Even if they were not in the car, the two men should still have some money.

Money meant a ride.

Ling’er put Xiao Jiu down and said, “I have to go back. Xiao Jiu, wait for me here.”

Just as she was about to return to the van, Xiao Jiu grabbed his grandmother’s hand, stopping her. “Grandma, I’ll go with you,” he said.

“Xiao Jiu, be good. I’ll be right back. Can you wait here for me, please?”

Ling’er did not want to put Xiao Jiu in harm’s way. If the two men planted something nasty in the vehicle, at least she would have the ability to react in time. She could not guarantee their safety if they both returned to the van.

Xiao Jiu could see the hesitant look in his grandmother’s eyes. He did not want her to endanger herself recklessly; he had promised his mother that he would protect Grandma. “Grandma, I want to go with you.”

At Xiao Jiu’s insistence, Ling’er relented; she could not bear the thought of leaving him alone. Perhaps it would be safer by her side, or so she reasoned.

“Alright, but stay close.”

Ling’er held Xiao Jiu’s hand and walked back to the van. For every step his grandmother took, Xiao Jiu trekked two or three. He did not want to slow his grandmother down.

However, when they saw the car, they stopped. it had not been long since they left, but a traffic policeman had already arrived on site.

Xiao Jiu looked up at Ling’er and said regretfully, “Grandma, there’s an officer there. We can’t go there.”

“We’ll have to walk to Camel Mountain,” Ling’er sighed.

“I can walk!” Xiao Jiu exclaimed, “but we won’t reach Camel Mountain before it gets dark… Would Grandpa have returned to the President’s manor by then?”

“I don’t know. Let’s head back to Camel Mountain. We’ll play by ear and see how things go when we get there.”

Ling’er was not particularly worried. She feared the implications of the van’s discovery more than their present state of finances since it could alert their kidnappers that they had escaped.

They were in an unfamiliar land. If their kidnappers sent people after them, there was a high chance of their recapture before they could rendezvous with Ziqing or shelter in the President’s manor.

–

Qin Shu followed Situ Qianhui out of Camel Mountain. She only stopped when she saw the woman get into a car and leave.

Why would a woman stare at her so intently? If it was not out of adoration, it must be… because she looked like someone the woman knew?

Perhaps the woman thought she looked like her mother.

If that was the case, the woman must have met her mother sometime before. That would explain the woman’s look of surprise upon seeing her.

Then again, Qin Shu was not sure how accurate her assumption was since she was presently dressed as a man. She had even modified her appearance to look more like a man than a woman.

Qin Shu did not believe in coincidence. What were the odds that the woman would notice similarities in her appearance and her mother’s while she was decked out in makeup?

Still, she memories the license plate number, hoping to learn more about this woman.

–

After Situ Qianhui got in the car, she planned to go home first. She would wait until tomorrow to see Brother Jiu’s reaction. She wanted to see how much Brother Jiu cared about that woman now that she was out of the picture.

Brother Jiu did not have any sons or daughters, and he was already over forty years old. As long as those old fogeys brought up the topic again, it was not likely Brother Jiu would be able to withstand the pressure exerted and would capitulate to a marriage.

She believed that Brother Jiu would marry her.

Just then, she received a call from Qian Mo.

“Young Miss, I have bad news. Our couriers are dead, and the parcels for the Gate of a Hundred Entertainments are missing. They probably escaped.”

Situ Qianhui, who was still immersed in her fantasy, was so angry that she almost threw her phone away in sheer anger. Those imbeciles had one job. Just one job and they could not even complete it without making a complete mess out of things!

“Useless trash! What’s the use of people like you? How could you let them escape? Send out a search party. We must catch them before they go to Brother Jiu.”

“I’ll get to it, Young Miss. I’ll dispatch more people to apprehend them.”

“Be careful. Don’t let Brother Jiu know.”

“Understood, Young Miss.”

