Chapter 493 - Chapter 493: Chapter 500: A Glimmer of Hope (1/2)

Chapter 493: Chapter 500: A Glimmer of Hope

Knowing that Feng Jianling had made arrangements, Qi Yun did not bother with these people for the time being. Still, he sent a message to Han Yu and Qi Shen, as anyone who dared to harm Madam would certainly be despised by the master, who would not let them escape. Once the message was relayed back, the master would surely make plans, ensuring not even one of them could run away.

“Captain, look, there are a series of footprints here.” Not far along the river, they made a discovery. There were traces of someone having lingered by the riverbank, along with a series of footprints, deep and shallow, indicating the person had difficulty walking. Moreover, the size of the footprints matched the embroidered shoe, and more importantly, the footprints only led away from the riverbank, with none showing the person’s arrival. The secret guard deduced that Madam must have been washed ashore and upon awakening, moved up the bank.

Hearing that traces had been found, both Feng Jianling and Qi Yun were overjoyed and immediately came over. Seeing the footprints by the river, they felt it was very likely Su Wenyue had been washed ashore and left the prints upon waking. The footprints were particularly evident because the soil on the riverbank was still quite moist and the incident had not occurred long ago.

Having discovered a trail, they immediately followed the footprints. Although less distinct once they left the wet soil of the riverbank, the secret guards included experts in tracking. However, when they followed the footprints to a small forest, the footprints disappeared, and there were a number of disordered footprints and marks nearby.

“Captain, the Madam’s footprints disappear here, and there are others. There must have been someone else in this forest at the time, but it’s unclear if there’s any connection between this and Madam’s disappearance.”

Qi Yun and Feng Jianling, having found traces of Su Wenyue, were somewhat elated, thinking she must still be alive and they might find her soon, only for their spirits to be dampened by this sudden news.

“What else can you make out?” Qi Yun asked urgently. Feng Jianling was also attentive, eager to know who these people were and why they would have taken Su Wenyue. It shouldn’t be Zhao Fan’s men, as they had encountered them on the way, and those people were still behind. Plus, they tried to conceal their tracks and dared not get too close. It wouldn’t make sense for Zhao Fan to send two separate groups after a supposedly dead person; but if it wasn’t Zhao Fan’s men, who could they be?

The secret guard, upon hearing Qi Yun’s inquiry, examined the area again in detail. However, they couldn’t discern much more. The mixed tracks and traces were very chaotic, likely deliberately obscured to hide their movements, making further discovery impossible.

“Who exactly are these people, and why did they take Miss Yue?” Feng Jianling wasn’t familiar with Su Wenyue’s daily affairs and conjectured that perhaps Han Yu’s opponents were responsible for taking her away.

Qi Yun shook his head, equally clueless. It wouldn’t make sense for the Master’s enemies to coincidentally wait below and then take Madam, especially since nobody could have anticipated that she would jump off the cliff. Otherwise, they would have abducted Madam by the lakeshore.

“Perhaps Madam was rescued. The traces left by these people suggest they knew some martial arts; could they be people from Jianghu?”