Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Your Highness... My legs are weak...
It had just rained, and the mountains were muddy, leaving behind a lot of messy footprints. Xie Zhi followed the tracks and found them deep in the mountains, but he saw several hastily printed footprints that split off and disappeared into the bushes. It was very cunning.
Yang Qiu, who had gone in pursuit, returned anxiously, "Your Highness, please forgive me. The assassin stopped me and delayed me. By the time I could catch up, I had already lost sight of him."
"Bring the hunting dogs." Xie Zhi's voice became increasingly cold, his face almost frozen into ice.
Meanwhile, Pei Jue, who was investigating the archers in the dense forest, also reported, "Judging from the footprints, there are only two or three people shooting arrows in the forest, far fewer than the several in the kitchen. Their deployment is meticulous. The sudden attack from the hunting ground doesn't seem like an intentional assassination, but more like... a feint to the east and a counterattack to the west."
Xie Zhi frowned.
Their goal was the kitchen from the beginning.
Nie Xiangyi rarely went to the kitchen. If the rebels were targeting her, they would surely be discovered by Yang Qiu if they followed her.
"Go check who's been going to the kitchen more often recently."
Then several hunting dogs barked incessantly and were led by the Shen Ce Guards into the dense forest, sniffing everywhere.
"Your Highness..." After a while, a Divine Strategy Guard replied solemnly, "In the dense forest, many places have been sprinkled with strong liquor, making it difficult for the hunting dogs to find the trace."
This group of rebels is so meticulous and careful, they are definitely not a mob.
"Mark all the places where the liquor was spilled and define the approximate area." Xie Zhi's eyes were filled with the prospect of a storm. "Bring me a hunting dog."
Here, Nie Xiangyi looked at the masked man in front of him, holding a three-ring broadsword, approaching him step by step.
The panic that had just been suppressed surged up again, and there was no trace of calmness or quietness in my mind.
"Grandfather, save me! Wuuwuwu! Your Highness, please come quickly! Yang Qiu, you useless thing! Wuuwuwu!"
She began to howl at the top of her lungs.
The big knife gleamed coldly in the candlelight, and made a sharp sound as it dragged on the ground.
Behind him was the cold and sharp mountain rock wall, and Nie Xiangyi had almost nowhere to retreat.
Almost at the moment when the sword was raised, she shrank her neck tightly, closed her eyes, and subconsciously called out,
"Your Highness!"
"etc!"
The general suddenly spoke.
The blade of the big knife tilted due to inertia, and a cold light suddenly flashed across the mountain wall beside Nie Xiangyi, instantly shattering the rocks.
She opened her eyes timidly.
The general heard her sobbing and walked up to her, looking her up and down. "Your Highness? Whose imperial concubine are you?"
Nie Xiangyi, who had survived the ordeal, was still pounding in her heart. She stared wide-eyed, unable to react. That was until the big man next to her shouted, "Answer me!"
Tears still hung in the corners of her eyes, and she sobbed, "Third Prince... Thank you..."
"Zhong Qi's granddaughter?" The general glanced at her with a half-smile, then clicked his tongue impatiently and looked at the big man behind him, "What a foolish thing you did! You wasted such a good opportunity!"
The big man bowed his head and accepted her rebuke. "General, what should we do now? Should we go and tie up Bai Xi again?"
"If we alert the enemy like this, I'm afraid the hunting grounds will be surrounded like an iron barrel! How can we start the fight?"
Even so, she showed an unwilling look on her face, "Send a few more of them out to explore! Remember! Be careful!"
"What about her?"
"Just keep an eye on her first." The general glanced at Nie Xiangyi irritably, "Just make sure she doesn't die."
Then he turned and walked out of the cave.
The big man sat opposite her, holding a knife, and the air was filled with silence.
Not knowing whether His Highness could find her, Nie Xiangyi was both worried and afraid.
She clenched her fingers and accidentally pinched a soft paper bag in her hand.
It was the croton powder she had just prepared for Pei Lang!
Her eyes lit up instantly, and her mind started to work rapidly.
