However, that was precisely the situation. For seven consecutive days, the Night King remained unfound, and not a single piece of news about him surfaced.
Xie Shizi wrung his hands in the marquis's residence, his hair a tangled mess. He couldn't fathom what was happening. Could it be that the Night King had truly abandoned Yun Shu?
The Night King had protected Yun Shu like his own heart; how could he possibly abandon her so readily?
The more he thought, the more he felt something was amiss, yet he couldn't pinpoint what it was.
"What on earth could this be about? If only I could uncover this truth, then all these current mysteries would be solved."
After muttering to himself for a while, Xie Jin tugged at his hair again. "I was boasting to Yun Shu, only to slap myself in the face. Alas, how do I write a message by carrier pigeon?"
"Night King, Night King, what exactly are you up to?" Xie Jin said, then made to leave.
As he reached the doorway, he remembered his disheveled appearance, still clad in top-grade Yun Jin silk. He turned back to change his clothes.
After putting on a patched garment, he went to find his father.
He was about to embark on another journey, one that would likely last for half a year or more, and he needed to inform his father.
Moments later, a carrier pigeon took flight from the capital.
It soared towards the outskirts of the city.
...
In the village, peace and tranquility reigned as usual.
Xiao Li and the other two had vanished early in the morning, having gone hunting with Old Man Zhang, a hunter from the village.
They would roam the mountains all day and only return at nightfall.
Even Yu Le, that spirited girl, had become wild, joining them for hunts every day.
Yun Changfeng lived at his leisure, lounging on a chair in the courtyard, leisurely reading a book, or else cleaning various weapons.
Occasionally, he could hear his neighbor, the elder brother, singing a tune or two.
He was truly at ease. After years of campaigning on the battlefield and searching for Shu'er, he had never experienced such freedom and contentment in all these years.
However, so much time had passed, why hadn't Shu'er sent any word?
Could it be that things in the capital weren't progressing smoothly? The village was secluded; unless one deliberately ventured out, no news from the outside world would penetrate.
Just as he was contemplating whether to leave the village to gather some information, a carrier pigeon flew in and landed before him.
The moment Yun Changfeng saw the pigeon, the anxiety in his heart subsided. He immediately caught it and retrieved the message.
Upon reading the brief message on the pigeon, Yun Changfeng's brows furrowed.
The note stated: "I will arrive at the village in ten days. Do not worry. I need to visit an old acquaintance at the Ruan Manor."
For some reason, the message was exceedingly short and said nothing else, yet Yun Changfeng had a premonition of ill fortune. There had been no news for days, and now this terse message... could something have truly happened?
With this thought, Yun Changfeng's brow furrowed even deeper. "Please, nothing terrible must happen."
Meanwhile, Yun Shu and her entourage were already on their way.
For the past few days, they had been traveling and receiving various pieces of information.
It was much the same as a few days prior; no progress had been made.
Zhan Tianye seemed to have vanished into thin air; even the scouts spread throughout the land had no news of him.
However, just moments ago, another piece of intelligence had arrived.
"Miss, a scout just sent a message by carrier pigeon. The general and princess of Xixia are rushing back to Xixia at top speed, seemingly in great haste. They haven't rested much on their journey," Qiu Lu's voice called out from outside the carriage.
Inside the carriage, Yun Shu, who had been resting with her eyes closed, heard Qiu Lu's voice and hummed in response. "Continue to have people secretly monitor their every move."
"Understood."
After Qiu Lu finished, Jing Heng spoke up. "Master, in another hour, we will reach the Ruan Manor."
"Very well," Yun Shu replied.
Then, she lifted the carriage curtain and gazed outside.
A faint, cool breeze flowed in.
On both sides were mountains.
The road between the two mountains was somewhat narrow.
No carriages were seen passing by.
"Miss, would you like to rest for a bit longer? I will wake you when we are close," A'cha asked softly.
Yun Shu shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the outside. As the carriage picked up speed, the scenery outside seemed to play out like snippets of film before her eyes. "I slept for a while just now, I'm not sleepy anymore. I'd like to enjoy the scenery."
A'cha quickly prepared water and tea snacks.
She had been by her young lady's side for some time, and even though her lady hadn't said much, she could sense that her lady wasn't entirely happy.
After all that had happened, how could her lady be happy! A'cha worried greatly but could do nothing. She could only do her utmost to take good care of her lady.
...
Ruan Manor.
Tianqing Courtyard.
Several maids were sweeping the courtyard while whispering among themselves.
"Do you think the eldest young master likes Miss Gu or Miss Wu?"
"I think the eldest young master likes Miss Gu. Have you ever seen the eldest young master bring a woman back before? And he said they were already engaged, that the eldest young master had already sent betrothal gifts."
"But Miss Wu and the eldest young master are cousins, they grew up together! You know how reckless the eldest young master used to be. Before, everyone said it was because the eldest young master liked Miss Wu, but the madam didn't agree, which is why the eldest young master was so unrestrained."
"..."
The maids lowered their voices and chatted amongst themselves.
Suddenly, a few coughs were heard.
They immediately fell silent.
Ling Yue was holding the lotus seed soup she had just retrieved from the kitchen. On her way back, she had already overheard many people discussing things in secret.
She had initially thought that the Ruan Manor, being a centuries-old noble family, would have strict rules. To her surprise, the servants in the manor were also gathered together, chattering away.
However, after living there for some time, she realized that wherever there were many people, there would be all sorts of trouble. Since her young lady had come to live here, she had faced the gossip of many people in the manor.
If it weren't for Young Master Ruan's explicit protection, her young lady's life in the Ruan Manor would be difficult.
However, while she cared about it, her young lady did not. Her young lady said that she was merely staying at the Ruan Manor for a short while and would soon return to the capital, after which everything about the Ruan Manor would be irrelevant to her.
She felt her young lady was right.
But, why did she feel as though her young lady wasn't particularly concerned about Young Master Ruan?
Even when she heard that Young Master Ruan had many concubines, her young lady's expression remained unchanged. She even said it was normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines, and if Young Master Ruan had other women he liked, she would support him taking concubines.
If she hadn't been by her young lady's side since childhood, she would have thought her young lady was truly that magnanimous!
However, while her young lady was magnanimous about many things, she was not about her husband. Her young lady had stated that she hoped her future husband would not have three wives and four concubines.
Lost in thought, she reached the door and was about to knock when a figure appeared beside her.
She looked up and saw it was Young Master Ruan.
Ruan Xi smiled charmingly at Ling Yue and then said to Gu Zhiruo inside the room, "I have some news from the capital. Would Zhiruo like to know?"