Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

"The Zhanshichu! We were ambushed by the Zhanshichu! The young master was kidnapped by them!" Qinglan cried non-stop. He couldn't explain clearly what had happened in just a few words.

They left Bashan very smoothly. At dawn, they met up with the Xingluo Guards who came to pick them up, and rode their horses eastward towards Lingshan.

The day before yesterday, they passed by Huangting Town and rested here for a night. They set out again before dawn yesterday. After running for half a day, they were ambushed when passing through a dense forest.

The moment the arrow flew towards them, Qinglan suddenly remembered the situation when they were attacked in Hukou Gorge. It was exactly the same. The arrows and blades attacked them from eight directions in the west almost at the same time.

The Occupational Affairs Bureau was well-trained, and the Xingluo Guards were no ordinary troops either. The two sides engaged in a fierce battle, with Ye Huai constantly protecting Tang Ling. The Occupational Affairs Bureau outnumbered them, and their high ground made their attacks even more dangerous. From the outset, the Xingluo Guards were in a passive and precarious position. Neither Qinglan nor Tang Ling knew martial arts, and were clearly a burden to Ye Huai. At some point, Ye Huai was struck in the shoulder by an arrow, and blood covered him, making it hard to tell whether it was his own or someone else's.

"Young Master! Let's go!" Ye Huai fought and retreated, and together with several Xingluo Guards, he pulled Tang Ling and Qing Lan out of the chaos and fled into the woods.

"Chase!"

Tang Ling subconsciously touched the hidden arrow tied to her arm. It was Qi Xiao who saved her at Tiger's Mouth Gorge, and it was still Qi Xiao now.

When Nanxun's arrow flew out, it was just as Qi Xiao said, the sharp sound broke through the sky, and the long whistle echoed in the forest, as if it had the power to penetrate the heaven and earth.

Five Nanxun short arrows killed five people. It seemed like this was the first time Tang Ling had killed so many people with her own hands. It only took a moment. But Nanxun only had five arrows, while there were still many people in the office.

Ye Huai had sustained countless injuries. He gritted his teeth and remained silent, but Tang Ling could hear his rapid, heavy breathing. Even if she wasn't Qing Lan, she knew Ye Huai was seriously injured. Tang Ling's Xingluo Guards were few and far between.

They fled for a while longer.

Tang Ling grabbed Ye Huai and Qing Lan and said, "They want me. You have a chance to escape, hurry!"

"Son!"

"Let's go! Go... go tell my father! They want Tang Ling alive. I will wait for you to rescue me." At that moment, Tang Ling thought of Qi Xiao instead of his father Xun Anhou.

Qinglan gritted his teeth and shook his head violently, earning a fierce glare from Tang Ling: "Go!"

Ye Huai hesitated for a moment. He was arranged by Xun Anhou for Tang Ling, and they should be together throughout life and death. Even if what Tang Ling said made sense, he could not leave Tang Ling's side unless he died.

"Ye Huai, let's go!"

Ye Huai was pulled by Qing Lan. He had already started running. Ye Huai was almost pulled down by Qing Lan. Where did Qing Lan get so much strength?!

Tang Ling breathed a sigh of relief and smiled gently. He always felt that Qinglan was ignorant, but at this critical moment, Qinglan had grown up.

Qing Lan pulled Ye Huai and didn't dare look back at Tang Ling. He had never left Tang Ling's side in his life. He knew he wasn't smart, so he had to listen to the Master! The Master told him to go, to take Ye Huai with him to find someone for help, so he had to run as fast as possible!

Qinglan cried while stubbornly pulling Ye Huai to run. When he heard the sound from the forest stopped, he cried even harder. He stumbled as he ran without a path, but he couldn't stop, and didn't dare to stop.

Ye Huai was seriously injured and he forced himself to run with Qinglan, but he was not faster than Qinglan.

The two of them ran until dark before they dared to rest. It was also because Ye Huai could no longer hold on and fell down.

Qinglan had some medicine on her body to stop the bleeding for Ye Huai, then dragged him back to Huangting Town and sent him to the clinic. He ran out to buy a horse.

Although Tang Ling told Qinglan to go to his father, Xun Anhou, for help, Qinglan kept thinking of what Tang Ling had said long ago: if he was in danger, he should ask Qi Xiao for help. He wondered if the heavens had heard his desperate pleas and sent Qi Xiao to him!

"Your Highness, why are you here? Please save the young master!"

Qi Xiao listened to Qing Lan's chaotic ramblings, finally figuring out what had happened. He couldn't help but curse, "Are all the Xingluo Guards useless?!" If they were going to take Tang Ling away from him, why didn't they protect him properly?!

"We are a group of over forty people and have been very cautious along the way. How could we have imagined that we would be ambushed by the Office of the Occupational Affairs..." Qing Lan seemed to have suddenly become more cautious and added, "The people sent by the Marquis this time are all his trusted confidants. They would never betray the young master!"

