The matter of the maid was dropped, and neither of them mentioned it again.
The only difference is that Xu Nian started to genuinely care for Jiang You.
Even Xu Nian herself didn't notice the subtle changes, but Jiang You saw them clearly.
He happily thought that one day he would completely win her heart.
He believed that day would come soon.
Xu Nian went out as usual. While drinking tea and listening to stories at a teahouse, she heard the storyteller talking about how Yun Cang Kingdom had launched a surprise attack on the border city of Qinglong Kingdom.
In this battle, Xu's father went missing, and Xu Chengming was seriously injured and fell into a coma.
Xu Nian was afraid she had misheard, so she called the storyteller over and asked him again.
When she learned that the news had already spread and that the incident had occurred three days prior, she could no longer sit still.
She found paper and pen, wrote a letter, and had her servant take it back. She then bought a horse and sped off to the border town.
Jiang You opened the letter brought back by the servant and saw that Xu Nian had gone to the border city to find her father. He immediately chased after her.
He knew about Xu's father's disappearance, and in order not to worry Xu Nian, he ordered that no one in the mansion was allowed to discuss the matter. He never expected that she would go to the teahouse to drink tea and listen to storytelling.
Niannian, please make sure nothing happens to you.
Jiang You was filled with anxiety; he had a very bad feeling.
He needs to find Niannian quickly, or he'll regret it.
Xu Nian rushed to the border town and, after making inquiries from various sources, learned the location where her father had disappeared.
That was the Gobi Desert outside the border town.
Furthermore, Xu's father did not disappear alone; he disappeared with an entire army.
It is said that the army of Yun Cang Kingdom is also searching for Xu's father in the Gobi Desert.
Their purpose in seeking him was obvious: to find Xu's father and kill him.
Xu Nian prepared a water bag and dry rations, and went into the Gobi Desert alone to find someone.
The Gobi Desert is barren, often filled with yellow sand, and so hot that no animals can survive there.
Xu Nian searched in the Gobi Desert for two days and finally found a clue.
Based on the coded messages left by the army, Xu Nian deduced the direction of his father and rode his horse deep into the Gobi Desert.
During this time, she encountered the army of Yun Cang Kingdom, but fortunately she managed to evade them all.
"Father."
"Father."
Xu Nian hopes to find her father through her shouts.
She didn't know how long she had been calling out, but her throat was sore and hoarse. However, she hadn't seen a single person, let alone her father. Helpless, she had to give up on this method.
As time passed, she had used up most of the water she had brought, and the road ahead was still just endless yellow sand.
The clues left by the army also went cold, or perhaps they weren't completely lost, but were simply buried by the yellow sand, and she just didn't find them.
As Xu Nian walked, she suddenly heard the sound of wind and instinctively turned her head to dodge. Upon closer inspection, she realized that she had just dodged an arrow.
Upon seeing the arrow, alarm bells rang in his mind. Realizing that he had been discovered by the army of Yun Cang Kingdom, Xu Nian immediately mounted his horse and galloped away.
But the sound of arrows whistling behind her grew louder and louder, and even without looking, she knew they were catching up.
She heard the sounds of clashing swords and galloping horses; they were getting closer and closer to her.
Xu Nian gripped her sword tightly, her beautiful face filled with murderous intent.
"call out!"
The sound of the arrow was exceptionally loud, and Xu Nian knew from the sound that the opponent was a sharpshooter.
She was already targeted by him; she either had to take the arrow or jump off her horse to avoid it.
Without much thought, Xu Nian chose to jump off the horse to avoid it.
Almost as soon as she landed and dodged the arrows, the enemy troops caught up with her.
They surrounded her, their faces full of malicious smiles.
Xu Nian held the sword horizontally in front of her chest; she had already prepared herself for death before entering the Gobi Desert.
It's just that we're closest to death right now, so there's nothing to be afraid of.
"Who are you? Why are you all alone in this Gobi Desert?" The leader of the Yun Cang Kingdom's army pointed his broadsword at Xu Nian and questioned him.
"Why should I tell you?" Xu Nian said sarcastically in a hoarse voice.
"If you won't listen to reason, you'll have to suffer the consequences." The leader was not one to show mercy to women. Seeing that Xu Nian had backbone, he put down his broadsword, drew his bow, and aimed the arrow at Xu Nian's calf.
At such close range, Xu Nian couldn't completely avoid the arrow even if she wanted to; her calf was grazed by it.
"Hmph! Let's see how many arrows you can dodge." The leader grinned menacingly, and began to toy with Xu Nian's arrows as if he had found amusement in it.
Xu Nian's eyes were cold as she tried her best to dodge the arrows while considering the possibility of killing the leader.
She only has one chance, and she must make sure it's a fatal blow.
"Ugh!" Xu Nian was hit in the shoulder by an arrow, and she stumbled, falling to her knees in a disheveled state.
Seeing their prey wounded by an arrow, the leader laughed heartily. He wasn't in a hurry to kill Xu Nian; instead, he relished her pain. "Little lady," he said, "where do you think I should shoot this arrow next?"
Xu Nian pursed her lips and remained silent, closing her eyes as if resigned to her fate.
Seeing Xu Nian's state, the leader knew she couldn't escape his grasp. He dismounted and approached Xu Nian, grinning maliciously, "Tsk! Boring, you want to die already? This general won't grant your wish."
Upon hearing this, Xu Nian opened her eyes wide in anger, but the man burst into laughter.
Seeing him laughing so hard he was doubled over, Xu Nian gripped her sword and charged forward.
Regardless of whether she could kill him with a single sword strike, she plunged her sword into the man's body again and again.
"General!"
"Quickly, save the general!"
Someone drew a sword and stabbed at Xu Nian. Seeing the sword tip piercing through his chest, Xu Nian knew he was doomed and hardened his heart.
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