Luo Chaoyan ran toward the pine forest by the mountain path. After running for a long time without seeing any pursuers, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and hid in a concealed patch of grass.
Just as she was about to rest for a while, she saw Huo Rui being chased all over the place by two thugs directly ahead of her. She couldn’t help but feel a secret thrill. Hmph, you little devil, you’ve finally met your match! Good luck to you!
However, she didn’t get to enjoy the spectacle for long. Perhaps she and Huo Rui were fated to be entangled in some kind of “ill-fated bond.” Just as she was gleefully watching him being chased, he seemed to spot her. Out of all the directions he could have run, he deliberately headed straight toward her hiding spot. She had no choice but to resign herself to her fate, stand up, and run in the opposite direction.
Huo Rui quickly caught up and ran right behind her.
The two thugs also closed in, shouting, “Stop right there!”
Luo Chaoyan ran while panting heavily, glaring at Huo Rui beside her and snapping, “Why haven’t you been caught yet?”
“You wicked woman, you really do wish for me to be caught, don’t you? Hmph! Too bad for you, those blockheads are nowhere near skilled enough to catch me.” Huo Rui replied as he ran.
Luo Chaoyan couldn’t stand his smug attitude and sneered, “What are you so proud of? You’re only relying on the fact that those men don’t dare to actually hurt you.”
Huo Rui surprisingly praised her, “Woman, you’re not completely blind.”
Luo Chaoyan rolled her eyes at him. “Tell me, which enemy of yours sent these people to seek revenge?”
“It’s probably that woman I injured last time at Su Manor,” Huo Rui speculated. “They accidentally let it slip while chasing me just now.”
Luo Chaoyan was taken aback. Ever since she became engaged to Huo Jin, her family had informed her about all the relatives of Huo Manor and the influential official families they were on good terms with. The Ye family was one of them.
Huo Rui’s birth mother, Ye Shuanger, was the eldest legitimate daughter of Marquis Ye’s first wife. When she was six years old, Lady Ye passed away due to illness. After that, Marquis Ye married his second wife, Lady Cui.
As the old saying goes, “With a stepmother comes a stepfather.” Ye Shuanger was no exception. However, she was fortunate enough to have been betrothed to Huo Jin since childhood, so Lady Cui didn’t dare treat her too harshly.
Rumors said that Ye Shuanger didn’t have a good relationship with her father, Marquis Ye. After marrying into Huo Manor, she rarely visited her maiden home. Of course, Huo Manor respected her wishes, so the relationship between the two families remained merely cordial on the surface, without deep ties.
After Huo Manor spread the news that they were seeking a second wife, the Ye family began visiting frequently, hoping to have Lady Cui’s daughter, Ye Yushu, marry into Huo Manor under the pretext of taking care of her sister’s two young nephews.
Huo Rui likely despised the Ye family intensely, which explained the incident at Su Manor.
And today’s trouble was all because of him, while she was innocently dragged into it. Thinking of this, Luo Chaoyan’s hands began to itch again. She raised her hand to smack his butt, but he agilely dodged.
“Woman, did you really think I’d give you another chance to ambush me?” Huo Rui said smugly.
“How dare you say that! If you hadn’t been bullying others with your influence all this time, none of this would have happened today.”
“Hmph! Who told those women to keep dreaming of marrying above their station?”
“Well, I certainly don’t want to,” Luo Chaoyan retorted irritably.
“Woman, even if you don’t want to, you don’t have a choice anymore. Accept your fate.”
Seeing the two of them still bickering leisurely, the two thugs grew furious and redoubled their efforts to chase them.
“I… I can’t run anymore!” Huo Rui gasped breathlessly.
Luo Chaoyan also felt her physical strength was nearly depleted. She recalled a hunter’s trap she had seen earlier in the woods and instantly hatched a plan. Desperate times call for desperate measures, she thought.
“Hold on a little longer, I’ve thought of a way,” she said, pointing to a large pine tree ahead. “Let’s run over there.”
With that, she grabbed his small hand and dashed forward. They stopped beneath the pine tree.
The two pursuers halted about three meters away, panting heavily.
“Hmph! Let’s see where you can run now.”
Disregarding her dignity, Luo Chaoyan plopped down about six inches from a pile of grass. Gasping for breath, she said, “No more running! I can’t go on! Gentlemen, do as you please.”
Her resigned attitude momentarily stunned the pursuers, who then chuckled sinisterly. “Should’ve been like this earlier. Making us chase you all over the mountain. Seems you won’t learn fear until we teach you a lesson.”
Huo Rui watched as the men menacingly stepped forward while Luo Chaoyan remained unmoved. What was this woman up to? Didn’t she say she had a plan? Was giving up the plan? That didn’t seem like her.
“Thump! Thump!”
“Ah!”
“Help!”
The pursuers never expected the grass pile to be a hunter’s trap. Before they could react, they plummeted straight down.
Huo Rui paced interestedly around the trap opening. The ten-meter deep pit held the two men scrambling clumsily to climb out. He laughed and shouted down at them, “You fools! Still think you can catch me? Dream on!” He then covered the trap opening with nearby branches and wild grass.
Dusting off his dirty hands, he looked at Luo Chaoyan. “Woman, you’re truly full of tricks!”
