"His Highness has come in person?" The frail man stopped abruptly, staring wide-eyed at Cheng Liang in astonishment.
Cheng Liang also slowly stopped and nodded slightly to him. The two looked at each other for a moment, and then saw Wei Ning suddenly groan for some reason, and immediately showed a look of pain on his face. Cheng Liang thought that he had suffered some kind of injury and was feeling a dull pain, so he went over and gently lifted one of his arms and put it on his own shoulder. As they continued walking, he said softly:
"Your Highness originally came out to search for...a woman in the vicinity. Unexpectedly, I encountered Long Ye and his men massacring the villagers of Peach Blossom Village, which is why I chased him all the way here, only to fall into his trap. If you hadn't arrived in time, I would probably be doomed. I didn't expect that the Xiaolong Society would actually be eyeing my Western Qin Kingdom with such covetous intent and eager to make a move. Unfortunately, this is Nan'an Kingdom's territory, and it would be unwise to rashly raise an army. I can only ask Your Highness to make a decision after we meet later."
After Cheng Liang finished speaking, he looked up at the boundless sky. The night was over, and the eastern sky was already beginning to lighten. The early birds in the mountains and forests had already started to sing merrily and melodiously. However, at this moment, he frowned deeply, sighed softly, and fell into endless thoughts.
Wei Ning leaned lightly against Cheng Liang, his other hand on his waist, walking while listening quietly. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly frowned and stammered:
“General… In fact… based on my investigation of the Xiaolong Society over the past few days, its leader, Long En, is quite cunning. It seems impossible to discern his true intentions towards our Western Qin Kingdom. He is usually quite concerned about the training progress of his subordinates. He is a very reserved person, completely different from the outspoken Long Ye. He never allows the members of the Xiaolong Society to go out and harass the surrounding people. He seems to be a true gentleman.”
Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang exclaimed in disbelief, "Oh? Long En really did hide it so well!"
Wei Ning nodded, then suddenly remembered Cheng Liang's words and seemed to instantly understand. He said, "Judging from what the general said earlier, it seems that he did not receive the message I sent out. If that's the case, then it's likely that Long En's people have already discovered it, which is why... cough cough cough..."
As Wei Ning was speaking, he suddenly coughed heavily. Cheng Liang's heart tightened immediately. He had just glanced at him and noticed that Wei Ning was covered in cold sweat, his face was pale, and he was pressing his abdomen tightly with his hands. Cheng Liang quickly stopped and looked him over carefully.
His gaze fell upon the bright red blood seeping from between the man's fingers. He quickly reached out and pulled the man's hand away, then stared wide-eyed in astonishment, asking, "Your injury... what happened?"
Already extremely weak, and having exerted himself by moving the large stone, Wei Ning could no longer bear the excruciating pain. His teeth chattered uncontrollably as he weakly replied, "I was stabbed while rescuing a woman named Lanxiang from the Xiaolong Society..."
Before he could finish speaking, Cheng Liang helped her to sit down on a nearby rock and began re-bandaging her wound. Upon hearing this, he suddenly looked up and asked in confusion, "Lanxiang?"
Wei Ning gasped, nodding as if in pain, and said, "Lanxiang was forcibly taken to the Xiaolong Society by Long Ye's men and almost fell victim to their evil deeds. Later, I was stabbed and imprisoned in a mysterious dungeon. Just when I was in despair and only wanted to die a quick death, I was fortunately saved by a girl with excellent medical skills, which saved my life."
Cheng Liang was stunned by what he heard. After a moment, he regained his senses and asked in a slightly trembling voice, "Lanxiang... was there a little girl named Yan'er with her?"
Wei Ning was puzzled by Cheng Liang's unusual behavior and stared blankly into his eyes before replying in a deep voice, "Lanxiang and Yan'er were arrested together. Judging from their inseparable and intimate manner, they must have known each other for a long time."
"And what about the two of them now?" Cheng Liang asked anxiously upon hearing this.
Wei Ning thought for a moment, then said with some confusion, "We had already escaped that secret prison, but my injuries were too severe, and I fell unconscious. When I woke up, I didn't know what had happened. They had all disappeared. I think they must have been afraid of being caught by Long Ye again, so they were taken away from the Xiaolong Society by someone first! Since I had already been exposed, I simply took the opportunity to escape as well. That's why I saw the general's figure hurrying by on the way, so I chased after him."
Seeing Cheng Liang half-squat down beside him, looking stunned, his hands, which were tying knots, frozen in place as if nailed to a wall, and he falling into a thoughtful silence, Wei Ning, still puzzled and curious, whispered in his ear several times, "Who exactly are they? Why is the general so nervous?...General, General..."
