An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

When Qingfeng brought everyone to the cave, they saw Xu Zize in the cave still wearing the black uniform he wore when he went out, but now he looked a little messy and - embarrassed.

His shoulder was oozing with dried black blood, which had already coagulated, but was still shocking. There were also some bloodstains on his abdomen, which were not as obvious as those on his shoulder, but were still worrying.

Jing Chunxi, squatting nearby, had a few bloodstains on her light grey tunic, but she didn't look too disheveled. Her clothes were a little wrinkled, obviously from a long journey, and her hair was a bit disheveled, but she remained calm.

She folded her hands on her knees, looked at Xu Zize intently, without saying a word.

"Master! We failed to protect you, and we are willing to accept the punishment." Qingfeng, Luying, and Kuaijiao knelt at the cave entrance. Dozens of people also knelt outside the cave. Their faces were filled with guilt and self-blame, and their eyes were filled with anxiety.

Qingfeng's forehead bore several scratches from branches, the blood already dried. Meanwhile, Green Shadow and Quick Foot's clothes were torn by thorns, their clothes still wet. Clearly, they had endured considerable hardship in their search for their master.

After seeing the two masters run out of the door without knowing anything, Qingfeng went to knock on the doors of Lvying and Kuaijiao, which delayed him a lot of time.

When the three of them rode to the scene of the accident, they realized something was wrong. One of them rushed back to gather people, and the other two followed the man in black into the forest to look for his two masters. Along the way, their hearts were in their throats, fearing that something might happen to their masters.

However, the weather was not good, and a violent storm blocked all clues, making them like looking for a needle in a haystack. They could only move forward in the rain, relying on faint memories and traces to search.

They searched almost all the surrounding mountains and forests for a whole day, until dawn the next day, when they finally found the entrance to the cave by following the two branches that were trampled and the vine that was cut by the man in black.

Although they killed seven or eight men in black during the search, many of them still escaped without leaving any clues.

In the space, Chunxi had already fed Xu Zize the last dose of the Hundred Poison Spirit, which meant that they had stayed in the space for nearly three days.

During these three days, she stayed by Xu Zize's side almost every step of the way, monitoring his condition. He had a fever, but it subsided after taking antipyretics.

In the space, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Xu Zize's face had turned a lot redder. He had come out twice to observe the area around the cave. After confirming that there was no danger, the two of them discussed and finally moved out of the space. This was because they were sure that Qingfeng and the others would definitely come looking for them.

Now Xu Zize was lying on an old door panel, with thick straw underneath, and covered with an old thin quilt.

Qingfeng and Luying felt even more guilty when they saw this scene. How could their master have ever suffered such hardship, or been so miserable? They couldn't help but choke back their sobs and said, "We deserve death, even a thousand cuts wouldn't be a pity." Their voices were filled with tears, and it was obvious that they were tortured by self-blame and guilt.

Xu Zize forced himself to speak in a weak, slightly hoarse voice, "Everyone, get up! No wonder you all had such a smooth journey. It was my carelessness." He tried to appear calm, but his voice still trembled slightly. He glanced at the crowd and shook his head slightly, signaling them not to blame themselves.

Jing Chunxi said calmly, "The prince was struck by a poisoned arrow and stabbed, but the poison has been removed and he's out of danger for now." Her tone was soft, but everyone could hear the firmness in it. She knew now wasn't the time to blame herself, but rather to ensure Xu Zize's recovery.

However, the three refused to get up, and everyone outside the cave remained motionless. Their eyes were firm, as if expressing their guilt and determination.

Jing Chunxi was a little anxious. Although Xu Zize was awake and out of danger, his injuries were severe and he needed to rest. Before leaving, the space had given her another reminder: staying in the space until his wounds healed was the only way to be safe. She didn't want to linger here for too long; she had to find a way to move him back into the space.

"Do you want the prince dead? The thieves may not have any backup plan. Staying here is not a good idea. Quickly send a few people back to Tanxiang to rent a small courtyard, and then arrange for a few more people to carry the prince back. Be careful, the prince can't stand the bumps."

Jing Chunxi didn't want Xu Zize to talk too much, and she was also worried that the bumps would cause his wounds to tear, causing him more pain. So, at this time, she had to make the arrangements. Her voice was very cold, but very calm, and every word was unquestionable.

But Xu Zize still endured the pain and ordered sternly: "Listen to the young lady."

"Yes!" At this moment, the three of them suddenly climbed up, and the people outside also quickly took action. They had a clear division of labor, some went to prepare stretchers, and some took the lead and went to Tanxiang to find a suitable place to stay. The action was swift and orderly.

After Xu Zize was carefully carried out, Jing Chunxi was immediately surrounded by Xiao Man, Qiyue, Jiuyue, Zhengyue, and Chuyi as soon as he emerged from the cave. Their movements were so swift that Jing Chunxi couldn't resist the same kneeling ceremony; their speed was simply too great.

