Hu Bao had just arrived at the door of the small house with his men. Before he could even enter, he suddenly heard a loud bang.
In that instant, the entire earth seemed to tremble. Everyone's first reaction was:
"What's going on? Is it an earth dragon turning over (an earthquake)?"
The accompanying guards were shocked.
But soon, Hu Bao denied this guess. Because a house not far away suddenly burst into flames, accompanied by a large amount of smoke billowing out.
How could an earth dragon turning over cause a fire? This was absolutely abnormal. It must be the work of some villain!
"Quick, follow me in," Hu Bao led the way and rushed into the small house.
For Hu Bao, who was used to walking around large mansions, the two-courtyard house was quite small. Plus, he brought quite a few people with him this time, so they quickly discovered the downward passage.
"Everyone, come here," Hu Bao raised his voice to gather his men.
After he said this, it wasn't just the soldiers who came with him who responded, but also the people in the passage.
"Hu Bao! Is that Hu Bao?"
Hu Bao was both surprised and delighted. "Third Young Master, are you hurt?"
Down below, Qin Qinian said, "Rongrong and I are fine, but Qin Yanzhou fainted. I don't know if he was hit by a rock or bumped into something just now. We are trapped in a small corner, surrounded by rocks of different sizes. Hurry up and bring people to rescue us."
His voice was full of energy, and judging by the volume, he wasn't far from the exit.
But Qin Qinian's words made Hu Bao's vision go dark for a moment.
Young Master Qin was injured?
What was the difference between this and the Third Young Master getting hurt... No, it might be even worse.
Who in the residence didn't know that Madam Dai treated her son like a pearl in the palm of her hand? Now that this bright pearl was cracked, Madam Dai would probably shed tears like rain.
The sky above their heads would probably also be covered with dark clouds.
Hu Bao said sternly, "Hurry up and save them!"
The entrance to the passage was more than eight feet wide, allowing the guards to enter side by side. Using people as anchor points, they first passed the small stones out by hand.
Hu Bao saw that there were quite a few piles of dirt shaken down, so he ordered, "Quick, go find a bucket."
In the dark.
Shi Rongyue listened to the approaching sounds outside and estimated the distance. "Little Cousin, we should be less than a zhang away from the captain and the others."
Qin Qinian was still trying to feel his way around. "Should be. Qin Yanzhou dragged us for quite a distance earlier. We've probably returned near the entrance."
Speaking of this, Qin Qinian still had lingering fears. "Good thing we ran fast, otherwise we would have capsized in the gutter. By the way, what exactly happened? Why was there suddenly a loud bang? I even saw a fire dragon shooting straight up. It was terrifying."
Shi Rongyue didn't understand either. "There must be some mystery behind it. Little Cousin, is that young lady already..."
Qin Qinian was silent for a moment.
At that time, Qin Yanzhou was second in line, then Rongrong, and finally him bringing up the rear. Qin Yanzhou was holding one person with each hand, so he indeed didn't have a spare hand to care for the person at the very front.
Undoubtedly, the Fan family's daughter was an abandoned pawn. Judging by her previous words, she was probably deceived by the Green Lotus Sect.
"We couldn't care about her at that time. After we get out, we'll have people dig further inside. If she still has a breath left, we can save her along the way. This woman knows quite a bit about the Green Lotus Sect. It would be good if she could survive." Qin Qinian sighed.
As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Qinian clearly felt movement from the rocks beside his hand.
"Third Young Master!"
Qin Qinian instantly perked up. "You're here! Hurry up and dig it open."
In less than a quarter of an hour, a small hole was opened on the side, and the faint light of a fire stick shone through.
After digging it open, Hu Bao realized that the three of them were huddled in the first corner of the downward passage.
A stone slab tilted down from above, forming a small triangle with the wall to trap them inside. The stone slab was already pressing down very low, with its highest point no more than five feet above the ground.
Hu Bao broke out in a cold sweat, thinking to himself that it was a good thing the stone slab hadn't crushed down, otherwise they would have broken a few bones at least.
"You guys hold up the upper end. Absolutely do not let it fall down. Where is that long stick from earlier? Bring it over and prop it up underneath." After arranging everything, Hu Bao said to the people inside, "Third Young Master, you come out first."
Seeing the illuminated hole, Qin Qinian pushed Qin Yanzhou over while saying to Shi Rongyue, "Rongrong, you take care of Qin Yanzhou for now. I'll come back and get him out later."
Shi Rongyue softly agreed.
After Qin Qinian left, Qin Yanzhou, losing half of his support, slid towards that side.
Sensing the abnormality, Shi Rongyue took the initiative to reach out, pulled the person back a bit, and continued to let herself act as a human cushion.
After Qin Qinian came out, he was also startled to see the stone slab tilted like this, and hurriedly said, "Rongrong, move Qin Yanzhou over."
A bit of firelight reflected in. Whether it was the color of the fire or something else, the young girl's cheeks and neck were a bit red. Shi Rongyue lay on the ground, using all her strength to laboriously move the young man on top of her towards the hole.
She didn't expect him to be so heavy despite looking tall and thin. Shi Rongyue felt like she was moving a hard rock.
