Chapter 58: A Ying, Where Exactly Are You?

Pei Zhouwu headed east, unable to stop his hurried steps.

He remembered her saying that where she lived was three mountains away from here, and that he just needed to keep going east.

The forest was full of weeds and dead branches, and before long, the chains around his feet were tangled with rotten twigs and withered leaves. He paid no mind, focusing only on moving eastward.

After passing through the woods to the other side, this was already the farthest he had ventured since learning of the underwater passage.

But just as he emerged from the forest, he felt a pang of regret.

Not regret for coming out, but regret for not returning to the bamboo hut first—using the knockout incense to retrieve the key and remove the chains from his hands and feet would have allowed him to move faster.

He only wanted to find Su Yueying as quickly as possible.

But now that he was already here, going back would mean diving into the water again and waiting for the knockout incense to take effect, which would take time.

His anxiety could no longer bear such a long wait.

Dragging the chains was cumbersome, but at least he could still walk.

The once-clear moon had now fallen to earth, tainted by dust, its coolness gone, its ethereal aura vanished. All that remained was a surrender to love—a head bowed again and again, sweat that never ceased, falls and rises, rises and falls, and blood from the sharp branches that had scratched his cheek.

Where the moonlight could not reach, claws and fangs lurked everywhere.

Cruel, seeking to snatch away everything he possessed.

A strand of hair lifted, and the Glowworm Wooden Hairpin on his head was caught and fell to the ground.

He quickly turned back and touched his hair. Realizing the hairpin was gone, he immediately crouched down to search. The neatly tied half-bun from the morning had been pulled loose, leaving a strand hanging, and his entire appearance instantly became disheveled. Coupled with his posture, almost kneeling on the ground, he looked increasingly wretched.

The sky was too dark to see clearly.

Using both his hands and eyes, he felt around the ground, encountering sharp stones and thorny vines. Before long, his hands were covered in bloodstains.

But thankfully, he eventually found the hairpin.

He clutched it tightly, not daring to put it back in his hair, and instead tucked it deep into his chest.

This was clearly a desolate mountain, with no signs of human activity. He didn’t know how Su Yueying had found a way to cross it. Even as a man with martial skills, he found it difficult. How could she endure such torment?

After crossing two mountains, his clothes were dirty and torn beyond recognition.

He deeply regretted not letting Su Yueying take an extra set of clothes with her. If one set was ruined, there wouldn’t be enough to change into.

But perhaps she was familiar with the mountain paths.

Her family were hunters in the mountains, and she had said she had run through these hills since childhood. Naturally, she would know the terrain better than he did, so she might not have ended up as wretched as he was.

While crossing the mountains, he also called out her name.

He called for a long time until his voice grew hoarse, but all he received in return was silence.

The weight of his anxiety gradually deepened.

By the time he climbed the third mountain, his condition could no longer be described merely as wretched.

He searched the entire mountain for a long time, nearly falling down a steep slope, but even as dawn approached, he couldn’t find the hunter Su Yueying had mentioned.

This mountain was even more desolate than the previous ones.

There was no trace of anyone ever having lived here.

“A Ying.”

Pei Zhouwu stood in the desolate forest, scanning the night path around him. The initial urgency and tension had unknowingly faded, replaced by confusion that clouded his eyes, making him tremble uncontrollably.

Though drenched in sweat from the oppressive heat, a chill inexplicably rose from his feet.

“A Ying… A Ying.”

He murmured, his eyes reddening, a stark contrast to the bloody gash on his left cheek.

“Impossible.”

Dragging the heavy shackles on his feet, he trudged forward, pausing after each step, frequently turning to scan his surroundings. The desolate aura of the mountains seemed to seep into his very heart. He didn’t know which direction to take or which path to follow, like a lost dog that had been abandoned.

In truth, he had considered the possibility that Su Yueying had deceived him.

This mountain was no place for anyone to live; she might not be here at all.

But why would she lie to him?

He must not have found the right place yet. Since a wedding had been held here, there should be a house adorned with bright red decorations.

