The sound of someone calling her name seemed to have just reached her ears. Feng Jin wiped the crumbs of pastry from the corner of her mouth and looked out through the window. The figures standing outside looked familiar – it was Lu Shi and Gu Beichen.
Feng Jin stood up and walked out, "Lu Shi, why have you come?"
Lu Shi, panting heavily, gasped, "Madam… something’s happened… Young General, he… he’s in trouble…"
"What happened?" Feng Jin immediately grew anxious, her voice tightening.
"Last night, the Young General pursued the rebels and ran into an ambush. He’s been missing ever since. I couldn’t make a decision myself, so I’ve come to ask for your guidance, Madam."
Missing, ambush. These words filled Feng Jin's mind, her temples throbbing. She forced herself to calm down, and after a moment, she said in a deep voice, "Have you sent anyone to investigate?"
"We have, but there's been no news yet."
After a moment of thought, Feng Jin stated firmly, "Lu Shi, gather a troop of men. We're going to look for him."
"Yes, Madam!"
Feng Jin then turned her gaze to Gu Beichen, "You stay here to guard and care for the patients."
"I stay?" Gu Beichen pointed to himself, asking incredulously. Wouldn't leaving him to guard the city be a waste of his talents?
"If you don't stay, who will? Yingzhong Commandery will be entirely entrusted to you. You must hold it. The responsibility on your shoulders is immense. Besides you, I wouldn't feel at ease entrusting it to anyone else."
Having interacted with Gu Beichen for so long, Feng Jin knew his thoughts well. He felt it was a waste of his talents to be left behind to guard. If she didn't emphasize the importance of the task, would Gu Beichen willingly stay?
"Since that's the case, then only I, this young prince, can undertake this important mission. Go with peace of mind. I will definitely guard Yingzhong Commandery well."
"Thank you for your trouble."
Fearing Gu Beichen might change his mind, Feng Jin quickly left with Lu Shi.
…
"Madam, there are signs of a struggle here."
Lu Shi spotted the traces on the ground and quickly called out.
Feng Jin dismounted and went to examine them. The soil on the ground looked as if it had been disturbed. Upon closer inspection, she could see bloodstains mixed with the dirt.
There were also traces of broken branches, and the breaks looked very fresh.
They had searched along the road for a long time before discovering these signs.
"Search thoroughly and be careful of ambushes."
"Yes, Madam."
Feng Jin picked up a handful of dirt. The bloodstains were still not dry. After the fight, they had had time to clean up the battlefield. Unless they were escaping and didn't want to leave a trail, or if someone was setting up an ambush.
"Madam, there are no traces around. I found that the bloodstains extend into the forest ahead and then disappear."
After Lu Shi’s inspection, he came forward to report to Feng Jin.
"Lu Shi, take a few men and investigate further. The rest will stay here to guard."
The group followed the bloodstains into the forest. As they got closer, Feng Jin vaguely smelled a pungent scent of blood.
"Be careful, the smell of blood is getting stronger," Feng Jin cautioned everyone.
Feng Jin heard the rustling of leaves and said, "Lu Shi, there are people ahead."
Lu Shi's nerves immediately tensed. He moved forward stealthily, and upon sensing a presence, drew his sword and lunged forward.
"Who’s there, lurking around!"
"Lord Lu, it’s me…" the man’s voice was weak. Covered in blood, he emerged from behind the bushes.
"Wang Qi, weren’t you with the Young General? Where is the Young General?"
"Lord Lu, we… we were ambushed. I was pursued and hid in the forest. The Young General… the Young General is missing…"
Before he could finish speaking, Wang Qi fainted. Lu Shi checked his breathing, and his expression instantly darkened. His comrade, with whom he had fought side-by-side, had died before his eyes, and he was powerless. Lu Shi’s heart felt as if it were being twisted by a knife.
"Madam, he’s… he’s no longer breathing."
Feng Jin sighed, lowered her head, and murmured, "Leave two men to bury him."
Feng Jin dared not delay for a moment. The longer she waited, the greater the danger for Ling Mohan. She had to find Ling Mohan as soon as possible to feel at ease.
They searched for a whole day. As dusk fell, there was still no sign of Ling Mohan. Feng Jin’s heart was in her throat, her nerves stretched taut.
"Madam, let's go back and search again tomorrow." Lu Shi's voice was laced with a hint of worry. If something happened to Madam, he wouldn't be able to explain it to the Young General.
"I’m fine. We need to keep searching."
Feng Jin’s voice was incredibly calm, making it impossible to guess her emotions.
The men she had sent out had still not returned, nor had there been any news.
She refused to believe that a living person could simply vanish into thin air.
"Is there any place we haven't searched?"
"We’ve searched everywhere. The surrounding forests, all the places we could search. If there’s anywhere left to search, it would only be the bottom of the cliff."
Lu Shi said after some thought. This was also the worst-case scenario. The cliff was bottomless. If the Young General had really fallen…
"Go search at the bottom of the cliff."
"Madam, the cliff is tens of thousands of feet deep. We cannot go down carelessly."
"We have no choice. If Ling Mohan is truly in trouble, we will also be doomed. Since we are all going to die, we might as well take a gamble. Lu Shi, go get some ropes."
Feng Jin ordered with a cold voice. If Ling Mohan was gone, the remaining rebels would join forces with the main army and attack Yingzhong Commandery. With their current strength, they wouldn't be able to resist the rebels.
Feng Jin tied the rope around her waist without hesitation. Just as she was about to descend, Lu Shi stopped her, "Madam, why don't you let me go down!"
"No, if Ling Mohan is indeed in trouble, you need to stay and manage the situation, protecting all the people of Yingzhong Commandery."
She couldn't rely on that fellow Gu Beichen, and she didn't trust anyone else to go down. Only she could go down herself. If something happened, she could only blame her bad luck.
Tightening the rope around her waist, Feng Jin began to climb down along the rope. Fortunately, she had climbed mountains quite a bit in her previous life, otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to come down. It was a pity that the physical condition of this body couldn't compare to her past life. She was already gasping for breath after such a short time.
Feng Jin dared not make any large movements, slowly climbing down the rock face. As she descended, she vaguely saw an opening in the middle of the mountain. She strained to climb towards the cave entrance.
After a long time, Feng Jin's arms gradually grew numb and weak. Her foot slipped, and she plummeted downwards. Feng Jin suddenly grabbed the vines hanging from the mountain and quickly jumped into the cave.
Once in a safe place, Feng Jin's taut nerves relaxed slightly.