Chapter 1108: Him, silent and mute (1/2)
Hearing Long Feiye’s words, Mu Liuyue was so scared that all of her hairs stood up. She crawled to her feet and tried to flee, but the shadow guards soon stopped her. With no escape, she looked towards Mu Yuanbo and cried in indignation, “Father, you can’t treat me like this! You can’t abandon me just because of big brother! Father, I hate you!”
Although Mu Yuanbo was both stunned and frightened, he held his ground. He knew as as long as he stood firm, Long Feiye wouldn’t really try anything against Mu Liuyue. He could slowly drag things out with the man, but Long Feiye didn’t have time to waste. There was still a chance that he’d win, so he didn’t want to give up his last efforts. His only terms were to spare his son and daughter, which of course included both Qingwu and Liuyue.
In truth, he’d made plenty of mistakes in this life and let down the entire Li Clan. Everything he did was to protect those two children, ah! And yet, the daughter he’d doted on the most was now rebuking and vilifying him?
“Liuyue, I didn’t give up on your big brother, and even less will I abandon you!” Mu Yuanbo explained. If he had, would he be running back and showing himself to Long Feiye and his two slaps now?
“Then you tell them you don’t want big brother anymore, and for them to let me go! As long as they release me, you’ll tell them about Bai Yanqing’s whereabouts!” Mu Liuyue said desperately.
At her words, Long Feiye’s lips curved into a cold smirk. Gu Qishao was filled with disdain, while Gu Beiyue’s eyes on Mu Yuanbo showed a sympathetic expression. Mu Yuanbo was stunned. He looked at his daughter’s blood-stained face as she shouted and screamed at him and suddenly felt listless. He didn’t know how to reply.
“Father, why aren’t you telling them where Bai Yanqing is yet? Tell them!”
“Father, you don’t want to, do you? Well! So you’re abandoning Liuyue because of big brother! I just knew it! You’ve always favored him since we were young!”
“I hate you! I hate you!”
Mu Liuyue began to sob and wail. Mu Yuanbo looked at her until his own eyes grew damp. He always knew he was a shoddy clan leader, but he felt he’d at least been a good father. But...but now he suddenly realized he’d been a bad father, too! How did he not realize his daughter had turned into this? He always assumed she was simply spoiled and ignorant, but never expected her to be so cowardly and afraid of death, selfish to the extreme!
She actually wanted him to give up on Qingwu! He was her older brother of the same flesh and blood! And had she ever considered his sake? Would Long Feiye ever spare him, the father?
“Biased! Favoritism!”
“I might as well smash my head and died, maybe then I’ll even get to see my mother!”
Mu Liuyue was still crying. Despite this, the shadow guards didn’t give up. Two of them held her back from trying anything. In the end, Mu Yuanbo compromised. He didn’t even know why he did it, only that despair had stolen all his capability for careful thought.
“Bai Yanqing is in the city god’s temple in the western outskirts of the city. All of his men are there, and he met me there twice. I don’t know anything else,” Mu Yuanbo sat down dispiritedly as if he’d never stand again. Long Feiye left father and daughter to the shadow guards to deal with and left without hesitation.
Gu Beiyue hesitated and told the shadow guards in a low voice, “For the time being, there’s no need to lock them up. Just keep an eye on them and wait for orders. Also, keep news suppressed so the citizens don’t know Mu Yuanbo’s in our hands.”
“Yes!” the shadow guards obeyed.
If this was the past, they would still hesitate and ask if this was His Highness’s intentions too, but now they simply followed Gu Beiyue’s orders as well. At this moment, another shadow guard approached and said, “Sir Gu, you should hurry after them. It’ll be bad if there’s a trap at the temple.”
Gu Beiyue nodded without a word. Actually, he didn’t hold much hopes. Since Bai Yanqing had released them, he must be 100 percent certain they wouldn’t find him. Long Feiye and Gu Qishao were perfectly capable of understanding such simple logic, but they were still searching about like madmen! Their only shred of rationality couldn’t help them think clearly anymore. Gu Beiyue couldn’t bear to dash their last hopes.
The saying went that the calmest, clearest man was the most cold-hearted one. That wasn’t the case. The calmest, clearest man was the most pitiful man, because they not only felt pain, but had to stand fast regardless. Even when they lost all hope, they had to keep protecting it!
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Gu Beiyue soon caught up to Long Feiye and Gu Qishao. By the time they reached the city god’s temple on the western outskirts, it was almost daylight. This was nothing more than a dilapidated temple with overgrown grass. Long Feiye was the first to rush in with speeds comparable to Gu Beiyue. He quickly searched through the premises and...was disappointed.
“Mu Yuanbo!” Gu Qishao wanted to go back and find him for revenge. He assumed that Mu Yuanbo had tricked them.