Chapter 108: A Thread of Heart (1)

After the torrential rain, the dawn in the mountains still faintly carried a trace of hazy dampness. Occasionally, light filtered through the dense, dark forest. The peaks and cliffs, just washed by the heavy rain, stood in layers, revealing rugged and precipitous traces.

Several figures swept through the forest, paused briefly on a giant rock, and then continued forward, one after another disappearing into the stone forest.

Not long after, more than ten people appeared from the direction of the Chu Jiang. Like the previous group, they traveled upstream. The two leading young girls in purple released a pair of white sables from their bosoms to scout the way. One of them turned back and said, "Young Master, the rain last night was too heavy; it has almost washed away all traces of scent. If we go any further, we will not be far from Feng Shui Du."

"This rain was quite timely." A clear and dashing voice came from behind. "Split up here and continue searching along the road. Regardless of the result, we will rendezvous at Feng Shui Du before sunset."

"Yes!" The two purple-clad girls answered in unison. The group behind them split into two and followed the white sables, quickly departing.

The person who spoke did not follow. He walked a short distance alone, then suddenly stopped. His gaze passed through the intermittent rain and landed by the rocks not far from the riverbank. He watched for a moment, then flicked his emerald sleeve. A Canglong Jade Pendant flew into his hand, reflecting a faint flash in his handsome eyes.

In a relatively hidden cave in the mountains, Zi Rao, who had been unconscious for who knows how long, gradually woke up. Before her consciousness had fully returned, she heard a continuous series of wind-breaking sounds all around.

Judging simply from the sound of the wind, the arrivals were all experts with extraordinary cultivation, well-trained and highly skilled in tracking. Ye Xuanshang seemed to still be unconscious. Zi Rao dared not make the slightest move; she held her breath and secretly gathered her power in her palms. However, her cultivation had not yet recovered even a small fraction; if she truly had to fight, she could barely manage a single strike.

A voice came from outside, "Reporting to the Commander, we have searched everywhere in the east and north, but have not seen any trace of the Third Young Master."

Then, several more people arrived one after another, "Commander, we have carefully searched the area for several miles ahead and did not encounter the Third Young Master. Now, the only remaining possibility is Feng Shui Du."

The Commander had his back to Zi Rao's direction, so his appearance could not be seen from this angle. Only his deep voice could be heard, "Feng Shui Du is the only path for Chu and Mu. Shao Yuan Jun must have dispatched heavy troops to blockade it. The closer one gets to that place, the more dangerous it is for the Third Young Master."

Zi Rao's heart stirred slightly; she recognized this person as Yu Zheng, the Commander of the White Tiger Secret Guard, whom she had met once before.

These White Tiger Secret Guards had been lurking in the Chu Guo in secret. Last night, at a critical juncture, they helped them escape the encirclement and suppression of the Liefeng Cavalry. Now, they were searching for people everywhere, which naturally had something to do with Ye Xuanshang. However, Zi Rao also knew that the Mu Guo's Secret Guards had been ordered by the Tai Zi Yu to hunt down Ye Xuanshang many times, so it was difficult to determine their true stance for the moment. Fearing to expose their tracks rashly, she was just deliberating when Yu Zheng suddenly turned his head, his gaze sweeping toward the direction where they were hiding, and he shouted, "Who is there!"

Zi Rao's palms tightened, but then she heard someone ask with a smile, "Yu Zheng, have you gained anything from scouting this place?" Before the voice faded, a person appeared on the rock. In the light mist and clouds of the forest, his emerald robes drifted like the wind. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking down, his elegant demeanor naturally commanding respect.

The White Tiger Secret Guards had already bowed one after another. Yu Zheng said, "So it is the Second Young Master. Your subordinate was rude just now. We have searched all the way along the river but have never been able to find the Third Young Master, and there is no trace of the Royal Princess either."

Ye Xuanjian seemed to frown slightly, then looked at the group of secret guards thoughtfully, "The Eight Secret Guards of the Xichen Palace have never left the capital, and they should not be directly deployed by you, Yu Zheng. What is your true purpose for entering Chu this time? It is quite thought-provoking."

