CHAPTER 550: CHAPTER 550: NEXT STEP

"And what are you doing on Zhenmu Mountain? Don’t you know an outsider was last seen here?"

Gu Jin kept calm. She straightened her back and spoke in a soft but firm voice.

"I was kidnapped. The people who brought me here ran away after receiving some sort of message."

The two women frowned.

Their eyes were sharp with suspicion. "What’s your name?" the other asked.

Gu Jin didn’t even blink. "Lian Rou. I’m the newly acknowledged daughter of General Xia."

The moment they heard that name, the two soldiers looked at each other in surprise.

Without another word, they carefully led Gu Jin back to the Xia Mansion.

............

Back at the Xia Mansion, things were chaotic.

Xia Lan was pacing back and forth in the front courtyard, her shoes clicking against the stone floor.

Xia Wei sat on a bench, nervously tapping her fingers on her knee. Her face was pale, but her eyes kept flicking toward the entrance.

Xia Fei stood near a pillar, arms crossed and eyebrows tightly furrowed.

Even General Xia and Mrs. Xia looked deeply worried.

"Why hasn’t Gu Jin come back yet?" Xia Lan asked for the tenth time, her voice filled with panic.

Mrs. Xia looked toward her husband. "We should send more people to search."

General Xia nodded and waved for his assistant. "Use our contacts. Spread the word. I want to know where she went."

Soon, messages flew across the city. Soldiers asked around, and special scouts followed every clue.

Then, after some time, news came.

Gu Jin had been kidnapped.

The moment the words were spoken, everyone in the Xia family turned to look at Xia Wei.

Xia Wei’s face turned white.

"I didn’t do it!" she shouted quickly, waving her hands. "Don’t look at me like that!"

But in her heart, Xia Wei cursed those kidnappers.

Stupid fools! she thought angrily. They were so careless that even the Xia family found out right away!

She clenched her fists, hiding her rage behind a mask of innocence.

"I really didn’t plan anything," she said with fake concern. "Who would dare kidnap her?"

Xia Lan looked at Xia Wei coldly. Her voice was sharp, like ice.

"We will find Lian Rou," she said. "And if we find out that you were behind it, Xia Wei... don’t think we’ll let it go. We’ll kick you out of the Xia family."

Xia Wei’s face turned pale. Her lips trembled.

"I—I didn’t do anything..." she whispered. "You’re misunderstanding me..."

She quickly turned her head away, letting out a few soft sobs. "I’m being blamed for something I didn’t do... again..."

Seeing her cry, the Xia family didn’t say anything more. They didn’t believe her completely—but they also didn’t have proof.

Xia Wei wiped her tears and stood up. "I’ll go look for her too," she said quickly. "Maybe I’ll find some trace of where she went."

Xia Lan rolled her eyes. "Let’s just go."

But just as they were about to step outside, two female soldiers appeared at the gate.

Between them stood Gu Jin.

Xia Lan, Xia Wei, and Mrs. Xia all froze in place. Then joy burst across their faces.

"Lian Rou!" Xia Lan shouted, running over.

"Where did you go?! We were so worried!" Mrs. Xia cried, rushing to her side.

General Xia also walked forward with a serious face, but his eyes showed deep concern.

"You disappeared without a word," he said. "We thought something happened to you."

One by one, they scolded her gently, saying she made them worry, asking why she didn’t send a message, telling her she should’ve been more careful.

But Gu Jin didn’t say a word.

She just stood still, her face calm and unreadable.

That silence made everyone pause.

Something was wrong.

The two women who had brought her back noticed it too. They stepped forward and saluted General Xia.

"Sir," one of them said, "we found her on Zhenmu Mountain. According to what she told us, she was kidnapped. But before the kidnappers could hurt her, they ran off when they got some kind of message. That’s why she was left there."

General Xia’s face turned dark.

He clenched his fists slowly, his jaw tight.

On the side, Xia Wei blinked in confusion. Kidnapped and dropped off? she thought.

No... That’s not what I told them to do. I told them to kill her!

Something had clearly gone wrong. Maybe the kidnappers panicked. Maybe someone scared them off.

She didn’t know.

