No Longer Escaping (ABO) - Chapter 25

Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened.

Wan Niang, sitting by the bed, looked at the unconscious girl and saw no signs of her waking up.

She sighed and looked at Yang Lulong, who was leaning against the bedpost.

Meeting her gaze, Yang Lulong also shook her head helplessly.

“Let’s go to bed first… She might wake up tomorrow.” Waiting like this wasn’t going to solve anything.

It was late at night, and Wan Niang was nestled in Yang Lulong’s arms, staring blankly with her eyes open, showing no signs of wanting to sleep.

Yang Lulong looked down at her. “Not sleepy yet?”

“You go to sleep first… I… can’t sleep…”

“Mmm~~mmm~mmm…”

Wan Niang looked up in confusion. She saw Yang Lulong with her eyes closed, humming a melody. The low voice carried a gentle tune. The arm around her was gently patting her back.

Wan Niang’s heart warmed, and her unhappy face finally broke into a smile.

“What are you doing?”

“Lulling you to sleep. Close your eyes… You’ll fall asleep in no time…”

Wan Niang stared at her gentle eyes, smiled with contentment, and leaned in for a soft kiss. She closed her eyes and snuggled into her embrace.

Seeing her close her eyes obediently, Yang Lulong also closed her eyes and continued to hum. She didn’t stop until she felt the person in her arms breathing steadily. She looked down at her sleeping figure, left a kiss on her cheek, tightened her arms around her, and slowly fell asleep as well.

As Yang Lulong had said, the unconscious girl woke up early the next morning, sitting on the bed and looking around in confusion.

“You’re awake.”

Seeing that she had finally woken up, Wan Niang was overjoyed. She quickly came over to take her pulse and examine her.

The girl looked at Wan Niang with gratitude. “Thank you…”

“You’re welcome… Saving people is a healer’s duty…”

The girl was still smiling gratefully, but when Yang Lulong entered the room, her expression changed, showing a hint of fear.

Wan Niang quickly comforted her. “This is my wife… It’s okay…”

“Water…” Seeing that she might have scared her, Yang Lulong gently placed the bowl of water on a nearby table and retreated to the doorway to keep her distance.

“Thank you for saving me…”

The girl drank the water handed to her in one gulp.

“May I ask for your name?”

“Qiao Lan…”

“I’m Wan Yu, and my wife is… Yang Lulong.”

Seeing that she was being introduced, Yang Lulong politely nodded at her.

“You have already saved my life, but I have one more very important favor to ask of you…” she said, excitedly holding Wan Niang’s hand.

“What is it?”

“I have someone I must find…”

“Then… do you have any clues about that person?”

“I only know… her name is Ma Zhifeng, and she works for an escort agency… I don’t know anything else…”

Her last name was Ma, and she worked for an escort agency. Yang Lulong immediately thought of Master Ma. It couldn’t be a coincidence, could it?

“She’s a woman, right?”

“Yes… and she’s a Qian Yuan…” Qiao Lan looked at Yang Lulong, her eyes turning red with excitement.

“Then… does she work for the Tiger Gate Escort Agency?”

“I… I don’t know…”

“I know a Master Ma who works for the Tiger Gate Escort Agency.” Yang Lulong suddenly remembered Master Ma’s most recognizable feature. She quickly used her hand to point to her eye. “Does she have a scar here?”

Unexpectedly, Qiao Lan burst into tears of excitement when she heard this. She tried to get out of bed but was stopped by Wan Niang.

“Yes… it’s her… yes…” She held Wan Niang’s hand tightly. “Please… take me to her…”

“But your injuries…”

“It doesn’t matter… Please… I must see her.”

She ignored Wan Niang’s attempts to stop her, got out of bed, and, even though she couldn’t stand steadily, she pretended to be calm and said to them, “See… I can walk… It’s fine…”

Yang Lulong and Wan Niang looked at each other, feeling helpless.

Qiao Lan was determined to see Master Ma immediately. Yang Lulong and Wan Niang had no choice. They quickly packed some things and took her to the city.

On the way, Qiao Lan explained her story. She was supposed to marry the son of a wealthy jewelry store owner in the city as a concubine, but she ran away.

Unexpectedly, she encountered wild wolves on the way and barely escaped with her life.

If she hadn’t met the two of them, she would have died. No matter what, she had to see Master Ma.

Her life had always been difficult, but she had never fought against her fate.

She had always gone with the flow, being sold and traded since she was born. This time, she was determined to fight for herself.

Since she had made up her mind to find Ma Zhifeng, she had to find her.

Wan Niang and Yang Lulong saw that she hadn’t rested at all on the way. She had just woken up from a coma, and they were worried that something might happen to her.

“How about… you carry her for a bit… Let her rest. If she keeps going like this, I’m afraid she’ll pass out again.”

“Is that okay?”

Yang Lulong guessed that Qiao Lan wouldn’t be willing.

As expected, Qiao Lan refused to let Yang Lulong carry her. Her only goal now was to “see Ma Zhifeng.”

The two of them were on edge the whole way, afraid that Qiao Lan would suddenly faint.

They finally arrived at the escort agency. Without a word, Qiao Lan ran straight in.

The escorts who were training in the courtyard looked at the girl who had suddenly run in.

“Ma Zhifeng!” Qiao Lan looked around for her. “Does anyone know Ma Zhifeng?”

“She’s not here!” a tall man walked out of the main hall.

“Boss,” the escorts said in unison, greeting him.

“Then where is she?” Qiao Lan asked, trembling, facing the pressure from the man.

