The guesthouse district of the general’s residence was situated south of the courtyard, far removed from the main hall and densely surrounded by towering bamboo groves.
Perhaps due to the ongoing wedding banquet in the main hall, virtually everyone had gathered at the front to partake in the festivities.
Consequently, the guesthouse area was completely devoid of people, quiet enough to exude an atmosphere of secluded tranquility.
Following closely behind Chu Muxuan, Yu Xingliang wore an expression heavy with worry.
Chu Muxuan halted outside a room with tightly shut double doors and turned to inform Yu Xingliang, “We have arrived.”
Contemplating the heavy padlock hanging from the door, Yu Xingliang shifted his gaze toward the surrounding walls, which were neither excessively tall nor remarkably low.
“Do you want to go inside?” Sensing Yu Xingliang’s intent, Chu Muxuan remarked, “The occupant is not even in the room, breaking in like this is quite impolite.”
“Did you not say Fan Ruyi was taken captive by him?” Yu Xingliang countered. “Is he keeping Fan Ruyi locked inside this room?”
Knowing that Fan Shenggang possessed a daughter around fourteen or fifteen years old, Chu Muxuan understood the anxiety currently mirrored in Yu Xingliang’s eyes.
“Very well, just this once.” Reaching behind his waist, Chu Muxuan withdrew a small handgun, aiming it directly at the door lock as he prepared to chamber a round.
“Do not shoot.” Yu Xingliang intervened hurriedly. “The moment that gunfire rings out, it will draw everyone from the main hall straight over here.”
Frowning impatiently, Chu Muxuan complained, “Do you expect me to go find the key for you instead?”
Slanting a fierce glare at Chu Muxuan, Yu Xingliang posed a sincere question: “You spend all your time studying equestrian arts, do you not have to study anything else?”
“Huh? Why would you ask that? My father sent me abroad for advanced training long before my sister married Fan Shenggang.” A sudden thought dawning on him, Chu Muxuan brightened. “Haha, are you praising my exceptional riding skills?”
Unwilling to waste any further breath on this foolish youth, Yu Xingliang walked over to the base of the wall and beckoned Chu Muxuan closer.
Though bewildered, Chu Muxuan obediently ambled over.
“Squat down,” Yu Xingliang ordered.
“Huh?” Even in his cluelessness, Chu Muxuan grasped Yu Xingliang’s intention. “You want to use me as a stepping stool? I am Chu Muxuan, how on earth did you come up with that idea?”
Pointing toward a large boulder resting in the yard resembling a crouching tiger, Yu Xingliang suggested, “Shall we go move that rock over here together then?”
Twisting his face in utter shock, Chu Muxuan retorted, “What kind of nonsense are you speaking? How could the two of us possibly lift a boulder that massive?”
“There you have it. Since you promised to help me and the rock is too heavy, making a stool out of you is your only option remaining, is it not?” Internal guilt pricking at him for a few seconds, Yu Xingliang nonetheless pressed forward without hesitation, deploying the manipulation tactics he had learned from Fan Zixi onto this boy who bore a striking resemblance to him.
Hesitating for a few moments and grinding his teeth, Chu Muxuan adopted a heroic posture, dropping flat onto the ground and jerking his thumb back toward his own spine. “Come on then.”
Lifting the corners of his mouth into a faint smile, Yu Xingliang offered, “Many thanks, young master Chu.”
With that, he stepped squarely onto Chu Muxuan’s back and scrambled up over the wall.
Yu Xingliang’s sudden treading caused Chu Muxuan to perform an intimate face-plant against the dusty ground.
Looking back down, Yu Xingliang asked, “Are you alright?”
Coughing to clear his throat, Chu Muxuan expelled a breath that kicked up a cloud of dust right into his face. “I am fine, hurry up and finish your business.”
Grateful for the youth flattened out like a character on the ground, Yu Xingliang turned and dropped down into the courtyard.
A gentle breeze rustled the fallen leaves inside, swirling them in a quiet dance that suggested the room was completely unoccupied.
Emboldened, Yu Xingliang approached the door, pressed his ear against it, and called out, “Ruyi? Ruyi, are you inside?”
From within the dim room, tearful sobs finally broke the silence.
