Chapter 262 The enemy army broke through five cities in a row, and the northern border was completely occupied

The friction of the officers and soldiers' armor came from far away, breaking the desperate silence on the top of the cliff.

The leader, wearing the uniform of a garrison officer, was Guan Cheng, now a small leader of the capital's garrison.

He quickly stepped forward and saluted the distraught Gu Junze.

"Prince."

Guan Cheng's voice was steady like a soldier, but it couldn't hide a hint of anxiety.

"The Emperor is waiting for you in the palace."

Gu Junze seemed not to hear, his eyes still fixed on the abyss that swallowed Chu Ruohan, and his whole body exuded a cold aura that kept away from strangers.

The shadow guard still held him tightly, not daring to relax even a little, for fear that he would act impulsively again.

Seeing this, Guan Cheng had to drop even more heavy news.

"Prince, urgent news from the Northern Frontier."

His voice lowered a few notches, carrying an ominous tone.

"General Wang was ambushed, and the reinforcements he sent...were completely wiped out."

"The young prince...the young prince was also captured."

Every word was like a huge rock hitting Gu Junze's heart.

Guan Cheng took a deep breath and continued, "The enemy has broken through five cities in a row. The Northern Frontier... The Northern Frontier has completely fallen."

Northern Frontier.

Gu Junze rolled his eyes stiffly.

That was the place where his mother had exhausted all her efforts to drive the thieves out.

Now, it has fallen.

The emperor summoned him into the palace at this time, ostensibly to discuss matters, but in reality... was he trying to use him as a bargaining chip?

Use him to blackmail Duan Qingye?

A sneer rose in Gu Junze's heart.

Doing so would only anger Duan Qingye and speed up his siege.

He slowly raised his bloodshot eyes and looked at Guan Cheng. His voice was hoarse but filled with unquestionable determination.

"My wife fell from here."

"I'm going down to find her now."

"Once I find the person, whether he is dead or alive, I will go back."

His tone was calm, as calm as the silence before a storm, and every word was soaked with deep sorrow.

Guan Cheng looked at the deep pain in Gu Junze's eyes and sighed in his heart.

He nodded, "I understand."

Then he turned and gave orders to the soldiers he had brought with him.

"Dedicate half of the manpower to assist the Crown Prince in searching for the young lady."

He added, "After the emperor learned the news, he also ordered people to search for the whereabouts of the young lady along the way."

Gu Junze said nothing more, but just signaled Ying San to prepare the rope.

If he is alive, I want to see him in person; if he is dead, I want to see his body.

This was his only thought at the moment.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the cliff.

“Cough… cough cough…”

Chu Ruohan choked and coughed out a few mouthfuls of cold river water, her chest aching with burning pain.

She struggled to open her eyes, and what she saw was an unfamiliar, wet stone shore and a narrow strip of sky above her head.

Beneath her was the cold river water, still splashing against her.

Here... there is such a big river.

She thought that if she and Gu Chengyan jumped down together, they would definitely die.

The huge impact and the cold river water made her feel like her whole body was falling apart and her consciousness was still a little fuzzy.

A familiar voice sounded in my ears, filled with concern and suspicion.

"Are you awake?"

Chu Ruohan turned her head and saw a young face that was also soaked.

It’s Gu Cheng’an.

He was squatting beside her, wringing out his wet hem with great effort, water dripping onto the ground.

"Why are you here?" Chu Ruohan asked in a hoarse voice, feeling weak after surviving a disaster.

Gu Chengan's face showed some regret and fear.

"I came here with my eldest brother."

"Halfway along... I accidentally twisted my ankle and couldn't walk fast enough, so I didn't catch up with them."

He sighed and continued to explain: "Then, I encountered a snake and accidentally slipped down the hillside and rolled all the way here. I fainted at that time."

"When I woke up, I saw a figure floating in the water... It vaguely looked like you, so I quickly fished you out..."

As Gu Chengan spoke, he looked at Chu Ruohan's pale face with concern.

Seeing Chu Ruohan remained silent, he couldn't help but ask again.

"How did you fall into the water? Where's my brother? Didn't he go to save you?"

His tone was anxious.

"Is it... is it Brother Chengyan..."

Chu Ruohan interrupted him and looked at him sharply.

"Where's Gu Chengyan?"

"Ah?" Gu Cheng'an didn't react for a moment, then followed Chu Ruohan's obscure gaze, looked up at the endless mountain wall, and instantly understood something.

His face turned pale.

"Cheng Yan...he fell down too?"

Gu Cheng'an stood up suddenly, turned around and jumped into the icy river without any hesitation.

He dived down and emerged after a long time. He wiped the water off his face and dived in again.

This happened several times, and there was nothing else on the river except the sound of rushing water.

Gu Cheng'an's figure rose and fell in the water, looking anxious and futile.

Chu Ruohan watched him searching in vain in the water and said coldly, "Come up first."

Gu Cheng'an paused and looked up at Chu Ruohan on the shore.

"Gu Chengyan was stabbed in the heart by me. I sealed his acupuncture points. He will not survive."

Chu Ruohan's voice was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable certainty.

"What?" Gu Cheng'an climbed up the river bank stiffly as if struck by lightning. He was soaked and looked miserable.

Drops of water dripped down the ends of his hair. He stared at Chu Ruohan blankly, as if unable to digest this information.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end it just turned into a suppressed sob.

The pain of losing his brother instantly swept over him, filling his young face with sadness.

Chu Ruohan did not comfort him, but just observed the surroundings calmly.

"Look at this river."

She pointed to the river, which seemed calm but had undercurrents.

"The water flow was very strong. This shouldn't be the place where we fell. We were washed downstream."

She and Gu Chengyan were separated after falling into the water.

This is better.

Gu Cheng'an suppressed his grief, wiped his face, and looked at Chu Ruohan.

He stood up, holding on to the rock beside him, even though his ankle was still aching.

"I'll take you out." He said hoarsely.

At this moment, the sound of people talking could be heard faintly from the bushes not far away.

Chu Ruohan's eyes flashed, and she reacted very quickly, grabbing Gu Cheng'an's arm and pulling him down to squat. The two of them quickly hid behind the dense reeds on the shore.

"...Look carefully! According to the direction of the water flow, the lady should be in this area?" A rough male voice came.

"Could it have drifted further downstream? Or...something happened to it?" another voice said with concern.

"Shut up! Stop talking such a pessimistic thing! If something really happens, with Third Master's temper, we'll all be in trouble!" the previous voice scolded.

There was a sound of hurried footsteps approaching.

"How's it going over there? Have you found it?" asked a slightly impatient voice.