newbobooks Chapter 258 He didn't want to hold them back!
Chapter 258 He didn't want to hold them back!
"Madam, now is not the time to hesitate."
Dr. Qian hurried over, his face showing anxiety.
Chu's mother and father exchanged a glance, both seeing unease in each other's eyes.
"If we delay any longer, it may be too late."
Father Chu held Mother Chu's hand tightly and said in a deep voice, "Only if I stay can I support them."
He turned to look at Dr. Qian, his gaze resolute, "Crawl out through that dog hole in the back kitchen, quick!"
Tears welled up in Chu's mother's eyes instantly. "Chen Yu is not in the manor. He went to Wenyuan Pavilion this morning."
Father Chu closed his eyes, "That depends on his fate..."
The group gathered in the courtyard of the large kitchen, where a dog hole appeared through the weeds in the wall.
Everyone's face was filled with tension and unease.
Xuan-ge held Mei-zi's arm tightly, his small body trembling slightly.
Chu Yueshu clung tightly to Song Ruyan's clothes, her large eyes filled with fear.
Dr. Qian suddenly stopped and turned around to face Chu's father.
"Sir, I'm not leaving," he said calmly, his voice carrying a hint of resolve.
Mr. Chu was taken aback, his brows furrowing. "What did you say?"
"The blood debt of the thirteen members of the Tian family must be settled with justice." Doctor Qian's voice was low and firm, his eyes flashing with hatred. "I cannot leave like this."
He turned to look at Song Ruyan, his gaze complex. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
Those words hidden deep in my heart, those unspeakable emotions, all turned into a silent sigh at this moment.
Father Chu looked at Doctor Qian, his lips trembling a few times, but he couldn't say anything.
He knew that Dr. Qian had made up his mind, and any persuasion would be futile.
"You all need to leave quickly!" Doctor Qian urged, gesturing to Song Ruyan with his eyes.
Song Ruyan gave him a deep look, then turned around and led everyone toward the narrow dog hole.
One by one, they bent over and crawled out of the hole in humiliation.
In the darkness, there were only the sounds of their breathing and the rustling of their clothes.
However, as soon as they crawled out of the dog hole, they found themselves surrounded by the Imperial Guard.
"Looks like you're still not being honest," the Imperial Guard commander sneered, his voice full of sarcasm.
Chu's mother's heart sank to the bottom; she knew that this time, she was probably doomed.
Song Ruyan drew her longsword and stood in front of Chu's mother and Chu Yueshu.
A melee broke out instantly.
The Imperial Guards were well-trained and coordinated, while on the Chu family's side, only Song Ruyan possessed exceptional martial arts skills.
Despite her valiant efforts, she was outnumbered and quickly found herself at a disadvantage.
In the chaos, Chu's mother suddenly shoved Chu Yueshu toward Song Ruyan, shouting hoarsely, "Ruyan, take Yueshu and go! Go now!"
With lightning speed, Song Ruyan grabbed Chu Yueshu's slender waist, lightly touched the ground with her toes, and leaped into the air, landing on the top of the wall.
"Don't let them get away!" the Imperial Guard commander roared, ordering his soldiers to give chase.
Song Ruyan carried Chu Yueshu as they ran across the rooftops, with the Imperial Guards' footsteps and shouts following closely behind.
The strong wind tousled her hair and dried the tears on her face.
She didn't know where she could escape to, she only knew that she had to find Gu Junze.
But she knew she had to protect Chu Yueshu; it was her promise to the Chu family, and also her promise to herself.
Once we find Gu Junze, we'll be safe...
On the other side, Gu Junze searched the other two villas thoroughly, and without exception, they were all ambushed.
His heart sank into an ice cellar; the trail had gone cold.
The thought of the torture instruments hanging in that secret room made my heart clench; I wondered what Chu Ruohan's current situation was...
Is she being subjected to inhuman torture?
Have those cold instruments of torture already been laid upon her frail body?
Thinking of this, Gu Junze unconsciously clenched his fists, his knuckles turned white, and his nails dug deeply into his palms.
“Gu Chengyan…” he squeezed out the three words through clenched teeth, his voice low and filled with anger.
Yingqing stood to the side, looking at the prince's tense expression, and asked, "Prince, what do we do now?"
Gu Junze took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.
"Yingqing, you should return to the capital first. The one in Anyang Prefecture probably won't last much longer. The Emperor must already know about the situation in the Imperial Prison. Go to the palace to meet the Emperor and tell him that I will return once Han'er is found. Tell him not to make things difficult for the Chu family."
"Yes," Yingqing quickly replied. Hearing the prince say this, he already had his heart set on Chu Yueshu.
Ying Qing left, and Gu Junze stood there, gazing at the rolling mountains.
Gu Cheng'an watched his retreating figure; he was so lonely!
Gu Cheng'an felt a pang of sadness, and suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. "There's still one place we haven't searched," he blurted out.
Upon hearing this, Gu Junze immediately turned his head, a glimmer of hope igniting in his eyes. "Where?"
“Our father placed an everlasting lamp for the Princess at the Dabei Temple, and we even went to worship there when I was a child. At that time, we didn’t live in the temple, but in a manor halfway up the mountain,” Gu Cheng’an said.
Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Junze immediately ordered, "Return to the capital."
Dabei Temple is only five miles away from the capital, but Gu Junze was paralyzed in both legs when he was young, and Marquis Anyang never took him out of the house.
Gu Junze and his entourage rode at full speed towards the capital.
The trees on both sides of the road rushed past, as if time itself was chasing after them.
"drive!"
Gu Junze cracked his whip, and his horse neighed, increasing its speed even further.
It felt as if a huge rock was pressing on his heart, so heavy that he could hardly breathe.
Chu Ruohan's image kept flashing through my mind—her smile, her tears, her stubborn and determined gaze…
If something really happens to her...
Gu Junze dared not think any further.
After a long journey, the group finally arrived at the foot of the mountain.
The continuous journey exhausted the horses, causing them to collapse to the ground.
The mountain road was rugged and difficult to walk on. Gu Cheng'an was walking at the back when he slipped and twisted his ankle.
"Hiss—" He gasped in pain, a look of agony on his face.
Gu Junze originally wanted Ying San to stay and take care of him.
"Don't worry about me, you guys go ahead, I'll rest for a bit," Gu Cheng'an said through gritted teeth.
He didn't want to hold them back!
Gu Junze pondered for a moment, nodded, and turned to leave.
Gu Cheng'an rubbed his swollen ankle and tried to stand up and continue walking.
I had only taken a couple of steps when a brightly colored venomous snake suddenly darted out of the grass, its forked tongue flicking in and out with a hissing sound.
He was so frightened that he backed away repeatedly.
In his panic, his foot slipped and he tumbled down the steep hillside.
"Help……"
The faint cries for help were quickly drowned out by the howling mountain wind...