Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 210 Missed opportunity

The villa of Dr. Hua is located in a secluded valley on the outskirts of the city. It is quiet, with birds singing and flowers blooming, and is isolated from the world. However, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui have no intention of appreciating this beautiful scenery at this moment. Their hearts are filled with anxiety and uneasiness.

When I pushed open the gate, what came into view was a mess. The flowers and plants in the yard were trampled into a mess, the furniture was overturned, and there were a few pools of dark red blood on the ground.

"It looks like there has been a fierce fight here!" Hu Bugui squatted down, carefully examined the traces on the ground, frowning.

"Will Doctor Hua..." Wu Tao didn't dare to say anything else. She was worried that the worst had already happened.

At this moment, a carrier pigeon flew from a distance and landed on Wu Tao's shoulder. Wu Tao took the letter box from the pigeon's foot, opened it, and his face turned pale.

"What's wrong?" Hu Bugui asked hurriedly when he saw this.

"This is the news from the secret guards. They have discovered the whereabouts of the leader of the mysterious organization, at Yunmeng Villa outside the city!" Wu Tao's voice trembled slightly.

"Great! Let's go now and catch him!" A cold light flashed in Hu Bugui's eyes. They have been tracking this mysterious organization for too long. Now they finally have a clue. They must not let him escape again!

Yunmeng Villa is located in a dense forest outside the city. It is quiet and easy to defend but difficult to attack. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui disguised themselves and sneaked into the villa.

The villa was heavily guarded, with patrolling guards everywhere. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui used their agility to avoid the guards' sight and sneaked into the depths of the villa.

Finally, they stopped in front of a secret room in the backyard of the villa.

"It should be here." Hu Bugui said in a low voice.

The two looked at each other and gently pushed open the door of the secret room... There was only a dim oil lamp in the secret room, barely illuminating the small space. A figure in black clothes and a bamboo hat had his back to them, seemingly searching for something.

"Finally found you!" Hu Bugui shouted, drew his sword and rushed forward.

Hearing the movement behind him, the man in black turned around suddenly and shot out the hidden weapon in his hand like lightning. Hu Bugui was prepared and dodged sideways, with the sword pointing directly at the man in black's face.

The man in black did not want to fight. Taking advantage of Hu Bugui's escape, he kicked over the oil lamp, and the secret room was instantly plunged into darkness.

"Not good!" Wu Tao exclaimed. In the darkness, there were flashes of swords and sabers. The two could only rely on the faint moonlight and their keen hearing to deal with it carefully.

"Don't even think about escaping!" Wu Tao heard the black-clad man's rapid breathing coming from the corner of the wall. She swung out a whip without hesitation and tried to tie him up.

However, the whip missed.

With a loud "bang", a big hole was blown in the wall of the secret room. The moonlight poured in from the hole, illuminating an empty wall. The man in black had long disappeared.

"Damn it!" Hu Bugui punched the wall hard, and a clear fist mark suddenly appeared on the wall.

Wu Tao stood there, his face pale, the whip in his hand drooping weakly on the ground. They had clearly found the leader of the mysterious organization, and they were just a little bit away from catching him, but...

"It's all my fault. If I had reacted faster, he wouldn't have escaped..." Wu Tao's voice was full of self-blame and regret.

Hu Bugui looked at Wu Tao's self-blaming expression, hugged her distressedly, and comforted her softly: "It's not your fault, we were too careless."

He knew that Wu Tao wanted to capture the leader of the mysterious organization and put an end to the chaos more than anyone else. However, the more you care, the easier it is to make mistakes.

"But, we missed this opportunity. He will definitely be more cautious, and it will be even more difficult for us to find him again..." Wu Tao's voice was choked with sobs.

Hu Bugui was silent, he knew that what Wu Tao said was true. This mistake not only made them miss the opportunity to capture the leader of the mysterious organization, but more importantly, made them realize that this mysterious organization was more cunning and powerful than they imagined.

"And..." Wu Tao raised his head, his eyes full of worry, "He detonated the secret room before leaving. I'm afraid he wanted to..."

"I want to destroy all the evidence." Hu Bugui took over her words with a serious tone.

The two looked at each other and saw the same worry in each other's eyes. What consequences will this mistake bring to Chang'an City?

When they returned to Chang'an City, what greeted them was not the expected cheers and praise, but a wave of doubts and accusations.

"My Lord, Miss Wu, didn't you find the lair of the mysterious organization? Why did you let them escape?"

