Chapter 354: I Will Fight You to the Death
“Understood, Sister!”
Ming Ye took Yu Xiangxiang into his arms, while Yu Luo couldn’t wait to check on her mother. However, just as she was about to leave, the weakened Yu Xiangxiang suddenly clenched her wrist tightly, as if she had something urgent to say.
“Xiangxiang, what is it?”
Seeing this reaction, Yu Luo’s anxiety grew. Her mother was still pregnant. Leaving aside the baby’s condition, if even a maid like Yu Xiangxiang had been injured so severely, she couldn’t bear to imagine what kind of harm the assailants might have inflicted on her mother.
“They… took… Madam… Madam was… taken…”
Yu Xiangxiang used the last of her strength to force out a few words, and as soon as Yu Luo heard them, her mind went blank with a deafening buzz.
“System!”
[Host, the system is here.]
The system’s voice echoed calmly in Yu Luo’s mind. She hadn’t used the system in a long time, knowing that it hadn’t assigned her any tasks for a while—probably because it was still recovering from the last heavy rain. She had avoided troubling it unnecessarily.
But now, with her mother’s life at stake, she didn’t care about any of that.
“Can you track who took my mother?”
[Understood, Host.]
Hearing the system’s response, Yu Luo’s heart finally settled a little. The system wasn’t omnipotent, but its willingness to help meant there was a chance of success.
Having a direction to search was far better than blindly running around. After receiving Yu Luo’s command, the system immediately began scanning Yu Xiangxiang’s body.
Yu Xiangxiang still carried traces of the perpetrator’s aura. Using that as a lead, the system started tracking.
[Host, the system has detected that the assailant left the city and is heading toward the Lan Yue Dynasty, but it is unclear if that is the final destination. You must hurry. The system cannot fully analyze the stranger’s aura and cannot determine exactly who took your mother.]
Hearing this, Yu Luo didn’t hesitate. Having a direction, even if uncertain, was better than nothing.
She quickly turned to the household guards and Ming Ye. “Ming Ye, take Xiangxiang to the medical clinic. Use whatever medicine necessary to save her life.”
“Understood, Sister!”
“You—notify Zhang Hu. Tell him to gather men and head toward Jiuchong Mountain. The person who took my mother is likely headed in that direction. I’ll go ahead first. Tell my father to stay in the mansion and wait for news.”
After giving her orders, Yu Luo immediately left the city and rushed toward Jiuchong Mountain.
The guards, still in shock, didn’t even have time to question how their lady knew the exact direction the kidnappers had gone. They could only obey and run to find Zhang Hu.
It was midnight, and the temperature had dropped drastically. Yu Luo bought a cloak along the way, wrapping herself tightly as she hurried toward Jiuchong Mountain.
However, before Zhang Hu and his men could catch up, someone suddenly blocked her path.
“Chi Jincheng?!”
Seeing the man suddenly appear in front of her, Yu Luo’s face turned ice-cold.
It was as if her family’s mansion and every move she made were under this man’s surveillance. His sudden appearance gave her an unsettling feeling of being watched.
“Xiao Luo, don’t misunderstand. I told you before—I won’t harm you. Your mother has indeed been taken in this direction, and my men have already gone after her.”
“Chi Jincheng, why are you spying on my family’s mansion?”
For the first time, Yu Luo dropped all pretense of politeness, her tone sharp and cold as she directly confronted him.
“If I told you I had no ill intentions, would you believe me?”
Hearing such a useless explanation, Yu Luo let out a sneer and ignored him. Without another word, she activated her light footwork technique and continued her pursuit toward Jiuchong Mountain.
As dawn broke, Zhang Hu and his men finally caught up with Yu Luo at the foot of Jiuchong Mountain.
Seeing Chi Jincheng with her, Zhang Hu’s gaze lingered on him for a moment before quickly turning to Yu Luo.
“Miss, are you sure Madam was taken this way?”
Along the way, the system had given her several updates confirming the presence of both her mother’s scent and that of the kidnapper. If not for these updates, Yu Luo would have started to doubt her own judgment.
“It should be.”
“We’re already at Jiuchong Mountain’s base. If we don’t catch up to the kidnapper before they reach Pingyang City, we won’t be able to cross the border. That area is heavily guarded, with military camps stationed along the way.”
That was true. Unlike other places, this wasn’t a foreign border. They were exiled criminals. If they tried to cross, they would face insurmountable challenges.
“You should all head back. A large group will only make things more complicated. I have a way to get Xiao Luo across.”
Yu Luo!
As soon as Chi Jincheng spoke, Yu Luo wasn’t the only one who turned to stare at him. Zhang Hu and the others all fixed their eyes on him, their expressions full of suspicion.
“At this point, do you still doubt me, Xiao Luo? I was even honest with you about my private army.”
“Chi Jincheng, I don’t care who you are. If you truly help me this time, I’ll owe you a favor and repay it in the future. But if you dare to play me, don’t blame me for dragging you down with me.”
“Miss, are you really going with him?”
Hearing her words, Zhang Hu panicked!
Chi Jincheng and their lady weren’t even friends, so how could she entrust herself to this mysterious man?
And from the way she spoke, was she really planning to go to the Lan Yue Dynasty with him alone? How could Zhang Hu possibly stay calm?
“Zhang Hu, time is critical. The longer we delay, the greater the danger for my mother. I’ll trust Chi Jincheng this once. You go back and take care of Luo City. Protect my father. Since none of us can cross the border easily, there’s no need for you all to follow me.”
“Since you’ve made up your mind, at least let us escort you to the other side of Jiuchong Mountain. It won’t take much longer, and we can return quickly using light footwork.”
Yu Luo didn’t want to waste time. She immediately picked up her pace, leading the way up Jiuchong Mountain!
Upon reaching the peak, a sense of familiarity washed over her.
However, Chi Jincheng suddenly changed their route. Instead of following the path they had taken when they were exiled, he led them down a different path.
By the time they had crossed Jiuchong Mountain, it was already afternoon. Zhang Hu and the others knew they had no choice but to turn back.
Even though he was still uneasy, Zhang Hu took some comfort in knowing that Chi Jincheng’s men were still stationed in Luo City.
Whether he was trying to reassure himself or simply acknowledging the lack of other options, Zhang Hu knew this was as far as they could go.
“Miss, take care. We’ll be waiting for you and Madam to return safely.”
