It was midday, and there were only a few people scattered on the road. Song Sisi stood at a distance and asked, "Dabai, what did you bring us here for?"
Big White then led them into the woods and hid in a relatively secluded spot.
Then, reluctantly, it licked Anzhi's hand, as if saying goodbye.
"Big White, did someone pass by here?"
Unlike humans, Big White didn't answer; instead, it looked at the other end of the road and just kept staring.
Anzhi guessed that someone must have passed by, so he squatted down and hugged Da Bai, "Where will you go if we leave?"
"Why don't you come with me? Let's go back to find Mother together."
He saw the big white thing's eyes brighten and then quickly dim again. It opened its mouth and bit Anzhi's thumb until it bled, then slowly licked the blood clean.
Anzhi didn't make a sound, he just watched it quietly. When the bleeding stopped, he squeezed it and moved closer to Da Bai.
After it finished licking him again, he hugged the big white dog's head and rubbed against it, saying, "Can't you come back with me? I have a little sister named Anran. You'll definitely like her if you meet her."
Seeing this, Song Sisi wanted to reach out and touch it, but was scared back by the big white thing baring its teeth.
"Big White, even though you don't like me, I like you a lot. Thank you for saving us."
As night fell, someone finally passed by. It was a group of about ten soldiers on horseback. Their faces were not visible, but their armor plates gleamed in the firelight.
The group held their breath, not daring to speak. Suddenly, Big White let out a howl, startling a dozen or so people who were holding torches and looking in their direction. "Young Master, it's a wolf!"
Da Bai nuzzled An Zhi's hand, and An Zhi knew these people must be good people. "Don't worry, we'll go with them, but I want to see you go first."
Big White whimpered softly, reluctant to leave, and then ran into the woods, turning back every few steps, until it disappeared completely into the night.
The soldiers outside dismounted and led their horses away, afraid of disturbing the wolves inside. A rustling sound came again, and the leader shouted, "Who's there?"
Anzhi went out first and said, "We are children from a nearby village. We were playing and now it's dark, so we're afraid to go home. Could you please take us home, uncle?"
The leader breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. "So you're just a few naughty kids who're afraid of getting scolded by your parents if you go home late. Come on, I'll take you home."
The three boys ran into the ranks, and the officers and soldiers all surrounded them. "Hey, these three kids are really good-looking. It's not good for them to stay out so late. They can't do this again next time."
The group nodded repeatedly, and the leader said, "Which village are you from? I'll take you back first."
Anzhi thought for a moment and asked, "May I ask where you're from, Uncle? And where are you going?"
The leader said, "My surname is Qi, you can call me Uncle Qi. We are here on a mission."
As he spoke, he pointed to the clothes he was wearing, "See? We are officers and soldiers."
The person who came was Qi Hongchuan's eldest son, Qi Mu. He and his father split up and went directly to the border between the two places instead of going to Wanjiang.
Anzhi nudged Li Shen with his elbow, and Li Shen said, "Uncle, you guys are so awesome! We want to go with you."
Song Sisi understood the implication and immediately said, "Yes, I want to go too. I've never seen soldiers before in my life."
Qi Mu, who had spent many years on the battlefield, was easy to get along with and had no guile. Upon hearing this, he simply smiled honestly and said, "No, we have a mission to complete. I'll take you back first."
The person next to them chimed in, "Yes, we'll take you back first; we have other things to do."
Anzhi thought for a moment. Since it was Da Bai who chose him, he must be trustworthy. So he pulled Qi Mu aside.
"Uncle, actually we got lost. We're not from any nearby village."
Qi Mu was shocked, "What, you guys..."
After looking around, he asked, "What's your name?"
Anzhi looked at Li Shen and said, "My surname is Liu, and his surname is Li."
Upon hearing the surname Li, Qi Mu immediately realized what was going on and said seriously, "I see. Then come with me. I'll show you around for two days before we go back."
Seeing this, someone nearby said, "Isn't that a bad idea, Qi Da? We're taking someone else's child away; that's child trafficking."
Qi Mu tapped him on the head. "Alright, do you think I don't know my limits? Let's each take one and go find my father to meet up."
Upon hearing this, his men realized what was happening, and the three men, each with a child, set off on horseback towards the Wanjiang River overnight.
Even their meals were just a quick bite, and after traveling day and night for two days, they finally arrived at a desolate area in Anhui Province. The general then set up camp there and began a large-scale search for the child.
That night, Qi Mu secretly led the three children into the general's tent, away from everyone else.
"Dad, I think I've found someone."
General Qi was looking at a map of Wushan when he heard this and looked up to see his son barging in with three children.
Seeing that the three children did not look like ordinary people, he ordered someone to stand guard outside and question them carefully.
"What are your names? Where do you live?"
The three exchanged wary glances before finally asking, "Who are you?"
The general introduced himself earnestly: "My surname is Qi, and I am this boy's father."
Li Shen stepped forward and bowed, "Greetings, General Qi. My name is Li Shen."
Li Shen and the general thought to themselves, "Isn't this the great-grandson of the Grand Princess?" So they asked, "How is Young Master Li's great-grandmother?"
“I got separated from my mother a month ago, and my great-grandmother probably couldn’t sleep at night because she was worried about me.”
The two men spoke in tacit agreement for a while. Then the general ordered Qi Mu to take the men to his tent for a meal and not to disturb anyone.
After Qi Mu finished arranging things for the people, he returned and asked, "Father, the people have already been found, what are you still worried about?"
The general hadn't expected the man to be found so quickly, so he had no choice but to reveal the truth about his arrival, which startled Mu, who jumped up, "Father, this..."
The general then said, "If we send the child back now, we will have no reason to keep our troops stationed here."
Qi Mu snapped out of his shock and thought for a moment before saying, "Father, should I just throw them back?"
The general shook his head speechlessly, truly baffled as to how his son could grow up to look so different from him.
Qi Mu then realized something was wrong and asked anxiously, "Father, now that they're back, what do we do?"
The general thought for a moment and said, "Let them finish their meal first, and then I'll ask the other two."
Anzhi only said that he was from Nanchang County and that he had been taken away and did not know where he was.
Song Sisi then brought up her father, the general, but upon hearing this, she felt that none of them were suitable, as there were Prince Yan's troops stationed in Nanchang County, and going there would easily be discovered.
Wushan was his old lair, so he couldn't go there. As for the Grand Princess of Wanjiang's residence... he had already made up his mind.
He told Qi Mu to take them to rest first, and then he wrote a letter that very night and sent it to the Grand Princess's residence.
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