After returning to her quarters, Qin Man informed Su Li and Xiao Ya that she intended to rest a while longer.
Once her two maids left, she remained alone in the room.
By noon, Qin Man still had not emerged.
Growing concerned, Su Li entered the chamber to wake her.
The moment she stepped inside, her expression changed dramatically.
The room was empty.
There was no sign of Qin Man anywhere.
Su Li hurried back outside and happened to encounter Xiao Ya approaching the pavilion.
“The young lady isn’t in her room,” Su Li said, anxiety evident in her voice. “Did she tell you where she was going?”
“I thought she was resting the entire time,” Xiao Ya replied in shock as she rushed into the room with Su Li. “Ever since we left, I haven’t seen her come out.”
The room showed no signs of disturbance.
Her luggage remained untouched.
Even the bedding looked exactly as it had before.
The two women exchanged a horrified glance.
The same terrifying conclusion formed in both their minds.
“The young lady has been abducted…”
“Go find Officer Xiao Mu immediately,” Su Li said, forcing herself to remain calm. “See whether the young lady went to look for Grand Preceptor Xiao. I’ll report to the Princess first.”
The previous night, Xiao Ruochen had stood guard outside Qin Man’s room until dawn.
Only after daybreak had he returned to his own quarters for a brief rest.
Shortly after waking, Xiao Mu rushed in.
“My Lord, Xiao Ya is looking for you. Miss Qin has disappeared.”
Xiao Ruochen’s body froze.
Only for a brief moment.
Then he immediately issued orders.
“Tell Xiao Mu to join Xiao Ya and Su Li. Search every area around the courier station.”
His voice was cold and steady.
“Activate all shadow guards. Search the entire county discreetly. Find Qin Muxi immediately.”
Without wasting another second, he headed directly toward Qin Man’s room.
By the time he arrived, Su Li had returned from Princess Mo Yueyao’s residence.
Neither woman had discovered any trace of Qin Man.
No one had seen her leave.
No attendants had encountered her.
Xiao Ruochen personally inspected the room.
He questioned the two maids in detail, carefully reconstructing every event that had occurred before Qin Man vanished.
Although panic raged inside him, his expression remained calm and unreadable.
Not a single trace of his fear showed on his face.
When he learned that Qin Man had visited Mo Xuan earlier that morning, he felt no jealousy.
At a time like this, none of that mattered.
The only thing that mattered was finding her.
“Send word to the magistrate immediately,” he ordered.
“Inform Prince Mo Xuan that Miss Qin has disappeared.”
Then he continued searching the room for clues.
At that moment, Xiao Mu rushed in.
“My Lord! The Princess requests your immediate presence.”
Xiao Ruochen frowned.
“What happened?”
Xiao Mu took a deep breath.
“Five noble ladies have disappeared as well.”
His expression was grave.
“Miss Murong Xue is among them.”
“Has the Princess issued orders?”
“She requests that you and Prince Mo Xuan attend an emergency council immediately.”
“I understand.”
Before Xiao Mu had even finished speaking, Xiao Ruochen was already moving toward the war council chamber.
Inside, Princess Mo Yueyao, Mo Xuan, Xiao Ruochen, and several senior officials were gathered around a map.
The situation was dire.
Seven people had vanished.
One maidservant had disappeared during the night.
Qin Man and five noble ladies had vanished during broad daylight.
Even Murong Xue was among the missing.
The flower-plucking thief had always struck at night.
Because of that, security during the daytime had become somewhat relaxed.
The enemy had taken advantage of that weakness.
“A single person couldn’t possibly transport so many captives out of a heavily guarded compound,” Xiao Ruochen said.
His gaze remained fixed on the map.
“We’re dealing with a large criminal organization.”
Mo Xuan nodded.
“Or perhaps the people who abducted Muxi and the noble ladies are not the same group as the flower-plucking thief.”
The room fell silent.
Princess Mo Yueyao finally spoke.
“I believe the second possibility is more likely.”
After a brief discussion, the military forces were divided into two groups.
Two generals remained behind with a large contingent of soldiers to protect the remaining delegation members.