“Are you her relatives?” He ignored Qiao Lan and asked Yang Lulong.

“We are… her friends,” Yang Lulong replied.

“She was captured by mountain bandits…”

“What? Where was she taken?” Qiao Lan grabbed the boss’s clothes in a panic.

“Let go.” The boss had his hands behind his back and looked at the uneducated Kun Ze with disgust.

Qiao Lan was so scared that she quickly let go and stepped back.

“The mountain bandits even asked for a ransom to get her back…” He glanced at the escorts who were watching the show and changed his tone. “Master Ma is a rare talent here… But the bandits’ asking price is ridiculous… one hundred gold pieces. If you’re willing, you can go and ransom her yourselves.”

“Isn’t she your subordinate?” Yang Lulong remembered her old boss when she saw his indifferent face. Anger surged in her.

“She is my capable subordinate, but the ransom money is more than she would earn in her lifetime here. Do you think I’m a fool?”

He would rather Ma Zhifeng be dead than use his money to ransom her. If she died, he would just pay her family a few dozen pieces of silver as compensation.

Besides, Ma Zhifeng didn’t have any family, so he could even save that money.

“Let’s go… We’ll report it to the authorities.” Wan Niang saw his miserly attitude and pulled Qiao Lan’s hand, trying to take her away.

“Report it?” The boss laughed when he heard this. “You’re better off raising money now than reporting it to the authorities.”

Wan Niang glared at him angrily. “Let’s go!”

Seeing them leave, the boss looked at the escorts who were still watching. “What are you looking at?! Get back to work!”

After leaving the escort agency, Qiao Lan cried sadly, covering her face and sobbing uncontrollably.

Wan Niang patted her back to comfort her.

Yang Lulong looked at them, gritted her teeth in anger, and turned back.

“What are you doing back here?” the boss asked Yang Lulong unhappily.

“I’d like to borrow your bow and arrows.”

“Twenty pieces of silver for one use,” the boss said, trying to make things difficult for her.

“…” Yang Lulong glared at him. His smug expression was exactly like her old boss’s.

He would always ask her to work overtime and do things that weren’t in her job description. Even so, he would still mock her in meetings.

The more she thought about it, the tighter her fists clenched.

She suddenly thought of a plan. “How about we make a bet? I’ll stand here, and if I can hit the bullseye ten times, you’ll lend me the bow. If I don’t, I’ll give you sixty pieces of silver.”

“Do you have that much money?” he scoffed.

“Are you betting or not?”

The boss looked at the target.

He had to squint to see it, let alone the bullseye.

He then sized up Yang Lulong.

She looked so skinny that she probably couldn’t even pull the bowstring. Even though he thought that, he was too cunning to agree to her request so easily.

He pointed to the open door of the main hall.

“There’s a vase on the table in the main hall. If you can stand here and shoot it, I’ll give you the bow. If you can’t, you’ll have to pay me one hundred pieces of silver.”

He then showed a sly smile.

“Fine.”

Yang Lulong agreed without hesitation.

Seeing how confident she was, the boss laughed to himself. She was digging her own grave…

Yang Lulong stood still, took a deep breath, raised her hand to pull the bowstring, and squinted at the main hall.

Because of the lighting, it was dark inside, and she couldn’t see clearly.

She held the bow for a long time without letting go, worried that she had talked a big game. Sweat seeped from her forehead.

Seeing her reaction, the boss felt even more arrogant. “What? Scared? How about you let that little missy with you do it? She looks tougher than you.”

“I have a new offer. If you win, I’ll not only give you the bow, but I’ll also give you fifty extra pieces of silver.

But if you lose, you not only have to give me one hundred pieces of silver but you also have to give me those two little missies. How about it?”

Wan Niang being insulted was a trigger for Yang Lulong. She frowned, confirmed the general location, and let go of the bowstring.

The boss, who had been gloating about his certain victory, froze when he heard the sound of a vase shattering. The escorts who were watching let out sounds of disbelief.

“The bow and arrows, and fifty pieces of silver,” Yang Lulong said, gesturing for him to pay up.

“I…” The boss couldn’t go back on his word with all the escorts watching. He handed the fifty pieces of silver to Yang Lulong as if he was cutting off a piece of his flesh.

“If this person comes back again, kick her out,” he said in a low voice to the gatekeeper.

Wan Niang saw Yang Lulong return with a bow and money in her hand.

“How did you get this?”

“I got it from the escort agency. The boss lost a bet with me.”

“Are you going to save her?”

Hearing that there was hope, Qiao Lan stopped crying and gratefully held Yang Lulong’s hand. “Thank you… Thank you…”

“How can we save her like this?” Wan Niang frowned, looking worried. It was just Yang Lulong, with her and Qiao Lan, who hadn’t fully recovered.

“I’ll go save her. I’ll sneak in.”

“No… It’s too dangerous.” Wan Niang looked at her, meeting Yang Lulong’s determined eyes. “Alright… But I’m going with you. We’ll buy some herbs, and I’ll bring them. If you get hurt, I can treat you in time.”

“I want to go too,” Qiao Lan said, looking at them.

“Your injuries aren’t healed yet. You probably won’t be able to help.”

“But…”

“You wait for us at the inn. We’ll bring her back.”

After some persuasion, Qiao Lan finally gave in and obediently listened to them, waiting for their return.

In front of the inn.

“You must be careful…”

“We’ll bring her back.”

“Thank you… Thank you…” Qiao Lan gratefully hugged Wan Niang, thanking them repeatedly.

“You must come back safe and sound.”

“We will…”