Luo Chaoyan rolled her eyes. “If you want to praise my cleverness, just say it directly. Stop being sarcastic.”
She stood up, brushing grass fragments from her clothes. “Let’s go back.” She wondered how Fengli and the others were doing.
Surprisingly, the two walked down the mountain together in rare harmony.
Just as they emerged from the pine forest, a dozen black-clad figures suddenly surrounded them. Their attire differed from the previous five pursuers, clearly indicating they weren’t the same group.
Luo Chaoyan felt she must have forgotten to check the almanac before going out today. Barely escaping the tiger’s mouth, only to fall into the wolf’s den – was there no end to this?
She smacked Huo Rui’s head in frustration. “Whose people are they this time?”
“How should I know!” Huo Rui rubbed his sore head and glared at her.
Luo Chaoyan had no energy for futile resistance. Pointing at Huo Rui, she declared, “Honorable sirs, debts have their creditors. Here’s your man, take him away.”
“Woman, you’re disloyal!”
“Hmph! You made this mess, you deal with it. Don’t drag me down.”
“You’ll be my stepmother someday. We’re family.”
“Heh! I might become Madam Huo, but I’ll never be your stepmother.”
The lead black-clad man found their bickering irritating. “Enough!” he roared authoritatively.
His gaze deepened as he studied Luo Chaoyan. “You must be the Fourth Miss Luo.”
Though phrased as a question, his tone confirmed her identity. Luo Chaoyan realized whether she admitted it or not hardly mattered anymore.
Sure enough, the man had his subordinate bring over a scroll, which he then unfurled before her.
Under her astonished gaze, the man waved his hand and declared, “It’s her. Take her away!”
“Wait! You’re here to capture her, not me?” Huo Rui looked at Luo Chaoyan with a hint of schadenfreude. “Woman, we’re two of a kind. You accused me of stirring up trouble, but aren’t you just the same?”
Curiously, he then asked, “Who is your master? Did this woman strike your master? Or did she throw insects to scare him?”
Luo Chaoyan felt exasperated. This little demon thought everyone was like him, fond of playing pranks to torment others.
The black-clad man ignored Huo Rui’s remarks, merely frowning as he pondered how to handle the young master of the Huo Family. His master had only instructed him to abduct the Fourth Miss Luo and take her to a brothel to tarnish her reputation, ensuring she could not marry Huo Jin.
“Gentlemen, might there be some misunderstanding?” Luo Chaoyan spoke earnestly. “My parents and I have only been in Jingdu for a little over two months. I rarely go out, so I’m unsure how I might have offended your master. Could you enlighten me? If it was my fault, I can ask my parents to visit and offer a formal apology.”
In truth, she had a suspicion. The Luo Family was insignificant among the noble families of Jingdu. Her uncle was cautious and kept a low profile, and her father was not one to provoke others easily. That left only one possibility—the Huo Manor! The people in Jingdu were absurd. If they wanted to marry Huo Jin, why not approach him directly? Why cause trouble for her?
“Tsk! Tsk!”
“You still haven’t figured it out?”
Su Yi sauntered over, swaying a paper fan with a carefree air. Though his gaze seemed casual, he carefully scrutinized the masked men.
“Uncle Yi!” Huo Rui was surprised to see Su Yi here. His initial excitement faded when he noticed Su Yi had only brought one personal guard, and he grumbled, “Uncle Yi, you only brought one person?”
Su Yi chuckled. “I didn’t come specifically to rescue you. Why would I bring more?”
Huo Rui turned away with a disdainful snort.
The black-clad man, seeing Su Yi as a frail scholar, spoke contemptuously, “Who are you? I advise you not to meddle in others’ affairs.”
Su Yi shrugged. “I usually don’t like to meddle, but today I came to the mountain to enjoy the scenery, and you’ve ruined my mood. So, I suppose I’ll have to intervene.”
“Hmph! You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! Men, attack!” The leader of the black-clad men ordered his subordinates to strike.
The black-clad men outnumbered Su Yi and his guard. Even with their skill, they were soon overpowered.
Huo Rui watched anxiously, knowing his small frame couldn’t help.
Seeing a black-clad man raise his sword to stab Su Yi from behind, he shouted urgently, “Uncle Yi, watch out!”
“Ah!”
A fist-sized stone flew straight at the man’s eye. He cried out in pain, clutching his eye as blood seeped through his fingers.
Perfect! A direct hit. Luo Chaoyan flexed her wrist, pleased that her usual badminton practice hadn’t been in vain.
Su Yi seized the moment to push back the black-clad man attempting to ambush him, then winked at her.
Luo Chaoyan shuddered, her skin crawling.
Huo Rui thought her idea was quite clever, so he also picked up stones from the ground and threw them at the black-clad figures. Watching the black-clad figures dodge and scatter, he felt a great sense of accomplishment.
However, it was clear that their actions had angered the black-clad figures, who began charging toward them recklessly.
Luo Chaoyan was so frightened that she quickly tried to evade, but in her haste, she stepped on a round stone, twisted her ankle, and fell to the ground. The pain made her face turn pale—she had sprained her ankle. As the black-clad figures drew closer, she felt like crying but had no tears left. This had gone too far, and now her life was on the line.