Chu Changning immediately drew his musket, turned around, and several figures fell to the ground.
Upon seeing this, the leader of the men flew into a rage, suddenly uttering gibberish in a language he couldn't understand, and swung his knife at her.
Are they from the southern desert?!
Chu Changning was alarmed and immediately put away his musket and ran outside.
The streets outside were filled with soldiers, so she didn't dare to go into the bustling market.
To shake off the assassins, he had to scale the rooftops and walls, dodging arrows from time to time.
But the people behind her were hot on her heels, so she gritted her teeth and decided to head west.
Although Penglai is surrounded by the sea on all sides, it has many mountains. The lush canopy of trees blocks out the sun, and the dense foliage makes the dark forest even more sinister and terrifying.
Chu Changning hid behind a tree, hearing light footsteps behind him, a small knife clutched in his hand.
The sun had just risen, and the dense forest was shrouded in mist. The roots of the trees were intertwined, and only sparse sunlight peeked through the gaps, casting hazy shadows on the ground.
A dark shadow flashed by, and a cold blade struck, instantly killing the leading assassins.
The others were shocked. Upon seeing the eerie figure hiding in the forest, they immediately used their inner strength to jolt.
Chu Changning was terrified and rolled to the ground, trying to dodge. But then, suddenly, two sharp arrows, accompanied by a cold wind, whistled past her on either side.
Screams of agony rose behind her. She turned around in alarm and saw that all the assassins who had been chasing her were lying on the ground.
Soldiers in black armor suddenly rushed out from all sides and surrounded her.
"Ah Wan, I've got you."
A familiar laugh came from behind him, and Chu Changning, who had fallen to the ground, suddenly froze, a chill running from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
She gripped the hem of her dress with her slender white hands and turned around.
The soft sunlight filtered through the branches, scattering gently. Helian Ye, dressed in red, rode his steed, looking down at her from his high vantage point.
"You've disguised yourself like this. If it weren't for the knife in your hand, I wouldn't have recognized you at first glance."
Helian Ye smiled and looked her up and down, his gaze settling on the curve of her chest.
Chu Changning followed his gaze and looked down, her eyes slightly darkening.
She took a deep breath and stood up, supporting herself. She had tried her best to cover herself up, but her escape had exposed her true gender.
The two locked eyes.
Chu Changning asked calmly, "What does Young Master mean?"
Helian Ye rode his horse slowly toward her, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"You used me and then ran away, making me waste so much manpower coming to Penglai to find you. What do you think I meant by that?"
Chu Changning said, "You used me to keep Yan Beimo in check, and I used your influence to leave him. How can you say I used you?"
"Oh?" Helian Ye suddenly leaned forward, grabbed her arm, and threw her onto the horse. He whispered in her ear, "Then I'm here to collect a debt from you."
His warm breath brushed against her neck, and she turned her head away.
"Don't forget, you still owe me something."
"---"
"I told you, if you run away, I'll find your corpse and tear you to pieces. Now, do you want me to let you go?"
Seeing that he didn't seem to be serious, Chu Changning spoke up.
“I still owe you a favor. If you just kill me like this, wouldn’t the young master be at a loss?”
Helian Ye nodded seriously upon hearing this, "You're right, it's not too late to kill him after you've repaid the favor."
As he finished speaking, his gaze drifted down to her flat stomach, and he raised an eyebrow.
"She gave birth?"
Chu Changning said calmly, "He accidentally fell off a cliff and is gone."
A moment of silence fell over the air.
He chuckled, "Do you ever tell the truth?"
"If you don't believe me, why ask me?"
Helian Ye raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, and rode away quickly with a spur of his horse.
As the sun sets in the west, Penglai, located atop the northern mountains, is shrouded in a thin, misty fog due to the cold sea.
After Yan Beimo disembarked, he arrived at the small courtyard that the Northern Army had searched.
Chu Changning had tidied up before leaving, and the house was very clean, with no trace of anyone having lived there.
He wandered around for a while, then sat down under the plum tree in the courtyard.
"This is where the lady used to live. Judging from the looks of it, she hasn't been gone for long."
After Qilin finished speaking, seeing that his lord was sitting silently, he continued.
"Our men discovered assassins from the Southern and Western Regions on the island. This morning, they saw a fight breaking out in the market. The dead man was an assassin from the Southern Regions. Judging from the wounds, it seems to have been killed by the lady's musket."
"I have already sent men to pursue them, and we should have news soon."
Yan Bei Mo slightly lifted her eyelids to look directly at him, and said calmly, "Even the people of Mo Nan can find her, so how can the Northern Army be so incompetent?"
The Qilin was taken aback and immediately knelt down.
"The assassins brought news that the lady appeared on West Street at Chenshi this morning. At that time, a group of people from Mo Nan were lying in ambush while chasing a batch of weapons and accidentally ran into the lady."
He rushed over immediately upon hearing the news, but he was still too late.
“All exits from Penglai are blocked. As long as people are still in Penglai, they cannot leave.”
Yan Beimo remained silent, surveying the scenery around the courtyard.
Night Hawk was leading his guards to search for traces everywhere. After looking around, he came out carrying the burned cradle.
"Your Majesty, this was found in the backyard. Judging from its shape, it looks like something a child would use."
Yan Beimo was taken aback and looked to the side.
It was burned beyond recognition, but its outline and size could still be vaguely seen.
"My subordinates also found a burnt and incomplete medical book in the pit under the tree. The contents of the book seem to be about postpartum medicine for women."
Nighthawk was trained from a young age and is meticulous and skilled at tracking and investigation.
When the lady left, she was pregnant, and judging by the days, she should have given birth by now.
After discovering signs of burning in the backyard, he began to examine it closely.
Yan Beimo stared intently at the items on the ground, momentarily stunned.
After a moment, he got up, picked up the book, and glanced through it.
The entire courtyard was quiet; you could hear a pin drop.
The surrounding guards were so silent they seemed like statues.
Yan Beimo suddenly spoke up, "She gave birth."
The crowd immediately knelt down, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, on the birth of your son!"
But to everyone's surprise, as soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly threw the things on the ground, his voice gloomy.
"She gave birth and still dares to run away, how outrageous!"
Everyone, "---"
Yan Beimo said coldly, "I'll give you one more day. If you still can't find the person, you'll all have to go to the eighteenth level of hell and start over."
"yes."
The group respectfully withdrew.
Yan Beimo went straight up the stone steps, pushed open the door, and walked into the inner room.
He looked around at the room's decorations, touched the dressing table, and then went to the back bathroom to take a look.
Looking at the shabby surroundings, a hint of displeasure flashed across his expressionless eyes.
After a moment, he turned around and sat back down on the bed.
The bedding on the tatami mat still retained a faint, delicate fragrance of the woman.
He glanced at it casually, then pulled the blanket over himself and lay down.
I closed my eyes, smelled the familiar fragrance, and quickly fell asleep.
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