Yelu Qianqian suddenly thought of the Shadow Guards!

Both Situ Haonan and Jun Beiyue carried special whistles for summoning the Shadow Guards!

The storm had passed, but it wasn’t only the West Jing forces searching for survivors — Jun Beichen and the Shadow Guards, unable to find their master, would surely be searching everywhere too!

But with the endless expanse of yellow sand now flattened into open plain, how would they ever find this exact spot without knowing the direction?

The Shadow Guards had to be told where they were!

Both men were so gravely wounded, and there was still no telling where Ziqing was — every second counted, a race against time to save them.

Yelu Qianqian threw caution entirely to the wind. She had never bitten anyone this way before, had never even killed anyone before — and yet right now, she felt she could have killed Yelu Chenguang without hesitation.

She was like a wild beast, teeth locked onto Yelu Chenguang’s neck, dragging him closer to Jun Beiyue!

Yelu Chenguang was truly terrified of this girl now — it felt exactly as if a rabid wolf had sunk its teeth into him, capable of tearing through the artery in his neck at any moment.

There was nothing he could do but yield to her, meekly following along as she dragged him toward Jun Beiyue. He knew that the moment he struggled, this madwoman would surely bite him to death.

Absolutely terrifying!

Yelu Qianqian, teeth still locked onto Yelu Chenguang’s neck, slowly maneuvered him down, crouching beside Jun Beiyue. She pressed both hands against Yelu Chenguang’s shoulders, signaling him to crouch down with her.

Yelu Chenguang had no choice but to comply. Yelu Qianqian, past caring about propriety between men and women, rummaged frantically through Jun Beiyue’s robes, searching for a good while before finally finding what she needed — a very distinctive whistle.

But how could she blow it?

Her mouth was covered in blood, still clamped onto Yelu Chenguang’s neck!

She handed the whistle to a nearby guard and ordered him to blow it. The guard, not daring to disobey, put it to his lips and blew with everything he had.

“Shrieeek…”

An unusually piercing sound rang out, like a hawk’s cry splitting the sky — so loud it even startled Yelu Qianqian herself.

Within moments, all the Shadow Guards searching the surrounding area converged at once, led by Yingzi, who had already regained consciousness, with Jun Beichen arriving close behind.

Everyone froze at the sight before them!

How could this have happened!

“Quick, find Physician Gu! Hurry!”

Jun Beichen made an instant decision, scooping Jun Beiyue up and moving out. All the Shadow Guards followed, some racing ahead to fetch Physician Gu.

Yingzi, staring at the spot where Jun Beiyue had lain, at the blood soaking the ground, felt fury slowly kindling in his dark eyes. He turned his head to look at the unconscious Situ Haonan, and suddenly grabbed him by the collar, raising a hand to strike. “Where is the Consort!”

Yelu Qianqian hastily released Yelu Chenguang and threw herself in front of Situ Haonan, pressing her blood-stained teeth against Yingzi’s throat, shouting urgently, “Don’t you dare!”

“If you touch him, I swear I’ll bite you to death!”

Yelu Qianqian’s voice was so cold it seemed to come from the depths of hell itself, utterly unlike her usual self.

But Yingzi’s tone was even colder. “Princess Qianqian, where is the Consort?”

Yelu Qianqian froze — she had no idea either. Haonan had lured Ziqing to Mingsha Cave, and Jun Beiyue had also come to Mingsha Mountain to find Ziqing.

But where was Ziqing now?

Why was she nowhere to be seen?

Yelu Qianqian slowly released Yingzi, shaking her head numbly. Ziqing was gone — swallowed up somewhere in this great storm, gone without a trace.

“I… I…”

Yelu Qianqian had come chasing after them specifically to explain things to Jun Beiyue — Haonan had his own hardships, his own suffering. In truth, Haonan had genuinely hoped Ziqing would defeat Nangong Cheng’s people; in truth, he simply needed a reason to forgive himself!

Haonan hadn’t wanted things to turn out this way either!

