At noon, in the Western Qin army camp.
As soon as Cheng Liang stepped into Xuan Yuanhan's tent, Xuan Yuanhan put down the military book in his hand and asked in a deep voice, "Have you found any news about her yet?"
Cheng Liang shook his head, feeling anxious yet helpless, and said, "It's like Miss Yi has vanished from the face of the earth. Our people have searched everywhere, but we still haven't found a single trace of her."
"Have you even searched the desert?" Xuan Yuanhan asked, clinging to the last glimmer of hope.
"The people we just sent out to search have reported back that they still haven't found anything and are all on their way back." Though it was hard to bear, I could only report the truth in a low voice.
Just as he finished speaking, he remembered something else and continued reporting: "However, the message said that on their way back, they encountered a herdswoman who had been hit by a tornado and stranded in the desert. Because she was lost and seriously injured, they brought her back to the military camp to treat her wounds."
Xuanyuan Han frowned slightly, lowered his eyes and thought for a while before cautiously asking, "Are you sure that woman is just an ordinary herdsman?"
After a moment's thought, Cheng Liang said, "It's certain."
Xuanyuan Han said, "That's good. The closer we get to the end of the battle, the more careful we need to be."
"Understood," Cheng Liang said, bowing.
A vague feeling had been lingering in his heart. After much deliberation, he finally spoke up, saying, "Your Highness, could it be that Tuoba Ze never brought Miss Yi back to Beilie at all? Instead, he may have kept her hidden within our Xiqin or sent her to some other place we cannot imagine?"
Xuanyuan Han breathed a sigh of relief, slowly got up, and walked to the sand table in the center of the tent. Looking at the area where most of the Northern Lie Kingdom was now under the control of Western Qin, he said, "Cheng Liang, do you remember the herdsman aunt who came to the military camp to exchange grain with us a while ago?"
Cheng Liang thought for a moment and said, "Of course I remember. That aunt said she wanted to cook a meal she liked for a savior, saying she couldn't get used to the food on the grasslands and was so thin she was practically skin and bones. When His Highness heard this, he not only didn't accept the sheep she offered in exchange, but also gave her a lot of rice! But I don't understand, what does this have to do with Miss Yi?"
"Have you ever thought about what kind of person this savior she mentioned is? Why would he be so unaccustomed to the food of the Northern Lie Kingdom?"
Upon hearing Xuan Yuanhan's words, Cheng Liang immediately realized: "Your Highness means that the aunt's savior is very likely a person from my Western Qin."
Xuanyuan Han added, "Not only that, but that person is very likely a woman."
“Yes, if it were a man, he definitely wouldn’t be so picky to save his life. It’s just a pity that the woman refused to reveal her name or address. Otherwise, we could definitely have found out more information,” Cheng Liang said regretfully.
"Look what this is?" Xuan Yuanhan said, taking a cloth bag out of his body.
Cheng Liang took it, quickly opened it, and exclaimed in surprise, "Silver needles?"
He pulled one out, examined it carefully in his hand, and said, "I know this kind of silver needle. It comes from my Western Qin Kingdom. What does Your Highness want with silver needles from the military doctor?"
"This packet of silver needles wasn't something I got from the army doctor; it was something that the old lady accidentally left behind when she left that day," Xuan Yuanhan said, taking a breath.
After thinking for a moment, Cheng Liangxin said, "In that case, it is very likely that this is the thing that the old lady mentioned that her savior left behind. She carries it with her at all times, hoping to find an opportunity to return it to that girl."
However, Xuan Yuanhan had been puzzled for many days: "Actually, I have always had a feeling that I have seen this packet of silver needles somewhere before, but I really can't remember where."
Just as the two were deep in thought, a series of hurried footsteps and shouts suddenly came from outside the tent: "Where's the medic? Where's the medic? Come quickly and check on this young lady!"
Upon hearing the sound, the two quickly snapped out of their daze, exchanged a brief glance, and then walked out of the tent together.
From afar, one could see the soldier leader, who had just entered the military camp, carrying a woman who appeared to be unconscious on his back.
Upon seeing this, Cheng Liang hurried forward to inquire, "What happened?"
With the help of his men, the soldier leader carefully put the woman down and said anxiously, "General, this is the woman we reported to you about who was lost and injured in the desert."
Cheng Liang glanced at the woman and was immediately stunned by her miserable appearance.
The woman kept her head down, her body covered in wounds. Even in the sweltering summer heat, the torn lines on her clothes still seeped with blood.
Startled for a moment, Cheng Liang quickly regained his senses, waved his hand, and loudly urged the military doctor who was rushing over, "Military doctor, hurry!"