"Well...I'm a little hungry..."
The big man held the knife without even looking at her, "Then starve."
"What if I starve to death?" Nie Xiangyi's voice just raised, but gradually weakened under the big man's gaze, "The general said... don't let me die..."
The big man snorted in annoyance, "Wait!"
But in the blink of an eye, the strong man came back quickly. He held a bowl of cold porridge in his earthenware bowl and stretched out his hand to pour it into her mouth.
"Wait! Wait!" Nie Xiangyi hurriedly took a step back, "I'll drink it myself! I'll drink it myself!"
The big man seemed to be fed up with her spoiled behavior. He put the bowl heavily on the ground in front of her and gave her a mocking look.
I watch how you drink.
Nie Xiangyi pursed her lips. "Can you tie my hands in front of me? I can't drink like this..."
The big man glanced at her coldly and ignored her.
"I'm unarmed. Even if you didn't tie me up... I'm no match for you..."
Perhaps because he thought what she said made sense, or perhaps because he saw how pitiful her expression was, the big man frowned and did as he was told.
When the big man sat down opposite her again with the knife in his arms, Nie Xiangyi picked up the earthen bowl and the croton powder in her hand slipped quietly.
"Why don't you drink a sip first... I'm afraid it's poisonous..."
The big man finally couldn't stand it anymore, "Why do you have so many bad habits! Drink it if you want!"
"But the general said... not to let me die..."
Before she could finish her words, the big man walked up to her with a sullen face, picked up the bowl, took a big gulp, and then threw it heavily in front of her.
"drink!"
Nie Xiangyi's eyes wandered, "You've already drunk... I don't want to drink anymore..."
The blade suddenly blew up, and in an instant it crossed Nie Xiangyi's neck. "Are you shameless? Are you kidding me?"
"No... no..." The cold blade was close to the skin. Nie Xiangyi stuttered and racked his brains to think of words, but saw the big man's face suddenly changed.
He took a deep breath, as if he was trying to gather his energy and endure something.
With a "plop" sound.
The big man's face suddenly turned pale.
"Dang!" The sword fell heavily to the ground, and he disappeared in an instant.
It’s exactly what I want!
Nie Xiangyi's heart was beating wildly for a moment. He picked up the knife as quickly as possible, cut the ropes that bound his hands and feet, and ran out of the cave without looking back.
When we got out of the cave, everything was quiet and pitch black. It was already night.
She couldn't tell the direction and was afraid that the people behind her would catch up with her, so she could only run around in the bushes, not daring to stop even when she was exhausted.
She almost didn't dare to look back, for fear that she would see those people as soon as she turned around.
"Boom-boom-boom--" The sound of the beast rose and fell along with the rapid heartbeat.
She didn't know how long she had been running; her strength was running out. The night behind her was like a black hole that could swallow her whole, and the unknown fear seemed to be about to devour her in the next moment.
She gritted her teeth and climbed up a big tree beside her.
Fortunately, I have climbed over many walls over the years and am quite skilled at it.
"General, that girl ran away."
"It's just right that she ran away. It saves us from having to figure out how to release her." The general raised his eyes and glanced at the sky. "Notify them to retreat under cover of darkness! The Divine Strategy Guards have begun searching the mountain."
"Then Bai Xi..."
"We'll talk about it next time!"
The area defined by the liquor and footprints was nearby, and several torches were lit all night long.
Xie Zhixing was at the forefront of the Shen Ce Guards, searching for fresh traces of broken bushes to find a way out.
Suddenly, the hunting dog in his hand started barking wildly, and turned around in place, stopping.
Xie Zhi used a fire to explore and found a lot of tattered pieces of clothing in the bushes. Even the broken bushes were exceptionally new and oozing white juice.
He searched everywhere, but there was no trace of anyone.
Xie Zhi's heart suddenly tightened, fearing that the rebels had taken Nie Xiangyi away and there would be no trace of her left by then.
"Divine Strategy Guards!"
He was about to call the distant Divine Strategy Guards over, but suddenly, in the quiet night sky, he heard a soft and thin voice calling, "Your Highness? Is that you?"