Hearing this, Cheng Liang suddenly snapped out of his reverie and gave him a deep look before continuing what he had been doing, saying, "One of them is helping His Highness find that young lady. The other is that young lady's personal maid, who also traveled a long way to find her young mistress. A few days ago, someone reported that the two of them had secretly slipped away to search for someone and had disappeared. We already suspected that they might have been captured by the Xiaolong Society. Before we could even contact you to inquire, all this happened. We didn't expect that they would actually be here. But, those two weak women... can they escape?"
Wei Ning then understood, and then comforted him, "I see... General, don't worry, the best guards by Long En's side are escorting them. They know their enemy well, so there shouldn't be any problems."
After a slight pause, Wei Ning asked with some curiosity, "By the way, who exactly is the girl Your Highness is looking for? What kind of person is so important that Your Highness has to come out to find her personally?"
As they spoke, Cheng Liang had already re-bandaged her wound. He was secretly amazed at what kind of woman possessed such superb medical skills that she could heal such a severe sword wound so quickly.
Upon hearing this, he stood up and took out a folded notice from the Qin Prince's Mansion that he always carried with him, and handed it to Wei Ning.
Wei Ning took the paper with both hands and slowly unfolded it. However, as soon as his gaze fell on the portrait of a woman on the paper, which was particularly eye-catching, with a light veil covering her face and only revealing a pair of bright, star-like phoenix eyes, his eyes widened and his mouth began to tremble. For a long time, he seemed to be unable to speak.
After a long while, he managed to utter only two words: "It's her!"
Cheng Liang seemed to be deep in thought when he heard the sound. He slowly raised his eyes, stared at Wei Ning's face, and said in disbelief, "What? You recognize the woman up there?"
Wei Ning, regaining his composure, excitedly said, "She...she is the girl I just mentioned who helped me heal my wounds and seemed to have descended from the sky to help me escape that dark and mysterious dungeon."
Cheng Liang snatched the notice from Wei Ning's hand, pointed at the woman's portrait, and stared at his face: "What did you say? Look more closely, make sure you see clearly, is the woman who helped you heal really the one depicted in this notice?"
Wei Ning, his face serious, said with certainty, "No mistake, no mistake. How could I not remember what my savior looks like? Besides, I've seen her more than once in the Xiaolong Society! She was a guest that Long En brought back to the Xiaolong Society a few days ago. Although this woman always wears a veil, her eyes and temperament are rare in this world. I've long since engraved my savior's image in my heart. She is truly a brave and resourceful woman! A weak woman with no strength to even kill a chicken dared to jump from a cliff more than ten feet high into the lake to save someone. Her courage and boldness are truly..."
Once Wei Ning thought of his benefactor's many deeds, he began to talk incessantly. However, Cheng Liang was already stunned. When he came to his senses, he quickly pulled Wei Ning up from the rock and asked him in detail as they hurried through the woods, "Where is this woman now?"
As Wei Ning was being dragged along, he clutched his chest and recalled, "That girl had a very nice voice. When I was unconscious inside the house, I vaguely heard her voice saying that she was going to some Peach Blossom Village. She said that Long Ye had taken people there to massacre the village, and they were going to rescue people."
Cheng Liang immediately stopped and pondered, "Peach Blossom Village... When I came here from Peach Blossom Village after chasing Long Ye, I didn't see anyone along the way. Could it be that something happened to her again?"
Upon realizing this, Cheng Liang quickly grabbed Wei Ning's arm and carried him away, saying, "Hurry! Go back and tell His Highness this news as soon as possible."
...
Before we knew it, it was bright daylight. It looked like today was going to be a sunny and breezy day.
Having barely escaped with his life, Long Ye returned to the Xiaolong Society. Before he could even catch his breath, he ordered his men to quickly gather all his subordinates in the spacious square in front of the magnificent, imposing, and luxurious Xiaolong Hall.
The dragon flag fluttered, the sound echoed, and the atmosphere was magnificent.
At this moment, Long Ye, dressed in a black satin brocade robe embroidered with a coiled dragon pattern, sat high on the platform in front of everyone, his eyes half-closed, his hands gripping the armrests of the chair tightly. He gritted his teeth and looked down at the square formation of dozens of burly men in red below, their backs to the crowd, who were trembling and begging for mercy.
"Please forgive us, Vice Chief. It was our incompetence that allowed those thieves to escape from the dungeon. We truly did not leave the cell door even once. Now, even if we are to die, we must die knowing why. Even we, as the guards, cannot enter this dungeon without the key. Even if they had wings, they should have left a trace. We really have no idea how they escaped from the dungeon."
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