When he was wrapped in a cloak and carried out of the cave, Wei Hanzhang looked up and saw Chen Zishu being supported by someone and standing under a towering tree, looking at this side quietly in the light of torches.

She was slightly startled, and before she could come to her senses, she felt her waist tighten and she was carried onto the horse.

Covering the girl in his arms tightly, Xiao Junzhan lowered his eyes and looked at Chen Zishu, whose face was pale and he was standing unsteadily. "Where are you injured, my dear?"

Chen Zishu was silent for a few breaths, and under the increasingly cold gaze from above, he said, "The back."

Xiao Junzhan nodded slowly, without asking any more questions, he pulled the reins, and the precious horse under his crotch flew out like a sword.

Wei Hanzhang thought he would interrogate her, asking how she was able to escape under the protection of Chen Zishu during the period from the attack to the rescue, what happened when she was alone with a man in such a small cave, and whether he bandaged his wounds.

Given how petty this man was, she even thought that he would be so specific as to tell her everything she had said and done to Chen Zishu, detail by detail, before he would feel at ease.

But along the way, apart from the arm tightened around his waist indicating that he was not in a calm mood, the man behind him didn't say a word.

When they returned to the camp, Wei Hanzhang was so dizzy that he was carried into his tent by him.

Hot water was already ready in the tent. He waved away the servants and began to take off her clothes.

Wei Hanzhang was startled and quickly reached out to push him, but Xiao Junzhan grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"Behave yourself, you are injured and need to clean the wound and bandage it."

The voice that had been endured all the way was hoarse and harsh.

He didn't stop, and in a few seconds he stripped her clothes off and carried her into the warm bathtub.

"I'll wash it myself!" With his hands held, Wei Hanzhang couldn't even protect his chest. He was ashamed and angry: "I will be careful not to hurt the wound, you get out."

"I'll just wash your wounds, not anything else," Xiao Junzhan turned a deaf ear and said expressionlessly, "If you behave yourself, I'll wash your wounds outside, otherwise, I'll go inside."

"..."Wei Hanzhang was suddenly speechless.

Although she had experienced bathing together before, that was when they were drunk. Now she was sober and could not accept him entering the bathtub no matter what.

The girl who had been struggling under his palm calmed down. Xiao Junzhan glanced at her, then withdrew his gaze without saying a word. He carefully washed the blood off her arm, and finally withdrew after her repeated urging.

As soon as Wei Hanzhang put on his pajamas and came out, he was carried around the waist and onto the couch by someone who had been waiting outside.

Xiao Junzhan wrapped the girl in his arms with a thin quilt, called out, and Ning Hai came in with several imperial doctors.

They were all old acquaintances, Wei Hanzhang silently extended his wrist.

The imperial doctors took turns taking the patient's pulse and after consulting with each other for a few moments, their solemn expressions visibly relaxed.

She was said to be fine, just frightened and had lost too much blood. Fortunately, the wound was not poisonous and she just needed to recover carefully, and her life was not in danger.

When Wei Hanzhang breathed a sigh of relief, he felt the man he was leaning against also slowly breathe a sigh of relief in his chest.

The imperial doctors wrote down some prescriptions and left.

The man behind her held her shoulders and gently took off the right half of her clothes. The wound that was hastily bandaged with a handkerchief was opened by the female doctor who stayed behind.

The knife wound that tore through the flesh appeared on the little girl's tender arm, looking hideous and horrific.

The man who held her in his arms felt his heart tremble suddenly, his jawline tensed, and his heart was filled with murderous intent.

She was in danger repeatedly right under her nose.

The wound was cleaned and medicated repeatedly. Wei Hanzhang gasped in pain and patted his shoulder gently to comfort him.

"Ranran, be good...it will be fine soon." Regardless of the fact that there were other people in the room, Xiao Junzhan's kisses fell on her neck and ears little by little, and he coaxed her with a soft voice.

"Good girl, tell me what happened."

"You don't know?" Wei Hanzhang was stunned and asked: "What about the guards and secret guards?"

"Only Yingyi came out alive, the others were all killed." Xiao Junzhan held her shoulders and said patiently: "Yingyi is now unconscious, so Ranran, tell me what happened in the afternoon, no matter how big or small, tell me everything."

The others were all killed...

Wei Hanzhang's eyelashes trembled slightly as he thought of the familiar faces he had seen in the past few days, as well as the three secret guards.

Knowing that she was soft-hearted, Xiao Junzhan held her in his arms and coaxed her for a long time, until he could no longer bear it and kissed her lips, licking them gently.

Tasting her bit by bit, all his emotions were transmitted through this kiss. He showed no sign of disguising his fear, and Wei Hanzhang clearly sensed it. For a moment, he even forgot to reject the kiss.

Finally, he loosened his lips tremblingly, stared at her for a long time, and said in a hoarse voice: "You scared me to death, do you know that?"

When he personally led his troops up the mountain to look for someone, he, who was an expert in riding and shooting, was so panicked that he could hardly hold the reins.

My mind was filled with the words 'uncertain life or death'.

Is she okay?

Are you still...alive?

Or was she waiting somewhere for him to rescue her.

There are so many wild beasts in the forest. If she gets injured, she might be attacked by a wild beast.

...If the assassin succeeds, will her...body be eaten by wild beasts?

There had never been a moment when he knew so clearly what fear was.

It was not until the little girl covered in blood and with a pale face appeared before his eyes in the cave that all his panic and fear turned into heartache.

...It's so heartbreaking.

Being looked at by him like this made Wei Hanzhang feel like crying for some unknown reason. She didn't understand her own reaction and just thought that she was hurt and felt wronged.

She blinked, trying hard to hold back her tears, and began to recount the events from entering the paddock, to being attacked, to the man in black chopping off the crazy horse's front hoof, to being saved by Chen Zishu.

Xiao Junzhan held her in his arms and listened quietly, his expression remaining calm.

Finally, he bent down and kissed her forehead, then asked, "Did the guard who directed you to the enclosure return to the camp with the prey, or did he die there?"

"Someone did bring the prey back along the way, and that person happened to be among them," Wei Hanzhang thought for a moment, frowned and said, "He was just someone casually appointed by the head of the guards, so he should be..."

"Hush! Just answer my question." Xiao Junzhan only heard the first sentence. He said, "I will verify and judge the rest."

Wei Hanzhang was suddenly shocked. Did he even suspect the leader of the guards?

But the leader of the guards is dead.

"You have to remember that when you are in a high position, you cannot make a final decision on many things. There will always be people who will act in front of you for their own ends. As long as there is enough benefit, there is nothing they will not sacrifice, even their lives."

Xiao Junzhan said: "I will get to the bottom of the matter."

(End of this chapter)