A pot of tea later.
Zuo Teng was bound to a tree, his hands tied behind his back.
Zhong Li began to walk back towards the camp along the path she had taken.
Along the way, apart from the occasional startled bird, there wasn't even a shadow of another person.
"Mo Cang! Mo Cang!" A bad premonition flashed through Zhong Li's mind, and she called out into the empty space ahead.
Only echoes answered her.
After about the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Zhong Li finally discovered some clues in the bushes not far away.
She hurried forward to examine them. Dewdrops of blood stained the newly sprouted leaves, and a person lay on the dirt slope not far away.
Zhong Li panicked and, with tired steps, rushed towards the person. As she got closer and saw the person was dressed in bandit attire, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Lu Wuxie, Lu Wuxie, where are you? Lu Wuxie?" she called out, her eyes searching everywhere, unaware that a hand was stealthily reaching out from behind her.
"Mm..."
"Hush!" Zhong Li's mouth was suddenly covered, and as she couldn't cry out, her body instinctively began to struggle.
"It's me, it's me!" Lu Wuxie's voice sounded in her ear.
Hearing the familiar voice, Zhong Li completely relaxed.
After Lu Wuxie removed his hand from her lips, she turned and hugged him, letting out an indistinct whimper.
Lu Wuxie, who had been relaxed, did not expect this move. His legs went weak, and he fell backward onto a pile of grass.
"Mm..." he grunted in pain.
Zhong Li reacted, wanting to get up and check on him, but he had already held her tightly. He lowered his gaze to her half-dampened collar, his heart filled with concern. "I'm sorry for making you worry."
Zhong Li didn't speak, merely nuzzled into his embrace, not wanting him to see her embarrassment.
Lu Wuxie said nothing more, simply allowing her to act as she pleased.
When silence fell again, Zhong Li pushed the man beneath her away, sat up, and looked in the direction of the camp. "Why is it just you? Where are the others?"
Lu Wuxie also got up, glancing at her with a serious expression as she spoke. He sighed inwardly, wondering why she didn't ask if he was injured and was only concerned about others.
"Where is Zuo Teng?" he asked in return.
Zhong Li looked at the path they had taken. "He's very safe, sleeping."
"After you left, we had already killed most of these bandits. When Lan Heng and I prepared to search for you along the way, another group of bandits appeared. Lan Heng and I discussed it; he took the remaining elite to draw away the pursuers, heading directly towards Liaocheng. I came to find you," Lu Wuxie said.
Zhong Li watched his seemingly casual expression as he recounted the events, but her heart couldn't help but clench. She knew what it meant for another group of bandits to appear.
"Is Lan Heng safe now?"
Lu Wuxie narrowed his eyes, looking at Zhong Li. He saw her blinking her eyes as if she didn't understand. He sighed, swallowing the sourness in his throat. "I saw cold flares in the north just now. That's the prearranged signal between Lan Heng and me. He should be safe."
Hearing this, Zhong Li let out a long sigh of relief.
Lu Wuxie stood up and pulled her up casually. "Lin Jin went to find reinforcements. According to Lan Heng's direction, he should meet up with him first. Although we are hiding in a secluded place now, being separated is the most dangerous thing compared to them. The current plan is to take Zuo Teng along the small path towards Liaocheng. Once we enter the city, no one will dare to act openly."
Zhong Li understood what Lu Wuxie meant. The bandits, whether in their fighting style or their skills, showed no trace of common banditry. It was likely that the people behind the scenes involved with the Beichuan Gang were preparing to silence them.
"Zuo Teng is not far. Come with me."
When the two found Zuo Teng, he was still fast asleep.
Lu Wuxie disliked seeing someone enjoying themselves when others were in discomfort. He raised his hand and slapped Zuo Teng across the face. By the time Zuo Teng was fully awake, the three of them were already walking along the mountain stream path towards Liaocheng.
"I say, one of you is royalty, and the other is a famous coroner from Jincheng. You both nearly lost your lives over me, a good-for-nothing. Was it worth it?" Zuo Teng had been chattering non-stop since he woke up, following behind Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie.
Zhong Li was most annoyed by those who were incapable and noisy. She turned to look at the man stumbling along with his hands tied and said, "If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute."
Zuo Teng shrugged, looking like a scoundrel. "Then you should just let me go. That way, no one will... uh..."
"Do you think I don't want to?" Zhong Li, unable to tolerate it any longer, drew her dissection knife and held it to Zuo Teng's neck. "If it weren't for having to escort you, could we have lost so many elites?"
"Then you should even more..."
"Should what?" Zhong Li narrowed her eyes, looking at Zuo Teng. "Let me go?"
She let out a cold laugh. "Believe it or not, if everyone hadn't risked their lives to protect you yesterday, you wouldn't have the energy to quibble with me today. You would have already become a half-cold corpse."
Zuo Teng swallowed a few times and fell silent.
"Still not moving!" Zhong Li tugged at the rope in her hand and pulled Zuo Teng forward.
Zuo Teng lowered his eyes and muttered, "So fierce. I wonder what the Prince Consort sees in her."
"This Prince Consort likes them fierce," Lu Wuxie, with his exceptionally sharp ears, replied with a smile upon hearing Zuo Teng's words and quickly walked to Zhong Li's side.
The small path on the hillside was winding and rugged. The three walked, stopping and starting. Around noon, they found a place to rest. Zhong Li watched Zuo Teng while Lu Wuxie went to find fresh water and wild fruits to eat.
"Listen, what's that sound." Zuo Teng, leaning against a tree, was about to slide to the ground when he suddenly opened his eyes, looking around in terror.
Zhong Li frowned, looking at Zuo Teng, not understanding.
Zuo Teng said to her, "I think I hear many faint footsteps. Someone must be coming. No... that sound doesn't seem human. Quickly untie me!"
Zhong Li narrowed her eyes, thinking it was another trick by Zuo Teng to escape. She decided to pretend to sleep and ignore him.
Seeing this, Zuo Teng stamped his feet in anger, trying to stand up and escape.
Zhong Li opened her eyes, preparing to tell him to quiet down. Unexpectedly, she heard a rustling sound in the wind. Her body reacted instinctively, and she quickly stood up and flashed behind a tree. At the same time, an object firmly embedded itself into the tree.
Zhong Li quickly glanced at the object in the tree. It was an arrow.
She followed the direction from which the arrow had flown and vaguely saw the bushes in the distance swaying. She quickly ran to Zuo Teng's side, grabbed him, and said, "Get up, run!"
Zuo Teng stumbled along behind her as the sound of whistling arrows tore through the wind. A torrent of weapons struck the ground behind them like rain.
"Woof woof!" A dog's bark made Zuo Teng's legs go weak, and he fell heavily to the ground.
As Zhong Li looked back, a dog had already pounced on Zuo Teng.
With a "plop," Zuo Teng's neck was bitten, and gushing blood dripped from the hunting dog's lips onto the ground.
Zhong Li swiftly drew her dissection knife and stabbed it towards the dog's eyes.
A hysterical dog's howl echoed through the woods. The next moment, another dog behind the first, along with three people holding the dogs, simultaneously drew their sharp blades and charged directly at Zhong Li.