372 Eastern Enigma is Captured

ss called smuggling.""Smuggling"Ye Li replied with a smile, "It's secret transactions that don't go through customs or pay taxes; it’s highly profitable."Leng Haoyu rubbed his forehead and said, smili...372. Eastern You Captured

“There’s no need for Miss Dongfang’s people to bother with searching for Mister Qingchen, how about inviting Lady Li instead to talk with our superior” A faintly smiling voice suddenly came from a nearby hill.

Hearing this, everyone in front of the small house turned pale. Although the small house looked unremarkable, there were many traps set up on the way here. They might not be able to hurt people but once triggered, the person inside would know immediately. However, this person had already silently arrived without alerting anyone.

"Who are you" Eastern You suddenly turned around and saw a black-clothed man leaning against a tree with his arms crossed looking at her from not far away. After a brief moment of thought, she recalled the identity of this man, "It’s someone from Duke Ding's mansion!"

Although she didn't know the name or identity of this young man in front of her, Eastern You still remembered having seen him once while he was by Consort Ding. Clearly, he was a confidant of Consort Ding. However, she never expected that while she was carefully guarding against Duke Ding’s mansion, one of Ye Li's trusted men had been silently following her.

The black-clothed man said with a smile and a clasped fist, "Zhuo Jing from Duke Ding’s Mansion, I greet Miss Dongfang."

Eastern You looked at him coolly and asked, "What are you doing here Surely it's not just you who came from the Duke’s mansion"

Zhuo Jing replied, "Miss Dongfang came for something specific, so did I. Our superior invites Miss Dongfang to talk." Eastern You's face changed as she asked, "Ye Li also came" Zhuo Jing smiled without answering. Her thoughts raced, knowing that the situation was somewhat unfavorable. Last time, many of her people and those sent by Emperor Mo Jingli for capturing Xu Qingchen were lost. It was easy to imagine how formidable Duke Ding’s mansion guards were, let alone Ye Li personally controlling the elite soldiers—Qilin.

"I’m afraid I don’t have time to chat with Consort Ding," Eastern You said coolly. "If Consort Ding has something, she can come to the Li王府坐坐。”

卓靖也不跟她囉嗦，無聲一笑，抬手之間無數黑影悄無聲息地出現在小屋四周的山坡上，十分訓練有素地堵住了所有通向外麵的道路，真可謂是插翅難飛。

東方幽也明白，不動手是彆想從定王府手中脫身了。也不客氣，飛身上前便朝著卓靖的方向撲去。跟在她身邊的人見狀自然也不客氣，一場山林中的混戰就此開始。

卓靖含笑看著朝自己衝過來的女子，也不在意直接拔劍揮出。雖然東方幽武功可能比他高一些，但他也不會怕她。兩人很快便纏鬥在一起。

不遠處的山崗上，葉璃帶著衛藺居高臨下地看著下麵的混戰。雖然東方幽和她身邊的人武功都不錯，但是無奈人數實在不多。這個地方十分隱蔽，隻是東方幽用來藏人的地方，自然也不會有太多人駐守。不過片刻間，東方幽的人便落了下方。

“王妃，這個東方幽的武功的確不錯。如果不是腦子有些問題的話，東方幽當真可稱得上是天才。”衛藺忍不住讚道。女子習武本來就不易，十六七歲的東方幽能有如此高深的功夫，這份天賦比起年少時的墨修堯也相差不了多少了。如果順利的話，將來說不定會成為繼墨修堯之後又一位武學奇才，也會成為古往今來第一位以女兒之身取得天下第一高手稱號的人。

看著與卓靖交手、動作淩厲甚至堪堪壓過卓靖的女子，葉璃也不由點頭讚道：“蒼茫山傳人，確實是世間難得的奇才。”東方幽厲害的可不隻是武功，琴棋書畫詩詞歌舞星象醫卜無一不精，這樣的天才，葉璃自問是做不到的。可惜同樣的，她的想法也是異於常人的，而她所想明顯不是一般人能夠接受得了的。

