Gu Qingcheng initially saw a hint of fear on Du Lanyue's face and felt uneasy. She could understand it; who wouldn't be afraid when trapped in the enemy's lair? Especially for a young and beautiful girl like Du Lanyue. Amidst the scorching gazes and vulgar remarks of the surrounding bandits, if she didn't have something to rely on, she would have been even more terrified than Du Lanyue.
At the moment of boarding the bridal sedan chair, Du Lanyue suddenly clutched her hand tightly. Gu Qingcheng felt a pang of heartache because she could feel Du Lanyue's fear and her trembling body. But this was just a fleeting sensation. At the moment her hand touched hers, Du Lanyue's hand was still trembling slightly. However, after genuinely grasping her arm, Du Lanyue seemed to have found a source of reassurance, a sense of reliance, and her trembling stopped.
Gu Qingcheng squeezed Du Lanyue's palm back tightly, conveying a sense of security. Then, Gu Qingcheng whispered in her ear:
"Sister, don't be afraid. Stay close to me, and let's not get separated. We'll act according to the situation. Don't worry, I will definitely not let anything happen to you."
The two of them boarded the sedan chair together. The sedan chair was quite spacious; Gu Qingcheng didn't know how Huo Yu had prepared it. After they were seated, the sedan bearers lifted the chair. Amidst the bandits' laughter and jeers, and the "pala-pala" of firecrackers, the sedan chair left the room where they had been dressed and made up, heading towards an unknown destination.
"Shao Gu..." Du Lanyue wanted to call her Young Master Gu, but then realized she wasn't Young Master Gu, but Miss Gu. However, calling her Miss Gu felt awkward, so she simply called her by her given name, "Qingcheng, do you think General Huo will let us go?"
"Judging by the current situation, it's unlikely," Gu Qingcheng frowned.
"Are you scared?"
But she immediately thought that Du Lanyue seemed to have some confidence, which was a bit strange, so she asked, "I'm not scared. Sister Lanyue, do you have a plan?"
"I recognize that General Huo. He does business with my father. He once visited my home at night, but we never met face-to-face. I happened to come out of my father's study just as he was going to see my father, and we met on the way. The light was dim then; he was facing the light, and I was with my back to the light, so I could see him clearly, but he couldn't see me clearly. This time, when I was abducted, I didn't reveal my identity before because I didn't know what he was planning. I felt it wasn't the final moment, so I wanted to observe his actions a bit longer. If it was an action detrimental to my family, revealing my identity would be like walking into a trap, so I had to conceal it. If it had nothing to do with my family, I would then state who I was, the daughter of which family. Given his relationship with my father, I presumed he wouldn't do anything to me."
Gu Qingcheng hadn't expected that Du Lanyue had prepared for this. And in fact, she wasn't as fragile and timid as Gu Qingcheng had imagined. Even when facing an unfavorable situation, she could remain calm and composed, think about the challenges she faced, and devise solutions.
"Sister Lanyue, who is your father? Do I know him?" Gu Qingcheng realized then that she had never truly known Du Lanyue and her family. Moreover, Du Lanyue's father must be a significant figure on Tea Kettle Island, otherwise, he wouldn't have dealings with someone like Huo Yu.
"My father is Du Wei, known to outsiders as Boss Du. Have you heard of him?"
When Du Lanyue mentioned her father, Gu Qingcheng couldn't help but slap her thigh and exclaim, "What? It's Boss Du? I almost became sworn brothers with him. Hahaha, if not for that, if I had sworn brotherhood with your father, wouldn't you have to call me Uncle?" Gu Qingcheng hadn't expected Du Lanyue to be Boss Du's daughter. Suddenly, she felt a sense of meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign land.
Du Lanyue was surprised by Gu Qingcheng's connection to her father, and she couldn't help but laugh and cry as she looked at her and said, "So you know my father so well?"
"Yes, we worked together on the freight terminal on Tea Kettle Island. The project was a huge investment, so how could we not be familiar? If I had known you were Boss Du's daughter, I would have visited your home often and we could have played together long ago." Gu Qingcheng was so happy and excited that she forgot they were on their way to get "married."
Du Lanyue, however, could only manage a wry smile. Play? Play what? Was it the kind of sisterly bonding that Gu Qingcheng was thinking of? She had misjudged her sincerity. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a bit resentful towards Gu Qingcheng and reached out to pinch her leg hard.
"Ouch, that hurts! Why did you pinch me all of a sudden?" Seeing Du Lanyue's shy face, Gu Qingcheng wasn't truly angry. She just found Du Lanyue's petulant demeanor adorable.
"I just wanted to pinch you!" Du Lanyue snorted, her words laced with a hint of playful coquettishness.
"Sister Lanyue, I heard your father wanted you to marry that Young Master Wang, Wang Junyan. Did it happen?"
"Happened with what? I came to Peach Blossom Island precisely to escape him."
"So that's how it is. No wonder you've been gone for so long, haha." Gu Qingcheng looked as if she had just understood everything. Du Lanyue was quite speechless. All her longing and sleepless nights were seen by Gu Qingcheng as mere gossip. Alas, Gu Qingcheng didn't know the truth! She had even come here alone for her sake. To save her, Gu Qingcheng was willing to lay down her life.
Thinking of Gu Qingcheng's "deep affection," Du Lanyue felt guilty that she had pinched her too hard and asked apologetically, "Qingcheng, I used a bit too much force just now. Does your leg hurt?"
"Oh, it doesn't hurt anymore. Your strength is like a kitten's scratch, more like tickling than hurting!" Gu Qingcheng didn't mind and held Du Lanyue's hand, saying, "It seems we can expand our conversation topics in the future. But now is not the time, we need to act according to the situation and get out of this wretched place."
"This is not simple. Huo Yu has great power and numerous elite soldiers and generals under him. They are all military men, much fiercer than ordinary water bandits or gangsters. Even if everyone on Tea Kettle Island were to combine their forces, they might not be able to defeat him. What should we do?" Du Lanyue said with great worry.
Gu Qingcheng said nothing. She reached behind and took out a thermos. The outer layer of this thermos was made of purple clay, and the cup itself was also purple clay. She poured out steaming hot tea from it and handed it to Du Lanyue, saying, "Drink some tea to calm your nerves first."
Du Lanyue didn't know what Gu Qingcheng had up her sleeve. She took the tea without any suspicion and drank it all in one gulp, saying, "The tea is rich and has a lingering sweetness. I feel energized after drinking it."
Gu Qingcheng chuckled and said, "Stay calm. Heaven will protect us, and we will surely find a way to escape." After Gu Qingcheng explained her plan, Du Lanyue didn't resist excessively. She nodded and said, "I'll listen to you."
"I know it's difficult for you. I will be the main one, and you will assist me." Du Lanyue nodded.
The sedan chair, amidst the sound of gongs and drums, passed through a lively crowd and arrived at a quiet backyard.