The wind outside was lashing against the wooden planks.
Gu Moran didn't reply.
The ending of my own story, as I read it, resurfaced in my mind.
Ransom.
Dismemberment.
I used to think it was Son of Destiny that caused him such a terrible fate.
Things are different now.
He now has six more wives, and the people he needs to be wary of, besides the Son of Destiny, are also the one on the dragon throne.
A chill crept up the back of my neck, but my palms were burning hot.
This game is no longer just about surviving.
Gu Moran her eyes and looked at the screen.
"All I ever wanted was to live."
Liu Ruyan turned to look at him.
Gu Moran half a step forward, blocking half of her body.
"It seems that simply surviving is not enough."
There was no response from behind the screen.
A system notification sounded in Gu Moran's mind.
[Maintenance of the Destiny Monitoring Eye is complete.]
[Works normally.]
Without looking away, he immediately activated the Eye of Monitoring.
[Name: Liu Huaijin ]
[Identity: Key figure in the Lady Liu's old case, major owner of the Flower-Between Pavilion, and head of the Liu Clan.]
[Current Status: Severely injured and not yet healed, long-term hidden, under high emotional stress, and with a low will to live.]
[Willpower to protect the host: 100.]
[Relationship section: Top Secret, currently unavailable.]
[Potential Risks: Key witness in the Liu Clan's old case, source of the emperor's old fears, and a key figure in the old thread of the elixir case.]
Gu Moran stared at those three words.
Liu Huaijin.
Liu Ruyan's father.
To live.
He sat right in front of her.
But separated by a screen and a table full of old papers, he refused to come out and acknowledge her.
A cough came from behind the screen.
"Has Your Highness seen enough?"
Gu Moran looked away.
"You've hidden it very well."
Liu Huaijin's voice was hoarse.
"He wasn't hidden well, he'd be dead long ago."
Liu Ruyan looked at Gu Moran.
"What's wrong?"
She was still pressing down on the list with her hand, the corner of the paper creased from her pressure.
Gu Moran out and fastened her cloak tightly.
My fingertips touched the side of her neck; it was chillingly cold.
"Let's go to the east side of the city first."
Liu Ruyan grabbed his sleeve.
You're hiding something from me.
Gu Moran glanced at the screen.
Liu Huaijin did not look away from that glance.
"Time is tight, we'll talk about it later."
Liu Ruyan stared at him.
After a moment, he let go.
Okay, whatever you say.
There was a knock on the door.
Three long and two short.
Madam Chun's expression changed, and she quickly opened the door.
The gray-clad scout rushed in, half his sleeve soaked through, his shoes covered in mud, and his body reeking of rain and the fishy smell of the alleyway.
"Urgent report from the east."
"The people from the Second Prince's Residence entered Old Well Alley."
" The Imperial City Bureau has also arrived at East Street."
"That guy by the well injured two groups of people; he won't last long."
Liu Ruyan pressed her palm against her chest.
She held the list down through the fabric of her clothes.
Gu Moran turned to look at the screen.
"Boss, is there anything else you need to explain?"
He coughed even more severely behind the screen.
Madam Chun disregarded the old customs and carried water around to the other side.
Liu Huaijin suppressed a cough.
"The third well in Old Well Alley."
"A piece is missing from the well rim."
"Don't let the Imperial City Bureau question him first."
"And don't let the Second Prince's Residence take him away."
Gu Moran asked, "What does he recognize?"
"Bronze medal."
Gu Moran picked up the half of the bronze plaque from the table and put it into his sleeve.
"Walk."
Madam Chun stepped in front of her.
"Your Highness, there's a fast way!"
Gu Moran looked at her.
Madam Chun spoke very quickly.
"There's a small path behind the old building that leads to the west entrance of Old Well Alley."
"It's narrow; a horse can't get through, but a person can walk."
"It's a cup of tea faster than on the main street."
On the main street, there were carriages and horses from the Second Prince's Residence, as well as waist tokens from the Imperial City Bureau.
