Chapter 35 What's at the bottom of the pit?
In front of the Xie family's tent, Wen Shuwan lowered her head, her hand holding the embroidery needle making the last stitch on the purse, when suddenly her fingertip felt a sharp pain.
She accidentally pricked her finger, and her heart skipped a beat. While sucking on her bleeding finger, she looked up in Xie Mianmian's direction.
But finding no child in the bushes, Wen Shuwan stood up in a panic.
Soon, the Xie family, who were hunting in various places, received news of the child's disappearance and rushed back.
The moment Wen Shuwan saw Xie Linyuan appear, she rushed into her husband's arms, her almond-shaped eyes filled with tears, her gaze filled with panic and self-blame, and she choked back sobs.
"Xie Mianmian is missing. I've been looking for her for a long time but haven't been able to find her. It's all my fault." Her hand holding the handkerchief trembled incessantly. "It's my fault for not keeping a close eye on her."
Xie Linyuan took a deep breath, hugged his panicked wife, and gently patted her back, silently comforting her.
Xie Huaijin held the bow and arrow in his hand and examined the spot where the child had disappeared. Suddenly, as if he had discovered something, he half-squatted down and used the bow to clear away the hay.
“Someone has sprinkled spices in the grass.” He picked up a few remaining bits and sniffed them carefully. “It’s animal spice, a kind of fodder that animals love.”
Xie Huaijin frowned and followed the traces on the ground. "Someone used the Beast Herb to lure my little sister to the inner area. I'm going there right away."
Having said that, the boy jumped onto his horse and galloped wildly into the depths of the forest.
The inner perimeter! Thinking of the dangers inside, Wen Shuwan was so saddened that she had difficulty breathing, her head was spinning, and she almost fainted.
Xie Linyuan carried his wife to the bed inside the tent, only managing to say, "Don't be afraid, wait for me to come back," before hurriedly mounting his horse and chasing after her.
Xie Mingyi quickly comforted her, "Someone is determined to harm my little sister. It has nothing to do with you, sister-in-law. My little sister will definitely come back safe and sound."
She clutched the handkerchief tightly, comforting Wen Shuwan and herself.
Xie Mingyi looked up at the sky, put her hands together and prayed. She vowed that if God would bless her younger sister to return safely, she would never marry.
"Boom!" The sky, which had been bright just moments before, was suddenly filled with dark clouds, accompanied by muffled thunder.
Xie Mianmian was completely unaware of this. She followed a series of footprints deeper and deeper into the woods, where the footprints abruptly stopped.
The child scratched his head and continued walking.
A bright patch of light shone through the dark clouds onto the ground, revealing a vast open space.
Xie Mianmian stared at the empty space in front of her, her mouth agape in surprise.
In the open space, a very deep pit had been dug, and in the center of the pit, a huge ship was buried!
The upper part of the ship was exposed in the air, the hull was rotten and dilapidated, and the lower part was still buried deep in the mud.
The sounds of soil being shoveled and conversations could still be heard coming from the bottom of the pit.
"I can't dig anymore, bro. Is this enough? We can go in and find the treasure now, hehe."
"Idiot, all the good stuff we transported before is in the bottom warehouse. We have to dig down further, otherwise we'll never be able to get in!"
Then came the sound of digging.
Xie Mianmian covered her mouth, crouched down and walked quietly, hiding behind a big tree, peeking out her eyes to secretly observe the situation below the pit.
Oh dear, these must be the thieves hiding in the mountains that the wicked woman was talking about! But why are they digging a pit in the ground, and what's more, they've dug up a boat.
As the youngest daughter of the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, Xie Mianmian had only ever seen ships painted in books and paintings before. This was the first time she had ever seen a real ship, a large ship that had been stranded on a mountain for who knows how many years!
The child was extremely curious, both about the mysterious ship and the thieves in the pit.
Are they searching for treasure?
Xie Mianmian tiptoed over, wanting to lie down at the edge of the deep pit and take a good look.
Halfway there, "crunch~" the child stepped on the dead leaves on the ground, making a crisp sound. She looked down and saw that the ground was covered with dead branches and leaves.
"Someone's coming!" a fierce voice came from the pit.
"How could that be? It must have been a small animal that walked by."
The person didn't respond, but a faint sound came from below, as if someone was climbing up.
Xie Mianmian seemed to sense danger, and in the suffocating atmosphere, she slowly retreated.
"Ugh!" Suddenly someone stood behind the child and forcefully covered her mouth with one hand.
With his other hand around her waist, he laboriously lifted Xie Mianmian halfway up and ran quickly backward. The person whispered in Xie Mianmian's ear, "It's me, don't be afraid."
Xie Mianmian's eyes widened in surprise.
Once they reached a safe place, the child was gently placed on the ground.
Afraid that the thieves might hear her, Xie Mianmian whispered, "Why is Your Highness here, Seventh Prince?"
Because of the strenuous exercise, the Seventh Prince was breathing rapidly, his chest heaving, his eyes fixed on the child. "I heard you were missing, so I came to see you."
"Ah?" Xie Mianmian was at a loss, her voice panicked, "Oh no, oh no, I didn't mean to disappear! What if my second sister spanks me when I get back!" The child was terrified.
"You're so stupid, I'll take you back."
"But there are thieves in that pit," Xie Mianmian said with some worry.
"This has nothing to do with you, let's go." The Seventh Prince grabbed the child's hand and was about to leave. Those people were not good people, and if they were caught, they would be dead.
Xie Mianmian didn't want to leave and struggled a bit.
"Roar!" A low growl came from not far away. The wolf had returned. Xie Mianmian hadn't eaten enough, so it went back to pick wild fruit. But when it returned, it saw someone trying to harm its cubs.
The Seventh Prince swiftly shielded Xie Mianmian behind him, secretly drawing his sword with one hand. With him there, this wolf wouldn't be able to harm her.
The man and the wolf were locked in a stalemate.
Xie Mianmian peeked out from behind her. "You're back."
Ignoring the Seventh Prince's objections, the child walked towards the wolf, saying, "It's alright, it's a good wolf."
Xie Mianmian took a large leaf from the wolf's mouth, opened it, and found it crowded with fresh and delicious wild fruits.
The child happily presented the fruit to the Seventh Prince, saying, "It's an extremely delicious wild fruit! Your Highness, please try it."
The fruit was picked by a wild wolf and was definitely not washed, but looking into Xie Mianmian's bright and expectant eyes, the Seventh Prince couldn't bring himself to refuse.
He picked up a wild fruit, closed his eyes, and resolutely put it in his mouth.
Wild wolf: Tsk, the fruit it painstakingly picked, the cubs haven't even eaten it yet, and it's already complaining about it. Then don't eat it, give it back to it!
The seventh prince chewed for a while, then his brow relaxed. "Not bad, you can eat it."
The wolf beside him was staring at him menacingly. He glared back at it. He only ate it because of Mianmian. Did it think he cared about its fruit?
While happily eating wild fruit, Xie Mianmian asked, "What are those two thieves doing?"
The seventh prince pondered for a moment and said, "They must be robbing a tomb."
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