Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 143 Watching the Sky at Night

Li Xiaoyao lowered his voice and spoke hurriedly: "My master observed the celestial phenomena at night and found something strange. The leader of the organization may have found the key to open the door of time and space. He will perform a ceremony on the moon-watching platform outside Chang'an City on the full moon night in seven days, and the door of time and space will be opened at that time!"

"Seven days later?" Hu Bugui frowned and pondered for a moment. "Time is running out. We must rush back to Chang'an as soon as possible and make all preparations!"

Wu Tao was extremely anxious and wished he could grow wings so he could fly back to the modern era and prevent the disaster from happening.

The three of them rode as fast as they could, traveling day and night, and finally arrived back in Chang'an City on the evening of the sixth day. However, what was waiting for them was an expedited letter, the contents of which made Wu Tao feel like he was struck by lightning, his eyes went dark, and he almost fainted.

Hu Bugui quickly supported Wu Tao and unfolded the letter, his face turning pale. The letter was written by Wu Tao's neighbor, Lao Wang, who said that a few days ago, a group of unidentified men in black suddenly broke into Wu Tao's home and abducted her parents and brother, whose whereabouts are still unknown.

"No! This is impossible!" Wu Tao's hands trembled, trying to grab something, but she found that she couldn't grab anything. She didn't believe, and didn't want to believe, that all this was true.

"Tao'er, calm down!" Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's hand tightly, trying to calm her down. "We will find them, believe me!"

Wu Tao's mind was blank, and her ears were buzzing, as if the whole world was moving away from her. She remembered her parents' kind smiles and her brother's mischievous appearance. They were her closest people and her only concern in this world. But now, they had encountered an accident because of her. How could she accept this?

At this moment, a jade hand gently rested on her shoulder. Wu Tao slowly raised her head and saw a familiar face. It was her good friend in modern times, Lin Xiaoxiao.

"Xiaoxiao? Why are you here?" Wu Tao couldn't believe her eyes, she thought she was hallucinating.

Lin Xiaoxiao's eyes were red, and she tried hard to hold back her tears and said, "Tao'er, I'm sorry, I came too late. I failed to protect my uncle, aunt, and Xiaohao..."

"What on earth happened? Tell me quickly!" Wu Tao had a bad feeling in his heart.

Lin Xiaoxiao took a deep breath and said slowly: "That day, I received a call from your brother. He said that a few strange people came to the house and asked me to go over quickly. When I arrived, I saw..."

Lin Xiaoxiao's voice choked, and she couldn't continue speaking because the following scene was too cruel and she couldn't bear to say it out loud.

"Tell me quickly! What happened?" Wu Tao became emotional. She shook Lin Xiaoxiao's shoulders, wanting to know the truth.

Lin Xiaoxiao couldn't hold back her tears. She said intermittently, "I saw... I saw those men in black... They... They attacked your brother with a strange weapon... Then... Then they took my uncle, aunt and Xiaohao... and disappeared..."

"No..." Wu Tao collapsed on the ground weakly, tears pouring out like a flood.

"Tao'er..." Lin Xiaoxiao hugged Wu Tao in her arms with heartache and comforted her softly.

Hu Bugui looked at the scene in front of him with mixed feelings. He knew that all this was because of him, because he brought Wu Tao to this era, which put her in such a dangerous situation.

He walked up to Wu Tao, squatted down, gently wiped the tears from her face, and said firmly: "Tao'er, this is not your fault, you didn't do anything wrong. This is all my fault. I didn't protect you well and let you suffer."

Wu Tao raised her head and looked at Hu Bugui with tearful eyes. Her heart was filled with pain and self-blame. She didn't know what to do. She only knew that she couldn't lose her loved ones and she must save them.

Hu Bugui hugged Wu Tao in his arms, her body trembling slightly because of sadness. He gently stroked her hair and whispered: "Tao'er, this is not your fault, you did nothing wrong. This is all my fault. I failed to protect you and let you suffer."