Recognizing the sound immediately, Yu Xingliang realized that Fan Ruyi’s mouth had undoubtedly been sealed with a strip of cloth by Uncle Dong, prompting him to offer immediate reassurance. “Ruyi, do not be afraid, I will find a way to rescue you right now.”
Scanning his surroundings, Yu Xingliang picked up a decorative cobblestone from the courtyard and began striking the heavy padlock repeatedly, yet the metal shackle refused to budge or show the slightest sign of loosening.
Just as he found himself completely at a loss, the sound of a lock dropping to the ground echoed from behind him, followed by the heavy creak of the door swinging open.
Turning around sharply in vigilance, Yu Xingliang found himself locking gazes with Mu Heng, who had just stepped out from the doorway.
Dressed impeccably in crisp white attire and gliding forward with an ethereal lightness, Mu Heng looked precisely as he had in the visions from Yu Xingliang’s dreams when he came to whisk him away.
“What a coincidence.” Glancing past Mu Heng to spot Chu Muxuan trailing behind him, Yu Xingliang took a step backward and feigned an intense interest in the scenery.
“The scenery here is truly breathtaking. Look at these magnificent bamboo stalks, I wonder if one might dig up bamboo shoots around here, hahaha…”
“Are you trying to open this door?”
Mu Heng’s tone carried no trace of doubt, stating it as an absolute certainty.
As though he had anticipated Yu Xingliang’s objective all along.
Discarding any further pretense, Yu Xingliang replied, “You people must have already achieved your ultimate goals. Fan Ruyi is merely a young girl; you already robbed her of a childhood with her parents, and now that you have destroyed her father, must you continue torturing her?”
Fixing a hard stare on Mu Heng, Yu Xingliang searched his expression for a shred of genuine remorse. “Her tragic childhood stems entirely from the simple fact that she is Fan Shenggang’s daughter.”
Mu Heng delivered his self-justified truth with cold indifference. “Had Fan Shenggang not acted recklessly without regard for consequences and offended countless individuals, his daughter would never have suffered such misfortune.”
Disappointment flooded Yu Xingliang’s eyes, as he never imagined Mu Heng could harbor such twisted logic.
“That is utter nonsense,” Yu Xingliang retorted. “You lot are nothing more than a gang of human traffickers. You abduct Ruyi, fabricate a narrative branding her own biological father as her mortal enemy, and indirectly cause her mother’s death. And all of this transpired merely because her father possessed integrity and honesty, whose achievements made certain people green with envy!”
Mu Heng had not come here to quarrel with Yu Xingliang, and seeing the youth so emotionally agitated, he instantly regretted speaking the unvarnished truth.
“Lele, I am sorry. I do not wish to argue with you…”
“Mu Heng, I am letting go of every single lie you ever told me.”
Having long since ceased to harbor any attachment to this world, Yu Xingliang still wished to accomplish something worthwhile before his departure.
“If you retain even an ounce of guilt toward me, please help me rescue Ruyi. She is just a young girl; she does not deserve to endure this kind of abuse.”
Lowering his gaze, Mu Heng murmured, “Uncle Dong watched Xiaotao grow up since she was a baby, he would never harm her.”
Deeming Mu Heng utterly beyond redemption, Yu Xingliang abandoned any further attempt at reasoning, hoisted the cobblestone once more, and turned back to hammer away at the door lock.
Startled by Yu Xingliang’s frantic actions and seeing Mu Heng standing frozen in place, Chu Muxuan rushed forward on his own to pull him back. “Stop this, you will hurt yourself!” Shrugging off Chu Muxuan’s grip, Yu Xingliang continued pounding furiously against the metal, unable even to articulate why he persisted in a task he knew to be futile.
It felt like a form of stubborn defiance, a petty rebellion directed squarely at Mu Heng.
“Stop hammering.” Seeing Yu Xingliang strike his own hand with the stone, Mu Heng finally spoke up. “You cannot break that lock this way.”
“Indeed, indeed.” Snatching the cobblestone from Yu Xingliang’s grip, Chu Muxuan tossed it aside.
Shooting a resentful glare at Chu Muxuan, Yu Xingliang received an innocent shrug in response. “You injured your hand, and Mu Heng hyung is right, you are merely wasting your effort.”
