She grabbed Prince An's sleeve anxiously, her eyes filled with unease: "Your Highness, when did Xiaoxi go down to the bottom of the cliff? It's already past midnight."
Her voice trembled slightly, and her hands were clenched into fists, as if she were trying to draw strength from them.
Seeing her so anxious, Prince An sighed softly and comforted her, "Miss Meng, you don't need to worry too much. Young Master Li is highly skilled in martial arts and will surely be safe. Please wait here for a while, and I will send someone to check on the situation after dawn."
Hearing this, her unease did not dissipate, but she could not press the matter further. She could only sit silently to the side, praying for peace.
As night deepened, moonlight spilled into the quiet courtyard. She gazed towards the bottom of the cliff, her heart filled with worry.
Meanwhile, Li Xi and Tian Tian were fast asleep at the bottom of the cliff, having exhausted all their strength.
The morning sunlight filtered through the dense foliage, dappling their bodies.
Li Xi opened her eyes slightly and saw that Tian Tian was still asleep.
She gently got up, looked around, and saw a lush green landscape filled with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers. Taking a deep breath, she felt refreshed, as if all her fatigue had vanished with a good night's sleep.
Suddenly, a melodious flute tune drifted through the valley, clear and pleasant to the ear, like the sound of nature.
Li Xi was deeply attracted by the melodious flute music, and her curiosity drove her to find the source of the sound.
After passing through a dense forest, a wide-open space suddenly appeared before her.
There, she saw a middle-aged man dressed in white. He sat on a huge rock, holding a jade flute, playing music that was as beautiful as a poem.
The man noticed Li Xi's arrival. He kindly stopped playing, gave her a smile, and said in his warm, spring-like voice, "It's a pleasant surprise that so few people visit here. I sincerely apologize for disturbing you with my flute playing."
Li Xi hurriedly waved her hand, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "No, no, your flute playing is like heavenly music, it's what attracted me. I thought this place was deserted and I was worried about not being able to find my way out."
The middle-aged man stood up, his white robes fluttering, looking like an immortal.
He smiled and replied, "This is Cuiyun Valley. I come here often. You can call me Yunyi."
Li Xi looked around. The valley was quiet and peaceful, with swaying bamboo and swirling mist, as if she were in a mysterious fairyland.
She then asked, "Brother Yunyi, do you know the way out of here? We wandered into this place by mistake yesterday and haven't been able to find our way out. Would you be so kind as to point us in the right direction?"
Yun Yi smiled slightly and pointed to the depths of the valley: "You just need to follow that stream and you will find a way out."
Li Xi looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a clear stream meandering and disappearing into the distant clouds.
Overjoyed, she quickly thanked him, "Thank you for your guidance, Brother Yunyi!"
He shook his head, smiled, and said, "No need to be so polite. We'll meet again if fate allows." With that, he turned and sat down, continuing to play his melodious flute.
Sunlight filtered through the clouds, casting its glow on the valley and adding warmth to this mystical fairyland.
The two walked along the stream, the water babbling as if whispering secrets.
The surrounding bamboo swayed gently in the breeze, rustling softly as if guiding them. They carefully stepped on the stones, afraid of disturbing the tranquility.
After walking for a long time, they finally saw the exit of the valley.
A lush green field came into view, and wisps of smoke rose from the distant village, adding a touch of human warmth to the tranquil afternoon.
When the two arrived at the door of Grandpa Gu's house, their stomachs were already growling with hunger.
But Li Xi had no time to pay attention to any of that; her gaze was immediately drawn to Da Niu outside the door. She quickly stepped forward and excitedly asked, "Da Niu, have you found Lan'er and Old Man Gu...?"
She thought about asking Master Huang for help; he was a very powerful figure in Huangshi Town.
But before she could finish speaking, Meng Zhelan, who had rushed over, interrupted her, "Xiao Xi, Tian Tian, you're finally back."
Tears welled up in Meng Zhelan's eyes as she tightly held Li Xi and Tian Tian's hands.
"Miss, I'm sorry to have worried you." Sweetie was relieved to see that her mistress was alright.
With a weight lifted from their hearts, the three of them breathed a long sigh of relief, and smiles of contentment appeared on their faces.
At this moment, Old Gu also came out of the kitchen. Seeing Li Xi, his face lit up with joy, "I just made breakfast..."
Hearing the commotion, Prince An also came over. Seeing Meng Zhelan holding Li Xi's hand tightly, a strange and indescribable sorrow quietly welled up in his heart.
However, Prince An still asked about what happened after Li Xi fell off the cliff.
“We fell into a crevice in the rocks, and after finally getting out, we found that the place we came out of was not the bottom of the cliff, nor did we see the mine you mentioned.”
Li Xi and Prince An talked about these things in a corner, trying hard to recall what happened yesterday.
The two stood in a corner, talking in hushed tones, trying their best to recall yesterday's events.
After examining the map, Prince An knew that the area was characterized by continuous mountains and complex terrain. "It seems that you two did not end up at the same bottom of the cliff. This may be the reason why Da Niu was unable to find you."
After a moment's thought, Prince An asked again, "How did you manage to come out of the crevice in the rock?"
Li Xi recalled for a moment and described, "The crevice was extremely narrow, only wide enough for one person to pass through. We walked along the crevice, and after what seemed like an eternity, we finally left. Speaking of which, we have to thank that brother for enabling us to escape from that dense forest today."
"Brother?" There are people living deep in the mountains and forests? Prince An couldn't help but feel strange.
But perhaps he was a hermit living in seclusion here, so he didn't think much of it.
After breakfast, the group began packing their belongings, preparing to leave Liangshi Village.
Grandpa Gu also left with Gu Cheng, and Da Niu took care of the things he couldn't take with him.
"Uncle Gu, wait for me for a while, I'll come to Kyoto to find you too." Da Niu was reluctant to see the two of them leave.
They have lived here for six years and have developed feelings for the people and things here.
However, for Gu Cheng's health, Old Master Gu accepted Young Master An's suggestion.
He treated Da Niu like his own child, and Grandpa Gu knew Da Niu's character very well.
He gently patted Da Niu on the shoulder and said, "Da Niu, young people should go out and explore the world."
"Okay," Da Niu simply replied.
Last night, Prince An had Meng Zhelan persuade them to leave Liangshi Village. Those people remember what they look like, and they'll probably come looking for trouble once they recover.
Back at the inn, Li Xi washed up properly, changed into clean pajamas, and lay quietly on the bed, soon emitting soft snores.
Given the current crowds and noise, Meng Zhelan decided to no longer share a room with Li Xi.
She had planned to take a quick look before going to bed and then return to her own room, but as soon as she reached Li Xi's door, she heard a series of low roars coming from inside.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com