Chapter 112: Sister Disappears!
Outside the door, Eleven and Seven had been listening intently for quite some time.
“Has the young master’s tutor come again?” Seven frowned and asked.
Eleven nodded.
Seven pursed her lips in curiosity. “Why does the young master’s tutor always come in the dead of night?”
“Because it’s inconvenient during the day,” Eleven answered without hesitation.
As soon as the words fell, a flash of golden light suddenly flickered inside the room.
Seven’s eyes twitched slightly, and she whispered, “Eleven, did you see that?”
“No, I didn’t.” Eleven shook his head vigorously, wanting to preserve Li Yunji’s dignity.
Seven was momentarily stunned, scratched her head, and murmured, “A lightning bolt?”
“But that light was clearly golden...”
Eleven sighed softly and turned back to his room, with Seven trailing behind.
...
The torrential rain continued all night, but by dawn the next day, it had ceased.
Li Yunji stretched lazily and slowly rose.
He pushed open the window, and a cool breeze drifted into the courtyard.
The bedroom’s window opened directly into the backyard, and once opened, one could see the lotus pond.
On clear days, Su Xiyan could often be seen playing by the pond.
But today, there was no sign of her.
Perhaps she didn’t want to go out after the rain? Li Yunji thought to himself.
Suddenly, Su Qingmeng pushed open the door and entered!
“Have you seen Xiyan?” Su Qingmeng’s face was anxious as she looked around, her voice trembling slightly.
Li Yunji’s heart tightened, and he shook his head. “No.”
Su Qingmeng immediately turned and rushed out.
Li Yunji quickly got dressed and followed, a vague unease settling in his heart.
By the lotus pond, the water rippled, but no figure was in sight.
Li Yunji scanned the surroundings and found messy footprints in the muddy shore, his heart sinking.
“Someone was here.”
He squatted down to examine them closely; the varying depths indicated they were left in a hurry.
Suddenly, he looked sharply at the enclosing wall.
On the soaked wall were two abrupt footprints, clearly visible!
Li Yunji immediately went to the wall; the footprints still glistened with moisture—it was clear they had been made moments ago.
The two quickly climbed over the wall. Outside on the bluestone street, passersby came and went, and the footprints on the ground had long been trampled into blur.
Li Yunji swiftly leapt up to a tall building, with Su Qingmeng close behind.
Back to back, they surveyed the area for a full half hour but found no suspicious traces.
Su Qingmeng’s emotions began to unravel; she bit her lip tightly, her eyes reddened, and her anxiety overflowed.
---
“Don’t be so anxious yet,” Li Yunji noticed her emotional shift and comforted her. “Your sister will be fine.”
Su Qingmeng remained silent, then leapt down and aimlessly searched the streets.
“Young master.” At that moment, Eleven suddenly flew over to Li Yunji.
Seeing Su Qingmeng’s urgent appearance, he furrowed his brow. “What happened?”
“She’s missing,” Li Yunji said sternly.
Suddenly recalling something, he looked up and asked Eleven, “Aren’t you able to sense auras? Did you notice anyone entering the mansion just now?”
Eleven was momentarily stunned but then shook his head. “I can only sense others’ hostility or goodwill toward the young master.”
“If that person wasn’t targeting the young master, I wouldn’t have detected it.”
Hearing this, Li Yunji’s brow furrowed deeply. He took a deep breath and swiftly returned to the mansion.
Once again, he examined the footprints by the lotus pond and on the wall.
Suddenly, a faint scratch on the wall caught his attention.
Li Yunji turned abruptly, mounted his steed, and galloped along the street toward the southern part of the city.
Before long, he arrived at the Yang Xun residence.
In the front yard, Yang Xun was tidying his armor, preparing for duty.
“Speak!” Li Yunji didn’t waste time and drew his sword, pointing it straight at Yang Xun. “Where have you hidden Xiyan?!”
Yang Xun was taken aback, frowning deeply. “What do you mean by this, young master?”
