My heart only flutters in the darkness.
When Tang Qi and the others arrived, there was only a female corpse and several pools of blood on the ground. He squatted down and turned the girl's head over.
"One fatal blow, the wound is very deep, this person is quite skilled," Tang Qi said.
Ye Qian: "Do you recognize her? Isn't she someone from Yun An's side?"
Shen Zhiqing leaned closer to see the person's face clearly, then frowned and said, "She's from Xianyun Palace, Xiaoyan's maid."
She had met Tang Yan when she entered the palace. He was one of the few servants in Xianyun Palace, so Shen Zhiqing naturally remembered him.
Two pairs of eyes turned to Tang Qi, whose face was extremely grim. With the maid in trouble, Tang Yan was likely not safe either. Noticing their gazes, Tang Qi smiled slightly: "What's wrong? Is this some time for sentimentality?"
He believed in his sister; no one could easily kill her. Tang Qi was worried about the increasingly dark night sky. With reduced visibility, survival would become increasingly difficult, and they hadn't found a single clue yet.
"Look!" Ye Qian suddenly exclaimed.
Tang Qi looked in the direction he was pointing and saw that the seemingly ordinary road was now reflecting a faint glow from the increasingly dark sky. The group immediately moved closer to examine it. "It's bamboo firefly grass," Shen Zhiqing said. "A plant whose roots and leaves glow at night. This must be a clue left by Xiao Yan."
They immediately stood up, and some scattered, faint fluorescent lights slowly pointed in one direction.
"Walk!"
They hadn't gone far when they suddenly heard several footsteps behind them. Tang Qi immediately turned around: "What? It's you? Why are you in the mountains too?"
“I’ve thought about it, and I still can’t let you take all the credit,” Cheng Junshi said.
"That's right, Brother Zhengye, we promised to help you win the championship and then have Master accept me as a disciple. I won't be absent this time no matter what."
Tang Qi then looked at their clothes and asked, "You didn't disguise yourselves, how did you sneak into the mountains?" Cheng Junshi smiled slightly, stepped aside to let the people behind him pass, and Tang Qi and the others were all shocked: "Ninth Prince!"
Sheng Xingxing smiled at them: "I led them into the mountains. The situation is urgent now, we can talk about other things later. Everyone, please go ahead."
After speaking, the group immediately followed the trail of the bamboo firefly.
"That's strange, how come the traces disappeared here?" Lu Juezhen asked.
Tang Qi looked around: "There's no suitable hiding place here. Something might have happened. Let's search around first."
"Brother Zhengye, could it be because we've run out of this herb?" Lu Juezhen asked, looking at the last trace.
"impossible."
Tang Qi and Cheng Junshi spoke at the same time, startling Lu Juezhen, whose eyes darted between them. Tang Qi glanced at Cheng Junshi and then said, "The traces of the bamboo firefly grass didn't fade, but they broke off here, so it's impossible that they ran out. I guess the person who left the clues must have encountered some accident here. Everyone can look around first."
“There are no signs of a struggle here.” Cheng Junshi checked the surroundings.
"There was no blood, does that mean the person is at least safe?" Sheng Xingxing added.
"Not necessarily. Sometimes, not having blood can be more dangerous."
"Hey—wait!" Lu Juezhen suddenly tensed up and cautiously said, "I, I think I heard something."
The others stopped their inspection, and several pairs of eyes turned to look at Lu Juezhen. His expression turned strange. He pointed to the ground beneath his feet and said awkwardly and uncertainly, "It seems to be... in here?"
Everyone: ...?
Tang Qi was the first to walk over and lie down on the ground. After listening for a few seconds, he stood up, brushed the dirt off his body, and laughed as he said to Lu Juezhen, "Good job, you've done a great job."
"It's hollow down there, probably a cave. Someone must have slipped and fallen in. The entrance shouldn't be far—"
"Here."
Before Tang Qi could finish speaking, Shen Zhiqing spoke up.
They went over and indeed saw a collapsed entrance. Tang Qi looked at her and said, "Wow, that's amazing! How did you find it so quickly? Is this what they call a girl's intuition?"
Shen Zhiqing glanced at him, chuckled, and pointed with her finger: "Use this."
Tang Qi choked up.
Ye Qian walked past him and, mimicking Shen Zhiqing's gesture, nodded with his finger: "You should use it next time too."
Ouch—I feel insulted.
“The situation down there is unclear, so don’t all go down,” Tang Qi said, looking at Sheng Xingxing. “I’ll trouble Your Highness to go back and fetch reinforcements, and bring more garrison troops with you—Xiao Lu, you can go with me too.”
"Ah~ why? I want to go with you guys too!" Lu Juezhen exclaimed.
"No discussion. You did a great service just now, and you'll get another one for bringing reinforcements. With both of those achievements combined, are you still worried that your Master Cheng won't accept you?" Tang Qi winked slyly at Lu Juezhen.
Lu Juezhen looked at Cheng Junshi, who didn't object, which meant—
"Alright, mission accomplished!"
Sheng Xingxing led Lu Juezhen down the mountain first, while Tang Qi, hands on her hips, continued to ask, "What about the rest of us?"
“Someone has to guard the top, so I’ll guard the entrance,” Cheng Junshi said.
"No, you have to come down with me. They can't fight. If something happens down there, I'll have to drag three people with me." Tang Qi refused decisively.
Cheng Junshi glanced at him as if he was about to say something, but Tang Qi turned directly to Ye Qian and the others and said seriously, "Actually, I'm not too comfortable with you two guarding the cave entrance."
Shen Zhiqing: ...
