632: 632、Barely Alive

632、Barely Alive

She paused for a moment, as if figuring out the right way to put her thoughts into words, before she continued, "Well, I heard that Huo Yunting and Lu Zhaoyang would be back to the Capital today. Something big happened, apparently." 1

"Yes? What is it?" He was still interested in more scandals of the family.

"The Second Master seems to be getting married and…" Qiu Jin muttered as she got up to pour the wounded man liquor, hoping to help him suppress the pain, "Zhaoyang's mother…She got sent out of the mansion." 

"Serves her right." 

"Hah. Sounds like a good pawn to use, don't you think?" Said Qiu Jin while pouring her own glass of wine too. 

"Not yet, not yet," mumbled Xiang Jinxi, pouring the remaining drink into his mouth. He had got to admit that Xue Yuming would be a good tool to use to fulfill his plan.

If properly used, she might be the best person to turn the entire situation over.

Xiang Jinxi thought while smiling.

Meanwhile, outside their manor, Xiang Jinxi's men were still after Lu Bai. They were searching for him like a pack of wolves through a trail of blood. 

Lu Bai was hiding behind the bushes in the woods. Looking around cautiously, he panted as his hand tightly grabbed the open wound at his waist. 

Despair still dripped like tears in his eyes before somebody seized him and pulled him up. He was dragged running along. 

…H-Huo Li? 

What is he doing here? 

Huo Li gradually slowed down as he felt the young man unable to catch up behind. A quick glimpse and only he realized that the young man was bleeding. Lu Bai was then lifted and carried over the shoulder as Huo Li carried on sprinting. 

Lu Bai was terrified at first. It was not that he did not trust Huo Li but the possibility of them being ambushed in the forest. Nonetheless, it appeared to him that Huo Li had every spot planned out as Huo Li always halted at secluded areas in the forest. Eventually, they seemed to have escaped as Lu Bai could no longer hear the voices of those bodyguards.

He was completely drained yet he must not fall asleep having lost so much blood at that moment. 

They arrived by a slope. A rather quiet slope where Huo Li parked a van. The van zoomed away after Huo Li locked the door. Lu Bai, at the back of the van, lost consciousness in the end. 

The next moment he woke up, it was already noon on the second day. A familiar scent wafted in the air as he opened his eyes. There was Y-Y…

"Yan Se?" The lady bodyguard was sitting by his bed with a crutch.

"Bravo, young man. You almost lost your life! If I did not inform Huo Li about your location last night, you'll probably be dead by now!"

"I know—I know…Thanks." 

Judging from that—it has to be Huo Li who sniped the guards at the corridor back then. 

If it was not him, I'll never be able to escape that manor.

B-but—Ol' Jiu—if only I was not this useless—this hot-headed… 

It's my own fault that Ol' Jiu got killed…

"Hey, hey. You've slept for hours. You must be hungry. Go downstairs for some food," said Yan Se before leaving the room on her crutch.

The boy needs some time on his own. I mean, I would be moody too if I lost my own brothers. Therefore, I wouldn't rub more salt into his wounds. He's not ready for more news. News like—well, his little girlfriend is married to the Second Master soon. A sad case of a boy becoming a cuckold after losing his precious henchman. Some Korean drama material there. 

Geez, not sure if it was me overthinking but the Second Master seems to fetishize seizing women from some other men a lot! 

Lu Bai walked down the stairs lethargically with sorrow filling up his heart.

All his efforts of planning the operation. His hours of researching the venue, the time, the escape route. He thought the plan would work when they sneaked into the forest smoothly yet it was just a trap. 

He froze upon the thought at the dining table. "Hello?? Did you lose your ability to even grab food with your chopsticks?" Said Yan Se, waving after swallowing a slice of meat. "Come, dig in!" 

Lu Bai was not in the mood to play with her while he was at a loss of appetite, in fact.

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