Chapter 38 Mo Duoqing "Second Young Master, Mo Duoqing, oh Mo Duoqing."...

Xue Chan ran out carrying a lantern, but even the light from the lantern was negligible to her.

She ran along the stream, and could faintly hear the sounds of drums and music.

Xue Chan gasped for breath as she continued to follow the direction of the sound.

However, due to the darkness and poor visibility, Xue Chan slipped and fell down the slope, bumping headfirst into someone.

Flames engulfed the lantern's frame and body, creating a small patch of light that illuminated the two people's faces.

Xiao Huaiting looked down at the face that had risen from his arms: "You..."

Ignoring the pain in her body, Xue Chan immediately stood up and took a few steps back.

He reached out his hand and gently comforted her, "Miss Xue, don't be afraid. I am Xiao Huaiting, the heir of the Marquis of Mingyi, and a good friend of Bozhou."

Xue Chan, panting, asked warily, "The Marquis of Mingyi's mansion, the brother of Miss Xiao San?"

Xiao Huaiting stepped forward, but Xue Chan retreated like a frightened bird.

So he took a few steps back, keeping a distance from Xue Chan: "Yes, that's right, please don't be afraid."

Xiao Huaiting asked her, "Miss Xue, have you ever seen my sister?"

Xue Chan tried her best to remain calm: "I have seen her. If she has traveled safely, she should be in the vicinity. Prince Xiao, please send someone to look for her as soon as possible."

"in addition......"

Xue Chan then said, "Jiang Erlang is currently locked in a fierce battle with those villains. I urge Your Highness to lend a helping hand as soon as possible."

"Good, good," Xiao Huaiting's heart finally eased after learning that his sister was still alive. Upon hearing Xue Chan mention Jiang Ce, he immediately ordered the people around him to disperse and search.

Xiao Huaiting asked with some concern, "Miss Xue, are you traveling with relatives or friends? Shall I leave a few people to protect you so we can go find her?"

Xue Chan did not refuse: "Thank you, Your Highness."

Just as Xiao Huaiting lifted his foot and led his men away from Xue Chan, he saw a group of people carrying torches approaching.

"elder brother!"

He first heard his sister's voice, and then, in the firelight, saw the girl running and throwing herself into his arms.

She suppressed her fear and then burst into tears.

Xiao Huaiting held her in his arms, patted her back, and gently comforted her, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, your brother is here."

Xiao Huaiting gently wiped away the girl's tears and said to her, "Why don't you stay here and let them keep you company? I'm going to find Bozhou."

Xiao Yangjun still felt somewhat aggrieved and nodded.

"good"

Seeing this scene, Xue Chan felt a sense of relief despite her exhaustion.

"Miss Xue!"

She turned around at the sound and saw Fang Youxi and Li Wu rushing over.

Yun Sheng ran faster than them and, in the firelight, saw that Xue Chan was soaked and her clothes were dirty and torn, and he felt sorry for her.

She opened Xue Chan's palm again, pulled up her sleeve, and saw crisscrossing wounds on her slender arm, some of which had already formed a thin layer of scabs.

Everything that could be seen was so shocking; one wonders how many more injuries he may have sustained.

Chu Tao gasped, pursed her lips, and began to cry, sobbing, "Miss...does it hurt...?"

After she finished speaking, she realized she had asked a question she already knew the answer to; it must have hurt a lot.

Yun Sheng silently took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped away the grass and dirt for her, his head bowed with a hint of silent stubbornness.

Xue Chan touched her face and gently wiped away Chu Tao's tears: "Alright, it's a blessing to be alive, everything will be alright."

Li Wu stopped in front of Xue Chan, already heartbroken and unable to bear it. The usually gentle and polite Li Wu was now burning with anger.

"These things deserve to be ground to dust!"

Fang Youxi took off his outer robe and draped it over Xue Chan's shoulders. Yu Heng then quickly stepped forward and handed her the prepared cloak, carefully adjusting it for her.