At that moment, Mu Heng stepped forward, extracted a thin bamboo sliver from his sleeve, and inserted it smoothly into the keyhole.
Twisting his wrist left and right, he produced a crisp click.
“Look, Mu Heng hyung opened the lock!” Chu Muxuan cheered excitedly.
Lowering his eyes to stare at Mu Heng’s profile, Yu Xingliang’s lips parted slightly.
Mu Heng explained flatly, “I simply wished to stop you from injuring yourself further. As for Xiaotao, I feel no sense of wrongdoing toward her.”
The defenses in Yu Xingliang’s heart, which had shown brief signs of thawing, instantly turned to concrete under Mu Heng’s words. Refusing to spare him another glance, he shoved the door open and stepped inside.
The dim room housed Fan Ruyi, who was bound tightly to a chair with thick ropes, her mouth securely gagged with a cloth strip precisely as Yu Xingliang had surmised.
“Sob, sob…” Catching sight of Yu Xingliang, Fan Ruyi burst into muffled, tearful cries.
“Ruyi, do not be afraid!” Hurrying forward, Yu Xingliang set to work untying the ropes.
Yet Mu Heng stepped into the doorway, cautioning, “Lele, do you truly believe you are helping her?”
Turning his head to shoot Mu Heng a fierce glare, Yu Xingliang snapped, “What, are you planning to run off and notify Uncle Dong right now?”
Shaking his head, Mu Heng replied, “I am merely reminding you that Uncle Dong treats Xiaotao as his own flesh and blood. He would never bring her harm.”
Lacking the patience to listen to Mu Heng’s absurd rationalizations any longer, Yu Xingliang turned to summon Chu Muxuan. “Lend me a hand here, I must get Ruyi out of this place.”
Hesitating with an awkward expression, Chu Muxuan glanced toward Mu Heng, who quietly closed his eyes in silent concession. “Very well.” Chu Muxuan complied.
Offering no obstruction to their departure, Mu Heng kept his eyes closed the entire time Yu Xingliang escorted Fan Ruyi away.
A bitter smile formed in Yu Xingliang’s chest. Was this man truly that eager to rid his sight of him? Fine then.
He would not be around to bother him much longer anyway.
With Chu Muxuan’s assistance, Yu Xingliang successfully smuggled Fan Ruyi out of the general’s residence, to a degree of ease that left even Chu Muxuan marveling aloud, “That was surprisingly effortless.”
“Many thanks, young master Chu.” Supporting the half-conscious Fan Ruyi onto his back, Yu Xingliang attempted to offer a bow of gratitude.
“No need, no need.” Steadying both Yu Xingliang and the wobbling Fan Ruyi, Chu Muxuan glanced back toward his tethered steed. “I brought you here, so I ought to see you safely away. My horse has undergone rigorous training; once you reach a safe haven, simply whisper ‘return’ into its ear, and it will find its own way back.”
Expressing his gratitude once more, Yu Xingliang hoisted Fan Ruyi onto the saddle and mounted behind her.
No sooner had Chu Muxuan bid farewell and stepped back inside the gates than he ran straight into Chu Muyao.
Seemingly searching frantically for someone, Chu Muyao rushed forward the instant she spotted her younger brother.
A delighted smile surfaced on Chu Muxuan’s face. “Sister…”
Yet his greeting was cut short by a resounding, blistering slap across his face!
Stunned into tears, Chu Muxuan clutched his stinging cheek. “Sister, are you looking for Zheng Lele?”
“Duh!” Veins bulged angrily across Chu Muyao’s forehead, stripping her of any remaining veneer of grace. “I placed absolute trust in you by entrusting this task to your hands, and look what you have done!”
Lowering his gaze in terror, Chu Muxuan dared not utter a single syllable.
Consumed by fierce disappointment, Chu Muyao raised her hand to strike him once more.
Frightened, Chu Muxuan squeezed his eyes shut, but the anticipated blow never landed, as someone caught Chu Muyao’s wrist mid-air.
“Mu Heng…” Shocked by Mu Heng’s abrupt intervention, a wave of intense guilt washed over Chu Muyao. “Why are you here?”
“Miss,” Mu Heng rasped, his eyes blazing with fury. “So this entire ordeal was orchestrated by you from the very beginning?”