Chapter 42 Baili Xunzhou's fingertips dangling at his sides...

The people who came up the mountain were the village chief and other villagers that A-Yang had mentioned. A-Yang's mother almost fainted from crying. She was supported by a woman from the same village and leaned against a tree with a sorrowful expression.

The initial argument stemmed from several burly men who stubbornly believed that Baili Xunzhou and his group had taken A Yang away. As a result, they became very agitated and launched into a tirade of insults without any explanation.

For the first time, Baili Xunzhou was furious with his own people. His original purpose for this trip was to find the kidnapper, so the people he brought were not in military uniform and looked like ordinary rich young masters and their guards. He had not revealed his identity to A Yang yesterday, so before he could even say a word, he was accused of kidnapping a child.

Fortunately, the village chief had some sense. He thought that although Baili Xunzhou and his men had initially captured Ayang, they had already given him plenty of water and food to take back, so there was no need to go through the trouble of secretly kidnapping him again. Therefore, the burly men did not recklessly rush forward.

When Baili Xunzhou revealed the Dingbei Army's token, everyone's attitude changed completely. They all knelt down and begged him to help find the person.

"So Ah Yang returned safely yesterday, but after the rain stopped this morning, he went out to scout the way and got lost?"

Feng Mian listened to Baili Xunzhou finish speaking with a furrowed brow, unable to hide his worry.

Baili Xunzhou nodded, "Exactly."

Why were they so certain that A-Yang had been kidnapped, and not just got lost?

There had just been a heavy rain, and the mountain roads were difficult to traverse. It was quite possible to lose one's way and get lost in the dense forest at this time, so Feng Mian's question was not without merit.

“The village chief said that A-Yang is smart and has the best sense of direction, so he was sent out to scout the way yesterday.”

Although they weren't very lucky, they were caught as soon as they showed themselves.

Bai Lixun relayed the words of the village chief and A Yang's mother: "They have encountered extreme weather along the way as they fled from disaster. A Yang's ability to find her way is never affected by the weather, which is why A Yang came out to scout the way this morning."

The village chief and his men waited for A-Yang for a long time but she did not return. Fearing that something had happened, they came out of the cave where they were hiding and searched everywhere they could find, but there was no sign of her.

Even if they encountered wild animals, they would have left traces of struggle, or even bloodstains, but there were none of these traces, so they concluded that A-Yang must have been kidnapped.

Feng Mian and Baili Xunzhou exchanged a glance, recalling Baili Xunzhou's initial target, and said in unison: "Kidnappers!"

It seems that Baili Xunzhou's previous deduction was correct; these people really were here to take advantage of the chaos to kidnap people.

Bai Lixun's eyes darkened, and he ordered, "Search the mountain."

The so-called bandits were just a group of ordinary people who had nowhere else to turn. Baili Xunzhou and his group turned their attention back to that group of audacious kidnappers.

The mountain was steep and the thick fog rose after the rainstorm, making it easy for ordinary people to lose their way. The village chief and other villagers volunteered to join the search team and lead the way for the Swift Feather Camp and the Luanyi Guard.

They had been here for a long time and were more familiar with the terrain than the newcomers.

Soon, the group was divided into teams of ten and dispersed in all directions along the ridge.

The muddy water, mixed with withered branches and gravel, meandered down the steep slope. Feng Mian's slender white fingers gripped a section of exposed tree root tightly to maintain her balance as she carefully stepped through the muddy mountain.

Baili Xunzhou kept turning back to look at her, and saw that her skirt, embroidered with orchids, was already soaked with mud, and her delicate little sheepskin boots were also covered with mud. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he finally couldn't help but say, "You should have stayed where you are."

Feng Mian raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his temples and brushed away the stray hairs stuck to his cheeks. "This mountain is so big, the more people the better. Instead of leaving a group of people to protect me, it's better to bring me along so we can contribute more."

"Besides, how can I just sit here and wait with a clear conscience in this situation?"

"Don't worry about me, I definitely won't hold you back." Feng Mian raised her face, which was covered in a layer of dust from her earlier actions, and smiled at Baili Xunzhou, looking like a cute white fur covered in dust.

Baili Xunzhou's fingertips, which were hanging by his sides, twitched slightly. Just as he was about to wipe the dust off her cheek, Liu Ying and Wu Liu, who were following behind Feng Mian, poked their heads out from the left and right, took out handkerchiefs to wipe her sweat, and wiped her cheeks clean in the process.

He urged, "Young Master, please hurry up and walk forward. This is a windy spot. If you sweat and then get chilled by the wind, you'll easily catch a cold."

Bai Lixunzhou fell silent, put his restless hand behind his back, and turned to continue searching forward.

The rising milky white mist made it impossible to see people ten steps away. The group could only follow closely behind the person in front, feeling their way forward inch by inch, afraid of missing a hidden cave entrance.

Having walked for too long, Feng Mian's legs and feet ached, and she was already somewhat exhausted, but she still gritted her teeth and endured it. The stray hairs at her temples were wet with sweat and stuck to her flushed cheeks, but she had no mind to care anymore. On one hand, she was fighting against the mud that she could sink into with every step, and on the other hand, she was using all her attention to pay attention to the slightest changes in her surroundings.

Suddenly she stopped. Baili Xunzhou, who was walking in front, had been watching her out of the corner of his eye. Seeing this, he immediately told everyone to stop and took two steps back to stand in front of her. "What's wrong?"