Her voice sounded like a frightened kitten, full of timid tentativeness.
Nie Xiangyi crouched in the tree, her feet nearly numb. Tired and hungry, she dared not let her guard down. Suddenly, she heard rustling beneath the tree and the incessant barking of dogs. Fearing it might be the assassin chasing her, she dared not utter a single sound.
Until she heard Xie Zhi's voice.
"Asi!" Xie Zhi suddenly looked up and saw Nie Xiangyi squatting pitifully on a high branch, hugging the tree trunk, looking so pitiful.
"Your Highness..." As soon as he saw Xie Zhi, it seemed as if all his grievances had found a place to go, and his nose suddenly felt sore.
She sniffed, her voice tinged with tears, "Your Highness... you're finally here..."
Xie Zhi's voice was more gentle and cautious than ever before. "It's my fault. I'm late."
Nie Xiangyi's sobbing voice came from the tree, "Your Highness... My legs are weak... I can't get down..."
Xie Zhi couldn't help but chuckle for a moment at the relief of surviving the disaster.
When he brought Nie Xiangyi down from the tree, Xie Zhi pursed his lips and looked at her, "She's quite smart. She knew to hide in the tree."
After being praised by him, Nie Xiangyi became a little confused and said, "Of course! I'm very smart!"
She hugged Xie Zhi's neck, as if using retaliatory chirping to forget the shock she had just experienced.
"I also gave those guys croton powder! I ran away when he had diarrhea! Humph! Full pounds of croton powder! Can't they die from diarrhea!"
Seeing Nie Xiangyi still lively and energetic, Xie Zhi's heart finally relaxed a little. He looked at her with a smile, "Where did you get the croton powder?"
Nie Xiangyi's tone choked, and he stiffened his neck with a guilty conscience. "Is this the time to talk about this? The point is, I'm really good, okay?"
"Yeah." Xie Zhi's voice was filled with a doting touch that he himself hadn't noticed. "Asi is the best."
"Hiss—" Nie Xiangyi suddenly cried out in pain. Glancing in the moonlight, he saw a bright red knife wound across his palm, still bleeding.
She was so anxious to escape that she had no time to think about anything else. Now that she suddenly relaxed, she realized belatedly that her palm was bright red.
"What happened?" Xie Zhi frowned.
"Maybe it was because I hit the knife edge when I was cutting the rope just now..."
Xie Zhi pursed his lips and said, "It's my fault."
He took the medicine powder from the Shen Ce Guard who had rushed over, lowered his head and carefully applied it to Nie Xiangyi, "Bear with it."
Nie Xiangyi's fingertips curled up in pain, and she subconsciously retracted her hand, "Your Highness...it hurts a little..."
"Squeamish."
Despite his cold words, his icy lips were almost touching her palm, blowing gently on her. His breath was like a gentle spring breeze, bringing with it an indescribable itch, brushing against her palm.
The Shen Ce Guards standing by watched with their eyes wide open.
He looked so cautious and patient in his attempts to appease others. Was this still their Third Prince who was decisive, ruthless, and indifferent?
"Your Highness!" After the medicine was applied, the Divine Strategy Guard stepped forward and said, "Regarding the rebels..."
Before Xie Zhi could say anything, Nie Xiangyi stretched his neck and poked his head out, saying hastily, "They're in a cave! I'll take you there!"
Xie Zhi picked her up again, and held her in his broad and stable embrace, "Behave yourself."
"But I think..."
Xie Zhi interrupted her, "Can you still find the way back?"
Nie Xiangyi glanced at the dark night behind him, then retracted his neck awkwardly.
"I'll take you back first. You were scared today."
Being held like this by Xie Zhi in front of everyone, Nie Xiangyi couldn't help but blush and stammered in a muffled voice, "I can walk by myself..."
Xie Zhi didn't respond to her, but only ordered the Shen Ce Guards, "The rebels are nearby. Search the mountain following the footprints of the Third Prince's wife."
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The author has something to say: Xiao Xie: My wife is so smart!
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