The Eldest Daughter Returns: Imperial Uncle, I'm Pregnant!

The sudden embrace made Gu Qingwan burst into tears in Xiao Jingchen's arms, but she quickly regained her senses and retreated somewhat embarrassedly. Even though her subordinates tactfully turned away and pretended not to see her, Gu Qingwan's face flushed.

"Your Highness smells terrible, you should go back and wash up quickly."

"Wanwan is right."

Xiao Jingchen's silence only made Gu Qingwan blush even more.

Xiao Jia and Xiao Yi had already accepted Gu Qingwan as their future mistress, so they couldn't wait for the prince to fall in love with her and get married on the spot when they returned. However, Ning Yi frowned and felt that the prince was taking advantage of their mistress.

This is why our master has traveled day and night, risking his life to come here – isn't it all for the King of Chu? If it is the King of Chu, then he might still be worthy of our young lady.

Siqi glanced at Xiao Yi discreetly and noticed that he was a little thin, but that was all. The weight in her heart gradually lifted. With so many people around, she felt a little embarrassed to go up and make fun of him.

"Sister, is this the person you're trying to save?" Little Achen asked.

"Yes, this time it's all thanks to you."

Little Achen smiled, then suddenly remembered something, looked up and asked the King of Chu, "Uncle, may I ask..."

"Pfft, hahahaha." Little Yi, who was a bit dim-witted, couldn't help but laugh. Little Jia quickly slapped him, and only then did Little Yi shut his mouth under the dangerous gaze of his master.

"Am I... that old?"

"You look older than this older sister..." Little Achen's voice gradually softened under the pressure of the King of Chu's gaze, and he unconsciously changed his address to "older brother?"

"Hmm." The King of Chu then looked away, gesturing for him to continue.

"Ahem, big brother, did you encounter my father inside the cave?"

"Your father?" Xiao Jingchen thought for a moment. They had only encountered Li Guang, that greedy man. Could that person be the father of the child in front of them? "Any distinguishing features?"

Little Achen thought for a moment and said, "My dad has a mole on his face and is very tall. The only other thing is that he carries a small wooden sword. You see, it matches my scabbard!"

Xiao Jingchen glanced at the scabbard he had taken out, and Xiao Yi then remembered something. He stepped forward, picked it up, and examined it closely. Then he asked, "Is there a small red dot on the hilt of that sword?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Achen immediately became excited, "Yes, yes, there is a little red dot. My sister put it on for me. You ran into my dad, right? Why didn't he come out with you?"

Seeing Xiao Achen constantly tiptoeing and looking back, Xiao Yi and his group looked rather somber.

"Xiao Yi, what's wrong? If you really run into A-Chen's father, just tell him."

"We...we did encounter one inside, and he did indeed have the small wooden sword the child mentioned, but..."

"That must be my dad! Sister, you're so great! You really led me to my dad!" Little Achen was overjoyed, but what Xiao Yi said next extinguished his hope like a downpour.

"But when we arrived, the man looked like he had been dead for a long time."

Ah Chen's joy froze on his face for a moment, and it seemed that his young body took a while to process what Xiao Yi had said.

Siqi glared at Xiaoyi, walked to Achen's side, and gently pulled him to her side.

"Sister, it's okay. Actually, I knew a long time ago that my father might be gone, but... just..."

“I understand what you’re saying. Whether she’s alive or dead, at least we know where she is. Now you can take good care of your sister and live a good life. When you become successful in the future, you can still come back to pay your respects.” Gu Qingwan patted his head and said, “Do you need us to help you find that little wooden sword?”

After hearing this, Achen looked at the cave entrance ahead and shook her head. "No need. Let it stay with my father as a keepsake, so that I won't be lonely, just like this sword sheath remains with me. Why is my sister's life so bitter, and why is my younger sister's life as bitter as mine? It's because I'm useless..."

Looking at the dejected look on the child's face, Gu Qingwan naturally understood his feelings. She herself had once believed that she was a jinx, having caused the deaths of her mother, younger brother, maternal grandparents, and her beloved, so much so that she couldn't find peace even in her dying moments.

She knew that if no one helped the boy overcome his inner demons at this time, his future life would be destined to be difficult and arduous.

Gu Qingwan squatted down to look Achen in the eye and calmly spoke to him about things that would influence his entire life. Achen's fate began to change dramatically the moment he met Gu Qingwan.

"Ah Chen, there is no road in the world without bumps and twists. The more difficult the times, the more you need to stay calm. Remember that people who truly achieve great things are often those who have endured the most difficult times. That's life. You can't learn without experiencing something. So whatever you are going through now is part of your growth. No one is unlucky forever. Only by enduring hardship can you build a strong inner self."

