After calming herself for a long time, Ji Yunxi finally realized that she was now all alone and could only rely on herself.
She thought to herself that, given Feng Xingzhi's personality, with Jiuge injured and him having to leave, he would surely follow the terrain towards an open area so that Yue Hongshan wouldn't slow them down.
Having made up her mind, Ji Yunxi stood up and encouraged herself, "It'll be okay. It has to be!"
Then she resolutely walked forward along the open path.
Guangwu Mountain was ancient. Although it was an open area, there were all kinds of wild beasts and flying insects along the way.
Ji Yunxi carried a fluorite with her. The faint light occasionally attracted the harassment of small insects.
Realizing the danger, Ji Yunxi immediately hid the fluorite. She then crouched down to check her surroundings, worried that she might attract some fierce beasts. In her current state where she couldn't use her spiritual power, it would be extremely dangerous.
Finally, she managed to get out of this open area. Ji Yunxi felt as if she was walking uphill. Was she about to reach the mountaintop?
She remembered that when Qing Xuan left before, they had said they would meet at the mountaintop. Shouldn't she be able to meet him if she continued walking?
Just as she was thinking, she suddenly heard someone calling her name from behind, "Ji Yunxi!"
The voice was neither too loud nor too soft, as if the person was deliberately avoiding something.
She turned around and saw that the person was actually Qing Xuan.
Finally finding someone, Ji Yunxi felt a pang of sadness in her heart, and her nose even started to feel a bit sour.
"Qing Xuan..."
"It's really you, Master! I wasn't sure at first. Why did you take so long to come?" Qing Xuan whispered with a hint of grievance. He had been waiting at a high place for a long time, wondering why his master had taken so long to find him.
Ji Yunxi stepped forward and suddenly grabbed his hand, "Are you hurt?"
"No, don't worry. We Xuanbirds have the best eyesight, so they couldn't catch me in the dark!"
Ji Yunxi nodded with a smile, "That's good."
"Something's not right, Master. Why are you the only one here?"
Qing Xuan took a look behind Ji Yunxi and only then realized that there was only her here, "Where are the others?"
Ji Yunxi sighed, "I don't know either. We had an accident."
"An accident?!! It seems to be true. I called out to you on the mountain just now, but you didn't respond at all."
Ji Yunxi looked blank, "When did you call me?"
"Just now. I saw you disappear from a cliff with my own eyes. I was so scared that I rushed over to find you. Then I saw you had tied vines. I guessed something must have happened, so I've been softly calling your name on the mountaintop, but you never responded to me."
"How did you find me then?"
"I was worried about you, so I climbed down along the vines too. But I didn't find you. I only saw a lot of messy footprints."
Ji Yunxi thought that it was probably right after she left that Qing Xuan chased after her, "Azhi should be with Yue Hongshan, but I don't know where they went. Jiuge... was the one who fell. We saw the Dongwei on the cliff. Jiuge reached out to grab it but didn't notice and fell right off."
As she spoke, Ji Yunxi's eyes drooped. She was extremely worried about Jiuge's current situation but was helpless and could only fret here.
Qing Xuan sensed her uneasiness. He moved closer and whispered, "Don't worry, Master. The princess is a lucky person and will surely be fine. I'll stay with you. Let's go find them now."
A tear of Ji Yunxi's fell into the grass and disappeared instantly.
"I didn't answer you before. It was probably because the vegetation was too dense, and you were afraid of being heard by others, so you didn't dare to shout too loudly. That's why I didn't hear you."
Qing Xuan nodded, "It doesn't matter. It's good that I've found you now. What should we do now? Go down the mountain first?"
Ji Yunxi nodded with a smile, "You're right. But let's go to the mountaintop first. I guess Azhi and the others will go there to gather if they're safe."
As they talked, they suddenly saw a fire in the distance.
Ji Yunxi's heart skipped a beat. She didn't think that those who were currently on the run would have the guts to walk around with torches. These people must not be their own.
She quickly tugged on Qing Xuan and told him to put away the fluorite in his hand, "They're not our people. Let's hide first."
Qing Xuan was curious, "Why aren't they our people? What if it's the prince lighting the fire to signal us?"
"Do you think our people would walk around with torches? Wouldn't that just tell others where we are?"
Qing Xuan suddenly understood. He quickly put away his things and pulled Ji Yunxi into the darkness.
The two of them watched everything from a short distance away. They saw that the prefect was now bowing and scraping, and beside him was Jiang Yaoji and several people dressed like those from the Moon - Watching Pavilion.
Jiang Yin was standing beside Jiang Yaoji, holding a torch to light the way for her. In the firelight, Jiang Yaoji didn't look as high - spirited as before. Her cold eyes showed that she was extremely angry. For some reason, Ji Yunxi thought her complexion looked a bit pale, as if she was injured.
The prefect wiped the sweat off his forehead. As if he had made up his mind, he said, "My lord, although they managed to escape, I didn't do it on purpose."
Jiang Yaoji glanced at him but didn't say a word. The prefect thought she must understand him and immediately said, "But don't worry. I've already sent people to search the mountain, and I've also stationed people at the foot of the mountain. They definitely won't be able to escape!"
Ji Yunxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, she hadn't asked everyone to meet at the foot of the mountain.
The prefect reported the situation to Jiang Yaoji like a sycophant. After he finally finished speaking, Jiang Yaoji still looked displeased, "I've given you the people. How can you even fail to handle such a simple matter?"
The prefect felt wronged when he thought of this, "This... We were about to capture them alive. Who would have thought that that woman would suddenly hold my daughter hostage? I couldn't just ignore my daughter's life!"
Jiang Yaoji had seen the refugees on the way here. This prefect, as the local official, didn't seem to do much for those "refugee children", but he doted on his own daughter.
She snorted, "You're really good to your daughter. Don't tell me you have some other motives?"
The prefect was startled. Thinking that she might have discovered something, he quickly shook his head.
At this moment, Ji Yunxi thought Jiang Yaoji was very perceptive. The prefect really had a hidden agenda. He just wanted his daughter to marry Feng Xingzhi.
Jiang Yaoji didn't know about these things yet. She ignored the prefect who was almost groveling in the dust and waved to the disciples of the Moon - Watching Pavilion.
The people from the Moon - Watching Pavilion behind her immediately stepped forward, "Master of the Pavilion."
Jiang Yaoji turned her head and whispered some instructions to them. Then these people took their orders and immediately dispersed.