Tangtang rode his horse the entire distance. His sole thought was to get faster and faster, to the point that he almost collided with the approaching Lu Qi. "Tangtang, have you met the barbarians?" Lu Qi inquired, seeing the blood smears on Tangtang's face and then looking at the tattered clothes and the large knife in his hand.
Tangtang gasped and said, "Uncle Lu Qi, go save Guoguo. They were on the other side of the meadow. Yes we met the barbarians and there were about 100 of them."
When Lu Qi heard this, he was taken aback. He didn't think Xu Ran would be surprised, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it. Guoguo was in danger, and it was critical that he be saved first.
Lu Qi said to Tangtang, "Tangtang, you lead the way, and we will follow you."
Tangtang turned his horse and started running forward without hesitation.
It wasn't far away, and they were running the entire way, so they got there quickly. However, there was no one there when they arrived, or rather, there were only a few bodies laying on the ground. Tangtang was agitated, and he couldn't care less about dismounting to inspect the dead.
He didn't feel any pain when he touched his chest. That indicated Guoguo was still alive and well, but he had been kidnapped by these strangers.
Lu Qi approached Tangtang and patted him on the shoulder after arranging for the other men to search the area. "Don't be too worried. There isn't a single Guoguo in sight. It indicates that Guoguo is fine. It's possible that these people had no intention of killing Guoguo. They wouldn't have carried him away if Guoguo hadn't slain some of them first."
Lu Qi examined the situation from the most rational standpoint, but Tangtang refused to accept it. He was well aware of whether or not these men were out to kill him.
They wouldn't have cut Guoguo's arm if they hadn't done so. Tangtang remained silent in response to Lu Qi's statements. He was only curious as to where they might transport him in such a short period of time. Lu Qi directed his troops to search the area, and someone shortly approached and stated. "Military counsellor, our soldiers' remains were discovered in the grass not far ahead."
Lu Qi said with a cold expression, "Lead the way. I'll go over and take a look."
The man instantly turned around and moved in front of Lu Qi, who was closely followed by Tangtang. The person watching the cow and sheep, he and Guoguo assumed, had been killed.
They had no idea it was true, and the body had been hidden in the grass. It's no surprise they didn't notice at the time. Tangtang has now figured out why these folks were hidden in the grass. They should have been ambushing here for a long time, else they wouldn't have been able to murder so many people so quickly. The cows and sheep were guarded by at least twenty soldiers.
They killed more than twenty people in silence, and the military camp did not receive any news. It was really premeditated.
Now Tangtang was more worried about Guoguo's safety.
Lu Qi requested that the more than 20 bodies be carried out and arranged in rows, allowing others to explore the area and report anything strange as soon as it occurred. Tangtang circled the grass in search of any clues, but after a long search, he came up empty-handed.
The only flaw was a large hole in the middle of the grass, as if it had been struck by a stone. It was so deep that the bottom could barely be seen. Tangtang didn't give this hole any thought because it was too far in the middle. He only gave it a passing glance before moving on.
The fact that there was a sandy ground made him feel strange, but he didn't see anyone's footsteps, let alone the horses', which was strange. Tangtang told Lu Qi about his doubts when Lu Qi came to find him. Lu Qi took a few steps towards the sand and noticed that his footprints were clearly visible.
As a result, he became perplexed as well. However, no matter how hard they looked or how hard they pondered, they couldn't locate anything.
The sun was becoming increasingly brilliant. It was around 12 p.m., according to estimates. Lu Qi instructed Tangtang to return first and inform Xu Ran that he was safe. To deploy himself, he'd have to go to the military camp.
If the Barbarians came the first time, he knew there would be a second and third time, so the patrol had to be increased, and he couldn't allow them obtain what they wanted. Tangtang was adamant about staying and searching for Guoguo.
They had two of them when they went out, but he had to return alone. He was also his older brother. Tangtang couldn't bear the thought of abandoning his sibling in peril.
Lu Qi was aware that Tangtang was distraught, and he was sad as well. The two children were immensely delightful, not only because they were King Yan's nephews, but also because they were his nephews. Du Xin had repeatedly mumbled in his ear that he wished for a child like Tangtang and Guoguo. Even he had this concept in his head, but no one could have predicted that the two kids would run into something like this when they went outside to play.
