Fourth Master and the few remaining men hid in a cave on a cliff. The cave was so dark that it was impossible to spot them without careful observation.
Originally there were more than ten people, but now only seven remain. All of Qin Gang's men were killed, but the enemy also suffered considerable casualties.
"Why hasn't the Fourteenth Prince returned yet?" Kangxi was helped to sit on a rock by Liang Jiugong. After a harrowing morning, he was nearly sixty years old and was feeling quite exhausted; his complexion wasn't good.
"I'll go meet him, otherwise he might not be able to find this place!" said Tenth Master.
"Qin Gang, you go with Lao Shi. We still don't know if the other side has any more people or where they're hiding. It's not safe here," Fourth Master said.
Kangxi nodded, indicating that the two of them should go together.
Just as Tenth Master and Qin Gang were about to leave, they saw two figures moving around at the cave entrance. It was Fourteenth Master and Xiniu, who had suddenly disappeared.
As Fourth Master and the others watched Xiniu approach, they each made their own plans.
As they approached, the Tenth Master angrily said to the Fourteenth Master, "Why did you bring her here? I'll kill you with one sword, you vixen!"
"Tenth Prince!" Kangxi interrupted.
"Miss Xi, you kept watch with Fourteenth Prince, so why were you nowhere to be found when the assassins came?" Fourth Prince asked.
"I was a little unwell at the time, so I went away to take care of something. When I came back, I saw you fighting with those people. It was really terrifying. I'm just a weak woman, and I really couldn't help you. Please forgive me, Fourth Brother. Chief Constable, I heard from Fourteenth Brother that you were injured?" Xiniu quickly explained.
"What a coincidence! You just happened to go to the restroom, and the assassins arrived?" Tenth Master said angrily.
"Xi Niu, don't you know a little medicine? Why don't you bandage up the chief constable?" Fourteen said.
In fact, Kangxi was not injured. When the Fourteenth Prince said these words, he winked at Kangxi. Because Xiniu had her back to the Fourteenth Prince, she could not see the expression on his face.
"Alright, come and take a look!" Kangxi stretched out his hand, indicating that the injury was on his arm.
Fourth Master, Tenth Master, and the others kept a close eye on Xi Niu, wanting to see what tricks this young girl could pull off.
"Did the master chef incur injuries from swords or something else?" Xi Niu asked.
"It was slashed by a villain. It's temporarily wrapped in gauze," Kangxi said.
"It needs to be cleaned properly before bandaging. Otherwise, it can easily become inflamed, fester, or even cause a fever," Xiniu said.
“The environment here is so rudimentary, and we didn’t bring much with us. All the things we brought are left there. Where would we find anything to treat our wounds?” Fourteen said.
"Why don't you go and pick a kind of wild grass for the chief constable? I see it everywhere here. If you chew it up and apply it to the wound, it can prevent it from festering," Xi Niu said to Fourth Master.
Fourth Master saw that she was looking at him and clearly wanted him to go and collect herbs, so he pretended not to know and said, "I don't recognize those herbs either. Why don't you come with Fourteenth Master to collect some?"
Xi Niu said, "Alright, only I recognize it. Then I'll go with Fourteen to gather herbs quickly. You all stay here and don't move around anymore, otherwise your blood will rush to your head and you'll lose even more blood."
After the Fourteenth Prince followed Xiniu out, the Tenth Prince said, "Father, why don't we deal with her? Are we just going to let her lead us by the nose? I'm afraid she'll come up with some other way to send a message!"
Fourth Master said, "Cui Da and Cui Er, you two go and secretly follow Fourteenth Master, ready to support him at any time. Make sure to protect his safety."
Cui Da and Cui Er quickly agreed and followed them out.
"Your fourth brother and I had already discussed this beforehand. The purpose of letting that woman in was to let your fourteenth brother see clearly whether she was a human or a ghost! Otherwise, the fourteenth brother is still too young!" Kangxi said.
Standing to the side, Qin Gang couldn't help but facepalm. Was the Emperor risking his life to teach the Fourteenth Prince a lesson?
"But Your Majesty, we can't just wait here. What if that female thief brings more people from the White Lotus Sect?" Qin Gang said hurriedly.
“Of course we can’t wait here. Father Emperor, I’ve already told Cui Da that he will bring the Fourteenth Prince to meet us.” The Fourth Prince said to Kangxi.
"You've really explained everything perfectly, but I'm still a little worried about the Fourteenth Prince. He's never been deceived like this before. If he sees the other person's true colors, I'm genuinely concerned he won't be able to accept it," Kangxi said.
"Father, there's no need to worry too much. I believe the Fourteenth Prince will see things for himself. Besides, the two guards I sent won't put him in any danger." The Fourth Prince thought to himself: Kangxi is really protecting his youngest son to an extreme.
Meanwhile, after following Xiniu for a while, Fourteen noticed that she hadn't stayed to gather herbs, but instead kept looking around. So he asked, "Where exactly is that herb you mentioned?"
Xi Niu said, "I'm looking for it right now! Why don't we split up and look for it?"
Fourteen said, "I don't recognize that kind of grassland either, how am I supposed to find it?"
Xi Niu said, "It's that kind of plant with long stems and leaves that have a toothed appearance."
After thinking for a moment, Fourteen said, "Alright then, let's split up and search, but don't go too far!"
Xi Niu patted Fourteen's arm and said, "Don't worry, it'll be easy to find. Go look over there!"
Fourteen hesitated for a few moments, glanced at Xiniu, and then turned and went in the direction she pointed.
Cui Da and Cui Er hid in the shadows. After watching the two separate, they discussed things for a while and then parted ways. Cui Da continued to follow Xiniu, while Cui Er went to follow Shisi.
As soon as Xi Niu and the other fourteen left, she quickly turned around and ran into the bushes.
On the other side, Fourteen stopped after taking only a few steps.
"Did Fourth Brother send you here?" he asked Cui Er behind him.
"Fourteenth Prince, it was Fourth Prince who sent us to protect you." Seeing that he had been discovered by the Fourteenth Prince, Cui Er had no choice but to stand up from the bushes.
"Let's go, which direction did she walk from?" Fourteen turned around and glanced at him a few times.
“My older brother went after him. If we follow his marks, we’ll definitely find him,” Cui Er said.
The two quickly turned around and followed in the direction Xiniu had gone.
Meanwhile, Xi Niu ran along, glancing back every now and then, clearly afraid of being followed. Cui Da, meanwhile, remained hidden in the bushes, avoiding her observation.
After walking for a while, she finally stopped under a big tree, then took out a whistle from her pocket and blew it a few times in the surrounding area.
A moment later, several dark figures emerged from the trees.
"Master!" Several men in black greeted Xi Niu with clasped hands.
"I already know where the Tartar emperor is hiding. Quickly pack your swords and come with me to kill him!" Xiniu's expression was grim, completely different from the lively and lovely flower seller she was before.
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