“You!” Cuiji was so furious he nearly went mad. He had come wholeheartedly for Yunyi and Du Ruhui, yet the result was… Just as he was seething with anger, he suddenly felt a stirring in his heart, and a sinister smile crept across his lips. “I know now—Du Ruhui is still in the city. You’re saying all this just to make us think he’s already left the city, thereby giving up the search. Pei Qiancheng, you’re truly good to him beyond words.”

“Everything I’ve said is the truth. Whether you believe it or not is up to you.” Though Pei Qiancheng tried extremely hard to maintain a calm expression, Cuiji still caught a trace of panic, and the latter increased the force of his grip. “I’ll ask you one more time—where exactly is Du Ruhui?”

Pei Qiancheng struggled to breathe. Though he knew some martial arts, they were mere fancy moves, no match for Cuiji’s skills. He could only force out a few words from his constricted throat: “He… left the city.”

Cuiji’s expression turned cold. “Won’t cry until you see the coffin. Do you believe I’ll kill you right now!” Before he finished speaking, a hand grabbed his wrist, and at the same time, Pei Qiantong’s coldly distant voice reached his ears: “I’ll ask him about Du Ruhui’s whereabouts myself. There’s no need for Young Master Cui to trouble himself.”

Cuiji didn’t release his grip, staring at him and saying: “I’m just afraid General Pei can’t bear to be ruthless.”

“How I conduct my affairs doesn’t require others to point fingers and dictate. Please release your hand, Young Master Cui, otherwise…” Before he could finish, Cuiji had already said: “Otherwise you’ll kill me, is that it?”

Pei Qiantong said coldly: “I don’t wish to harm the harmony between Young Master Cui and myself. As for Du Ruhui, as long as he’s still in the city, he will definitely be found. Young Master Cui needn’t be too anxious. Now please release your hand.”

Cuiji ultimately didn’t want to fall out with him. He slowly released his grip and said coldly: “If he can’t be found, then what should be done?”

“He can definitely be found!” Seeing him say this, Cuiji found it inconvenient to say more. He nodded and said: “Then let’s set three days as the limit. After three days, I’ll be waiting for General Pei’s good news…” He paused, then leaned close to Pei Qiantong’s ear and spoke in a voice only they could hear: “If the Chancellor knew the General harbors feelings for the Xiao clan, I’m afraid the General’s days wouldn’t be so comfortable.”

Pei Qiantong’s eyelid twitched violently, his gaze cold as autumn water and sharp as a blade. “Are you threatening this General? Don’t forget…”

“I know what the General wants to say, but my Cui family’s relationship with the Yuwen clan runs much deeper than the General’s. General, who do you think the Chancellor would believe?” With that, he left with a cold smile, flicking his sleeves.

Pei Qiancheng hadn’t heard their conversation clearly. Seeing Cuiji leave, he immediately grabbed Pei Qiantong’s sleeve and pleaded: “Big brother, please spare Ruhui. Don’t send people to capture him anymore.”

Pei Qiantong had just been threatened by Cuiji, and now seeing Pei Qiancheng single-mindedly concerned about an unrelated person, he was even more annoyed. He forcefully shook off the latter’s hand and shouted sternly: “You can barely protect yourself, yet you still want to plead for others!”

Pei Qiancheng was startled by his words and said in alarm: “Big brother, you…”

Pei Qiantong’s gaze was cold and sinister as he said: “Don’t think that just because you’re my brother, I won’t do anything to you. Something has already gone wrong on Princess Jinyang’s side. Regarding Du Ruhui, Cuiji is determined to get him. If Du Ruhui can’t be found, both you and I will have trouble.”

“An accident…” Pei Qiancheng probed: “Could it be that the great plan failed?”

“Yang Guang is dead, and Jiangdu City is also under our control. Princess Jinyang’s side has encountered other problems.” After briefly explaining the situation, Pei Qiantong said: “You needn’t say anything else. Just tell me where Du Ruhui is hiding.”

Pei Qiancheng gritted his teeth and said: “I don’t know.”

“You!” Pei Qiantong struggled to take several breaths, suppressing the evil fire in his heart as he said: “I’ll ask you one last time—where is Du Ruhui? If you don’t speak again, don’t blame me for not considering our brotherhood.”

Seeing that Pei Qiancheng remained silent, he gritted his teeth and said: “Good! Good! Good!” After saying “good” three times in succession, he said to the steward: “Lock him in the woodshed for me. Before he reveals Du Ruhui’s whereabouts, no one is allowed to bring him food or drink. Let him starve. Anyone who disobeys my order and secretly brings food will be beaten to death!”

The steward hadn’t expected Pei Qiantong to be so ruthless. He said quietly: “General, this… this doesn’t seem right. Perhaps we should…”

Pei Qiantong coldly interrupted him: “What’s wrong with it? Just do as I say.” Seeing that Pei Qiantong’s mind was made up, the steward had no choice but to agree and locked Pei Qiancheng in the woodshed.

After this incident, Pei Qiantong devoted all the Imperial Guards he could use to searching for Du Ruhui. But strangely, this Du Ruhui seemed to have vanished into thin air—no matter how they searched, he couldn’t be found. Could it really be as Pei Qiancheng said, that he had already left the city?

For this reason, Pei Qiantong specifically went to each city gate to inquire whether anyone had unauthorized the opening of gates to let people leave the city. But all the answers were the same: from the moment the city gates were sealed, no unrelated persons had entered or left Jiangdu City. This meant Du Ruhui must still be in the city. Yet no matter how they searched house by house, there was still no trace of him. Could this Du Ruhui really fly through the heavens and burrow through the earth?

“Are you certain everywhere has been searched?” Faced with Pei Qiantong’s inquiry, the reporting captain shook his head and said: “Yes, even vacant houses and abandoned temples have been searched. There’s still no trace of Du Ruhui.”

Pei Qiantong forcefully slammed the armrest and said hatefully: “Damn it, where exactly has this Du Ruhui hidden himself? Why can’t he be found?” Speaking thus, he asked the steward beside him: “How is Qiancheng doing? Is he willing to talk?”

“This servant just went to the woodshed. The Second Young Master is still the same as before—no matter what, he won’t reveal Du Ruhui’s whereabouts.” He then said quietly: “General, for these three days the Second Young Master hasn’t had a drop of water or food. His body is extremely weak, and he barely has the strength to speak. I’m afraid he won’t last much longer. Perhaps… let this servant take some water to the Second Young Master?”

Pei Qiantong felt both heartache and resentment. He said stubbornly: “Since he’s so stubborn, let him continue being stubborn. There’s no need to pity him.”

The steward said worriedly: “Though the Second Young Master has committed a grave error, he’s still your close family, General. Please show mercy.”

Pei Qiantong remained silent with lowered eyes. Just then, a servant entered, whispered a few words in the steward’s ear, and after gesturing for the latter to step aside, the steward said: “General, Young Master Cui has arrived and wishes to see you.”

“Like a death-demanding ghost.” Pei Qiantong cursed under his breath. From the bottom of his heart, he was unwilling to see Cuiji, but not seeing him wasn’t an option either. He could only say helplessly: “Let him in.”

After a while, Cuiji followed the steward into the study. He didn’t beat around the bush and said straight to the point: “How is it? Has Du Ruhui been found?”

Pei Qiantong wiped his face and said: “I’ve already had my Imperial Guards search house by house, but Jiangdu City is so large. To search everywhere thoroughly, three days really isn’t enough. Perhaps…”