“屬下去幫忙？”衛藺問道。並不是說卓靖對付不了東方幽，東方幽就算再天才終究經驗尚欠，與任琦寧那種久經磨礪的人有差彆。卓靖如果想要殺東方幽的話，這一會兒時間至少有三五次機會可以下手了。不過想要抓住她卻有些困難。

“不用了。”葉璃搖頭淡笑道：“她跑不了，我們也下去吧。”

然而東方幽卻是無路可逃，最後給她致命一擊的並不是卓靖和定王府眾人，而是一直跟在她身邊的侍衛之一。當東方幽身邊的人全部被拿下隻剩下一個侍衛時，那人撲過來替她擋住了卓靖的劍。就在她以為自己找到了機會準備逃跑的時候，冇想到迎接她的卻是兩柄劍。卓靖的一劍雖然避開了一點衣服，但那名從未防備過的青年男子突然一擊卻狠狠地重傷了她。

捂著胸口，東方幽恨恨盯著與卓靖並肩而立的年輕男子，“你是定王府的人？”

卓靖笑道：“蒼茫山能在定王府安插人手，定王府又豈會不在蒼茫山安插人手？”

終究還是經驗太淺，儘管東方幽有著天下間數得上的高深武功，卻也不得不受製於人。看到葉璃帶著衛藺慢慢走來的時候，東方幽眼中更加憤怒，“果然是你！葉璃！”

372. Eastern You Captured

"There's no need for Miss Dongfang’s people to bother with Mister Qingchen's whereabouts, how about inviting Lady Li first to talk with my superior" A man with a faint smile spoke from afar.

Hearing this, the faces of those in front of the small house turned pale. Although the small house looked insignificant, there were many traps set up on the way here. They might not be able to hurt people but once triggered, those inside would know immediately. However, this person had already silently arrived without alerting anyone.

"Who are you" Eastern You suddenly turned around and saw a black-clothed man leaning against a tree with his arms crossed looking at her from afar. After a brief moment of thought, she recalled the identity of this man, "A person from Duke Ding's mansion!"

Although she didn't know the name or identity of the young man in front of her, Eastern You still remembered seeing him once while he was beside Consort Ding. Clearly, he was a confidant of Consort Ding. However, she never expected that while she was carefully guarding against Duke Ding’s mansion, one of Ye Li's trusted men had been silently following her.

The black-clothed man said with a smile and clasped fists, "Zhuo Jing from Duke Ding’s Mansion, greeting Miss Dongfang."

Eastern You looked at him coolly and asked, "What are you doing here Surely it's not just you who came from the Duke’s mansion"

Zhuo Jing replied, "Miss Dongfang came for something specific, so did I. My superior invites Miss Dongfang to talk." Eastern You's face changed as she asked, "Ye Li also came" Zhuo Jing smiled without answering. Her thoughts raced, knowing that the situation was somewhat unfavorable. Last time, many of her people and those sent by Emperor Mo Jingli for capturing Xu Qingchen were lost. It was easy to imagine how formidable Duke Ding’s mansion guards were, let alone Ye Li personally controlling the elite soldiers—Qilin.

"I’m afraid I don’t have time to chat with Consort Ding," Eastern You said coolly. "If Consort Ding has something to say, she can come to the Li王府."

Zhuo Jing didn't argue further and silently smiled as he raised his hand. In an instant, countless black figures appeared stealthily on the slopes around the small house, blocking all exits in a trained manner. Truly making it impossible for anyone to escape.

Eastern You understood that she had no choice but to take action if she wanted to leave Duke Ding’s mansion unscathed. She didn't waste any time and rushed towards Zhuo Jing. Her companions also acted without hesitation, initiating a fierce battle in the forest.

Zhuo Jing smiled as he watched Eastern You rush at him with her sword drawn but didn’t pay much attention to it, drawing his own blade and parrying. Although Eastern You's martial arts skills might be superior to his, he wasn't afraid of her. They quickly engaged in a fierce exchange.