Hu Bao and Qin Qinian worked together outside to receive the person.
The soldiers outside lit a fire stick, and the firelight illuminated the young man's pale face. There were bloodstains on the corners of his mouth, and blood on his white robe, but not too much.
Hu Bao's heart skipped a beat. "Third Young Master, I'll escort Young Master Qin back to the residence first, and return later. I'll leave the command here to you, is that alright?"
Qin Qinian readily agreed. "Alright, hurry back. Don't delay the treatment time! There's another young lady inside. I'll lead people to see if we can dig her out too."
Hu Bao was shocked. "There's still someone inside? Who is it? Is it Miss Shi's maidservant?"
But after asking the last question, he felt something was wrong.
He clearly met Miss Shi's personal maidservant on the way here just now, so who was the person inside?
Qin Qinian replied, "It's the daughter of Fan of Yanzhou. Don't worry about this, hurry up and send Qin Yanzhou back. By the way, today isn't the day for his acupuncture treatment. Old Mr. Ding isn't at the residence, so you have to send someone else to invite him over."
Hu Bao accepted the order and left first with the unconscious Qin Yanzhou.
Qin Qinian helped Shi Rongyue out of the small, low hole. Just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed, and he looked at her nervously. "Rongrong, there's blood on your face. Where did you get hurt?"
Shi Rongyue belatedly wiped her face. She looked down at the bright red on her palm. Her light brown eyes reflected the firelight and blood, like a blood-stained piece of amber.
The young lady slowly shook her head. "It's not my blood, it's Young Master Qin's."
*
Qin Residence, Main Room.
Dai Li always had the habit of taking an afternoon nap. In autumn, the sky was high and the air was crisp, and the temperature was just right, making it quite pleasant to sleep.
Halfway through her sleep, Dai Li was suddenly awakened by a loud boom. She abruptly opened her eyes, hugged the quilt, and sat up, concentrating to feel her surroundings. Everything was quiet around her; it seemed the sound just now was merely a hallucination.
Footsteps approached from outside, and Dai Li saw Qin Shaozong.
Seeing that she was indeed awake, the man took the initiative to mention what had just happened. "It wasn't an earth dragon turning over just now. It might be that a house somewhere in the county collapsed due to disrepair. Madam, please continue resting."
Dai Li lowered her eyes to look at the plain brocade quilt and murmured, "I don't know why, but my heart is suddenly beating very fast."
"How about having Ding Congjian come over later to check your pulse, Madam?" Qin Shaozong poured her a cup of warm water and sat by the couch. After Dai Li took the cup, he naturally reached out to feel her forehead.
Dai Li turned her head to avoid his hand. "I'm fine. It's probably just because I woke up suddenly and got scared."
Taking a casual sip of tea, Dai Li shoved the cup back into his hands and didn't hesitate to shoo him away. "Go out and do your work. I'm going back to sleep."
Qin Shaozong took the cup and left.
Dai Li hugged the quilt and lay back down. Having been startled awake once, falling back asleep was not easy. Just as her drowsiness deepened and almost pulled her into dreamland, Dai Li heard a flurry of hurried footsteps.
It seemed Hu Bao had arrived and was reporting something to Qin Shaozong outside.
Dai Li hugged her quilt and rolled over, intending to continue sleeping, but she heard footsteps entering the room.
For some reason, Dai Li's heart skipped a beat, feeling an inexplicable unease. And this sense of unease peaked when Qin Shaozong scooped her up from the couch.
"Madam, Hu Bao just reported that Qin Yanzhou was injured while pursuing the remnants of the Green Lotus Cult and is now unconscious. Hu Bao has already sent someone to bring old Mr. Ding to the estate; he will arrive shortly."
It was clearly autumn with pleasant temperatures, but Dai Li only felt that the sunlight slanting through the window could not melt the chill in the air. The cold wind poured into her lungs, and even her fingertips were freezing.
"Zhou Zhou... Where is Zhou Zhou now? Has he returned to his courtyard?" Dai Li struggled to get down from Qin Shaozong's embrace.
Qin Shaozong knew she would lose all composure whenever it came to her son. The last time she first heard news of Qin Yanzhou, she had sprained her ankle tripping on the footstool.
The man held her waist tightly, keeping her on the couch. "Madam, put on your clothes first, and then I will take you to see him."
During her nap, Dai Li had taken off her outer garments and was now only wearing an apricot-colored inner robe. Her dress was casually draped over the nearby clothes rack. Qin Shaozong extended his long arm to grab it, unfurled it, and helped her put it on.
Once she was finally dressed, Dai Li waved off Qin Shaozong's hands and hurried outside.
Before returning to Yuyang, Qin Yanzhou had lived in the main courtyard with Dai Li and Qin Shaozong. He lived in the side room of the main courtyard, while they lived in the main room.
Later, with the arrival of Qin Qinian and Qin Yunce, Qin Shaozong found the three boys to be in the way. Moreover, the main courtyard only had left and right side rooms, not enough for the three of them. It wasn't good to move just one out alone, so he simply kicked all three out together.
Thus, Qin Yanzhou also got his own courtyard in this mansion.
