She Had Been Snatched

He had spent a hundred gold coins. Although he had gotten a little information about Peach Blossom, it wasn't of much use.

"What we know for sure is that Peach Blossom and the others left the gambling house. That's good news."

"But they didn't return to the East City Small Residence. Where else could they have gone?"

Lin Fei suddenly remembered that Peach Blossom had once visited the South City Large Residence, and Xinghua's father worked there.

Could they have gone there?

At the thought, Lin Fei's heart felt a little less heavy.

"I'll check the South City Large Residence first. Maybe Peach Blossom was worried I wouldn't be back for a while, and afraid the gambling house would send people to the East City Small Residence to collect the debt, so she went to the South City Large Residence to lie low."

Lin Fei hurried to the South City Large Residence. By the time he arrived, night had fallen.

After he knocked for a while, a guard finally opened the gate.

"Who is it? It's so late. What are you knocking for—"

"Master!"

Once he realized it was Lin Fei, the guard hurriedly bowed.

"Tell me, has Madam Peach Blossom been here?"

"She has."

Lin Fei was delighted, thinking he had guessed right.

"Where is she?"

"Madam did come by five days ago. She brought Xinghua's father back, then left again."

"What?"

His joy instantly turned to worry.

Lin Fei's heart grew even heavier.

"Master, should I notify Steward Bai?"

"Have Steward Bai bring Old Sun here—the one who's Xinghua's father. I have something to ask him."

"Yes, Master."

Lin Fei went to sit in the main hall. After quite some time, Bai Yansong arrived with Old Sun.

"Master, I've brought him."

Old Sun sneaked a glance at Lin Fei, then lowered his head again, looking rather guilty.

"Old Sun, tell me. Where is Peach Blossom?"

"Didn't Peach Blossom go home?"

Old Sun looked confused, not understanding why Lin Fei was asking him.

"Five days ago, Peach Blossom went to the gambling house to redeem you. She hasn't been home since."

"Huh?"

Old Sun raised his head, looking shocked.

"Then what about my daughter, Xinghua? Has she not gone home either?"

"I'm the one asking you questions. You've got some nerve asking me!"

From Old Sun's expression, Lin Fei could tell he knew nothing. He had asked for nothing.

"If you hadn't been a gambling addict and run up debts, the people from the gambling house wouldn't have come to my East City residence to collect. Peach Blossom wouldn't have gone missing."

Lin Fei wanted to beat the gambling addict to death, but until he found out where Peach Blossom was, he had to keep him alive for now.

"Steward Bai, have him locked up."

"Without my permission, no one is to see him or let him out."

Old Sun was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly and begged for mercy.

"Peach Blossom's husband... You can't do this! I'm begging you!"

"Guards, drag him away!"

Bai Yansong called over two guards, and they forcibly took Old Sun away.

Watching Lin Fei's face grow dark as a storm cloud, Bai Yansong hesitated before speaking. "Master, Madam hasn't returned home. Something may have happened to her."

Lin Fei glared at him, making Bai Yansong bend even lower.

"What do you mean?"

"Master, I mean that when Madam was heading back, it was still daytime, and there should have been plenty of people on the road. If something happened to her, someone must have seen it."

Seeing that Lin Fei seemed to be listening, Bai Yansong continued, "You could ask the people who were often out on the streets along the route Madam would have taken home."

"For example, the vendors who set up stalls by the roadside year-round, or the beggars who panhandle along the streets. One of them might have seen something."

Bai Yansong's words suddenly enlightened Lin Fei. The people who made a living on the streets would surely have the best information in Nanli City.

They spent most of their time outdoors. If anything major happened in the streets, they were bound to notice.

"Steward Bai, thank you for the reminder."

"I wouldn't dare. Helping you is simply my duty. It's late now, Master. You should get some rest and make inquiries tomorrow."

How could Lin Fei think of resting? Still, he knew that asking around at this hour might not get him anywhere.

He'd have a better chance of finding witnesses after daybreak, by asking about the time Peach Blossom had been on her way back to East City.

After sending Bai Yansong away, Lin Fei headed to the secret room he had discovered earlier.

Guards stood watch outside the room where the secret chamber was hidden. They had no idea that all the gold and silver treasures inside had already been moved.

Lin Fei looked at the Millennium Cold Jade Bed. It was the only valuable thing left in the secret chamber.

He had tried to move it last time, but hadn't been able to budge it.

Now his body had been strengthened by the Body Strengthening Pill, and his strength had greatly increased, so he decided to try again.

"If this really is a Millennium Cold Jade Bed, then according to the people at Duobao Pavilion, even Cultivators would be tempted by it."

Lin Fei gripped both sides of the cold jade bed. A wave of icy energy immediately seeped through his arms and into his body.

"This thing's too heavy. I can't move it at all."

Lin Fei threw all his strength into it, but couldn't lift it. He couldn't even shift it.

In no time, a layer of frost had formed over both his arms. The blood in them had nearly stopped flowing.

"The people at Duobao Pavilion said you can cultivate while sitting on it. Looks like only powerful experts who can practice Qi Refining can withstand this cold."

Lin Fei left the secret chamber. Worried about Peach Blossom and unable to sleep, he went alone into the courtyard and began practicing the Xingyi Five Elements Fist he had just learned.

Again and again, Lin Fei kept going without stopping to rest.

The moment he stopped, his thoughts would run wild.

That night, he lost count of how many times he practiced the Five Elements Fist. In the end, he was so exhausted that he finally stopped.

He lay down on the ground in the courtyard and fell asleep.

If Bai Yansong hadn't woken him, Lin Fei didn't know how long he would have slept.

"Master, why are you sleeping out here? The nights in Nanli City aren't cold, but sleeping on the ground can still harm your health."

"I'm fine."

"Master, let me help you to your room."

"No need. Have a carriage prepared."

Lin Fei couldn't spare time to wash or eat. He climbed into a carriage and made inquiries all along the route back to the East City Small Residence.

As the carriage passed a street, Lin Fei spotted a group of little beggars.

The oldest of them was around ten, while the youngest was only five or six.

They were all disheveled and dressed in rags. They were begging here and there, but people kept chasing them away.

Lin Fei got down from the carriage and called them over.

"I have a gold coin. I want to ask you something. Whoever knows the answer will get it."

The little beggars' eyes lit up. If Lin Fei hadn't had servants with him, they would have tried to snatch it.

"My lord, what do you want to ask?"

"Five days ago, did any of you see anything unusual?"

The little beggars glanced at each other and started chattering all at once, but they only mentioned trivial things.

Lin Fei prompted them. "Did any of you see a pregnant woman passing through here in a carriage?"

One little beggar raised her hand. She was a girl, and her voice was timid.

"I... I think I saw something..."

"What did you see?"

Lin Fei excitedly grabbed the little girl's shoulders. Afraid of scaring her, he quickly forced a smile.

"Tell me, sweetheart. What did you see?"

"I saw a carriage get snatched. I think there were two older sisters inside. They were shouting for help."

The little girl took a wristwatch from inside her clothes and showed it to Lin Fei.

"It fell from the carriage. I secretly kept it."

"This is the wristwatch I gave Peach Blossom."

There was no other wristwatch like it in Nanli City. Lin Fei had only ever given one to Peach Blossom.

"Little girl, do you know who snatched those two sisters?"