Chapter 375 - Fear Not (2/2)

”Enough arguing!” Tung Mei ordered in irritation, stopping her horse, turning to face the group, ”This is not helping anyone. Lost or not, we'll find our way back... eventually.” She added, not sounding all too confident. She let out an agigated breath, faced forward, and resumed riding.

The group rode in silence for a while, until the useless guide rode up to Tung Mei and tentatively asked, ”Miss, do you...know where you're going?”

”Do you?” Tung Mei asked, narrowing her eyes at him, not at all in the mood for stupidity. The man gave her a smile and quickly bowed his head, ”The Young Miss knows the capital well... This is indeed the right way.”

Tung Mei lightly scoffed and rolled her eyes. After following this idiot fruitlessly for days, she woke up today and decided she would lead the way. While it was true that she had no idea where she was going, she had a strong gut feeling guiding her. She was confident it would lead them back to civilization, kind of... At any rate, she had a good feeling about this.

”Wait, stop!” Someone from behind suddenly called out and the group stopped and turned to him, ”Do you hear that?”

”Hear what?” The guide frowned, this was the same man who had just been giving him grief from earlier.

”Horses... I think I hear horses.” The man explained, ignoring the guide's sour tone. The group instantly straightened and they all listened intently, their eyes met as they all heard it, galloping horses drawing closer.

”Riders! People! We're saved!” The useless guide was the first to act, instantly spurring towards the sound while calling out to the riders.

”I thought you said we weren't lost.” One of the others called after him and the others laughed as they spurred forward to salvation. At that moment, Tung Mei was quite pleased with herself, it turns out she was going the right way. Where there were people, there were roads - unless, the people they were chasing after were also idiots who also happened to be lost in the forest.

As they burst out into the road, Tung Mei suddenly pulled hard on the reins of her horse, bringing it to an abrupt stop. The sudden stop almost caused an accident as the riders behind her almost collided with her. Luckily, most of them managed to safely stop at the last second, although two of them did end up falling off their horses.

”What are YOU doing here?” Tung Mei asked with knit eyebrows. Of all the people, it just had to be this person! What was more annoying was her stupid heart for being so jumpy.

Lei Yong stared at Tung Mei for a few seconds too long, before blinking out of his stupor and glancing off to the side, feeling nervous for no reason, his hands were even sweaty. He frowned and surveyed the group, ”I didn't think you would actually be here, in the forest no less.” He had only thought to check here to be thorough.

He had made up his mind not to go after her, but he still could not help checking in on her situation. Three days and the Imperial guards had still not caught up to Tung Mei, this seemed odd as there was only a day between them. The guards were given orders to charge through and so would have been going at double the usual travel pace. Five days passed and there was still no news of her, at that point, Lei Yong became too restless and so here he was - everyone else just seemed too incompetent so he had to direct the search personally to be at ease.

Good thing he did too because the girl got lost in the forest! If not for him, no one would have come through here. His men had even been trying to dissuade him but he decided to just ride through the area, just in case.

”The bridges here are flooded during this season and so unusable. There is also a threat of flooding in this area so no one passes through here during this time, didn't you see the sign?” One of Lei Yong's men asked.

Tung Mei's group glared at the guide, who cleared his throat and indignantly said, ”There was no sign where we passed.”

”You and your shortcuts.” Another member mumbled in retort.

”You have not answered my question.” Tung Mei repeated, now glaring at Lei Yong, ”Why are you here?” It was never a welcome thing when the person you were trying to avoid shows up at your doorstep.

Lei Yong blinked in surprise at the hostility, it was not that he was expecting a hug or anything like that, but... not this, ”You were reported as missing.” He curtly said, lowering his eyes with a frown. The others wisely stayed silent and glanced between the two as the frost settled in between them.

In the end, Lei Yong broke the silence with a sigh, raised his head, and looked at Tung Mei, who returned his gaze with a suspicious one, ”Let's go, I will lead the rest of the way, so you don't have to worry.”

”I wasn't worrying in the first place.” Tung Mei flatly said, then turned her horse and galloped in the direction Lei Yong had come from, wanting to put distance between them. She was worrying, she had definitely been worrying, but she did not want to be rescued by him!

Lei Yong knit his brows and watched her back, displeased. Was she really that upset with him? The girl he knew had really thick skin, she was not one to hold grudges this long. Even when she was upset with him, she never avoided him.

Lei Yong sighed again and galloped after her, not sure what he or anybody else was doing.

As for the Emperor's ridiculous condition, well, Lei Yong did not want to really think about that. When he went to inform the Emperor that he wanted to lead the search for her, the Emperor eagerly gave his approval. When he asked about the condition of marriage, the Emperor simply asked if he did not want to go. In the end, Tung Mei's safety took priority so Lei Yong dropped the topic and left without another word.

He seriously doubted the Emperor would actually consider the fact that his worry was actually substantiated since the girl was actually in trouble and let it go. He knew the Emperor well enough to know that he could be ridiculous and stubborn in his antics sometimes. Lei Yong could already envision the Emperor telling him that since fate intervened on his behalf and he should not fight it.

Whatever will come, will come. He really wanted to believe it would all work itself out in the end.