The man asked indifferently, "Hu Da, what time is it? Are you here to deliver food?"
The man carrying the basket blew out the tinder he was holding and put it away. Then, with a hint of a smile, he said, "Young master, please stop teasing me. You are who you are. Even if your eyes were blind, your heart would know everything, even clearer than those of us with sight."
The man gave a wry smile, "I am a cripple now, not as formidable as you think."
"I admire you, young master, but I am merely a servant and have no choice." The one called Hu Da seemed to sigh, put down the basket in his hand, cupped his hands towards the man, and said, "I am here to deliver medicine to you."
The man's expression remained unchanged. He only said, "My eyes are blind, my hands are crippled, yet you refuse to let me go. What medicine is it this time?"
Hu Da replied, "I don't know, but young master should be able to tell what it is just by smelling it. It wouldn't be poison, would it?"
The Xiao family was unwilling to let him die. Their tormenting him was merely to make him stand with the Xiao family. However, he had always refused, leading to this stalemate.
Anyone else would have lost their lives, even with nine lives.
Hu Da took out the bowl of medicine from the basket. As usual, he tried to persuade him, "Sir, why must you do this! Nothing is more important than life! It wouldn't cost you anything to agree, so why endure so much suffering."
The man smiled, "My mind is made up, there's no point in saying more."
Hu Da sighed again, with an expression of deep regret, and said, "Forgive me." He brought the bowl of medicine forward, intending to have the man take it.
But no one expected that at this moment, a sudden change occurred. Someone appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Hu Da by the neck.
The medicine bowl in Hu Da's hand fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. The brown liquid spilled all over the floor, splashing Li Man'er's shoe uppers.
Hu Da's eyes widened in terror. He felt his neck was about to be twisted off. He wanted to cry for help, but he couldn't make a sound. He could only desperately reach out towards the man in black, hoping for a glimmer of survival.
How could Li Man'er give him that chance? She exerted force with her fingers, crushing Hu Da's Adam's apple, killing him with one blow.
Hu Da's eyes rolled back, his body went limp, and he fell to the ground.
Everything happened too quickly. Before the man could even understand what was happening, a life was lost.
"Who are you?" The man was not foolish. The other party had killed Hu Da and overturned the medicine bowl, clearly targeting him. However, it was unclear whether they were friend or foe.
Li Man'er leaned in, examining the man's appearance. The more she looked, the more she was shocked. This person looked so much like someone from her deepest memories. She couldn't help but softly murmur, "Little Uncle."
Blind people, because they cannot see, have exceptionally keen hearing. Li Man'er's soft murmur did not escape his ears. His whole body trembled, and he asked with a choked voice, "Who exactly are you?"
Li Man'er seemed to remember something. She stepped forward, grabbed the man's wrist, and rolled up his sleeve. On the inner side of his upper arm, there was a flower-shaped birthmark.
"Little Uncle," Li Man'er exclaimed, "Are you Ning Dao Cheng?"
The man seemed unable to believe it. His unfocused eyes kept searching for something. "You, who are you?" His voice was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing a dream.
"In this world, who else would call you Little Uncle."
The man became agitated, "Are you Man'er? Are you Man'er?"
Li Man'er recalled that when the original owner was young, Ning Dao Cheng had given her a small mouse carved from jade. The original owner treasured it like a jewel, and later Li Man'er, along with some other treasures, stored it in her spatial dimension. She quickly found the jade mouse and placed it in the man's hand. "Little Uncle, do you remember this?"
Ning Dao Cheng touched the small mouse in his hand, crying and laughing. "You really are Man'er." He had carved this jade mouse himself, how could he not remember.
Li Man'er said with great surprise, "Little Uncle, how did the Xiao family capture you? Do you know everyone thinks you are dead? Grandfather has been looking for you for so many years, and Grandmother's health has always been poor. She has nearly died several times."
Ning's mother, because of her daughter and son's successive misfortunes, had her health ruined, deteriorating day by day. If not for the Ning family's vast wealth and their constant use of the finest old ginseng to sustain her, Ning's mother would have passed away long ago.
"It is my unfilial conduct, I..."
Li Man'er said, "Little Uncle, this is not a place to talk. I will rescue you first, and we can talk about everything later."
"Impossible," Ning Dao Cheng immediately said. "Man'er, my eyes are blind, my hands are crippled. If you take me, I will be a burden. I cannot harm you." He was already a cripple anyway, not worth it.
"What are you saying, Little Uncle? How could you be a burden?" Li Man'er looked at the corpse in the distance, then walked over and rummaged through Hu Da's belongings. She quickly found a set of keys.
She unlocked Ning Dao Cheng's handcuffs and shackles one by one, freeing him from the chains.
Without support, Ning Dao Cheng collapsed onto the ground, unable to stand. Li Man'er quickly went to help him, but Ning Dao Cheng shook his head. "Man'er, don't bother. My tendon has been severed, and my legs are also weak. I am truly a cripple. If you take me, you won't be able to get out. Don't worry about me, just go."
How could Li Man'er abandon him alone? She still had many questions to ask Ning Dao Cheng.
"Little Uncle, please forgive me." Li Man'er struck Ning Dao Cheng's neck with a palm strike. The latter's body went limp, and he lost consciousness.
Li Man'er put the unconscious Ning Dao Cheng into her spatial dimension, and only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Who would have thought that Ning Dao Cheng would be held captive by the Xiao family! And now he was truly like a cripple, it seemed all this was also the work of the Xiao family.
She would have to ask for clarification later, what exactly did the Xiao family capture him for.
Li Man'er tidied up the scene and quickly left the secret room along the original path. She opened the stone door in the rockery, confirmed that there was no one outside, then slipped out of the secret passage, pushed the stone door back into place, and cautiously walked out of the rockery, running madly towards her courtyard.
Halfway there, she encountered two patrol teams and managed to evade them without incident.
The courtyard was silent. Li Man'er landed lightly and darted to the door of the room.
Liu Ya, who was inside the room, also heard the movement. She quickly went to the door and asked in a low voice, "Who is it?"
Li Man'er replied, "It's me, open the door."
Liu Ya opened the door, and Li Man'er flashed inside the room, taking off the face covering.
Liu Ya peered into the darkness for a few moments. Seeing that there was nothing unusual, she closed the door and said, "You're finally back."
"It's nothing," Li Man'er said. "Go back to your room and sleep. Perhaps there will be more trouble knocking on our door come morning."
Liu Ya thought to herself, it's all because you stir up trouble everywhere, otherwise why would it be like this.