-clad man and all his ancestors.

Thousands of miles away, Yu Wenmo sneezed violently, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. He waved them off and continued his previous conversation.

Meanwhile, Yue Lingjun glared darkly at the approaching riders. If not for them, perhaps the black-clad man wouldn’t have abducted Yue’er.

Qin Che, leading the group, shivered inwardly. Could it be…

He leapt from his horse and rushed to the carriage. Looking inside, he saw Lan Shui safe but pale, with no sign of injury.

Qin Che let out a breath, but something felt off. Scanning the carriage, he realized the ever-glaring Lian Yue was missing. He hadn’t seen her outside, either.

“Where’s my cousin?”

“Waaah…” Yao Yao burst into tears. “Go after her, quickly! Big Sis Yue’er was taken by a bad man in black, that way…” She could only stare tearfully in the direction the man had ridden off.

“And you all?”

“Waaah… We were drugged by that bad man. We can’t move… Why aren’t you going? And you’re a bad man too! Waaah, poor Big Sis Yue’er…” Yao Yao, realizing who stood before her, cried even harder. Zi Zhu also began to wipe away tears.

Lan Shui, already agitated over Lian Yue, grew even more irritable at the sight of Qin Che and Yao Yao’s crying. Her mood plummeted, and she snapped at Yao Yao, “Stop crying!”

Yao Yao had never seen Lan Shui like this and immediately fell silent, her tears rolling down in silence.

By now, Yue Lingjun, supported by Qin Che’s men, had reached the carriage. Though dissatisfied with Qin Che, now was not the time. He could feel his strength slowly returning, but not enough to give chase—he had to rely on Qin Che for now.

“Cousin, please take your men and pursue the chestnut horse in that direction. Shadow him at a distance—don’t act rashly. I’ll catch up as soon as I recover some strength.”

Qin Che didn’t hesitate. He nodded, mounted up, and led his men after the black-clad man, leaving only a couple behind to assist Yue Lingjun’s group.

Yue Lingjun looked at Lan Shui in the carriage and tried to offer comfort. “Don’t worry. Yue’er should be fine.” But even as he said it, he didn’t believe it himself.

Heartless and ruthless, the man had slaughtered thirty-five people in one night. Though they deserved it, no one would call their killer soft-hearted.

Yet the drug he’d used wasn’t a deadly poison. His few words hadn’t sounded like those of a cold-blooded murderer either. This was the only comfort Yue Lingjun could find.

After a long silence, Yue Lingjun began to plan for the worst.

“Yao Yao, do you know the Hidden Sect’s contact point in Heluo Prefecture?”

Yao Yao nodded tearfully.

“Qing Feng, Qing Luan—when the drug wears off, escort Yao Yao back to Heluo Prefecture. Once inside the city, split up. Qing Qiu, go with Yao Yao to send a message to Chu Chen. Qing Feng, inform Steward Yue and find my aunt.”

He looked at Lan Shui. “Lan Shui, the rest of us will continue the pursuit.”

“Yes, I await your orders, young master!”

“Yes, Zi Zhu awaits your orders!”

“I’ll listen to you too, Brother Lingjun,” Lan Shui said, though she only nodded, her brows furrowed deep in thought.

On horseback, Lian Yue now truly felt her suffering knew no bounds. She felt as if her very gallbladder was being shaken loose, and if this continued, she’d surely lose half her life.

She lamented her wretched fate and cursed her executioner silently, wishing desperately to shout her grievances, but her voice was gone.

Gradually, she felt her strength returning. Her mind raced—if she regained enough power, what would happen if she jumped from the galloping horse? A broken leg, perhaps, or death itself. Either seemed better than staying in the hands of a killer.

But before she could decide, leaves, branches, and vines whipped past her face, stinging her skin. Oh heavens! Something worse than death itself—her face, her looks!

Lian Yue could no longer open her eyes. Instinct told her not only was her face being ruined, but the madman had ridden straight into the forest without slowing down.

She quickly raised her barely recovered hands to shield her face and continued her silent curses:

“Despicable!”

“Shameless!”

“Damn you!”

“May the earth swallow you!”

She didn’t even know where these words came from.

When she was certain her life was forfeit, the horse finally stopped. With a jolt, her mute acupoint was released.