Two days later, Lu Li dragged his weary body, covered in wounds, and finally stepped into the backyard of Tianxiang Tower. Although he wore a smile, his eyes revealed deep exhaustion.

"Your Highness, I've finally gathered all the herbs you requested." Lu Li's voice was slightly hoarse, but his tone was full of accomplishment. He carefully took out a package from his robes, inside which were the rare Thousand Core Fruit and other medicinal herbs.

Hearing the sound, Xu Yuehuai came out of the house and frowned when she saw Lu Li's appearance.

"You actually went and picked them yourself?" Her voice carried a hint of reproach, but more so of concern and worry for Lu Li.

Lu Li explained, "I don't know what happened, but many herbs were sold out, so I had to go to the nearby mountains to look for them myself. Although the process was a bit difficult, I finally found them."

Xu Yuehuai turned to look at the Ghost Doctor who was resting with his eyes closed on the bed, "I guess there really is a third party involved in this matter."

The Ghost Doctor slightly opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them. "I'll send someone to see who's really going against me."

Xu Yuehuai turned to Lu Li and said, "Go and rest for a while, I'll make you some medicine." As she spoke, she took out the ointment and handed it to Lu Li.

Lu Li accepted the ointment with a smile, but his movements were somewhat clumsy. He chuckled softly and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Xu Yuehuai looked at Lu Li with some emotion. Lu Li always silently did things for her; his loyalty was truly rare.

She turned and walked to the pharmacy next door to start brewing medicine for Lu Li.

The firelight from the medicine furnace flickered in the night, crackling and popping.

Xu Yuehuai watched the heat intently, but couldn't help thinking of Qi Guze.

She didn't know where Qi Guze was or whether he was alright.

I just hope he can return safely!

Suddenly, a figure walked in from outside the door.

Xu Yuehuai looked up and saw that it was Yan Qing. She smiled and said, "Yan Qing, you're here. Perfect timing, I'm brewing medicine right now, can you help me?"

Yan Qing walked over to Xu Yuehuai and began helping to brew the medicine. The two chatted as they brewed the medicine.

Xu Yuehuai asked, "How is your injury?"

Yan Qing smiled and replied, "Thanks to the new medicine that the Ghost Doctor made for me, my injuries have almost healed." As he spoke, he moved his arm to show that he was alright.

"Has the Prince sent any news?" Xu Yuehuai breathed a sigh of relief and then asked.

"Not yet. But don't worry, no news is good news." Although Yan Qing's voice was calm, Xu Yuehuai could tell that he was actually very worried.

Xu Yuehuai remained silent for a moment, a strange unease welling up inside her. She had a feeling that something bad was about to happen. But she couldn't pinpoint the reason, so she could only suppress this unease.

Just as the two finished brewing the medicine, a carrier hawk suddenly flew in from the night sky.

It landed on a large tree in the yard and made a clear, melodious chirping sound.

Yan Qing immediately went over and summoned the carrier falcon. After carefully inspecting the falcon and confirming that there were no problems, he took a letter from its horn and handed it to Xu Yuehuai.

Xu Yuehuai took the letter and unfolded it. A look of joy immediately appeared on her face. "Everything is fine with the Prince."

She turned to Yan Qing and said, "That's wonderful."

However, Yan Qing was not as happy as she was.

Xu Yuehuai's smile faded, and she asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Yan Qing hesitated for a moment before saying, "I just find it a bit strange. Since everything is fine on the Prince's side, why hasn't any news come back for so long? Also, this carrier hawk seems a bit unusual; it looks very tired."

Upon hearing Yan Qing's words, Xu Yuehuai was filled with doubts. She looked at the letter in her hand, then at the mail hawk, and became even more worried about Qi Guze.

Her voice carried a hint of seriousness: "Why don't you go to Wuling Kingdom and see for yourself the true situation of the prince?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Qing immediately straightened up: "No! His Highness's orders to me are to stay and protect the Princess. I will absolutely not leave here before you leave Dongsang." His voice was firm and powerful, and every word seemed to burst forth from the depths of his heart.

Looking at Yan Qing's resolute expression, Xu Yuehuai felt a surge of respect. She knew that Yan Qing always obeyed orders without question and would never easily change his mind.

So she said helplessly, "Then I can only arrange for someone else to go."

On the other side, Lu Li came out of the inner room. He looked at Xu Yuehuai and Yan Qing, "You can let me go."

Xu Yuehuai looked at Lu Li with some surprise. He knew that Lu Li was also injured. "But you are injured too."

"It's just a minor injury, nothing serious." Lu Li's tone was relaxed, but Xu Yuehuai could see a hint of determination in his eyes.

Yan Qing, who had been watching all this, stepped forward and said to Xu Yuehuai, "I've arranged for two bodyguards to protect him. He'll be fine."

Xu Yuehuai felt a little more at ease and said to Lu Li, "Then I'll have to trouble you."

Lu Li didn't say much. He turned and left to prepare his luggage.

Xu Yuehuai then turned to Yan Qing and said, "Thank you too, Yan Qing. Your loyalty is something I deeply admire."

Yan Qing lowered his head slightly and replied respectfully, "Your Highness is too kind. Protecting Your Highness is my duty."

Xu Yuehuai smiled slightly and turned to walk into the inner room.

A moment later, Yan Qing came in carrying the freshly brewed medicine. He carefully placed the medicine on the table and then said softly to the Ghost Doctor, "Ghost Doctor, please take the medicine."

The Ghost Doctor nodded, took the medicine bowl, and drank the medicine in one gulp. His complexion improved slightly afterward.

He looked at Yan Qing and said, "You've all worked so hard."

Yan Qing shook his head to indicate that it was not hard work, and stood aside, quietly waiting for the Ghost Doctor to finish drinking the medicine.

After a while, the Ghost Doctor put down the medicine bowl.

Xu Yuehuai suddenly spoke up: "Now that things are arranged, I'll head back to the palace."

The ghost doctor hurriedly said to her, "Serving a king is like serving a tiger; it's best to be careful."

"Well, I know these monarchs all too well, and I'm used to dealing with them. I certainly won't let myself fall into their hands. You just stay here and wait to see how I handle things." Xu Yuehuai clapped his hands and walked outside.

Yan Qing saw Xu Yuehuai off from Tianxiang Tower, and Xu Yuehuai's figure quickly disappeared into the night.

Yan Qing stood at the door, gazing in the direction Xu Yuehuai had left, his heart filled with emotion and respect.

He knew that Xu Yuehuai was an extremely farsighted person, and all her arrangements were reasonable and based on evidence, representing the most effective method at the moment.

Under Xu Yuehuai's secret leadership, Dongsang will definitely get better and better, and those lurking rats in the shadows will be wiped out one day!

No one can stop the progress of peace among the four countries!