"Your Highness, we have searched the entire area, but we have not found any trace of Miss Yi."
After dealing with the internal strife within the Xiaolong Society, Cheng Liang led his men out of the forest to find his master, who was sitting dejectedly beside a campfire that had long since died down, clutching only a sapphire blue medicine sachet in his hand. From the master, they learned that Yi Shangyun had been kidnapped once again.
At this moment, Cheng Liang looked at his master, who was extremely disappointed and helpless, and felt more than just "heartache"!
After a long and arduous separation, they were finally reunited. But less than a day had passed, and her scent and tenderness were still vividly etched in his mind, undiminished by a single trace. They were then cruelly separated once again. Who in the world could endure such torment?
The night was deep, the distant mountains were shrouded in mist, and the place was quiet and serene.
As night was about to fall and the sky was about to brighten, Xuan Yuanhan finally stood up slowly. As if he had mustered his courage again, he glanced around sharply and then began to walk with firm steps, lifting the corner of his robe. Cheng Liang immediately led his men to follow.
Xuan Yuanhan personally led his men to expand the search area time and time again, frantically determined to find Yi Shangyun. However, even when the sun was high in the sky, they still couldn't find any trace of Yi Shangyun, as if she had truly vanished from the face of the earth.
Just as the group was exhausted and reached a deep valley, they suddenly saw Long En and his daughter Lan Xiang sitting on a rock to rest below a waterfall with a trickle of water.
Xuanyuan Han's eyes lit up immediately. He quickly perked up and strode forward, grabbing Long En by the collar and demanding through gritted teeth as if he had gone mad, "Tell me right now, where is Long Ye?"
"What happened? What do you want with Long Ye?" Long En asked, puzzled, looking at Xuan Yuanhan, who was usually known for his composure and restraint but now seemed to have completely lost his mind and was acting like he was possessed.
Xuanyuan Han suppressed his grief and indignation, stared intently into Long En's eyes, and asked, "I ask you, has Long Ye been secretly dating Tuoba Ze, the eldest prince of the Northern Lie Kingdom?"
"The Crown Prince of Beilie Kingdom? Someone of such high status, he shouldn't... surely not?" Long En's words betrayed his unease. However, Xuan Yuanhan's reminder had just brought to his mind his deal with Mei Zhixuan. He wondered how those two were doing now...
As he pondered, Xuan Yuanhan seemed to see the hidden meaning in Long En's eyes. Suddenly, he shoved Long En backward with great force, finally pushing him against a rock. He pressed his hand hard against Long En's neck, his eyes seeming to shoot out a thousand cold arrows, and shouted at him, "Tell the truth now! Does the Xiaolong Society have some shady deal with the Beilie Kingdom? Do you know that he not only drugged my guards with sleeping powder, but also used a diversionary tactic to kidnap Yun'er!"
"What did you say?" Upon hearing this, Long En, who was firmly restrained and whose face was red and neck thick, widened his eyes and stared at Xuan Yuanhan in shock.
At this moment, Lanxiang, who was standing behind him, rushed forward upon hearing this, looking at Xuan Yuanhan's face with anxious confusion and asking, "Your Highness, wasn't Miss Yi always with you? How could she..."
Xuan Yuanhan was filled with regret, regretting his carelessness. If only he had stayed by her side constantly, taking her wherever she went. With that thought, he gripped Long En's neck tightly again and roared, "I'm asking you, where is Long Ye?"
"Oh no..." It turned out that Long En was so immersed in the joy of reuniting with Lan Xiang and her father that he had forgotten that Long Ye had been tied up there all night.
Perhaps the prince of the Northern Lie Kingdom took this opportunity to save him and colluded with him to do what Xuan Yuanhan described. If that's true, then Yi Shangyun…
Upon realizing this, Long En didn't have time to explain further and immediately ran back to the place where Long Ye had been tied up.
Lanxiang and Xuanyuan Han exchanged a glance for a moment, then quickly followed after them...
At the foot of a rocky mountain on the northwestern border of Nan'an Kingdom, the sea surges and waves crash, with towering islands dotting the water. A roaring hurricane rolls in, instantly raising giant waves that surge and howl one after another, as if trying to swallow the entire universe.
At this moment, Tuoba Ze climbed the stone mountain, stood atop it with one hand behind his back, admiring the wondrous beauty of the vast ocean below, and expressing his lofty aspirations towards the magnificent sea:
I stand on the eastern cliff of Jieshi Mountain to view the vast sea.
The water is calm and still, the mountains and islands stand tall and majestic.
Trees grow in abundance, and grasses flourish.
The autumn wind is bleak, and the waves are surging.
The movement of the sun and moon seems to originate from within it.
The starry sky is brilliant, as if emerging from within it.
How fortunate I am! I sing this song to express my aspirations.
Suddenly, the guard behind him glanced over and saw Long Ye and his men dragging a beautiful young woman toward him. He quickly turned around and reported, "Your Highness, they're here!"
