The cruel little princess

The large army split into two groups. Guard Wu led most of the soldiers to search along the road to the right, while His Royal Highness Prince Jin followed Shen Youyou to search to the left.

When they reached the stream, Shen Youyou ordered everyone to disperse and search. In modern times, people can survive seven days without food and only drink water, but only three days without food and water. This varies from person to person, of course, but most people are like this. So, she figured, no matter where her brother is, he'll have to find a source of water. If she followed the stream, she'd definitely find some clues!

She stood by the stream, quietly gazing at her surroundings. Suddenly, her gaze fell on a corner by the stream. The soil there seemed to have been covered with new soil, and on top of it was a layer of green grass. If it weren't for the slightly different color of the grass in this patch and her deep familiarity with various herbs, able to keenly detect subtle changes, she would have been hard-pressed to notice this unusual spot!

She quickly stepped forward, gently peeling back the green grass, then carefully used the shovel in her hand to turn over the exposed topsoil. As the shovel moved, a patch of charred, fire-scorched earth appeared underneath. What could this mean? There was no doubt that someone had built a fire here, but they had deliberately concealed the traces, not wanting others to see them! Shen Youyou's heartbeat quickened, and an irrepressible excitement welled up in her heart! Generally speaking, ordinary hunters coming here would not be so cautious to conceal their whereabouts. So, this person was very likely the brother she had been searching for!

At this thought, Shen Youyou's eyes sparkled with hope. She couldn't wait to continue digging, hoping to find more clues or evidence to confirm her suspicions. Every shovelful was filled with anticipation and nervousness, as if she could see her brother appear before her any second. Her breathing quickened, her hands trembling slightly, but she remained steadfast as she continued her exploration.

His Royal Highness Prince Jin noticed her abnormality, "Youyou, what's wrong?" He asked with concern, his tone full of affection that he himself didn't even realize.

Shen Youyou was so busy digging into her recent discovery that she didn't notice that His Royal Highness Prince Jin didn't call her Miss Shen, but called her by her maiden name, Youyou.

"I found traces of someone covering this place up. Someone started a fire here, but didn't want to be discovered, so they covered it up with grass!" She said anxiously, "Your Highness Prince Jin, this is most likely where my brother hid!"

"An Yi, search all places within a mile around! We must find General Shen!" His Royal Highness Prince Jin said seriously.

"Yes!" The secret guards took the order and left.

Shen Youyou was circling around. Finally, she reached the front of the cave. If Shen Zijin was still conscious, he would have heard the noise outside and known he was rescued. However, Shen Zijin was unconscious, so he couldn't call for help.

Prince Jin stood silently behind her, giving her a sense of security! An Yi stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, we have thoroughly searched the area within a one-mile radius, and have found nothing!"

The subordinate that Guard Wu had instructed ran over and said, "Miss, you have been looking here for a long time. Isn't this just an abandoned cave? There are so many spider webs here that even wild beasts don't seem to have gone in..." Anyone else would think that there was nothing wrong with the spider web. Instead, they would think that the spider web was intact and no one had ever entered it.

After hearing what he said, Shen Youyou finally understood what she had been puzzled about! Spider web!!!

According to common sense, a typical spider web has a central point, from which multiple supporting threads radiate out, and finally a large number of silk threads are woven around the central point to form the web. Generally speaking, the spider will wait near this central point, waiting for prey to come to it.

However, the web before us was unusual—it lacked a central point and supporting lines. Instead, it consisted of a series of straight lines connecting the two sides of the cave, with the web then weaving around these lines. This unique construction led to the suggestion that this web was most likely man-made! And the truth seemed to be about to be revealed!

Suddenly, she subconsciously covered her mouth with her hand and said to the prince anxiously: "Prince, please send two agile and skilled secret guards into this cave to investigate and see what secrets are hidden inside!" In fact, what she really wanted to express deep in her heart was almost self-evident, that is, she wanted to confirm whether her brother was in it.

Prince Jin immediately waved his hand, and two secret guards came out to take orders and leave. The secret guards had not entered the cave for more than three meters, and in the dim light, they could barely make out that the person lying on the ground was General Shen!

"Your Highness, we've found General Shen!" The guard carried Shen Zijin on his back and walked out of the cave. Several others lit torches again and went inside the cave to see if there were any other people.

Shen Youyou stood at the entrance of the cave anxiously, her eyes fixed on Shen Zijin, who was lying on the back of the secret guard. When the secret guard carefully placed Shen Zijin on the ground, Shen Youyou rushed forward without hesitation, with only one thought in her mind - to check on Shen Zijin's condition.

With trembling hands, she gently touched Shen Zijin's wrist, feeling the faint beat of his pulse. Thankfully, even though the pulse was weak, it was still there! This made Shen Youyou breathe a sigh of relief. As long as Shen Zijin still had a glimmer of hope, she firmly believed she could snatch his life back from the clutches of death!

Shen Youyou carefully examined Shen Zijin in front of her, and a wave of sadness and heartache welled up in her heart. His clothes were tattered, as if he had just experienced a fierce battle. The clothes were covered with scraps of scrapes or tears from branches, and the once intact fabric was now incomplete. Even more shocking was that there was hardly a single intact piece of his exposed skin. The skin all over his body was a festering purple-blue color, as if he had been tortured. His legs were curled up and powerless, as if he had lost the strength to support his body. His right arm was tightly wrapped in a strip of cloth, and the blood on it had dried, the color dark and almost black. It was obvious that he had suffered a serious injury there. His left hand was tightly grasping an arrow, causing the veins on his left arm to bulge and the muscles to be tense. Even in his coma, he never loosened his clenched left hand!

Furthermore, the wounds on Shen Zijin's body emitted an unbearable stench. This stench permeated the air, a reminder of the pain and suffering he had endured. His hair was tangled, streaked with hay, making it look incredibly unkempt. His beard was untrimmed and covered in blood, blurring his features and making them almost unrecognizable. Furthermore, his face was covered in tiny scrapes and scratches, a crisscross pattern of scars that was heartbreaking.

Seeing Shen Zijin in such a miserable state, Shen Youyou's heart ached. She couldn't imagine the torture and suffering he had endured to become like this. But no matter what, she was determined to save him, to restore his health and vitality. She knew the road ahead would be full of challenges, but she was willing to give everything she had to help Shen Zijin regain his life.

Even though Shen Youyou wasn't the original owner, she was deeply impressed by him. She marveled at his strength and bravery! She was proud of him for being a soldier who would rather die than surrender! This only strengthened her resolve to cure him!