Chapter 27: My Companion Has Disappeared

While Fang Yun was contemplating how to expose the sordid affairs within the tents, Li Wangcheng’s act of sending Shang Xingbing to search for her caught the attention of Ma Qibo.

Watching Shang Xingbing being blocked from leaving, Ma Qibo’s eyes crinkled with a smile.

"What is President Li doing?"

"My companion has gone missing." Li Wangcheng gave him a cold glance; there was no sign of urgency on his face, yet those who knew him well understood that he was far from as calm as he appeared.

Upon hearing this, Ma Qibo’s smile deepened. "It is just a woman. President Li could have any woman he desires; why fret over just one?"

"Master Ma is joking. Our boss is not like Master Ma; naturally, he lacks your legendary breadth of affection and cares deeply for his own woman," Shang Xingbing retorted with a smirk, mocking Ma Qibo for his promiscuity while simultaneously implying he lacked anyone to share his life with.

Li Wangcheng remained unchanged, showing no significant reaction to Shang Xingbing’s sudden interjection. This was a clear signal that he agreed with what Shang Xingbing had said.

Ma Qibo finally stopped feigning his smile. Having been slighted by Li Wangcheng for the third time that day, his patience for testing the man had worn thin. Since they were on his turf, he decided that if he couldn't obtain the supplies in Li’s possession, he would at least eliminate them to ensure no future threats.

With that thought, his expression shifted. The atmosphere grew stifling as his demeanor changed. Those with keen senses began to break out in a cold sweat, darting their eyes around, looking for a way to escape.

Just then, a scoff broke the silence.

"Master Ma, you don't actually think that just because people call you 'Master,' you’ve become someone of real consequence, do you?" Shang Xingbing looked at Ma Qibo with a smile, though his eyes held a deep warning. "You don't know who our boss is, and I don't blame you for that. But you really ought to use your brain. Do you honestly think we would dare to come up to Dongming Mountain relying solely on our own bravado?"

As soon as these words left his lips, Ma Qibo’s expression changed. His previous confidence wavered. If he were to kill Li Wangcheng here, and Li still had men waiting elsewhere, he would never be able to sleep soundly again.

In the span of two breaths, Ma Qibo had weighed the risks. He let out a loud laugh and pointed at Shang Xingbing. "The people around President Li are certainly loyal. I hadn't even said anything yet, and he was already getting anxious."

"Master Ma is too kind."

Ma Qibo took the initiative to break the ice and offer an olive branch. Concerned for Fang Yun, Li Wangcheng had no desire to waste further breath on petty bickering.

The title of "Master Ma" smoothed things over. Ma Qibo patted his rotund belly and waved his hand, ordering his men to help search for Fang Yun. "President Li, I’ve sent my men to help look. This is my territory; I can find anything here, even if it’s just an ant. You can rest easy and wait for news."

Although Li Wangcheng desperately wanted to go out and search himself, Ma Qibo was right—this was his turf, and with his numerous subordinates, they would undoubtedly find her faster than the four of them could.

Meanwhile, Fang Yun noticed that the patrol guards in the camp had suddenly become restless. Worried that something had happened, she quickly ducked into a hiding spot. Just as she was clumsily evading Ma Qibo's men, a hand suddenly yanked her into a tent.

Fang Yun pulled a blade from her spatial storage and slashed backward. The hand gripping her immediately let go, and she saw the scene inside the tent.

The tent was sparse, with only a few cluttered items in a corner. There was no stove, and the temperature inside was little better than outside, serving only as a windbreak. Through the tent flap, which was whipped by the wind and snow, she noticed that the person who had pulled her in was a little girl.

Upon seeing the girl's face, Fang Yun’s expression changed drastically. It was Xiao Qing!

"You..." Fang Yun felt her throat tighten. She struggled to squeeze out a single word before Xiao Qing interrupted her.

"Shh!" Xiao Qing gestured for silence and pointed toward the outside. Sure enough, a set of footsteps approached, but they hurried past, as if they hadn't noticed the tent they were in.

Once the sound of footsteps faded and silence returned, Xiao Qing smiled at Fang Yun. "Big sister, were you captured? I can help you escape."

These were the same words Xiao Qing had said to her in her past life. Regrettably, while she had escaped back then, Xiao Qing had remained trapped there forever.

Fang Yun looked at Xiao Qing, her eyes brimming with tears, unsure of how to respond. She wanted to take the girl away, cure her illness, and be her sister for the rest of her life.

"Big sister, are you worried that I’m a bad person like them?" Perhaps because she hadn't received a response, the smile on Xiao Qing’s face faded. She lowered her head, looking a bit sad, and asked in a small voice.

"How can you help me escape?" Fang Yun lowered her body and asked gently. The scene of Xiao Qing leading her to safety in her previous life was still vivid in her mind; she couldn't forget it. But asking this now wasn't because she wanted Xiao Qing to help her leave—she wanted Xiao Qing to leave on her own.

Just as Xiao Qing was about to reply, Fang Yun shook her head, cutting her off.

"I wasn't captured by Ma Qibo, so I don't need to escape. However, I want to go to the cliff behind the camp. Do you know how to get past the guards out there?"

Xiao Qing looked stunned for a moment, then a look of bewilderment crossed her face. "You weren't captured, Big sister?" she murmured.

"No," Fang Yun replied, briefly explaining why she was there. Upon hearing that she was a guest invited by Ma Qibo, Xiao Qing visibly relaxed. But as she considered Fang Yun’s request, her small face wrinkled in concern.

"Getting to the cliff behind the camp is very difficult."

It was far harder than just running away. That area was essentially Ma Qibo’s lifeline, and naturally, it was heavily guarded.

"However, it might still be possible to get through," Xiao Qing said, looking outside for a long moment before speaking with some uncertainty.

In the banquet tent, Ma Qibo received a report from his subordinate: Fang Yun had not been found, but something had happened to Ma Zhen. This caused him to frown even more, already dissatisfied with Ma Zhen’s behavior that day.

"What happened to her now?" Ma Qibo asked impatiently.

The subordinate stammered, looking visibly distressed. How was he supposed to phrase this? Should he tell him that while they were searching for the woman, they had accidentally stumbled into a rest tent and witnessed their young mistress in the middle of an affair?

The crux of the matter was that the two were so preoccupied that they hadn't even noticed people barging into the tent. It was only later that they realized something was wrong; Ma Zhen was already struggling, her cries laced with pain as Chen Yuanlin continued. They hadn't dared to intervene, fearing they might injure Ma Zhen or disturb her, so they had sent someone to report to Ma Qibo to see how he wished to proceed.