Lin Yuxin was very worried about Li Xiaochen. She hadn't heard from him for so long and was afraid that something had happened to him.
"Please forgive me, Your Highness!"
Seeing Lin Yuxin's anger, Wang Yu immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness. At the same time, he realized what had happened and regretted it. He shouldn't have listened to the prince. The prince hadn't been heard from for so many days, something must have happened. How could he not have thought of that?
"Wang Yu, if His Highness is alright, then so be it. But if something happens to His Highness, you'll have to explain to the Emperor yourself! Xueying, let's set off for Quyan County now!"
Lin Yuxin immediately stood up, said coldly to Wang Yu, and then strode outside, speaking to Xueying.
Lin Yuxin was genuinely angry. No matter how loyal you are, you can't disregard your master's safety! That's what you call die-hard loyalty.
Even if he meant well, Lin Yuxin didn't agree.
"yes!"
Xueying immediately followed.
"Princess, please allow me to go with you. I wish to find my master. Please grant my request!"
Upon hearing that the princess was going in person, Wang Yu quickly got up and chased after her, pleading.
Lin Yuxin stopped and looked at Wang Yu. After a long while, she sighed and spoke.
"Keep up!"
Lin Yuxin wouldn't let him go; he'd only feel more guilty if he stayed at the government office. It would be better to take him along. He and Li Xiaochen must have some special way of communicating, which might be useful.
Lin Yuxin said a word to Zhao Yi and Dan Dao, and then led Xueying, Wang Yu and the others on horseback toward Quyan County.
After more than an hour, the group finally arrived at the entrance of Quyan County.
Lin Yuxin frowned as she looked at the city gate.
The entrance to this county town appears intact, yet it exudes an eeriness. The gate is ajar, covered in cobwebs, as if no one has been here for a long time.
However, the drought has only lasted for a little over two months. As far as she knows, the people of Quyan County left their village a month ago before they arrived in Beicheng. In the past month, Zhao Yi and his group have come to plant trees a few times, and Li Xiaochen has only been here for a few days.
But this place is so dilapidated, it doesn't look like a county town at all, but rather like a deserted town that has been abandoned for several years.
It also gives off a sinister feeling.
"Everyone, be on alert! Let's go in and take a look!"
Lin Yuxin had no choice; now that she was already here, she had to go in and check things out.
"Princess, why don't I go in and check first? You can go in if there's no danger?"
Wang Yu said cautiously.
If something happens to the prince, won't the master skin him alive when he gets back?
"No need, it's better if we go in together so we can look after each other. If you go in alone, we'll have to come back for you later."
Lin Yuxin rolled her eyes and disagreed.
Wang Yu: ...Am I really that useless?
"All right!"
Wang Yu remained silent. At worst, he would just protect the princess a little more later!
Xueying walked in front, Lin Yuxin behind him, and Wang Yu brought up the rear with four subordinates protecting them.
Lin Yuxin wanted to say no, but she had poison and silver needles. Unless someone was extremely skilled in martial arts, they wouldn't be able to do anything to her for a while.
In the end, the group ignored her and surrounded her.
Even as Xueying pushed open the city gate, the creaking sound of the wooden door opening could be heard.
As Lin Yuxin followed behind and passed the gate, she saw some scratches and bloodstains on the gate, and there was a strange smell in the air.
"Everyone, take this antidote pill. Be careful, this place is very strange."
Lin Yuxin frowned, her heart tightening. She took out an antidote pill from her bosom and gave it to everyone.
"Yes, Princess!"
Xueying took the antidote pills and distributed them to everyone, swallowing them in one gulp, and then she tightly gripped Lin Yuxin.
After entering the city gate, what came into view were dilapidated houses and blood-stained ground, but not a single person was in sight.
"Search around! See if you can find anyone or any clues."
Lin Yuxin looked around and said.
Then, apart from Xueying who stayed by Lin Yuxin's side, the others dispersed.
Lin Yuxin wasn't idle either. She led Xueying inside. The streets were very desolate. The two walked through several streets without seeing a single person.
But even if there's no one around, we should still be more careful!
"Princess, is Quyan County a ghost town now?"
Xueying asked in a low voice.
"When Zhao Yi came back before, he mentioned that there were people there. In half a month, unless something major happened, this situation shouldn't have occurred. Moreover, we haven't seen any of the villagers Zhao Yi mentioned who were behaving strangely. This whole county is eerie. Be careful and search carefully again!"
Lin Yuxin pondered for a moment and said softly.
If we can't find him, then finding Li Xiaochen will be very troublesome.
Otherwise, we'll have to find a way to venture into northern Xinjiang to find someone.
A short while later, Wang Yu and the others also returned.
“Princess, we couldn’t find anyone around. However, apart from the bloodstains at the city gate, there was only one other place with the same bloodstains, and there were signs of a fight.”
Wang Yu spoke softly about the clues he had found.
"Let's go check out the New Inn."
Lin Yuxin immediately replied upon hearing this.
The group followed Wang Yu to the Xinlai Inn, where the inn's signboard had been cut down and was hanging precariously.
The door was wide open, and the tables and chairs inside were all overturned, some even broken.
"Look around for clues. Wang Yu, search for any messages left by the prince."
Lin Yuxin glanced around and gave the instructions.
My intuition tells me that Li Xiaochen was behind all this commotion.
"yes!"
Wang Yu and the others searched around, and finally Wang Yu actually found a unique trace left by Li Xiaochen in a room upstairs.
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