Ye Qian: "Qingqing and I will guard the cave entrance. We should be able to hold out until the Ninth Prince comes down."
Tang Qi looked at him with indifferent eyes.
"I'll do it."
Another voice came from behind, and Tang Qi looked in the direction of the sound and suddenly laughed.
"Have you been following us for a long time?" Ye Qian walked over and punched him with a smile: "Long time no see, Zhou Ziye."
"I wasn't following you, I just felt sorry for you and came to help."
"Then you've come at the right time. This is your chance to show off your skills," Tang Qi said with a smile.
"You can all go down now. I can handle things up here by myself."
Zhou Ziye's gaze swept over the group of people, his eyes only lingering on Shen Zhiqing's face for half a second.
Shen Zhiqing lowered her eyes and didn't look at him. She was the first to walk towards the entrance. Ye Qian followed her. After Tang Qi and the others cleaned up the entrance, they went in one after another. Cheng Junshi trailed at the end of the line, hesitantly stopping at the entrance.
"What are you standing there for? Get down here."
Tang Qi waved to him.
Cheng Junshi pursed his lips, frowned, and finally, as if he had made up his mind, he jumped down suddenly.
Thump.
He fell into a perfect kneeling position.
Tang Qi: ...?
Pfft
He turned his head away, suppressing a laugh: "I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything."
Cheng Junshi silently stood up, and calmly said as Tang Qi turned his gaze back, "My legs are weak."
That was true. Tang Qi had intended to laugh at him, but when she noticed that Cheng Junshi was actually trembling physically, she had the conscience to suppress her laughter and asked seriously, "What's wrong with you?"
Cheng Junshi turned his head away without answering, his expression becoming strange. Tang Qi noticed that the tips of his ears, hidden in the dim light, were slightly red, and couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "Brother Junshi, you wouldn't be... afraid of the dark, would you?"
"...I'm not afraid."
The tips of her ears were a little redder.
Tang Qi chuckled, turned around and shouted ahead, "Ye Qian, throw a fire!"
He caught it steadily, blew on it, and the tinder ignited between Tang Qi and Cheng Junshi's faces. Tang Qi brought the tinder closer, and Cheng Junshi's expression finally improved. Tang Qi continued to look at him with a smile: "Need any help, Brother Junshi?"
“…I told you I’m not afraid of the dark,” Cheng Junshi said.
"Alright, alright, you're not afraid of the dark. But this cave is terrifying. Brother Junshi, why don't you have some mercy and protect me?"
Tang Qi stretched his whole hand out in front of Cheng Junshi's eyes. When Cheng Junshi didn't move, he deliberately raised it upwards until Cheng Junshi grabbed his sleeve. Only then did Tang Qi smile with satisfaction and say to him, "Take good care of him. My life is in your hands."
The cave wasn't high, so Tang Qi and his companion had to stoop to walk. Cheng Junshi was also holding onto his sleeve, so the two of them maintained that awkward posture and didn't walk very fast. By the time they caught up with Ye Qian and Shen Zhiqing ahead, Yun An had already been found.
Ye Qian glanced at Cheng Junshi's arm, which was tugging at Tang Qi's sleeve, and noticed his gaze. Cheng Junshi then released his grip and avoided Ye Qian's gaze. Tang Qi, completely unaware of what was happening behind him, took a step forward to Yun An's side.
Are you injured?
“She sprained her ankle,” Shen Zhiqing said.
Yun An nestled in Shen Zhiqing's arms, her eyes reddening. Her face and body were covered in mud; today was probably the most disheveled day of Yun An's life.
"How...how did you find us?" Yun An's voice was still a little scared.
"Your Highness is very clever and uses the bamboo firefly grass extremely well," Tang Qi said.
"Bamboo... Bamboo Firefly... Yes—Xiao Yan! Xiao Yan is in danger!" As if a memory had been awakened, Yun An suddenly grabbed Shen Zhiqing's arm and shouted at her, "Southern Continent Army! Xiao Yan and I encountered the Southern Continent Army, and she impersonated me to lure them away!"
Zhou Ziye, still holding the sword at his waist, stood guard at the entrance, with the guards brought by Sheng Xingxing and Lu Juezhen beside him.
"Why won't you let us in?" Lu Juezhen asked.
"With so many people going down, are you planning to collapse this cave?" Zhou Ziye replied coldly.
"Even if they don't go, what good will it do for me and Ninth Prince to go and help?"
"Then you should stay up there. It's uncertain who will save whom if you go down."
Lu Juezhen was so angry that he was about to continue arguing with him when he saw a figure appear at the cave entrance. Cheng Junshi was the first to emerge from the cave, and Lu Juezhen's eyes immediately lit up as he went to greet him: "Master!"
The remaining guards also appeared at the cave entrance. Yun An was being supported by Shen Zhiqing, who was wearing a brocade robe that Shen Zhiqing had given her. "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and send someone to fetch the princess!" Shen Zhiqing said to the guards who were standing there dumbfounded.
The guards immediately became agitated, and some ran down the mountain. Sheng Xingxing squatted down in front of Yun An and comforted her, saying, "Sister, don't worry anymore. Father has arrived. He will come to pick you up once the guards give you a call."
Yun An absentmindedly hummed in agreement, while Zhou Ziye beside her gave her a cold look.
She seemed... a little scared?
Noticing Yun An's odd behavior, Ye Qian subtly blocked Zhou Ziye's gaze from her, then squatted down pretending to comfort her, but actually quietly asked, "What's wrong?"
“When we encountered the Southern Continent army, I think I also saw Zhou Ziye. He was with that Southern Continent general,” Yun An whispered in Ye Qian’s ear.
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