In the dark forest, there came rustling sounds of fabric rubbing and branches crunching underfoot, accompanied by heavy gasps.
Thunder rumbled in the sky from time to time. Illuminated by the lightning, two figures could be faintly seen trudging through the mountains in the rain. Surrounded by quite a few dogs in front and behind them were Ye Wanmian and Qi Wen.
"Ouch!"
Qi Wen exclaimed in surprise when he stepped on something under his feet and almost slipped. Fortunately, Ye Wanmian was beside him and gave him a hand, preventing the person on his back from being thrown off.
"Be careful. The road is slippery in the rain," Ye Wanmian admonished.
Qi Wen waved his hand and gasped, "I can't go on. Let me take a break."
Both of them were soaked to the skin. Their hair clung to their faces, and their eyes were almost blurred by the rain, barely able to open. Wiping the water off her face, Ye Wanmian stopped his attempt to sit down and rest. She said,
"No. It will be dawn in two hours. We don't know how long it will take to get back to the town even if we find the secret passage. Time waits for no one. Let's go all out. It's just ahead."
Qi Wen had no choice but to straighten his legs obediently, adjust the person on his back, and continue to move forward.
"Your Highness, Your Highness. I, Qi Wen, have really given it my all today to save you. When you wake up, don't forget my contribution!"
Qi Wen gritted his teeth and murmured. The man on his back had his eyes tightly closed, and his hands naturally hung in front of Qi Wen. If it weren't for the occasional faint breaths hitting his neck, Qi Wen would really have thought he was dead.
Beside him, Ye Wanmian also carried a body on her back. It was the deceased Young Master Chen.
Ye Wanmian was not strong enough and not tall enough to carry an adult man on her back. So the task of transporting the Crown Prince fell to Qi Wen.
It was raining heavily outside, and Young Master Chen had died an unnatural death. They couldn't bear to just leave his body there, so they brought him along.
Although Young Master Chen was short, his weight was still a great burden to Ye Wanmian.
Every time they walked a short distance, the dogs following them would scratch the mud on the ground vigorously with their paws to destroy their footprints.
After a while, a house hidden in the forest faintly appeared in front of them. Ye Wanmian raised her hand and said, "Shh, there's a manor ahead."
Qi Wen immediately stopped in his tracks.
Ye Wanmian whistled. Two dog shadows ran through the bushes towards them. They were Dahuang and Sangbiao.
The two dogs ran up to Ye Wanmian and barked at her twice.
Dahuang and Sangbiao had gone to scout the way ahead. If they confirmed it was safe, they would come back to give Ye Wanmian a signal. This meant that there was no one in the manor and it was safe.
Ye Wanmian and Qi Wen followed the dogs and came to the manor.
There was a plaque on the manor, but it was so dark all around that they couldn't make out what was written on it at all. Qi Wen looked at the plaque, pondered for a while, and said,
"This is neither a Taoist temple nor a Buddhist temple. I think it must be a manor built here for summer retreat. In our Dongli Town, only员外 Chen has such a fortune."
This was the place the dogs had led them to. Ye Wanmian snorted and said, "This must be the place. Figure out a way to get into the manor."
Dahuang beside her barked at her twice and then ran around to the other side of the manor. Ye Wanmian and Qi Wen followed. Sure enough, they found a small door on the side near the mountain wall. She gently pushed it, and the door opened as it was not locked.
After entering the manor, there were already two dogs waiting inside. Seeing Ye Wanmian and Qi Wen, they barked twice and ran towards the house.
Finally, shielded by the eaves, the fine rain no longer fell on them, and both of them let out a sigh of relief.
There was no one guarding this manor. Ye Wanmian searched around and found two torches. The burning torches illuminated the surroundings and brought them a little warmth.
Ye Wanmian first asked Qi Wen to put the Crown Prince on his back in a clean place. Then they worked together to take off Young Master Chen on Ye Wanmian's back and laid him on the only couch in the room.
After a night of tossing around, the cloth strip that had originally covered Young Master Chen's eyes had already fallen off, revealing his slightly protruding eyes that could not close in peace.
Ye Wanmian asked Qi Wen to hold the torch, then she pulled open his clothes and looked at his neck. She shook her head and said, "His neck bone is broken, and there are also finger marks on his neck. He was strangled to death."
Qi Wen shivered violently, not knowing if it was because he had been in the rain for too long or because of Ye Wanmian's words.
Who would be so cruel as to strangle a child of only twelve or thirteen years old?
He remembered that during the funeral tonight,员外 Chen, the biological father of Young Master Chen, didn't seem to show any signs of grief on his face. Could it be...
Qi Wen didn't dare to think anymore. There was only a faint feeling of indignation in his heart.
Ye Wanmian took two steps back, folded her hands together, and bowed deeply three times to the body on the bed. Seeing this, Qi Wen quickly followed suit.
"We had no choice but to disturb Young Master Chen tonight. We know that you suffered a great deal during your lifetime and died an unnatural death. Don't worry, this matter will not end like this. One day, we will find out the truth, clear your name, and let you rest in peace," Ye Wanmian said in a low voice. Seeing this, Qi Wen also patted his chest and said, "Don't worry. We'll take care of everything!"
After they finished speaking, the torches in their hands suddenly made a "crackling" sound. A spark exploded in their torches, scaring Qi Wen into getting goosebumps all over his body.
"Madam Jiang, did Young Master Chen appear as a ghost?"
Ye Wanmian nodded thoughtfully, "It should be."
"Alright, let's hurry up and leave."
Qi Wen nodded. He carried the body on his back again and came with Ye Wanmian to the place Dahuang had guided them to. It was a wall with a bookcase on it. There were also many porcelain vases and books on the bookcase.
Dahuang and Sangbiao circled around the bookcase twice and barked at Ye Wanmian twice.
The secret passage was hidden here.
Ye Wanmian thought for a moment. She stepped forward and carefully observed the bookcase. Her gaze finally fell on one of the pen holders. She reached out, grasped the pen holder, and turned it to the left. Sure enough, there came a sound from behind the bookcase. The next moment, the bookcase moved to the left, revealing a dark cave behind it.
Qi Wen exclaimed, "I didn't expect there to be such a hidden place here!"
Dahuang and Sangbiao jumped in first, followed by four or five other dogs. They went ahead to scout the way for Ye Wanmian and the others.
Ye Wanmian tightened her grip on the torch and lifted her wet skirt to follow.
A gust of wind blew out from the cave. The wind lifted a strand of the Crown Prince's dry hair beside his temple, and his eyelashes trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.
Behind them, the bookcase slowly closed. Except for the water footprints on the ground, no one would know that someone had been here.
But then, those water footprints were destroyed by the rolling dogs, leaving no trace at all.