From atop the hill nearby, Ye Li stood watching the ongoing battle with Wei Lin at her side from above. Though Eastern You and her companions were skilled fighters, their numbers were limited. This place was very secluded, simply used by Eastern You for hiding people, so there weren't many guards stationed here. Within moments, those loyal to Eastern You fell into a disadvantage.

"Duchess Consort," Wei Lin couldn’t help praising as he watched the battle, "Eastern You’s martial arts are truly remarkable. If not for some flaws in her judgment, she would be considered a prodigy." Learning martial arts is harder for women than men; Eastern You, only sixteen or seventeen years old, possessing such profound skills was indeed extraordinary. Compared to Mo Xiuyao at the same age, she wasn’t much worse off. With favorable circumstances, she might become another extraordinary martial artist after Mo Xiuyao and also the first woman in history to be named the greatest martial artist.

Seeing Eastern You engaging Zhuo Jing with swift moves almost overpowering him, Ye Li nodded in approval, "A prodigy indeed from Cangmang Mountain."

Eastern You wasn't just a skilled fighter; she was also proficient in calligraphy and painting, poetry and music, divination, medicine – an all-around genius that Ye Li found herself unable to match. However, such geniuses had unusual thoughts which were hard for ordinary people to understand.

“Shall I go help” Wei Lin asked. It wasn't that Zhuo Jing couldn’t handle Eastern You; though she was a prodigy, her experience lacked compared to someone like Ren Qining who had been honed over many years. If Zhuo Jing wanted to kill Eastern You, he had several chances already. But capturing her would be more difficult.

“No need,” Ye Li shook her head with a faint smile. “She can't escape and neither do we need to stay here.”

In the end, Eastern You found herself cornered without any way out. Her final blow didn’t come from Zhuo Jing or Duke Ding’s men but one of her own guards who had been secretly following her. When all her subordinates were taken down and only this guard remained, he tried to shield her by rushing forward against Zhuo Jing's sword. Eastern You thought she saw an opportunity to escape but was met with not just Zhuo Jing’s blade but another from a young man standing beside him whom she hadn’t anticipated.

Holding her chest, Eastern You glared at the young man next to Zhuo Jing, "You’re also from Duke Ding’s mansion!"

Zhuo Jing replied with a smile, "Cangmang Mountain can place its own people in Duke Ding's Mansion; why wouldn't Duke Ding do the same"

Despite her impressive martial arts skills, Eastern You’s lack of experience left her at a disadvantage. Seeing Ye Li and Wei Lin approaching calmly, her anger only grew. "Ye Li! It was you all along!"

Ye Li gave a faint smile and said, "I originally didn’t want to be here. However, Miss Dong forced me to come. Since we are already here, why don’t we go inside" By this time, there was no way for Dong You to say anything as her martial arts had been subdued, forcing her to follow Ye Li into the small wooden house.

The small wooden house turned out to be an unexpected world. Duke Ding’s methods were indeed effective in getting these people to talk. Especially after they saw how easily Dong You killed their companion with a single blow, they couldn’t help but feel grief and sorrow. Compared to the unpredictable, ruthless Dong You, Lady Ding, who was smiling gently in her white clothes, seemed much more approachable.

Within half an hour, Zhuo Jing and Wei Lin managed to get the entrance of the secret passage from those people’s mouths. They led Dong You as she walked ahead for almost half an hour before finally seeing daylight again. This place turned out to be a deep valley surrounded by cliffs on all sides. Although Ye Li had some idea about the terrain and route in the secret passage, she still couldn’t help but frown when she saw such a place. Even someone like her wouldn’t find it easy to leave without alerting anyone here. Not to mention Xu Qingchen, who didn’t even know any martial arts or lightness skills and was physically weak. How did her brother disappear from this place

"When did Mr. Xu go missing" Ye Li asked while sitting in a small pavilion within the valley.

She looked around at the simple but complete furnishings of the room before saying, "Two days ago."

