Against the black sky, the moonlight, like water, cascaded down like a waterfall, falling on the rolling mountains and the boundless plains, everywhere, softly glowing with a silvery-white light.
"Rome wasn't built in a day." While the majority of the Western Qin court is now under the control of King Xuanyuan Han, there are still a few who remain opportunistic, pleasure-seeking, sycophantic, and hypocritical. Although Tuoba Ze's Wanjiao Pavilion has been shut down, the investigation has uncovered many of his spies in the court, dealing him a heavy blow. But to completely eradicate him is no easy task.
With his few remaining connections, Tuoba Ze managed to find a shortcut to Taohuadian Village, which allowed him to witness the spectacle. He arrived at Taohuadian Village almost at the same time as Xuanyuan Han. He and his guard hid in an extremely secluded corner around the ancestral hall and saw everything that was happening in the square.
Seeing that everyone had dispersed, the red-clad group followed Xuan Yuanhan's army into the distance in the darkness. The guard beside him lowered his voice and asked his master, "Your Highness, what should we do now?"
Perched atop a weathered, riddled mound of earth, Tuoba Ze stood tall, his guards surveying the entire area surrounding the ancestral hall. Hearing the sound, he gazed longingly at Xuan Yuanhan's departing figure, muttering to himself, "'The Valiant Dragon Society'? That girl is no longer in Peach Blossom Village!"
"It seems so!" the guard said, glancing at the villagers returning in twos and threes, before replying.
Tuoba Ze pondered for a while, then put one hand behind his back and confidently decided, "Let's follow their group first and see what secrets this Xiaolong Society holds. Then we can find another opportunity to strike! I don't believe that she's just a brat. How much ability can she have? Can she escape my grasp?"
Upon hearing this, the guard paused for a moment to think, then advised him with some concern, "Your Highness should be cautious and not underestimate her. That woman is cunning. Moreover, those people just now seemed to be serious. Her power seems truly strange; she's even called a goddess... Thinking about it, to have survived falling from such a high cliff, she must be quite extraordinary!"
"You're undermining your own prestige while boosting the enemy's. What do those ignorant and unruly people know? She only knows a little about herbs and medicine, and with some clever tricks, she fooled these country bumpkins. Where do snakes, gods, and ghosts come from? They're just stories we hear about to coax children, never seen in real life. It's all just people deliberately creating a stir, making a big fuss, and you actually believe that... Humph, you fool!"
Tuoba Ze snorted contemptuously as he glared fiercely at the guard beside him.
"Your Highness is wise. I deserve to die. I understand!" The guard lowered his head timidly and hurriedly bowed to him, flattering him.
Only then did Tuoba Ze breathe a sigh of relief and begin to move: "Let's go!"
...
In the blink of an eye, all the people who had gathered around the ancestral hall, both openly and secretly, had gradually dispersed.
Just then, the old woman, wiping the sweat from her temples, hurried down the mountain to return to the village. She arrived late, just missing the red-clad procession at the fork in the road at the village entrance.
A glimpse of a somewhat familiar group of people walking away behind her in the soft moonlight made her turn around to look at them. She asked Huan'er, who was running towards her, with a puzzled expression, "Who were those people? They looked like the group that came looking for trouble the other day, but upon closer inspection, they didn't seem to be the same group."
However, Huan'er stepped forward and grabbed her arm, gasping for breath as she stammered, "Madam... you... you're finally back! Something terrible has happened..."
Before Huan'er could finish speaking, the old woman suddenly remembered the red-clad group from earlier. Her heart tightened, and her hand loosened, causing the bamboo basket to slip from her grasp and fall to the ground. No one paid any attention, so she quickly twisted her hand and tightly gripped Huan'er's wrist, staring into her eyes in alarm. "But Ruoxi is back! Those people from earlier... could it be... that they captured Ruoxi again?"
As he spoke, he turned to go back and chase after them.
Huan'er could no longer speak, but she gripped the old woman's arm tightly, shaking her head violently like a rattle drum. After catching her breath, she said, "No, no, Madam, don't worry, listen to Huan'er. Actually, Huan'er doesn't know whether this matter is good or bad?"
Upon hearing this, the old woman slowly turned her head back, gradually calming down. She gazed at Huan'er's face with concern and asked, "What exactly happened?"
Huan'er took a deep breath, as if she had just calmed down from the shocking scenes she had just experienced, which still made her feel a little scared when she thought about them.
He then hurried forward to pick up the old woman's bamboo basket that had fallen to the ground, slipped it over his arm, and, supporting the old woman's arm, walked home with her, reminiscing as he did so:
"It's fortunate that you went to the mountains this afternoon to change the bandages on that injured tiger, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable. Those burly men in red just now were the same ones who caused trouble in the village last time. However, this time they came prepared with a large force. Fortunately, His Highness Prince Qin arrived in time at the critical moment, and managed to subdue them all, and they even willingly joined Prince Qin's ranks..."
