"Kill them! Chop these bastards to pieces!" Ji Fengming shouted, and the people of Bald Vulture Village responded in unison.

Seeing Ji Chenhai and his son, along with the people from Vulture Stronghold, rushing into the forest, Shang Xiye also spoke coldly, his voice like a death command from the depths of hell: "Except for that person, kill without mercy!"

It wasn't that he valued the person's life, but rather that the person's sensitive identity meant he couldn't afford to die in the wilderness without cause.

Wuhen nodded and joined the pursuit along with Wushang and Wuzhong, who were secretly leading the Silver Armor Army.

Shang Xiye took the cloak from Xique's hand and carefully wrapped the trembling little female bandit in his arms.

Xi Que had never seen Ji Fengyao like this before, and she was so worried that she kept wiping away tears: "Miss, what's wrong? You've always been bold and never afraid of these snakes, insects, and rodents. What happened?"

Shang Xi noticed that when Xi Que uttered the word "snake," the little bandit girl's body tensed up noticeably. She whispered, "Go and prepare hot water for the princess to change her clothes."

"Oh, right, change your clothes!" Magpie suddenly realized and turned around to prepare.

Shang Xiye held the trembling little thing in his arms, a strange emotion slowly spreading in his chest. Although he had a thousand questions in his heart, he did not want to pursue them, nor did he want anyone else to.

However, this little creature's weakness—its fear of snakes—must never be known to anyone else.

In the rainforest.

Li Jiao and her maid Huan Yuan were exhausted from running around. The assassins protecting them during their retreat fell one by one under the fierce pursuit of the Vulture Village and the Silver Armor Army, putting them in grave danger.

The forest floor was soft and muddy. Li Jiao lost her footing and fell down with Huan Yuan, who was pulling her along. They were covered in mud, and the thorns, brambles, and vines in the forest stung their faces.

From behind the rain-shrouded forest, a deadly arrow was shot.

"Master, be careful!"

Huan Yuan cried out and threw herself on Li Jiao's back to shield her. The arrow pierced Huan Yuan's heart and wounded Li Jiao's back.

The intense pain cleared Li Jiao's mind, which had been scorched by jealousy, and the warmth of Huan Yuan's tight embrace from behind filled her with panic, shame, and fear.

"Huan Yuan!" Li Jiao rarely felt pity and reluctance towards a servant.

Fourteen years is enough time to develop feelings for even a dog.

Water droplets streamed down Huan Yuan's face, indistinguishable between rain and tears. She stared at the indistinct face of Li Jiao in the pitch-black night with a mixture of sorrow and relief: "Princess... go quickly."

Li Jiao felt Huan Yuan slowly loosen her grip on her, and her body fell to the ground, breaking the low-lying branches beside her.

At that moment, the icy night rain and mountain wind blew from behind, chilling me to the bone.

A lithe figure appeared on the rocks above her head not far away. Li Jiao could even see the hem of his clothes trembling slightly from the night rain.

Perhaps the sound of Huan Yuan's dying breath served as a cover, for the man glanced at the dark thicket of thorns at his feet and shouted, "There's no one here, search that way!" Immediately afterward, the large group of pursuers headed in the other direction he pointed out.

Once the pursuers were far away, Li Jiao trudged away along the thorny mountain path.

Inside the newly erected tents, the lights were bright.

Shang Xiye sat in a wheelchair in front of the bed, one hand tightly held by the unconscious Ji Fengyao. His clear gaze fell on her slightly pale and lifeless face, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Wu Zhong's voice drifted from the shadows into Wuhen's ears, tinged with a hint of excitement: "Look at how affectionate the Prince and Princess are, is our Prince finally going to blossom?"

Wuhen said coolly, "Even at this point, the Prince hasn't said anything about sending a bodyguard to the Princess. What do you think?"

Wu Zhong: "..."