By the time Dai Li arrived, Ding Lianxi, who happened to be on duty in the estate today, was already there and checking Qin Yanzhou's pulse.
Seeing her son lying motionless on the bed with a pale face and a smear of bright red on his collar, and then noticing Ding Lianxi frowning deeply as he checked the pulse, Dai Li suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.
A large, dark hand reached over, supporting Dai Li's lower back and half-embracing her. Qin Shaozong asked, "Ding Congjian, how is the situation?"
Previously, Ding Lianxi had checked Qin Yanzhou's pulse many times but failed to get a result. However, after receiving his grandfather's guidance day and night, he had somewhat grasped the trick.
Now, after taking the pulse for a moment, Ding Lianxi said, "My Lord, my skills are shallow, but I faintly feel that the Red Gall has become even more violent. If this continues, I'm afraid the final deadline my grandfather predicted will be greatly shortened."
Dai Li was shocked, even stuttering when she spoke, "Then, then how much time is left now?"
Today was still eight days away from the deadline for collecting medicinal herbs given by Ding Luying. And five days ago, all the herbs had been collected, transitioning from the collection phase to the medicine-making phase.
In other words, they had gained back thirteen days. But if the final deadline was cut in half, or even more, the time left for Ding Luying to make the medicine and for subsequent treatment would still not be enough.
Ding Lianxi looked ashamed. "As for exactly how much time is left, we will only know when my grandfather comes."
Dai Li asked nervously again, "Besides the Red Gall being affected, does my son have any other injuries?"
"The young master's back was hit by a heavy object, causing some bruising, but it didn't hurt his heart or lungs, so it's not a major issue." Seeing Dai Li staring at the red on the young man's collar, Ding Lianxi explained, "The reason he vomited blood is entirely because the Red Gall is acting up."
Right at this moment, the rumbling sound of carriage wheels reached the courtyard. It was the guards who had brought Ding Luying over, the carriage driving straight into Qin Yanzhou's courtyard.
Dai Li quickly welcomed him inside. After checking the pulse, the latter stroked his gray beard, looking somewhat peculiar.
"Fortunately, the medicinal herbs were collected ahead of time. Now the Red Gall has been startled by a tremendous force. Although it is completely enraged, it has shifted from the abdominal cavity to the surface, attempting to head towards the heart meridian. Extracting the worm immediately at this time is actually more convenient than planned. And as for the young master, his body will be healthier in the future than expected," Ding Luying said.
Dai Li was stunned. Under the sudden transition from great sorrow to great joy, her legs went weak, and she barely managed to stand firm by holding onto the arm of the man beside her.
She said "good" several times in a row. "Without further delay, I must trouble old Mr. Ding to extract the Gu worm for my son."
Indeed, there was no time to delay. After Ding Luying spoke, the entire courtyard immediately began operating at high speed.
Those fetching herbs fetched herbs, and those preparing tools prepared tools.
Watching the busy servants, Dai Li's heart gradually settled, and her chaotic thoughts slowly became calm and clear.
Just now, Hu Bao had said that Zhou Zhou was injured while pursuing the remnants of the Green Lotus Cult.
Remnants of the Green Lotus Cult?
Did Zhou Zhou discover members of the Green Lotus Cult in the commandery?
After discovering a few suspected strongholds last time, wasn't Zhou Zhou planning to play the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind? What made him suddenly change his mind?
Could it be that he made a new discovery at the time?
A name surfaced in Dai Li's mind—
Diting.
Zhou Zhou might have discovered Diting's tracks!
If that was the case, Dai Li could completely understand why her son changed his plans halfway. Because once successful, the reward would be too great.
As the "prince" of the Green Lotus Cult, Diting's importance could not be underestimated. It could be said that if they could catch him, it would be equivalent to having the power to negotiate with the "emperor" of the Green Lotus Cult.
And what kind of place was Yuyang?
It was Qin Shaozong's stronghold!
As long as Diting's tracks were discovered and Zhou Zhou locked onto him, reinforcements would swarm in from all directions, and Diting would find it hard to fly away even if he had wings.
From the moment her son proposed to serve Qin Shaozong and act as his vanguard, Dai Li realized with absolute clarity:
Her Zhou Zhou had grown up; he was already a man. He no longer wanted to hide behind her like he did in childhood; he wanted to shield her from the wind and rain.
The Green Lotus Cult's abduction of her, the debt of gratitude to Qin Shaozong that was hard to repay, and even the threat conveyed in the letter from the Green Lotus Cult after they arrived in Yuyang—he had silently watched it all.
Her son was not good with words. Dai Li had no way of knowing whether he hated so much that he couldn't sleep night after night, or whether he repeatedly imagined how to exact revenge.
There must have been at least some of that; otherwise, why would he firmly pursue Diting's tracks when he clearly could have just stood by and watched?
A nineteen-year-old youth, his hot blood had not cooled. He might have had concerns, but he still dared to fight.
Dai Li understood his impatience, yet her heart ached for him beyond measure. But she also knew very well that she could not change her son's mind.
Until the Green Lotus Sect is eradicated, the lingering hatred will never fade away.