Incidentally, her father, Fu Yanlin, was looking
very gloomy at this moment.
So many cavalry were sent out but not a single clue
was found.
That woman and the horse had disappeared into
thin air. He had ordered his men to search all
corners of the country and there was no shred of
news.
Zhuang Kang, Yuan Ji, Meng Huai and two other
lieutenants all had their heads lowered. None of
them dared to take a quick look at their Lord. They
would only look at his face if they no longer wanted
their lives. The Lord's handsome visage was
marred by his bruised and swollen nose. They still
remembered that day they had found the Lord. He
had been lying on the ground with blood running
down his nose. Because he had been paralysed
they had to carry him back.
The woman who had punched their Lord and
caused him to lay on the ground and act as an
anthill was too daring. They couldn't imagine
which woman in the world would willingly punch
their Lord in his face.
Wait, it should be, their Lord's martial arts was so
good, how could he get hit by a woman? The
important point is that the place she hit was his
face! How would their Lord keep his dignity if this
matter spread?
Wait, it should be, their Lord's martial arts was so
good, how could he get hit by a woman? The
important point is that the place she hit was his
face! How would their Lord keep his dignity if this
matter spread?
Fu Yanlin sat in front of the problem, tapping the
table with his index finger in thought. He didn't
believe that that woman had grown wings and
flown away. She was bold enough to snatch the
horse away right in front of him so she had the
means to squirrel the horse away. If he had just
been able to see her appearance that day, he could
have at least posted a wanted image.... wait!
He suddenly remembered something and took out
the kerchief from where it had been pressed by a
book. It was the mask he had snatched from that
woman. As he looked at it carefully, he saw that it
had been embroidered with reeds.
Reeds? He slowly narrowed his eyes. Usually,
females would embroider flowers, birds, or other
auspicious mascots. Reeds were not a common
sight.
"Go check the nearby rivers and lakes and find out
which one has the most reeds." He instantly
ordered. If his guess was correct, that woman must
have taken the horse away via the waterways.
Additionally, her hiding place must have many
reeds nearby.
The subordinates received the order and answered
in the affirmative. They investigated hoofprints to
no avail but it was easy to investigate areas with
reeds.
The results came back within a day. Fu Yanlin
unfolded a map and looked over the terrain. He
then personally led Zhuang Kang and the others
out to investigate. They followed the river
downstream and finally arrived at the side of a lake
where a large cluster of reeds grew.
He had Zhuang Kang and the others explore the
surrounding area while he stood among the reeds,
looking at the lakes and mountains in the distance.
The light shone on the clear and crystalline water
and the birds were constantly landing and taking
off. The beautiful scenery looked like paradise on
earth. It made a person feel like they were standing
aloof from worldly affairs and this greatly soothed
his mood.
He raised his head and saw a bird of prey circling
above. This view unexpectedly gave him a sense of
deja vu but he couldn't recall when he had seen this
scene before.
Unexpectedly, he heard movement behind him. He
turned quickly.
"Who's there?"
Fu Yanlin narrowed his eyes, placing a hand on the
handle of his sword. His whole body exuded a
murderous aura and his face had none of the
relaxation he felt just before.
It would be very easy for someone to hide nearby.
He spotted one of the reeds moving and slowly
advanced. He pushed the reeds aside with his
scabbard and unexpectedly saw a small person
there.
Fu Yanlin was stunned. A little doll was sitting in
the middle of the reeds. She was very small,
probably around two or three years of age. The
little girl was incredibly pretty, blinking up at him
with curious eyes.
He stared at the little girl, very surprised to
discover this little thing in the reeds. When the
little girl saw him, she didn't cry or shout, like she
wasn't afraid at all. She even tilted her head as she
looked at him. That appearance was just so cute.
Fu Yanlin's vicious aura temporarily vanished. He
stared at her silently, then unhurriedly opened his
mouth.
"Little child, why are you here? Where are your
parents?"
"This person is your dad. Quick. Go up to him and
call him Daddy." He Guan's voice sounded out
beside Dou Dou.
When Dou Dou heard that, she stood up
obediently, opened her arms and went forward to
hug Fu Yanlin's thigh. In a soft voice, she said one
word
"Daddy."
Fu Yanlin's eyes widened. The little girl was born
adorable and when she smiled, it seemed like any
person would melt. Her unexpected voice line left
him dumbstruck and unable to respond for a
moment.
"Quick. Open your arms. Hug."
Dou Dou listened and instantly stretched out her
arms, her two small eyes were full of expectation
and unspoken words. Fu Yanlin didn't know why,
perhaps there was a supernatural explanation, but
he actually stretched out his hands and picked her
up.
The moment Dou Dou leaned into that wide
embrace, she very naturally cuddled closer.
As Fu Yanlin held the soft little thing, he felt an
inexplicable sense of gratification.
"Little girl, what's your name?"
"Dou Dou." The soft, sticky voice was like a burst of
warm breeze, tickling his ears.
