Of course, Yi Yuan knew it wasn't the time to get entangled in such things. But Ye Xi had been abducted out of the blue, leaving his mind a complete blank.
All his usual rationality and calm had vanished without a trace, making it impossible for him to think clearly about what to do next.
"Mian Xiao and Lin An haven't returned yet,"
Yi Yuan forced himself to regain his senses and tried to calm down:
"Maybe they've found something."
Hardly had he finished speaking when Lin An and Mian Xiao stepped in one after another:
"My lord?"
Both of them looked utterly incredulous. Then, realizing that it might be the Wu'ai Fruit retrieved by Shen Zhou, they knelt on the ground in unison and pleaded guilty in chorus:
"We deserve to die, my lord. We failed to protect Miss Xi well. Please punish us severely."
"Humph—"
Yi Yuan let out a cold snort, his eyes filled with even more hostility:
"You're not going to die just yet. First, find Miss Xi for me. Then go to the Frost Pavilion to receive your punishment!"
"Now tell me what you've found."
"Yes."
The two of them bowed guiltily in response. Lin An was the first to speak:
"I found nothing unusual during my inspection at the Yuhua Gate. After the city gate closed, I wasn't willing to give up and went back to the Baisheng Shop and its surroundings to search carefully."
"As a result, during the search, I found a secret door in the room where Miss Xi disappeared."
"That secret door was extremely well-hidden. Inside was a downward passage. I didn't dare to venture in rashly and immediately sent a message to Mian Xiao, who was nearby. While waiting for Mian Xiao to arrive, there happened to be some people from the Supreme Court around me, so I handed over the shopkeeper and the waiters of the Baisheng Shop to them."
"After Mian Xiao came, we went in to explore. The passage wound its way to the wood shed of an unoccupied mansion, only about five miles away from the Yuhua Gate. It would only take about a quarter of an hour to get there."
"Based on this, we can infer that Miss Xi is most likely no longer in the capital."
Mian Xiao then continued:
"I asked the soldiers guarding the city gate. During the time when Miss Xi disappeared, about twenty carriages left through the Yuhua Gate. Among them, several suspicious carriages headed in three directions: west, southeast, and southwest. Their specific destinations are unknown."
Everyone's eyes lit up. Compared to having no leads at all, this was extremely useful information.
Feeling slightly more at ease, Yi Yuan pondered for a moment and asked:
"Which direction did Ling Yan go?"
"West."
Mian Xiao replied immediately.
"Good."
Yi Yuan tapped his long fingers rhythmically:
"Yan Xuan and Yan Gui, go to the Frost Pavilion to mobilize people. Set off at dawn tomorrow. You'll head southeast."
"Yes."
The two of them responded in unison and left after receiving their orders.
"Lin An and Mian Xiao, go and pack your things. We'll set off for the southwest early tomorrow morning."
"Yes, my lord."
Lin An and Mian Xiao also responded and left.
"I'll go too!"
Afraid of being left out, Qiao Yan quickly spoke up.
Before Yi Yuan could say anything, Yun Qi firmly disagreed:
"No. Not to mention the countless dangers on this trip, your parents have doted on you and spent a great deal of effort raising you. They only hope that you'll live a healthy and peaceful life. You must not go on this trip."
Pouting in dissatisfaction, Qiao Yan was just about to retort when Yi Yuan also agreed:
"That's right. Your elder brother is not in good health. If anything happens to you, I'm afraid it will also affect him."
"If you don't care about your elder brother's health, then go."
Yi Yuan's words hit Qiao Yan right where it hurt.
Qiao Yan folded her arms angrily. Reluctantly, she had to shut up and abandon the idea.
The group discussed for a while longer and decided that Yun Qi would go with Yi Yuan in the southwest direction. Hun Yuan had just returned to the palace, and it was inconvenient for him to go out again, so he would stay in the capital and keep an eye on whether the person behind the scenes had any other moves.
Lian Yi really wanted to help and volunteered to go with them.
Yi Yuan actually agreed, because Lian Yi's ability to recognize a person's aura would surely make the search more efficient.
However, Lian Yi was still so young, and it was really inappropriate for her to go. Yi Yuan had no choice but to reluctantly refuse.
After the discussion was settled, the group dispersed.
Jiang Ning didn't dare to mention that Shen Zhou was seriously injured in the Zhihong Garden. She and Sai Xing returned to the mansion guiltily.
The next day, when the sky was just beginning to brighten, the clatter of horses' hooves broke the silence of the alley.
The news of Ye Xi's disappearance and Yi Yuan's determination to search for her despite his illness spread like the cold winter wind into every household, and naturally, into the palace as well.
The court officials had different opinions. Some thought Yi Yuan was affectionate, while others thought it was too ungrateful and overbearing of him not to come to the palace to express his gratitude after recovering from his illness and to leave without even saying a word. There were both praises and criticisms.
Emperor Zhaohuan didn't say a word about this matter, leaving the court officials to speculate secretly.
As for the Shen family, they had already secretly sent people to take action.
On the other hand, Ye Xi had been in a daze for most of the journey.
The only times she was able to regain consciousness were when she ate or went to the toilet.
The two men watched her closely and were very cautious. Ye Xi rarely had the chance to contact outsiders and had no idea what was going on. She was in a fog every day and didn't know how much time had passed. She could only count the days by the number of times she ate.
Fortunately, the Holy Master seemed to have a great use for her and didn't treat her harshly on the way. He even took her out of the narrow wooden box and let her lie in the spacious carriage. Only when they passed through a town and needed to be inspected would they put her back in.
Yesterday, when they reached Li County, the road was blocked by heavy snow, and they couldn't move forward.
The Holy Master chose an inn called "Eight Directions", which was neither too remote nor too bustling, to take a rest. Ye Xi finally had a chance to catch her breath.
Just like in the previous days, Ye Xi was quietly having lunch. She tried again to communicate with the two men by writing on the table with water:
[Let me take a look outside.]
[Anyway, I can't speak now and have no strength at all. I just haven't seen the outside scenery for a long time, and I'm really bored.]
The two men were eating their own food and didn't even glance at the words Ye Xi had written.
Ye Xi wasn't willing to give up. She tried hard to reach out and grab the arm of the Holy Master on her left. But as soon as she lifted her hand, Shan Hou on the other side pressed it down with his chopsticks.
This had happened many times, and Ye Xi was already used to it.
However, she didn't want to let this opportunity slip away easily and still insisted on writing:
"Then just put me by the window of this room. That should be okay."
"The charcoal in the room is so stuffy. If I don't breathe some fresh air, I'll suffocate."
This request was reasonable enough to be granted.
The Holy Master waved his hand casually, and Shan Hou roughly picked up the weak Ye Xi and carried her to a wooden chair by the window, which was only slightly ajar.
Shan Hou was truly innocent and simple. Every time he carried Ye Xi, his mind was filled with only the thought of "put her there, put her there", and Ye Xi couldn't read any useful information from him.
Temporarily giving up the idea of reading Shan Hou's mind, Ye Xi quietly tightened her grip on the small piece of bone she had secretly held while writing just now.
Without making a sound, she placed her hand on the window slit. Ye Xi turned her head and took a deep breath, with a satisfied expression on her face.
But her almond eyes were fixed firmly on the alley below, constantly praying for someone to pass by.
However, until the two men finished their meal, no one passed by.
Seeing that Shan Hou had started to pack up and would soon carry her away, in desperation, Ye Xi was about to give up when she caught a glimpse of a very familiar figure out of the corner of her eye.