She married a dying prince and she won three babies.

Shangguan Ziqi shook his wife's hand and said, "We will return to the inn tonight and step up our security. Once we have unloaded our cargo, we will leave as soon as possible."

However, what they did not know was that upon returning to the temple, Qasim immediately issued an order.

"We will act tonight. Those four foreign women perfectly meet the requirements of the gods. We must bring them back unharmed. This is the will of the gods."

The subordinates followed the order and left.

As night fell, the inn gradually became quiet.

Shangguan Ziqi's family and Emperor Qiming all lived in several guest rooms on the second floor.

Twenty guards took turns guarding the stairs and the courtyard.

Yu Yuanzheng had just put the three children to bed and gently closed the door connecting the two rooms.

"The children were so excited playing today that Changrui even talked in his sleep for a long time." She walked to Shangguan Ziqi who was deep in thought and said softly.

Shangguan Ziqi raised his head and held his wife's hand: "They have seen so many things they have never seen before, that's why they are so excited."

"Yeah. What are you thinking about?"

"The more I think about the high priest the guide mentioned today, the more I feel something is wrong. His eyes are like a poisonous snake staring at a frog." Shangguan Ziqi has been thinking about the man he saw on the street today.

They had just arrived here and it was impossible for them to have any grudge against him.

Yu Yuanzheng nodded, her brow furrowed. "Didn't I tell you then? Especially when we were visiting Chunhua and the others. I told them not to act alone, and to ask the guards to accompany them if anything happened."

As they were talking, there was a light knock on the door. Chuncao's voice came from outside the door: "Princess, we want to go to the back to relieve ourselves."

Yu Yuanzheng opened the door and saw the four sisters standing outside. Chunhua was holding a small lantern. "It's so late, can't we wait until dawn?"

Chunshui blushed and explained: "I drank that sweet juice at night, and now I really..."

"Let Qingfeng accompany you." Shangguan Ziqi stood up and said.

Chunshui waved his hand quickly: "Don't bother Brother Qingfeng, the four of us will be fine. The innkeeper's wife said that the small woods behind is a special place for defecation, and many female guests go there."

Before the four of them arrived, they approached the inn's proprietress and greeted her through gestures.

Yu Yuanzheng hesitated for a moment and looked out the window.

The moonlight was bright, and the path from the inn's backyard to the woods was clearly visible.

"Then you must act together and don't separate. Bring your lanterns and shout loudly if anything happens."

"Understood, Princess." The four girls responded in unison and tiptoed downstairs.

Shangguan Ziqi walked to the window and watched four figures cross the courtyard behind and head towards the woods.

The faint light of the lantern flickered in the darkness like a tiny firefly.

"I hope we are worrying too much." Shangguan Ziqi murmured softly.

The grove is just behind the inn, not far away.

In the woods, four girls walked along a path.

"What a crappy Shenduo country. The toilet is directly in the woods. There is no toilet at all. It's really weird. It's not as good as our Haiyue Island." Chunye complained.

"I heard from the princess that this is their local custom. You can't build a toilet in the house. It is a blasphemy to the gods." Chunhua shook her head helplessly.

The night wind blew through the leaves, making a rustling sound, occasionally mixed with the calls of a few unknown birds.

"This place is really scary at night." Chunshui held Chunhua's arm tightly.

Chun Ye was relatively calm: "What are you afraid of? The inn is right in front. The guards will hear you if you shout."

Chuncao, who was walking at the end, suddenly stopped and looked back warily: "Did you hear any sound? It sounded like footsteps."

The other three also stopped and listened with bated breath.

Apart from the sound of the wind and the chirping of insects, there seemed to be nothing unusual.

"You're too nervous." Chunhua laughed, "You must have misheard."

They didn't go any further, but took care of their urgent needs on the spot, and then the four of them returned together.

The moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows. The path looked even more secluded than when we came here.

Chuncao stopped again, and this time her voice trembled a little: "Someone really is following us. I heard footsteps, very light, but there they were."

Chunhua raised her lantern and shone it around. She saw only shadows of trees and couldn't see anything unusual. "Don't scare yourself. Go back now. The princess must be worried."

At this moment, a strange fragrance wafted over, with a faint sweetness, like a mixture of some spices and flowers.

Chunye was the first to react and covered her nose: "Something's wrong, don't breathe."

But it's too late.

Chunshui was the first to shake, and his eyelids felt heavy as if filled with lead.

She fell limply to the ground.

Chunhua was next, and the lantern slipped from her hand and rolled to the side.

Chunye struggled to shout, but no sound came out and she eventually fell down.

Chuncao tried to escape, but after only two steps her legs went weak, her vision went dark, and she lost consciousness.

Four dark figures rushed out from the bushes, skillfully tied up the four people's hands and feet with cloth strips, blocked their mouths, and then put them in sacks.

The entire kidnapping process took only a few breaths, and it was so clean and efficient that it was shocking.

The kidnapper in charge took off his mask, and the moonlight shone on the snake-shaped mark on his forehead. It was none other than Cassim's confidant, the spy who had reported to him before, the chief of the temple guards, Vikas.

"Check to make sure they're not injured," Vikas ordered. "The high priest wants undamaged sacrifices."

The subordinate quickly checked it and nodded in confirmation.

Vikas waved his hand with satisfaction, and several people carried the unconscious four sisters of the Chun family and disappeared silently into the depths of the woods.

Before leaving, he hung the lantern on a branch. The flame of the lantern was still flickering as usual, looking even more eerie in the night.

About two hours later, a breeze came.

"Your Highness, Princess, the four sisters of the Chun family have been out for two quarters of an hour and haven't returned yet."

"Oh?" Yu Yuanzheng was surprised.

The four of them went out together, and they should have returned in a hurry after such a long time.

"Go look in the woods quickly." Shangguan Ziqi ordered immediately.

Qingfeng took the order and left.

But he came back after a while.

"Prince, Princess, the person is missing."

"What?" Yu Yuanzheng was shocked.

"The lanterns they carried were still lit, but the people were gone."

"Something happened, it must have happened!" Yu Yuanzheng said anxiously.

"Let's go and take a look in the woods." Shangguan Ziqi's face turned pale.

Shangguan Ziqi brought Yu Yuanzheng and the guards to the woods.

"It was here that I saw the lanterns they were carrying just now." Qingfeng pointed to a location.

"It's all my fault. I should have arranged for guards to follow." Shangguan Ziqi was also very upset.

Just now I was thinking that they were women and were going to the toilet, so it was not convenient to let male guards follow them. Besides, there were four of them, so they could definitely call for help if they encountered danger.

And the forest is right behind the inn, very close.

As a result of this slight negligence, the person disappeared.

"Call all guards and search the area around the inn immediately." Shangguan Ziqi gave the order immediately.

Soon, the whole inn was in commotion.

The guards were divided into several teams, some searched the inn, and some went into the woods to look for clues.

Emperor Qiming and the old prince were also alarmed and stood in the courtyard with serious expressions waiting for news.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, Qingfeng hurried back to report: "Your Majesty, we found traces in the woods, several footprints, and judging by their size, they are men's footprints.

We also found this on a branch.”