His eyes sharpening, Yi Yuan flashed to Yun Xi's side in an instant.
Peering through the window crack, he indeed saw Shan Hou, wrapped up tightly, hurrying across the corridor opposite the private room.
"Mian Xiao and Lin An!"
Yi Yuan turned his head and shouted. As soon as the words left his mouth, the two of them darted out like the wind.
Glancing at Yun Xi beside him, Yi Yuan said in a deep voice to Ling Yan and Yan Xuan and Yan Gui, who were in hiding:
"Take good care of Xiao Xi. Don't leave her side for a moment."
After saying that, he pushed open the window and leaped out.
"What's going on?"
Seeing the obvious signs of having discovered an important person, Shen Zhou immediately put on a serious look and stepped forward, frowning as he asked.
"Is it the person who abducted you before?"
Yun Xi nodded. With her mind in a whirl, she couldn't help but feel worried.
Why was Shan Hou here? And where was the Saint Master?
Yi Yuan and the others had searched for so long without any trace. Why was it such a coincidence to meet him here today?
Was it really just a coincidence?
Yun Xi couldn't figure it out.
Everything happened so fast that Qiao He only reacted at this moment. He said with concern:
"Since the villain has appeared, it means this place is not safe. Miss Yun, do you want to go back to the mansion to take shelter?"
"We can't go back,"
Yun Xi shook her head and paced back and forth anxiously as she explained:
"If it was just an accidental encounter, it would be fine. But if the other side has deliberately set a trap, rushing back to the mansion would just fall right into their hands."
"Qunying Tower is located in a bustling area, and I have you all by my side. If they were to start a fight, they would be more worried about exposing their identities and thus more scrupulous."
Used to Qiao Yan's impetuous way of handling things, Qiao He was surprised to meet someone like Yun Xi who could remain so calm and analyze things rationally when faced with trouble. He couldn't help but admire Yun Xi even more. He sincerely praised:
"Miss Yun is truly intelligent and decisive. No wonder the prince likes you so much."
"If A Yan were half as smart as you, I would worry a lot less."
Yun Xi gave Qiao He a smile. With her mind preoccupied, she didn't have the time to think of polite words. She simply said modestly:
"Lord Qiao is overpraising..."
The obvious worry was clearly written on her face. Qiao He understood and didn't say anything more.
The room fell silent for a moment.
At some point, Shen Zhou stood beside Yun Xi and, together with Ling Yan and the others, entered a state of alert.
"Speaking of which,"
After a period of silence, Yun Xi suddenly said:
"We owe it all to you, A Zhou, for finding the Wuaiguo last time. I was so busy caring about your health with A Yuan that I forgot to ask you where you found the Wuaiguo."
"Can you still find that place? Did you notice anything special during the process?"
Shen Zhou was stunned. He didn't expect Yun Xi to bring up that matter suddenly.
Although he already knew that Yun Xi was Man Ping, he didn't know about the strange poison in her body. He had no idea that Yun Xi might not be in this world for much longer.
Now that Yun Xi was asking this, although Shen Zhou didn't understand the reason.
But being as smart as he was, he could easily guess that it must have something to do with Shan Hou, who had suddenly appeared today.
The reason why Yi Yuan had been poisoned by that strange poison was that someone had come to abduct Yun Xi. Connecting the dots like this, Shen Zhou immediately thought that the place he had gone to at that time might very well be the lair of the person who had abducted Yun Xi!
A glint of determination flashed in his eyes as Shen Zhou said firmly:
"I can find it. It's not too far away. It's in the mountains of a remote small town not far from the capital."
"I was in a hurry at that time. Apart from a rather special underground maze, I didn't notice anything else. But since they didn't manage to trap me and Sheng Yu last time and the place was exposed, they'll most likely not stay there anymore. If we go there now, we probably won't find any useful clues."
Indeed...
Yun Xi nodded slightly in agreement.
But at least, it was a lead.
Yun Xi's long eyelashes drooped as she thought:
"In any case, it's always good to go and check it out. Maybe the other side left something behind."
Shen Zhou was very happy that he could help Yun Xi.
It made him feel that Yun Xi was gradually accepting him.
He told Sheng Yu to fetch the writing brush and ink and walked towards the table, saying:
"I'll draw it for you."
Yun Xi gave a soft "mm" and couldn't help but follow him.
Just as the two of them were drawing, Yi Yuan, who had gone out, pushed the door open and came back.
"A Yuan!"
Yun Xi, who had been concentrating on watching Shen Zhou draw, immediately stood up straight and stepped forward to greet him.
"Why are you back? Where are Mian Xiao and Lin An?"
Yi Yuan's face was very grim. His thin lips were tightly pursed, and his inky black eyes were filled with anger as he said:
"We lost track of the person. Mian Xiao and Lin An have gone to search for Shan Hou's trace. I'm here to take you back to the general's mansion first."
"Tsk—"
In the silent room, Shen Zhou's soft mocking laugh was very clear.
Yi Yuan's handsome face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Yun Xi turned around and glared at Shen Zhou fiercely. Then she comforted Yi Yuan:
"It's only natural. This just shows that Shan Hou's appearance here was indeed an accident."
"When he and the Saint Master abducted me before, everything went smoothly. It's obvious that there was someone in the capital cooperating with them. They've always been extremely cautious, so it's normal to lose track of them. If we had easily found their trace, I would have been suspicious instead."
"However, Shan Hou wouldn't have suddenly appeared for no reason. Seeing him again today means that the other side must be up to something. A Yuan, you must be extremely careful."
"Okay."
Yi Yuan's expression softened a little. He reached out and took Yun Xi's hand, giving Shen Zhou a cold look.
The next moment, he suddenly leaned close to Yun Xi affectionately. As their breaths mingled, Yi Yuan's cold voice softened:
"Don't worry. Let's go back first."
Yun Xi's face instantly turned red. She punched him lightly and pushed him away a little. Then, a bit embarrassed, she turned to Shen Zhou, whose face had turned green, and said:
"Er, A Zhou, is the drawing done?"
Shen Zhou angrily threw down the writing brush and said in a fit of pique:
"It's not done. I can't remember the details all of a sudden. You have to help me sort out my thoughts again."
Everyone: ...
"Heh—"
Yi Yuan didn't even want to bother with Shen Zhou anymore. He put his arm around Yun Xi and walked out.
"Wait, A Yuan..."
Yun Xi still wanted to explain weakly. But seeing that Yi Yuan was almost at the end of his patience and about to explode at any moment, she silently swallowed her words.
But Shen Zhou suddenly threw the drawing over.
He walked up to the two of them silently, looked at Yun Xi quietly for a while, and then walked out of the door without saying a word.
A faint sadness welled up in Yun Xi's heart, and a sense of guilt welled up in her.
Yi Yuan narrowed his phoenix eyes and shot a glare at Shen Zhou. Then he quickly pulled Yun Xi back to her senses and asked:
"What's this?"
" Oh..."
Yun Xi came back to her senses and told Yi Yuan what she had just said to Shen Zhou.
"No matter whether we can find anything or not, that underground palace must be there. Now the identities of the Saint Master and the others are unknown. Maybe we can find some clues in that underground palace."
Taking the drawing and putting it away, Yi Yuan walked back with Yun Xi in his arms and said:
"Okay, I'll go and check it out."
Just then, Qiao Yan and Yun Qi also finished their conversation. As soon as they opened the door, they met everyone at the door.
Their eyes met. Yun Xi coughed lightly and took the lead to say:
"Um... We went to the wrong private room. Have the two of you... come to an agreement?"