Disease rights policy

Qiao Ran's words revealed the truth, and Baili You's wounded heart felt as if it had been torn open with blood. He could no longer feel the pain, yet he was still numb and unable to breathe.

Qiao Ran was too lazy to tease him anymore. She built a fire for the night, leaned against a corner, hugged her sword, and fell asleep. She slept until dawn.

As dawn broke, Qiao Ran woke Baili You, "Are you sure someone will come looking for you this morning?"

After resting for a night, Baili You was able to sit up. He said confidently, "Uncle Liu and Xiao Zhuo will come."

Who are they?

Baili Shi said, "My servant."

Qiao Ran had no choice but to wait with Baili You. It wasn't until almost noon that voices could be heard from the foot of the mountain.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

"...Where are you, Your Highness?"

Baili You's eyes lit up. "It's Uncle Liu."

Qiao Ran then stepped out and saw the lonely figures of an old man and a young girl in the distance. She called out, "They're here."

Upon hearing Qiao Ran's voice, the two hurriedly ran over. The one with gray hair should be Uncle Liu, whom Baili You had mentioned. His brown butler's clothes were damp with the morning dew in the forest. Behind him was a boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old, whose eyes showed panic.

As they got closer, Uncle Liu probably hadn't even had a chance to see Qiao Ran's face clearly before asking, "Where is my young master?"

Qiao Ran stretched her neck. "Inside the cave."

After the two of them went inside, Qiao Ran tidied herself up at the cave entrance, tied up all her loose black hair, wrapped her bundle, and whispered to Yuehu not to make any noise. Then she stood at the cave entrance with her sword in her arms, waiting.

Before long, Uncle Liu and Xiao Zhuo struggled to carry Baili You out. It was clear that the two of them had not fared well over the years following their abusive master; they were both emaciated and it was impossible for them to carry Baili You back.

Sure enough, before he even reached Qiao Ran's side, he almost threw Baili You to the ground.

Uncle Liu knelt on the ground, carefully cradling Baili You's injured leg, sobbing uncontrollably, "My young master, it's all my fault, I'm so useless!!"

He saw all the suffering Baili You endured, but there was nothing he could do. He cried so hard that he beat himself in anger. Xiao Zhuo rushed up to stop him, also sobbing uncontrollably.

"Uncle Liu." Baili You reached out to grab his sleeve, tears streaming down her face. Uncle Liu calmed down and hugged Baili You.

"Your Highness has suffered, this old servant..."

"Uncle Liu, there's no need to blame yourself. I know everything." Baili You choked up, wanting to say something but his throat felt blocked, and he couldn't make a sound. He choked up a few times, shaking his head and nodding at the same time.

But Uncle Liu and Xiao Zhuo understood. Yesterday, Baili You was dragged out of the tent by several princes, who said they were going hunting. Uncle Liu and Xiao Zhuo were worried about Baili You's safety and wanted to go with him, but they were surrounded and beaten by the princes' servants. By the time they recovered, Baili You had already been taken away to an unknown place.

The princes didn't return until nightfall, but Baili You was nowhere to be seen. Uncle Liu asked the princes, and they scoffed and said they didn't know. They also said that the forest was so big, who knows where he might have gone. They also heard that there was a cliff behind the forest, and with Baili You's stupidity, he could fall off and die without anyone knowing.

Upon hearing this, Uncle Liu felt as if the sky were falling. He begged the princes to take him to find Baili You, and was almost killed by the princes' swords in a fit of rage. He had no choice but to take Xiao Zhuo and run into the forest. However, the border guards had ordered that they not approach the border at night. Uncle Liu and Xiao Zhuo waited anxiously all night. At dawn, they begged the border guards to let them come and find the prince. The three of them embraced each other, immersed in grief, and forgot about Qiao Ran.

Qiao Ran heard another noise behind her and looked up to see several border guards in armor, carrying knives, walking back and forth, chatting and laughing.