Xiao Man knelt down and asked anxiously, "Miss! Where are you injured?" The others also looked anxious. Zhengyue and Chuyi were almost in tears. Their eyes were full of worry, as if the sky was about to fall. This was their first mission, and if their master's life was in danger, they should also be there to bury the body.

"Get up quickly, I'm fine, not hurt at all. The one who's injured is..." Before Jing Chunxi finished saying the word "Prince", his body was lifted into the air, then gently landed, and was carried on someone's back.

"Eh!"

Jing Chunxi was startled and didn't notice how they stood up. "Zhengyue, I'm fine." Seeing that the person carrying her was Zhengyue, who was only two or three years older than her, she struggled a little: "Put me down."

Unexpectedly, Zhengyue strode forward. As she walked, she said, "Master, if you don't want me to carry you, I'll kill myself." There was a hint of stubbornness in her voice, and each step was steady, causing Jing Chunxi no discomfort. The other four, two by two, protected Jing Chunxi. Qiyue and Jiuyue gently placed their hands on Jing Chunxi's back, fearing she would fall.

Zhengyue was probably worried that her master was worried about her, so she explained, "Don't worry, master. Don't look at my thinness. I can carry four people by myself in the mountains." After that, she added embarrassedly, "They are all smaller than me." A shy smile appeared on her face, but her eyes were determined.

For some reason, Zhengyue struck Jing Chunxi as being like meeting Tang Shuang for the first time. He felt she was loyal and trustworthy, though perhaps a bit stubborn judging by her earlier behavior. But she was clearly more clever than Tang Shuang. Her every move, every look, revealed her loyalty and concern for her master.

Tanxiang was just an unremarkable town, with low tiled houses lining the bluestone-paved streets and a few old locust trees swaying in the wind. But since they could afford it and had the help of the post station runners, by the time Xu Zize arrived, they had rented three connected farmhouses with courtyards.

The original residents packed up their clothes and moved out without any reluctance, as the price offered by the guests was enough for them to buy another house of the same size.

The house was right on the edge of town, close to the official road, its blue brick and gray tile walls covered in ivy. It was only a hundred feet from the official post station, so if there was an emergency, just shout and they'd be there.

As for why we had to rent three rooms, in addition to accommodating everyone, it was mainly for safety reasons.

Qingfeng specifically ordered that secret guards be posted around the courtyard to prevent anyone from approaching. The three houses were side by side, separated by a bamboo fence in the middle. Each house had its own independent entrance, making it easy to look after each other and serving as a corner for them.

Although they were changed into a proper stretcher and two thick quilts were laid underneath after they left the forest and reached the official road, Xu Zize had already fainted from the pain by the time he moved into the east room of the house in the middle.

His face was as pale as paper, beads of sweat oozed from his forehead, and his lips were bloodless. Jing Chunxi reached out to feel his pulse and immediately frowned.

He checked his wound. Although it was tightly bandaged, blood was still oozing out, staining the white bandage dark red. Seeing that the wound had not broken open, but had seeped a lot of blood, Jing Chunxi's fingertips trembled slightly.

It was only then that Qingfeng, Luying, and Kuaijiao realized how badly Xu Zize had been injured. Having heard the prince still able to speak and his face not too pale, they had assumed the wound wasn't too deep.

Seeing the shocking bloodstains on the bandages, they all gasped. Qingfeng gripped the sword at his waist tightly, his knuckles turning white. Luying's eyes immediately turned red. Kuaijiao stared at the wound, his eyebrows pinching with fear.

"How is it? Do you want to see a doctor?" Qingfeng's voice was a little trembling, but he felt helpless at the moment. He still remembered to ask Jing Chunxi's opinion very respectfully.

His eyes moved back and forth between Jing Chunxi and Xu Zize, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he seemed to be still hesitating.

"I have the medicine, I'll take care of it!" Jing Chunxi's voice was soft, but with unquestionable firmness.

The young lady's firm words still made the three of them hesitate. After all, the prince's injury was too serious. If anything went wrong... Kuaijiao's Adam's apple rolled up and down, he wanted to say something but stopped, but he knew he couldn't make a decision.

Jing Chunxi: "I am responsible for the prince's life, but your mother has to listen to me." Her voice was not loud, but it was like a stone thrown into a calm lake.

"This..." Lu Ying looked at Qing Feng, his eyes full of questioning. Qing Feng stared at Jing Chunxi, suddenly remembering what the prince had just said in the cave. He gritted his teeth, a look of determination: "The master said, listen to the young lady." As he said this, he knelt on one knee and saluted with his fists clasped.

The other two exchanged glances, their gazes filled with hesitation and struggle, but ultimately transformed into determination. Without hesitation, they knelt, saying in unison, "We will obey Young Lady's orders." The sound of their knees hitting the ground was remarkably clear in the quiet room.