Lu Qi comforted him, "Tangtang, I'll have someone send you a response first. Tell your Dad and Daddy about it. Your father was worried that something bad may happen to you, so he sent the secret guard to me and requested me to find you. You wouldn't have run into me if you hadn't been on your way. Just pay attention to what I'm saying and go back first, okay?"
Tangtang had maintained a calm demeanor throughout the search for Guoguo. His eyes were not inflamed, and he talked very clearly. If people didn't know that the brothers were typically quite close, they could think he didn't care about Guoguo at all.
Tangtang, on the other hand, was adamant about staying to find Guoguo, and Lu Qi couldn't stop him. Lu Qi felt powerless and had no choice but to tell Tangtang, "Given that, I'll dispatch someone to speak with your father about the matter. Guoguo will be found here. Why don't I send a few people to accompany you?"
Tangtang was okay as long as he could stay and look for his brother, so he nodded and said to Lu Qi, "Thanks for the trouble, uncle Lu. Just tell my Dad and don't tell Daddy, or he will be sad."
Lu Qi gave a somber nod and motioned for a few people to come over and defend Tangtang. He sighed and returned to camp. The sun shone brightly in the sky.
There was nothing to hide from but the grass, which made people dizzy. Tangtang, on the other hand, did not feel heated at all. He kept walking, calling Guoguo at each step. His voice became raspy later, but he continued to speak as though possessed.
Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard from afar. Everyone behind him, excluding Tangtang, turned back to face the approaching figure. They didn't recognize Xu Ran and encircled him when his horse came to a halt.
One of them asked, "Who is it? Why are you here?"
Xu Ran looked at the person who asked him and explained, "I'm Tangtang's Dad. I'm here to look for him." Xu Ran said and pointed at Tangtang.
Tangtang turned back after hearing Xu Ran's words and called out in surprise, "Dad!"
Hearing Tangtang's hoarse voice, Xu Ran frowned and ignored the people around him. He walked towards Tangtang and asked, "What's wrong with your voice? What happened?"
When he heard Xu Ran's words, Tangtang was stunned for a moment. He remembered that he had been calling Guoguo just now. Maybe it was because he had shouted too much, so he became like this.
However, he just shook his head and did not say anything. Xu Ran said to Tangtang, "Lu Qi has sent someone to inform me of everything. It's not because of you. In the morning, I didn't stop you. You wouldn't be in trouble today if I hadn't stopped you. Go back first! Make sure you don't agitate Daddy. You should believe in Guoguo because you are his older brother."
Although Xu Ran was so calm, he couldn't hide the fact that his hands was trembling non-stop.
Tangtang's eyes suddenly turned red after such a long time when he heard Xu Ran's words. He threw himself at Xu Ran and cried, "Dad, Guoguo asked me to leave first. I saw that he was injured. If I hadn't gone, would I have saved him?"
Xu Ran patted him on the back and said, "Silly boy, how could the two of you deal with so many people? If you didn't leave, maybe Lu Qi would see your bodies lying on the ground when he came over. What should I do if this really happens? What should your Daddy do?"
Tangtang began to cry louder and louder, as if he were a pampered child seeking consolation. Xu Ran shivered violently as his hands tightened. Tangtang was aware of it as well.
In the strange eyes of Tangtang, Xu Ran let go of him and said, "Go back first! Let your Daddy know you are safe. Guoguo is our family member. His home is where we are, and he always comes back."
Xu Ran's words gave Tangtang no room to refuse. He nodded obediently and agreed, but his tears were flowing non-stop, and he couldn't wipe them clean no matter how hard he tried.
Xu Ran asked Tangtang to get on the horse and told to several other soldiers, "Go back and tell Lu Qi that I took Tangtang home. Also, let him come to me tonight. I have something to say to him."
Regardless of whether these men agreed with him or not, he mounted his horse and galloped away.
Tangtang walked in front of Xu Ran, turning to face the endless desert with every step. Tangtang and Xu Ran were both depressed the entire time. They rode the rest of the way home without saying anything.
The courtyard door was wide open. Liu Tong, who was sitting under the eaves and picking up vegetables, he immediately stood up happily when he saw Xu Ran and Tangtang coming in from the door. Seeing Tangtang's messy body, Liu Tong asked, "What's wrong with you? How did you get into this?"
Seeing that no one else following them, Liu Tong asked again, "Where's Guoguo, Ran and Tangtang? Why didn't he come back?"
