Ye Xi was utterly confused.
Judging from what these two people said, it seemed that they had captured her as part of a huge and sinister scheme, and she was the key figure in it?
But in her current state of having nothing, what on earth were these two after?
Her mind - reading ability? But how could they be sure that what she read in people's minds would match what she said? What if she just spouted nonsense?
Or were these people planning to use her to threaten Yi Yuan at a crucial moment?
Right! Yuan!
A pang of worry shot through her heart. Ye Xi suddenly opened her eyes in the darkness.
Today she had set up a plan to capture those people in order to find the Wuaiguo fruit to detoxify Yi Yuan!
But now not only had she failed to find the fruit, but she herself had been abducted.
Her Yuan was still not detoxified, and she had no idea how he was faring...
Ye Xi was so anxious that she broke out in cold sweats. She could only pin her hopes on Shen Zhou, praying that he would show up with the Wuaiguo fruit in time.
But now that she had been captured outside Fuxing County, even if Shen Zhou really found the fruit, she didn't know if he would give it to her Yuan...
Thoughts whirled in her mind, and Ye Xi was in a complete turmoil.
The fragrance she had inhaled earlier slowly began to take effect. Ye Xi's head gradually grew heavy, and her body became weaker. Before long, she fell into a deep slumber again.
Night fell. In winter, the sky always darkened early.
Warm, yellow candle flames were lit up one by one around the Yu'an Prince's Mansion, adding a touch of warmth to the silent and cold night.
Yi Yuan slowly woke up from a long - lasting dream. The heavy and fragmented scenes in the dream receded like the tide, leaving only a lingering sense of sorrow that clung to his heart, making him involuntarily frown.
"Awake! The prince is awake!"
This was Steward Chen's voice, filled with joy.
"Doctor Ji, Doctor Ji! Come quickly! The prince is awake!"
Jiang Ning and Saixing, who had been anxiously waiting for news nearby, rushed over upon hearing the commotion.
Letting Doctor Ji feel his pulse, Yi Yuan scanned the room but didn't see Ye Xi.
Something flashed through his mind. Yi Yuan asked,
"Saixing, where is your young mistress?"
"Um..."
Saixing's eyes flickered. Just as she was thinking about how to answer, Doctor Ji spoke first,
"The poison of 'Red Decline' is no longer a major threat. However, it will take about three days to completely expel and eliminate the remaining toxins. During the days when the prince was in a coma, he suffered from deficiency of both qi and blood. He needs to rest and recuperate slowly; otherwise, he may develop chronic ailments."
This settled it. Saixing didn't dare to tell the truth.
Hesitantly, she exchanged a look with Jiang Ning. Both of them saw guilt in each other's eyes.
Such obvious unease was impossible for Yi Yuan not to notice.
The vague words "Wait for me to come back" he had heard in his coma suddenly rang in his ears again. Yi Yuan's heart tightened violently.
"Where is she?"
"Tell me the truth. Do you think you can still hide it from me at this point?"
Indeed.
The two exchanged another look. Gritting her teeth, Saixing detailed how Ye Xi had designed to capture those people, her sudden disappearance, and Yun Qi's arrangements.
"It's all my fault,"
Saixing sobbed, gasping for breath.
"I was so careless. I failed to protect the young mistress well..."
Jiang Ning put an arm around her shoulder and comforted her softly.
An inexplicable sense of suffocation enveloped Yi Yuan tightly. Even though the charcoal fire was burning brightly in the room, his hands and feet were icy cold and he felt completely powerless. His heart was filled with an overwhelming sense of panic.
"Steward Chen,"
There was an imperceptible tremor in Yi Yuan's voice.
"Bring me my clothes."
Steward Chen was very hesitant.
"But, Your Highness, your health..."
He knew exactly what Yi Yuan was going to do. He was also worried about Ye Xi, but Yi Yuan had just been detoxified, and it was freezing cold at night. Steward Chen couldn't help but try to dissuade him.
Yi Yuan of course knew about Steward Chen's loyalty, but at this moment, he couldn't care about anything else. He reached out to lift the quilt and get up.
Ye Xi was missing, and those people were of unknown origin and extremely strange. Every moment of delay put his little Xi in more danger.
Jiang Ning and Saixing knew they shouldn't stay any longer, so they turned to leave.
Just as they were about to go out, they bumped into Hunyuan and Lianyi, who had just returned.
"Where are you going?"
Hunyuan rushed over and asked.
"I heard Yi Yuan is awake?"
Jiang Ning nodded and replied,
"Yes. The prince is determined to go look for Ye Xi. We can't persuade him. How about you and Lianyi? Have you found out anything?"
Just as they were talking, hearing the commotion, Yi Yuan, not even bothering to put on his shoes properly, quickly walked over. His eyes were filled with a panic that Hunyuan had never seen before.
"How about it? Do you know where Ye Xi is?"
Frowning tightly, Hunyuan glanced at Yi Yuan, who was in disheveled clothes. He grabbed Jiang Ning's arm and walked towards the inner room.
"Let's go inside and talk. It's so cold outside. Don't collapse yourself before we even find your junior - sister."
As he spoke, he reached the door and gently pushed Yi Yuan inside.
After everyone was seated again, Hunyuan said,
"The three people in the Dali Temple were just baits thrown out by the mastermind who abducted junior - sister. They have little connection with the real culprit."
"People who are so far apart in daily life and have no blood - related ties are useless for calculating the mastermind."
Glancing at Yi Yuan, who was putting on his clothes with Steward Chen's help, Hunyuan continued,
"However, Lianyi found a very strange color on all three of them, the same as the one on Shen Zhou."
"Shen Zhou?"
A flicker of annoyance flashed across Yi Yuan's eyes.
"What does he have to do with this?"
Well...
Hunyuan instinctively looked at Jiang Ning, only to receive a sharp look from her.
It seemed they hadn't told Yi Yuan that Ye Xi had asked Shen Zhou for help!
If Yi Yuan found out that the antidote that had saved his life was obtained by his beloved from her former suitor at the risk of his life, Yi Yuan would probably be so angry that he would explode.
Hunyuan simply shrugged and said directly,
"I don't know. But I speculate that all the members of that group may have this color on them. It's easy for a person to disguise their appearance and figure, but they can't change this inherent color."
"Maybe we can start from this aspect..."
"We're back."
Yun Qi's slightly tired voice suddenly interrupted Hunyuan.
Then came Qiao Yan's anxious inquiry,
"We didn't find anything at the city gate for the time being. Master Hunyuan, have you found any clues?"
As they spoke, they entered the room. Behind them were Yan Xuan and Yan Gui, who returned dejectedly.
As soon as they entered the room, they saw Yi Yuan, still looking sickly, sitting at the table with a cold look in his eyes.
Surprise flashed across their eyes. Yan Xuan and Yan Gui quickly knelt down and began to plead guilty.
Qiao Yan widened her eyes even more.
"You're awake?! Did Shen Zhou find the Wuaiguo fruit?"
The air froze for a moment. Yi Yuan's eyes grew even colder. He gave Hunyuan a sidelong glance.
"Wuaiguo fruit? Found by Shen Zhou?"
Hunyuan averted his eyes, pretending not to hear.
Only then did Qiao Yan notice Jiang Ning and Saixing constantly winking at her. Annoyed, she slapped her own thoughtless mouth. She cursed herself inwardly and quickly changed the subject,
"At this moment, you still have time to worry about these things. The top priority is to find Ye Xi."