Fortunately, Prince An was well prepared, and the Emperor Emeritus secretly gave his men the greatest opportunity to play their role. Their martial arts skills were terrifyingly high, and without exception, all the assassins who came to kill him were killed.
The carriage that Prince An prepared for her and Tian Tian was exceptionally sturdy.
The coachman was extremely skilled; even though the carriage was riddled with arrows like a hedgehog, it never broke down and continued to bump along the official road, leaving the assassins behind.
Prince An, perhaps having been assassinated many times, had gained experience and anticipated this move.
They were given a carriage made of the finest ebony, inlaid with fine steel, and even the wheels were covered with iron.
The carriage walls were two inches thick, so ordinary arrows couldn't penetrate them, and even concealed weapons couldn't get inside.
The coachman was a master driver; the carriage bounced violently as he dodged the arrows, but it never broke down, and he even managed to leave the pursuing assassins behind.
After running for more than an hour, the coachman slowed down once he was sure it was safe. "Dr. Meng, it's safe now."
"Thank you." Meng Zhelan calmly got off the carriage and stretched her numb limbs.
Sweetie followed closely behind, looking wary. "Miss, who are those people? Why do they want to kill us?"
"I don't know either." Meng Zhelan shook her head, indicating that she didn't know the identities of those people either.
The groom, a young man of about eighteen or nineteen, respectfully said to Meng Zhelan, "Doctor Meng, His Highness has instructed you to wait for him here."
Prince An had already arranged an escape route and instructed them to wait there after ensuring their safety, and then they would meet up.
Meng Zhelan knew that Prince An was a reliable person. "Okay, thank you for your trouble." She knew that this man was Prince An's capable assistant, but she didn't know his name.
The groom nodded, said nothing more, and turned to go stand guard nearby.
"Miss, have some water." Sweetie handed her a bamboo tube.
They had been rushing to escape and hadn't had time to eat or drink. Now that they had stopped, they realized they were a little hungry. They ate a few pieces of pastry with some water and then sat down to rest on a nearby rock.
Meng Zhelan looked up at the sky. Night had fallen, stars twinkled, and moonlight spilled across the wilderness, creating a serene scene.
She couldn't help but sigh inwardly, realizing how unpredictable life was; who could have imagined she would be here, in such a predicament?
Suddenly, a piercing wolf howl tore through the night sky, its sound sharp and shrill.
Meng Zhelan stood up in shock, her heart pounding. The coachman warily picked up his weapon, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
"Miss, are you alright?" Tian Tian asked anxiously. Meng Zhelan clenched her fists, trying to calm herself down. "I'm fine."
Just then, a gust of wind swept by, accompanied by a stench.
Meng Zhelan felt a chill run down her spine. She slowly turned around, and the scene before her made her almost unable to breathe—a pack of hungry wolves, their green eyes gleaming, were charging toward them, baring their fangs and claws.
"Run!" the coachman shouted, and the three of them ran towards the cave entrance with all their might.
"Quick, come in!" The coachman pushed Meng Zhelan and Tiantian into the cave, and then quickly slipped inside himself.
The three men panted heavily in the darkness, listening to the wolf howls growing ever closer. The cave was deathly silent, save for their rapid breathing and pounding hearts. Suddenly…
Suddenly, a wolf burst through the cave entrance, baring its teeth and claws as it pounced on them. The coachman reacted swiftly, slashing the wolf's head with his knife; the wolf howled and fell to the ground. Sweetie, protecting Meng Zhelan, also killed several wolves in the process.
However, more wolves arrived in quick succession, and they found themselves surrounded by the pack.
A series of sword sounds pierced the darkness. Prince An gripped his longsword tightly, his movements agile and his swordsmanship fierce.
He fought alongside a group of men, and the wolves fell one after another before them.
Seeing that their companions had been killed, the remaining wolves scattered and fled.
Meng Zhelan emerged from the cave and looked around. She saw Prince An, whose hands were covered in blood. "Your Highness, you are injured!"
Prince An remained unfazed. "It's alright, I won't die."
Meng Zhelan looked at Prince An with a furrowed brow. "Your Highness, it's late. Why don't we rest in the cave for a while? Everyone is injured; it's better to treat them sooner rather than later."
Prince An nodded, and the group entered the cave and lit torches.
The firelight flickered in the cave, its warm yellow glow allowing everyone to temporarily forget their physical exhaustion.
Prince An sat down in a corner of the cave. Meng Zhelan walked over, took out some wound medicine from her bundle, and began to treat the wound on his hand.
"Hiss—" When the gauze touched the wound, Prince An couldn't help but gasp, but his face remained calm and expressionless.
Meng Zhelan sighed inwardly, thinking how patient Prince An was.
After bandaging Prince An's wounds, she turned to tend to the others. If only those two imperial physicians were here.
They split into two groups, with the imperial physicians leading a team of supplies and medicines setting off first.
When Meng Zhelan finished her work, her back was so sore she could barely straighten up. Luckily, Tian Tian was there to help her, otherwise she would have been busy until dawn.
Meng Zhelan stretched, and Tian Tian immediately offered her a water bottle. "Miss Meng, have some water." "Thank you." Meng Zhelan took it and drank a few mouthfuls.
Inside the cave, the campfire crackled and occasionally popped.
With bandages wrapped around his hands, Prince An watched Meng Zhelan's busy figure, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
He thought he had made ample preparations and everything would go smoothly, but things still went wrong. He looked at the campfire, his mind in turmoil.
"Your Highness, Your Highness." Meng Zhelan saw Prince An staring blankly at one spot and thought he was feeling unwell.
Prince An came to his senses and smiled slightly, "It's nothing, I just didn't expect things to turn out this way."
"Yes, who could have imagined it?" Meng Zhelan sighed.
"However, this also serves as a reminder that we need to be more careful in the future. Here, let's eat some noodles to warm up." The weather was getting colder and colder.
Meng Zhelan handed him a bowl of noodles.
Prince An was surprised to find himself able to eat a bowl of hot noodles under such conditions, and asked in astonishment:
"This, Doctor Meng is truly amazing, to be able to make such a delicious dish under these conditions."
Meng Zhelan smiled faintly, "It was just a little extra precaution, preparing some easy-to-carry ingredients. The guards just brought the carriage over; it was Xiaoxi who put this together. I checked, and the things are still there. It's freezing cold; we can't let people go hungry."
Prince An nodded and ate the noodles with gusto. He felt that this bowl of noodles was the most delicious he had ever eaten in his life. It warmed not only his stomach but also his heart.
Whenever Xi'er is mentioned, Meng Zhelan can talk endlessly. She's been gone for quite a few days; she wonders how her father and the others are doing.
Prince An put down his chopsticks and said somewhat displeasedly, "I wonder if Doctor Meng and Young Master Li are mutually in love?"
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