Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 271 The Edge of Heartbreak

The cold and damp ground was emitting a bone-chilling chill, and Wu Tao felt her consciousness gradually waking up from the chaos. It was as if all the bones in her body were torn apart and reassembled, and the intense pain made her groan. She tried hard to open her heavy eyelids, but her vision was blurry, and only a faint light came in from the vent above her head, illuminating a small area.

"Awake?" A cold voice sounded beside my ears, with undisguised malice, "We meet again, Wu Tao."

Wu Tao turned his eyes with difficulty and finally saw the figure standing in front of him. It was the man in black. He was still wearing a mask, revealing only a pair of eyes full of mockery and cruelty.

"What do you want to do?" Wu Tao asked coldly, enduring the pain in his body.

"Don't worry, we have plenty of time to talk slowly." The man in black squatted down and gently lifted Wu Tao's chin with his gloved fingers. "I'm very interested in where you came from. The secrets in you are of vital importance to us."

Wu Tao turned her head away, avoiding his touch, her eyes firm, "I don't understand what you are saying."

The man in black chuckled, stood up and looked down at Wu Tao, "It's no use to be stubborn, I'll make you speak." He clapped his hands, and two burly men in black immediately stepped forward and roughly dragged Wu Tao up from the ground.

The next few days were like hell for Wu Tao. The men in black used all kinds of torture to try to pry open her mouth and force her to tell the secret of her time travel. But she gritted her teeth and refused to utter a word. She knew that if she told the secret, not only would her life be in danger, but it would also bring disaster to Hu Bugui.

On the other hand, Hu Bugui finally tracked down Wu Tao's whereabouts with the help of the space-time guardian. He was extremely anxious and wanted to rush in to save him immediately, but was stopped by the guardian.

"You can't go now. They are well prepared. If you act rashly, you will only alert the enemy." The guardian analyzed calmly, "We must make a careful plan to rescue Wu Tao and ensure your safety."

Hu Bugui took a deep breath and tried to suppress his inner anxiety. He knew that the guardian was right. Now was not the time to act impulsively. He looked at the red dot on the map. It was where Wu Tao was imprisoned, an abandoned factory. He clenched his fists, and a trace of determination flashed in his eyes. No matter what, he had to rescue Wu Tao, even if it cost him anything.

"Let me in, I want to see her." Hu Bugui's voice echoed in the empty factory with unquestionable firmness.

The biting cold seemed to penetrate the thick factory walls and reach Hu Bugui's heart. He walked into the abandoned factory step by step, his footsteps heavy as if filled with lead. In the dim light, Wu Tao's thin figure huddled in the corner, his body covered with shocking scars.

"Taotao!" Hu Bugui's voice was trembling, and his heart was broken. He wanted to rush over and hug her tightly, but he knew that now was not the time.

The leader of the men in black walked out from the shadows with a sneer on his face, "Your Majesty, long time no see."

"Let her go. Just tell me what conditions you have." Hu Bugui suppressed his anger and spoke in a cold tone.

"Great! I only want one thing - a magic weapon for traveling through time." A trace of greed flashed in the eyes of the leader of the men in black.

Hu Bugui's pupils shrank suddenly. He knew what the time travel magic weapon meant. It was not only their only hope to return to the modern times, but also related to the stability of time and space. Once it fell into the hands of the wicked, the consequences would be disastrous.

"Impossible, change your conditions." Hu Bugui flatly refused with a firm tone.

"Your Highness, don't be so quick to refuse." The leader of the men in black clapped his hands, and two men in black immediately dragged Wu Tao in front of him. A dagger was placed against her neck, and the sharp blade cut her fair skin, oozing out beads of blood.

"No!" Hu Bugui's eyes were red with anger, and his heart seemed to be tightly grasped by someone. He looked at Wu Tao's pale face and painful eyes, and he was torn between his conscience and his conscience.

The leader of the men in black pressed on, "Your Highness, please think carefully, which is more important, the magic weapon for time travel or your sweetheart? My patience is limited, you'd better make a decision as soon as possible."

Time passed by minute by minute, and the air seemed to freeze, making it hard to breathe. Hu Bugui clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his flesh, but he didn't feel any pain. His mind kept replaying every bit of his encounter with Wu Tao. The laughter, the sweetness, the vows, now turned into sharp blades, piercing his heart fiercely.

"I..." Hu Bugui's voice was hoarse, filled with endless pain and struggle. He slowly closed his eyes, as if he had made an extremely difficult decision, "I promise you."

Hu Bugui uttered these words with difficulty, as if he had exhausted all his strength. He slowly opened his eyes, with a resolute light flashing in them, but hidden deep inside was endless pain and self-blame.

Back at the palace, the usually calm and composed Hu Bugui seemed like a different person. He was restless, pacing back and forth in the study, his hands clenched into fists. The servants had never seen the prince lose his composure like this, and they were all silent, not daring to make a sound.

