Chapter 330 Rushing to Her

Chapter 330: Running Toward Her

It was the third watch (around midnight).

The night markets in many districts had closed, finally falling quiet, waiting for the fifth watch (around 3-5 AM) to bring back the bustle of life.

The taverns that stayed open all night had long been questioned and searched, with no news of Fang Zhou.

Nanny Yu had been forced by Qiu Heng to return to the residence for rest. Qing Luo and the young maid Huan'er had cried so much their eyes were swollen, staying close to Qiu Heng.

Qiu Heng stood at the spot where Fang Zhou was last seen, asking the two again, "No mistake? Are you sure Fang Zhou ran off in that direction?"

Huan'er nodded emphatically. "Absolutely no mistake."

Qing Luo's heart ached with regret. "It's all my fault. I should have grabbed her. Why didn't I react sooner..."

Qiu Heng stared fixedly in that direction, motionless.

They had already searched from the beginning, following that direction several times. She kept asking Qing Luo and Huan'er again and again, simply because she couldn't accept it. As if hearing a new answer would lead to a new direction, a new clue.

"A Heng, you should go back and rest for now. I'll continue searching with the men."

Xue Han knew exactly how much Fang Zhou meant to Qiu Heng.

"Xue Han," Qiu Heng called softly. "What if we can't find her?"

Her voice was calm, but everyone knew it was just a facade.

Xue Han said firmly, "We will find her."

"But there are a lot of people who disappear right in front of you and are never found, right?" Qiu Heng gazed into Xue Han's eyes, unconsciously seeking reassurance.

She wanted to hear a denial from the person she trusted and cared about, something to keep her panic in check.

But when Xue Han heard this, his heart felt like it was pricked by a needle.

That year, he had personally watched A Heng being taken away by a human trafficker, never to be seen again.

A pain he hadn't felt in a long time resurfaced, but he quickly pushed it down and answered the girl waiting for his reply with even more conviction.

"No, we will find her. I promise you."

Qiu Heng heard what she wanted to hear and nodded slightly. "Then let's continue searching."

"Alright, let's continue searching."

And so they searched until dawn.

The sun rose, illuminating every corner. Green Lotus Lake, supposedly haunted, shimmered in the morning light, as peaceful as a painting.

The peace was shattered by a young man and woman who had sneaked there for a secret rendezvous.

When terrified screams rang out, more and more people gathered by the lake.

"What's happening? Is it haunted again?"

"Look in the lake, I think someone drowned..."

...

Hu Si, who had joined the search after hearing about Fang Zhou's disappearance, saw the crowd by the lake and walked over.

"Excuse me, what happened here?"

The person he asked pointed. "Water ghosts looking for a new victim. A woman drowned."

A woman—

Hu Si's heart inexplicably dropped. He pushed aside the people in front and immediately saw a body floating in the lake.

From this distance, he couldn't make out the drowned person's face, but the faint pink dress visible in the water told him it was a woman.

The onlookers by the lake, spooked by the rumors of water ghosts, didn't dare to retrieve the body.

Hu Si made to jump in, but his subordinates desperately held him back.

"Let me go, sir."

Hu Si glanced at his empty sleeve and didn't insist. "Hurry and bring her up."

The subordinate dove into the water and swam straight to the spot. One look told him the person was already gone.

Hu Si stood by the lake, watching intently as his subordinate swam back with the body, until he brought her to shore.

The woman lay face down, motionless, her messy hair covering her face. The wet pink dress, stained with mud, had lost all its color. But anyone looking at her could tell she must have been very young.

Very young.

Realizing this, Hu Si's throat tightened, and he felt like he couldn't breathe.

Just moments ago, he had been eager to jump in and save her, but now he crouched down very slowly, kneeling on one knee, and reached out a trembling hand.

His fingertips touched the woman's cold, wet hair, but it felt like touching a hot iron—he yanked his hand back.

Seeing Hu Si's strange behavior, his two subordinates exchanged glances.

"Commander Hu—"

Hu Si looked at the subordinate who had spoken. For a moment, he wanted to turn away and let the subordinate see the woman's face.

But in the end, he didn't. He reached out again, brushing aside the hair that covered the woman's face, revealing a familiar face.

Hu Si slumped to the ground, his face pale as ashes.

The gods had not heard his prayers. It was indeed Fang Zhou.

If he felt this terrible, how would Sixth Miss ever cope?

Hu Si raised his head with difficulty and ordered his subordinate, "Found her... go tell Lord Xue..."

Hu Si was still in the Imperial City Bureau, so addressing Xue Han this way was no longer appropriate, but at a time like this, who cared about such things?

The subordinate sprinted all the way until he stood before Xue Han.

Seeing the panting Imperial Guard, Xue Han's first reaction was that they had found her.

"Lord Xue—" the Imperial Guard called out, his eyes glancing at Qiu Heng and then quickly looking away. He hesitated, the words stuck in his throat, unsure how to deliver the news.

Xue Han's heart sank. He walked over quickly.

The imperial guard leaned close to Xue Han’s ear and said barely above a whisper, “Found her… she’s already drowned…”

Xue Han’s breath caught in his throat. His body was tense as a bowstring, and he dared not turn around.

But then a voice came from behind him.

“Where is she?”

He slowly turned to look at the young woman walking toward him.

“A Heng, don’t get upset yet—”

Qiu Heng stared straight at the imperial guard. “Tell me, where is she?”

The imperial guard looked at Xue Han.

“Xue Han, I can hear just as well as you can. Let him tell me where she is.”

Seeing the look on Qiu Heng’s face, Xue Han felt as if his heart was being ripped apart, but he knew he couldn’t hide it from her. He gave the guard a slight nod.

“At… Green Lotus Lake.”

Green Lotus Lake.

The expressionless young woman slipped past the imperial guard like a wisp of smoke—just as she had on that spring day three years ago, when she had returned from the Great Xia of forty years later, having endured countless hardships, racing toward the peaceful little village at the foot of Yunfeng Mountain.

Back then, she had run with all her strength, running toward her home and the family she had missed for so long, her heart full of joy, her nervousness growing as she neared home.

The first words she heard were from Fang Zhou, who rushed toward her in delight, saying,

“Young miss, you’re back!”

And now, she was once again rushing toward her family, her sisters and her dearest friend—not even daring to grieve, afraid that such emotion would shatter the faintest hope in her heart.

Maybe it was a mistake?

Maybe they were deceiving her.

She would run over, and Fang Zhou would still rush toward her.

Just like when she’d returned from the shattered Great Xia to her home, or on every night when she sneaked out of Earl Yongqing’s mansion—whenever she came back, Fang Zhou would always welcome her happily, smiling, and say, “Young miss, you’re back.”

Green Lotus Lake was so far. Why was it so far away?

She stumbled over something underfoot, and someone who had been following closely reached out and steadied her.

Qiu Heng gently pushed that hand away and ran even faster.

In truth, it wasn’t long before they reached Green Lotus Lake.

Ordinarily, the lake was quiet and deserted, but today a crowd had gathered around the lake to watch the commotion.

For those who cared, it was a heart-wrenching tragedy; for most who didn’t care, it was just a spectacle.

Qiu Heng stopped. She stood there in a daze for a moment, then walked over step by step.