Xiao Ba had a lackey-like demeanor, deliberately raising his chin to put on a fierce expression as he pointed at Wen Yu and said, “Brother, it’s him! It’s because of him that Miss Ji was taken away!”

So they came to demand accountability!

Luo Yang snorted through his nostrils and raised those two eyebrows of his. Then he planted his foot on a stool, likewise displaying an extremely fierce appearance as he questioned Wen Yu, “Speak! Where exactly will the person who wants to kill you go? And where has he taken our friend?”

As the saying goes, you may lack real ability, but your presence must be intimidating!

Wen Yu was completely baffled: “Person? What person?”

“Still playing dumb?” Luo Yang said. “That person wearing a mask has taken our friend hostage. The desert is so vast—where are we supposed to look? Only you know where they went. Speak! If you don’t speak, we’ll cut out your tongue!”

Huh?

Wen Yu froze.

Taken hostage?

So that masked person who wanted to kill him had escaped?

And kidnapped someone?

He suddenly understood: “Your friend must be that woman with the black cloth covering her face.”

“Exactly!”

That woman was his savior!

Naturally, Wen Yu was also worried.

His brow furrowed deeply.

Luo Yang slammed his hand forcefully on the table: “Still won’t speak? Where exactly will he go?”

Wen Yu said, “The desert is so vast, I don’t know either.”

“You don’t know, yet they’re the ones who wanted to kill you.” “Young masters, this is also my first time venturing deep into this Southern Frontier Desert. I’m unfamiliar with the terrain inside—how would I know? Don’t think only you’re anxious; I’m also very worried. That young lady intervened to help and saved me. If not for her, I would already be dead.”

“Hmph! Good that you know! She’s been captured now! What do you say we should do?”

What should they do?

How would Wen Yu know?

He was currently severely injured and unfamiliar with the desert terrain—where could he possibly search?

Wasn’t this making things difficult for him?

When Xiao Ba remained silent for a long time, he said softly to Luo Yang, “Brother, it seems he really doesn’t know. What should we do?”

Luo Yang had always been full of cunning ideas!

His mind raced in circles.

He seemed to have come up with some plan.

He cleared his throat lightly.

“Fine, since you don’t know, we won’t make things difficult for you.”

After Luo Yang finished speaking, he pulled Xiao Ba outside.

He even politely closed the door behind them.

Xiao Ba said pitifully, “Brother, we’re just letting it go like this? Then what about me?”

“I already have a plan.” Luo Yang stared at that door with slightly narrowed eyes.

“What plan?”

“Just watch.”

“Oh.” Xiao Ba stopped asking further.

The two were about to return to their room to devise their plan when they happened to run into the inn’s server coming out of Ji Yunshu’s room.

Holding a black bag in his hands!

That bag was…

Xiao Ba quickly grabbed Luo Yang’s clothing excitedly and tugged: “Brother, look! That’s the black bag Miss Ji carries with her!”

Indeed it was!

Luo Yang walked over and directly snatched the item from the server’s arms, saying, “This thing isn’t yours!”

The server nodded: “This indeed isn’t mine; it belongs to that Miss Ji.”

“Since it’s not yours, don’t take things randomly.”

“It’s just a worn bag—who cares! If you want it, take it.” The server gave it a disdainful look and walked away.

After the server went downstairs, Xiao Ba said curiously, “Should we open it and look? Maybe the antidote is inside!”

Luo Yang hoped so too!

He opened the bag, but inside was a painting!

He searched through everything but didn’t see any antidote.

Since it was a painting, there was no harm in looking. Out of curiosity, Luo Yang wanted to see what this thing was that Ji Yunshu carried with her at all times.

He slowly unrolled the painting.

What met his eyes was a portrait of a man.

That man had dignified features and was quite handsome. His eyes, full of charm, seemed almost real!

Luo Yang couldn’t help but sigh at this man’s appearance: “He really is handsome!”

Even he as a man was jealous looking at him!

Xiao Ba poked the face of the man in the portrait with his finger and asked, “Who is this? He’s really good-looking.”

Luo Yang had his suspicions and muttered softly, “Could it be that the person she desperately wanted to chase after last night is this person?”

“Brother, what did you say?”

“Nothing!” He swallowed and quickly rolled up the painting, raising his eyebrows as he said, “She’s a young lady yet has no shame, carrying around a man’s portrait all day.”

In his tone was actually a hint of sourness.

Probably upset that he wasn’t as handsome as the man in the painting!

Xiao Ba’s eyes reddened: “Brother, we should hurry and think of a way to find Miss Ji. Otherwise, the poison in my body won’t be cured, and I’ll die. Brother, I don’t want to die!”

“You won’t die—trust your brother.” Luo Yang held the painting and pulled him back to their room to plot in secret.

…

The eerie violent wind howled past, and the vast yellow sand churned up ripples in circles along the dunes.

A sturdy horse struggled to run through the desert.

Growing more and more labored…

Two silhouettes faced the yellow sand, riding on horseback.

Ji Yunshu’s heart had been tense the whole time, her only thought being to get the man behind her far away from danger.

Little did she know, the man’s face was pale, his gaze weak, and blood continuously seeped from the wound on his arm.

Staining his entire sleeve red.

As if all his blood had already drained away!

He held on until this moment and finally lost his strength. His hand loosened its grip on the reins, and his weakened body fell from the horse’s back.

Heavily tumbling onto the sand.

Seeing this, Ji Yunshu immediately pulled the reins, jumped down from the horse, and immediately threw herself beside the man, shouting, “Jingrong!”

The man was weak and powerless, his lips parched and dry.

She saw the blood on his arm and couldn’t help but redden her eyes, but reason still kept her composed as she said, “I won’t let anything happen to you again, absolutely not!”

After speaking, she prepared to tear open the man’s blood-stained sleeve.

But her hand was grabbed.

The man shouted hoarsely, “Don’t bother with me.”

Ji Yunshu met his eyes and said forcefully, “I can ignore everyone else in the world, but I cannot ignore you.”

The man’s gaze faltered.

His heart inexplicably trembled!

Ji Yunshu disregarded his resistance and directly tore open the man’s sleeve.

The two wounds across his arm stabbed painfully into her eyes.

One was inflicted by a sharp arrow.

One was inflicted by the long sword in Yao Niang’s hand.

And one of the wounds had already festered.

“It’s poisoned.” Ji Yunshu was shocked. She hadn’t expected Yao Niang to strike so viciously, but fortunately the poison wasn’t deep.

She immediately took out the medicine she carried with her and forcibly stuffed it into the man’s mouth.

“What did you make me eat?”

“In any case, it’s not poison.”

It must be said, this man was just like Jingrong—both afraid that what Ji Yunshu forced into their mouths was poisonous.

Right now, the most important thing was to quickly stop his bleeding.

“Bear with it.” She tore off several pieces of cloth from her body to treat his wound.

The man endured the pain, gritting his teeth as he said, “You should go. Take that horse… and go back.” “Don’t even think about leaving me again!” Ji Yunshu practically shouted.