"Su Ran?" Tang Youyou called out uncertainly.
The man turned around. The moment he saw Tang Youyou, he thought he was seeing things. When he got closer and was sure it was really her, he was so surprised that his jaw dropped.
"How did you end up here?" Su Ran asked.
"I escaped from the manor. As soon as I got down the mountain, I saw you."
From Su Ran, she learned that after he went back, he asked the elders for support. But the enemy was the Mo Clan. They wouldn't easily offend them. Moreover, they had already violated the taboo between clans by trespassing on the Mo Clan's territory. Even if the Saintess had died, they wouldn't have gone to war with the Mo Clan.
Having no other choice, Su Ran could only go to Qiling Manor alone to rescue her. But the path up the mountain had become even more dangerous than before. He had almost lost his life on several occasions. Today, he was going to look for another way up when he unexpectedly ran into her here.
"Is the Saintess injured? How did you manage to escape? The Mo Clan is heavily guarded. You must have gone through a lot."
Tang Youyou briefly told him what had happened, omitting the fact that Mo Lingxuan also had feelings for her. Su Ran was shocked when he heard it.
"That was really a close call. But luckily you're not injured. By the way, how's the arrow poison on you?"
"I'm fine now. It's not convenient to talk here. Let's find a place to stay first."
The two of them spent the night at an inn and then decided to return to the Blood Clan. Besides, Su Bai had woken up. Although his injuries hadn't fully healed, he was eager to meet the newly - appointed Saintess.
Tang Youyou sat by the window. The bright moon hung high in the sky, stirring up a wave of longing in her heart.
Rong Xun, Rong Xun, where on earth are you?
She hadn't seen him for half a month, and there was not a single bit of news about him. She didn't even know if he was alive or dead. She wanted to go looking for him, but there were no clues at all. It was as if he had vanished from the face of the earth.
Just as she was looking extremely worried, a white dove landed on her window sill with a letter tied to its leg.
She thought it might be news about Rong Xun. But when she opened it, the content made her tremble.
It was actually Rong Jiangyu. He was now the king of the Western Regions, and he had set his sights on the territory of the Great Ming Kingdom. According to the letter, he wanted her to go back and be the queen of the Great Ming Kingdom again.
"How absurd!"
Tang Youyou burned the letter to ashes. If she became Rong Jiangyu's queen, wouldn't she be a traitor to the Great Ming Kingdom? It would be a laughingstock.
If he were to send his troops to attack the Great Ming Kingdom, with Su Jin, that good - for - nothing, poisoned, he was on the verge of death.
The Great Ming Kingdom would surely lose. Then there would be war everywhere, and it would be the common people of the Great Ming who would suffer.
She had already decided to stay away from all these troubles. Why did they have to bother her again? This time, Tang Youyou was not going to get involved.
After less than two days of traveling, she and Su Ran finally returned to the territory of the Blood Clan.
Su Bai had been waiting at the gate to welcome them. When he saw the two of them dismount, he quickly stepped forward and grabbed Tang Youyou's hand to check if she was injured.
"I'm fine. But what's this?" Tang Youyou noticed a delicate young lady. The person they had rescued that day was clearly a man.
"Su Bai is actually a girl. It's just that she often wanders outside, and it's more convenient to dress up as a man."
Tang Youyou took a closer look at her appearance. Her facial bone structure was rather large, and when dressed as a man, she could pass for one. No wonder she hadn't noticed before.
"I see. How are your injuries?"
"I'm fine already. It's windy outside. Let's go inside quickly."
When they entered the house, Tang Youyou noticed that the people in the clan looked at her as if they had seen a ghost. They would quickly lower their heads after a glance. She touched her face. There was nothing scary about her, was there?
"Don't mind them. It was the Second Elder's order. When the elders heard that we had trespassed on Qiling Manor, they ordered that no one in the clan was allowed to talk to us. Even the servants around the Saintess were transferred away by them."
Tang Youyou didn't really care about this. It was the attitude of the elders towards the Saintess that made her uncomfortable.
Wasn't the Saintess supposed to be a respected and revered figure? Why did she seem like a disaster in their eyes? And even when the Saintess was captured, they didn't take any action to rescue her.
"I said, in our clan, is the existence of the Saintess just a formality?" Tang Youyou asked.
"Of course not! The Saintess is the most sacred being. As long as the Saintess is around, the Blood Clan will be safe and sound."
"Then why are those elders so dissatisfied with me, the Saintess? I was captured by another clan, and they didn't seem to be in a hurry at all."
Su Ran stammered, "That's because the people of the other clan don't know that you're the Saintess. If the people of the Mo Clan knew that you're the Saintess of the Blood Clan, I'm afraid..."
Tang Youyou continued his words, "I'm afraid the Blood Clan would have been destroyed by now, right?"
She also realized that if the fact that the Saintess of the noble Blood Clan had trespassed on the dominant Mo Clan got out, it would clearly mean going against the Mo Clan. There would surely be a war. So they had considered this and had been hesitant to send people to rescue her.
The first thing after she got back was to receive punishment from the elders. The Third Elder was out on business today, so only the First Elder and the Second Elder severely criticized her for this incident.
"The identity of the Saintess is to bless the clan with peace and prosperity. What kind of place is Qiling Manor! Is it a place where just anyone can go? They didn't find out your identity as the Saintess of the Blood Clan this time. What if they do? The whole Blood Clan will suffer because of you!"
Tang Youyou listened patiently to their criticism and scolding without saying a single word of rebuttal. She was almost falling asleep from listening.
"You'll stay in your room and reflect on your mistakes for the next few days. You're not allowed to go anywhere!"
She was under house arrest again. Tang Youyou returned to her room and asked someone to send some of the exotic flowers and herbs over. If she couldn't go out, that was fine. She was just looking for some time to study these unique plants of the Blood Clan. Maybe she could create something new.
Half a month passed. Tang Youyou touched the cold bracelet on her wrist. It had been a month since she last saw Rong Xun. The longing she had hidden was almost overflowing.
"Rong Xun, where on earth are you?" Tang Youyou lay on the window sill. Her dejected eyes were tinged with the cold moonlight. This winter seemed colder than usual.
"Saintess, these herbs have all been dried."
Su Bai came to her place all day long and was happy to help. She went in and out without getting tired.
"What's this?"
She picked up a blue porcelain bottle, opened it, and took a sniff. There was no smell at all.
"Ancestress, don't just put it under your nose like that. This is a deadly poison. Luckily you didn't smell much. Take this antidote quickly."