Fourth Master and his men had already entered the area where Lanqin had passed through. They had been advancing for over an hour, but still hadn't heard the sound of any person or horse.
"Master, it's getting dark," Cui Da said to the Fourth Master. He and Cui Er were the Fourth Master's personal guards, and the Fourth Master took them with him wherever he went.
"She should be able to figure something out. Watch out for any noise around you! Keep searching!" Fourth Master said with a grim face.
Several hours had passed since Consort De sent people in to search, but they hadn't sent any signal, indicating they hadn't found Lanqin and Li Shi. The Fourth Prince began to feel that something was amiss. Logically, given his understanding of Lanqin, she should know the importance of staying put; how could she have wandered so deep into the woods?
But what if they're going the wrong way? Perhaps they haven't even gone that deep? Fourth Master speculated on various possibilities.
"My lord, why don't we set off a signal flare ourselves? That way, when the concubine sees it, she'll definitely come this way!" Cui Dadao said.
"Hmm, what you said is a good idea, send it!" Fourth Master said. He was only thinking about going to find Lanqin himself, but he really hadn't thought of a way to attract Lanqin's attention by sending a signal flare.
However, to the Fourth Master's disappointment, there was still no response after he sent out the signal slip. Or perhaps Lanqin was simply too far away; he could only hope that she would see it and head in that direction.
Fourth Master thought for a moment. What if the direction Lanqin came from was not the same as the direction he was heading? Wouldn't they miss each other again? But if he didn't move forward, should he just wait in the same place?
After much deliberation, Fourth Master felt that this approach definitely wouldn't work. But facing the vast forest, where was he supposed to find that little woman?
Meanwhile, Lanqin and Li Shi had started a fire, and the two sat around it. Suddenly, a spark, like a star, rose in the sky, then silence returned. Lanqin recognized the spark; it was something Fourth Master always carried. He had once told her that he always carried signal flares, tinder, and dry rations when hunting.
Li also saw the spark and asked, "What's that?"
Lanqin said excitedly, "That's a signal flare. Someone has come looking for us."
Upon hearing this, Li's brow twitched, and she asked, "Are they far from us?"
Lanqin didn't notice the change in Li's expression. Looking at the smoke that had disappeared in the sky, she said, "It shouldn't be too far. Sister Li, I have a way, you have to help me. Perhaps this method can make them find our location immediately."
Suppressing the fear in her eyes, Li asked, "What method?"
"Smoke alarm method! It's simple. Let's quickly gather some branches. No, this little fire won't be enough to serve as a warning. We need to burn a tree. Yes, only burning a tree will lure them over," Lanqin said. "Only the black smoke from a burning tree will allow them to see clearly."
Li said in surprise, "How can that be? Look, the trees here are all connected. If a forest fire breaks out, it will be terrible."
Upon hearing Li's words, Lanqin looked around at the trees and saw that their branches and leaves were indeed intertwined. If they rashly set the trees on fire, it could very well start a forest fire.
Seeing that this method wouldn't work, Lanqin scratched her head and said, "It seems we'll have to make smoke out of a fire!"
Li nodded quickly and said, "Go over there and pick up some branches, I'll pick some up here."
Lanqin didn't think much of it and quickly went to pick up some branches. Li pretended to pick up branches as well, squatting down to gather them. She didn't know what the Shi family was up to. They had asked her to lead Lanqin astray, but refused to tell her why. Now, they were about to be rescued, but the Shi family hadn't made a move.
Thinking of this, Lady Li cursed the Crown Princess inwardly. If it weren't for that woman controlling the Crown Prince, she wouldn't be in this predicament. The Crown Prince seemed to have forgotten about her, rarely visiting her quarters anymore. But that day, the Crown Prince inexplicably came, making Lady Li quite happy for a while. However, the Crown Prince came for one specific reason: to have Lady Niohuru get lost during the hunt, allowing the Fourth Prince to break away from the main group and search for her alone. Then her mission would be complete.
"Sister Li, what are you doing?" Lanqin returned with an arm full of wooden sticks. Seeing Li squatting on the ground without saying a word, she hurriedly called out to her.
"Huh?" Startled by Lanqin's shout, Li Shi snapped out of her reverie. She chuckled awkwardly and said, "It's nothing, I'm just so happy that we can finally go out."
Feeling guilty, Li followed Lanqin to the fire and began throwing the sticks into it. Gradually, the fire grew bigger and bigger. Lanqin and Li kept adding firewood.
The smoke gradually thickened, and black smoke began to rise.
Seeing this, Lanqin's hope grew stronger, and he wished he could stand up immediately and pick up more branches.
"Quick, Sister Li, let's go collect more branches. The more black smoke billows out here, the more people will come to rescue us," Lanqin said.
Li was skeptical, but had no choice but to go with Lanqin to gather firewood.
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