While Xue Ying was still staring blankly at her hands, the physician had already withdrawn his fingers from her purse and stood up, respectfully saying, “The General’s wife’s pulse is steady, and she should be fine. This humble servant will prepare a few doses of pregnancy-protecting decoction, just in case.” Hearing this, Yi Xiao sighed in relief and, with no strength left, knelt clutching her abdomen.

“The first kill is always like this. You’ll get used to it,” Yi Xiao consoled after a while, as the crowd around them gradually dispersed and Xue Ying remained in a daze. “I didn’t even notice he had something in his hand. How did you spot it?”

“I saw the look in that man’s eyes,” Xue Ying said, still shaken. “But I didn’t mean to kill him— Are you alright?”

“I guess I’m lucky. He hit this,” Yi Xiao frowned, reaching into her waist and pulling out a brocade pouch. She waved it at Xue Ying – it was the pouch containing the arrowhead.

“Then why were you rolling on the ground earlier?” Xue Ying chided. “You made me think something terrible had happened to you.”

“That’s unfair,” Yi Xiao grimaced, tossing a clod of dirt at her. “You try getting stabbed and see how it feels.”

Xue Ying, not to be outdone, picked up the dirt clod and threw it back. “Fine, let’s switch. Go wake him up, and we’ll do it again.” The two glared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.

Back at the camp, an enraged Feng Suige nearly executed the remaining three Yulin soldiers on the spot. It took Yi Xiao nearly half an hour of persuasion before Feng Suige reluctantly agreed to have the three escorted back to Shusha to await judgment.

After calming down a bit, Feng Suige briefly shared the information he had gathered, saying solemnly, “Everything is too quiet. It’s unnaturally calm. I can’t shake the feeling that something’s not right…”

Before he could finish, a commotion suddenly erupted from the perimeter. A Shusha guard came running, shouting, “Princess, someone has arrived outside…”

Yi Xiao rushed forward, asking immediately, “What’s happening?”

The guard pointed behind him, “Two men from the Holy City have come, saying they have urgent matters to report to the Princess.”

Yi Xiao hesitated for a moment, looking at Feng Suige. He nodded, “Bring them in.”

As the guard left, Yi Xiao asked Feng Suige worriedly in a low voice, “Could they be sent by the Holy Emperor?”

“It’s possible,” Feng Suige frowned. “We’re quite close to the Holy City now. He might have learned of our whereabouts…”

As they were speculating, two men dressed as civilians walked in behind the previous guard. Yi Xiao let out a small cry and ran towards them. “How is it you?”

Before the two could bow, Yi Xiao had already pulled them up, one in each hand. “Stand up and speak—” Before she could finish, one of them suddenly showed a pained expression. She quickly let go and asked in alarm, “What’s wrong? How are you injured? What happened?”

The soldier, rubbing his arm, said angrily, “The Holy Emperor fabricated charges and detained His Highness. We escaped through a secret passage, protecting Advisor Xiao…”

Yi Xiao’s whole body trembled. Before she could ask for details, the other man had already taken out a sealed envelope from his bosom and presented it to Yi Xiao. “This is a letter in Advisor Xiao’s hand. Please read it, Princess!”

Yi Xiao had barely read a few lines when Feng Suige suddenly snatched the letter from her hand. He quickly scanned the inked characters and said coolly, “The handwriting might be Xiao Weiran’s, but the person who wrote it isn’t him.”

As everyone was stunned, Feng Suige slowly asked Yi Xiao, “Have you forgotten how you and I were forced to jump into the river?” Yi Xiao’s mouth opened slightly, unable to answer. Feng Suige pulled her to his side with a sardonic smile, his finger tracing her lips lightly. “Besides, what does Xia Jingshi’s life or death have to do with us, right?” As Yi Xiao was about to protest, Feng Suige pinched her waist, causing her to swallow her words.

The soldier glared at Feng Suige. “When did Jinxiu’s affairs become Shusha’s business? You’re just hoping His Highness will be gone soon, so you’ll have one less obstacle when Shusha attacks Jinxiu!”

Feng Suige remained calm, smiling slightly. “She is my consort, so her affairs are my affairs. As for Xia Jingshi, you have a point. I’ll accept that.”

“Princess!” the other soldier pleaded in a low voice. “His Highness has always treated you well… Please, for the sake of your past relationship, help us rescue him…”

Feng Suige let out a cold laugh. “Haven’t I treated her well? You should leave. I won’t allow her to do such a thing.”

After standing for a while and seeing Yi Xiao remain silent, the soldier who brought the letter stomped his foot and pulled his companion. “Stop begging. Don’t forget her status has changed now. How could she remember any past relationships?” He glared at Yi Xiao resentfully. “Let’s go back. I refuse to believe Advisor Xiao can’t come up with a suitable plan!”

The two left like a gust of wind without saying goodbye. Yi Xiao didn’t wait for them to go far before snatching back the letter, saying angrily, “What do you mean by this?”

Feng Suige made a gesture for her to be quiet, then called two guards and instructed them softly, “Go, take a few men and follow them at a distance. Remember to leave markers along the way. Once you’ve seen where they’ve gone, report back as quickly as possible!”

In the countryside, several men dressed as household guards cautiously escorted an inconspicuous, simple horse-drawn carriage. The curtain of the carriage was suddenly lifted, revealing the slightly pale profile of the occupant. “Vice Commander Xue, please hurry our journey a bit more. I’ll be fine…”

“No,” Xue Vice Commander said firmly. “The brothers have already split into three groups to search as you instructed. No matter how fast we go, we can’t be faster than them. You should rest easy. I’m sure we’ll have news soon.”

Xiao Weiran sighed. “With the situation unclear, how can I be at ease? I just hope they don’t miss Yi Xiao.”

As they were speaking, the sound of horse hooves echoed from the forest path. Xue Vice Commander walked forward to look for a moment, then said joyfully, “It’s our people—they’re back!”

With a swish, Xiao Weiran immediately pulled open the carriage curtain and was about to jump down, holding onto the carriage wall. Xue Vice Commander quickly turned back to support him.

“They must have met Yi Xiao,” Xiao Weiran said with a look of joy. “Otherwise, they wouldn’t have returned so early.”

Xue Vice Commander, beaming, carefully supported Xiao Weiran, repeatedly agreeing, “I knew it! When has Advisor Xiao ever been wrong?”

Seeing Xiao Weiran coming to greet them, the two soldiers jumped off their horses from afar and prostrated themselves, calling out, “Advisor Xiao.” Xiao Weiran noticed their dejected expressions and felt a pang in his heart. He asked urgently, “Did you see Yi Xiao?”

The two soldiers looked at each other and then knelt before Xiao Weiran in unison. One of them sobbed, “We did see her, but… she refuses to help.”

Both Xiao Weiran and Xue Vice Commander were stunned, asking in unison, “How can that be?”

The other soldier, his face flushed, shouted, “She came with Feng Suige from Shusha. That Feng Suige, he… he can’t wait for His Highness to meet with misfortune…”

“What? Feng Suige came too?” Xiao Weiran exclaimed. “Tell me the details of what happened.”

The two, in their indignation, took turns narrating the events. As he listened quietly, Xiao Weiran’s furrowed brow gradually smoothed out, and towards the end, he was even smiling. Finally, he turned to Xue Vice Commander with a smile and ordered, “Change our route. Follow their path—Feng Suige’s involvement has greatly increased our chances of success!”