Chu Qingge woke up to find herself confined in a narrow, dark space where she couldn't even stretch her limbs. Reaching out, she realized she was trapped in a box.
She tapped the wooden boards, but there was no response, only the creaking sound of carriage wheels on the ground. Chu Qingge felt an intense unease. The child had been in her arms before she fainted, but now the child was gone.
Chu Qingge pounded on the wooden boards with all her might. The carriage stopped at that moment. Chu Qingge desperately beat against the box, and finally, the lid was opened. The sudden light made her close her eyes. Only when her eyes adjusted to the brightness did she open them.
"Who are you?"
"Madam Xiao, you are finally awake."
Chu Qingge sat up from the box. "Where is my child?"
Zhu Xiu stood with his arms crossed, looking at Chu Qingge and smiling. "Madam Xiao, your child is safe now. We are about to take you to reunite with your child."
Chu Qingge clenched her fingers into fists, glaring at Zhu Xiu hatefully. "What do you want?"
"I want nothing, but my master wishes for Madam Xiao to accompany us." Zhu Xiu pulled Chu Qingge out, not concerned that she might escape. He arranged a horse for Chu Qingge. They had to reach the City of Devils as soon as possible.
"Where are we going?"
"The Kingdom of Wuyue," Zhu Xiu replied calmly. "My master is waiting for someone in the Kingdom of Wuyue, but this person has been delayed, so we had no choice but to ask Madam Xiao to accompany us."
"Where is my child?" Chu Qingge caught up to Zhu Xiu and asked.
"The young master is also on his way to the Kingdom of Wuyue. If Madam Xiao wishes to see the young master sooner, you should hurry. You have slept through the journey and have wasted a lot of time."
Anger filled Chu Qingge's eyes, but she suppressed it. She couldn't act rashly until she saw her child.
"Is Yin Zhu one of your people?" Chu Qingge clearly remembered Yin Zhu's sneer before she fainted. She never expected Yin Zhu to be Feng Moran's person.
Zhu Xiu's lips curved into a knowing smile. "Whoever Madam Xiao believes her to be, that is who she is."
Chu Qingge frowned. She felt something was wrong, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was.
Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Yin Zhu cradled the child, warily watching the person sitting opposite her. That person had a face identical to hers, but it wasn't her!
"Who exactly are you?"
"I am you." The person sitting opposite was identical to her in appearance and voice, even in the way they spoke. If she didn't know it was real, she would have thought she was looking in a mirror.
"No, you're not," Yin Zhu stated with certainty. At that moment, the child in her arms began to cry. Yin Zhu quickly rocked the child, hoping to quiet him down.
"He's hungry," the 'Yin Zhu' opposite exclaimed. A woman walked in.
Yin Zhu held the child and retreated a few steps, watching the approaching woman warily.
"This is the wet nurse. Give the child to her to be breastfed," the 'Yin Zhu' opposite said with a smile. "You don't want the young master to starve to death, do you? You can go without food, but he can't. He is still an infant."
Yin Zhu hesitated for a moment before handing the child to the wet nurse. The wet nurse breastfed the child in front of them. The child, who had been crying loudly, immediately stopped and began to suckle the milk greedily.
Yin Zhu's gaze darted between the wet nurse and the other woman, constantly contemplating how she could escape with the young master. She had no martial arts skills, while the person opposite did. Outside the carriage, there was a driver, and possibly other skilled individuals. As a weak woman with a baby, her chances of escaping were almost zero!
Xiao Ziyang, after eating his fill, slept soundly again. Yin Zhu took the child back into her arms, guarding him protectively, and looked warily at the person opposite. "Where are you taking us?"
"To see the child's mother," the person opposite said with a smile. "How can such a young child be separated from his mother? Don't you agree?"
"Who exactly are you?" Yin Zhu stared at the person opposite for a long time. To impersonate her so flawlessly meant that person knew her very well and was familiar with her. Such a person would undoubtedly be by her side, skilled in disguise and impersonation. And there was only one person who fit this description!
"I told you, I am you."
"You're not," Yin Zhu stated with certainty. "You are Chuxue."
A flicker of surprise flashed in the eyes of the person opposite. After a moment, she smiled, reached up, and tore off the human skin mask, revealing a familiar face – it was indeed Chuxue.
Chuxue propped her chin with one hand, smiling at Yin Zhu. "No wonder Miss praised you for being meticulous and observant. How did you discover it was me?"
"To disguise oneself so well that even someone close to her wouldn't notice, one must observe her closely, understand her habits and every move. Therefore, she must be by her side and skilled in disguise and impersonation. Among those by my side who fit this description, there is only you."
Chuxue smiled. "Guess what our master will do after learning you are a traitor?"
Yin Zhu remained silent, gently rocking the child to sleep. Her voice was exceptionally soft. "Our master is not easily deceived. Moreover, anything that is done will inevitably leave flaws and traces, and our master will certainly discover them."
"Flaws? What flaws?" Chuxue said slowly. "Dongfang Wei and the living wet nurse are both witnesses who can testify that you are a traitor."
Yin Zhu did not answer. She gently patted the child in her arms and hummed a folk tune from her hometown. Chuxue heard it and couldn't help but sneer. "You can still laugh at a time like this."
"Since it's already like this, should I cry instead of laugh?" Yin Zhu said calmly. "Since you captured me, it means you won't kill me for the time being. Since I don't have to worry about being killed, I might as well enjoy my last days. I will live with a smile until you kill me."
"You are quite optimistic," Chuxue said, her beautiful eyes curving into crescent moons. "No wonder the master likes you. I suppose it's your optimistic attitude she fancies."
"I understand why the master never keeps you by her side," Yin Zhu said, taking off her outer garment and wrapping the child snugly. "Because you are too hypocritical."
Chuxue's expression changed slightly, her brows furrowed. "Just because I won't kill you now doesn't mean I won't change my mind. You'd better not anger me, or I cannot guarantee you will live to see the child's mother."
Upon hearing this, Yin Zhu fell silent. She averted her gaze and continued humming her hometown tune, but a mocking cold smile lingered on her lips.