Chapter 1383 - 1358: Forest Pursuit

Chapter 1383: Chapter 1358: Forest Pursuit

When Xiao Ya woke up, it was already noon on the second day. Sunlight streamed in through the balcony where a woman sat, seemingly lost in thought as she gazed into the distance. His memory began to slowly recover in a momentary lapse of distraction.

Last night, on the way down the mountain, he encountered a group of people and got entangled in a fight. Then, it seemed like more people joined the fray. The opponents were many, nearly ten against one, maybe even more. Judging by their skills, they weren’t particularly fierce, but the sheer number of them exhausted his energy tremendously. In the end, he felt a little overwhelmed.

He vaguely heard someone shouting to run, pushing him to the side, allowing him to break out of the encirclement. He didn’t mind looking back to see who it was, nor did he care about his direction. Once he saw a building, he rushed inside to hide.

Xiao Ya groaned lightly and tried to sit up from the bed. However, the pain from his back injury immediately rendered him powerless, and he fell back. The strain caused his wound to burst open again.

"This is my room. No one will come in," Xia Xue said, turning towards Xiao Ya. She hadn’t felt sleepy the entire night, and Consort Ling hadn’t brought any more news about Xiao Lin. He was in this building but had not left a trace, which frustrated and made her feel helpless.

Xiao Ya looked at the beautiful woman, a familiar feeling stirring in his heart. Despite this, he instinctively remained guarded against her, his eyes scanning the surroundings, trying to find the best route for escape.

"Lin is here too. I won’t harm you. In your condition, you won’t even make it past this door, let alone leave this place," she said calmly, intensifying the sense of familiarity.

Xia Xue took up the first aid kit and walked to Xiao Ya. "Consort Ling went to get some medicine. After last night, your life shouldn’t be in danger, but it’ll take a few days before you can move. The old injuries haven’t completely healed, and new ones are exacerbating the recurrence of old injuries. You’ve been too reckless." As she spoke to herself, Xia Xue suddenly felt she was rambling like a long-winded sister-in-law.

"You’re Xiao Lin’s woman!"

Consort Ling knocked and entered from outside, noting that Xiao Ya was already awake. Without much curiosity, she handed the medicine to Xia Xue and then fixated on Xiao Ya.

"Is Xiao Lin here?" Xiao Ya asked again as if seeking confirmation.

"He followed you here. You wouldn’t know? Where is Yelü Shou?" Consort Ling’s demeanor was clear about her likes and dislikes. She wasn’t fond of Xiao Ya, so her tone naturally turned colder.

"That person is Yelü Shou?" Xiao Ya felt immensely surprised. "Encountered an ambush midway..."

Consort Ling raised an eyebrow, seeing Xiao Ya stop halfway, suddenly feeling a sense of foreboding. "You abandoned him and fled alone?"

"I have no obligation to care about others’ life and death."

"You..."

Xia Xue feared the two might start fighting. She hurriedly rushed over to wrap her arms around Consort Ling’s waist. "Do you want the Assassin Group to find him? We mustn’t bring trouble to Xiao Lin, at least not now."

"Where was the place where you were ambushed?" Consort Ling looked at Xia Xue blankly, trying to suppress her rage as best as she could. "Why did you come here? What’s your connection with the Assassin Group?"

"I can only answer your first question."

Xia Xue stood between the two, feeling troubled as neither had any goodwill towards the other, and a fight could break out if she was not careful.

"On the way down the mountain east from here, there’s a patch of forest where we encountered the ambush."

"Stay here."

Consort Ling didn’t go out the front; she darted out the window, evading the Assassin Group’s sentries as she headed toward the direction Xiao Ya indicated.

There were no obvious traces at the edge of the forest. Going deeper, the traces became more pronounced—broken trees and patches of blood. Consort Ling drew the sword from behind her and held it tightly in her hand. The deeper she ventured, the darker it became. Even with sunlight shining overhead, only a few rays could occasionally pierce through the sparse treetops, casting a bit of light. In the denser areas, it was like night.

Having stayed with Xia Xue at ’Wa Gang Nai’ for quite some time, the Assassin Group didn’t interfere with their freedom as long as they didn’t leave ’Wa Gang Nai’s’ territory. However, Consort Ling was here for the first time, as Xia Xue seldom left the Assassin Group’s abode—the urgency of waiting for her lover’s return was evident in her eyes.