Before Huan'er could finish speaking with an expression of admiration and excitement, the old woman immediately stopped, staring blankly into Huan'er's eyes, and said with more astonishment than she had in eight years, "What did you say? The King of Qin... the King of Qin has come?"
Huan'er, not understanding, just nodded blankly. The old woman suddenly realized what was going on and turned around to look back, but all she could see was a thick darkness in the sky, and she could not see anyone at all.
After a long pause, she turned around slowly with a somber and thoughtful expression, and with suddenly heavy steps, continued walking back with Huan'er.
Huan'er, still in surprise, said, "Does the old lady know? His Highness Prince Qin came here specifically to find Ruoxi."
"Looking for Ruoxi?" The old woman suddenly looked at Huan'er, seemingly even more puzzled.
Huan'er nodded, and as she walked, she exclaimed in surprise, "Madam, you'd never guess! It turns out that Ruoxi's real name was Yi Shangyun. She was the eldest daughter of the Yi family, a family of pharmacists in the west of the city, and also a physician in the Prince Qin's mansion. She was accidentally lost before the Lantern Festival. We found Ruoxi by the river a few days before the Lantern Festival. Now, the Prince Qin's mansion is offering a reward all over the world to find her!"
Hearing Huan'er's words, and recalling the murmurs Ruoxi had uttered in countless dreams, the old woman spoke in a whisper so low that even Huan'er beside her could barely hear, "So, they really do know each other. But Han'er has never been moved by a woman since he was little. This time, could it be that he..."
Upon realizing this, the old woman felt a terrible premonition and stopped in her tracks, hurriedly asking Huan'er, "So, did you...?"
"Huan'er didn't!" The old woman had barely begun to speak when Huan'er stopped and blurted out, interrupting her.
Huan'er paused, bit her lip, and then said timidly, "I already know I was wrong about what happened with Young Master Lu last time, so I won't dare to say anything more. Just now, when Prince Qin questioned me with the notice looking for Miss Yi, I really didn't say anything. But... but later, a burly man in red from the Xiaolong Society told Prince Qin everything related to Ruoxi. Right now, they're heading towards the Xiaolong Society to find Miss Yi!"
As they were talking, Huan'er suddenly felt anxious. She grabbed the old woman's hand tightly and stared into her eyes, asking anxiously, "Madam, aren't you familiar with the Prince Qin's mansion? Tell me, is it a good thing or a bad thing that the Prince Qin is going to such lengths to find Ruoxi... no, Miss Yi?"
The old woman looked at Huan'er intently and said, "His Highness Prince Qin loves his people like his own children and would not harm anyone."
Upon hearing this, Huan'er slowly released her grip, as if even her previously heavy steps had suddenly become incredibly light. She then exclaimed with a joyful and relieved expression, "So that means it's a good thing!"
The old woman smiled, hesitated for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What does His Highness the Prince of Qin look like?"
Huan'er blushed immediately and exclaimed with great interest, "Your Highness, the Prince of Qin, riding a tall horse and dressed in a finely crafted black outfit, looks like a celestial being. He is undoubtedly the most noble, extraordinary, brave, and handsome man in the world. However... his face always has a cold expression, and he is taciturn, which makes people tremble and dare not get close to him."
"As expected, he's still the same. It seems he still can't let go of what happened when he was a child." Upon hearing this, the old woman hesitated for a moment and said softly.
"The old lady seems to know the King of Qin very well?" Huan'er tilted her head and looked at the old woman's face, then suddenly asked.
"Hehe..." The old woman smiled faintly, but it was mixed with a sense of pride and satisfaction she had never felt before.
Huan'er caught a glimpse of the unprecedentedly beautiful smile on her face, thought for a moment, and then asked curiously, "Madam, what exactly is your relationship with the Prince of Qin's mansion?"
"You'll find out eventually," the old woman said in a low voice after a moment of silence.
Hearing this, Huan'er pursed her lips helplessly. Then, after a moment's thought, she said worriedly, "What if the King of Qin finds Ruoxi and takes her away? Shouldn't we go to the Xiaolong Society too?"
The old woman continued to hurry along, confidently saying, "No need. Ruoxi is a sensible child. Since she promised me she would come back, I believe she will not break her promise."
Just then, Tuoba Ze and his guard spurred their horses and galloped past the old woman and Huan'er. Their hooves splashed mud from a shallow puddle by the roadside, covering the old woman. Huan'er, seeing this, immediately yelled at them, "Who are these people? Hey..."
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