“Don’t play dumb with me!” Li Yunji stepped forward an inch, the icy blue sword aura pressing against Yang Xun’s throat.
“The footprint on the mansion wall has a scratch clearly made by the rivets on a battle boot!”
Yang Xun’s expression shifted slightly as he said coldly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“If I wanted to kill you, young master, why fabricate baseless accusations?”
Yang Xun spoke defiantly, even as the sword aura cut into his skin, drawing blood.
A cold light flickered in Li Yunji’s eyes. He withdrew the sword aura, turned sharply, and left without looking back.
“What’s he playing at now?” Yang Xun watched Li Yunji’s retreating figure, pondering silently.
...
At the Zhou Residence.
In the study.
Zhou Li saw Li Yunji’s hurried appearance and put down the scrolls, frowning slightly. “Young master, you come unannounced. What brings you here?”
“Looking for someone.”
“Who?”
“My sister-in-law, Su Xiyan.”
Zhou Li paused, raising an eyebrow, then snorted coldly. “You’ve come to the wrong place.”
Li Yunji’s gaze was sharp as he stared at Zhou Li. “Commander Zhou, I don’t think you’re the scheming type.”
“But the eldest son of the Zhou family? That’s another story.”
Zhou Li’s face darkened, and the atmosphere grew tense.
The two confronted each other for a long moment before Zhou Li slowly spoke. “Send someone to fetch Deputy General Zhou!”
---
Fifteen minutes later, Zhou Cheng hurried in.
Zhou Li looked at Li Yunji and said coldly, “The young master wants to see me.”
“Tell him—have you ever seen the Su family’s second young lady?”
Zhou Cheng was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. “Father, I have never seen Su family’s second young lady.”
“Just because you say no, means no?” Li Yunji stepped closer, his gaze piercing.
“If you don’t believe me, feel free to investigate,” Zhou Cheng said calmly without evasion.
Li Yunji’s brow furrowed deeply, his expression growing graver.
Those who bore grudges against him and were military men were only Zhou Cheng and Yang Xun.
But judging by their reactions, it didn’t seem to be either of them.
If not them...
Then only one possibility remained.
Li Yunji’s heart tightened. He turned to leave but was called back by Zhou Li.
“If you’re looking for someone, young master, you might want to try your luck in the eastern district.”
Li Yunji stopped in his tracks and said gravely, “Thank you for the advice, Commander Zhou.”
“Father.” After Li Yunji left, Zhou Cheng looked at Zhou Li in confusion. “Isn’t the east district Li Yi’s territory?”
Zhou Li’s gaze was deep and calm. “Besides him, who else has the audacity to lay hands on Su Ming’s daughter?”
Zhou Cheng nodded and gazed thoughtfully at Li Yunji’s retreating figure.
...
Li Yunji rode swiftly, splashing water beside the road.
As he passed the Star-Picking Pavilion, a familiar figure appeared beside him.
Gu Xian’er floated barefoot in midair, following by his side.
“Where are you headed, young master?”
“East district.” Li Yunji’s eyes remained fixed ahead.
Gu Xian’er saw the urgency in his expression and softly asked, “Looking for the Su family’s second young lady?”
Li Yunji suddenly pulled the reins hard; the horse reared, neighing loudly.
“How do you know?!” His brows knit tightly, his expression grave.
“I saw it.” Gu Xian’er floated forward and stood on the horse’s head.
“At dawn this morning, when I was returning from Changming Mountain, I saw a man in black sneaking her into the general’s mansion.”
Li Yunji’s gaze hardened. “You just watched her being kidnapped?”
“What else could I do?” Gu Xian’er shrugged. “That’s Li Yi’s territory. I don’t want to provoke that brute.”
Her tone was calm, as if it were none of her business.
Li Yunji sighed deeply, knowing he had no right to blame her—it truly wasn’t her affair.
With steely resolve, he spurred his horse onward toward the general’s mansion.