Chapter 766: Missing by Accident
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
It was already dark when Mu Cong and the others finished cleaning up the camp. Seeing that Su Yanyu had yet to return, Mu Cong smiled and teased, “If Young Marquis doesn’t come back in time, there will not be any food left.”
Cheng Yan smiled and echoed, “That’s right. To be honest, I can’t believe that he’s Su Yanyu. He’s completely different from the Young Marquis we’ve known for many years. He’s like a different person.”
Mu Cong filled the fire with firewood and said, “That’s right. In the past, sometimes, I felt that Young Marquis was annoying.”
Everyone admitted that Su Yanyu was growing up rapidly. He had lost his childish mind and became more mature.
After Cheng Yan drank the water, he said, “Did you feel that Young Marquis might have someone in his mind?”
Mu Cong did not believe it. “That’s impossible. Which girl can catch his attention? It’s not like you don’t know. In the past, what did Young Marquis say about those young ladies in the capital? He said that they were extremely boring.”
Su Yanyu did not like the young ladies of noble families and was not interested in them. What kind of a girl could be liked by him?
Cheng Yan shrugged. “I don’t know. If there’s a chance in the future, we’ll probably meet her.”
Mu Cong nodded. “That’s true. He’ll get married eventually.”
Li Wei frowned and said, “Young Marquis went up from there, right? 1’11 go find him.”
It was already dark, but Su Yanyu had yet to return. Li Wei was worried that something might happen to him.
Mu Cong and Cheng Yan looked at the sky and said, “There’s nothing much to do now. Let’s go together”
Li Wei nodded and the three of them walked towards the path where Su Yanyu went up the mountain. Usually, Su Yanyu would not walk too far. Outside, there was still some daylight, but it was already dark in the forest.
The three of them were a little worried. They did not know where Su Yanyu was and could only shout, “Young Marquis—”
The voice traveled far. If Su Yanyu heard it, he would definitely respond.
But there was no response.
Mu Cong frowned. “Could something have happened? That shouldn’t be the case. There are no ferocious beasts on this mountain.”
Li Wei looked around. “Cheng Yan, let’s go look for him. Mu Cong, go back and tell the deputy commander to bring more people over to look for him.”
They called out, but there was no response. Something must have happened. They asked Mu Cong to go back and get help.
Mu Cong nodded. He knew that the matter was serious, so he quickly went back to call for help.
Li Wei and Cheng Yan continued to search. As they searched, they called out, “Young Marquis.”
Li Wei and Cheng Yan quickly found a cave. It was dark, and they did not know what was going on inside. If it was a place where ferocious beasts rested, it was not appropriate to barge in.
The two of them did not wait long before seven or eight people came up with torches.
Mu Cong took a deep breath and asked, “How is it? Did you find him?”
Li Wei and Cheng Yan shook their heads. “We didn’t find him, but there’s a cave here. Young Marquis told us that he went to find worms. There are footprints on the ground. He should have been to this cave before.”
Mu Cong held a torch and said, “Let’s go in and take a look.
They went in with torches and searched around, but they did not see anything. There were traces of incense burning in the crack. Su Yanyu must have been here.
The cave was not big, so they soon searched it inside out. They kept calling Su Yanyu’s name, but there was no response. This made the three of them have a bad feeling.
They could not find him, but they could not delay the march either.
Li Wei and the other two refused to go down the mountain. The soldiers who came to help said, “He’s not responding to our shouts. Something must have happened. There’s no footprint up the mountain. This proves that he didn’t go up. He should have gone missing nearby. You guys continue searching. We’ll go back first. We’ve been traveling for a day. We’re tired. There’s nothing we can do here.”
Without finding Su Yan, how could Li Wei, Cheng Yan, and Mu Cong be willing to go down the mountain? They searched the surroundings carefully. They were also very tired, but they knew that they did not have much time to keep searching.
The sky gradually brightened. The three of them were very tired. The corners of their eyes were black and they were hungry.
“Young Marquis, answer us.”
Mu Cong’s voice was hoarse. They had searched all the places where Su Yanyu might be, but he could not even find Su Yanyu’s clothes.
Hearing the marching horn sound, the three of them had no choice but to go down the mountain.
As soon as the three of them arrived at the foot of the mountain, they saw Xia Hongyuan waiting for them on his horse. Seeing the three of them come down, Xia Hongyuan asked, “How is it?”
Mu Cong looked at Xia Hongyuan. “First Prince, can you allow us to stay here for another day? If we can’t find him, we’ll immediately catch up with the troop.”
Years of friendship made them believe that Su Yanyu would not leave without saying goodbye. He must have encountered something. If they gave up now, what if Su Yanyu woke up and needed help?
Xia Hongyuan knew that Mu Cong and the others were on good terms with Su Yanyu, and Su Yanyu was Marquis Su’s only son. He nodded. “Sure, Young Marquis Su is not someone who will run away at the last minute. He must have encountered an accident. Stay and look around. If you can’t find him in a day, catch up with us.”
If they still couldn’t find him, Su Yanyu would probably be dead.
Of course, Xia Hongyuan did not say it bluntly, but Mu Cong and the others understood that if they could not find him today, he would most likely be dead.
Xia Hongyuan nodded at them and turned his horse around. “Let’s go.”
Li Wei and the other two rested for a while.
After filling his stomach, Mu Cong said, “Although there are no traces of Young Marquis going up the mountain, we can’t rule out the possibility. Li Wei, stay here and wait for Young Marquis. Cheng Yan, follow me up the mountain.”
Cheng Yan and Li Wei agreed. Mu Cong and Cheng Yan found a random path and went up. Where could Su Yanyu be?
The three of them shouted as they searched. From sunrise to sunset until it was dark, the three of them were so tired that their faces were pale. They were clearly exhausted..