Chapter 21 She suddenly threw herself into Wei Zhang's arms...

Wei Xuan anticipated that if Wei Zhang noticed anything amiss, he would definitely come after him.

He naturally dared not risk taking Yiyi with him, and had already instructed others to escort Yiyi to see the Crown Prince.

He himself traveled west alone, using himself as bait to delay Wei Zhang.

Unfortunately, Wei Zhang understood his elder brother's thoughts all too well.

So Wei Zhang decided to play along and ordered his subordinates to dress up in fox fur and impersonate him, chasing after Wei Xuan.

Wei Xuan was stalling for his time, and he was stalling for Wei Xuan's time in return.

Meanwhile, the real Wei Zhang had already changed course halfway to find Xue Lanyi and the Crown Prince.

At this moment, the person wearing a fox fur coat had also arrived at the mouth of the Yellow River. After taking off the black cloak, he revealed his appearance as Qingyang.

"Young Master, the Heir Apparent has probably already had tea with the late Crown Prince and Princess Zhaoyang. Young Master, please return."

Qingyang bent down and gestured for him to proceed.

Wei Xuan frowned.

But he quickly realized that the spice he used to track Yi Yi had already been taken from her earrings.

Wei Zhang may not be able to track down Yi Yi's whereabouts.

Shen Jinglan guessed Wei Xuan's thoughts, but laughed: "Young Master may have underestimated Yun Jian's abilities."

How could Wei Zhang possibly rely solely on a pair of earrings to track down the Crown Prince?

He never does anything he's not sure of.

Dark clouds, like a heavy, black fox fur coat, obscured the roaring mouth of the Yellow River.

Clouds roll and unroll.

Suddenly, it spread rapidly, extending all the way to the desolate mountains to the south.

At the foot of the mountain.

Wei Zhang sat high on his horse, looking down at Yuan Yi, who was covered in blood.

"Tell me, where did you hide Wei's beloved concubine?"

"She is not your concubine, she is General Wei Xuan's fiancée!" Yuan Yi gritted her teeth, her words incoherent from the severe injuries.

As she struggled, ten drooling, hungry wolves swarmed toward her, growling softly.

His eyes, gleaming with a deep green light, were fixed on the golden South Sea pearl on Yuan Yi's ear.

A wolf leaped into the air, its fangs crushing the South Sea pearl.

White powder from the South Sea pearls flew about, and the subtle fragrance excited the wolf pack searching in the jungle, their howls rising and falling.

These wolves were trained during the Western Expedition. They are brave and skilled in battle, with a keen sense of smell, and can track down specially made white powder.

And once they smell the powder, they become even more ferocious.

Of course, Wei Zhang wouldn't leave Xue Lanyi as the only bait.

He guessed that Wei Xuan was very likely to ask Yuan Yi to send Xue Lanyi to see the Crown Prince.

Therefore, they also tampered with the South Sea pearls sent to Yuan Yi.

The well-trained wolf pack tracked them down.

Unfortunately, Yuan Yi only escorted Xue Lanyi to the foot of Dahuang Mountain before she was taken into the mountain by the former Crown Prince's men.

This mountain is the location of the Dayong Dragon Vein, a place shrouded in mystery, easy to defend but difficult to attack, making it not easy to capture people.

Acting rashly might even alert the enemy.

Wei Zhang bent down slightly, leaning over the horse's back, to get a closer look at Yuan Yi's earlobe, which had been bitten in half. "Many years have passed, are you still willing to die for your brother?"

"The Gaochang tribe will always respect heroes." Yuan Yi spoke of Wei Xuan with eyes full of reverence, but when he looked at Wei Zhang, only resentment and hatred remained.

Eight years ago, Gaochang was at the height of its power, and even trapped the famous Wei Xuan General in the city.

It was Wei Zhang's wanton massacre of women, children, and infants in Gaochang from the rear that disrupted the morale of the army and even directly led to the lack of successors in Gaochang, which then declined and never recovered.

When the tribe was on the verge of extinction, Wei Xuan, who broke through the encirclement, disregarded past grievances and spared the surviving elderly and weak, thus allowing them to continue.

In the past two years, it was under Wei Xuan's guidance that the tribe submitted to Dayong and raised horses for Dayong, which led to its resurgence.

Wei Xuan was a true hero who repaid evil with kindness, and the tribe naturally dared not forget his kindness.

Wei Zhang, however, was the culprit who harmed the tribe. How could Yuan Yi possibly marry him?

If it weren't for helping Wei Xuan, she would have killed him.

Enraged, Yuan Yi suddenly pulled out a hairpin and stabbed it at Wei Zhang.

The hungry wolf pounced on her and knocked her to the ground in an instant.

She couldn't get close to Wei Zhang at all.

Wei Zhang glared at the powerless, furious face lying in the pool of blood, and a sense of satisfaction arose within him.

"Bury it." He said each word with effortless ease.

Then, he turned the reins and left.

