Chapter 2367: Pretending

Shao Liulang begged with a long face, pleading with Shao Yunduan for better treatment. Shao Yunduan sneered in response.

“How is that possible?”

With Qiao Xuan still missing and suffering, Shao Yunduan had no intention of improving the conditions for Shao Liulang and the others.

It was already quite magnanimous of him not to have them whipped daily.

Two days had passed, and Qiao Xuan was still nowhere to be found. However, the bodies of the four members of the Ruan Family, including Old Madam Ruan, were discovered in the river.

Shao Yunduan ordered their bodies to be buried in a hole.

The Ruan Family had brought this upon themselves. He felt no pity for them.

Perhaps they were indeed members of the Ruan Family, or perhaps they had been coerced into their actions. But so what?

They had hurt his wife!

Qiao Xuan, who had not eaten for two days, was starving and on the brink of passing out.

Despite her condition, she did not beg Tian Shanshan for mercy.

When Tian Shanshan came to mock and insult her, Qiao Xuan, leaning weakly against the wall, could barely muster the energy to listen.

Tian Shanshan had little time to spend on this distraction, as she was focused on finding a way to leave the city. However, the defenses were too tight, and her group could not get out despite their efforts. This left her feeling frustrated and irritable.

She had to bring Qiao Xuan back to the capital; otherwise, her efforts would be in vain.

Fortunately, on the third day, the government announced that the city had been thoroughly searched without finding Qiao Xuan. It was now likely that she had been taken out of Hangzhou City, leading to a relaxation of defenses and a shift of focus to investigating outside the city.

Tian Shanshan was overjoyed. By evening, Qiao Xuan was finally taken out of Hangzhou City.

Once they had left the city, despite the presence of soldiers investigating outside, the chances of being caught were much lower. Traveling was crucial, and Qiao Xuan had finally received some sustenance—just rice soup. The captors seemed to believe that controlling her was easier when she was weak, so they provided minimal food, just enough to keep her from starving to death.

Even so, Tian Shanshan scolded resentfully, “She’s too lucky!”

This bitterness revealed just how vicious she was.

Qiao Xuan had plenty of food and drink, so she wasn’t worried. Despite being guarded during the day and sharing the same carriage, she always managed to find time to eat at night.

To avoid drawing attention, she deliberately disheveled her hair and tried to appear less presentable. With everyone on edge and focused on their hurried journey, no one paid special attention to her, and they failed to notice anything unusual.

Two days after leaving Hangzhou City, the group, confident in the security of their journey, attracted the attention of pursuers. They hadn’t realized it yet, but Qiao Xuan had.

It was Ah-Ye who sensed something amiss and had begun trailing them. What a coincidence.

As Tian Shanshan and her group successfully left Hangzhou City, Qiao Xuan sensed that something was wrong. Noticing that Ah-Ye had picked up the trail so quickly, Qiao Xuan began to formulate a plan.

Two days later, as the search in Hangzhou City was set to intensify, Shao Yunduan intervened.

Hangzhou City was simply too vast. No matter how many people were involved or how diligently they searched, finding a hidden person in such a large city was no easy task.

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