You're the one who wants to marry a mistress, and I'm marrying someone else, yet you still

Xie Wanru was genuinely heartbroken, since her father and brothers had never been harsh with her since she was a child.

Moreover, she really won't listen to her older brother this time and obediently go back to Xuancheng, nor will she stay here obediently.

She was going to find her third brother; she would never let history repeat itself, never.

Xie Yanzheng felt a pang of sympathy when he saw her crying, but he knew he couldn't be soft-hearted at this moment, so he turned away and stopped looking at her.

The two siblings were locked in a stalemate, and Wen Ling could only sigh. These two siblings really had similar temperaments and personalities; they were both very stubborn.

After being informed, Xu Ning and Xu Yang were brought in by soldiers at the city gate. At that time, the brother and sister were eating in a huff.

"Senior Brother! Third Senior Brother!"

Xie Wanru's eyes lit up! But she quickly calmed down, got up and went over, deliberately peeking furtively towards the door before asking, "Master didn't come? Is that right?"

Xu Ning nodded, and Xie Wanru's eyes lit up again. If her master came, she would definitely be dead.

"Greetings, Brother Xie Yanzheng."

Xu Ning and Xu Yang bowed to Xie Yanzheng. Since they were not in a superior-subordinate relationship and there were no outsiders present, they did not address Xie Yanzheng by his military rank.

After Xu Ning finished bowing, he began to explain the purpose of their trip. "Master knew that he was worried about Junior Sister coming to the Northern Border, so he sent the two of us to protect her. Of course, he hoped even more that we could bring Junior Sister back with us."

"I'm not going back!"

Xie Wanru immediately retorted.

Xie Yanzheng had already made up his mind when he saw the two of them.

His sister was determined to find his third brother. Even if he didn't plan it, she would still go secretly. So he might as well let her go openly and honestly, and he could even send someone to protect her.

"Absolutely not going back! I'd rather die than go back!"

Xie Wanru continued to object.

All three were quite helpless. They could leave at any time if they weren't on the battlefield, but Xie Wanru was clearly not the type to leave once a fight broke out.

They'll most likely rush towards wherever it's dangerous.

"Alright, alright, if we're not going back, we're not going back. Let's eat something first, or it'll get cold."

Wenling asked someone to prepare two more dishes and invited everyone to sit down.

Xie Wanru and Xie Yanzheng were still at odds, but because of Xu Ning and Xu Yang, she was clearly in a much better mood.

While eating, Xu Ning roughly learned the details of Xie Yanting's disappearance. As soon as he disappeared, rumors spread throughout the city.

Xu Ning immediately sensed something was amiss. "Someone must have done this on purpose, otherwise we wouldn't have heard those rumors outside."

Xie Yanzheng nodded. They had clearly instructed him not to release this information, and even if a few individuals found out, it shouldn't spread so quickly.

His expression was grave. "Clearly, someone is stirring things up behind the scenes, or rather, their goal from the beginning was not negotiation, but to create chaos."

Xie Wanru thought of Xiao Yan, that this scoundrel probably had other motives. "Perhaps this matter was targeted at our Xie family from the beginning. By creating chaos, Xiao Yan will have more opportunities to take action against the Crown Prince."

Xu Ning didn't quite understand their conflict; people from the martial arts world were not well-informed about matters of the imperial court.

Xie Yanzheng eventually compromised, and Xie Wanru, protected by Xu Ning and Xu Yang, went to find Xie Yanting, because rumors could easily disrupt the morale of the army.

The group first went to the location where Xie Yanting disappeared, Kanshankou.

As the name suggests, this place is a mountain pass, with mountains on both sides and a path through the middle. The mountains are covered with snow, and the path is not easy to walk.

Moreover, this is an official road with many pedestrians, making it difficult to find clues.

Those who came back said that Xie Yanting was taken away by the Northern Barbarians, but now, due to the sensitive relationship between the two sides and the strict border security, theoretically, he couldn't possibly get out.

It's certain that Xiao Yan colluded with the Northern Barbarians, but how did they communicate and accomplish this? Why were the Northern Barbarians so obedient to Xiao Yan? What was their purpose in capturing people...?

These issues are like a tangled mess, intertwined and difficult to unravel.

But Xie Wanru didn't have time to think about these things. All she could think about now was finding her third brother and making sure he was safe and sound.

“Let’s split up. Senior Brother, Xu Yang and I will go to the nearby villages to gather information. You have good lightness skills, so search the mountains near Kan Pass carefully again. Perhaps there are any clues we’ve missed.”

Xie Wanru made a quick decision.

Xu Ning also had his concerns, but seeing his junior sister's determination, he could only nod in agreement.

After splitting up, Xie Wanru and Xu Yang traveled to all the nearby villages, asking everyone who might have seen Xie Yanting.

Because of the rumors of war, not many people remained in the nearby villages, so asking around wasn't too difficult.

After searching for most of the day, they finally learned from an old hunter that he had seen a group of suspicious people near Kan Pass. They were dressed in the clothing of the Great Zhou people, but their behavior was similar to that of the Northern Barbarians.

"On the day you mentioned, I did see some suspicious people. They looked unfamiliar, and I thought they were refugees. You know, it's not a peaceful place here, and we occasionally see outsiders. But I noticed that their route was a bit off, and they were clearly leading several prisoners, dragging people along."

The hunter brought over two cups of tea and invited the two to sit down. It had become difficult to find game in the mountains after winter, and now that the temperature had just warmed up, he wanted to try going up the mountain. Unexpectedly, he encountered a group of people in the mountains.

Xu Yang wiped the stool before gesturing for Xie Wanru to sit down. She and her junior sister weren't as close as they were to others, and they were always very polite to each other.

Xie Wanru plopped down on the stool he hadn't wiped, then picked up her teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

"Grandpa, do you remember their features? Or did you see which direction they went?" Xie Wanru asked anxiously, her eyes filled with worry.

Finding Brother San as soon as possible will dispel the rumors.

The old hunter pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "The distinguishing features are that they were all quite tall, and some of them had their faces covered with cloth, so we couldn't see their features. As for the direction, I remember they went south from Kan Pass, but I don't know exactly where they went."

Upon hearing this, Xie Wanru immediately stood up and said to Xu Yang, "We have to hurry and chase after them, Third Brother may have been taken away by them."

Xu Yang nodded, and the two thanked the old hunter before hurriedly leaving the village.

Along the way, they rode at full speed, chasing after the old hunter in the direction he had pointed out.

As the sun set, the sky was tinged with a blood-red hue. Xie Wanru and Xu Yang had already chased for dozens of miles, but still hadn't seen any trace of the suspicious person.

Xie Wanru was extremely anxious, but she knew that she could not give up at this moment. Soon after, Xu Ning met with them.