Meanwhile, Mo Xuan and Xiao Ruochen personally led elite search teams to rescue the missing women.
…
Deep underground, inside a damp stone chamber, Qin Man and the five noble ladies were tied to massive pillars.
The other women remained unconscious due to heavy sedation.
Qin Man, however, was fully awake.
In truth, her capture had been entirely intentional.
After returning to her room that morning, she had planned to rest.
However, because the situation in Chaozhou had become increasingly dangerous, she first reapplied the medicinal paste that concealed her appearance.
Just as she finished, she detected the faint scent of a powerful sleeping drug drifting through the window.
Her senses immediately went on high alert.
She secretly concealed a vial of blinding powder in one hand and a dagger in the other before pretending to lose consciousness.
Shortly afterward, two masked men entered through the window.
At first, Qin Man intended to ambush them.
However, she overheard them discussing the simultaneous abduction of other noble ladies.
Realizing this was a large-scale operation, she changed her plan.
Instead of resisting, she allowed herself to be taken.
Along the way, she secretly scattered tiny amounts of a special tracking substance from her spatial dimension.
The scent would remain detectable for twenty-four hours.
If Xiao Ruochen and the others discovered it, they could follow the trail directly to the enemy’s hideout.
Even if they failed, Qin Man had no intention of remaining a helpless prisoner.
Soon afterward, the remaining five noble ladies, including Murong Xue, were brought into the dungeon.
All of them remained deeply unconscious.
Several armed guards stood watch outside.
Qin Man attempted to wake the women, but the effects of the drug were too strong.
Next, she tested whether she could still access her spatial dimension.
To her relief, she could.
Using it, she retrieved a small scalpel.
Carefully moving her hands behind her back, she cut through most of the ropes binding her wrists while leaving enough intact to maintain the appearance of captivity.
As afternoon gradually turned into evening, the sedatives finally began to wear off.
The noble ladies woke one after another.
When they discovered themselves tied up inside a dungeon, several immediately began crying in fear.
Murong Xue was frightened as well, but she remained calmer than the others.
Her eyes quickly found Qin Man.
“Miss Qin!”
Her voice trembled.
“How did you end up here too? What should we do?”
“Everyone stay quiet.”
Qin Man’s voice was low and firm.
“Don’t let the guards know we’re awake.”
The women immediately swallowed their sobs.
Outside the cell, the guards were drinking and gambling.
Their crude laughter echoed through the corridor.
“I wonder when the commander will arrive.”
One guard laughed.
“We captured five top-quality beauties. We deserve a reward.”
“Wait a second.”
Another sounded confused.
“Weren’t there six women?”
“There are six.”
The first guard snorted.
“But only five are worth looking at.”
Laughter erupted.
“The last one has a face so ugly it could scare people to death.”
“I’ll admit,” another guard said with a wicked grin, “her figure and bearing are excellent. Cover her face, and she’d outshine every noble lady in the capital.”
The men burst into vulgar laughter.
Another voice spoke up.
“Do you think we’ll get a chance to have some fun with them before they’re handed over?”
“If the captain takes the lead, I’m certainly willing.”
The conversation became increasingly obscene.
Inside the dungeon, the noble ladies turned pale.
If those men entered, they would have no way to defend themselves.
Several of the younger girls began trembling uncontrollably.
Tears streamed silently down their faces.
Murong Xue looked toward Qin Man.
Her eyes were filled with desperation.
Qin Man listened quietly.
The warmth vanished from her gaze.
Her eyes became cold and dark.
One hand tightened around the hidden scalpel.
Her mind rapidly reviewed the supplies stored in her spatial dimension.
If these men forced their way inside, she could protect herself.
The problem was protecting the other five women at the same time.
She needed the perfect opportunity.
Suddenly, the drunken laughter outside vanished.
Every guard immediately snapped to attention.
“Greetings, Master!”
Their voices echoed through the corridor.
A chilling voice rang out moments later.
It was low, cold, and commanding.
“Report the number of prisoners below.”
The voice paused.
Then it continued with terrifying calm.
“Has any fool among you touched them?”