Situ Qianhui hung up the phone but could not resist the urge to vent and hurled her phone away anyway. The phone could not withstand the impact and the screen shattered into pieces.

“That woman cannot be allowed to return to Brother Jiu’s side. As long as she stays away from him, Brother Jiu will have no choice but to marry me!”

–

Qin Shu did not stay at Camel Mountain for long. There were too many people, and she was too lazy to continue strolling around, so she returned to the hotel. She planned to recuperate and infiltrate the President’s manor later that night.

Not long after Qin Shu left, Camel Mountain was completely sealed. People could enter but not leave.

Jiuyan arrived with thousands of bodyguards and surrounded Camel Mountain.

Feng Jiuxiao called once but did not receive a response, and every subsequent call he made did not get through because Ling’er’s phone had died. He had searched the surrounding area for over an hour and still could not find either Ling’er or Xiao Jiu. He was on the verge of a panic attack. The fact that Ling’er’s phone had died merely compounded his worry.

Hence, he called Jiuyan and instructed him to seal the mountain.

Tourists and pilgrims alike did not know what was going on. They began panicking when they found out the mountain had been sealed, and people could only enter but not leave.

Once the mountain was properly sealed, he did not continue searching for Ling’er or Xiao Jiu; it would be more efficient if he left it to his subordinates.

Jiuyan caught sight of his master and hurried over to greet him. “Master, the entrance has been sealed off,” he said respectfully.

“Scour the mountain. Search those wishing to leave Camel Mountain; none may pass without proper authorisation,” Feng Jiuxiao relayed his order.

Although he appeared calm, it was a front and did not reflect his inner turmoil.

Ling’er’s phone was turned off, and he could not help but be worried.

“Yes, Master.”

Jiuyan had just turned around to take a few steps when Feng Jiuxiao called out to him again. “Lockdown the capital. No one leaves but by my assent.”

Some would say he was overreacting, and they would be right in saying so, but he was not about to allow to leave until he found Ling’er and Xiao Jiu.

“Yes, Master,” Jiuyan replied affirmatively as he took out his phone and made several calls. There was much to do. Master would stop at nothing to find Ling’er and Xiao Jiu, and it would not be a surprise if he flipped Camel Mountain and the capital upside down if it meant he found them sooner.

–

It was getting dark.

Despite how he comported himself, Xiao Jiu was only a child and did not possess the stamina of an adult.

After walking more than half of the way, he collapsed, unable to take a step further. Ling’er had no choice but to piggyback her grandson.

By then, Camel Mountain had already been sealed. The tourists and pilgrims had all been safely evacuated. No one else remained outside the monks who called the temple their home and the personnel Jiuyan had brought to secure the perimeter.

Ling’er eyed the veritable wall of guards surrounding Camel Mountain, not sure what was going on. A crowd had gathered around the perimeter, wildly speculating what was happening.

Ling’er asked a vendor nearby to understand the situation better.

“I heard that the President lost something very important, so Camel Mountain has been sealed. No one is allowed to enter.”

Ling’er knew that Ziqing was looking for her the moment she heard that. Several hours had passed, and he must have grown anxious.

Xiao Jiu slid down from her shoulder and looked around Camel Mountain. He tugged at his grandmother’s hand and asked, “Grandma, does Grandpa know that we were taken away by the bad guys?”

“Yes,” Ling’er answered as she paced back and forth with Xiao Jiu in tow. She did not know if Ziqing was still inside.

“Have you seen a woman with a child?”

An unfamiliar male voice carried over the crowd.

Ling’er hugged Xiao Jiu and hid behind the vendor.

“Yes, I saw a woman walking with a young boy earlier.”

Ling’er peered through the dim light to see what the man looked like. He did not bear a flame crest, which meant the man was likely not Ziqing’s subordinate.

Ziqing had said before that his subordinates, whether in civilian clothes or military uniforms, would always bear a flame crest on their chest or arms, signifying their affiliation.