Chapter 499 - Chapter 499: Chapter 506: Too Bloody (2/2)

Han Yu also understood that the likely secret guard from a significant family or power was adept in their methods, unlike the five deceased. Would they let his daughter-in-law leave behind any information?

“Now that the trail has gone cold, we have no choice but to go back to our previous method. We’ll start here and spread out in search for her,” Han Yu said, standing up with a somber voice.

Feng Jianling nodded, admiring Han Yu’s composure. He could see how much Han Yu valued and cared for his daughter-in-law; otherwise, he wouldn’t have left everything behind to search for Su Wenyue, who might already be dead. Confronted with their current ordeal, he remained calm and collected.

“Even if we use your method, the scope becomes much broader. We don’t have enough people for such an extensive search; it’s too slow. I’ll recruit more personnel and call upon friends in Jianghu to join the search. We must find a clue,” Feng Jianling declared.

“Great favors are beyond thanks; I appreciate your help!” Han Yu was grateful, but the priority was finding his daughter-in-law. He planned to deploy more people, and to set up surveillance along the routes leading to Chang’an and Yiyang, in case the abductor intended to take her there, possibly linked to the Imperial Court or Zhao Fan.

While the search outside turned the world upside down, Su Wenyue was lying unconscious, her face flushed, sweating profusely, and moaning faintly in pain—a truly distressing sight for Han Yu had he seen it.

This state had persisted for a day. However, with no one else in the room and the person who had taken her away absent, no one discovered her condition, which seemed destined to worsen if left unchecked.

The Phantom had gone out to handle tasks dictated by his master, planning to return by noon. An unexpected turn of events delayed him until evening to settle matters.

There was no avoiding these circumstances. His rescue of the woman was already a merciful act, as he typically never meddled in the affairs of others. This time, he did it partly out of consideration for his master—an incident involving the woman would surely sadden his master. Although irritated by this fact, serving by his master’s side for so long meant he had come to accept that his master’s wishes were not his to influence.

Yet as much as he saved her, he couldn’t neglect his duties because of her. That morning, he had only prepared two steamed buns and locked the door from outside, trapping the woman inside without access to food. By now, he figured she must be ravenous. Given her frail state, he decided to prepare more food for her in the evening.

The Phantom hadn’t realized that his attitude towards Su Wenyue had already changed. If he truly disliked her, he wouldn’t have bothered about whether she went hungry—as long as she didn’t starve to death. Su Wenyue’s conduct during their journey had involuntarily earned his respect, which led to this change in his behavior. On the day the Phantom slaughtered those five men, Su Wenyue had been present. Not the most attentive soul, the Phantom saved Su Wenyue, but showed no reluctance to killing. She had witnessed that bloody scene directly, vomited on the spot, and despite having leaped from a high cliff, received no proper care since then. Her condition was markedly frail, nearly causing her to faint, but still, she bore the pain and fear without a whimper after being taken by the Phantom.