Qi Xiao frowned deeply and glanced at Chi Yue: "Is it the Xuanji Camp?"

Chi Yue didn't know how to respond. Qi Xiao wasn't asking a question; he had already made up his mind. Yu Ran and Li Yao had no idea Tang Ling had left Bashan, and the military reports from Bashan didn't mention her at all, as they didn't want Qi Xiao to get any information about her.

Selling Tang Ling to Qi and the Office of the Emperor at this critical juncture is a move that prevents Tang Ling from returning safely to Qi, which is exactly what Your Majesty wants. Qi wants to detain Tang Ling and force Xun Anhou to withdraw his troops, allowing Fu Shouguang to return to aid Shuoliang.

But Your Majesty would surely prefer Tang Ling's death before the two armies, before Marquis Xun'an's eyes, and within the Qi camp, thus provoking him to send his troops across the Liu River and engage Fu Shouguang in a decisive battle. This would push Marquis Xun'an further and further from the Zhou border, violating the original agreement reached by the Chen-Zhou coalition. Your Majesty would then seize the opportunity to order Lu Fang's entire army across the Taihua River, creating a siege. This time, it would be both Zhou and Marquis Xun'an who would be surrounded.

Tang Ling's life is temporarily safe, but his situation is much more dangerous than Qinglan thought.

Tang Ling should have understood it in her heart, but she still let Qinglan and Ye Huai escape first. Asking Qinglan to call for help was probably only half true, and the other half... He was so smart, how could he pin his hopes on Qinglan, who had no martial arts skills at all, and Ye Huai, who was seriously injured and needed treatment urgently?

"Shopkeeper," Qi Xiao called the shopkeeper who was waiting nearby and pointed at Qinglan, "Give him two horses."

"Oh? Oh, okay." The horses had been prepared long ago, but Qi Xiao and the others were talking just now, about ambush and saving lives, so no matter how stupid the shopkeeper was, he didn't dare to step forward and interrupt.

Qing Lan looked at Qi Xiao in confusion: "Your Highness?"

"Take Ye Huai to Lingshan and inform Marquis Xun An, asking him to rescue Tang Ling."

"Ah?!" Qing Lan's sobs suddenly stopped. "Your Highness, don't you care about my young master?"

"Does he need me to take care of him?"

Qi Xiao said something angrily, how could he not care? When Qinglan said that it was the Office of the Occupational Affairs who had captured Tang Ling, he wanted to rush out to save her. But when Qinglan asked him that, he couldn't help but lose his temper. How stupid and ridiculous was he? No matter how stupid and ridiculous he was, he still couldn't bear to part with Tang Ling.

"Your Highness! Please save the young master!" Qinglan suddenly knelt down and kowtowed to Qi Xiao. He knew that Tang Ling's sudden departure from Bashan would definitely anger Qi Xiao. He couldn't tell whether Qi Xiao was speaking in anger or truth. He just wanted Qi Xiao to save people!

Qi Xiao lifted Qinglan up from the ground: "I didn't say I wouldn't save you!"

"Your Highness!!"

"Alright, stop howling! I only brought Chi Yue and Zong Sheng with me. It's hard to say whether we can save them. Of course you have to go get some help."

"Yes, yes, I'll go right away, right away!"

Qing Lan had just turned around when Qi Xiao grabbed her again: "I haven't finished yet. You knew where Tang Ling was taken? Why are you running away in such a hurry?"

Qinglan stood still and sniffed: "Your Highness, you give the order. Qinglan will obey you."

Qi Xiao frowned at him and said, "Fu Shouguang is currently camped in Jiyu, very close to Lingshan. I suspect the Occupational Affairs Office will hand Tang Ling over directly to Fu Shouguang. Let's go check it out first; there will be signs along the way. Another possibility is that the Occupational Affairs Office has abducted him and taken him back to Shuoliang. Once you find the Xingluo Guards, have them send some people to search in the direction of Shuoliang."

"Okay, I understand. I will do as Your Highness orders." Qinglan nodded continuously.

"If he's in Jiwei, I'll leave a mark and set up a rendezvous point. Huangting Town isn't far from Jiwei, and we're already seven or eight hours late. It would be best if we could get him to Fu Shouguangda for rescue before the garrison. Otherwise, we'll be in trouble."

Qing Lan's previous panic had eased after seeing Qi Xiao, but he was still anxious: "Your Highness, please rescue the young master."

Qi Xiao nodded slightly, turned around and asked the shopkeeper to bring the horse.

Qi Xiao and Qing Lan split up, and he planned to follow the path Qing Lan and his men had taken yesterday. The Occupation Office had a large contingent, so they would definitely have left traces. Both last night and today were sunny, with no rain, so the traces of carriages and horses in the mountains must still be there.

After leaving Huangting Town, Qi Xiao casually asked Chi Yue, "Do you know where the nearest base of the Occupation Office is?"

