When Ye Xiaoxian awoke from a sweet dream, her hand fumbled for Xiao Baoshan subconsciously. Nobody was next to her. No warmth could be felt on the sheet.
“Why did he get up so early?” she thought.
He must be cooking breakfast. He was always quite diligent at home, always occupied with any possible household chores. Ye Xiaoxian was still sleepy and weary, so she soon fell asleep again.
When the sun was high in the sky, in a daze she heard Li Hongmei saying loudly, “Little Ye, it’s time for breakfast!”
She hastened to get up and opened the door only to find Li Hongmei alone in the yard.
“Mom, where is Baoshan?” she asked.
“Isn’t he in your bedroom?” Li Hongmei was surprised. “I got up at dawn to make breakfast, but I didn’t see him. Was he earlier than me?”
Suddenly, Ye Xiaoxian was struck by a bad feeling.
“Little Ye, are you all right?” Li Hongmei was confused when she saw Ye Xiaoxian’s face turning pale.
Ye Xiaoxian didn’t answer. She turned back to her bedroom and got changed, planning to head out to find Xiao Baoshan. However, she paused while dressing. Where could she find him?
He had told her that he would leave for a while in two days. Had he actually left today? Or did he just go out for a while and would come back at noon or in the afternoon?
Li Hongmei could tell from Ye Xiaoxian’s absent-mindedness that something was wrong, so she followed Ye Xiaoxian into the bedroom.
“Little Ye, don’t worry. Baoshan…” Just then, she found an envelope on the table. She pointed at it nervously and asked, “Little Ye, what is this?”
Ye Xiaoxian finally noticed it. The envelope was so conspicuous, so why hadn’t she seen it just now?
She ripped the envelope open and unfolded the letter. After a moment, her face turned even paler.
…
At that moment, Xiao Baoshan was standing at the foot of a mountain. In front of him were two black-robed men. They didn’t bother to cover their faces, so were obviously acquainted with him. Their aim was very clear; to kill Xiao Baoshan.
The round-faced man pointed his sword at him. “Xiao Baoshan, you’re still alive! How do you have the nerve to be alive? Have you forgotten your identity? Have you forgotten how many innocent lives died by your bloody hands?”
The square-faced man also aimed his sword at Xiao Baoshan, “I heard that you’re married, but you do not deserve it!”
Xiao Baoshan remained silent.
The round-faced man continued, “Xiao Baoshan, your sins have nothing to do with your family. If you’re obedient, then we will spare them. Even if you escape this time, you’ll be killed by others sooner or later. Do you know how many people in the imperial court wish to kill you?”
Xiao Baoshan still didn’t answer. He frowned tightly, seemingly worried about something. He was not a cowardly man, but he couldn’t die, because he had met someone he loved with his whole heart.
As the men dashed at him with swords, he fled deep into the mountain using his superb light-body skill.
The round-faced man shouted anxiously, “Go!”
…
Over the following days, quite a few people went to the county to inquire about Xiao Baoshan’s whereabouts. Many in the county knew Xiao Baoshan, so they all guided the strangers to the Xiaos’ restaurant.