"Is anyone inside? The Black Armored Army is here on orders to search for a fugitive! Please open the door!"
True to the saying that if you're afraid of something, it will come. She didn't expect that right after waking up, she would run into the Black Armored Army coming to search.
She hoped they were just ordinary soldiers of the Black Armored Army, and not Ji Lingchuan himself leading the search.
Song Yihuan responded in a hoarse voice and shuffled towards the door with a walking stick.
When she opened the door, sure enough, there were two soldiers in armor standing outside.
Song Yihuan's gaze involuntarily shifted behind them. Not seeing the person she expected, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment.
"Why did it take you so long to open the door?" the soldier outside frowned and questioned.
"Cough, cough, cough..." Song Yihuan coughed twice and said tremulously, "I'm an old woman with poor mobility. I'm sorry for the delay. Please forgive me, cough, cough, cough."
Seeing that the person who came to answer the door was an old woman with wrinkled face, hunched back, and leaning on a walking stick, the two Black Armored soldiers softened their tone.
"We're sorry to disturb you. These days, the capital has been in turmoil. A prisoner escaped from jail. We're just conducting a routine search. Please cooperate, ma'am."
Song Yihuan stepped aside and said, "Please come in, sirs."
The two Black Armored soldiers entered the yard one after another and began to search around. Song Yihuan didn't pay them any more attention. She shuffled back to the stove with the walking stick and continued cooking.
The house she was in was located in Dog Tail Alley, Chicken and Dog Workshop, in the southwest of the capital. It was a remote and quiet place with few passers - by. So the noise made by the Black Armored Army during the search was especially noticeable.
This house was prepared by Qi Lei as she had asked. The furnishings inside were complete and very clean. After a quick search, the Black Armored Army found no place to hide anyone, so they dispelled their doubts.
"Ma'am, we've searched your house. There's nothing suspicious. You can stay here in peace. If you hear any strange noises or see any suspicious figures at night, remember to tell us."
One of the Black Armored soldiers walked up to Song Yihuan and said.
Song Yihuan propped herself up and smiled amiably, "Okay, okay, okay. I'll remember. I'm just wondering, how old is this fugitive and what does she look like? My eyesight is not good. I might mistake someone if I see her suddenly."
The Black Armored soldier said, "She's not hard to recognize. She's a beautiful girl about eighteen years old. You'll never forget her once you see her."
An eighteen - year - old beautiful girl... Song Yihuan's heart skipped a beat. Why did it seem that the fugitive they were searching for was so similar to her?
"Ma'am? Ma'am? What's wrong with you?"
Song Yihuan came back to her senses and bowed obsequiously, "Okay. If I see that girl, I'll definitely pass the message to you, sir."
To complete the act, she even invited the two Black Armored soldiers to stay for dinner. Of course, they refused and left in a hurry.
Song Yihuan saw them out of the door. After making sure they were far away from her yard, she closed the door and bolted it.
Back at the stove, the rice was cooked. She made two more simple dishes and filled her stomach. Only then did she feel more energetic and less weak.
As night fell, the Black Armored soldiers searching in this area found no useful clues and left in an orderly manner. Sitting in the yard, she could hardly hear the noise outside.
She looked down at the shabby clothes in her hand. This was the clothes she had secretly asked Chunxing to give to Qi Lei in advance, avoiding Feixue. There were patches all over it, which could make her look more like an old woman.
But as her fingers brushed over the rough fabric, she couldn't help but think of the robe she had sewn for Ji Lingchuan.
In the end, she couldn't deliver the robe to him in person. She was also afraid that if she saw him wearing it with her own eyes, she wouldn't be able to bear to leave.
...
At the bottom of Laojun Mountain Cliff, there was a river flowing. The rest of the place was full of jagged rocks and trees growing along the cliff. The river was called Cang River, which flowed eastward. One of its branches ran through the capital and then flowed southward. It was an important river connecting the capital with the southern states, and the waterway transportation was very developed.
Maybe it was because of winter, the current of the Cang River at the bottom of the cliff was extremely rapid. Not to mention a person, even a monkey falling from the cliff might not survive.
At this moment, several boats were hovering on the river, casting nets and searching along the river. The Black Armored Army had even carved out a path at the bottom of the cliff, and soldiers were constantly walking back and forth.
On one of the boats, Ji Lingchuan stood on the deck, staring silently at the turbulent river in front of him.
It had been three days since Song Yihuan fell off the cliff, but in these three days, not even a trace of her had been found.
Tuoba Yuan's body was hanging clearly on a branch at the bottom of the cliff, but the person he was deeply in love with - not even a corner of her clothes was left for him.
In fact, there was still a glimmer of hope in his heart. He hoped that she had survived this disaster and was lucky enough to live at the bottom of the cliff under the protection of heaven.
Even if she was dead, they should have found her body by fishing along the river. However, despite dispatching so many boats and casting nets day and night, there was still no result.
He just couldn't find her no matter how hard he tried.
So, he deceived himself into believing that she was still alive and just playing hide - and - seek with him. He had always scorned using his power for personal gain, but now he was using the excuse of searching for Northern Di spies to look for her in the city.
Although the hope was slim, he still had to try.
Three consecutive days without sleep had filled Ji Lingchuan's eyes with bloodshot. He was already a cold - tempered man. When he didn't speak, his cold and stern appearance was terrifying. Now, there was an additional hint of hostility between his eyebrows, making him look like the King of Hell.
It was getting dark. Fuzhou walked forward with a piece of clothing in her hand.
"My lord, the wind on the river is strong. Please put on your cloak. Be careful not to catch a cold. The princess is very worried about your safety."
Ji Lingchuan looked back. The cloak in Fuzhou's hand was very ordinary, which made him think of the robe that a certain little woman had once said she would give him.
His heart suddenly ached. He held onto the railing and suddenly felt extremely tired.
"Head to shore."
Fuzhou was stunned for a moment and quickly said to the people behind her, "Hurry, head to shore!"
The guards steered the boat to the shore, and Ji Lingchuan stepped off the boat.
As soon as he landed, he heard someone scolding him, "The heir of the Prince of Ning, who can't even protect a woman. What kind of man are you!"
"Let go of me. I want to see Ji Lingchuan. I want to ask him why he didn't stop Yihuan. I'll kill him to avenge Yihuan!"
Fuzhou sighed, "My lord, you may not know that during the days you've been at the bottom of the cliff, this Master Qi has come here every day, making a scene to see you and demanding an explanation. When he's tired, he leaves. After resting, he comes back again. No one can persuade him."
Ji Lingchuan stopped in his tracks and strode towards the direction of the voice.