The man in black moved with incredible speed, and the biting wind howled and raged, cutting like knives into people's faces, causing excruciating pain.
In the blink of an eye, they disappeared into the river and headed deep into the dense forest.
Chu Changning was led to a hillside by him, her skirt fluttering in the wind. She cautiously gripped her knife and retreated.
The man in black ripped off his mask and knelt down.
"Your subordinate, Xiao Yan, pays his respects to the Princess."
Xiao Yan?
A hint of suspicion flashed in her eyes. Suddenly, she remembered that Chu Chang Le had mentioned it to her back in Kyoto. She looked at it quietly without saying a word.
"This was given to you by the little princess."
Xiao Yan took out the nine-piece jade box with inlaid patterns from his bosom and handed it to her.
Chu Changning paused for a moment, then took the document and opened it.
Inside, there was a jade plaque.
"This is?"
Xiao Yan stood up and explained, "This is what the late emperor left for the little princess to protect her life. It can be used to mobilize the Imperial Guards."
The late emperor used 100,000 troops to exchange for the eldest princess's marriage to the Yan family of Lanling to save his life, and left the elite secret guards he had trained to the youngest princess.
However, since the fall of the Southern Dynasty, the little princess had not contacted them. A few days ago, she suddenly met with him in secret and asked him to take the Imperial Guards away from the capital to protect the eldest princess.
Chu Changning held the jade pendant in her hand, paused, and looked at him again.
"Why didn't she let you take her away, but instead made you come to me?"
Xiao Yan shook his head. "This subordinate does not know."
Chu Changning felt a vague unease and asked again, "Did she send me any message?"
"No."
A cold wind blew in gusts, and dim light shone through the dense forest, casting swaying shadows.
Xiao Yan heard a faint sound behind him, his eyes flashed coldly, and he spoke in a chilling voice.
"Princess, they've arrived."
Chu Changning snapped out of his daze and quickly turned around to look.
Just look at the trees swaying in the distance, making a rustling sound.
She didn't delay any longer and whispered a few words of advice in his ear.
Xiao Yan listened to her words respectfully.
"Understood."
"Remember, go directly to the Thirteen Capitals. Don't stay with me, or his people will find out."
As he spoke, Chu Changning handed him the knife and continued.
"Stab me in the shoulder."
Without hesitation, Xiao Yan took the knife and plunged it into her shoulder.
Chu Changning's face turned pale, and she gestured to him.
"Walk."
Xiao Yan nodded, handed her the coded message and the knife, and immediately leaped away.
As soon as he left, Chu Changning covered her wound and ran forward.
White light pierced through the lush foliage, obscuring the path deep in the forest. When Night Hawk and his men arrived, they saw a man unconscious under an ancient tree not far away.
Shuangyue immediately stepped forward to check his breathing, and after a moment, she picked him up and carried him back.
A biting wind blew as a dozen warships docked. The masts of the lead ship whistled and hissed as countless soldiers searched in all directions, following the trail of the ships.
Upon hearing the news, Yan Beimo strode out of his cabin, followed by a group of generals from the capital.
Where are they?
He Xing hurriedly knelt down, "Night Hawk and the others have already gone to look for them."
Yan Beimo lifted his eyelids and looked into the depths of the dense forest, his dark eyes deep and terrifying.
He was about to go and search for him himself when he saw Shuangyue and the others quickly emerge from the forest and bring the person back.
"My lord."
Yan Beimo immediately disembarked, took the person in his arms, and narrowed his eyes when he saw the wounds on her body.
"Summon the doctor."
Inside the cabin, the lights were bright.
When Chu Changning regained consciousness, it was raining on the river outside. She struggled to open her eyes and looked around through the hazy gauze curtains.
The wound on her shoulder throbbed with pain, and she hissed as she propped herself up to sit up.
The faint sounds of men talking could be heard drifting over from outside.
Just as Chu Changning was about to listen carefully, the cabin door was pushed open with a bang, and the person walked in with an indifferent expression.
She touched the bandaged wound on her shoulder and looked up.
Their gazes met in mid-air.
He glanced at her indifferently, picked up the medicine from the table, and walked over.
How are you feeling?
Chu Changning leaned against the bedside and weakly shook his head.
Yan Beimo stood by the bed, lifted the gauze curtain with a light hook, glanced down at her, and then grabbed the back of her neck and forced the medicine down her throat.
The pain from being force-fed medicine so roughly made her face turn even paler, and she couldn't help but cover her mouth and cough a few times.
A profound silence filled the room.
Yan Beimo glanced at her, and after a long while, asked a question.
"Can you see who it is now?"
Chu Changning's lowered eyelids trembled slightly, and she said weakly, "Judging from the voice, it sounds like someone from the Western Regions."
"People from the Western Regions?"
Yan Beimo scoffed, his gentle face now carrying a hint of menacing impending storm.
"Why did Night Hawk say he sounded like someone from Kyoto?"
He suddenly leaned closer, staring intently at her.
Chu Changning was startled by his movement, tightened her grip on the blanket, and stepped back.
"I don't know, he was wearing a mask, so I couldn't see him clearly."
"Yeah?"
He suddenly grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up, his voice sinister.
"Chu Changning, you'll never settle down."
As the rain intensified, the ships on the river seemed to be tossed and swayed in a raging storm.
In the dimly lit tent, tears welled up in Chu Changning's eyes from the pain, and she subconsciously tried to pry his hand away.
Seeing her in such agony, Yan Beimo angrily shoved her away and cursed.
"With such audacity, why didn't you just stab him in the stomach and kill both the baby and the infancy?"
Chu Changning lay on the couch, listening to his words, a chill running down her spine.
After a moment, she picked up the blanket, covered her face, and began to sob with red eyes.
Yan Beimo glanced sideways and saw her head buried in the quilt, sobbing weakly. Her two slender legs were bare and dangling outside the quilt, shining white, and she looked angry.
"Why are you crying?"
The person on the bed remained silent, their shoulders trembling as they sobbed softly.
Yan Beimo frowned, suppressing his fierce aura, walked over, and pulled the blanket off her.
She was dressed in thin clothes, only wearing comfortable, light dresses. When he lifted her up, her delicate body trembled involuntarily.
With a loud slap, a hand landed on her buttocks.
"stand up."
Chu Changning didn't move, but curled up her body.
Yan Beimo pursed his lips, sat on the edge of the couch, and pulled her into his arms.
She looked up and met his gaze, her eyes reddening, her alluring willow-leaf eyes misty with tears, her hair damp with tears that rolled down her cheeks, making her look pitiful, like a pear blossom in the rain.
The anger that had risen in his heart inexplicably subsided, and he said with disdain.
"Delicate."
She looked away, struggling to get him to let go.
He had just force-fed her medicine, and the liquid spilled down her chin onto her white clothes, soaking her chest and revealing the outline of her snow-white skin.
The way she turned around ignited a fire within him.
Yan Beimo fixed his gaze on her and then grabbed her waist.
"It feels awkward."
"Then let go."
She glared at him stubbornly.
Yan Beimo lowered his eyelids to look at her, "Don't you have any explanation?"
"What do you want me to explain? How I was kidnapped? How I was stabbed and then you cursed and pinched me after I came back?"
Chu Changning accused him with red eyes.
"Since you doubt me, why not just give me a bowl of poisoned soup? Why torture me like this?!"
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