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Ze's lips twitched, revealing a sinister and cunning smile.
"Brother, I've brought the person to you. Where's what I asked for?" Long Ye approached, gripping Yi Shangyun's arm tightly, and spoke directly to Tuoba Ze's back.
Without turning his head, Tuoba Ze parted his thin lips slightly and said with a domineering air, "As for money, this young master will certainly not shortchange you. But this person... you haven't touched her, have you?"
As expected, money talks. Hearing Tuoba Ze's doubts, Long Ye quickly laughed and said, "Look at what you're saying, brother. There's a saying, 'Brothers are like hands and feet, women are like clothes.' Since you've already spoken, how could I possibly lay a finger on her? Besides, if it weren't for you untying me in the forest last night, even if the jackals didn't eat me, Long En certainly wouldn't have let me go. But speaking of which, whether Prince Qin Xuanyuan Han touched her or not, I have no idea! This woman actually had an affair with that kid; that's really a lucky break for that young brat. If it weren't for the birthmark on her face, she could be considered a beauty! And if she showed those two..."
No matter what, a dog will never change its nature of eating shit, even at this critical juncture.
Seeing that Long Ye's words were becoming increasingly outrageous and filthy, Tuoba Ze quickly interrupted him: "Enough nonsense. I don't believe you. I'll verify it myself and see!"
Upon hearing this, Long Ye was immediately stunned. After a moment, he recovered and exclaimed in surprise, "Brother, you want to inspect the goods yourself? Here? Your taste is certainly unique! Then please make yourself at home! Should I excuse myself for a moment?"
Finally, Tuoba Ze slowly turned around, revealing his true colors to Yi Shangyun. He glared fiercely at Long Ye, who was smiling obsequiously, with his hands behind his back, then looked gently at Yi Shangyun's face and greeted her softly, "Miss Yi, it's been a long time. How have you been?"
Seeing how polite he was to Yi Shangyun, Long Ye quickly went up and removed the cloth gag from Yi Shangyun's mouth and untied him.
Yi Shangyun glared at him angrily before looking at the strange man in front of her with some curiosity and asking, "Who are you? Do you recognize me?"
"You...don't you recognize me?" Upon seeing this, Tuoba Ze looked at Long Ye's face in surprise.
Long Ye then hurriedly explained, "It's like this, when Long En brought her back to the Xiaolong Society from outside, he said she had amnesia and didn't remember anything? She's a cunning and treacherous vixen, so you'd better be careful she doesn't try to trick you!"
"Amnesia? She actually has amnesia? So, she doesn't remember anything from before, including me? Is that true? If that's the case, then that's wonderful!" Tuoba Ze was clearly stunned, thinking to himself.
Upon realizing this, he immediately raised his eyebrows and said with delight, "We used to be very good friends in Western Qin, have you forgotten?"
"Friends? Are we... really friends?" Yi Shangyun said, puzzled, as she tried desperately to recall every detail of the past, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember what this person looked like.
Seeing the hesitation in her eyes, Tuoba Ze had a sudden inspiration and hurriedly began to lie, saying, "Do you still remember the scene when you fell off the cliff that day? You were there, Xuanyuan Han was there, and..."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun immediately closed her eyes, trying to concentrate and recall the events of that day. However, she suddenly felt as if her head was about to split open. Then, sure enough, another blurry male figure appeared in her mind, trying to help her and Xuan Yuanhan.
A moment later, Yi Shangyun came to her senses and asked him blankly, "You are... Third Young Master?"
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Ze finally breathed a long sigh of relief, thankful that he had successfully lured her and that she hadn't forgotten her true identity. He quickly nodded and said, "Yes, yes, I am the Third Young Master! I've finally found you! The people of the Yi family were so worried about you. Come home with me now!"
Unexpectedly, after a moment's thought, Yi Shangyun firmly objected, saying, "No, I have to wait for His Highness Prince Qin to return. He told me before he left that I must wait for him to come back, and that he would take me back to the manor as soon as he returned. I can't leave him here alone. I have to go back, no, I absolutely have to go back. It's already dawn. Maybe he's already gone back to look for me. If he can't find me, he must be very worried, very worried..."
While muttering to himself, Yi Shangyun turned around and ran back.
Unexpectedly, just as she turned around and took two steps, Tuoba Ze suddenly rushed after her aggressively and struck her on the back of the neck, knocking her unconscious. Yi Shangyun then fell steadily into his arms.
Tuoba Ze looked at Yi Shangyun, who had finally quieted down and stopped resisting, and said, "You won't listen to reason, so let's see where you can run this time."
Seeing this, Long Ye felt he could finally speak with peace of mind: "Brother, since you've already inspected this beauty in person, and it seems you're quite satisfied, right? There shouldn't be any problems, right? So, what you promised me before, can you... hehe..."
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