The successor of the Heavenly Sect held a transcendent status in the Mu State, even surpassing the Crown Prince. When Yu Zheng met his gaze, he immediately lowered his eyes and said a moment later, "The Xichen Palace Secret Guards are here for the Third Young Master."

This answer was ambiguous, seemingly true yet not entirely so. Ye Xuanjian raised an eyebrow and then leisurely curled his lips, "I don't care what your reasons are, but remember this: if any harm comes to the Third Young Master, you will be the first one I hold accountable."

Ye Xuanjian had helped them twice before and was Ye Xuanshang's older brother. Zi Rao leaned forward slightly, considering whether to call out, when her lips were suddenly covered from behind. It was Ye Xuanshang who had woken up. Zi Rao swept her gaze over; Ye Xuanshang shook his head gently, made a silencing gesture at her lips, and turned to look outside.

At this moment, Yu Zheng was saying, "This is still within the territory of Chu, and the power of the Shao Yuan Jun Mansion cannot be underestimated. No matter what, we must find the Third Young Master before the Lie Feng Cavalry. At the same time, we will send people to divert the attention of the guards at Feng Shui Du. I hope the Third Young Master is blessed with good fortune."

Ye Xuanjian looked at him and nodded, "That is very good. You may go."

After the White Tiger Secret Guards and Ye Xuanjian had all left, Ye Xuanshang released Zi Rao. Zi Rao tilted her eyes and asked, "This group of White Tiger Secret Guards seems very anxious about your safety. Why did you refuse to show yourself?"

Ye Xuanshang met her gaze, closed his eyes slightly, and shook his head, "Before you and I recover from our injuries, it is not advisable to have contact with anyone."

Zi Rao asked, "Including your brother?"

Ye Xuanshang smiled without answering. He tried to prop himself up, but inadvertently pulled at his wound, and cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead. Zi Rao hurriedly reached out to support him. A wound ran across his back, deep enough to see the bone. Zi Rao's fingertips trembled suddenly. She raised her eyes to look at Ye Xuanshang's cold and resolute face, then tore off a piece of her hem and lowered her head to bandage him.

Ye Xuanshang did not move, only turned his head to look at her. Her fingertips were soft and gentle. The gorgeous makeup from the wedding had faded, revealing the clear and charming radiance at the corners of her eyes and brows. A faint, lingering fragrance drifted from her long hair. When she turned her head, she possessed an unusually alluring beauty.

Ye Xuanshang watched Zi Rao like this for a long while, then suddenly whispered in her ear, "Zi Rao, how about coming back to the Mu State with me?"

Zi Rao couldn't help but be stunned. She raised her head, and Ye Xuanshang raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at her with a smile.

As their eyes met, Zi Rao's gaze rippled with a half-smile, "It won't be too late to say that if you can escape the pursuit."

Ye Xuanshang said, "No need to worry. After these few days pass, that group of White Tiger Secret Guards will naturally do everything in their power to send us out of the Chu State."

Zi Rao felt slightly suspicious, "You are so guarded against them; how can you be so sure when the time comes?"

Ye Xuanshang smiled casually, "As long as I let them think the Purple Crystal Stone is in my hands, they will naturally execute the King's order. There is no need to worry about that."

Zi Rao raised her dark lashes slightly, "But the Purple Crystal Stone is not in your hands."

Ye Xuanshang didn't care, "So what?"

Zi Rao stared at him for a long time, the deliberation obvious. She suddenly said, "The Old Mu King sent you to Chu as a hostage; it turns out that from the very beginning, it was to retrieve the Purple Crystal Stone."

Ye Xuanshang lowered his eyes slightly, a complex light flashing through the depths of his deep eyes, "Correct, that was indeed the condition I exchanged with him."

Zi Rao's elegant brows tightened slightly, and she couldn't help but ask, "You risked being a hostage in an enemy country, facing the danger of death at any moment; what did you exchange with your father?"

Ye Xuanshang said, "Naturally, it was to exchange for what I wanted."

Zi Rao's slightly narrowed phoenix eyes held flickering shadows of light, "But you didn't get the Purple Crystal Stone; how will you return to the country and answer to the Old Mu King?"

"Times change. Now that my father is facing the pressure from Tai Zi Yu, his original thoughts have probably already changed." Ye Xuanshang said lightly, "The Purple Crystal Stone is no longer the only bargaining chip."