"Your Highness, please take care of yourself!" The old butler felt so distressed when he saw Hu Bugui's haggard appearance that he couldn't help but speak to comfort him.

"I'm fine." Hu Bugui's voice was hoarse and a little tired.

At this time, the door was gently pushed open, and Li Chunfeng and Di Renjie walked in side by side.

"Your Highness, we have heard about this matter." Di Renjie said in a heavy tone, "The only thing we can do now is to stabilize the group of thieves first, and then take our time."

"Yes, Your Majesty, you must not panic." Li Chunfeng also echoed, "In my opinion, since that group of people want to travel through time and space, they will definitely contact you again. We can just take advantage of their tricks."

Hu Bugui raised his head and looked at his two friends with burning eyes, "What you mean is..."

"Your Highness, we can pretend to agree to their request, but secretly set up a dragnet, and when they show up, we will catch them all in one fell swoop!" Di Renjie said in a firm tone, with a gleam in his eyes.

"Okay, let's do it!" Hu Bugui slammed the table, and the flame of hope rekindled in his eyes.

However, the development of the matter was far beyond their expectations. Just when Hu Bugui was about to follow the plan and prepare to take advantage of the enemy's strategy, the leader of the men in black suddenly sent someone to deliver a letter.

The handwriting on the letter was sloppy, but it revealed a chilling chill: Prince, I know you are delaying time, but you'd better not play tricks, otherwise, your sweetheart will never see tomorrow's sun.

Hu Bugui's heart suddenly sank, and an ominous premonition came over him. He tightly grasped the letter, and his knuckles turned blue-white.

"Someone come here!" Hu Bugui shouted sternly.

"Your Highness, what do you want me to do for you?" The guard immediately knelt down and responded.

"Pass the order down, block the city gates, search house by house, and make sure to find Taotao!" Hu Bugui's voice was cold, with a hint of unquestionable majesty.

"Yes, sir!" The guard took the order and left.

However, it was too late. When Hu Bugui and his men arrived at the abandoned factory, they found that it was already deserted, with only messy footprints and the smell of blood in the air, silently telling of what had happened there.

"Tao Tao..." Hu Bugui fell to his knees helplessly, pounding his fists on the ground, and roared in despair. He raised his head and looked at the empty factory. The cold warning of the leader of the men in black kept echoing in his mind. His heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible big hand, and he was almost suffocated.

He knew that he had to find Wu Tao as soon as possible, otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous...

Hu Bugui mobilized all his forces, and the entire Chang'an City was shrouded in a dark cloud. The city gates were closed, soldiers searched house by house, and the people were panicked and talked about it. However, no matter how hard Hu Bugui tried, Wu Tao seemed to have evaporated from the face of the earth, and there was no news of him.

After a few days, Hu Bugui turned Chang'an upside down, but still couldn't find Wu Tao's whereabouts. He became silent, his eyes were red, and his former high spirits disappeared, replaced by endless self-blame and pain. He kept asking himself, if he could have noticed the danger earlier, if he could have been stronger, Wu Tao would not have been captured.

"Your Highness, you haven't slept for three days and three nights. Eat something." The old housekeeper brought the food and looked at Hu Bugui distressedly. But Hu Bugui seemed not to hear and still sat in the study, staring out the window with empty eyes.

Just when Hu Bugui was almost in despair, a familiar figure quietly appeared in front of him.

"It's you!" Hu Bugui stood up suddenly and recognized that the person was the Guardian of Time and Space who had rescued him from the turbulence of time and space.

"I'm here to help you." The Guardian of Time and Space spoke calmly, yet with an unquestionable majesty. "I know what you are looking for, and I know the pain you are in now. But you must remember, only by staying calm can you save her."

The Guardian of Time and Space handed Hu Bugui an ancient ring and said, "Put it on. It can guide you to find Wu Tao and also give you more powerful power."

Hu Bugui took the ring and put it on his hand without hesitation. A warm force instantly surged through his body, filling his exhausted body with strength. He raised his head, and the flame of hope rekindled in his eyes.

"Where is she?" Hu Bugui asked anxiously.

The Guardian of Time and Space did not answer directly, but pointed to the north and said, "Go to Luoyang, there is an ancient altar, and Wu Tao is there."

"Altar?" Hu Bugui was puzzled, but he turned around and left without hesitation, "Thank you!"

He rode on his horse and galloped northward. He knew that this time, he must rescue Wu Tao, no matter what the cost...

Outside Luoyang City, in a desolate valley, there is an ancient altar hidden. The altar is surrounded by weeds and looks eerie, like the gate to hell.

Hu Bugui stood in front of the altar and felt a strong wave of power. He clenched the sword in his hand, took a deep breath, and walked up to the altar step by step.

"Taotao, here I come!"