allonlinenovel Chapter 445: Zhong Zicheng's Concubine Li Cui is Caught
Chapter 445: Zhong Zicheng's Concubine Li Cui is Caught
Fang Xiaoxiao gripped Li Wan'er's hand tightly and chased after the dark figure without hesitation. In the darkness, the figure darted left and right ahead, its movements unpredictable, seemingly trying to shake off their relentless pursuit.
However, after running only a few steps, Fang Xiaoxiao seized a perfect opportunity, nimbly took off her shoes, and threw them forcefully at the dark figure.
"Ouch!" A shrill scream shattered the silence as the dark figure was struck precisely by the shoe, staggered, and fell to the ground in a sorry state.
Fang Xiaoxiao, leading Li Wan'er, strode forward like the wind and ripped off the veil from the dark figure's face without hesitation.
"Ah!" Fang Xiaoxiao and Li Wan'er exclaimed in horror at the same time, stunned by what they saw.
The woman's face was incredibly ugly, covered with dense black spots like ink dots, bumpy and uneven, her features distorted beyond recognition, as if she had been cursed by a demon, making it unbearable to look at her.
The woman was as panicked as a startled rabbit, frantically covering her face with her hands, her body trembling uncontrollably, as if she was extremely afraid of being seen.
Fang Xiaoxiao tried to compose herself, her brows furrowed, and she said sharply, "Who are you? Why are you lurking here?"
The woman lowered her head, her voice trembling like a withered leaf in the wind: "I...I am called Li Cui."
Upon hearing this, Fang Xiaoxiao frowned even more, her eyes filled with doubt and wariness, and continued to press for answers.
"Li Cui? What brings you here?"
The woman remained silent for a while before slowly raising her head and speaking with a shifty look in her eyes.
“I am Zhong Zicheng’s concubine.”
At this moment, Li Wan'er was already terrified, her face pale, her hands tightly covering her mouth, her eyes wide open, filled with fear.
Fang Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, had a solemn expression, her gaze fixed on the ugly and mysterious woman in front of her.
Night fell over the desolate countryside, and a cold wind howled through the woods. Fang Xiaoxiao and Li Wan'er watched the mysterious woman before them warily—Li Cui.
Li Cui lowered her head, her body trembling slightly. In the moonlight, her face, covered with dark spots and bumps, looked even more ferocious and terrifying.
She slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with despair and pain, her voice hoarse and broken.
"I was originally the daughter of a wealthy merchant in Suzhou. I was pampered and spoiled since childhood.
The family ran a silk business and lived a comfortable and prosperous life. But their good fortune didn't last long, as a sudden disaster struck.
A group of robbers ransacked my home, and my parents were killed while trying to protect me.
Although I escaped by sheer luck, I was penniless and left to wander the streets.
At this point, tears welled up in Li Cui's eyes, and she continued speaking, her voice choked with emotion.
"Later, I was trafficked to a remote village and suffered all kinds of torture."
Fortunately, I met Zhong Zicheng, who rescued me. I thought I had finally found hope, so I offered myself to him and became his concubine.
At first, he treated me fairly well, but ever since my face was severely burned in an accident, becoming so ugly,
He gradually became cold towards me, and my wife regarded me as a thorn in her side, demoting me to a lowly servant, making me do the dirtiest and hardest work, and often beating and scolding me.
Li Cui covered her face with her hands and sobbed uncontrollably.
"Now, I have nowhere to stay in that mansion, and I can only run around like a lost soul."
As Fang Xiaoxiao and Li Wan'er listened to her story, a feeling of sympathy welled up in their hearts.
Tears welled in Li Wan'er's eyes, while Fang Xiaoxiao sighed softly, her expression full of pity.
In this desolate suburb, Li Cui's tragic life story seemed to freeze the surrounding air with sorrow.
Looking at Li Cui's swaying figure, Fang Xiaoxiao made a decision.
"Let's find her a place to rest first."
Li Wan'er nodded hurriedly.
But who could have predicted that the moment the words left his mouth, the sky would suddenly change color, and a torrential downpour would begin without warning.
Large raindrops, like dense arrows, pounded wildly against the ground.
The three of them were instantly soaked to the bone and could only hug their arms tightly as they groped their way forward in the rain.
After finally getting close to the village, all they saw was a scene of desolation.
Ruins and broken walls are everywhere, and most of the houses are dilapidated, as if they have been eroded by countless winds and rains.
The village was eerily quiet, with hardly a soul in sight. Only a few wisps of smoke rose intermittently in the rain, making it appear particularly desolate.
"This……"
Li Wan'er couldn't help but shiver and tightly gripped Fang Xiaoxiao's clothes.
Fang Xiaoxiao frowned, a bad feeling rising in her heart, but the rain was getting heavier and heavier, leaving them no time to think.
The three of them trudged into the village, the muddy ground almost causing them to slip and fall.
A musty smell permeated the air, creating an inexplicable sense of oppression.
"anyone there?"
Fang Xiaoxiao mustered her courage and shouted loudly. Her voice echoed in the empty village, but only the rain responded.
They knocked on each of the dilapidated doors, the "thump, thump, thump" of their knocking sounding particularly abrupt in the silence.
However, most of the doors were closed and no one answered, as if the entire village was shrouded in a mysterious force, which was quite eerie.
Fang Xiaoxiao finally found a place in this desolate village where they could barely take shelter from the rain, and the three of them awkwardly hid inside.
As Fang Xiaoxiao wrung out the rainwater from the corner of her clothes, she looked around the eerie village with a heart full of doubt.
Li Wan'er leaned against the wall, exhausted, and soon fell into a deep sleep.
In that moment of silence, Li Cui suddenly let out a shrill scream, and her body began to convulse violently.
She clutched her clothes tightly with both hands, her face contorted, and her painful screams echoed in the small space.
Fang Xiaoxiao was startled by this sudden situation and hurriedly went over to check.
When she realized that Li Cui had been infected with the plague virus that she had previously planted in the Wang family army in Suzhou, her heart skipped a beat.
Her face turned deathly pale instantly, and her eyes were filled with fear and worry.
On the one hand, she was worried about Li Cui's condition; on the other hand, she was also worried that Li Cui would infect herself and Li Wan'er with the virus.
This complex emotion caused her brows to furrow tightly, and her lips to tremble involuntarily.
Fang Xiaoxiao took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She gritted her teeth, determined not to stand by and watch someone die.
So, she struggled to pick up Li Cui and took her to the dilapidated thatched house next door for isolation.
Inside the thatched hut, Li Cui's painful groans echoed incessantly. Fang Xiaoxiao stood to the side, her hands clenched into fists, fine beads of sweat beading on her forehead.
Her gaze darted back and forth between Li Cui and the doorway, her heart caught in a deep struggle and contradiction.