Ah Chen might not understand what Gu Qingwan was saying at this moment, but every word she said was deeply imprinted in his mind and heart.

Seeing Ah Chen gazing so intently at Gu Qingwan, Xiao Jingchen felt a strange pang of jealousy well up inside him again.

He was somewhat displeased and grabbed Ah Chen by the collar, about to throw him at Xiao Yi. However, seeing his subordinate's disheveled state, he, as the master, felt a pang of pity and changed direction, throwing him instead at Ning Er.

"We shouldn't stay here any longer, let's go."

Before the King of Chu could finish speaking, masked figures appeared at the other end of the ravine, following their footprints.

Gu Qingwan knew that although they had killed the group of masked men and pushed them into the ravine, they would eventually find that one of their squads was missing. At that time, they would definitely send people to search for them. Even if Achen helped them cover up the footprints, it would be insignificant to these people.

The best we can do now is stall until they rescue the prince.

Gu Qingwan took out a pouch from her waist, took out five pills from it, and distributed them to the King of Chu and his four subordinates. However, Xiao Jia was unable to take the pills because he was wearing a helmet, and his body was becoming weak.

After all this turmoil—running away, fighting, even swimming in the river—plus the previous torture and the hunger and cold of these past few days, it's already a miracle that anyone can survive.

"This is something that can temporarily boost your stamina. Eat it and we'll finish this quickly."

Without hesitation, the group ate it. Gu Qingwan stared at Xiao Jia for a while, then walked up to him and asked, "Can you smell it?"

Xiao Jia was a little stunned, then nodded.

Gu Qingwan handed her a small porcelain bottle. "You can't take this pill, but you have to cheer up. This ointment can temporarily boost your spirits. Apply it to a place where you can smell it."

With Xiao Yi's help, Xiao Jia was quickly ready as well. At that moment, the masked man in the distance rushed in front of them.

Ning Er, along with A Chen, and Xiao Yi and the others, formed a circle around the King of Chu and Gu Qingwan.

"Don't worry about us, you take the initiative and finish this quickly!"

Upon hearing what the prince said, the group rushed towards the masked men without hesitation. Some of them got close to Xiao Jingchen but were mercilessly killed by his inner lining.

Seeing this, Gu Qingwan was speechless. She said, "Master, you should save your energy. We still need to get down the mountain. Why don't you just kill them with your weapons? Why waste your energy like this?"

Gu Qingwan couldn't stand Xiao Jingchen wasting his inner strength like that. She knew that no matter how hard she tried, she could never cultivate it to the same level as Xiao Jingchen. As she spoke, Gu Qingwan lashed out with her whip again.

Xiao Jingchen watched Gu Qingwan crack her whip and thought it was the most beautiful figure in the world. "I forgot to bring my weapon when I went out, so I can only trouble Wanwan to protect me."

As he spoke, Xiao Jingchen took a step back and stood behind Gu Qingwan. Gu Qingwan was speechless, but she didn't let her attention distract her and attacked the masked men who were rushing towards them without any mercy.

Xiao Jingchen stood behind Gu Qingwan to protect her; if anyone got close, the nickname "Living Yama" wouldn't be used lightly.

Xiao Jingchen observed Gu Qingwan's movements and the long whip in her hand. It was obvious that Wanwan's internal strength was insufficient and seemed somewhat unpredictable, but she was incredibly strong. She could directly use the whip to lift people up and throw them, which surprised Xiao Jingchen.

At this moment, Gu Qingwan only wanted to resolve the immediate trouble as soon as possible, and then get down the mountain and into the city.

Seeing that they had almost enough men, continuing to expend resources like this would only lead to the arrival of masked reinforcements.

"Your Highness, thank you for helping me descend the mountain using your light-footed skills."

"I'm happy to serve, but running away doesn't seem to be my style."

Xiao Jingchen stretched out his long arms and pulled Gu Qingwan into his embrace. He then used his inner strength to slap the tree beside him, causing the leaves to fall one after another. As they fell to Xiao Jingchen's side, he infused his inner strength into the leaves, transforming the intangible into the tangible.

The leaves seemed to have eyes and come to life, rushing straight towards the masked man's forehead.

Gu Qingwan watched as the leaves pierced the mask, killing the person instantly. In her heart, she kept cursing Xiao Jingchen for wasting such a precious resource.

Xiao Yi and the others thought their master was the most powerful, but was that really a good thing? The prince's move made them look so useless in comparison.

"Let's go."