Seeing the two figures walk away, Chen Xiaobei shook his head. He walked to the campfire, picked up a stone to sit on, and warmed himself while gazing into the distant darkness, lost in thought.
After an unknown amount of time, something suddenly fell before his eyes with a clear sound, startling him. He instinctively stood up.
"Who's there?"
A hearty laugh echoed from the distance, "Brother Xiaobei, your guard duty is a bit lax. If we wanted to ambush you, you'd be dead by now."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaobei's expression changed. Wasn't that Yang Chun's voice? Hadn't he returned to Da Tu Kingdom?
"Brother Yang Chun, is that you? You..."
"Ai ya, so boring, you saw through me so quickly!" Yang Chun said, shaking his head as he emerged from the darkness.
"Brother Yang, how could I not recognize your voice?" Chen Xiaobei was speechless. It was as if he would forget someone so quickly, and he wasn't an idiot.
Yang Chun walked over and reached into his懷, pulling out a small wooden box, which he then extended forward.
"Leader La Erduo asked me to rush back and deliver a congratulatory gift for you."
Chen Xiaobei smiled and took the small wooden box, opening it.
Inside was a pair of bracelets.
Seeing the somewhat old-fashioned bracelets, Chen Xiaobei was taken aback. La Erduo was not a stingy person, so why would he send Yang Chun all this way to deliver this?
Seeing his surprised expression, Yang Chun smiled and explained, "This is no ordinary pair of bracelets. These bracelets were meticulously crafted by a master craftsman. They were presented to our leader, and it is said that wearing them makes one immune to all poisons."
"The leader has always kept them with him. Let alone giving them away, we rarely get to see them. I never expected him to so readily give these bracelets to you."
Chen Xiaobei thanked him again and pocketed the bracelets.
Regardless of whether they were real or not, the sentiment alone was enough for him to cherish them.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei put away the bracelets, Yang Chun gestured to the side, "That was the leader's gift. I've also brought a gift for you myself."
Soon, several dark figures appeared in the distance. Several people were escorting a black-clad individual who was covered by a hood, obscuring their appearance.
"This fellow is a spy from Da Lin Kingdom. He was being escorted by two constables halfway here, ready to be sent to Wan Nian City. I figured since you're going to Wan Nian City anyway, I'd just give him to you."
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei was both amused and speechless. "Brother Yang, they were already being escorted by constables. Why did you have to go to such trouble?"
"Alas, you don't know the situation at the time. Although they were escorted by constables, they were ambushed. The two constables were being attacked by this spy's accomplices. Seeing that they were in dire straits, I took this person away."
Chen Xiaobei sighed, "Brother Yang, that's where you went wrong. You should have helped rescue them. Saving the constables would have been a great service."
"Brother Xiaobei, what does the life and death of these constables have to do with me? Besides, back in the day at Centipede Ridge, those constables didn't spare any effort in trying to capture me. I couldn't be bothered to care about them."
Alright, since it was put that way, Chen Xiaobei understood. "Fine, I'll take him with me when I go to the capital and hand him over to the Department of Law."
"By the way, Brother Yang, have you eaten? Let me accompany you for a drink."
"Yes, yes! I've been rushing all the way here, and I'm both thirsty and hungry. It's perfect to have a drink with you."
Chen Xiaobei asked two of Yang Chun's subordinates to watch his post for a while. He then took Yang Chun back to the village and began preparing a meal.
Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, in Wan Nian City, Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun received unsettling news. He was in the middle of a meal when Zhou Quan's subordinate returned.
Upon hearing that it was Zhou Quan's subordinate and not Zhou Quan himself who had returned, Xiao Jingyun's heart sank. It was highly likely that something had happened.
As expected, upon seeing Xiao Jingyun, the messenger knelt on one knee and cupped his fists, saying, "Reporting to Your Highness the Crown Prince, Captain Zhou sent me back to report that we found two of our brothers halfway, but they had already been killed. The spy they were escorting has disappeared. The captain is leading his men in a search and ordered me to report back first." Su Dan Novel Network.
Hearing this, Xiao Jingyun let out a long sigh. He had been on edge for the past two days, and his fears had finally come true.
He had no appetite for food now. Putting down his chopsticks, he said to the people beside him, "Send reinforcements to support Zhou Quan and report any developments immediately."
He then turned to give further instructions, "Send word to Centipede Ridge and ask the princess to recall everything she interrogated in detail. Send a preliminary report back first."
A moment later, hundreds of horses galloped out of Wan Nian City under the cover of night. At this moment, in the darkness, two figures exchanged glances.
"This is strange. The Crown Prince's manor sending so many people indicates that Brother Ding is not in the Crown Prince's hands."
"Leader Luo Xi, it was indeed our carelessness at the time. We were too focused on attacking those two soldiers and didn't expect..."
"It's not your fault. If it were me, I would have done the same. No one expected Old Ding to disappear out of thin air." Luo Xi sighed.
"Alright, keep a close watch on the Crown Prince's manor. If you find any trace of Old Ding, rescue him immediately, no matter the cost."
The next morning, as dawn was breaking, Chen Xiaobei woke up early and arranged for people to go to the fields to harvest the cabbages.
Today, Chen Xiaowen was going to propose, so he couldn't go to deliver goods. This task had to be handed over to someone else.
Of course, Chen Xiaobei didn't need to worry too much about this. He believed Chen Xiaowen would make arrangements. His most important task today was to visit the princess.
As a thoughtful person, Chen Xiaobei didn't want to go empty-handed. He had people pack one hundred cabbages.
These hundred cabbages would last the princess and her group for a while. He was only providing the vegetables; they would have to figure out the rest themselves.
With everything prepared, Chen Xiaobei and Du Juan set off.
Bringing Du Juan was important, especially since Du Juan and the princess could be considered fellow disciples. Chen Xiaobei wanted Du Juan to stay by the princess's side. Du Juan, living alone in Hetou Village, was usually withdrawn and would often sit there, sad and sighing. If it continued like this, Chen Xiaobei worried that the child might have a problem.
Du Juan remained silent throughout the journey, not speaking. This further solidified Chen Xiaobei's resolve to have her stay at Centipede Ridge.
Thinking of this, he cleared his throat and said, "Du Juan, wouldn't it be considered that Her Highness the Princess is your senior sister?"
Du Juan thought for a moment and nodded gently, "Yes."
"Then, after a while, you will stay at Centipede Ridge and be with your senior sister. Are you willing?"
Upon hearing this, Du Juan shook her head like a rattle drum. "No, no, I have to stay and guard..."
Before she could finish, Chen Xiaobei interrupted her, "I know you want to guard Huang Ying. Let me tell you the truth, Princess Zhaoning is also at Centipede Ridge for this very reason. She is there under the order of the Lotus Flower Cult Master to secretly protect Huang Ying. So, you will be just as safe with her."