"It's cold at night, be careful not to catch a cold."

Xue Chan smiled gently: "Thank you."

Li Wu: "The government will handle today's matter. They've already gone into the mountains to search, so let's not stay here."

“But…” Xue Chan looked at the dark forest and said softly, “Let’s wait a little longer.”

Li Wu knew she was waiting, so he simply exchanged a glance with Fang Youxi and silently stayed by her side.

Xue Chan walked to a nearby stone and sat down, with Xiao Yangjun sitting beside her, waiting.

Xiao Yangjun looked up and saw her sitting down beside him, so he smiled, then lowered his eyes with a mixture of shame and relief.

"Fortunately, you weren't captured by them, otherwise I don't know how I would atone for my sins."

Xue Chan smiled and asked, "Are you injured?"

Xiao Yangjun looked at Xue Chan, whose hair was disheveled, and she shook her head: "It's just some minor scratches."

Xue Chan said softly, "That's good."

"Miss Xue," Xiao Yangjun looked at her pale, calm face and asked, "Why did you just now...?"

Xue Chan smiled gently and answered her first: "Because you are beautiful."

Xiao Yangjun was somewhat puzzled, but was this a valid reason?

"I love all beautiful things, so I can't help but cherish them."

Xue Chan added, "If I had to give a reason, it might be because you are Huaizhu's friend. I can't bear to see her sad."

Xiao Yangjun nodded slightly, deciding to thank Huaizhu another day.

Someone came down from the mountain.

Xiao Yangjun shifted his position, and Jiang Ce walked over with his arms crossed.

Jiang Ce: "Are you alright?"

Xue Chan: It's nothing.

He took out a long hairpin from his sleeve and handed it to Xue Chan: "Here, this is for you."

Xue Chan looked up at him. The young man's light blue robe was stained with large patches of dark color, and there were also tears on his shoulders, arms, and waist.

She accepted it: "Thank you."

Looking down, what should have been a jade pendant at the waist was now just a thin crimson ribbon, and the other hand beside her was still slowly bleeding.

The dripping bright red blood stirred up a pang of pain in her heart. Xue Chan covered her eyes, lowered her head, and tried to control her breathing.

Your hand is bleeding.

Jiang Ce didn't seem to care much: "It's okay, it'll stop bleeding in a bit. We can just bandage it up and apply medicine when we get back."

He pressed his sleeve against the wound, and a handkerchief was handed to him.

"Give"

He didn't refuse, took the handkerchief, folded it into a long strip, and was about to bandage the wound. But he wasn't used to bandaging with one hand, and he couldn't get it right no matter what he did, so he tied it and then untied it, untied it and then tied it again.

Just as he was about to bend down and bite the handkerchief to tie it up, a pair of soft hands brushed across his cheeks.

Before my eyes were a pair of exceptionally beautiful hands, long and slender, yet bearing several fine, long scars. With a slight movement, they deftly tied a knot.

As Jiang Ce looked up, Xue Chan took two steps back and inserted the long hairpin into her hair.

When he found the hairpin, it was covered in a layer of congealed blood. He knew at a glance that Xue Chan had used it to hurt someone again.

Jiang Ce's brow twitched, and he couldn't help but touch his chest. There was a scar there that hadn't faded yet, and now it felt slightly hot and itchy.

Since it's difficult to catch him, he can only try to distract himself by talking.

"Can a hairpin really take a life? Miss Xue seems to be thinking too simply and overestimating herself."

Xue Chan just smiled.

“I know this hairpin may not be as powerful as a sword or knife, and it might not be able to save my life. Do you think they would let me go if I knelt down and begged them? Besides, who says it's useless? If I really get into a desperate situation, I can end my own life. If I'm lucky, I can bring a few more people with me, and it won't be a loss. It's precisely because it's inconspicuous and seems useless that it can take a life so unexpectedly.”

She looked at Jiang Ce and smiled gently: "Does it matter what it is? What matters most is that it's handy and easy to use."

