Chapter 36: Chapter 36: The Masked Men
Ye Lingyue was so shocked she nearly fell off the tree branch.
She hadn’t noticed it when he appeared!
Had he been here the whole time?
She awkwardly shook his hands which were gripping her firmly. If not for him, she definitely would have plummeted straight to the ground and alarm the three kidnappers.
He let go after making sure she wouldn’t fall.
"T-thanks," she awkwardly muttered. Then, her tone turned into one of scrutiny. "When did you climb here beside me?"
The man was wearing a mask. The outline of his figure radiated an aura of power. He was definitely a strong martial artist. Ye Lingyue sized him up in an instant.
She looked around, and her mouth twitched. Annoyance mixed with embarrassment creeped into her heart.
There were actually several other people on other branches or trees besides this masked man, who had somehow landed soundlessly on the same tree branch as her. Fortunately, the tree branch was huge and strong enough to support both of them.
"Just now," he muttered in a neutral tone.
His eyes were deep and sharp under the moonlight.
"Not long?" She asked again just to make sure, trying to cover up her embarrassment by acting stern. "It’s not a good habit to sneak up on people like that."
She secretly adjusted the hallucinogen powder in her grasp. Originally, she wanted to use some of them and left a little bit to take revenge on Ye Lingrui, but... she might not have a chance to use it on the three kidnappers at all.
These people were still silently perched on the tree branches, and the most dangerous one was the closest to her.
His aura was quite oppressive. The intense look in his eyes made her dare not look at him straight there.
"My apologies, Miss," he readily apologized.
She was taken aback. He sounded so polite.
At this moment, she failed to notice that it wasn’t just her who was surprised. The other masked men were in shock.
Her thought lingered on another matter.
Fortunately, it was dark. Even if she didn’t wear a mask, they wouldn’t recognize her as the fool from the Ye family, right?
She cleared her throat and clutched the hallucinogen powder tighter, silently lamenting how things have gotten so troublesome. "What are you doing here?"
Although she was conversing with him in a low voice, her attention was still on the three kidnappers and the unconscious Ye Shaoqin.
She secretly calculated that if these people have a malicious intention, she might not make it out with her limbs intact. With vigilance, she waited for their response.
Seeing that the imperial guards couldn’t catch them, these kidnappers seemed to have some skills too.
"We are going to catch them." He directly pointed at the three kidnappers who were still busy arguing. His eyes flashed with a hint of cunning. "That child was taken away from an acquaintance’s convoy."
"How about you, Miss...? What is a girl like you doing in the middle of the forest when the night is already so late?" He probed.
Ye Lingyue was quite happy when she heard his first sentence. They even knew that Ye Shaoqin was taken from their exile convoy. These people seemed to be soldiers from the Ninth Prince’s forces?
However, as soon as she heard his probing, her heart sank.
They definitely knew Commander Leng.
"I am just passing by," she made a lame excuse. Then, an idea struck her. She began to sniffle. "Brother, I wandered into this place and tried to climb this tree after a wild animal chased me."
"Then.." she sniffled again. "After the wild animal was gone. I still can’t go down and have to stay here until now."
"Will you... help me?" Her eyes flitted between Ye Shaoqin and the man before her.
Unexpectedly, the man chuckled slightly as though he didn’t believe her nonsense. She pursed her lips, disappointed he didn’t seem to be stupid.
She was about to jump down until he approached her.
"Fine. I will help you get down."
Ye Lingyue was startled. Before she could blink, his powerful arms already wrapped around her, carrying her in a princess style and jumped down almost soundlessly.
The other masked men followed; they all glanced at each other and noticed the stunned look in their companions’ eyes.
They had the same question: what is Master doing?
Ye Lingyue immediately separated herself from him, her face indescribable. A mix of shock, disbelief, and horrified emotion.
Even when she was acting as Shen Wuqing, she rarely got close to Qin Ruichen unless it was for her missions.
She trembled slightly. This man... who is he? One of the Ninth Prince’s subordinates?
However, she couldn’t ponder upon that question for too long. Because the three kidnappers had finally placed their brains back into their heads.
They were running away.
Ye Lingyue immediately went after them.
"Run!" The boss yelled. He seemed fed up with his lackeys’ lack of usefulness and picked up the unconscious Ye Shaoqin from the ground.
"Hiss, it’s the Ninth Prince’s people!" Their voices were filled with absolute fear.
Although Ye Lingyue was feeling rather complicated with the appearance of the Ninth Prince’s subordinates, she was glad they actually went to rescue Ye Shaoqin.
There was a higher chance they could snatch him back.
Suddenly, the boss stumbled over something and his body swayed. Ye Lingyue’s pupils constricted. She instinctively sped up her pace, but someone got there first before she could.
One masked man grabbed the boss, and others snatched his lackeys.
Out of fear and anger, the boss raised his hand, wanting to toss Ye Shaoqin to the ground.
Her heart lurched, and she subconsciously launched herself at him, using herself as a cushion for Ye Shaoqin’s fall. She closed her eyes and braced herself.
After a long time, nothing happened except for the boss and the lackey’s curses, which gradually turned into begging for mercy.
A masked man already caught Ye Shaoqin. She recognized him from the outline of his figure.
He was the one who had talked and brought her down earlier. Unsurprisingly, he was the tallest among the masked men.
Ye Lingyue got up and dusted herself off, snatching Ye Shaoqin from his arm and checked the little boy for any injuries.
"Miss, you seem to know this little boy."
She stiffened.
