“People outside are organizing an evacuation.” Little An whispered, clutching Mu Xi’s shoulders tightly, “Should we leave with Ye Lan’s people, or…”
Mu Xi bit her lower lip, a flicker of struggle shining in her eyes.
“If we go with them, the result will be the same; if we try to escape on our own…” Her voice came to an abrupt halt.
Little An’s gaze grew resolute as she gripped Mu Xi’s hand, her rough little palm conveying silent strength: “Little Mistress, no matter what you choose, I will—”
A blast even more deafening than before cut her off, the entire building groaning and trembling like a wounded beast.
Cracks ran along the walls, glass shattered, and a wave of heat surged in through the windows, thick with acrid smoke and scorching heat.
Flames spread along the curtains like greedy serpents, swiftly devouring the luxurious fabric and expanding deeper into the room.
“Go!” Little An grabbed Mu Xi’s wrist, her grip so strong it nearly crushed the bones, but it was the truest care at the brink of life and death.
They rushed for the door, Mu Xi looking back at her prison one last time.
The dark green bedsheet was blackened by smoke, the ancient desk smashed by a fallen ceiling beam, and the velvet on the chaise lounge had begun to burn.
Those books—the only comfort she’d had in her long years of captivity—were turning to ash in the fire.
The corridor was in chaos, a few Guards hurrying past in panic.
No one stopped to notice this “pet” and her servant, something unimaginable under normal circumstances.
Everyone was running for their own survival; order and rules were so fragile in the face of death.
“Which way?” Mu Xi panted, her heart thudding so wildly it threatened to burst from her chest.
Little An glanced around, her eyes locking onto the emergency exit sign: “First, let’s get off this floor, then—”
Her words were cut off by another explosion.
The whole corridor shook violently, the ceiling collapsing in large sections.
Smoke and dust surged toward them, burning their eyes and lungs.
Little An instinctively shielded Mu Xi beneath her, feeling the girl’s thin body trembling in her arms.
“We might die here.”
Mu Xi’s calm voice came from Little An’s embrace, tinged with a strange sense of relief, “If this is the end, at least I won’t have to face Ye Lan again.”
Little An jerked Mu Xi’s chin up, determination blazing in her eyes: “I won’t let you die here, Little Mistress. We will survive, and then…”
She bit her lip, “And then, freedom.”
The child who had never truly experienced freedom uttered the word with an almost religious reverence.
The smoke thickened, the hot air searing their lungs, each breath feeling like knives.
The walls beside them began to collapse, the floor shaking like thin ice.
“Little An…” Mu Xi suddenly grabbed her hand with surprising force, startling them both.
“If we make it out of here alive, where do you want to go?”
Little An froze because she had never considered such a question.
In her life, there had only been obedience and survival—never the right to choose.
“I want to…” Her words were cut off by another violent tremor.
The far end of the corridor crumbled completely, revealing the night sky and raging flames outside.
“Come with me!” Little An grabbed Mu Xi and leapt over the rubble, dashing toward the other end of the hallway where the fire hadn’t yet consumed everything.
Dragged along, Mu Xi felt a strange sensation welling up in her heart.
In this moment, in the midst of this disaster, she felt a twisted sort of freedom.
The Manor was collapsing, Ye Lan’s power burning, and she was running for her life.
As she ran, Mu Xi suddenly laughed, her smile radiant even in the swirling smoke and dust.
They staggered through the smoke, crashing toward the end of the corridor.
They dove headfirst into the stairwell, Mu Xi’s silver hair plastered to her pale cheeks by sweat.
“Little Mistress, let’s make it all the way down in one go!” Little An shouted, her voice echoing in the concrete and steel space.
Her hand gripped Mu Xi’s slender wrist tightly, fingertips feeling the frantic pulse beneath her skin.
When they reached the fifth floor, smoke thicker than before hit them head-on.
Flames licked out from the cracks beneath doors, heat rushing at them like a tidal wave.
Little An shielded Mu Xi, her eyes stinging from the smoke, tears streaming uncontrollably.
“I can’t breathe.” Mu Xi clung to the handrail, panic flickering across her face, “Are we going to be trapped here?”
“No, just hold on a bit longer!” Little An gritted her teeth, her shoulders straightening instinctively as she stood before Mu Xi, blocking the fiercest heat like a human shield.
Just as they prepared to charge onward, a pair of hands suddenly reached out from the shadows to the side, yanking them into a bomb-blasted, battered little room before they could react.
Mu Xi screamed as she was dragged into the darkness.
“Quiet, don’t draw anyone over.” A familiar voice spoke from the darkness.
Mu Xi squinted, and as her eyes adjusted to the dim light, He Yi’s face gradually emerged from the shadows.
Even now, she somehow maintains an incredible elegance.
“I knew I’d find you in a place like this.”
Mu Xi steadied herself, though her heart still pounded wildly in her chest, “What scheme are you up to now?”
He Yi brushed dust from her face, the corner of her mouth curving in the faintest, almost imperceptible smile: “It’s not me, it’s Wu City’s people. Those unmanned bombers—they sent them. I just happened to learn about it.”
“Wu City?” Mu Xi’s pupils contracted sharply.
That name cut through her, slicing open a memory sealed long ago.
“They went to great lengths to find the exact location of this Manor.”
He Yi leaned against the wall, fingers playing with the hidden weapon in her sleeve, “They’re not here for Ye Lan, they’re here for you, Mu Xi.”
Little An stood protectively before Mu Xi, muscles taut like a panther about to pounce, “Cut the nonsense and explain! Who wants my Little Mistress?”
Undisguised hostility flashed in her eyes.
Mu Xi pressed a hand to Little An’s shoulder, but her gaze never left He Yi’s face.
“They bombed this place for me?” Her voice trembled, though she herself didn’t notice.
“You’re the daughter of Wu City’s former leader.” He Yi met Mu Xi’s eyes, her tone as calm as if discussing the weather, “Some of your father’s old followers have never stopped thinking about you. They thought you were dead. Ye Lan kept these useful people around to help her run Wu City. Now they know you’re alive—they plan to bring you back and make you the new City Lord. Family succession—it’s been tradition for tens of thousands of years.”
The room fell silent except for the distant explosions and the crackling of flames outside.
Mu Xi felt dizzy, every cell in her body screaming.
Fragments of her past life’s memories and the suffering of her present imprisonment collided and fused in her mind, kindling a cold, burning fury.
“They nearly killed us!” Little An suddenly exploded, fists clenched tight, “What kind of rescue is that? They don’t care about the Little Mistress’s safety at all!”
He Yi shrugged helplessly, “Wu City’s people have always been a bunch of brute-force warriors—acting without thinking is practically their signature move.”
There was a subtle note of mockery in her voice.
“This doesn’t make sense.” Mu Xi frowned deeply, “How did they suddenly find out I was alive?”