The Princess Cannot Escape: The Cunning Prince Is Not to Be Messed With

Chapter 68 Treating her like a man

"Brother, I am a merchant from Zhaoyang, and this is my wife. We were attacked by bandits on our way back to our hometown to visit our relatives, and we have ended up lost here. Would you be so kind as to help us find our way?"

As the hunter stared at Yin Quan, hesitant and uncertain, Xiahou Ying's clear and melodious voice drifted slowly from behind them.

Looking in the direction of the sound, the unshaven hunter did not respond immediately. Instead, he pulled the young man wrapped in a tiger skin to the others, and the group gathered together, whispering among themselves.

Seeing this, Yin Quan shrugged and glanced at Xiahou Ying. The latter, as if he had expected her to do this, met her gaze with his deep, dark eyes at the same moment.

The two exchanged only a brief glance before the hunter's deep, rumbling voice came from the other side: "To be honest, we came into the mountains to hunt down the rabid bear that wandered into this area a few days ago, and we don't have anyone to guide you..."

Before he could finish speaking, the young man's voice rang out behind him: "You and your husband just need to walk downstream along this river until you reach a broken bridge, then walk three miles north, and once you see a hollow giant tree, walk south until you can get out of this forest."

Upon hearing this, Xiahou Ying said nothing more, only bowed to express his gratitude, and then, with Yin Quan in tow, stepped forward according to the hunter's instructions.

Following the receding figures of the two, the young man who had just rescued Yin Quan's eyes flickered before he turned and followed the other hunters.

Since the last attack on the river, Xiahou Ying and Yin Quan have been missing for three whole days.

Fortunately, Censor Ruan was unharmed except for a minor head injury; otherwise, the disaster relief efforts in Qiucheng County would likely have been delayed again.

After safely delivering the person to Qiu Cheng, Wei Jun and Pang Ban mobilized almost all of the Cat's Eye members to search the Sushui River and its tributaries, but apart from some mangled wolf carcasses and a few pieces of white silk soaked in blood, they found no other trace.

Now, the only thing Wei Jun and Pang Ban can be sure of is that although their master and Miss Yin have been out of contact since they fell into the water that day, they are not in any immediate danger of losing their lives.

At this moment, what they need to do most is to find the two of them before the Grand Preceptor, in order to prevent any unforeseen complications from arising.

Following the bad-tempered hunter's advice, they walked downstream along the river until the sun was high in the sky, but Yin Quan and Xiahou Ying still couldn't find the broken bridge the hunter had mentioned.

With her stomach growling loudly, Yin Quan pouted, rubbed her rumbling belly, and then looked at Xiahou Ying.

"Hungry?" Seeing her rather pitiful look, he lifted his eyelashes and moved his lips expressionlessly.

Hearing his question, she nodded frantically, about to speak, when she heard a cold, indifferent voice drift over from above: "I'm waiting for you here. Go find something to eat."

Upon hearing this, Yin Quan opened her eyes wide and then pouted.

Shouldn't the man be the one looking for something to eat at a time like this? Why is it that whenever she's with Xiahou Ying, she's the one who does all the dirty, heavy, tiring, and difficult work?!

Does he treat her like a man?!

The more Yin Quan thought about it, the angrier she became. She wanted to argue, but then she remembered that Xiahou Ying seemed to be seriously injured. His face had been as pale as snow for several days, without a trace of color. So she decided to forgive him for now.

As she walked into the woods, lost in thought, she looked left and right, wondering what to eat, when she suddenly spotted a clump of mushrooms at the edge of a tree root. Overjoyed, she bent down to approach, but just then heard a startled cry of a bird. Her arm paused, and Yin Quan whirled around, only to find a narrow, gleaming sword pressed against her neck.

Yin Quan froze, holding her breath, her lips slowly pursing into a straight line.

Her intuition told her that the newcomers must be connected to the people who had ambushed them on the ship earlier.

She clenched her fingers, clutching the soil she had grabbed in her palm in her haste. Following the narrow sword resting against her neck, she saw a man shrouded in a gray-black outfit staring intently at her. His eyes were filled with murderous intent, calm and experienced, gleaming with a terrifying blue light, as if stained with a splash of scarlet blood. He was composed, calm, and confident. Just looking at those sharp yet undisguisedly malevolent eyes was enough to send chills down one's spine and make one's limbs go cold.

With her lips pressed tightly together, Yin Quan reminded herself to stay calm with every breath she took.

The two remained locked in this strange, tense standoff, neither uttering a sound nor attracting any more attention.

Yin Quan twitched her lips slightly and then tightened her grip on her fingers.

The absence of more people could indicate two things. First, these assassins, like Wei Jun and his group, had no idea where they had gone after falling into the water that day, and their encounter with her here was purely by chance. Second… the assassins from that day had indeed found Xiahou Ying's whereabouts before Wei Jun and his group. The fact that she was only facing one person meant that the others were likely gathering towards Xiahou Ying!

In either case, it would be entirely detrimental to both her and Xiahou Ying. The only option now is to outsmart them, not to fight them head-on.

Thinking of this, Yin Quan's heart stirred, and she suddenly lifted the corner of her red lips and chuckled softly.

"You failed to kill me and Xiahou Ying on the ship before, so it's our misfortune to have encountered you here now."

