Chapter 18

Incidentally, her father, Fu Yanlin, was looking very gloomy at this moment.

So many cavalry were sent out but not a single clue was found.

That woman and the horse had disappeared into thin air. He had ordered his men to search all corners of the country and there was no shred of news.

Zhuang Kang, Yuan Ji, Meng Huai and two other lieutenants all had their heads lowered. None of them dared to take a quick look at their Lord. They would only look at his face if they no longer wanted their lives. The Lord’s handsome visage was marred by his bruised and swollen nose. They still remembered that day they had found the Lord. He had been lying on the ground with blood running down his nose. Because he had been paralysed, they had to carry him back.

The woman who had punched their Lord and caused him to lay on the ground and act as an anthill was too daring. They couldn’t imagine which woman in the world would willingly punch their Lord in his face.

Wait, it should be, their Lord’s martial arts was so good, how could he get hit by a woman? The important point is that the place she hit was his face! How would their Lord keep his dignity if this matter spread?

Fu Yanlin sat in front of the problem, tapping the table with his index finger in thought. He didn’t believe that that woman had grown wings and flown away. She was bold enough to snatch the horse away right in front of him so she had the means to squirrel the horse away. If he had just been able to see her appearance that day, he could have at least posted a wanted image… wait!

He suddenly remembered something and took out the kerchief from where it had been pressed by a book. It was the mask he had snatched from that woman. As he looked at it carefully, he saw that it had been embroidered with reeds.

Reeds? He slowly narrowed his eyes. Usually, females would embroider flowers, birds, or other auspicious mascots. Reeds were not a common sight.

“Go check the nearby rivers and lakes and find out which one has the most reeds.” He instantly ordered. If his guess was correct, that woman must have taken the horse away via the waterways. Additionally, her hiding place must have many reeds nearby.

The subordinates received the order and answered in the affirmative. They investigated hoofprints to no avail but it was easy to investigate areas with reeds.

The results came back within a day. Fu Yanlin unfolded a map and looked over the terrain. He then personally led Zhuang Kang and the others out to investigate. They followed the river downstream and finally arrived at the side of a lake where a large cluster of reeds grew.

He had Zhuang Kang and the others explore the surrounding area while he stood among the reeds, looking at the lakes and mountains in the distance. The light shone on the clear and crystalline water and the birds were constantly landing and taking off. The beautiful scenery looked like paradise on earth. It made a person feel like they were standing aloof from worldly affairs and this greatly soothed his mood.

He raised his head and saw a bird of prey circling above. This view unexpectedly gave him a sense of deja vu but he couldn’t recall when he had seen this scene before.

Unexpectedly, he heard movement behind him. He turned quickly.

“Who’s there?”

Fu Yanlin narrowed his eyes, placing a hand on the handle of his sword. His whole body exuded a murderous aura and his face had none of the relaxation he felt just before.

It would be very easy for someone to hide nearby. He spotted one of the reeds moving and slowly advanced. He pushed the reeds aside with his scabbard and unexpectedly saw a small person there.

Fu Yanlin was stunned. A little doll was sitting in the middle of the reeds. She was very small, probably around two or three years of age. The little girl was incredibly pretty, blinking up at him with curious eyes.

He stared at the little girl, very surprised to discover this little thing in the reeds. When the little girl saw him, she didn’t cry or shout, like she wasn’t afraid at all. She even tilted her head as she looked at him. That appearance was just so cute.

Fu Yanlin’s vicious aura temporarily vanished. He stared at her silently, then unhurriedly opened his mouth.

“Little child, why are you here? Where are your parents?”

“This person is your dad. Quick. Go up to him and call him Daddy.” He Guan’s voice sounded out beside Dou Dou.

When Dou Dou heard that, she stood up obediently, opened her arms and went forward to hug Fu Yanlin’s thigh. In a soft voice, she said one word.

“Daddy.”

Fu Yanlin’s eyes widened. The little girl was born adorable and when she smiled, it seemed like any person would melt. Her unexpected voice line left him dumbstruck and unable to respond for a moment.

“Quick. Open your arms. Hug.”

Dou Dou listened and instantly stretched out her arms, her two small eyes were full of expectation and unspoken words. Fu Yanlin didn’t know why, perhaps there was a supernatural explanation, but he actually stretched out his hands and picked her up.

The moment Dou Dou leaned into that wide embrace, she very naturally cuddled closer.

As Fu Yanlin held the soft little thing, he felt an inexplicable sense of gratification.

“Little girl, what’s your name?”

“Dou Dou.” The soft, sticky voice was like a burst of warm breeze, tickling his ears.

From the moment of his marriage until now, Fu Yanlin still had no children crawling around his knees so he was unused to holding them. However the strange thing was, the moment he picked up this child, he felt a sense of intimacy that he had never felt before. He was fond of this girl so his voice also subconsciously softened.

“Where are your mother and father?”

“Quick, point out the direction of your house for him.” He Guan urged.