Wu Tao looked at him with tears in her eyes, choking with sobs and unable to speak. She tightly grasped Hu Bugui's collar, as if it was her only support.

"We will definitely find them, believe me!" Hu Bugui said firmly, his eyes full of strength, "We will return to the modern era, find those men in black, and rescue your family."

A glimmer of hope flashed in Wu Tao's eyes. She raised her head and asked, "Really? Can we really go back?"

"Of course." Hu Bugui answered affirmatively, "We will try every possible way to return to the modern era and solve all this."

He helped Wu Tao stand up, looked into the distance with a firm gaze, and said, "Tao'er, I know you are very sad and blame yourself now, but you can't fall down. Your family is still waiting for you, you must be strong and face this with us."

Wu Tao took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She knew Hu Bugui was right, she couldn't indulge in sadness anymore, she had to cheer up, for her family and for herself.

"You're right. I can't give up." Wu Tao clenched his fists, his eyes gleaming with determination. "I want to go back with you, rescue my family, and make those men in black pay the price!"

Hu Bugui looked at Wu Tao with relief. He knew that she had come out of her sadness and became stronger.

"Okay, let's go back together and fight those dark forces to the end!" Hu Bugui's voice was full of power and his eyes were burning with rage.

At this moment, Li Xiaoyao, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said, "I want to go too!"

Hu Bugui and Wu Tao looked at him in surprise. Li Xiaoyao said firmly, "You are all my friends. I can't just sit there and watch you take risks. What's more, those men in black have committed many evil deeds. As a chivalrous knight, I have the responsibility to stop them."

Hu Bugui patted Li Xiaoyao on the shoulder and said gratefully: "Good brother, I feel relieved with your words!"

Wu Tao also looked at Li Xiaoyao with gratitude and said, "Thank you, Brother Li."

Li Xiaoyao smiled heartily and said, "There is no need for us to exchange polite words. Without further ado, let's discuss how we can return to the modern era and find those men in black."

The three of them sat together and began to discuss the next plan. They all knew that this was a life-or-death battle, but for justice and for their loved ones, they had no hesitation!

As night falls, Chang'an City is shrouded in silence. However, in the study of the palace, a tense atmosphere is spreading. Wu Tao, Hu Bugui and Li Xiaoyao, three people from different worlds, come together because of a common goal. They are about to embark on a road full of unknowns and dangers...

In the study, the dim candlelight illuminated the solemn faces of the three people. Wu Tao's hands tightly grasped the corners of her clothes, her knuckles turned white, and her heart was full of worry and fear. Hu Bugui held her in his arms and whispered to comfort her: "Don't be afraid, Tao'er, we will definitely succeed."

Li Xiaoyao looked around with a determined look: "There is no time to lose, let's act as soon as possible. Although I don't understand what you mean by 'modern times', I, Li Xiaoyao, have been in the martial arts world for many years and have friends all over the world. As long as I can help, I will do my best!"

Hu Bugui patted his shoulder gratefully: "Good brother, I feel relieved when you say this!"

They activated the time travel artifact again. After a while of dizziness, Wu Tao found herself back in a familiar room. The furnishings in the room were the same as before, but she felt extremely unfamiliar, as if she had been away from here for a long, long time.

"Taoer, we are back." Hu Bugui's voice sounded in her ears, with a barely perceptible tremor.

Wu Tao took a deep breath, suppressed his inner anxiety, and turned to look out the window. The sun was setting, and the familiar city was shrouded in a golden afterglow. However, beneath this seemingly calm surface, a huge crisis was hidden.

According to the plan, they first found Wu Tao's friend Lin Xiao in modern times. Lin Xiao is a capable reporter, well-informed, and may be able to provide some help. However, when they found Lin Xiao, they found that her door was closed and the door was sealed by the court.

"What's going on?" Wu Tao had an ominous premonition in his heart.