"Did you come with you?" Qiao Ran glanced at the sobbing Xiao Zhuo and raised her eyelids slightly.

Xiao Zhuo looked at Qiao Ran timidly, his face streaked with tears and his eyes darting around. He didn't know Qiao Ran, nor did he know who this handsome young man in front of him was, so he dared not answer.

Fortunately, Baili You and Uncle Liu noticed the commotion. Uncle Liu quickly stood up and said, "Yes, we came together to find the young master."

Qiao Ran chuckled, her expression indifferent. "Together?"

In such a large forest, the two of them were on tenterhooks, fearing that Baili You was dead, and searched frantically. As for the border guards, they treated them differently based on who they were, and didn't take Baili You's death seriously at all, arriving late.

Seeing that Uncle Liu was still trying to help Baili You up, Qiao Ran frowned and stopped him, "If you let your young master fall again, he'll lose this leg."

After listening, Uncle Liu slowly put the person back, and the border guards walked up to him.

The person at the front, having seen the situation clearly, exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, "We've finally found the prince! He's so lucky! I told you he'd be alright!"

Baili You kept his head down. He was usually taciturn, and the border guards didn't bother with him. Uncle Liu tremblingly cupped his hands to the border guards and said, "Thank you for your help, gentlemen."

The leader, hands on his hips, said, "That's good. Don't blame us later. You figure out how to get back yourselves. We have official business to attend to. We're leaving."

As they spoke, they turned around and walked away with their arms around each other's shoulders. Qiao Ran heard them talking about roasting the rabbit to eat later.

After a moment of unease, just as Uncle Liu and Xiao Zhuo were anxiously trying to figure out how to get Baili You back, Qiao Ran raised her voice: "Sir, wait a moment."

At her voice, both of them turned to look at her simultaneously.

The border guards were unaware of Baili You's affairs, and even less concerned about how many servants he had. Therefore, they assumed that Qiao Ran, like Xiao Zhuo, was a useless young man.

But when they turned around, they saw Qiao Ran staring at them with a forced smile. The leader's face gradually darkened. "Is there anything else?"

"Please don't be offended, sir. My young master has injured his leg and can't walk," Qiao Ran said, tilting her head back. "I'll have to trouble you to carry him back to the tent."

Not only were the border guards stunned, but Baili You was also stunned. Her words startled Uncle Liu quite a bit. How could they dare to offend anyone else now? Uncle Liu made a move to pull Qiao Ran away, but his wrist was grabbed by Baili You. Baili You's heart was pounding, and she stared at Qiao Ran's back without moving.

The border guard was stunned for a moment, then asked incredulously, "Kid, what did you say?"

Qiao Ran maintained her previous posture, "Didn't you hear me, sir? I told you to get a stretcher and carry my young master back."

"Your Highness?" The group opposite them burst into laughter. The leader looked at Qiao Ran with disdain. "You call that piece of trash 'Your Highness'? You really think you're His Highness? You even want us to carry him back. You dare to order us around? I think you're courting death."

Qiao Ran suppressed her laughter and said in a cold tone, "My young master is the thirteenth prince of Pingjing. No matter how down on his luck he is, he is still of noble status. Pingjing sent the young master to Jinchu intact, and His Majesty treated him with the utmost courtesy, fearing that any mistake by the young master would affect the friendship between the two countries. You, on the other hand, do not take the young master seriously at all. How dare you!"

The border guard's eyes sharpened as he pointed at Qiao Ran, "You're quite the smooth talker, what nonsense are you spouting?"

"Alright, then you can leave it at that and go back." Qiao Ran suddenly changed her attitude and said nonchalantly, "Since the military officer is unwilling to help, how can we, an old man and two young men with thin arms and legs, possibly send the young master back safely? The young master will probably die here. When the news reaches Yedu, the emperor will blame us, and someone will have to take responsibility to appease Pingjing's anger."

After Qiao Ran finished speaking, she took two steps to Baili You's side and sighed, "My poor young master, he is so badly injured, I'm afraid he won't make it through."