As they ventured deeper, the signs of battle became more distinct, and the bloodstains more plentiful; the air grew thinner, yet the smell of blood intensified.

Strangely, amidst all these signs, there were no bodies. How did these intruders enter ’Wagangnei’, sneaking under the very watchful eyes? Consort Ling quickened his pace, less captivated by the surroundings, and more driven by the urge to uncover how these people bypassed ’Wagangnei’s defenses, penetrating so deep.

Further into the forest, passage became difficult. Although this was a region nearer the borders of Palermo, the climate couldn’t naturally sustain such a forest unless deliberately planted. If this forest concealed the Assassin Group, he could understand the actions of Dong San province. But it was about a kilometer away from the Assassin Group. Why did Dong San province create such a forest? If not Dong San province and not original, anyone disturbing ’Wagangnei’ would know. Consort Ling couldn’t fathom the reasons.

The signs of battle abruptly ended in the densest part, with no road further. The forest ended, yet Consort Ling refused to abandon his search. He marked a tree, heading left. After about half an hour, his view brightened.

Five minutes later, Consort Ling emerged from the forest, facing a slope on ’Wagangnei’. He swiftly returned to the forest, where the vegetation remained untouched, the muddy ground marked only by animal droppings and blooming wildflowers, suggesting no route of withdrawal. He marked the path and set off right this time.

The same journey, half an hour, plus five minutes later, he stood on the street, looking back at the forest. He was under a platform leading to the Assassin Group. The forest stretched from the strange platform.

How did they leave the forest unnoticed by ’Wagangnei’? Could they have never left?

Consort Ling looked up sharply, standing at the center of the combat marks. Knowing ’Wagangnei’s terrain, if he were Yelu Shou, he’d head straight up unless lost by pursuit...

Consort Ling turned, marching decisively in the last direction.

Bloodstains continued to a large tree, ending abruptly. Consort Ling touched the trunk, surrounded by silence, devoid of birdsong. He climbed swiftly, reached mid-trunk, scanning wider, finding no trace, footsteps, or bloodstains. Just as he despaired, a glint caught his eye from another tree—a broken claw.

"Steel Claw!" He picked it up, but the trail suddenly ended at the exit. He returned to the Assassin Group’s platform. It took ten minutes from the claw’s discovery to the exit. Apart from a few bloodstains, there was no trace of Yelu Shou, no codes left, nothing hidden above. Questions lingered, unresolved.

Xiao Ya lay sleepless, expecting Xia Xue to question her, yet Xia Xue stayed silent since Consort Ling left. The mutual silence wasn’t awkward but rather relaxed, only Xia Xue’s sighs disrupted the comfort.

"I remember that cop!" Xia Xue suddenly broke the harmony, smiling lightly at Xiao Ya. "Don’t you miss her?"

Xiao Ya gaped, disbelief at Xia Xue, her dark eyes intriguing.

"Hehe!" Xia Xue laughed heartily. "You and Lin are alike. We haven’t met much. You weren’t Xiao Ya then, right? I don’t know why you brothers are enemies, but your father’s grudges aren’t yours. Without you, perhaps Lin and I would have left. Whether you blame him or that home, it’s not your burden."

"Why tell me this?" Harmony turned to wariness as Xia Xue sighed; Xiao Ya wasn’t offended. She never believed a deep enmity with Xiao Lin, yet had little to persuade otherwise.

"Simply, I don’t want fratricide. You don’t hate Lin that much, do you?" Her bright eyes scrutinized Xiao Ya’s face, silence answering them.

Consort Ling slipped in through the window, drawing the curtains. Sweat dripped down his face as he opened his palm to reveal a steel shard. "I found this in the forest, but no person."

Xiao Ya glanced at Xia Xue, hinting to change locations.

"I’ll go for a walk." Xia Xue donned a coat and left. She stood at a closed door on the first floor, wondering if Xiao Lin was still inside.

After Xia Xue left, Consort Ling’s demeanor changed, grabbing Xiao Ya by the collar, shoving him to the bed. "Now to my second question, why are you here? Who are those people?"

"I won’t answer the first, but can answer the second." Xiao Ya, neck clutched, showed no fear, his dark eyes mocking.

"Speak!"

"Mu Rongyun! If Yelu Shou didn’t escape, he’s caught by them." Xiao Ya laughed sinisterly. "Want to hit me?" (To be continued. If you like this work, please support it on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)