He couldn't get any more information out of Yuan Yi, so there was no need for him to waste any more time on a good-for-nothing.

A figure in black sat astride a tall horse and rode away leisurely.

Behind them, a bloodied woman was dragged into a pit, struggling and screaming.

Finally, only a muddy hand remained, reaching out from the soil and grasping at the air until it fell silent.

"My lord, if we kill the princess, it will be difficult to explain to the Emperor," the subordinate said fearfully.

Wei Zhang did not respond. He moved away from the noise, stood on the slope and looked at the reservoir to the west. Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes and said, "Arrange for the dam to be breached."

The phrase "breach of the dike" made his subordinates' legs go weak.

Although releasing floodwaters could force people hiding in the desolate mountains to come out.

But……

"At the foot of the mountain live hundreds of hunters. If the dam is breached, at least half of them will be killed or injured. The civil and military officials will likely condemn us!"

"It is the duty of every citizen to arrest traitors and rebels; what harm is there in that?"

Wei Zhang looked relaxed and was about to raise his hand to give an order.

The subordinate hurriedly knelt down and said, "And Miss Xue, Miss Xue is also in the mountains."

Floods don't discriminate; no one knows who will drown.

The subordinate's words echoed through the dense forest, lingering for a long time.

Wei Zhang stopped mid-air with his fingers.

At that time, Xue Lanyi was blindfolded and taken to the depths of the desolate mountains.

Once inside the secret passage, the six burly men removed their blindfolds and led her along the corridor.

Along the way, the burly men were very alert and kept a close watch on their surroundings.

Everyone remained silent; the only sounds in the dimly lit passage were footsteps and the dripping of water against the rocks.

It was chilly all around.

Xue Lanyi adjusted her rabbit fur collar.

Before an incense stick had burned, Wei Xuan handed her over to Yuan Yi at the crossroads, instructing her to follow Yuan Yi southward.

Wei Xuan said that after passing through the Dahuangshan Tunnel, she would see her younger brother and some old friends, and then they would take her to Sishui Pass to meet up.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, but Xue Lanyi felt uneasy because the people who brought her didn't seem like old friends; instead, they were wary of her.

She lowered her gaze and secretly observed her surroundings, noticing that the smoke from the torches on the wall remained suspended in mid-air for a long time, showing no signs of dissipating.

In other words, the air in the passage doesn't circulate at all; it's completely blocked.

So this place isn't a passable tunnel, but a dark room!

She felt a chill run down her spine and paused for half a step.

The burly men immediately turned to look at her. "What's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing, my shoes got sandy." Xue Lanyi took a deep breath and slowly bent down to pat the sand off her embroidered shoes.

The burly men gathered around.

Xue Lanyi, squatting down, clearly saw the scar on the strong man's tiger's mouth.

She remembered that a year ago, when she was having a meal with Wei Zhang, a group of men in black broke into the courtyard and tried to assassinate Wei Zhang.

Wei Zhang swung his chopsticks and stabbed them into the man's tiger's mouth.

The location and shape of the wound were exactly the same as the one on the burly man's hand.

This group of people were the assassins who escaped back then!

What do they want to do?

Xue Lanyi's gaze flickered, then she suddenly noticed the hemp rope tucked behind the burly man's waist.

If I'm not mistaken, they want to tie her up and imprison her here.

Xue Lanyi's head was buzzing, and she suddenly grabbed a handful of yellow sand and threw it at the burly man.

Dust and sand flew up, and she turned and ran away.

"Grab her!"

The burly men indeed revealed their ferocious nature, drawing their swords and chasing after her, shouting at the guards at the cave entrance, "Stop her! We can't let Wei Zhang's woman go!"

The roar echoed through the passageway.

Xue Lanyi understood; these people wanted to bind her and use her to control Wei Zhang.

Did the eldest son go to such lengths to lure her here in order to persecute her?

how so?

Xue Lanyi found it hard to believe that someone with such sincere eyes could lie to her.

Her thoughts were in turmoil, and she rushed out without thinking.

A white-feathered arrow shot from behind, narrowly missing her arm.

Blood splattered before my eyes, staining the pristine white rabbit fur collar a deep crimson.

The pain came a moment too late. She stared blankly at the bloodstains spreading across her right arm. The crimson stung her eyes, forcing her to believe that she had been tricked by Wei Xuan.

The step she painstakingly took out turned out to be an even deeper cliff.

At this moment, I am completely bewildered and cannot understand the ins and outs of the matter.

In times of crisis, her gaze would instinctively search for that dark figure.

Ultimately, the peace and stability of these three years were all thanks to Wei Zhang.

When something happens, he's still the first person she thinks of.

She ran desperately down the mountain, searching helplessly.

The forest was full of hidden weapons; white-feathered arrows shot towards her, animal traps caught her embroidered shoes, and crisscrossing golden threads on the ground kept tripping her up...

She was covered in wounds, stumbling and trudging through the maze-like dense forest.