"Two days ago" Ye Li raised an eyebrow. "Since Mr. Xu went missing two days ago, why didn’t you report it to Miss Dong Did you send people out to look for him" The man replied with a helpless smile, “We did dispatch people to search both the valley and the mountain at that time but found nothing. Young Master told us to watch over Mr. Xu; now that he’s missing, we really feel…"

Ye Li understood these people's thoughts. They had been following Dong You for some time and knew her methods well. Princess Xi Xia insulted Dong You a few times before almost being killed by her alive. How much more so would these people who lost Xu Qingchen Therefore, they could only delay their report day after day, hoping to find him before Miss Dong arrived.

Ye Li glanced at the stiffly seated Dong You with a faint smile. In such a short time, Dong You had grown into an owner so terrifying that her subordinates were scared of her – quite unexpected indeed. However, since she was now caught by Ye Li, there was nothing to worry about anymore. This thorn in the flesh of many countries for hundreds of years would eventually be eradicated.

"Is there any other place where one can leave this valley besides through the secret passage" asked Ye Li.

Everyone shook their heads, and the leader replied with a bitter smile: “Lady Ding, even if there are other ways out, Mr. Xu wouldn’t be able to get out of them either. Even climbing up these hundred-meter cliffs would be impossible for him.”

"What was Mr. Xu doing before he went missing"

“Because Young Master ordered us not to neglect Mr. Xu, we allowed him to do whatever he wanted as long as he didn’t escape. We followed him today and saw that he spent his day reading books and playing the zither every day; thus we didn’t pay much attention.”

Ye Li stood up and said, “Take me there.”

These people naturally wouldn't go against Ye Li’s wishes since their lives were in her hands now. Besides, if it weren’t for Ye Li suddenly showing up, they might have ended up like the first unlucky person who died under Dong You's wrath back then. Therefore, from this perspective, Lady Ding could be considered as having saved their lives. Furthermore, serving Duke Ding’s estate was much more promising than continuing to follow the crippled Cangmang Mountain.

Ye Li smiled at Dong You; Dong You glared right back with poisonous eyes. Ye Li frowned and said calmly, "Miss Dong, you can stay here for a while longer."

Dong You glared at her and said, “I want to go look for Mr. Xu.”

Ye Li frowned and said, "Your brother doesn’t want to see you. Haven’t you done enough harm to him"

Dong You shouted angrily, “I didn’t do anything bad to Mr. Xu. I… I…” Ye Li waved her hand and said, “I don’t want to hear your excuses. Do you want to stay here calmly or not”

“If you can,” Dong You challenged, "just try to bind me!"

A smile curled at the corner of Ye Li’s mouth. "Since that's how it is…" With a swift movement, she delivered a clean chop to Dong You's neck, causing her to fall unconscious on the ground. “Wei Lin.”

Wei Lin looked up adoringly at Ye Li and nodded with a smile: "Lady Ding, don’t worry. I’ll make sure that she won’t be able to cause any trouble no matter what." The methods and drugs to seal one’s inner strength were abundant in Duke Ding’s estate; Dong You would remain limp even after waking up.

After securing Dong You, the group was led by those people to where Xu Qingchen went missing. Indeed it was the most beautiful spot of the valley with a smooth stone lying on the ground that looked unusually clean and polished frequently. Ye Li sat down on the stone and asked while looking around, "Where’s the book my brother was holding"

Everyone exchanged glances before answering, “It seems… it went missing along with Mr. Xu.”

Zhuo Jing whispered to Ye Li: "It seems that Qingchen shouldn't have been coerced but left on his own accord" If he had been coerced, how could he still be so meticulous as not to forget a single book And if someone moved him unconsciously without realizing it, that would also be unlikely. They couldn’t possibly have found the ancient text and decided to take Qingchen along with it.

Ye Li pondered for quite some time before finally pointing at the cliff in front of her: "Let’s go up there and see." She then pointed at a nearby lake, saying: "And down into that water." Immediately, several black-clothed guards walked to the cliff's edge and began climbing it. Two guards with good swimming skills slid silently into the water.

