Qi Yu stared coldly at the dense forest, his heart burning with barely suppressed rage. He had been careless after all, letting Shen Shaoyang slip away before his eyes—a mistake with far-reaching consequences. However…
Qi Yu considered the situation in the dilapidated temple. Shen Shaoyang didn't seem capable of such a good disguise, and with the Shen family already fallen, how could Shen Shaoyang have friends with such high martial arts skills? Perhaps they were江湖人 (jianghu people) with bounty on their heads. Furthermore, Shen Shaoyang really did seem to have gone mad.
Qi Yu knew there was no point in continuing the pursuit, so he simply took his men back to the Lin family's place to take a look.
Putting aside the fact that Qi Yu's sudden return in the middle of the night brought Lin to tears of joy.
On the other side.
Xia Yixin used all her strength, using her lightness skill to run hundreds of miles in one breath, and finally arrived at an abandoned house in the forest near Kuncheng before her appearance transformation failed.
Before her transformation took effect, she threw Shen Shaoyang onto the earthen bed, tied his hands and feet with a strong rope, and only after confirming that he couldn't break free did she sit on the edge of the bed, panting heavily.
With a system notification, "Ding! Host, get ready, the 'transformation' is about to begin. You may experience some side effects~"
Before Xia Yixin could even ask what the side effects were, as her stamina recovered, her inner strength was sealed, her appearance transformation failed, and a strong sense of fatigue washed over her, as if she had run a marathon. She collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
Xia Yixin slept for three days and three nights.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
Three days ago, Sun Hou, who had returned to Ye City, tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. He was a local tyrant in the vicinity of Ye City, used to being arrogant. He never expected that he would finally have a good opportunity to make a great contribution, and just when he was about to catch Shen Shaoyang, he was pecked in the eye by an eagle.
He was unwilling to accept it.
At this moment, news came from below that a group of unidentified people had been spotted near Ye City that night and had disappeared into the dense forest.
There are more than a dozen high mountains near Ye City, with lush forests, so much so that even people who usually cut firewood in the forests dare not go there.
How could these people come and go without a trace?
Lord Sun felt increasingly uneasy, even suspecting that Shen Shaoyang might still be hiding nearby, so he ordered his men to investigate.
Three days have passed in the blink of an eye, and they still haven't found anything.
But I did find something—Shen Shaoyang's knife!
This black iron-forged sword was Shen Shaoyang's personal sword, which he had previously forgotten in the teahouse. Lord Sun was a clever man; instead of immediately putting the sword in the storeroom, he put it in the pawnshop and had someone spread the word.
It is said that someone found a fine knife in the teahouse, made of black iron, capable of cutting through iron like mud.
For a time, it really attracted quite a few people.
Sun Hou originally wanted to search for clues among the onlookers, but unfortunately, he found no valuable information after several days.
In fact, Sun Hou was not the only one paying attention to the situation in Shen Shaoyang.
After reuniting with his mother, Empress Lin, Qi Yu inquired about the situation in detail again. He was angry that he had let Shen Shaoyang go right before his eyes, and he was also shocked that the man named Yan Jiu knew so much about him and Xia Yixin.
Qi Yu naturally didn't know that Yan Jiu was Xia Yixin. The only thing he could think of was that the person had been lurking by his side all along without his knowledge!
As for whose people he was, it's not hard to guess from the places where those "special people" disappeared, which Sun Hou tracked down through his schemes, and the location of the desolate mountain dwelling where they finally disappeared.
That Yan Jiu is Xia Jingfeng's man!
As for why Xia Jingfeng went to so much trouble to bring Shen Shaoyang over, Qi Yu couldn't understand it, since Shen Shaoyang was now a useless person.
Of course, he hadn't forgotten something even more important—finding Xia Yixin.
Coincidentally, when those who tracked down to Kuncheng infiltrated the city, they sent out a message that Xia Yixin was already in Kuncheng, and that Xia Jingfeng would be leading a large army to pick her up in three days.
No matter how well Qi Yu concealed it, his physical and mental condition betrayed him. Under Lin's repeated questioning, Qi Yu finally told the whole story.
Even within the palace, he and Xia Yixin had no marital relationship; everything was a negotiated alliance.
Shocked, Lin felt sorry for her son and angry at Xia Yixin for being so heartless.
As the saying goes, no child is more precious than their mother, and Lin knew he would not let go.
She looked at Qi Yu and sighed, "Fine, there's nothing I can do to help you. But Yu'er, you can't force a relationship. If she insists on leaving, it's better for you to let go. A person who is in charge of important matters has more to do than just personal feelings."
Qi Yu nodded slightly, his hands clenched into fists. This was the last chance he would give her.
It's no longer safe here, so Qi Yu plans to move the Lin family out first.
Although Lin was a little reluctant to leave the bamboo grove where she had lived for so long, she still left with Qi Yu overnight.
However, coincidentally, the spies sent by Lord Sun from Ye City had been loitering around the mountains recently. Helpless, Qi Yu had no choice but to lead Lin Shi deeper into the mountains, intending to move Lin Shi to the other side of the mountain before going to find Xia Yixin.
Meanwhile, in Kunming.
Xia Yixin woke up three days after she had fallen unconscious, when it was already broad daylight outside.
Xia Yixin had just woken up, her whole body aching as if she had been run over by a truck. The first thing she was shocked to find was that she was not in the dilapidated wooden house, but in a clean and tidy side room.
There was also a middle-aged woman kneeling on the ground with her head bowed and eyes downcast.
“Miss Xia, I am Wang, the wife of Li Gui, the city lord of Kuncheng. I have been taking care of you these past few days. I wonder how you are feeling now? Are you feeling unwell? We have prepared some excellent medicinal food. Shall we serve it now? Also, all the officials in the city have been waiting outside for quite some time. When would you like to see me?”
"..." She wanted some peace and quiet.
Even in the palace, Xia Yixin had never received such a grand ceremony. She silently rubbed her forehead, then suddenly remembered something. "By the way, what about the man who was with me? How did you find me?"
Wang's expression was indescribable. "It was my husband who recognized you on the city wall. As for how you got here..."
"Wife! Wife, are you awake?"
Suddenly, a loud male voice came from afar, and with the sound, the door was pushed open. A man dressed in black brocade robes, wearing a large jade pendant, seven or eight rings on his hands, and even a pure gold belt walked in. The look in his eyes when he looked at Xia Yixin was not just fervent, but downright insane.
Xia Yixin was almost blinded by the sight. After taking a closer look, she saw that without the stubble, the man's handsome face was fully revealed.
With regular features, sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, a high and straight nose, red lips and white teeth, and a handsome and noble temperament, except... now that he has become a handsome fool, isn't he Shen Shaoyang!?
Wang hurriedly stood up, her face flushed, and said, "I won't disturb Miss Xia and Young Master Niu any longer..." With that, Wang was about to leave.
"Wait, stop right there." Xia Yixin quickly called out to her, jumped off the bed, and pushed away Shen Shaoyang who was leaning in.
She frowned deeply. "Come back and explain yourself clearly. What exactly happened?"
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