As chaos settled and the bandits were subdued, Dai Cai, the main attendant, felt a knot of unease twist in his stomach. The plan had gone awry—Li Rong was nowhere to be found. His disappearance threatened to unravel everything he had meticulously orchestrated.
Suppressing his mounting panic, Dai Cai masked his true emotions behind a facade of concern. With practiced ease, he rallied the guards to search the surrounding area, their lanterns casting flickering shadows across the darkened landscape.
But beneath the surface, Dai Cai seethed with fury. He knew all too well the consequences of Li Rong's disappearance. Mao Rong's ambitions, fueled by her desire to secure herself a marriage to Xuan Liang, had driven her to orchestrate this elaborate scheme with Dai Cai, promising riches to the greedy servant. And now, with Li Rong missing, their carefully laid plans lay in jeopardy.
As Dai Cai surveyed the scene, his eyes fell upon the empty spot where Li Rong had once been. A cold fury gripped his heart, threatening to consume him whole. He had risked everything for this moment, and now it was slipping through his fingers like grains of sand.
But it was the realization that the jade storage ring was missing from his finger that sent Dai Cai over the edge. His hands trembled with rage as he ordered the guards to search the bodies of the fallen bandits for the missing ring, their lifeless forms a grim testament to the violence that had unfolded.
With each fruitless search, Dai Cai's anger boiled over, his patience worn thin by the mounting frustration. And when one of the young attendants dared to approach him, seeking guidance in the midst of the chaos, Dai Cai lashed out without a second thought.
Dai Cai's rage erupted and he unleashed his fury upon the hapless young attendant, a palpable tension gripped the air, suffocating the onlookers with a sense of fear and apprehension. The other attendants and guards exchanged uneasy glances, their expressions a mixture of shock and dismay at the sudden outburst of violence.
Some of the attendants recoiled in horror, their eyes wide with disbelief at the sight before them. They had never witnessed Dai Cai lose control in such a manner, and the ferocity of his assault left them shaken to their core.
Others exchanged furtive whispers amongst themselves, casting wary glances at Dai Cai as he continued to rain blows upon the defenseless young attendant. They knew better than to intervene, for to defy Dai Cai in his current state of fury would invite their own peril.
Dai Cai threw the young attendants body to the side once he had sufficiently vented his anger, he knew that time was running out. They had to find Li Rong, and quickly, before word reached Wu Rong and their carefully constructed facade crumbled to dust.