"Yes, the city has been in turmoil recently, and everyone is in a state of panic. You have to help us!"

The common people gathered in front of Hu Bugui's mansion, talking about it in a flurry of voices, their words full of disappointment and dissatisfaction. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui stood in the middle of the crowd, listening to these accusations, with mixed feelings in their hearts.

"Dear fellow villagers, please rest assured that we will bring the mysterious organization to justice as soon as possible and restore peace to Chang'an City!" Hu Bugui said loudly, trying to calm everyone.

"Your Highness, it's easy for you to say it, but it's been so long and why is there no movement at all?" someone in the crowd shouted.

"That's right, we can't just sit there and wait for death!"

The people's doubts became louder and louder. Wu Tao looked at the people in front of her who were wrapped in fear and anger, and her heart was filled with self-blame and guilt. She knew that it was her momentary negligence that allowed the leader of the mysterious organization to escape and also plunged the people of Chang'an into panic.

"Everyone, please believe us, we will definitely give you an explanation!" Wu Tao stood up and said in a firm tone.

The crowd gradually quieted down, and everyone's eyes were focused on Wu Tao. Wu Tao took a deep breath and continued, "I know that we failed in our duty this time, but please believe that we will do our best to make up for this mistake and will never let the mysterious organization go unpunished!"

Wu Tao's words were sincere and powerful, making the people present feel an unprecedented firmness and determination. Some people in the crowd began to nod, expressing their belief in Wu Tao and Hu Bugui.

"We will continue to track down the whereabouts of the mysterious organization and will never give up any clues." Hu Bugui added, "Please trust us and give us some time. We will definitely give you a satisfactory answer!"

After saying this, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui bowed deeply to everyone to express their apologies and determination.

The crowd gradually dispersed. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui stood side by side in front of the mansion, looking at the streets gradually returning to calm, but their hearts were filled with heaviness.

"Can we really find him?" Wu Tao asked softly, with a hint of confusion in his tone.

Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's hand tightly and said with a firm look in his eyes: "Of course we can. Even if he hides at the ends of the earth, we will find him!"

Back at the mansion, Hu Bugui punched the table, and the mahogany table cracked, showing how strong his force was. Wu Tao had never seen him so angry before, and she was full of self-blame, and silently poured him a cup of tea.

"It's all my fault. If I had been able to..." Wu Tao choked up and couldn't say any more.

Hu Bugui took the tea but did not drink it. He just looked at the rising and falling tea leaves in the cup quietly and said in a low voice: "It's not your fault. It's all my fault for underestimating the enemy."

In the following days, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui searched almost the entire Chang'an City, but the leader of the mysterious organization seemed to have disappeared without leaving any trace.

"How could this happen? Did he just disappear like that?" Wu Tao sat weakly on the stone bench in the yard, his tone full of fatigue and frustration.

Hu Bugui looked at her depressed look, and a sense of powerlessness also rose in his heart. He knew that this failure was a big blow to Wu Tao. She had always been very demanding of herself, and this mistake made her deeply blame herself.

"No, he will definitely show up again." Hu Bugui walked to Wu Tao, gently held her hand, and said in a firm tone, "We will definitely catch him and give an explanation to the people of Chang'an City."

Wu Tao raised his head and looked at Hu Bugui's determined eyes, and a glimmer of hope ignited in his heart. Yes, they can't just give up like this, they still have responsibilities and promises, they must find the leader of the mysterious organization and bring peace to Chang'an City.

Just when they were about to despair, an unsigned letter was delivered to Hu Bugui's study. On the envelope were only five words written: "Hu Bugui personally wrote" in a vigorous and powerful handwriting, but with a chilling atmosphere.

Hu Bugui opened the envelope and saw only a thin piece of paper inside. There was only one sentence written on it: "Seven days later, meet at a ruined temple on the outskirts of the city. Do not bring anyone else, otherwise you will bear the consequences yourself."

"What does this mean?" Wu Tao looked at the strange letter, his heart full of doubts.

Hu Bugui frowned and looked at the letter carefully, as if he wanted to find some clues from it.

"This is his handwriting." Hu Bugui said affirmatively, "He wants to meet me."

"What? He asked you to meet him? Why?" Wu Tao asked in surprise, "What does he want to do?"

"I don't know." Hu Bugui shook his head. "But since he dared to ask me to meet him, he must have made some preparations. We can't take it lightly."

He threw the letter into the candlelight, and the flame instantly devoured the thin paper and illuminated Hu Bugui's stern face.

"After seven days, I want to see what he wants to do."