But Zhou Erfu and Zhou Sifu have not returned yet, and Xingxing is very worried that something might have happened to them. She immediately wants to take people to look for them.
Zhu Lin stopped her and advised, "Don't panic. Let the guards go into the mountains to search first, and we'll make some preparations."
"Prepare what?" Xingxing asked blankly.
"I guess the reason why Erfu and Sifu haven't returned yet is because they've gone too deep into the mountains. We don't know what's going on up there, and they probably won't be able to return anytime soon. It's best to bring some dry food so they don't go hungry," Zhu Lin analyzed calmly.
Xingxing suddenly realized and immediately instructed Qingyan and Qingluo to prepare, "Hurry up, once we're ready, we'll head into the mountains to find them."
Half an hour later, Xingxing, Zhu Lin, and two female guards entered the mountain. After traveling for half a day, Zhu Lin blew the signal, and soon the rest of the people from Xianwu Island gathered there.
All seven of them said they found nothing. They did encounter several groups of guards along the way, but the guards also found nothing.
Night fell quickly. Following the coded message Qingyan had marked on the tree, the guards found the princess's resting place and reported on their search for her. They had caught quite a few small game animals on their way back, so they wouldn't have to worry about dinner. However, they still hadn't found any trace of the two Fu brothers.
Seeing Xingxing's genuine worry, Zhu Lin launched into another analysis: "We haven't found any large wild beasts in these mountains. Let's rest for a bit and continue searching in the latter half of the night. Now, not only are the Fu brothers missing, but the female Japanese pirates have also disappeared. If Erfu and Sifu didn't encounter the female Japanese pirates, they must have gotten lost in the mountains, and so must the female Japanese pirates."
"It would be best if we didn't encounter any female Japanese pirates. If we get lost, it would be safer. My second and fourth brothers are strong and experienced in hunting. They wouldn't be afraid even if they encountered large wild beasts in the mountains. But the female Japanese pirates are too cunning and skilled in martial arts. If we encounter them, it will be terrible. I feel very uneasy. My eyelids keep twitching, and I don't have any visual warnings in my mind. It's so worrying."
Since spending several years on disaster relief and sharing her good fortune, Xingxing has felt that her precognitive abilities are not as effective as before. She often fails to foresee things, feels uneasy, and has a feeling that something bad is going to happen, but she doesn't know what it will be.
Despite her worries, she didn't make a fuss. She insisted that the guards search all night, and at least make sure they were well-fed, rested, and recovered before starting the search.
Even though they searched tirelessly with torches in the middle of the night, they still couldn't find a trace of the two brothers Fu. There were traces of people walking on the mountain, and everyone followed the traces, but the traces disappeared in the end. This situation was very strange.
Before they knew it, dawn broke again. Everyone was exhausted after a busy night, so they had to gather together again to eat some dry rations and rest.
"Today, everyone will split up to search. There's no need to reunite until you find the person. If you still haven't found them in seven days, then come and meet up with them by following the signs." Xingxing said this to the group of guards.
The guards hesitated. Their mission was to protect the princess, not to find someone. They hadn't seen her for several days and couldn't be sure if she was safe. If something happened to her, they wouldn't be able to explain it to the emperor when they returned.
"When you're out here, you all have to listen to me. If I tell you to go find someone, then go now. If you hesitate any longer, then get out of here!" Xingxing roared angrily.
The guards' expressions changed, and they dared not hesitate any longer. They immediately obeyed the order, turned around, and went off to search for the person.
After searching separately, seven days passed in the blink of an eye. Xingxing and Zhulin, along with Qingyan and Qingluo, traveled in one group, while the senior brothers and sisters split into two groups.
The six people from Fairy Mist Island would come to meet Zhu Lin every day, but they hadn't found her. There was also no news from the secret guards. If there was any news, the secret guards would bring people to see the princess.
Seven days passed, and even if the guards hadn't found the person, they would still follow the marks to ask Xingxing for instructions on what to do next. Xingxing sat on a large rock and didn't rush to leave. She simply waited there for the guards to come. Since they hadn't found the person, they would have to continue searching separately.
"We've reached the other half of the island. If we keep going, we'll reach the end of the island. Could it be that Erfu and Sifu have already crossed the island?" Zhu Lin muttered to himself.
Xingxing sat beside him and heard everything he said. She frowned and said, "Logically, the echo on the mountain should be very strong. How come we didn't hear any fighting sounds? Second Brother and Fourth Brother didn't find the marks we made either. The female Japanese pirates also seemed to have disappeared into thin air. It's too strange."
During this time, Xingxing also played a tune on a leaf. Erfu taught her to play the tune on a leaf. If Erfu and Sifu heard this tune, they would know she was nearby immediately. Unfortunately, she had been playing it for days and had not received a response from her two brothers.
So, where did Erfu and Sifu go?
Xingxing and the others never dreamed that Fu Ge and his group were actually not too far from the village on the island, nor had they come all the way to the edge of the island.
"Damn it, this cave is so deep! And the soil on the cave walls is loose and slippery. As soon as you start climbing, you get buried in dirt and can't climb up at all. It's a real hellhole!" Zhou Erfu cursed as he jumped down from the cave wall, covered in dirt.
Sifu tried to climb further, but eventually he was covered in wet mud, which was really unpleasant. Luckily it was a hot day; if he had fallen into the cave in winter, he would have frozen to death.
"That female Japanese pirate is really vicious. If it weren't for her, how would we have fallen into this pit?" Zhou Sifu also joined in the cursing.
The story goes back ten days. When Erfu and Sifu went into the mountains, they suddenly discovered that someone was following them. They initially thought it was Japanese pirates and were about to use a trap to catch them when they were surprised to find that it was Ah Hui who was following them.
"Why did you follow us? And why were you sneaking around behind us?" Erfu and Sifu were both shocked, and they looked at Ahui with scrutiny.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
