Is Arthur Evans the Child Thief

As they neared Black Tiger Fortress, the carriage could no longer move forward, so they had to proceed on foot. Lingdang stopped the carriage, and the three dismounted. Lingdang searched ahead for a while, found a secret signal, then turned and said, "Master, Lady Wu, this is a signal left by our people. They have successfully taken over the fortress."

"Ah, that's wonderful!" Wu Caiwei was overjoyed, lifting her skirt and running up the mountain.

Lingdang and Su Li watched her from behind, their expressions darkening.

Both knew clearly that if the fortress was taken, Xiao Yun would immediately come down the mountain with the child to meet them. But since Xiao Yun had not appeared with the child, it meant they had not found Little Clown.

This was not a good sign.

Su Li sighed and went to catch up with Wu Caiwei but was stopped by Lingdang.

"Master, two people have been following us since we left the village," Lingdang said, glancing back with a frown.

"Oh? Who?" Su Li was surprised.

"It should be Zhao and Liu Ru, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law," Lingdang replied.

"What are they doing here?" Su Li was baffled.

Lingdang shook her head. "I don't know. I thought they would stop halfway, but they actually followed us here. Master, I ordered someone to stop them to prevent any trouble."

Su Li nodded, then went after Wu Caiwei. Lingdang called out to a secret guard and gave orders, then followed.

Inside the fortress, it was indeed taken over by Xiao family's secret guards. All the bandits were either dead or tied up and thrown into the cellar.

Xiao Yun and Xiao Zetian stood in the middle of the fortress, seemingly discussing something with their men.

"Have you found the child yet!?" Su Li hurriedly asked as she approached.

Wu Caiwei also looked anxious and hopeful, but knowing Xiao Zetian's true identity, she did not dare to ask directly.

Xiao Zetian glanced at Su Li, then at Wu Caiwei, his expression very grim. "We searched the entire fortress but found no trace of the child. Meanwhile, Su Shimao has also disappeared."

"The child..." Su Li staggered back a few steps, a bad thought rising in her mind.

"Su Shimao!? Why is he in the fortress? What is he doing here!?" Wu Caiwei suddenly grabbed Su Li's arm, crying out, "A Li, are you hiding something from me? How is Su Shimao involved in this? Did Su Shimao order someone to kidnap my son?"

Seeing she couldn't hide it anymore, Su Li bit her lip and nodded in admission.

Wu Caiwei was struck as if by lightning, bursting into tears. "Su Shimao is a cruel man, always at odds with our two families. My son in his hands might already be... already..."

Wu Caiwei sobbed so hard she could barely breathe. Su Li hurriedly called Lingdang to help her sit down and said, "Caiwei, don't worry, we will find Little Clown and bring him back!"

Xiao Zetian also said, "Caiwei, rest assured, we will do our utmost to find the child and bring him back."

After speaking, Xiao Zetian immediately joined others in searching for Su Shimao's whereabouts. Meanwhile, Xiao Yun interrogated several bandits, who said that last night Su Shimao carried the child into the mountains, but no one knew exactly where.

"Search the mountains! Dig three feet deep if needed, but find Su Shimao and the child!" Xiao Zetian ordered, and the secret guards responded in unison, immediately taking action.

At the foot of the mountain, Liu Ru and Zhao were tied up by Xiao family's secret guards while riding borrowed donkeys.

Zhao shouted in fright, "Are you bandits? We have no money, don't tie us up!"

The secret guard ignored Zhao. Just as he was about to gag her, another companion arrived, holding a portrait, and said, "Orders from above: enter the mountain to search for a man named Su Shimao. The child was taken by this man."

Zhao and Liu Ru were stunned, snatching the portrait and exclaiming, "What? The kidnapper is Su Shimao?"