Jiang Ce chuckled lightly, "End your own life? You don't seem like the type of person who would end your own life."

Xue Chan thought about it carefully before answering him.

"When I was captured, I thought about ending it all with a hairpin, and taking a few people with me. But then I thought, even if there were a thousand of those people, none of them would be as important as my own life."

She laughed lightly and playfully, then added, "So, it's still better to just stay alive."

Jiang Ce smiled faintly but remained silent, his eyes fixed on her with a deep gaze. The person before him was delicate and frail, with a pale face, disheveled hair, and tattered clothes, yet she could still manage a smile.

What a strange person.

He stared at her, lost in thought, and his prolonged gaze on her was far less sharp than it had been in the past.

Xue Chan also looked back at Jiang Ce, but he seemed to be lost in thought, so she smiled and said, "Second Young Master, staring at others is not the behavior of a gentleman."

“We’re engaged, what’s wrong with me glancing at you?” Jiang Ce crossed his arms, bent down to look at her, raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Do you think I like you just because I’m looking at you? Even if you do, it’s someone else who likes me.”

Xue Chan did not dodge, but instead took a step closer, looking up at him with a smile.

"Second Young Master, don't be so sentimental, don't be so sentimental."

Instead of avoiding her, she advanced, their breaths mingling. Jiang Ce felt a wave of dizziness; he only saw her lips move, but couldn't hear what she said. He immediately took two steps back and stood up straight. By the time he had sorted out his chaotic thoughts, he had already forgotten what she had said.

Just then, Xiao Huaiting came down the mountain with people tied up. Jiang Ce immediately went over to talk to him, and Xue Chan saw the people tied up behind them by the firelight.

The moment she saw it clearly, she rushed over immediately.

Xiao Huaiting and Jiang Ce were discussing how to escort the person out when a pale-colored figure rushed over quickly, grabbed the collar of the bound person, and raised his hand.

The two were stunned for a moment, and only realized it was Xue Chan when several loud slaps rang out.

Xiao Yangjun was talking to Fang Youxi when a gust of wind blew up beside him. When he looked up, Xue Chan had already rushed out.

She saw her brother and quickly walked over. Just as she reached them, she saw Xue Chan raise her hand high and heard several loud slaps.

The person she was grabbing was hit so hard that his head was turned to the side, his face was swollen, and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.

Jiang Ce's eyebrows twitched, and he silently took two steps back.

He was afraid that if he got too close, Xue Chan would slap him across the face.

Xue Chan slapped him several times seriously.

Jiang Ce looked at Xue Chan, wondering if she would hit him in the future.

Ouch, that's terrifying.

Xiao Huaiting stepped forward, intending to say it wasn't worth it: "Miss Xue..."

Xue Chan turned around, her sharp gaze stunning him so much that he stood there speechless, swallowing back all the rest of his words.

Damn it, she should have just slit his throat with a hairpin.

She was furious with the man who was pulling her hair and trying to hit her; she wanted nothing more than to beat him to a pulp. So she used all her strength. After slapping him several times, her hands ached from the impact. All the strength she had been desperately needing was now wasted, and she was exhausted.

She took a couple of breaths and raised her hand again, but her wrist was grabbed.

Jiang Ce said indifferently, "Alright, you've already ruined your hand before you even beat him to death. You should keep your painting skills; people like him will be dealt with in a day."

“Yeah, yeah, it’s not worth getting your hands sore from hitting someone like that,” Xiao Yangjun chimed in, handing over something. “Use this instead.”

She found a wooden stick about the thickness of a forearm from somewhere and handed it to Xue Chan with a very serious expression.

Xue Chan accepted it: "Thank you."

Xiao Yangjun: You're welcome.

Xiao Huaiting frowned: "Yang Jun!"

Xiao Yangjun was somewhat displeased and complained, "He's the one who tied me up!"

Xiao Huaiting's face instantly turned cold, his eyes like knives, and he stepped forward and kicked the man away.