Leng Ruo Li returned to the General's mansion, and a servant informed her that Leng Jin Yu had not yet returned.
Leng Ruo Li walked alone in the garden, strolling. It had been almost two months since she transmigrated here.
Many things had happened to her during these two months. Although she had overcome every danger, she still missed her life in the modern era.
She went to the artificial lake in the garden, squatted down, picked up a few small stones, and tossed them into the lake out of boredom, recalling bits and pieces of her life in the modern era.
Lost in thought, she suddenly saw two figures dressed in night-black clothing swiftly pass through an arched gateway on the opposite side of the lake. Her own body was shielded by a cluster of bamboo, so the two figures did not notice that someone was in the garden.
Leng Ruo Li followed them with swift movements, tracking them all the way to Concubine Liu's Yu Hua Courtyard.
Leng Ruo Li sneered inwardly.
She didn't need to see the faces of the two figures to guess who they were.
Then, Leng Ruo Li followed them in, eager to know what schemes Liu Ru Yi was up to now.
Upon returning to her room, Liu Ru Yi removed the hawk-like mask from her face and changed out of her night-black attire into the clothes she usually preferred. She lit a lantern, picked it up, and walked out of the room. Without calling for A Man to accompany her, she stealthily left through the back gate of the General's mansion.
After walking for about half an incense stick's time, Concubine Liu arrived alone at the back mountain, pushed aside a patch of dense grass, and burrowed into it, disappearing instantly.
Leng Ruo Li quickly followed her to the place where Concubine Liu had disappeared. She flashed into the system space and, using the system space's short-distance teleportation, also slipped into the grass.
Suddenly, she discovered a secret: a cave was hidden here.
The cave wound and twisted, utterly dark. Concubine Liu continued forward, holding a lantern in one hand and her skirt hem in the other.
After she had gone some distance, Leng Ruo Li flashed out of the system space and followed. Do not ask her why she did not continuously use the system space to track Concubine Liu; it was because she could only use the short-distance teleportation function of the system space once a day, and she had already used it today, so it was unavailable now.
Therefore, Leng Ruo Li cautiously followed closely behind Concubine Liu and finally reached the end of the cave.
She took out a fire starter from her sleeve pocket and lit the torches around the cave. Instantly, half of the cave was illuminated. Leng Ruo Li quickly hid in the system space, fearing discovery by Concubine Liu.
Peeking through the system's mirror, Leng Ruo Li saw the scene inside the cave. At the end of the cave, there was an iron prison. Inside, a person bound by four thick iron chains, covered in dirt, clad in rags, and with disheveled hair, was imprisoned. Because the person was so filthy, Leng Ruo Li couldn't tell if it was a male or female.
This person became very agitated upon seeing Concubine Liu. Although their eyes were obscured by their dirty hair, Leng Ruo Li could feel that the gaze they fixed on Concubine Liu was like a sharp knife.
"Ahahaha..."
Concubine Liu looked at the person and burst into unrestrained laughter.
"What, you can't curse anymore? Weren't you quite capable before?"
Concubine Liu said, gnashing her teeth as she looked at the person.
As she spoke, a bloodthirsty smile curved her lips.
"That bitch died over a decade ago, and you're still so loyal to her, refusing to serve me."
Concubine Liu stood there, sneering coldly, her eyes filled with ferocity and malice. She looked down at the person whose hands and feet were bound by thick iron chains, squatting on the ground, with utter disdain, as if this person were an ant beneath her feet.
The person ignored her, leaning against the cave wall motionlessly.
"Hmph!"
"Wait until I kill that bitch's daughter, and soon I will send you to meet that bitch."
Concubine Liu's voice was as fierce as a ravenous wolf.
After speaking, she took out a dark-looking steamed bun from her sleeve pocket, tossed it in front of the person, and then took away the lantern she had arrived with. With a wave of her sleeve, all the torches in the cave were extinguished, and she then stepped out of the cave.
After Concubine Liu had left, after a long while, Leng Ruo Li flashed back into the cave and shone a flashlight from the system space into the iron prison.
Startled, the person immediately dropped the steamed bun they had picked up from the ground.
Leng Ruo Li slowly walked to the front of the prison and carefully examined the person. The moment the person saw her face clearly, they let out excited cries of "Ahhhhh..."
But Leng Ruo Li couldn't understand them.
So, Leng Ruo Li looked at them and asked, "Who are you? Why are you imprisoned in the cave by Liu Ru Yi?"
The mute person hurriedly pushed away the hair in front of their face. The instant their eyes met Leng Ruo Li's, Leng Ruo Li was stunned.
"You, you... aren't you Granny Hua?" Leng Ruo Li exclaimed in surprise.
Granny Hua closed her red-rimmed eyes, and two streams of tears flowed down her cheeks. She nodded at Leng Ruo Li.
Leng Ruo Li's eyes also moistened. Granny Hua was originally the original host's wet nurse and treated her like a mother. However, for some reason, Granny Hua had suddenly disappeared years ago, and the original host had searched for her for a long time without any trace.
Who would have thought she would be imprisoned in the cave at the back mountain by Liu Ru Yi?
"Granny, don't worry! I'll save you right away."
After speaking, she found the iron gate of the prison and, upon seeing the lock securing the door, muttered a curse, "Damn, damn!"
This was too cruel. To prevent Granny Hua from escaping, they had actually blocked the keyhole with molten iron. This was an escalation of measures!
Granny Hua was already bound by such thick iron chains on her hands and feet; could she still escape?
"Liu, Ru, Yi, I curse you, you...!"
A fierce glint flashed in Leng Ruo Li's eyes.
Granny Hua gently nudged her body and gestured a few times in front of her, as if telling her not to waste her effort and to leave quickly, as it was unsafe here.
"No, Granny Hua, I must save you tonight. I can't let you stay in this dreadful place any longer," Leng Ruo Li said with firm resolve.
The cave was very damp, filled with rats and insects, and it was dirty and foul-smelling. It was not a place for humans to stay, and just being there for a short while was driving her mad, let alone Granny Hua having lived here for so many years.
After a few seconds of thought, Leng Ruo Li took out a steel saw from her "sleeve" and began to slowly saw through the iron chain connecting to the lock, astonishing Granny Hua. Could iron be sawed through? Before she could react, the iron chain was cut off by Leng Ruo Li.
"Yay! Granny Hua, this iron door can finally be opened. I'll saw through the chains on your hands and feet too."
Granny Hua nodded upon hearing this.
After half an incense stick's time, all the iron chains binding Granny Hua had been sawed off by Leng Ruo Li.