Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

The scorching sun in August burned the earth like fire, and the air was filled with suffocating heat.

Chu Ning stood outside the makeshift tent, his bright yellow dragon robe soaked with sweat and stuck to his back.

He squinted his eyes and looked at the rolling mountains in the distance, his fingers unconsciously stroking the jade pendant at his waist, which was the gift given to him by King Chu Kuang of Zhao on his birthday last year.

"Your Majesty, it's been three days."

Zhao Yu reported in a low voice, his voice full of suppressed anxiety: "I'm afraid that the situation of His Royal Highness Prince Zhao cannot wait too long."

"I know!" Chu Ning interrupted him suddenly, his voice like thunder.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his chest, and when he turned to look at Zhao Yu, his eyes had regained some clarity.

"Is there any news from Xun Yu?"

At this moment, a galloping horse came galloping towards them, raising a cloud of dust.

The soldier dismounted and knelt on one knee. "Your Majesty, Lord Xun has found a hunter who has used his hounds to track down Divine Doctor Sun. He is in Black Pine Mountain!"

A cold light flashed in Chu Ning's eyes, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Sure enough, he hid in the mountains."

He turned and strode towards his warhorse, his black cloak rustling in the hot wind.

"Zhao Yu, mobilize all forces and surround Black Pine Mountain! Remember, not even a fly is allowed to escape from the mountain!"

On the way, Chu Ning asked the soldier how Xun Yu found the whereabouts of Doctor Sun.

The soldier did not dare to hide anything and told what happened several hours ago.

A few hours ago, in Wangjia Village ten miles away, Xun Yu stared at the dark-skinned hunter in front of him.

Sweat slid down the edge of his official hat and dripped onto his collar, which was already soaked.

The midday sun in August shines directly down, making it impossible to open your eyes.

"Are you sure this dog can find people?" Xun Yu's voice was filled with unquestionable majesty.

Hunter Wang Dachuan wiped the sweat from his face and bowed respectfully: "Your Excellency, this little one, the Wind Chaser, has been trained since childhood and has tracked fish no less than a hundred times without fail."

The yellow and black hound next to him sat quietly, sticking out its tongue to cool down, its alert eyes scanning the surroundings from time to time.

Xun Yu pulled out a piece of black cloth from his bosom, which had some dark red stains on it. "This is a fragment of the medicine bag that Doctor Sun always carries with him. It has the scent of Seven-Star Begonia."

Wang Dachuan took the cloth strip and squatted down to let Zhuifeng smell it carefully.

The hound's nose twitched, and suddenly its ears pricked up and it let out a short bark.

Wang Dachuan's eyes lit up: "Sir, Zhuifeng will remember this!"

Xun Yu nodded, took out a bag of silver from his sleeve and threw it to Wang Dachuan: "This is a deposit of one hundred taels. I will give you another one thousand taels after you find the person."

Wang Dachuan took the heavy purse and his Adam's apple rolled.

This amount of money is enough for their family to have food and drink for ten years.

"Don't worry, sir. I'll lead the way right away!"

The team began to march along the path outside the village.

The sun was blazing brightly, the soldiers' armor reflected the dazzling light, and everyone was sweating profusely.

Xun Yu was riding on a horse, wiping his forehead with a towel from time to time.

He noticed that although Wang Dachuan was walking, his steps were steady. It was obvious that he had been active in the mountains for many years and was already accustomed to such an environment.

"Stop!" Wang Dachuan suddenly raised his hand to signal.

Zhuifeng kept circling beside a patch of grass, making a low whimpering sound.

Wang Dachuan parted the grass and picked up a broken branch. "Sir, please look, this branch is still very fresh, no more than two hours old."

Xun Yu dismounted to check and found several blurry footprints on the ground, with a few drops of dark red liquid next to one of the footprints.

He squatted down, dipped a little with his finger and put it in front of his nose: "It's blood, mixed with the smell of medicine."

"Sir, there are traces of dragging here." A soldier pointed to the bent grass not far away.

Xun Yu’s brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

All signs indicate that Sun Simiao was most likely trapped in the deep mountains.

He stood up and dusted off his hands: "Keep chasing, speed up!"

The team moved forward quickly along the mountain path.

As the altitude increases, the dense shade of the trees finally brings a hint of coolness.

Wang Dachuan observed Zhuifeng's reaction as he walked, and stopped from time to time to let the dog reconfirm the direction of the smell.

"Sir, the border of Black Pine Mountain is just ahead."

Wang Dachuan pointed to the dark forest ahead and said, "The terrain in the mountains is complicated. I'm afraid it won't be easy to find it."

Xun Yu snorted coldly, "If Divine Doctor Sun is taken into the mountains, he will definitely leave more clues. Pass the order down, everyone rest here and await His Majesty's order."

The soldiers unloaded their equipment with a sense of relief and went in groups of three or four to find a cool place to rest.

Xun Yu walked to a protruding rock and looked into the distance in the direction he came from.

Suddenly, his eyes were attracted by a little reflection in the crack of the rock.

He leaned over to check and found that it was a stuck pill with some black cloth on the surface.

"This is..." Xun Yu carefully took out the pill and placed it in his palm to observe.

The pills are dark red in color and have a faint spicy smell.

A hint of joy flashed in his eyes: "The antidote for the Seven-Star Begonia! Divine Doctor Sun is indeed here. He is leaving a mark for us!"

At this moment, he became more confident about this trip.

An hour later, the sound of horse hooves came from afar.

The white horse cavalry led by Chu Ning was moving towards this side rapidly like a silver torrent.

In the sunlight, the emperor's golden crown shone so brightly that it was hard to open one's eyes.

Xun Yu quickly straightened his clothes and walked forward quickly.

When he saw the unconcealable anxiety on Chu Ning's face, his heart tightened - he knew that if he couldn't find Doctor Sun, his career would probably be over.

"Your Majesty, I have confirmed that Divine Doctor Sun has been taken to Black Pine Mountain."

Xun Yu bowed and presented the pill with both hands: "This is the clue that Divine Doctor Sun left along the way."

Chu Ning took the pill, his fingertips trembling slightly.

He was very familiar with this pill - it was a detoxification pill specially made by Sun Simiao, specifically used to detoxify drugs.

"Pass on my order, immediately surround all exits of Black Pine Mountain!"

His voice was low and dangerous: "I will go into the mountains myself and see who dares to touch my imperial physician!"

Zhao Yu hurriedly dissuaded him: "Your Majesty, the situation in the mountains is unclear. There might be an ambush. Let me lead the troops in!"

"King Zhao can't wait!"

Chu Ning interrupted sharply, anger burning in his eyes: "Sun Simiao is the only one who can save him. I must go there myself!"

Wang Dachuan stood aside, rubbing his hands nervously.

Zhuifeng seemed to sense the tense atmosphere, his ears perked up and he looked around vigilantly.

Suddenly, the hound turned deep into the forest and let out a series of rapid barks.

"Sir! What did Zhuifeng discover!" Wang Dachuan exclaimed.

Everyone's eyes turned to the depths of Black Pine Mountain.

The dense woods rustled in the hot wind, as if mocking the anxious people.

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes and his hand unconsciously pressed on the hilt of the sword.