You bump into them, offer a few words of explanation, and they're gone.
The path was difficult to walk.
But the people at the Flower-Between Pavilion are familiar with it.
A quick cup of tea can save you an extra life.
Gu Moran nodded.
"Lead the way."
Madam Chun grabbed the oil-paper lamp by the wall and pushed open the side door.
A cool breeze blew in after the rain.
The smells of moss and damp wood hit my face at once.
Liu Ruyan walked very fast.
Her skirt brushed against the threshold, splattering mud on it, but she didn't look.
Gu Moran supported her arm.
"Don't rush."
Liu Ruyan kept her voice very low.
I'm afraid he'll die.
Gu Moran looked at the flickering firelight in the distance at the alley entrance.
"So you absolutely mustn't drop it."
Madam Chun led the way.
The path was sandwiched between two old walls, and the water on the ground was up to the soles of shoes.
There were rotten wooden crates piled up against the wall.
If you step off to the wrong side, you could slide all the way out.
Gu Moran pulled Liu Ruyan to his side and walked outside.
Liu Ruyan glanced at his hand.
You don't need to help me.
Now is not the time to be stubborn.
She didn't say anything more.
At the alley entrance, Uncle Fu was waiting with two horses in tow.
The straw hat was pulled low, and rainwater dripped down the raincoat.
He saw Madam Chun leading people out of the side path and immediately went forward.
"Your Highness, there are people in the east direction of the city."
Gu Moran took the reins.
The damp leather cord pressed against my palm, the coolness seeping into my flesh.
" The Second Prince's Residence and the Imperial City Bureau?"
Uncle Fu nodded.
Both sides have moved.
Madam Chun points westward.
"Go in from here, walk through half of an abandoned alley, and you'll reach the west entrance of Old Well Alley."
"The third well is inside, but a piece is missing from the rim."
Gu Moran mounted his horse.
The road is wider here; horses can fit.
He reached out and pulled Liu Ruyan in front of him.
Liu Ruyan grabbed the horse's mane.
The horse's warm, damp breath entered her nostrils, making her stomach churn; the urge to revive didn't subside.
Gu Moran lowered his head.
"Once you reach Old Well Alley, you'll only recognize people."
Liu Ruyan nodded.
"What if he talks about the Liu Clan?"
Listen.
She paused for a moment.
What if someone attacks you?
Gu Moran the reins tightly, his gaze sweeping over several dark corners in the alley.
The royal guards are hiding there.
Everyone was waiting for his gesture.
The horse's hooves waded into the puddles, splashing water onto the base of the wall.
Gu Moran.
"Then send them to their deaths."
The Old Well Alley was narrower than I had imagined.
Both walls were damp.
Moss climbed up the wall along its base.
Several strings of old pottery jars hung under the broken eaves; when the wind blew, the mouths of the jars collided with each other, making a dull thud.
At the end of the alley was a small shop.
Half of the door was crooked.
The latch broke off.
The edges of the wooden planks were covered in wet mud.
As Gu Moran approached, the first thing he smelled was blood.
He raised his hand and pulled Liu Ruyan behind him.
First, check the crack in the door.
Two people were lying in the backyard.
Dressed in short clothes, he looked like a porter in an alley.
The boots, however, were made of satin.
Not manual labor.
The two men had rags stuffed in their mouths, their hands and feet bound with rope, and they were already unconscious.
An old man was sitting by the well.
He's missing half an arm.
He was also missing half a leg.
The old burn scars on his face were exposed, pitted and uneven.
A tattered raincoat was draped over his shoulders, water still dripping from the damp grass edges.
He was clutching a rusty dagger in his hand.
The blade is angled and presses against the manhole cover.
That hand was shaking violently.
The person remained standing guard at the wellhead, not moving an inch.
Several dark red marks were pressed against the edge of the manhole cover.
Rainwater can't wash it away.
Gu Moran didn't rush into the hospital.
The old man looked up first.
His cloudy eyes stared at the doorway.
"The Second Prince's dog, here to die again?"