"Huai An, don't be so pessimistic first..." Although the words were to comfort, Gu Ying herself did not believe them either.
After all, Yin Lan's character would never leave without letting her know first. At the very least, no matter what Yin Lan wanted to do or where she wanted to go, she would have informed her.
"Mistress, subordinate, subordinate is really worried about Yin Lan!" Huai An clenched his fists until they cracked, his tone cold and fierce, "If I find out it was someone from the camp who harmed Yin Lan, I will smash that person into ten thousand pieces!"
The disaster victims were frightened and trembling.
It wasn't the first time that a young and beautiful girl had gone missing before, but this was the first time they had seen a high-ranking officer get so angry.
Gu Ying knitted her brows, and looked at Shen Ruxu, who was standing in the middle of the crowd.
She had her head lowered, her expression as anxious and alarmed as the other victims.
Huai An had gone to check personally, her tent was empty, and there were no traces of Yin Lan or her belongings. People testified for her that after she had finished treating some of the victims last night, she returned to her tent, and did not come out again until now when the entire camp was searched, causing an uproar.
Gu Ying silently withdrew her gaze, and said to Huai An, "Huai An, send people to search for Yin Lan in four directions immediately."
"Yes!"
"You will personally lead the troops and search along the creek.”
Huai An's eyes were red, his brows furrowed into a huge mountain, "Alright..."
Without waiting for Gu Ying to speak again, he swiftly dispatched the orders, then mounted his horse and galloped along the creek.
Gu Ying busied herself as well, her indifferent gaze sweeping over everyone, finally calling several highly respected elders among the victims into the main tent to inquire about Yin Lan's whereabouts.
Everyone shook their heads, saying they had not seen Yin Lan again since yesterday afternoon.
Gu Ying remained silent, gazing deeply at them for a few moments, but showed no intention of letting them leave either.
The disappearance of Yin Lan had made the people in the camp uneasy.
Shen Ruxu's tent was not far from the Crown Prince's main tent.
She watched with her own eyes as Gu Ying took several elders into the main tent. Then, the corners of her lips curled up smugly as she returned to her own tent.
She went to sit at the table and poured herself a cup of hot tea, unable to hold back her laughter, "How foolish."
She had thought that after Yin Lan's disappearance, Gu Ying would quickly suspect her. She had prepared all kinds of excuses for this, but unexpectedly, they were of no use at all.
It turned out that the legitimate daughter of the prominent Dongping Earl Manor, the young lady raised in a prestigious household, was just a fool.
She couldn't even protect her own handmaid. Even if she was pregnant with the Crown Prince's child and gave birth to the Crown Prince's heir, so what?
When she entered the Duke's Residence, she would still be played around by her.
By that time, not only would she be able to kill her, she would also be able to silently kill her child.
For now, she should let her be happy for a while.
The Crown Prince would eventually be hers sooner or later.
...
After the camp was put on high alert, not to mention rats, even a fly could not get in.
Gu Ying personally led people to check the disaster victims in the camp one by one. When it was Shen Ruxu's turn, she casually asked her a couple questions then let her go back.
Shen Ruxu became even more smug, feeling her plan was flawless.
Sure enough, she saw Huai An's troops return at dusk. Huai An dismounted, his handsome face gloomy as he clutched a bloodstained garment and headed straight for the main tent.
Not at ease, Shen Ruxu eavesdropped outside the main tent.
She only heard Huai An's choked voice, trembling as he said, "Mistress, subordinate found Yin Lan’s torn and tattered clothes underneath the creek. There was blood on her undergarments and panties..."
At this point, everyone knew Yin Lan had most likely already met her demise.
All of her clothes had been torn off... Her undergarments and panties were thrown on the ground. It was evident Yin Lan had already been violated.
And moreover, her whereabouts were still unknown.
The nearby villages had already been destroyed by the snow disaster, and there were wild beasts in the forests around them.
Even if she miraculously escaped from evildoers, she would not have survived.
What more, being violated to that extent... How could she still have the face to come back?
"Mistress..." Huai An became increasingly distressed. His tall, sturdy frame seemed to hunch over in an instant. "It was all because subordinate was incompetent! Once subordinate finds Yin Lan's corpse to avenge her, subordinate will accompany her in death!"
"Huai An, what nonsense are you spewing?"
"Subordinate swears to avenge Yin Lan. Please grant subordinate this wish, Mistress!"
"Huai An, calm down first. Bring me her clothes to take a look. Yin Lan is prudent by nature. This should not have happened..."
A trace of hope emerged in Huai An’s heart. "Mistress, please take a look, are these Yin Lan's belongings?"
"This... is... Yin Lan's. These clothes were gifted by me... She really liked them and wore them when she went out... Huai An... please accept this loss..."
Within the main tent, Gu Ying's voice was also filled with disbelief and remorse.
Huai An's entire body stiffened.
"No... subordinate does not believe... subordinate will continue searching. She must be found..."
After speaking, he stumbled out of the main tent in despair...
He would keep searching upstream along the creek.
He remembered there was a cliff to the east...
...
Shen Ruxu did not continue eavesdropping. Smirking, she turned to walk back from outside the main tent.
However, as soon as she lifted the curtain of her tent, a huge hand grabbed her and pulled her in.
In the dim light, she scowled, originally wanting to stab the silver needle into the intruder's eyes. Upon seeing the person's face clearly, she stopped.
"What's wrong? You want to kill me too?" asked the seemingly delicate young lady, but her words were as sharp as knives.
Liu Chang sneered and wrapped his arms around Shen Ruxu, shamelessly groping her chest. With ill intentions, he said, "If I didn't help you, how could you have gotten rid of that maid?"
Shen Ruxu concealed her disgust and calmly pushed the person away a little. "What did you do to her?"
She could not see the man's expression clearly in the dark, only hearing him chuckle. "I listened to you. After knocking her out, I dragged her into the bushes and violated her, then tore off her clothes and slashed her throat with a knife before throwing her corpse off the cliff to the west."
Shen Ruxu sat down, her eyes somewhat gloomy. "Are you certain she is dead?"
Liu Chang laughed. "Dead as can be. I used the knife you gave me. Fast and sharp. With one slash, she collapsed without even uttering a word."
Shen Ruxu abruptly stood up. "What did you just say?"
Liu Chang simply smiled without answering. At ease, he picked up the teacup Shen Ruxu had just drank from and took a sip.
Shen Ruxu said angrily, "How could you have used the knife I gave you! What if they investigate and trace it back to me?"
Liu Chang grinned. "Don't worry, I'll properly keep this secret. Guaranteed they won't trace it back to you. But as you know, I never do business at a loss. Miss Shen, you promised to give yourself to me. That's why I was willing to dispose of that maid for you. Now that she's dead, isn't it time you fulfill your promise? If not... I fear my loose lips may accidentally let something I shouldn't say slip in front of Miss Gu and the Crown Prince. And that wouldn't be good now, would it?"