Feng Mian pressed down on Baili Xunzhou's wrist, her eyes filled with apprehension and fear as she looked up. "I think I stepped on something... something hard..."

She swallowed nervously; the unknown was more terrifying than anything else.

"Don't move."

Baili Xunzhou squatted down in front of her, holding her ankle, which was rooted to the spot, with one hand and the other hand hanging to the side as if waiting.

"Three, two, one, lift your foot!"

Feng Mian suddenly lifted her foot, and Liu Ying and Wu Liu supported her from behind, preventing her from staggering due to losing her balance.

Upon seeing what was under Feng Mian's feet, Baili Xunzhou first breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned. He picked up the object buried in the mud and showed it to Feng Mian, "It's a peach basket."

A peach basket is a small, basket-shaped ornament made from peach pits. It is usually worn on a child's wrist or ankle and is believed to ward off evil and bring peace.

The peach basket was tied with a colorful rope.

“This belongs to A-Yang.”

Feng Mian remembered seeing it on A Yang's wrist yesterday.

Ordinary people usually tie peach baskets with red ropes, but A-Yang wore a five-colored rope on her wrist, which was very beautifully woven. Feng Mian even took a second look and recognized her immediately.

If this thing fell here, there must be other traces nearby.

Baili Xunzhou immediately ordered everyone to search every inch of the surrounding land thoroughly, including the mud beneath, and not to miss any abnormalities.

Feng Mian followed the others to disperse and search, while Baili Xunzhou lagged behind her, frowning as he looked at her feet.

She hesitated slightly as she took a step, her left foot landing lighter than her right, as if afraid of stepping too firmly.

Baili Xunzhou quickened his pace to catch up with her, saying casually, "If you're tired, take a rest. It's alright."

"I'm fine," Feng Mian said defiantly. Time was precious, and everyone was working hard to search. No one was complaining of pain or fatigue, so she couldn't be so delicate. Her feet were a little sore, but it was still within her tolerance. She didn't want to slow down everyone's progress because of herself.

"Don't worry, I took preventative pills, so I won't suddenly get sick and have to carry you back."

She assumed Baili Xunzhou was worried about holding her back, so she quickly added, covering her mouth with her hand and leaning closer, "I'm often sick, and I know my limits. Don't worry, I'm very good at taking care of myself."

Baili Xunzhou recalled her actions of coming to this remote place before she had fully recovered, and looking at her legs which were obviously not quite right, he had serious doubts about her claim that she was "the best at taking care of herself".

She clearly valued him and everyone else more than herself.

Just as Feng Mian was about to take another step forward, his waist suddenly tightened and his feet left the ground.

Baili Xunzhou grabbed him by the waist with one hand, lifted him up lightly, and placed him on a flat rock next to him.

"Rest here." The words hit Feng Mian hard, carrying an unquestionable determination. Warm fingertips touched her waist briefly and then left.

She sat on the rock, instinctively clutching her skirt. "I can still walk..."

“One more or one less makes no difference.” He looked down at her, his expression unquestionable. “You have no experience and no strength. Finding A-Yang’s peach basket has already been a great help. Just rest and relax. Leave the rest to us.”

"This is something we've worked on together, and you should trust us."

Feng Mian was taken aback, watching him turn around and call Wu Liu and Liu Ying back as well, "Take good care of the princess."

The morning mist drifted over his shoulders, blurring his tall figure in a way that was both clear and indistinct.

"At least fifteen minutes." He walked into the fog without looking back, his clear voice echoing, "Don't come down early."

With Liu Ying and Wu Liu watching over Feng Mian from both sides, he naturally had no choice but to obey.

On matters concerning Feng Mian's health, the two women were of one mind and stood on the same side as Baili Xunzhou.

"I thought His Highness was a rough and uncouth warrior, but I didn't expect him to be so thoughtful and caring towards the princess." Although Liu Ying was still a little afraid of Baili Xunzhou, seeing how well he got along with the princess, she was no longer as afraid of him as she had been at first.

Wu Liu looked around and said helplessly, "There's too much moisture and mud here, and we didn't bring everything we needed. Princess, you'll have to bear with it for now. Once we find someone and return, I'll check your feet to see if you're injured."

"Okay. Don't worry, I'm really fine." Feng Mian looked around anxiously, waiting for the results of the search.

"here--"

Suddenly a sound came from the fog. Feng Mian immediately jumped off the rock and ran toward the source of the sound, hissing as he ran.

While walking, I could really bear it, but after resting for a while and then stepping on the ground again, the soreness in my feet suddenly became very noticeable, as if countless tiny needles were pricking me.

But Feng Mian kept going, stumbling and staggering, until he reached the source of the sound, where he collided with Bai Lixun's boat.

She guiltily avoided Baili Xunzhou's fixed gaze and asked the person who had spoken earlier, "What did you discover?"

The man who spoke was a villager from Heishigou. He pointed to the ground, where a patch of green was mixed in with the wet mud—chewed herbs.

“Someone has picked herbs here. This is golden wound grass, which can be chewed and applied to wounds. No one in our village has been injured, so we haven’t picked golden wound grass.”

Those were collected by other people who had been active in this area.

Baili Xunzhou examined it closely and said, "This looks like a mark left intentionally by someone."

"Keep searching around here; that person must have left more than one mark!"