Chapter 99: Danger Lurks Everywhere

Shen Shuangning tumbled down to the slope's base, her whole body sore and numb. She didn't dare waste even the time to catch her breath, scrambling up using both hands and feet.

She stumbled and flung herself against a half‑person‑high rock, pressing tight to hide herself completely.

She covered her mouth, her heart pounding faster and faster, forcing herself to stay calm. She deliberately lightened her breath and pricked up her ears to listen.

Moments later, a faint rustle of boots trampling dry twigs and leaves came from the slope, settling steadily above.

Immediately after, two muffled "puff‑chi" sounds rang out, like a sharp weapon piercing flesh.

Shen Shuangning felt the hairs on her back stand on end all at once, her scalp going numb. She almost guessed what that sound meant, and she shut her eyes tight in fright.

Not long after, the sound of dragging something heavy came from the slope.

Suddenly, a rolling‑object sound rang out; something heavy smashed into a nearby pile of fallen leaves, emitting a dull thud.

Shen Shuangning's heartbeat nearly stopped; she clenched her teeth, slowly opened a slit in her eyes, and looked toward the source of the sound.

They were the two guards tasked with protecting her!

One of them had eyes wide open, a deep wound at the neck that exposed bone and was still bleeding—clearly dead.

The other had a deep, bottomless blood‑hole at the throat; the arrow was gone, apparently taken away.

Both were dead.

Shen Shuangning's pupils trembled; she quickly looked away and clamped her hand over her mouth, knowing that person hadn't left and must know she was hiding below.

But for some unknown reason, that person stood there a while, then simply walked away.

Shen Shuangning, however, dared not rush out; she didn't dare move a muscle.

As Xie Yan walked back, the killing intent in his eyes was completely concealed, his face calm.

Not far off stood two Golden Guards.

One of them glanced past his shoulder and said, "The Young Marquis isn't at ease; he specially ordered us to come take a look. Young Master Xie, what were you busy with over there? Were you gathering herbs?"

Though he politely addressed him as "Young Master Xie," his tone lacked respect and carried a hint of interrogation.

Xie Yan slowly wiped the arrow with his sleeve, his eyes flickering slightly, and said calmly, "I found it. I saw a deer earlier and meant to shoot it for a celebratory feast, but it got away."

The Golden Guard hearing this stared in surprise, his face showing astonishment: "There are actually deer in this forest?"

In the course of speaking, he unintentionally caught sight of the lingering crimson stain on the tip of Xie Yan's arrow, and for some reason a sudden chill ran through him.

The other Golden Guard, evidently not wanting to linger, urged, "Let's go quickly; the Young Marquis just fired a signal flare—reinforcements might arrive any moment."

Xie Yan said nothing more and followed the two back.

Xie Lin took a blade for Su Mu'er, wounding his abdomen; he now leans against a tree, face pale from blood loss, his right hand pressed firmly over the wound.

Su Mu'er crouched nearby, full of worry, several times reaching out to help but fearing she'd hurt him.

Xie Yan stepped forward, crushed the hemostatic herbs he had just gathered, then squatted and personally tended to the wound with meticulous care.

Soon a detachment arrived, led by Xiao Jingyuan, with the Crown Prince at his side.

Xiao Jingyuan dismounted, his dark cloak sweeping through the air in a clean arc.

He glanced at the scene and asked what had happened.

Xie Yan timely supported Xie Lin's arm, half‑lifting him up.

Xie Lin, face grim, said, "I don't know where the assassins came from; we walked into an ambush, outnumbered, and let them escape."

Upon hearing the word "assassin," the Crown Prince's face darkened instantly; his gaze first fell on Su Mu'er, seeing she was startled but unharmed, he quietly relaxed.

Yet his brows knit tighter, his usual gentleness vanishing as he snapped, "In broad daylight, assassins dare to strike in the Imperial Hunting Ground—utter rebellion!"

But since the assassins have fled, they'll likely be hard to track down.

Xiao Jingyuan's gaze fell on Xie Lin's abdominal wound, his brows slightly furrowed: "How serious is the injury?"

Xie Lin, pale‑faced, shook his head: "I won't die."

But as soon as he spoke, moving the wound made him groan in pain, a fine sheen of cold sweat appearing on his forehead.

Su Mu'er wanted to speak but held back.

Not long after, troops sent by the Emperor also arrived.

The Crown Prince, worried another mishap might occur, urged everyone to withdraw quickly.

Jingyu rested in the camp tent, the tumult outside not reaching her ears at all.

She only vaguely heard an attendant mention that Emperor Xuānwén had sent many people into the forest, and then recalled that Shen Shuangning had been out for a long time without returning.

She therefore deliberately stopped a few soldiers about to enter the forest on orders to find people, instructing them to be sure to bring Shen Shuangning back safely.

The Princess's orders they naturally dared not neglect, but upon reaching the forest they were preoccupied with the assassin affair, and being urged by the Crown Prince to leave, they naturally forgot about an insignificant young lady.

Those soldiers set out to search while it was still light, and returned to find the sky already completely dark.

Torches were lit all around the main camp, their light bathing the night sky in brightness, and the number of patrolling guards was several times greater than usual.

Jingyu stood by the bonfire outside the camp tent; seeing a group return, she had palace attendants help her over.

Jingyu first saw the wounded Xie Lin, her heart sinking sharply.

Next, her eyes darted anxiously through the crowd, but she never spotted that familiar figure, her heart leaping to her throat.

"Where's Ningning?" Jingyu's voice tightened with urgency, rising uncontrollably, "Why didn't she come back with you? Didn't I order you to bring her back?!"