Tangtang turned his eyes to Xu Ran and Xu Ran shook his head at him, indicating that Liu Tong did not know about this.
When Liu Tong noticed that they were both silent, he remembered his panic from earlier in the day, and Ran dashed out of the house. He had a feeling of unease in his heart.
Shaking Xu Ran, Liu Tong asked, "Where's Guoguo, Ran? Tell me where Guoguo is?"
Xu Ran closed his eyes and didn't know how to face Liu Tong. He promised him in the morning that everything would be fine, but now he didn't bring his son back. He didn't even know if Guoguo was alive or dead.
Seeing Xu Ran's expression, Liu Tong let go of him slowly and said, "Ran, tell me! I'm fine."
Tangtang turned away with his eyes red. Xu Ran said to Liu Tong, with his eyes closing," In fact, I didn't know what had happened. The person sent by Lu Qi just told me that Guoguo had an accident. I didn't see Guoguo when I arrived there and just saw Tangtang. Seeing Tangtang was looking for Guoguo, I brought him back."
Tangtang would be the only one who could explain what had happened then. Being much calmer, Liu Tong walked up to Tangtang and asked him, "Tangtang, tell Daddy, what happened to you?"
Tangtang didn't want to cry in front of Liu Tong because he knew it would make Daddy even unhappy. "Daddy, as we rode to the meadow, we found some barbarians in the grass," Tangtang said, wiping his face and raising his head to Liu Tong. "There were more over a hundred barbarians present, but we were only two and armed with nothing. We couldn't beat them even after fighting with the knives we stole from their hands. When Guoguo was hurt, he requested me to go help, and on the way, I ran into uncle Lu Qi. When we returned, however, everyone was vanished, including Guoguo, except for the bodies on the ground."
After this, Tangtang said no more.
Liu Tong trembled and nearly fell over. Xu Ran hurriedly reached out to hold him, and let go of his hand after he stabilized himself.
The sun was shining brightly, but they felt cold and unconsciousness.
After a long time, Liu Tong recovered his voice and asked Tangtang, "Tangtang, your brother wasn't on the ground, so your brother is still alive, right?"
Looking at Liu Tong, Tangtang didn't know how to answer. No one knew how was Guoguo now.
At last, Xu Ran said, " We haven't seen Guoguo's corpse, so Guoguo must be fine now. If they want to kill Guoguo, Guoguo must be dead and was lying on the ground. So the main thing now we shall do is to find Guoguo and then prepare to fight the Barbarian. Tongtong, as long as we don't see the corpse of Guoguo, Guoguo is alive, okay?"
Liu Tong was relieved to hear Xu Ran's words, then he nodded and said, "Ran, I got it. I'll wait for Guoguo to come back. You must find him and take him home."
After this, Liu Tong walked into the house with the basket of vegetables. Xu Ran didn't follow him, he knew that Liu Tong was upset and it was better for him to cry alone for a while.
Baozi ran out after Liu Tong entered the house. Seeing that there was only Tangtang without Guoguo, he asked Xu Ran, "Dad, where is Second Brother? Where did Second Brother go?"
Tangtang's embarrassment made Baozi feel that something bad had happened, and the fact that he didn't see Guoguo reinforced his conviction.
Xu Ran squatted down, reached out to grab Baozi's arm and said, "Your second brother has gone out to work. He will be back in a few days. Take your big brother to wash his face first. Look at him, how dirty and ugly he is now!"
As he spoke, Xu Ran gave Tangtang a look of disdain.
Knowing that Xu Ran was trying to appease Baozi, Tangtang cooperated and reached out to hold Baozi.
Although Baozi felt odd, he didn't focus on it, instead taking Tangtang's hand and walking away. Xu Ran dropped to the ground as they went, a bitter smile on his face. He was terrified that Guoguo might be injured.
Xu Ran sat on the ground, his mind completely blank. He tried himself to think about something, but he was unable to concentrate. His hand continued to tremble, and he was unable to stop it. It didn't matter if the other hand grasped the trembling hand.
The big sun was shining fiercely, which made Xu Ran's sweat drip down one by one, but he had no intention of moving.
He couldn't figure out why the barbarian preferred violence or why those people were so adamant about keeping the two children. The entire yard was deafeningly quiet. Xu Ran sat for a long time, from the afternoon to the nighttime. When Gao Quan and the others returned, he was still seated on the ground, so they helped him up.