But she forced a shocked and worried face and walked up to Gu Jin. She gently took Gu Jin’s hand and said in a soft voice, "Lian Rou, I was so scared. I couldn’t sleep. What happened to you?"

Gu Jin pulled her hand back immediately and glared at her.

"You don’t know what happened to me?" she asked coldly.

Then she turned to General Xia and Mrs. Xia.

"I was kidnapped at the bus station," she said clearly. "I fought them, tried to get away. That’s why they couldn’t take me far. They left me at Zhenmu Mountain."

Her voice was steady and calm, but there was steel hidden behind it.

"They were about to beat me up... but then I heard two patrols arriving."

She pointed at the two women.

"If they hadn’t come, I might not be standing here right now."

Mrs. Xia gasped.

General Xia’s eyes went cold.

The two patrols nodded. "It’s true, sir. She was alone and looked like she had escaped from danger."

General Xia looked slowly at Xia Wei.

Xia Wei quickly shook her head. "It wasn’t me! I didn’t do anything! You can search my room if you want!"

But inside, she was panicking. They can’t find proof. They won’t... right?

Thinking fast, she tried to flip the blame.

"Maybe you saw their faces?" she asked Gu Jin sweetly. "Or their clothes? Or heard their voices? Something?"

Gu Jin chuckled, but it was a cold sound.

"I don’t have any cultivation," she said. "Do you think I dared to look at them? I just struggled and prayed they wouldn’t kill me."

Xia Wei’s heart dropped.

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Xia Lan and Xia Fei both stared at her, their eyes filled with anger.

Poor Lian Rou... She had been kidnapped, and this was how Xia Wei reacted?

General Xia was silent for a long moment.

Then he turned to the patrols and said, "Thank you for your help. We owe you."

The two women saluted. "Just doing our duty, sir."

After confirming there were no lies in Gu Jin’s words, they left.

Then General Xia turned to everyone.

"I will investigate this matter personally," he said firmly. "Once the truth is found, the person behind this will be punished severely."

Xia Wei’s knees went weak.

Gu Jin didn’t say anything. She just started walking upstairs.

Xia Lan and Xia Fei followed her, throwing sharp glances at Xia Wei.

Xia Wei bit her lip, her nails digging into her palms.

She had clearly crossed the line.

And this time... it wouldn’t be so easy to escape.

Gu Jin had just reached the door of her room when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Wait, Lian Rou," Xia Lan called softly.

Gu Jin paused. She turned slightly, waiting.

Xia Lan and Xia Fei hurried over to her. Both of them had serious and worried looks on their faces.

"We wanted to talk to you," Xia Fei said.

Gu Jin nodded and stayed quiet.

The two sisters stopped in front of her, and for a moment, no one said anything.

Then Xia Lan spoke, her voice gentle.

"We didn’t know you had to go through something so terrible. If we had known, we would’ve sent bodyguards. We would’ve protected you."

Xia Fei nodded quickly. "We’re so sorry. We didn’t think something like this would happen to you."

Gu Jin looked at them with a calm face. "It’s not your fault," she said quietly.

"It’s mine. I should’ve never come back here. I should’ve stayed away. Maybe... maybe it would’ve been better to die somewhere quietly."

Xia Lan gasped. "Don’t say that!"

Xia Fei looked shocked. "Why would you say something so horrible?!"

Gu Jin gave a small, bitter smile. "Because if I stay here, Xia Wei will eventually succeed. One day, she’ll manage to kill me. And when that happens... what will you do? Will you even find me in time? Will you save me before it’s too late?"

The two sisters went quiet.

They didn’t know what to say.

Because Gu Jin was right.

They hadn’t been able to protect her this time. What if there wasn’t a next time?

Gu Jin lowered her head and said softly, "I want to rest. I’ll talk to you later. Right now... I don’t even know how to face you."

Her voice was tired. Heavy.

Xia Lan and Xia Fei could only nod. They watched her open the door and step inside.

Once the door closed, the two sisters turned and walked away. But this time, their faces were filled with fire.

Xia Fei clenched her fists. "We can’t let this go. If we don’t stop Xia Wei now, Lian Rou will never be safe."