She finally stood firm, cold sweat running down her back, but her eyes showed unprecedented determination and calmness.
"We have to go back quickly."
"Go back?!" Shrike's voice rose several notches. "I went through so much trouble to get the key here, and I traveled all day to get here. I offered you my precious sword to chop down a tree, and you're telling me you want to go back after only chopping half of it?!"
Xiao Nanhui slammed the half-sheet of letter paper in his hand hard on the forehead of the man who was chattering non-stop.
"Think carefully, we've been master and servant for many years, and when have I ever sent you a message?!"
Shrike was stunned, holding his chin with one hand and thinking for a while, then he came to his senses.
"It seems that there is none."
"Someone used you to transfer me away from the hunting grounds. Something big is going to happen at Yulin Villa." Xiao Nanhui licked his cracked lips, his mind quickly planning his next move. "How long will it take us to rush back now?"
"The official road to the outskirts of Yu'an has been abandoned for years. You saw it when we came here. It's even harder to travel at night. If we return the same way, it will only take longer."
Today, she had set out from Shanglin Villa at noon and arrived at Yu'an Old City near midnight. Even if she exerted all her strength, it would be difficult for her to return to the hunting grounds before dawn.
"What if we don't take the original route?"
The Shrike paused and held up two fingers.
"If we don't take the original route, there are two possibilities. One possibility is that we follow the stars to determine our direction and head east, passing through the small pine forest and passing through Douchen Ridge west of Quecheng. Perhaps we can reach the hunting grounds before dawn. Another possibility..."
The other party stopped talking in the middle of the sentence. Xiao Nanhui was anxious and about to lose his patience.
"Hurry up and tell me."
The Shrike shook his big head and pointed to the sky.
"Another possibility is that we're unlucky tonight. In the second half of the night, dark clouds will cover the moon and the stars, making it difficult to tell where we are in the pine forest. We'll just be wandering around and around..."
"Okay, stop talking." Xiao Nanhui interrupted the other party in a deep voice, "Let's go through the small pine forest and take the road to Douchen Ridge."
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