Seeing that she showed no fear whatsoever, the assassin in black twitched his brows slightly, but remained silent.

Undeterred by the assassin's indifference, Yin Quan's lips curved into a smile, but a hint of helplessness and regret flickered in her beautiful, sparkling eyes.

“Man proposes, God disposes. I never expected that you would find us first. Since that’s the case, I don’t intend to struggle anymore…” As she spoke, she slowly moved her body forward. Yin Quan’s movements were extremely careful, as if she was afraid that she would be injured by the gleaming sword if she was not careful.

As she spoke, she paused, her gaze fixed on the assassin's dark eyes, calm as death and filled with murderous intent. Her expression was a mixture of fear and uncertainty, leaving everyone momentarily puzzled.

"I'm very afraid of pain, so please be quick and decisive when you make your move." As she continued, Yin Quan suddenly threw the dirt in her hand at the man's eyes. Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Although the man reacted very quickly, he was no match for the sudden attack. Instantly, his eyes hurt and his vision was obstructed.

Seeing the man loosen his grip, Yin Quan took off running, but unexpectedly, her calf suddenly went numb. Frowning, she didn't look back and desperately dragged her numb leg forward, running straight out of the forest, where she saw that ethereal, snow-white figure, as graceful as a fairy.

"Xiahou Ying! They're attacking! Run!" He roared, but before Yin Quan could reach him, his legs had completely lost all feeling.

With a "plop," she fell forward and landed straight in Xiahou Ying's arms. At the same time, Gu Lounan's enigmatic and captivating voice, which seemed to be both smiling and not smiling, slowly rang in their ears: "Your Highness, I have searched for you for a long time."

Along with Gu Lounan, Wei Jun and dozens of Ghost Slash members appeared beside Xiahou Ying. The two groups faced each other directly, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

As if he hadn't heard the ambiguous laughter, Xiahou Ying expressionlessly removed a silver needle from Yin Quan's calf and then sealed her lower body meridians.

Clinging tightly to his arm, Yin Quan turned her head and glared at the stunningly handsome man dressed in a crimson robe, who always wore a half-smile. A wave of anxiety washed over her.

Even if she had great faith in Xiahou Ying, he was seriously injured, and Gu Lounan was a man of deep cunning who kept a low profile. Once the latter made up his mind to fight, even with Gui Zhan and Wei Jun by his side, they might not be able to escape unscathed.

After all, the true strength of this national advisor, who was even more alluring and seductive than a woman, was still unknown... Even if Xiahou Ying was indeed a bit stronger than him, Xiahou Ying was currently injured and had no opportunity to recuperate properly, so the situation was really unfavorable.

With her mind racing, Yin Quan suddenly felt a little irritable.

She truly didn't know what sins she had committed in her past life or even the life before that had led her to be inexplicably drawn into this power struggle.

Strictly speaking, she was the one who was betrayed and murdered in her past life, so why is she the one who keeps running into bad luck? It doesn't make sense...

"His Majesty heard that the Prince and Lord Ruan were harmed by villains on their way to Qiu Cheng, and were separated from each other by falling off the ship. Therefore, His Majesty sent me to rescue you."

With his hands tucked into his sleeves, Gu Lounan spoke respectfully to himself, bowing slightly to Xiahou Ying as he spoke.

"Since it is the Emperor's order, please ask the Imperial Preceptor to return to the capital first and report that I am well, so that he can rest assured."

With a slight twitch of his eyebrows, Xiahou Ying spoke expressionlessly, then picked up Yin Quan and strode toward Wei Jun.

Suddenly being lifted up in front of so many people, Yin Quan felt a pang of heart palpitation. Although she had no feeling below her waist, being held in someone's arms at this moment, she felt a warm current flowing through her heart, as if she were being baked by the warm winter sun, and she felt a sense of satisfaction she had never experienced before.

He pressed his head against Xiahou Ying's chest. Although the pleasant scent of morning dew on his body had long since faded and was now tinged with the stench of wild wolves, it didn't smell so unpleasant at this moment.

Suddenly, at that moment, she seemed to remember something and turned her head to look at Gu Lounan's side.

From the beginning, she felt that something was wrong. It turned out that the young hunter who had stood up for justice was actually one of Gu Lounan's men.

No wonder the assassin found them before Wei Jun... It turns out that Gu Lounan's spies were waiting for her and Xiahou Ying to appear here. Perhaps this was not intentional. Gu Lounan, who is cautious and suspicious by nature, was just casting a wide net and trying her luck. But the more she did so, the more alarming and terrifying it became.

In a flash, she quickly averted her gaze and nestled her head even closer into Xiahou Ying's arms.

Upon hearing this, Gu Lounan slightly curved her lips, but remained silent as she gazed at the tall, slender figure with his back to her. A shadow, as heavy as frost, appeared between her alluring brows, lingering for a long time.

"Your Majesty, Lord Ruan has handled the disaster relief matter in Qiucheng County properly, and His Majesty summons you back to the palace."

After the Imperial Advisor and the others left, Wei Jun finally spoke.

"No rush, there's something I need to confirm." Xiahou Ying said casually as he put Yin Quan down, then lifted her robe and pulled out a jet-black iron dagger from her dark blue brocade boots. He then raised an eyebrow and looked into her somewhat confused black eyes.