Molly Yun countered, "Adrian, do you think you're a fool?"
Adrian raised an eyebrow at her.
"No, you're not," Molly Yun shook her head gently. "You deliberately sent away the guards at the suspension bridge just to test me, to see if I would try to escape, right?"
"Ha." Adrian let out a soft laugh.
"Normally, the guards are so strict. Suddenly there's a loophole—it's not logical at all," Molly Yun said calmly. "Besides, even though I'm anxious to get back, I can't just sneak away while you're hovering at the edge of life and death."
Adrian's gaze shifted slightly. "Is that what you really think?"
"Yes," Molly Yun replied, trying her best to keep her expression calm and unreadable.
Adrian broke into a happy smile. "Does that mean, deep down, I'm not just dispensable to you?"
"That's not it," Molly Yun denied. "I'm just not that heartless."
Even though Molly Yun had just scolded him again, Adrian seemed even happier.
Adrian nodded and said, "It seems that smart people really do survive better. Honestly, even if you crossed the suspension bridge, it wouldn't do you any good."
Molly Yun's heart skipped a beat.
"Because even the ridgeway has been emptied out by me. Even if you crossed the suspension bridge, you wouldn't get past the Ridgeway Bridge. The ridge is where we keep all our supplies. There are plenty of people guarding that area. You'd either have to hide at the ridge and risk starving and dying, or you'd be caught and brought right back to me again." Adrian cheerfully revealed the truth. "So you've managed to earn my trust."
Molly Yun's pupils involuntarily contracted.
Good thing I didn't act rashly!
Otherwise, I really would have failed at the last step.
Now that I've gained his trust for the moment, I just hope they don't notice the scratch on the license plate!
Driving on mountain roads, it's normal for small stones to chip the license plate.
Unless they look really closely, there's no way they'd notice I drew a camellia blossom on it.
The camellia blossom is the provincial flower of Eastshire.
As long as Cecilia Gu sees that flower, she'll definitely figure out my situation!
Please, heavens, don't let them find out!
"Nora?" Adrian called out to her. "What's wrong?"
"Ah, it's nothing." Molly Yun snapped back to reality. Seeing him lying in bed, she walked over and said, "Your wound is healing well. I can't even tell you were injured."
Adrian grinned and unbuttoned his shirt, showing Molly Yun.
Molly Yun blushed and quickly looked away, embarrassed.
Adrian said seriously, "You're overthinking it. I just wanted to show you my wound."
Molly Yun blushed even more, but managed to turn and look directly at Adrian's wound.
When her gaze landed on Adrian's chest, Molly Yun cried out, "How is this possible!"
Adrian's chest didn't have a single wound.
It was perfectly fine—nothing there at all.
Impossible! She’d clearly seen a wound on his chest—how could it just vanish?
In her panic, Molly Yun rushed over and pressed her hand against Adrian’s chest, checking for the injury.
Molly Yun even wondered if Adrian had used makeup to hide the wound.
But no matter how much she pressed or pinched, his skin was perfectly smooth—not a trace of injury.
"This makes no sense!" Molly Yun frantically searched for the wound, but there wasn’t a mark anywhere.
"Ahem, ahem." Adrian suddenly grabbed Molly Yun’s hand and said in a low voice, "Nora, even if I’m weak right now, I’m still a man. Are you seriously trying to flirt with me by poking around like that?"
Molly Yun snapped back to her senses, quickly pulled her hand away, and turned her gaze aside, embarrassed by his pale skin. "Sorry, that’s not what I meant."
Adrian calmly buttoned up his shirt, slowly sat up, and said, "At my age, I shouldn’t be this weak. But years ago, when I was still a regional godfather, I was nearly assassinated, and it hurt my vitality."
Molly Yun looked up at Adrian. "Did you use arcane magic?"
"Yes." Adrian straightened his clothes and stood in front of Molly Yun. "If I hadn’t, I would’ve died. But using arcane magic shortened my lifespan a lot."
"So, because you used arcane magic, you'll die at an age you shouldn't—and that's why the next High Priest of the Shadow Tribe hasn't appeared yet?" Molly Yun nodded knowingly. "If you don't mess with fate, you won't die early!"
Adrian chuckled softly. "Mm, that's not a bad way to put it."
Molly Yun: ...
"As long as you're okay." Molly Yun couldn't even tell what she was feeling right now.
She hated Adrian so much, but still didn't want him to die.
If Adrian died now, the Shadow Tribe would probably be doomed, right?
Even though the Yun Family and the Shadow Tribe have nothing to do with each other anymore, she'd still feel a sense of shared loss.
"You didn't wish for me to die at your husband's hands?" Adrian chuckled. "Nora, you're going soft on me."
"That's not true." Molly Yun turned away and looked out the window, her voice stiff. "I just don't want Eric Jiang's hands stained with blood. He's like a celestial being—your blood shouldn't taint him!"
"You really are biased," Adrian muttered, then added, "Don't worry, I'm the High Priest of the Shadow Tribe. I won't mistreat him."
"If you're fine, I'll head back now." Molly Yun turned and walked out.
"Nora," Adrian called out again, "Don't try to escape. You have no chance. And don't try to leave any marks or signals—I won't let you contact anyone outside. Everything here is delivered by my people. If you try to reach anyone, you'll be locked up immediately. Understand?"
"Didn't I already stay put?" Molly Yun stopped and said, "I haven't done anything, right? You were sick, so I waited in the villa for you to wake up. What else do you want me to do?"
"That's for the best." Adrian's gaze flickered for a moment before he spoke slowly. "Go get some rest."
Molly Yun didn't linger and quickly left the room.
Watching Molly Yun's retreating figure, Adrian's eyes grew darker and more distant.
Nora, don't force me to hurt you.
I don't want to.
Molly Yun hurried back to her own room, locked the door behind her, and leaned against it, gasping for breath.
Adrian probably didn't notice what I did to the license plate, right?
This is my only chance!
Cecilia, you've got to be sharp—please figure it out!
In her rush, the camellia blossom was drawn messily. To hide it, she added lots of lines.
If all the license plates outside are being monitored, then these cars are more likely to be discovered.
What if they do find it?
Cecilia Gu, who always shares a deep bond with Nora, also thought of this possibility. She said to Charles Yin, "If my sister is being held captive, her only chance to send a message out is probably in the most overlooked place. So, these days, we have to stay sharp and not miss a single clue!"
Charles Yin comforted Cecilia Gu, "Don't worry. We've already got people staking out all the hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies. If Cousin injured that man, he'll have to seek medical help. When he does, we'll catch him for sure!"
Eric Jiang frowned. "That guy is seriously strange. I know I hit him, but it felt like I was shooting into water."