He continued his search.

The mountaintop, the mountainside, the foothills—he scoured them all, yet not a single trace of a dwelling could be found.

“Su Yueying—!”

He shouted into the empty mountains, fresh cuts appearing on his cheeks where sweat had trickled down.

“Come out, don’t scare me…”

I’m really worried about you!

Perhaps… perhaps…

Suddenly struck by another thought, he turned and hurried in a certain direction.

He thought, perhaps she had already returned to Xiangshan Bamboo Courtyard.

On his way here, they might have missed each other, so she could have returned to the bamboo house long ago.

If that were the case, then it was his fault.

If A Ying returned and didn’t find him, she might think he had been taken away by the guards outside. In her panic, she could have been captured again…

He dared not dwell on it further.

By the time he was on his way back to Xiangshan, the sky had already brightened.

When he reached the bamboo courtyard, the sun was nearing its zenith.

Emerging from the pond, he immediately returned to his bedroom, but everything remained exactly as he had left it—the bed, the teacups, all untouched.

Without a second glance, he left the room and headed straight for the guard post without even entering the front courtyard.

The guards on duty stared at him wide-eyed, visibly startled.

“Pei… Pei Zhouwu, are you possessed? How did you end up like this? Where did all these weeds on you come from? Don’t tell me… don’t tell me you tried to climb the cliff to escape, couldn’t hold on, and fell into the pond? You… Pei Zhouwu, I haven’t finished speaking! Stay put, you hear me? The cliffs around here are thousands of feet high—you can’t climb them. And what about the food delivered to the mountain this morning? Are you not taking it?”

“Acting all strange. These past few days, you’ve been coming out so late to get your meals, and today you’re not even taking them at all.”

“You must have gone mad from being locked up!”

Pei Zhouwu asked no questions and said nothing. Just from the guards’ reactions, he knew they hadn’t seen Su Yueying.

But A Ying, where are you?

“It’s already been a day late, A Ying…”

Why did you break your promise?

Pei Zhouwu stood by the pond’s edge, the water’s surface reflecting the wounds on his face with startling clarity.

His expression was wooden, as if his soul had been drained away.

Extreme exhaustion and torment weighed on him so heavily he could barely keep his eyes open, as if he might collapse at any moment.

“It’s fine. It’s only been a day. Three days have already passed; waiting one more day won’t matter.”

He entered the water again, swimming to the outside, then stood motionless by the spring.

A Ying would never break her promise on purpose.

She must have been delayed by something.

He had promised her he would wait here for her, to take her back with him.

And so he stood there, waiting until nightfall.

Yet, even as night fell, the one who was supposed to return still hadn’t come back.

…

The violent pounding in his chest from the day they parted was now repeating itself, the intense unease tormenting him until his eyes turned red, an indescribable anxiety consuming him.

She had never broken a promise before. In the past, whenever she said she would come, she would always arrive on the agreed-upon day.

But now, like this… it was almost certain something had happened!

Pei Zhouwu clenched his fists, his unfocused pupils gradually sharpening into a cold, piercing gleam.

Qi Prince’s Mansion!

He should have thought of it earlier. What kind of person was Old Prince Qi? Not to mention a young girl with no background, even daughters of officials were often tricked into becoming his concubines. Since he had already made up his mind, how could he easily let A Ying go?

Perhaps, from the very beginning, they had never agreed to let her leave.

She had been coerced, forced into a corner, yet for some reason, they had agreed to let her go for a month. Once the deadline arrived, she would have to return to Qi Prince’s Mansion.

So, the story about attending a wedding banquet was a lie, and the home beyond the three mountains was also a lie.

That was why he had searched the entire mountain but could not find her.

“I once said, even if everyone in the world abandons you, I will not. As long as you need me, I will always be by your side.”

The vow from the past roared in his mind, deafening and overwhelming, leaving him utterly powerless. He began to murmur again.

“She didn’t mean to…”

He took a step forward, continuing to mutter.

“Qi Prince’s Mansion… I must go to Qi Prince’s Mansion.”