Chapter 103: Going Separate Ways
“That’s right. Our master, such a powerful man, rarely takes an interest in a woman. As his subordinates, even if we have to risk our lives, we must find her for him. But unfortunately…”
“Enough! I suddenly feel like something about this group of people is very off.”
Hearing his subordinates chattering endlessly, the Third Commander grew increasingly frustrated and irritable.
Did they really need to keep stating the obvious? Of course, he knew all this! But their relentless talk only fueled his anger.
He was now deeply regretting informing their master about that woman so soon.
Great. Now that she had vanished into thin air, their master would undoubtedly think he was incompetent.
What baffled him even more was that not only had the woman disappeared from a locked cave, but an entire group of over a hundred people had also vanished without a trace. The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed…
“Third Commander, if we can’t find them, we can’t keep wandering around aimlessly. Should we return and report to the master?”
Noticing the commander’s troubled expression and erratic mumbling, one of the subordinates cautiously suggested.
“Of course, we have to face this sooner or later. Let’s head back first and send more people out to search. I refuse to believe she just disappeared into thin air. Also, make sure to have our men check with the other mountain bandits—see if any of them have spotted the group.”
“Good idea! Maybe that woman and the others have already been captured by another bandit gang.”
“Exactly! If they’re nowhere to be found, they must have fallen into someone else’s hands by now.”
Hearing his subordinates’ reasoning, the Third Commander silently hoped they were right. Otherwise, if they couldn’t present even a body, where would he find this woman to answer to his master?
Back in the bandits’ cave, the masked man was calmly reviewing account books. Upon noticing the Third Commander kneeling before him, he lazily lifted his gaze before disinterestedly closing the ledger and setting it aside.
“Master, this subordinate has failed in his duty. Please punish me!”
“Oh? A whole night of searching, and you still haven’t found her? That is indeed a failure. Go receive your punishment later.”
Hearing this, the Third Commander’s back tensed, and a sharp pain seemed to shoot through him in anticipation.
“Yes, sir!”
Knowing what awaited him, he clenched his jaw, burning with hatred for Yu Luo.
He was even angrier at himself—how could he have been foolish enough to let a mere woman slip away?
“You have ten days. By then, she should have reached the road to the wilderness. Send a group to investigate. In the meantime, continue searching the nearby mountains—she may have already been captured by another group.”
Just as the Third Commander was about to leave to accept his punishment, he froze upon hearing the cold, indifferent voice from above.
His eyes gleamed with realization.
“As expected of Master! You always think ahead. Since they were exiled, their final destination must be the wilderness. No matter what, I will scour every inch of that land to find her and personally bring her to you. Before that, I have already sent men to check with other bandit groups.”
The masked man showed no obvious reaction. Picking up another ledger, he casually waved his hand in dismissal.
Moments later, the sound of a whip lashing against flesh echoed through the cave. Thirty strokes later, the Third Commander’s back was a bloody mess.
If he hadn’t bitten down on a wooden block beforehand, his screams would have resounded through the entire stronghold, earning him the mockery of his fellow bandits.
—
Meanwhile, inside the ancient tomb, the exiled group had endured a freezing night. Fortunately, they had enough cotton-padded clothing and blankets, as well as some dry rations.
As the first light of dawn crept in, many people became restless and eager to leave.
“I think we should stay here for another day,” Yu Luo suddenly suggested. “All night long, I sensed people using lightness skill to search the area. They’re probably still looking for us. If they haven’t given up, they might send even more people out today.”
Considering the strength of those men, Yu Luo was certain that the masked man had many skilled fighters under his command.
“This place is freezing, and we can’t even start a fire. If we don’t leave soon, we younger folks might be fine, but the elderly and children could end up falling sick from the cold,” complained Zhou Xiaoqin, the wife of Zhang Yan, the younger brother of Zhang Yuan.
She understood the danger outside, but after a sleepless, freezing night, her patience had worn thin.
Even though she knew it wasn’t the right time to leave, she couldn’t hold back her complaints—especially toward Yu Luo, subtly shifting the blame onto her.
“Stop being so dramatic. Is your comfort more important than your life? If you can’t handle this little hardship, I wonder how you’ll survive in the wilderness,” retorted Wang Ying, the wife of Yu Yongcai, clearly irritated by Zhou Xiaoqin’s remarks.
Though she hadn’t outright defended Yu Luo, her tone was filled with sarcasm toward Zhou Xiaoqin.
“Hmph! It’s not like I said anything wrong,” Zhou Xiaoqin snapped. “We wouldn’t be in this mess if Yu Luo hadn’t caused it in the first place!”
Finally, she couldn’t hold back and outright blamed Yu Luo.
Hearing this, even Yu Meiyao and Yu Yingying, who usually disliked Yu Luo, were annoyed.
“What do you mean by that?” Yu Yingying sneered. “Are you saying Yu Luo should have just let herself be sacrificed? You’re lucky she came back at all. If she hadn’t, it would’ve been a complete waste for her to die for people like you!”
Yu Luo was slightly surprised that Yu Yingying was defending her. But she wasn’t naive—this didn’t mean past grudges had been forgotten.
Most likely, Yu Yingying simply resented the Zhang family’s ungrateful attitude and didn’t want their branch of the Yu family to take the blame.
“I never said that…” Zhou Xiaoqin faltered, flustered after being reprimanded by a younger girl.
“Enough,” Ye Jiamai interrupted coldly. “We’ll be parting ways after we get off this mountain. From now on, my family of three won’t be traveling with you anymore. You do whatever you want!”
She had finally run out of patience.
The Zhang family had always relied on the fact that Zhang Yuan and his son knew martial arts. But now, not only were they being arrogant, they had the audacity to blame her daughter for everything!
Back when Yu Zhengqing asked Zhang Yuan to help rescue Yu Luo, they outright refused.
Anyone who still wanted to travel with them after this was an idiot!
People this selfish and disloyal couldn’t be trusted—if danger arose again, they’d be the first to sell them out.