That remark made several men look over at once.

The soldier standing before Jingyu stared, then his face turned white in a flash, his voice trembling with fear: "Fourth… Fourth Miss… she, she didn't return to camp?"

"What does it mean she didn't come back?" Xie Lin exclaimed anxiously.

Xiao Jingyuan's face also darkened.

Those who had left earlier simply didn't know that Jingyu and Shen Shuangning had also entered the forest.

Moreover, the Princess never took part in either the spring or autumn hunts—who would have thought this time would bring a change!

Jingyu's eyes rimmed red: "It's all my fault; I shouldn't have dragged her along on a whim. I left three people with her, but if danger struck, it might not be enough……

An attendant beside her comforted, "Your Highness, don't panic; perhaps she's just lost."

However, this sentence didn't comfort him at all; instead it made Jingyu even more anxious. It's already dark—if he really got lost, what would he do if he ran into a blind bear?

"I'll go find her!"

Almost at the same moment, two voices sounded together.

It was Xie Lin and Xiao Jingyuan.

As the words fell, their gazes collided in midair.

Xie Lin's brows furrowed slightly, his eyes holding a hint of doubt and inquiry, as if trying to discern something from Xiao Jingyuan's expression.

However, in his haste just now, he accidentally tugged at the wound in his abdomen; a sharp pain surged, causing his body to involuntarily bend, and the thought that had just arisen slipped away.

Seeing this, Xiao Jingyuan said, "You're hurt like this—how can you still go look for someone? Let me go instead."

Xie Lin raised his head again, gritted his teeth, and said, "Then I'll trouble you."

Xiao Jingyuan was about to leave when another voice came from behind.

"I'll go too."

Xie Lin and Xiao Jingyuan turned simultaneously, only to see Pei Zhi, the Junior Tutor, walking over from the firelight with a solemn face; before anyone could react, he had already reached the hitching post and mounted his horse in one smooth motion.

More hands would be helpful.

Xiao Jingyuan naturally had no objection.

Just as Xie Lin watched Pei Zhi ride away, the vague, indescribable strange feeling from before welled up again: How well does Pei Zhi, the Junior Tutor, know Ningning? Why is he in such a hurry right now?

Until the Crown Prince, standing to the side, spoke leisurely with a hint of teasing: "Pei Zhi, the Junior Tutor, is rushing off to play hero and save the beauty—such opportunities don't come often."

Xie Lin's heart jumped; he abruptly turned his head to look at the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince looked at him with interest, then shifted his tone: "Let the Imperial Physician examine you; later His Majesty the Emperor may personally question you, and you can't appear before him in this state." Having said that, he walked away.

Xie Lin stood frozen in place; the Crown Prince's joking words struck him like a thunderclap, a vague notion gradually taking shape in his mind—yet he couldn't help shaking his head, thinking it absurd.

How could that be?

At this moment, what he was thinking of wasn't Pei Zhi, but Xiao Jingyuan.

Xie Lin was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Su Mu'er staring intently at him from beside.

Here, Xiao Jingyuan and Pei Zhi had arrived at a fork in the road.

Xiao Jingyuan chose the left path and was about to go when Pei Zhi suddenly said, out of the blue, "Watch out for Xie Yan."

Xiao Jingyuan looked bewildered, but Pei Zhi simply turned and left.

The bright moon hung high; its clear light filtered through the layered leaves, casting mottled silver shadows in the forest. The deep woods were eerily silent, only occasional nightbird cries breaking the stillness, making it feel even more desolate.

Shen Shuangning used the dense night as cover and quietly left that place.

She didn't know the way, and the night roads were even harder to discern, so she hid beneath a dilapidated thatched hut.

All around was pitch black; you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, and the silence was frightening.

She drew her knees up, huddled in the corner, biting her lip hard, terrified that Xie Yan would come looking for her again and kill her to silence her under cover of night.

In such a situation, not only would a woman be frightened, but even a man would feel his courage falter.

Shen Shuangning was terrified to the point of nearly wanting to cry, like a helpless kitten curled in the corner; any slight sound could make her tremble all over.

After who knows how long, she seemed to hear footsteps.

Shen Shuangning immediately steadied herself, picked up a sharp stone from the ground beside her, fixed her tense gaze on a certain spot, her fingertips trembling slightly.

That person held a torch, was fairly tall, seemed to have noticed her as well, and called out softly:

"Shen Shuangning."

Hearing that familiar call, Shen Shuangning's body relaxed, she lowered her hand, and replied in a trembling voice: "It's me."

A beam of light poured in, dispelling some of the surrounding darkness.

Xiao Jingyuan stepped inside; the firelight fell on the woman curled in the corner, letting him see her current appearance clearly.

Her clothes were stained with mud and grass, her hair disheveled and sticking to her cheeks, a few light scrapes on her cheek, her eyes red, her lips bitten raw and even tinged with a faint flush.

Although her appearance was quite disheveled, it in no way detracted from Fourth Miss Shen's peerless beauty; on the contrary, that fragile, post-calamity air added a kind of almost broken beauty.

But the next moment, the girl threw the stone at him—neither light nor heavy.

Xiao Jingyuan had already been worried sick; seeing her alone here, unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief—yet inexplicably felt annoyed.

And yet she did this.

Xiao Jingyuan's eyes darkened; he was about to speak, but looking up he saw her tears pouring down, each drop larger than a pearl, like a complaint or a grievance.

"Why did you only come now?"

Xiao Jingyuan's heart softened instantly.