The implication involved the internal politics of Mu. Zi Rao did not pursue the question, and Ye Xuanshang did not say anything more. He closed his eyes to regulate his breathing and soon entered a state of forgetting both himself and the world.

Rain appeared again in the mountains. The valley where the two were located was rarely visited, and for a time, no one came searching again. The sky gradually darkened, eventually turning into heavy drizzle, causing the entire mountain range to fall into a blurred outline.

Compared to Ye Xuanshang, Zi Rao's internal injuries were not too serious, and she felt better after regulating her breathing for a while. Looking at Ye Xuanshang again, he was still sitting quietly in a corner, his face faintly showing a luster, clear, solemn, and peaceful. It was obvious that his cultivation was at a critical juncture. Zi Rao did not want to disturb him, so she quietly went out of the cave, borrowed a little dim light, and deliberated on the surrounding terrain.

She hadn't gone far when her heart suddenly stirred, and she felt the sound of extremely light footsteps. The person had excellent lightness skills, but in an instant, they approached in this direction. Zi Rao didn't have time to turn back and flashed behind an ancient tree. She saw a figure nimbly flip over and arrive. After landing, the person carefully observed and muttered to himself, "Damn that Ye Xuanshang, just because I wasn't with him once, he caused such a dangerous situation. Even if that Princess is as beautiful as a fairy, you don't have to risk your life like this. If you really become an evil ghost, where am I supposed to go to transcend you?"

Yan Ling grumbled fiercely for a few sentences, then suddenly let out an "Eh" and looked up toward the cave. Zi Rao, behind the tree, found it both funny and annoying. She didn't expect him to be able to find this place. Her eyes flashed slightly, her sleeves turned lightly, and two flames immediately flew through the air, shooting toward Yan Ling's face.

At this moment, the two were not far apart. Yan Ling didn't expect someone to launch a sneak attack and was truly startled, gathering his energy to flip backward urgently. Zi Rao circled her sleeves behind the tree and raised them lightly. The flame butterflies followed like shadows, forcing Yan Ling to flip more than ten times in a row until he reached a rock. In his desperation, he had a flash of inspiration, jumped up violently, and leaped onto the top of the rock.

The flame butterflies hit the rock, blooming and extinguishing one after another, as if disappearing into a nether spirit light, incomparably strange and exotic. Yan Ling shouted, "Who is playing tricks!"

Then he heard someone laugh charmingly. Several strands of ghostly, brilliant butterfly light flickered and scattered with the night. In the rain, long sleeves flowed with fragrance, and the soft question had a soul-snatching charm, "Aren't you here to look for an evil ghost?"

Yan Ling looked at the woman walking out from behind the tree, stunned for a moment, and then suddenly scratched his head and said, "Still worth the price."

Zi Rao raised her elegant brows, "What did you say?"

Yan Ling coughed dryly, touched his nose, and said, "I said the guy surnamed Ye is romantic even as a ghost."

Zi Rao couldn't help but burst into laughter, "You really know him well."

Yan Ling looked around and asked, "Are you the only one? That guy didn't feed the fish and shrimp in the Chu Jiang, did he? Why is there no sign of him?"

The position where Zi Rao stood happened to block Yan Ling's line of sight, making it impossible for him to see the cave behind. She said with a smile, "You tell me first how you found this place, and I'll tell you where he is."

"So he's still alive?" Yan Ling's face showed joy, then he shrugged his shoulders indifferently, "I'm not Yu Zheng or those people from the Heavenly Sect, becoming headless flies after one heavy rain. With me, the Golden Matchmaker Yan Ling, is it possible that there's someone I can't find? What a joke!"

"You haven't found the person yet, what are you proud of?" Zi Rao raised her eyes lazily. Yan Ling seemed to be choked, couldn't help but hum and turn his head, looking at the sky, while secretly observing the surroundings.

Zi Rao moved casually, her eyes turning shallowly, and several points of butterfly light bloomed from her fingertips, illuminating the space between the two, "The situation in the Chu capital is currently like this, the Golden Matchmaker Yan Ling must be very clear about it, right?"

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 109 =====