No one could have foreseen the storm, could have foreseen this catastrophe befalling Akbachu!

There was so much she wanted to explain — but Yelu Qianqian found she couldn’t get a single word out. Seeing the disappointment on Yingzi’s face, she couldn’t even spare a thought for Situ Haonan anymore, and cried out loudly, “I’ll find her! I will absolutely find her!”

But Yingzi paid her no attention at all, issuing a cold command instead. “Everyone, continue the search!”

“Yes!” The Shadow Guards accepted the order and scattered at once. Yingzi walked off without so much as a backward glance, leaving no one behind to care for them.

Blood still flowed unceasingly from Situ Haonan’s hands, and the wound on his chest, which had once scarred over, had somehow reopened, blood seeping out steadily.

Yelu Qianqian’s tears kept falling, faster than she could wipe them away, blurring her vision entirely!

And yet this time, tearful as she was, she didn’t let herself sob aloud. Gritting her teeth, she hoisted Situ Haonan onto her own back.

She said, “Haonan, hold on, hold on. I’ll take you back and come straight back to find Ziqing!”

She said, “Haonan, don’t you dare die. You still have to go explain everything to Jun Beiyue yourself, or you’ll never be forgiven.”

She said, “Haonan, don’t you dare die. You still haven’t gone to see your grandfather off one last time — you’ll regret it forever if you don’t.”

She said, “Haonan, don’t you dare die. You haven’t even married me yet… waah…”

By the end, she could no longer speak through her tears, struggling to carry Situ Haonan, step by step, across the sand, her tear-filled eyes shining with unwavering resolve.

Haonan, don’t give up!

The whole world may blame you, may have given up on you — but I never will!

I know you’re the one hurting the most out of everyone!

Haonan, hold on!

Watching Yelu Qianqian like this, both Yelu Chenguang and the guards were stunned into silence. The girl before them no longer seemed like the spoiled, pampered princess they knew, but a small, unbreakable young woman of iron will.

Yelu Chenguang clutched his neck, saying nothing for a long moment. All the guards rushed forward to help, some carrying people for Qianqian, others going to fetch the physician, splitting up to handle everything at once.

Yelu Chenguang was about to follow along when he noticed Bai Mengmeng lying on the ground, barely breathing. He wrinkled his nose in distaste and said coldly, “Bring this one too. Along with the others.”

It would have been the easiest thing in the world for Yelu Chenguang to kill Yelu Qianqian right now — and yet, for some reason, he simply let the moment pass.

She was nothing more than a weepy little girl — so why did she possess such an awe-inspiring presence?

Awe-inspiring?

Both respected and feared!

Yelu Chenguang mulled this over briefly, then decided not to dwell on it further. He shook his head and led the remaining guards off in another direction.

Once the storm had passed, everything settled into stillness.

The entire region of Akbachu — the once-magnificent, towering palace, the once-pristine oasis like a shining pearl, the endless stretches of Gobi plain beyond the city walls, and the towering Mingsha Mountain that had once loomed behind the city — all of it seemed to have vanished overnight, without a trace!

The entire region had been leveled flat, buried beneath the countless tons of sand that had once formed Mingsha Mountain, transformed into a desert.

A few more strong winds, and dunes would form; more wind still, and the dunes would be flattened again — an endless cycle, no different now from anywhere else. The bustling, prosperous place it had once been was gone forever.

Before Jun Beiyue could even reach the nearby capital, Physician Gu had already caught up and met them along the way. Seeing how gravely wounded Jun Beiyue was, Physician Gu immediately had a tent set up right there on the spot, beginning treatment at once.

Situ Haonan’s group soon met up with physicians as well, receiving treatment on the spot in the same way.

The necessary supplies were still en route, so for now they could only lay out a single layer of blankets on the sand.

Looking down at Jun Beiyue laid out before him, Physician Gu couldn’t hold back his tears — the wound on his chest, layered directly over the old injury, was even deeper than the one before.