As soon as Shao Yu entered, he saw Xu Ran sitting on the ground and asked, "Xu Ran, why are you sitting on the ground? Gao Quan, hurry up and pull him up."
Gao Quan rushed out to help Xu Ran up after hearing Shao Yu's words, but his face was red. He was unmistakably suffering from sunstroke. Xu Ran's forehead was hot, and he appeared to be comatose, so Gao Quan had to help him up.
Gao Quan heard a low snore from inside the home when Shao Yu told him to get Xu Ran in. It was clear that someone was upset.
Shao Yu pushed through the door to see Liu Tong seated on the bed, his eyes red. Shao Yu questioned Liu Tong what had happened after asking Gao Quan to help Xu Ran in.
Liu Tong stopped crying when he saw Shao Yu and the others. Seeing Xu Ran's red face, Liu Tong was worried and asked Shao Yu anxiously, "What's wrong with him?"
Shao Yu shook his head and answered, "We don't know either. We saw him sitting in the yard when we came back. What happened to you? The door is wide open, Xu Ran is sitting in the yard while you are hiding in the house and crying. But where are the children?"
Liu Tong looked outside and found that it was dark. He had never gone out since he entered the house in the afternoon. He didn't know what had happened outside. How could Ran faint? How were Tangtang and Baozi?"
Liu Tong, who came back to his senses, thought of a lot of questions and became very anxious.
Liu Tong ran out of the house hurriedly, leaving the three people behind, without hearing Shao Yu call him.
Looking at Xu Ran, who was lying on the bed, Gao Quan asked Shao Yu, "What should we do?"
Seeing that Xu Ran was still sweating, Shao Yu thought he must be very serious ill. Then he said to Gao Quan, "Bring him some water to wipe his face and cool him down. I'll call a doctor."
It was not proper for Shao Yu to take care of Xu Ran, so Gao Quan agreed and said to him, "It's dark, take the lantern and be careful."
Shao Yu nodded and replied, "I know, don't worry, I'll be back soon."
After saying that, he left. Gao Quan got some water to wipe the sweat on Xu Ran.
After leaving his chamber, Liu Tong headed straight to Baozi's room. He pushed the door open and looked around the room, but there was no one there. He then dashed to Tangtang's room, where he discovered Tangtang asleep on Baozi's bed. Both of them were sweating profusely.
Liu Tong exhaled a sigh of relief as he saw this. He stepped into the room and fanned the brush piles with a cattail fan. Liu Tong came to a halt as he noticed the two toddlers were starting to wake up.
Tangtang woke up first. Before he was fully awake, he called Daddy and got out of bed. It was so hot, being woken up by Tangtang, Baozi was about to cry.
Liu Tong quickly fanned him again and said to Tangtang, "Tangtang, look after Baozi and wash his face. I'll go to see your Dad first. He has fainted."
Liu Tong was calm when he said this. He left after speaking, before Tangtang could even ask him why Dad fainted.
Liu Tong had no idea what was happening to him. When he watched Ran pass out, he was unconcerned. He couldn't believe he was able to pronounce these words with such calmness.
But this was only a plan to avoid entering the house. After entering, he felt a different kind of emotion in his heart.
Liu Tong's heart wrenched when he saw Xu Ran laying still on the bed. Suddenly, the bizarre notion occurred to him that Ran would most likely sleep for the rest of his life and never wake up. This thought astounded Liu Tong, who dashed to Xu Ran's bedside and continued to cry his name.
Gao Quan, who had just come in from outside, was shocked by Liu Tong. He hesitated for a long time before saying, "Second Young Master, Xu Ran is fine. He's just in the sun for too long and has got heatstroke. Shao Yu has gone to ask a doctor and Second Young Master will wake up soon."
Gao Quan has some medical knowledge as well. He'd just checked on Xu Ran and confirmed that he wasn't serious, so he went ahead and told Liu Tong that Xu Ran had simply basked for too long.
Liu Tong understood Gao Quan's words after hearing them. He knew what Gao Quan stated was true when he looked at Xu Ran's red face and stopped shouting.
Seeing the water brought by Gao Quan, Liu Tong stood up and said, "Gao Quan, wipe Ran first. I'll go to the kitchen to get some food. Tangtang hasn't even eaten lunch yet."
Gao Quan nodded and watched Liu Tong walk out.
10.05.21