Qin Zhuo's goal was to capture someone. The cliff wasn't high, and the soldiers were pulling themselves down with ropes, determined to catch the person.

Even Qin Zhuo's personal bodyguards were sent out, leaving only two people in the area.

Qin Zhuo sat on a rock, lost in thought. Shen Ning sat on a lower rock, wondering how likely it was that she could borrow a horse from Qin Zhuo and return home alone.

She was restless, her eyes darting around, and eventually she disturbed someone.

Qin Zhuo slightly raised his eyes, his deep phoenix eyes revealing no emotion.

"The Thousand-Faced Demon Fox was involved in four or five cases related to treason. He was one of the top ten most wanted criminals by the court. He killed everyone who had seen his true face and even skinned them to make masks."

"You're the only one who was kidnapped by him and survived unharmed. Guess what awaits you when you get back: the imperial prison or the imperial jail?"

Shen Ning felt as if her heart had been squeezed hard.

Qin Zhuo was lying to her, wasn't he?

She's a victim, she was kidnapped, so why are they blaming her?

"Why is Young Master Qin threatening me like this? I was just implicated. Even His Majesty cannot ignore the facts."

As if he had heard something utterly absurd, Qin Zhuo gave a sarcastic laugh: "Ha!"

Shen Ning wasn't sure if he was mocking her ignorance or something else.

“I didn’t see his true face. When he left the city gate, he was a middle-aged woman, but later he turned into a young woman. I didn’t even see clearly before he changed his appearance.”

Qin Zhuo: "The person you're trying to persuade isn't here."

Surely the emperor wouldn't suspect her of being in cahoots with that Thousand-Faced Fox Demon? Treason? She'd have nothing better to do.

Shen Ning was filled with anxiety and deeply regretted going out today.

Although the second wife was troublesome and annoying, she was at least still under her control. But if it escalated to the imperial court, what could she do with her meager power?

Ultimately, it's still too weak.

What exactly constitutes strength? How can she become strong?

Shen Ning saw Qin Zhuo in her eyes...

Before she could figure anything out, her gaze was caught by Qin Zhuo, whose eyes still held a hint of lingering mockery.

Shen Ning awkwardly looked away; this person's face was far too influencing to one's judgment.

Embarrassed without realizing it.

Qin Zhuo's fingers, which were hanging down, curled slightly, and his arrogant eyebrows unconsciously rose slightly.

"If you're really in trouble, you can ask me for help. I'm a magnanimous man and won't mind if you have to go through all this trouble."

Is this bringing up old grievances? Speaking of trouble, Shen Ning thought of that token.

"that......"

"I advise you not to speak, it could kill someone." As if anticipating what she was about to say, he interrupted her, his expression inscrutable, his gaze fixed on her, dangerous yet strangely alluring.

Shen Ning's heart, which had been through death and resurrection several times today, suddenly skipped a beat, and an indescribable throbbing rushed from her heart to her head.

She felt increasingly strange; her first reaction was a racing heart, rather than wondering why discussing a token could lead to her death.

The soldiers were still searching, but to no avail.

As it grew darker, even the usually patient Shen Ning became somewhat irritable, mainly because she was hungry.

I didn't eat much at noon, and after all this commotion, I'm exhausted and hungry; my eyelids are starting to droop.

"They're gone."

The person next to her stood up, and Shen Ning was startled and followed suit. But after sitting for a while, her knee, which had been bumped, suddenly straightened up and became sore and painful that she fell backward.

An arm crossed her waist, firmly supporting her.

Shen Ning steadied herself; her feet still felt sore, but that didn't matter at the moment.

The presence of the hand clasped around her waist was overwhelming; its steady strength and scorching heat penetrated her already thin early autumn clothes and landed on her skin, making her feel uneasy.

Thank you.

She gently touched his chest and quickly moved away from his embrace.

Qin Zhuo naturally withdrew his hand: "We're getting ready to go back. Can you still ride a horse?"

"Yes, my legs just went numb from sitting for too long." Actually, they still hurt a little, and if you looked down, you'd definitely see bruises, but she wasn't going to make a fuss about it.

The most important thing now is to get home. It's unrealistic for a woman like her to walk such a long distance back alone. She should be grateful that she can ride a horse back with Qin Zhuo and the others.

"Young Miss!"

A rough, deep voice came from above, and Shen Ning immediately looked up, overjoyed: "Mo Lin, what brings you here?"

Mo Lin dropped the reins and strode over, suppressing all his excitement beneath his tense expression, only his eyes gleaming.

"Xue'er went back and said that Miss had been kidnapped. I led the servants to search for her in the city. Later, I heard that soldiers had chased her out of the city, so I rode here by myself. I didn't expect that Miss was really here."

He was a seasoned hunter with keen intuition and a talent for tracking, so finding him wasn't difficult.

Shen Ning was overjoyed, as if she had seen a savior, and couldn't wait to go back with Mo Lin. But she didn't forget that Qin Zhuo was also there. In fact, it was Qin Zhuo who saved her from that Thousand-Faced Fox.

"Speaking of which, I haven't thanked Young Master Qin yet." She straightened her sleeves and bowed gracefully: "Thank you for saving my life, Young Master Qin."

Qin Zhuo's gaze was cold; he didn't speak, but his mood was unpleasant.

"You're going to go with him?"

Shen Ning shook her head: "We'll go with you."

Shen Ning didn't know what she had said wrong, and then Qin Zhuo ignored her.

In the end, she was given a horse and rode behind Qin Zhuo, while Mo Lin was pushed to the back of the line.

Shen Ning could sense that Qin Zhuo seemed to dislike Mo Lin. Why? Had Mo Lin offended him?

But if he really offended him, given the vast difference in their status, dealing with Mo Lin would be a piece of cake for him, so why would it affect his mood?

As Shen Ning was lost in thought, her gaze unconsciously fell on the person in front of her.

It was clearly a brocade robe of a military officer, with similar style, sleeves and waist belt, which looked neat and dashing, but there was always an indescribable feeling about it on him.

Broad shoulders, narrow waist, slender figure, straight back—for some reason, he gives off a... well, how should I put it, a feeling of wanting to hug him...

Wow!!

Shen Ning was startled by herself. Why did she suddenly have such a strange thought?

However, it is easy to have a thought, but difficult to get rid of it.

She had forced herself not to overthink, but that person was always in front of her; her eyes would always see him, and then she would inadvertently glance at his back and waist, and then...

Shen Ning's expression was numb.

Fortunately, they hadn't gone very far, and returned to the capital in less than an hour on horseback.

At the city gate, Shen Ning couldn't wait to say goodbye to Qin Zhuo. His face was expressionless, his eyes were empty, and he seemed to have lost all sense of reason.

"Thank you for saving me today, Young Master Qin. I will remember this and will definitely come to express my gratitude in person another day. Farewell, Young Master Qin."

He left right after saying that, which was polite, but it lacked sincerity. He didn't even look up at him once.

Qin Zhuo narrowed his eyes. Use and discard? Very well.