The military doctor rushed to the woman's side as fast as he could. Seeing that she had fainted and was in critical condition, he took her pulse and hurriedly instructed the paramedics who had come with him, "Quickly bring over the stretcher, put this girl on it and lay her flat, then get her to the cool tent immediately, quick!"
Just then, the woman's face was lifted and turned around. Cheng Liang glanced at the familiar face and stared in astonishment, stammering, "Your Highness, Your Highness, come and see!"
Upon hearing the sound, Xuan Yuanhan, who had been standing outside the crowd with his hands behind his back, watching everything that was happening in front of him, was immediately stunned and stepped forward.
In an instant, the soldiers who had formed a circle quickly stepped aside to make way for him.
When Xuan Yuanhan got closer and saw the woman's face, he was immediately stunned.
I felt a sharp pain in my heart, as if a knife had suddenly struck my chest. A thousand thoughts surged within me, but I had nowhere to go. I could only clench my teeth tightly, as if I was trying my best to endure it.
He kept asking himself, "Oh my god, what's going on? She is... she is..."
He was speechless.
Suddenly, something happened that left everyone present speechless.
Suddenly, Xuanyuan Han bent down and personally scooped up the disheveled woman from the stretcher, carrying her in his arms. Then, he turned around abruptly and strode into his spacious, bright, and comfortable tent.
It wasn't until a cold, urging voice drifted through the air, "Medic, hurry up and come in with me," that everyone slowly came to their senses.
Upon hearing the call to him, the military doctor hurriedly got up, picked up his medical kit, and stumbled after him.
Inside the large tent.
After an unknown amount of time, the military doctor, quietly wiping the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, slowly emerged from behind the screen carrying his medicine box.
"How is it?" Xuan Yuanhan asked as he caught a glimpse of someone coming out and removing the screen.
The old military doctor quickly approached and said with relief, "Your Highness, rest assured, this young lady has only been in the desert for too long and is exhausted. She is fine. Fortunately, her injuries are all superficial and have been treated with ointment. She will recover soon."
After the military doctor finished reporting, Xuanyuan Han waved his hand at him, signaling him to step back.
At this moment, Cheng Liang, who had been standing silently beside him, not daring to utter a sound, finally glanced at the woman's peaceful face on the bed from afar. He then turned back to his master, puzzled, and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, this woman looks so much like Miss Yi! But why doesn't she have a red birthmark on her face?"
Xuan Yuanhan appeared outwardly calm and composed, but inwardly he was experiencing a turbulent mix of emotions.
He did not answer Cheng Liang's question, but instead slowly walked towards the bedside.
Standing by the bed, he stared silently at the sleeping woman on it, scrutinizing her for a long, long time, but his brows remained furrowed, unable to understand her at all.
Why does her scent feel so familiar?
Her eyebrows, her eyes, her nose, her soft lips, the scent emanating from every strand of her hair—he knew them all so well, yet why was it only her face…?
Just then, a fine sheen of sweat appeared on the woman's forehead.
Xuanyuan Han quickly glanced around, then hurriedly picked up a soft white cloth from the table, lifted the hem of his robe, sat down on the couch, and gently wiped away the drops of sweat from the woman's body.
Through the soft cloth, I could truly feel her warm and delicate skin.
Inch by inch, gently gliding across...
All of this was so familiar, it was almost too familiar to be true.
"Who are you? Are you her? Are you really her? You've finally felt the deep call I feel for you in my heart, haven't you? That's why you've come back, back to my side, isn't that right?"
Just as he was silently reciting in his heart, gradually becoming immersed in this familiar touch, he suddenly heard the woman make a few intermittent, panicked sounds, as if from a nightmare.
"Your Highness, Your Highness"
"The military tally, the military tally!"
"Your Highness, Your Highness!"
"Mother, Mother"
"Your Highness's child, Your Highness's child, Your Highness is going to have a child!"
...
Suddenly, she stretched out her hands and tightly grasped the large, well-defined hand holding the cloth in Xuan Yuanhan's hand.
Xuan Yuanhan's hand trembled involuntarily, startling him awake. He stopped what he was doing and stared blankly at her face.
At that moment, the woman's hands slowly fell down again, and she murmured, "Water, water, water..."
Xuanyuan Han stared intently at the woman's face, then shouted urgently behind him, "Cheng Liang!"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang hurriedly poured a bowl of hot water from the side and rushed forward to hand it over.
Xuanyuan Han gently lifted the woman's body, pressing her against his burning chest.
He blew on the steaming water in the teacup again and again, and finally took a small sip himself to make sure the temperature was just right before carefully bringing it to her lips and pouring it down for her to swallow.
Unexpectedly, the woman choked instantly and started coughing violently...
In his haste, Xuan Yuanhan picked up the teacup, took a sip of water, and bent down to feed him mouth-to-mouth...
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