Jiang Caiping curled her lips slightly and said, “I know sister would never do such a thing.”
Yunyi smiled faintly and said, “When I come to visit you at your home, you mustn’t drive me away.”
“Sister, if you come to see me, I’ll be overjoyed – how could I possibly drive you away?” After a brief pause, she suddenly said, “Sister, if you truly like Second Young Master, don’t give up easily. I don’t want you to repeat my tragedy.”
Yunyi gently stroked her gaunt cheek and said with a bitter tone, “I’m different from you.”
“Why?” Facing Jiang Caiping’s inquiry, Yunyi shook her head and said, “Don’t ask anymore. In any case, it’s impossible between Second Young Master and me.” With that, she took a breath and said, “Alright, hurry up and pack your things. If you forget anything, I won’t bring it to you.”
During this period, all the guards had sent people to search along the river for Ajin and his mother, but the two seemed to have vanished into thin air – they couldn’t be found anywhere. Duan Zhihong speculated that they might be afraid of the killer pursuing them, so they had hidden in the mountains and dared not come out. This undoubtedly created trouble for them, as both sides of the river were lined with mountains stretching endlessly. To search through them one by one would take an unknown amount of time, but Ajin and his mother were their only lead, so they had no choice but to search.
Strangely enough, Ajin had left by boat, but all along their route, they hadn’t discovered Ajin’s boat, making it impossible to determine where exactly he had come ashore.
Early this morning, Li Shimin was briefing Duan Zhihong on matters when, upon receiving tea from a servant, his hand trembled slightly, causing the cup lid and body to clink together.
Duan Zhihong exclaimed in alarm, “Second Young Master, what’s wrong with your hand?”
After Li Shimin drank a large gulp of tea to refresh himself, he said, “It’s nothing. I suppose I haven’t been sleeping well these past few days, so I’m feeling a bit unwell. I’ll be fine in a moment.”
Duan Zhihong sighed and said, “This subordinate knows that Second Young Master wants to find the killer as soon as possible to avenge Third Young Master, but if you continue investigating day and night like this, your body will eventually give out. Tea can refresh the mind, but it cannot replenish your physical strength and spirit.”
“No matter.” Li Shimin said casually, then continued, “Father has already sent orders to the military. Over two thousand soldiers will accompany you into the mountains to search. With them there, you can further expand the search area. As soon as you have any leads, report to me immediately.”
“This subordinate understands.” As he was leaving, Duan Zhihong saw Li Shimin pour another large gulp of tea into his mouth. He opened his mouth to advise him, but ultimately said nothing, because he knew Li Shimin would never listen to his counsel.
After a while, a servant came in and said, “Second Young Master, Wu Meixue and Jiang Caiping from the music hall request an audience.”
Li Shimin set down his empty teacup and said, “Let them in.”
“Yes.” After a moment, Yunyi and the other woman entered. Jiang Caiping bowed and then asked urgently, “Second Young Master, is there any lead on the killer?”
“Not yet, but I’ve already dispatched additional personnel to search. We should have leads soon.” As soon as Li Shimin finished speaking, Jiang Caiping had already knelt down, gritting her teeth as she said, “Please, Second Young Master, you must catch the killer to comfort Third Young Master’s spirit!”
Li Shimin personally helped her up and said, “Xuanba was my brother. I will never let him die in vain. Please stand up.”
Yunyi said from the side, “Second Young Master, Caiping has already resigned her position with Steward Lin. She’ll be leaving the residence shortly. I’d like to see her off. May I?”
Li Shimin nodded and said, “I’ll have Steward Qi speak with Steward Lin. You just need to return before sunset – there’s no need to rush.”
Just as he was about to call Steward Qi in, Duan Zhihong, who had left not long ago, hurried back in and said, “Second Young Master, soldiers just reported that they’ve discovered traces of Ajin in the barren mountains ten li west of the city.”
Li Shimin’s expression brightened with joy, and he quickly asked, “Where is he? Where?”
“As soon as Ajin saw our people, he fled deep into the barren mountains, apparently taking us for the people pursuing him. Because the terrain in the barren mountains is complex and there’s abundant vegetation, we lost track of Ajin. They’re currently searching along the mountain.”
Li Shimin showed a trace of disappointment, then said, “Immediately deploy all available personnel to search there. Also, I’ll go there with you. We must find Ajin.” With that, he called Steward Qi and hastily gave instructions regarding Yunyi’s matter before quickly departing with Duan Zhihong. In his eagerness to find Ajin, Li Shimin failed to notice the strange look and panic in Yunyi’s eyes.
After leaving the Governor’s residence with Caiping, Yunyi said apologetically, “Caiping, father has been complaining about throat discomfort these past few days. I want to get some medicine for him. Why don’t you go back first, and I’ll come see you later.”
Jiang Caiping smiled and said, “Taking care of Uncle Wu is important. Sister needn’t worry about me – I’ll be fine.”
After watching Jiang Caiping depart, Yunyi hurried to the market. After casually buying a set of clothes to change into, she purchased some other items, then asked someone to rent her a horse and galloped out of the city, heading west. She had to find Ajin before Li Shimin did – she absolutely couldn’t let him reveal the matter about Feng Li.
After riding for a while, she could faintly see figures moving in the forested mountains ahead – this must be the mountain Duan Zhihong had mentioned. To avoid being discovered, she tied her horse to a nearby tree and proceeded on foot up the mountain, carefully concealing her tracks.
Li Shimin had already arrived first and was directing the soldiers arriving in succession to surround the mountain forest to prevent Ajin from escaping. This was their only lead at present – they couldn’t afford to lose it.
Although the soldiers responsible for searching had reached over a thousand in number, the terrain here was undulating with one peak after another, and the trees were lush. Finding one person among all this was easier said than done.
After searching for nearly half a day, Li Shimin called Duan Zhihong over and said, “Continuing to search like this isn’t the solution. Have those soldiers shout out the Li family’s name as they search. As long as Ajin knows we’re not the killers pursuing him, he’ll naturally come forward to meet us.”
Duan Zhihong relayed the message as instructed, and soon voices echoed throughout the mountain forest one after another: “We are soldiers under the Governor’s command, here on Second Young Master’s orders to find you. Second Young Master is right here – come out quickly.”
After shouting like this for about half an hour, a figure pushed through the branches and emerged from a concealed mountain cave, cautiously observing the soldiers in the distance who were loudly calling his name. This person was indeed Ajin. After escaping that day, he had come ashore and moved large stones to smash his father’s small boat into fragments to hide his tracks, scattering the pieces in all directions to avoid discovery. As for himself, he had hidden in the mountains, not daring to step out.
It wasn’t that he feared death, but rather that he didn’t want to die in vain. He had sworn to avenge his mother, and before that, he had to stay alive!
These past days, he had been like a startled bird, hiding here and there. At the slightest sound, he would immediately flee. The previous few days had been relatively peaceful, but since a few days ago, many people had come to these mountains, searching everywhere. Fearing they were sent by that female killer, he dared not show himself and hid carefully. But he was still discovered. Fortunately, the mountain paths were complex, and since it was now spring turning to summer with lush vegetation, after a frantic escape, he had managed to evade their pursuit and hide in this small mountain cave.