Without needing to think, she knew something had gone wrong. It seemed that only with bait large enough could this group be drawn out. She’d only just formed this thought when she felt all the sounds outside become blurred, with only the terrified screams of Qing Luo and Han Yan reaching her ears—because this trip out was meant to serve as bait, she’d left Nanny Xu, Qing Tao, and Ziyun, who didn’t know martial arts, at the Yangquan county office, planning to have them return together with Song Yan. Now, only Qing Ying, who knew some martial arts, remained in the carriage to guard her.

Qing Ying wasn’t much better off than she was. The carriage’s swaying was far too violent. She was jolted until her entire body tilted to one side. Even though she tried her best to grab the window, the enormous impact force flung her away. Her entire body, heavy-headed and light-footed, was violently slammed against the carriage wall. The pain nearly stunned her completely. Even so, she still remembered to reach out trying to grab Song Chuyi.

Fortunately, anticipating this ordeal when they’d come, the carriage had been covered with thick felt blankets. The furnishings had been immediately removed upon leaving the city and piled into another carriage. Otherwise, if she’d accidentally hit any table leg or screen, with such great impact force, she might not have even preserved her life. She finally managed to reach out and grasp Song Chuyi’s hand. The breath she’d been holding in her heart hadn’t completely settled when, not long after the carriage had just calmed down, it began running wildly again for some unknown reason, jolting her until she rolled directly out through the carriage window.

Fortunately, she was quick-witted. She reacted nimbly and grabbed the carriage edge, slightly buffering her speed of flying out. Even so, she was still scraped by sand and stones until she had injuries everywhere. With no time to catch her breath, she looked up and saw thick horse hooves stomping toward her. She couldn’t help but roll several times to avoid them. Only then did she see the field was full of crazed horses and black-clothed people locked in combat with the guards on their side.

With no time to care about these things, she immediately turned back to look for Song Chuyi’s carriage, only to be shocked to discover that Song Chuyi’s carriage had already swiftly crashed through horse after horse and people, running into the distance.

The sky was gradually darkening. She didn’t know what the situation outside was like. The horse was also startled. Running out like this, nine times out of ten, it would be a bad outcome. Her face changed in horror. Her delicate brows and eyes carried a trace of terror as she shouted “Sixth Miss!” Then she swiftly seized a horse and forced herself onto it to give chase, but she simply couldn’t control this already frightened horse. Instead, she was thrown to the ground by the horse. It was Ye Jingchuan’s quick reaction and swift movement that pulled her out from beneath the horse’s hooves. Otherwise, by now she would have been trampled into a pile of mush.

“Sixth Miss! Sixth Miss is still in the carriage!” She could no longer suppress the terror in her heart. Her voice even carried a sobbing tone: “The horse pulling Sixth Miss’s carriage was also frightened, and she doesn’t know martial arts!”

Ye Jingchuan was so shocked his face turned ashen—he’d just been tightly entangled by this group of death warriors, completely unable to move or spare attention to check on Song Chuyi’s current situation. Now hearing Qing Ying say this, shock made his fingers ice-cold. His voice hoarse, he asked her: “Which direction did she go?!” It was pitch dark here. Night was about to fall, and once it got dark…

Qing Ying rather helplessly pointed toward the north, with some uncertainty: “It seemed to be over there… but I didn’t see clearly…”

Chang’an ran over wiping the sweat on his head and shouted: “It’s north! Ran in that direction! His Highness has already led Qing Zhuo and Han Feng in pursuit!”

Ye Jingchuan was somewhat stunned upon hearing this. He looked around in a circle and saw that Zhou Weizhao’s carriage was still on the field. He stepped forward and lifted the carriage curtain. Sure enough, there was no one inside. He couldn’t help but furrow his brow—though Zhou Weizhao’s poison had been cured, he still needed to recuperate properly. What was he running over to join the commotion for? Did he think things weren’t chaotic enough here?

But now wasn’t the time to think about these things. Whether Zhou Weizhao or Song Chuyi, absolutely nothing could happen to either of them. He clenched his fists and instructed Chang’an: “Guard this place. When Lord Hong and the others come down from the mountain, tell them which direction we went!”

Song Chuyi was jolted by this speed like a small boat in rough waves, rolling from one end of the carriage to the other. Several times she nearly rolled out of the carriage. She desperately clung to the handles embedded in the carriage wall, straining to look through the curtain blown up by the wind to see what the current situation was outside. The scenery before her eyes flew past swiftly. Wind struck her face head-on. She was blown by this wind until her entire body felt cold—the sky had already darkened. She still didn’t know exactly how far she’d run. Not one of Qing Luo, Han Yan, or Qing Ying was by her side. This was clearly someone deliberately trying to separate her…

If she kept running, it would be even harder to turn back. She bit her teeth, just preparing to let go and try to protect her head and face while jumping down from the carriage, when the wheel seemed to hit a stone, jolting her back into the carriage compartment.

Staying in this carriage any longer, without anyone else needing to harm her, she’d lose her life. She took a deep breath and simply grabbed the carriage window edge, preparing to jump down. Who knew the carriage would shake wildly again, jolting her until she lost balance, with half her body exposed outside the carriage.

At this moment, if the horse went a bit more crazy, if the running speed got a bit faster, she would fall from the carriage and be smashed until her head broke and blood flowed.

She struggled to grip the carriage edge. On her pale fingers, besides spots of blood, the blue veins protruding outward were especially obvious. Even if she were stupider, she knew what consequences falling head-first would bring.

But after all, her strength wasn’t that great, and the carriage rose and fell far too violently. She simply couldn’t hold on. The cold sweat in her palms made her hand about to slip down very soon. She closed her eyes, inevitably feeling somewhat desperate—she might be about to die again.

“Sixth Miss!” Just as she thought she was surely doomed, hearing the shout, she hesitantly and with difficulty turned her head to look, and saw Qing Zhuo and Han Feng galloping swiftly toward her.

Thank heavens, these two possessed martial arts. Song Chuyi was so delighted she almost cried out aloud, but in the blink of an eye, she saw a gray monk’s robe rushing toward them—judging by that figure, it was clearly a child not yet fully grown…

It was San Nan! She was somewhat distracted. The carriage beneath her somehow became even faster, jolting her until she swayed outward again, startling her until her heart jumped and her fingers were already ice-cold without sensation.

She’d held on too long. That she could persist until now with her arm strength was already a miracle, but the wind was too strong, and her hands kept sweating. She really had no remaining strength to support herself any longer. Her left hand finally still slipped down from the carriage wall. Her entire person immediately hung emptily on the carriage, swaying precariously.

She still thought she was surely doomed, but her left hand fell into a dry palm. She looked back in shock and saw Zhou Weizhao with a cold and stern expression, prostrate on horseback.

“I’ll count to three, then let go with your other hand.” Zhou Weizhao gripped her left hand tightly. His voice was pressed very low, yet not so low she couldn’t hear: “One, two, three!”

Almost without the slightest hesitation, Song Chuyi released her grip just as his words fell.