From the moment of his marriage until now, Fu
Yanlin still had no children crawling around his
knees so he was unused to holding them. However
the strange thing was, the moment he picked up
this child, he felt a sense of intimacy that he had
never felt before. He was fond of this girl so his
voice also subconsciously softened
"Where are your mother and father?"
"Quick, point out the direction of your house for
him." He Guan urged.
Dou Dou didn't listen to He Guan's words and only
pitifully said,
"Hungry."
"You're hungry?"
Dou Dou nodded.
Fu Yanlin thought for a bit before saying,
"Uncle
will take you to eat then."
He guessed that this child belonged to a nearby
family. Otherwise, how could such a small child run
to the lakeside alone without any adult following?
What if she encountered any bad guys or fell into
the water?
As he thought, he furrowed his brows deeply. He
decided to take the child first and send people to
check which family this child belonged to. It
wouldn't be too late to send her back afterwards.
Having decided, he then left the reeded area whilst
hugging Dou Dou. At this time, Zhuang Kang, Yuan
Ji, and Meng Huai had come back. They were
astonished to find their Lord holding a baby girl in
his arms.
"Send some people to check whether any families
in this area have lost a little girl."
When the three of them heard that, they finally
became aware that this girl was lost. Zhuang Kang
immediately ordered a few soldiers to investigate
Then the three of them followed their Lord on
horseback. He Guan followed them and angrily
said to Dou Dou. "They'll be food to eat when you
get home. So quickly say you want to go home."
Dou Dou snuggled deeper in her daddy's arms and
just said two words. "Hungry, hungry.
He Guan rolled his eyes and resentfully spat out
one sentence.
"You glutton.
Whatever. Fu Yanlin already sent people out to
investigate so his goal could be considered
achieved.
When Mu Huanqing saw her daughter in Fu
Yanlin's arms, her eyes widened into saucers.
What was going on? Why would Dou Dou be in a
man's arms, and even cuddling so intimately?
She had taught Dou Dou to not approach strangers.
Her Dou Dou also never hugged strangers. So why
was she now thrown into that man's arms?
Mu Huanqing's heart tightened. Her face was pale
and her lips were pressed together. She quietly
clenched her fist as a drop of cold sweat trickled
down her forehead. The moment she found Dou
Dou missing, she guessed that the child had snuck
away to play in the reeds. She quickly went out to
find her but couldn't spot her at all so she
immediately sent other people to look around.
She managed to find her only to discover that she
was in Fu Yanlin's hands. She was startled and
panicked.
Calm, she must be calm. Logically speaking, Fu
Yanlin probably didn't know that Dou Dou was his
daughter. She followed secretly behind them to
await an opportunity.
He Guan rubbed his chin and looked at Mu
Hanging up and down with interest. This
woman's reaction was too different. Her husband,
whom she had not seen for four years, suddenly
appeared in front of her. Although he did not
recognise his daughter, blood is thicker than water
and that caused the husband to love the daughter
at first sight. Regardless, normal women would feel
delighted. This was their chance to retrieve their
husband. But why did she look so horrified?
Mu Huanqing continued to follow after the father-
daughter pair. Before being certain, she didn't dare
to act without thinking and overreach.
Dou Dou at this moment was happily eating a
mochi roll that her daddy gave her. The demon
uncle didn't lie to her. Daddy was big and tall and
loved her like her mother. When she said she was
hungry, her daddy then gave her a delicious mochi
roll.
Fu Yanlin had put Dou Dou in front of him as he
rode his horse. He discovered that this little child
was not afraid of being on a horse and was even
leaning back on his body. She was totally relaxed,
holding onto the roll with both hands and eating it
deliciously.
He had taken this mochi roll from Yuan Ji. Yuan
Ji's wife was quite skilled and her cakes were very
delicious. It would be fine to temporarily feed the
girl's hunger.
Zhuang Kang and the others followed behind their
Lord on horseback, all the while curiously looking
at the Lord with the little girl. They didn't know
which family this little girl belonged to. The Lord
actually went as far as bringing everyone to a
nearby market to find food because the girl said she
was hungry.
They had never seen their Lord be so good to any
girl. Having said that, this little girl was really cute
and one could tell at a glance that she would be a
beauty in the future.
"Hey, don't you guys think that child looks a bit like
our Lord?" Yuan Ji asked.
Meng Huai nodded. "I also thought so when I first
saw them."
Zhuang Kang was stunned. "Does she?"
"How could she not? Look. The two of them look
like father and daughter."
"I am surprised that the Lord cares so much about
a girl. Our purpose this time was to suppress the
bandits and retrieve the horse. But now the Lord
will take care of a girl because he feels akin to her?"
Their Lord had always clearly distinguished
between public and private affairs. He never
delayed official duties for private matters. He could
have handed the baby girl over to a reliable person
and arranged for one or two people to find the girl's
parents before handing her back. But he didn't do
that.
Zhuang Kang shook his head. "You are all
mistaken. The reason why the Lord is so good to
the girl is because he thought of that matter before.
If that child from before could have been birthed
successfully, they would be around the same age.
Zhuang Kang's words startled Yuan Ji and Meng
Huai and they both smacked him.