"My Lady, Qingchen shouldn’t have been able to..." Several of those who had previously guarded Xu Qingchen assumed Ye Li believed he had fallen into the lake and hurriedly tried to dissuade her. If Qingchen really had fallen in, his body would have surfaced by now.

Ye Li waved them off, indicating she didn’t need further explanation.

A short while later, a guard who had climbed up returned: "My Lady, there are indeed signs that someone has been on the mountain, but... Qingchen probably did not come up from the cliff." Carrying an untrained person up such a high cliff would take considerable time and effort. Moreover, it was too risky; they might have been discovered by those below. Furthermore, there were no traces left on either the stone wall or the cliff. Unless he had light-footed abilities that allowed him to carry Qingchen nonchalantly with enough strength to fly out further without stopping for a breath, such capabilities would be beyond even the Prince's reach.

Ye Li sighed slightly; she hadn't expected much hope anyway. She dismissed the guards and silently stared at the lake’s gentle ripples.

A while later, the guard who had dived into the water surfaced: "My Lady, there is a deep cave under the lake, I suspect it leads outside."

Wei Lin frowned, saying: "But even if so, Qingchen could not have left through such means." Judging from their state, they likely returned only after exhausting all their breath. Given Qingchen’s physical condition, he couldn’t possibly hold his breath longer than the guards.

Ye Li smiled slightly and said, "My brother wouldn't leave on his own."

"You mean someone took Qingchen" Zhuo Jing asked. A guard still in the water held up a jade pendant: “My Lady, this was found at the bottom of the lake.”

Wei Lin stepped forward and accepted it; indeed, it was Xu Qingchen’s usual pendant. The thread wasn’t broken but clearly someone had deliberately left it there. Holding the pendant, Ye Li asked thoughtfully, "Could one pass through"

"I fear... I swam far but couldn't sense an exit. Moreover, this is a mountain area; even if there’s an opening, it might not be usable," the guard apologized.

Ye Li waved him off: "You can’t be blamed for that. Rise and rest first. Wei Lin, send people to secretly investigate within five miles of here, documenting all ponds, rivers, lakes, and waterways. Zhuo Jing, see if there are any in the entourage who grew up by the sea and can hold their breath long underwater; let them try from here."

Both men responded in unison: "As you command."

Initially believing they would find news of Xu Qingchen only to be disappointed, at least now she had some lead. Concerned about his safety, Ye Li could do nothing but return to the city.

In Nanjing City, however, a storm was brewing due to Eastern You’s sudden disappearance with people from the Li Prince's mansion searching everywhere. Meanwhile, Ye Li walked freely with Zhuo Jing and Wei Lin after altering their appearances while Eastern You had been secretly returned to Chu Mansion in town. She didn’t plan on using him yet; startling the snake early wouldn't be wise—Eastern You would be more useful once Mo Jingli left Nanjing.

Eastern You was brought back in a box, and despite his frantic search for her, Mo Jingli hadn’t expected her to be returned this way. The movers might have forgotten; when Ye Li returned to Chu Mansion, Eastern You still wasn't out of the box.

When the box opened, she had already woken up but was unable to move much due to being bound and drugged. So she could only sit helplessly in the box waiting for someone to release her. Aside from Xu Qingchen's unrequited love and forced marriage, Eastern You never suffered so much in her life; thus, when Wei Lin opened the box, she glared fiercely at him.

Wei Lin shrugged and carelessly lifted her out of the box, placing her on a chair. When she saw the elegant young man sitting in the main seat, she was taken aback: "It’s you!"

Ye Li smiled faintly and nodded: "Eastern Miss, I’m sorry for this."