The burly man, familiar with the terrain, kept getting closer and closer to her.

Suddenly, her foot slipped, and she rolled down the hillside into the depression.

The dry twigs scratched several bloody marks on my clothes.

"He's there! Tie him up!" The burly men surrounded them, wielding thick ropes.

Several dark figures loomed around the depression, gathering like crisscrossing dark clouds above Xue Lanyi's head.

Xue Lanyi's pupils contracted sharply. She tried to get up, but her legs were injured and she couldn't move.

The burly man leading the group strode forward and grabbed her wrist.

As she struggled, a white shadow streaked across the sky, passed right in front of Xue Lanyi, and tackled the burly man to the ground.

Everything in front of me was bright red.

Xue Lanyi looked closely and saw a hungry wolf, half the height of a person, tearing at a strong man three steps away from her. With a fierce swing of its head, the strong man's neck snapped instantly.

Blood flowed gently down the grass, dripping onto Xue Lanyi's skirt.

The blood was still warm, but the strong man's eyes were wide open, and he died with his eyes open, unable to close them in peace.

Six hungry wolves emerged from the knee-high grass, their green eyes flashing as they gathered around.

The wolves were gnawing on their prey with relish, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.

"Wolves! Wolf Army!" Upon seeing this, the other strong men scattered and fled.

Xue Lanyi lay helplessly in the depression, watching as the strong man's intestines were ripped out and his bones, along with blood and flesh, were scattered all over the ground.

She was so frightened that her whole body went cold, and she clenched her fingers tightly into her palms to calm herself down.

If she stayed any longer, she would suffer the same fate.

She couldn't be swallowed up by wolves without knowing why.

He took a deep breath, held his breath, and stepped back, but his legs wouldn't obey him at all, and he could only move very slowly on the ground.

Suddenly, a cold, hard object pressed against her back.

Xue Lanyi turned her head abruptly and saw a wolf nudging her with its nose, its mouth still stained with the strong man's blood.

"Ah!" Xue Lanyi could no longer hold back her composure and instinctively covered her head with her hands.

The wolf's claws easily pinned her to the ground, hissing softly.

The wolves came running at the sound, surrounded Xue Lanyi, and stared intently at the white powder between her fingers.

The powder was left by Xue Lanyi when Wei Xuan unscrewed the South Sea pearl earring.

The powder clearly piqued the interest of the wolf pack.

The roars rose and fell.

Is this powder really something bad, or is it a death warrant?

Wei Zhang also wants her dead?

At this moment, body and mind are torn apart, facing a life-or-death crisis, and the world spins.

Xue Lanyi kept her eyes tightly closed.

But after a long time, the expected pain did not come.

Something warm and wet touched the back of my hand.

Xue Lanyi opened her eyes with a start, only to see the wolf king licking the powder off her hand like a spoiled puppy.

The ferocity in the eyes of the other wolves also subsided, and they surrounded her, whimpering softly as if to comfort her.

Xue Lanyi looked at the powder between her fingers in disbelief, and tremblingly reached out to test it again. Sure enough, the wolf obediently rubbed against her palm.

It turns out she had misunderstood.

This powder is cedarwood, which wolves love, and it can protect her from wolf attacks.

The powder Wei Zhang gave her was for her protection.

This realization gave Xue Lanyi a glimmer of hope: "Are you Wei Zhang's wolves? Where is he?"

The wolves understood and surrounded her as they descended the mountain.

At that time, the Great Wilderness Mountain was shrouded in dark clouds, and a mountain rain was imminent.

The primeval forest is shrouded in mist, and the clouds are unpredictable.

Wei Zhang stood against the wind, his hand hovering in mid-air, remaining motionless for a long time.

His subordinates held their breath, waiting for the crown prince's final command.

Wei Zhang took out a bright white South Sea pearl earring from his waist and twisted it gently.

The white powder inside dispersed with the wind.

Wei Zhang found this earring while tracking Xue Lanyi.

Last night, he changed his mind and replaced the powder in Xue Lanyi's earrings with cedar powder, which can soothe wolves.

He gave her a chance to live, but she threw it away and betrayed him.

What will be the fate of those who use sweet words to deceive others?

The turmoil in Wei Zhang's eyes gradually cooled, and a chilling aura rose within them. "Send men to the dam immediately..."

"Yun Jian!"

A light, melodious female voice interrupted Wei Zhang.

He suddenly looked up and saw a petite figure running towards him from the depths of the dense forest, accompanied by a pack of wolves.

Her skirt was torn into strips by tree branches, her hair hung loosely in her bun, and her face was covered in mud, but she smiled the moment she saw him.

The bright yellow dress seemed to possess the power to pierce through the gloom.

The dark clouds in the sky dispersed, and a soft ray of sunlight shone on her, following her.

She suddenly threw herself into Wei Zhang's arms.

A note from the author:

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Dog: Is happiness coming? [Sprinkling flowers]

Me: Happiness is coming to an end. [pats head]