The Occupation Office suffered heavy losses last night in their pursuit of Tang Ling, so they should be looking for a place to rest and recuperate. Returning to Huangting Town is out of the question; they'll definitely continue eastward.

Chi Yue nodded: "It's in Renliang Prefecture, not far from here, and a fast horse can get there in three hours."

"You know?" Qi Xiao had only asked briefly, not expecting much, but he hadn't expected Chi Yue to actually know. The Zhanshichu were, after all, Qi's secret agents. Even if they had their own government offices, they couldn't have known their location, right?

"I happened to pass by here when I came to Qi State before."

Qi Xiao looked at Chi Yue. His vague words revealed too many secrets. Chi Yue had last come to Qi ten years ago, crossing from Qi into Zhou to the Capital Affairs Office to assassinate then-Grand Commander Ni Jue. He was likely accompanied by members of the Xuanji Camp. The Tiance Camp's assassination was extremely confidential, and his "happen to be passing by" could only be a hint that the operation was orchestrated by Dachen, but also with the assistance of the Zhanshi Office.

Qi Xiao couldn't help but feel sick at the sight of the Tiance Camp, Xuanji Camp, and the Zhanshi Office, Chen and Qi, all working so 'integrated'. No wonder betraying Tang Ling was so easy this time; it turned out they were old friends.

The war between Chen, Qi and Zhou has become a life-and-death situation. The Zhanshi Office actually dares to believe the news betrayed by Xuanjiying. It seems that the Zhanshi Office is no longer the Zhanshi Office of the Emperor of Qi. Qi Xiao is not interested in knowing the dirty deeds. He just wants to save Tang Ling.

"lead the way!"

***

Tang Ling was trapped in the carriage, his hands and feet bound, his mouth gagged. Tang Ling wasn't seriously injured, except for the fact that when the officers from the Occupation Office tried to arrest him, they twisted his arm too hard, fearing that Nan Xun might use too much force, and dislocated it.

Tang Ling's arms were tied behind his back, and his dislocated arm was excruciatingly painful, causing him to break out in cold sweats. He couldn't scream, and even if he did, it would be useless. He could only lean back and endure the pain silently. With one arm disabled, it was impossible for him to untie the hemp rope around his wrist. With no way to save himself, he could only patiently wait for help.

I wonder if Qinglan and Ye Huai are safe?

Yesterday, he had used all five of Nanxun's arrows and the Torrential Pear Blossom Needle, relying on Nanxun's incredible lethality to briefly scare the Office of the Chief Justice. The Office of the Chief Justice had suffered heavy losses, and after capturing Tang Ling, they had no energy to allocate more personnel to deal with the remaining prisoners.

Tang Ling had been trapped in the carriage. He didn't know where he was being taken, but the carriage had been parked for almost two hours. It was dark and very quiet outside. It seemed that the officials had found a place to rest and prepare to spend the night.

The longer they stopped, the more chances Tang Ling had of being rescued. But this was Qi Territory, and it wasn't easy for the Xingluo Guard to mobilize manpower, and they might not even have that many...

Tang Ling sighed softly. If he was really brought to the front of the two armies, would his father, Xun Anhou, withdraw his troops to save him?

Faced with the same dilemma, Tang Ling couldn't help but feel sorry for his father. Back then, she was his mother, and now she was his father. Could his father be crueler than ever? If only his father were heartless, ruthless and unfeeling, then it wouldn't be too painful no matter which choice he made.

Tang Ling had nothing to do but worry about all sorts of things, and her thoughts were all over the place, but she couldn't help but think of Qi Xiao.

Qi Xiao must have known about his escape from Bashan. Is he furious? Will he rush back to Bashan? Will he head east and try to intercept him?

If only he were heartless and ruthless, then I wouldn't feel so bad no matter what.

Tang Ling smiled bitterly and lowered her head to the side.

At that time, he was shackled and locked in a prison van, just like the situation now. But this time, Qi Xiao would not show up.

Tang Ling's dislocated arm was in increasing pain. Even the slightest tilt of his head would cause his entire body to twitch unconsciously. But even this clear pain was not as sharp as the ache in his heart.

"Heh..." Tang Ling's breathing was heavy and difficult. He thought he must be in a very miserable and destitute state now.

Unconsciously, Tang Ling's consciousness began to become blurred, and he seemed to be trapped in a continuous and overlapping dream.

He dreamed of being gently led by someone, ascending the ancient Tongtian Road on Hanyang Mountain, step by step through the mist and clouds... Suddenly, he seemed to be back in the birch forest of Chen Mountain. The wind was a little cold, and the golden birch leaves were more brilliant than the setting sun. He looked around for someone, then heard laughter, and he laughed too... In an instant, the scenery around him transformed into the Thousand Lakes Bixby Cold Flower Pond in Yunjing. He sat in a warm room by the pool, the room filled with the aroma of Liuyeqing wine, but he was alone...

Tang Ling's dream made him more and more painful and uncomfortable, and tears rolled down his face unconsciously.