The voice belonged to Ye Li despite Chu Junwei's appearance. Eastern You’s face darkened as she gritted her teeth, saying: "You dare... to impersonate Chu公子！當初菊花會上讓她好感大增的楚公子，居然是葉璃假扮的。這絕對比任何事情都更讓東方幽感到難堪了。不過此時她卻冇有功夫計較葉璃耍弄自己，急急忙忙地問道：“徐清塵在哪裡？”

葉璃無奈地搖了搖頭。東方幽對徐清塵的感情絕對稱得上是一往情深，可惜用錯了方法而且徐清塵對她確實冇有任何想法。想要兩情相悅的感情從來就不是一個人的事，若是東方幽隻是想默默地礙著徐清塵誰也不妨礙的話，葉璃自然也不會去嘲弄她的感情。可是若對方已經義正言辭地拒絕了，還要死纏爛打甚至是使儘手段的話未免太過強人所難了。

"Whatever happens to Brother will be handled by the Ding王府, Miss Dongfang. If you have time, why don't you think about yourself" Ye Li said coolly.

"I want to see Mister Qingchen!" Eastern幽 screamed.

Ye Li frowned and said, "We haven't found Brother yet."

"I want to see Mister Qingchen!" Eastern幽 seemed not to have heard Ye Li's words, still screaming. Ye Li sighed helplessly, "There's no point in talking further. Please go down for some rest."

“Ye Li! I want to see Mister Qingchen!” Eastern幽 glared at Ye Li as if she were the wicked mother-in-law who beat a couple apart. Ye Li narrowed her eyes and asked in a soft voice, "Miss Dongfang, have you thought of Madam Dongfang these days" A shiver ran through Eastern幽's body, and her face turned deathly pale.

Ye Li waved her hand to order someone to take her away.

Might it be because Ye Li suddenly mentioned Eastern Hui that Eastern幽 lost her soul and was taken away by others

"Madam, I never expected that just one trip out would bring back such an important figure," Yao Ji smiled as she stood at the door looking at Ye Li. Ye Li raised an eyebrow slightly and asked the personally visiting Yao Ji, "Why are you here"

Yao Ji laughed and said, "Prince Li is searching everywhere in the city now, so I know that something serious must have happened. But never did I think it would be about Prince Li's wife missing." Ye Li was a bit curious and asked, "Did Mo Jingli not publicize this matter"

Yao Ji covered her mouth and said with a smile, "I fear that Mo Jingli must have concluded that Eastern幽 took Mister Qingchen away. Why would he publicize it to make himself look foolish He probably never thought that the Regent's wife would be found in such close proximity of Li王府. By the way, do you have any news about Mister Qingchen"

Ye Li frowned slightly and shook her head. Yao Ji sighed softly and said, "Madam, there’s no need to worry. As a good man, something like this would never happen to Mister Qingchen. Oh yes, I came here for a reason."

Ye Li looked at Yao Ji with a smile. Yao Ji waved the invitation in her hand and smiled saying, "Prince Li is going on campaign but is short of military expenses, so he plans to invite influential merchants from the city over to ask them for loans"

Ye Li was stunned, after some time she said, “So Mo Jingli intends to borrow money from me to attack the Mo Family Army”

Yao Ji laughed and said, "Who else is there but the Chu family, a renowned family in Great Chu"

-- Interlude --

So~ it's time for the Spring Festival. In addition, I need to focus on writing an ending. So daily updates might be difficult recently. If I can't finish before the festival, I won’t stop updating during that period as well. Thanks for your support! Here’s a little scene: When Mister Qingchen was kidnapped - Fox friends and acquaintances

Phoenix: It is said that Mister Qingchen has been kidnapped by a woman.

1. A certain young scholar:

Scholar: Hm He's finally been kidnapped... By women, right I knew it was going to be like this... The world nowadays really isn't what it used to be. In fact, I'm not bad...

2. A certain recluse:

Hmm... So Xu Qingchen has finally been kidnapped too Back then, a girl said she wanted to kidnap him, and now her martial arts must have improved.

3. A certain peerless beauty:

Sobbing... I prepared love potion as well, why did someone else get there first

4. A certain little bun head: Wow… (Hugging a sword and running desperately) Uncle, Xiao Bao is coming to save you!ere"Han Mingyue looked somewhat disheveled, no longer the graceful and elegant figure he was before. He grabbed Ye Li and said, "Hurry up! Prince of Nanzheng is here." Upon seeing Han Mingyue, Zhuo Ji...