Hu Bugui went forward to check and found that the date on the seal was actually a few days ago. In other words, Lin Xiao had already had an accident during the time they traveled back to the Tang Dynasty.

"It seems that we have underestimated our opponents." Li Xiaoyao's face was solemn, "Their power in modern times is far stronger than we imagined."

They did not give up and continued to look for other friends and family members, only to find that they had all encountered various accidents: some companies suddenly went bankrupt, some were inexplicably involved in lawsuits, and some even lost contact...

"This is impossible!" Wu Tao looked at all this in disbelief. "How on earth did they do it? Why were they able to hit everyone so accurately?"

Hu Bugui's face was gloomy. He realized that they were not facing ordinary enemies, but an organization with huge power and resources. The leader of this organization seemed to be able to predict their actions and set up a trap in advance.

"It seems that we have to change our strategy." Hu Bugui said in a deep voice, "We can no longer passively search for them. We must take the initiative to find out who is behind them, so that we can completely solve the problem."

Wu Tao and Li Xiaoyao both nodded in agreement. They knew it was a difficult battle, but they would never give up in order to protect the people they cherished.

As night falls and the city lights come on, however, in the eyes of Wu Tao and others, this bustling night scene is full of crisis and anxiety. They stand on the top of a tall building, looking at the flashing neon lights in the distance, their hearts filled with heaviness and confusion. Where should they go in the future?

 The peach blossoms wither, leaving no trace of heartbreak

Wu Tao had never hated his own powerlessness so much.

Although they have returned to the familiar modern times and possess advanced technology and countless resources, they are still losing ground, as if they were trapped in an invisible giant net, with every step they take being calculated by the enemy.

"Something must have gone wrong!" Wu Tao tightly grasped his mobile phone, and the latest message was displayed on the screen: their base in City A was exposed and all contacts were lost.

"Calm down, Tao'er." Hu Bugui held her shoulders, his deep eyes full of fatigue, "We still have a chance, we can't lose our composure."

Li Xiaoyao paced back and forth, grabbing his hair impatiently: "Damn it! Who are these guys? How come they can predict our actions every time?"

"They must have planted spies around us." The mysterious visitor who had been silent all this time spoke. He used to be Wu Tao's neighbor in modern times, a retired old criminal policeman with rich experience and sharp insight.

Wu Tao's heart sank suddenly. Could it be that there really was a traitor among them?

In the next few days, they carefully checked the people around them, but found nothing. At the same time, the attacks of the organization leader became more and more fierce, and Wu Tao and Hu Bugui's family and friends encountered accidents one after another. They were like trapped animals in a cage, and could only watch the disaster come, but they were powerless.

"We can't go on like this!" Wu Tao stood up suddenly, his eyes flashing with determination, "We must take the initiative to find their lair, only then can we solve the problem completely!"

Hu Bugui held her hand and said firmly: "I'll go with you!"

They made a bold plan: use themselves as bait to lure the leader of the organization out. However, when they acted according to the plan, they found themselves falling into the trap of the other party.

"Hahaha, Wu Tao, Hu Bugui, you finally fall into my hands!" The cold laughter echoed in the empty warehouse, and the figure of the leader of the organization slowly walked out of the shadows with a hideous smile on his face.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" Wu Tao asked harshly.

"Want to know? Then go to hell and ask!" The leader of the organization sneered and waved his hand. Dozens of men in black rushed out from all directions and surrounded Wu Tao and Hu Bugui.

After a fierce battle, the outnumbered Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were finally captured. They were taken to a secret underground base and imprisoned in a cold and damp cell.

"It seems like we're really doomed this time." Wu Tao leaned weakly against the wall, his tone full of bitterness.

Hu Bugui held her in his arms and whispered to comfort her: "Don't be afraid, Tao'er, even if you are in desperate situation, I will protect you."

Wu Tao raised her head, looked into his determined eyes, and a spark of hope ignited in her heart.

At this moment, she suddenly discovered an inconspicuous vent on the wall of the cell...