Dou Dou didn’t listen to He Guan’s words and only pitifully said, “Hungry.”

“You’re hungry?”

Dou Dou nodded.

Fu Yanlin thought for a bit before saying, “Uncle will take you to eat then.”

He guessed that this child belonged to a nearby family. Otherwise, how could such a small child run to the lakeside alone without any adult following? What if she encountered any bad guys or fell into the water?

As he thought, he furrowed his brows deeply. He decided to take the child first and send people to check which family this child belonged to. It wouldn’t be too late to send her back afterwards.

Having decided, he then left the reeded area whilst hugging Dou Dou. At this time, Zhuang Kang, Yuan Ji, and Meng Huai had come back. They were astonished to find their Lord holding a baby girl in his arms.

“Send some people to check whether any families in this area have lost a little girl.”

When the three of them heard that, they finally became aware that this girl was lost. Zhuang Kang immediately ordered a few soldiers to investigate. Then the three of them followed their Lord on horseback. He Guan followed them and angrily said to Dou Dou. “They’ll be food to eat when you get home. So quickly say you want to go home.”

Dou Dou snuggled deeper in her daddy’s arms and just said two words. “Hungry, hungry.”

He Guan rolled his eyes and resentfully spat out one sentence. “You glutton.”

Whatever. Fu Yanlin already sent people out to investigate so his goal could be considered achieved.

When Mu Huanqing saw her daughter in Fu Yanlin’s arms, her eyes widened into saucers.

What was going on? Why would Dou Dou be in a man’s arms, and even cuddling so intimately?

She had taught Dou Dou to not approach strangers. Her Dou Dou also never hugged strangers. So why was she now thrown into that man’s arms?

Mu Huanqing’s heart tightened. Her face was pale and her lips were pressed together. She quietly clenched her fist as a drop of cold sweat trickled down her forehead. The moment she found Dou Dou missing, she guessed that the child had snuck away to play in the reeds. She quickly went out to find her but couldn’t spot her at all so she immediately sent other people to look around.

She managed to find her only to discover that she was in Fu Yanlin’s hands. She was startled and panicked.

Calm, she must be calm. Logically speaking, Fu Yanlin probably didn’t know that Dou Dou was his daughter. She followed secretly behind them to await an opportunity.

He Guan rubbed his chin and looked at Mu Huanqing up and down with interest. This woman’s reaction was too different. Her husband, whom she had not seen for four years, suddenly appeared in front of her. Although he did not recognise his daughter, blood is thicker than water and that caused the husband to love the daughter at first sight. Regardless, normal women would feel delighted. This was their chance to retrieve their husband. But why did she look so horrified?

Mu Huanqing continued to follow after the father-daughter pair. Before being certain, she didn’t dare to act without thinking and overreach.

Dou Dou at this moment was happily eating a mochi roll that her daddy gave her. The demon uncle didn’t lie to her. Daddy was big and tall and loved her like her mother. When she said she was hungry, her daddy then gave her a delicious mochi roll.

Fu Yanlin had put Dou Dou in front of him as he rode his horse. He discovered that this little child was not afraid of being on a horse and was even leaning back on his body. She was totally relaxed, holding onto the roll with both hands and eating it deliciously.

He had taken this mochi roll from Yuan Ji. Yuan Ji’s wife was quite skilled and her cakes were very delicious. It would be fine to temporarily feed the girl’s hunger.

Zhuang Kang and the others followed behind their Lord on horseback, all the while curiously looking at the Lord with the little girl. They didn’t know which family this little girl belonged to. The Lord actually went as far as bringing everyone to a nearby market to find food because the girl said she was hungry.

They had never seen their Lord be so good to any girl. Having said that, this little girl was really cute and one could tell at a glance that she would be a beauty in the future.

“Hey, don’t you guys think that child looks a bit like our Lord?” Yuan Ji asked.

Meng Huai nodded. “I also thought so when I first saw them.”

Zhuang Kang was stunned. “Does she?”

“How could she not? Look. The two of them look like father and daughter.”

“I am surprised that the Lord cares so much about a girl. Our purpose this time was to suppress the bandits and retrieve the horse. But now the Lord will take care of a girl because he feels akin to her?”

Their Lord had always clearly distinguished between public and private affairs. He never delayed official duties for private matters. He could have handed the baby girl over to a reliable person and arranged for one or two people to find the girl’s parents before handing her back. But he didn’t do that.

Zhuang Kang shook his head. “You are all mistaken. The reason why the Lord is so good to the girl is because he thought of that matter before. If that child from before could have been birthed successfully, they would be around the same age.”

Zhuang Kang’s words startled Yuan Ji and Meng Huai and they both smacked him.

Naz's Interesting Note: When Fu Yanlin "unexplainably" picked up Dou Dou the idiom used is literally “perhaps it was the work of demons and gods” which is true since He Guan was kinda manipulating everything in the background lol.