5315

Chapter 5315: Madness

Mu Xiaoxue scrambled to the door and pounded on it. However, the tightly shut door simply gave way under her impact, swinging open. Mu Xiaoxue, caught off guard, stumbled forward with the suddenly open door, falling flat on the ground.

She ignored her aching body and quickly looked up. The Changle Courtyard, usually brightly lit, was now completely dark and empty. She couldn't see a single soul nearby. Only the howling wind swept through the central courtyard, a desolate gust of dark air.

Mu Xiaoxue was on the verge of madness.

She frantically scrambled to her feet, her trembling legs carrying her in a wild rush through the main entrance. She tripped on the threshold of the central hall but managed to regain her balance. When she burst into the main hall and found no one, then rushed to the backyard and found it empty too, Mu Xiaoxue was completely stunned.

She could only dash madly to the backyard kitchen, hoping to find something to eat. But as soon as she stepped in, all she saw were two or three fat rats scurrying away, their squeaks terrifying her. Her face went stiff and pale, and she let out a choked cry.

No one? Had everyone from Changle Courtyard evacuated?

The Second Young Master and the others were all gone. In the kitchen, there wasn't even a bowl of hot soup, let alone any leftovers. The rice bin was empty, not a single grain of rice. The stovetop had no cold steamed buns, and lifting the pot revealed only emptiness. This drove Mu Xiaoxue, who had been hungry for three days and was dizzy from it, into complete despair and madness.

Gone was any trace of her former elegance, beauty, or composure. She stood in the courtyard, screaming hysterically like a shrew, "Mother, Mother! Second Young Master, where have you all gone?"

No one. Absolutely no one was left. It felt as if only Mu Xiaoxue remained in the entire world.

Helplessness, panic, and fear overwhelmed Mu Xiaoxue, making her scream uncontrollably.

"Fool, do you intend to attract everyone here?" Suddenly, a cold voice came from behind her.

Mu Xiaoxue gasped in surprise and joy, then turned and fell to her knees before the newcomer. "Hall Master Gong, save me, Hall Master Gong!"

Hall Master Grimface (Gong Songfeng) stared at her with deep, profound eyes, a faint glimmer of light passing through them.

"Hall Master Gong, please take me to see my mother, or the Second Young Master, or even the First Young Master!" Mu Xiaoxue, desperate for protection, cried tearfully. "I, I want to become stronger. I, I, I want to accept the organization's modifications!"

She no longer wanted to live like a street rat, chased day in and day out, penniless and homeless. She would look at a beggar's half-eaten meat bun, drooling, yet dare not snatch it. Because she couldn't beat them; trying to snatch it would only get her beaten.

Hall Master Grimface's eyes flickered slightly as he recalled what the Second Young Master had said: The little one (Qiao Mu) wants to deal with her. This ruthless little thing wants to drive her to the brink of despair.

[Songfeng, cooperate with her.]

Hall Master Grimface, Gong Songfeng, coldly looked at the frail woman prostrating at his feet, his eyes devoid of any emotion. He reached into his robes, pulled out a small black porcelain bottle, and tossed it to her. His tone was as if bestowing charity, speaking lightly, "If you want to become stronger, then swallow this."

"No one can help you; only you can help yourself," Gong Songfeng said coldly.

Mu Xiaoxue humbly prostrated on the ground, raising her trembling hands to reverently cup the porcelain bottle.