Chapter 491 - 498: It’s Too Late

Zhao Fan’s expression eased somewhat upon hearing Zhang Meng speak and said, “What do you mean by that, Vice General Zhang? Could there be a twist to the situation?”

The idea had been proposed by Zhang Meng, and as Zhao Fan relied even more on Zhang Meng, hearing him speak this way, he knew Zhang Meng must have thought of a plan.

“General, hear your subordinate out. Although they botched the mission this time and failed to capture Su Wenyue, it’s not without merit. Su Wenyue jumped off the cliff, and from such a height, she would undoubtedly die. If Han Yu really values Su Wenyue that much, he will surely be thrown into disarray by this incident, and may make some irrational decisions. We just need to send someone to watch; if there’s any slip from Han Yu, we’ll have an opening to exploit. Combined with inside help, we might take Yiyang City in one fell swoop. And if Han Yu doesn’t show as much affection as he claims, then the situation isn’t as dire as you described.”

“You’re right, I’ve been too anxious and lost perspective. Has someone been notified to watch every move of Han Yu?” At that moment, Zhao Fan also calmed down.

“Rest assured, General. As soon as the news came back, I immediately issued the command. Any slight change on Han Yu’s end can’t escape our eyes. I’ve also sent people to search for Su Wenyue.”

Zhao Fan, somewhat skeptical, replied, “The cliff is so high, that woman is surely beyond hope of survival. Why send people to search? Isn’t it a waste of manpower and resources? We already suffered significant losses in the attempt to capture Su Wenyue, with many of our capable soldiers dead or injured.”

Zhao Fan felt the sting of loss mentioning this, for the capable soldiers under his command had been painstakingly trained and were not easy to replace, especially at a time when every hand was needed. It was truly unnecessary to waste resources on such a pointless task.

“There’s always the unexpected. Although the cliff is high, without having seen Su Wenyue’s dead body with our own eyes, we can’t be so sure to declare it that way. We need to see the body to confirm death. Han Yu’s men are certainly searching relentlessly. If Han Yu is as infatuated as he seems, he wouldn’t stand to let even the corpse of Su Wenyue fall into our hands, let alone if she were alive.”

A glint flashed in Zhao Fan’s eyes as he said, “Vice General Zhang is right, even if it’s just a corpse, we must seize it. As long as Han Yu cares for his wife, we can make use of that. Worse comes to worst, we can throw his daughter-in-law to the front lines during battle. I refuse to believe he won’t be affected in the slightest!”

Now, Zhao Fan was filled with spite toward Han Yu because of the previous defeat that nearly cost him his life, and he didn’t feel the slightest shame in his methods, quite eager to do anything that could strike at Han Yu.

As Su Wenyue jumped from the cliff, she only felt the whooshing of wind by her ears. Following a loud crash and the immense impact, her head spun dizzily, and her body felt as if plunged into an icy cave, the cold piercing her to the bone. Then she slipped into darkness, and just before losing consciousness, she couldn’t help but think that falling from such a height, she might splatter on impact, her death appearing horribly gruesome. Despite always caring about her appearance, she’d die so tragically. She wondered if Han Yu would find her repulsive. So this is what it feels like to fall to one’s death, truly unpleasant!

The cliff was too high, bottomless, shrouded only in layers of mist. Descending directly by rope was definitely not feasible. Qi Yun, leading a group of men, didn’t dare delay a moment and promptly headed toward the foot of the cliff. However, progress wasn’t smooth. Since no one had gone down before, there was no path. They had to forge one on their own, significantly increasing their workload, and they even encountered numerous poisonous snakes and fierce beasts along the way.

The further Qi Yun went, the heavier his heart sank. Though the cliff was high, he held onto a glimmer of hope. The area was in the heart of the mountains, with lush trees. Perhaps a branch had broken Su Wenyue’s fall, diminishing the force of her descent, and just maybe, she might still be alive. But considering the current circumstances, even if the lady had miraculously survived the fall, she could still face the lethal danger of poisonous insects and fierce beasts.

The more Qi Yun thought like this, the more urgent he felt, wishing he could instantly reach the bottom of the cliff. However, no matter how hurriedly he urged his men to move, and despite traveling all night without rest, they only arrived at the foot of the cliff on the second day.

But with the cliff being so high, and with Qi Yun having taken a detour, they couldn’t pin down where Su Wenyue had plunged from. The team spread out to search.

“Captain, look! There’s a lake over there. Could the madam have fallen into it?” said a secret guard.

Qi Yun rushed over and saw the deep lake, his face brightening at the sight. Acting on instinct and deduction, he felt the lady must have fallen nearby. From such a height, if she had fallen to the ground and there were no branches to break her fall, the lady would surely be dead without question. But if she fell into the lake, the impact of the lake water could mean that the lady was merely injured, not fatally.

“This is great, Captain! With such a vast lake below, and considering the location, the madam must have jumped from here. Maybe she’s still alive.”

After scouring the surroundings and finding no trace of the madam, the most probable scenario was that she had fallen into the lake. The thought that the lady could still be alive brought a gleam of joy to everyone’s faces.

“But the lake water is so deep, can the madam swim?” one secret guard asked after the initial excitement, immediately raising a practical concern, which left the rest of the group speechless. The smiles that had appeared due to their discovery of the lake froze on their faces.

“That…none of us knows. Normally, young ladies from noble families don’t learn to swim. Although our lady comes from a merchant background, the Su Family is a spin-off from the Marquis Beian Mansion, and she grew up pampered. Master Su and Madam Su would never allow the lady to learn such a thing. If it were a common village woman, there might be a chance to pick it up. But if the lady can’t swim, even if she wasn’t killed by the fall, she would drown!”

Listening to this cast a heavy pall over everyone, and Qi Yun’s expression grew somber.

“Stop that, can’t you say something optimistic? All you do is spout such ill-omened talk. The lady is blessed with good fortune; perhaps she really can swim,” someone rebuked.

No one argued against that. Everyone harbored that hope, but they all knew in their hearts how slim that chance was. Moreover, nearly sixteen hours had passed since Su Wenyue had jumped. If she genuinely couldn’t swim, any rescue attempt would be too late by now.

“Master, what should we do now?”

“We continue the search, of course. Regardless of the outcome, we must find the lady. If she fell into the lake, considering the flow of the water, she might have been carried to the shore. Let’s search around the lake once more, thoroughly,” Qi Yun spoke in a commanding tone. The secret guards split up and began their search around the lake.

“Master, look, could this be the lady’s shoe?” A secret guard excitedly called out, running over with an embroidered shoe in hand. It had been found by the lakeside, perhaps washed ashore by the lake water.