Chapter 140: Encountering Someone

The burly man slammed into the ground, making the rocks tremble as if they were Lin Hao’s own jolted heart.

Fortunately, the embrace lasted only a moment before Qi Shuo let go.

"Are you alright?" He tried his best to restrain his emotions, but his voice trembled.

Lin Hao’s expression was blank.

She had been fine, but now she was not.

What was going on with the Prince of Jing's Heir?

"Your Highness, why are you here?" After regaining her senses, Lin Hao squeezed out a sentence.

"Qiong'er went back to report. Both the General's Manor and the Prince's Manor have sent people to look for you." Qi Shuo opened his hand, revealing a begonia pearl flower in his palm. "I found this on a tree branch and followed the trail here."

Lin Hao glanced at the begonia pearl flower. "I dropped it."

While pretending to be unconscious, she had taken advantage of the two men's lack of attention to drop a pearl flower, hoping to buy a sliver of hope for herself and her sister. She hadn't expected the one to come looking for them to be the Prince of Jing's Heir.

Qi Shuo lowered his eyes to stare at the burly man on the ground, killing intent surging in his gaze. "I came too late."

Lin Hao shook her head with a smile. "I didn't even expect you to find us so quickly."

"Um... did Your Highness come here alone?" Lin Chan asked, struggling to contain her shock.

She didn't want to ruin this strange yet harmonious atmosphere, but dragging a man was exhausting.

"Is the eldest Miss Lin uninjured?" Qi Shuo's face appeared to have regained its composure.

Lin Chan found it somewhat amusing.

If she had truly waited to be rescued, she would likely be dead by the time the Prince of Jing's Heir thought of her. This went to show that her second sister was special in his heart.

"It is thanks to my second sister being prepared that we escaped. Is the search party not with Your Highness?"

"The search was split into many teams. I moved faster alone, so I separated from them." Qi Shuo leaned down to lift the burly man.

Lin Hao spoke up to stop him. "Let me do it."

Qi Shuo looked at her.

Lin Hao pointed to the man on the ground. "They hijacked us in broad daylight. If people see us being rescued by Your Highness, I don't know what speculations might arise. It would be better if my eldest sister and I brought them back ourselves."

Qi Shuo thought for a moment and understood her meaning.

"How long will they be unconscious?"

"About an hour," Lin Hao said, reaching out to drag the burly man.

"Wait a moment." Qi Shuo spoke up, pulling Lin Hao's hand toward him.

The young girl's hand was soft and fair, but her palm was stained with blood.

Qi Shuo's thin lips pressed tightly together as he took out a white handkerchief to wrap her wound.

"There's no need." Lin Hao tried to pull her hand back.

If others saw this, they might question how one could care about such things at a time like this.

Qi Shuo gripped her hand firmly. "There is no need to be so thorough. If you don't treat it, you'll only suffer yourself."

He was suffering too.

Lin Hao silently allowed Qi Shuo to bandage her palm, feeling her eldest sister's curiosity growing harder and harder to hide.

"Done." Qi Shuo released her hand, lifted the burly man, and then reached out to take the shorter man. "Eldest Miss Lin, give this man to me as well."

Lin Chan couldn't help but look at Lin Hao.

Carrying one man in each hand, Qi Shuo explained as he dragged them outward, "I know the approximate location of the search party closest to here. I will hand them over to you once you have reunited with them."

Lin Hao hesitated. "Dragging two people is quite strenuous..."

Qi Shuo's footsteps faltered, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Was his image of being sickly and weak so deeply rooted in A-Hao's heart?

Lin Chan also added, "Indeed, Your Highness. We can do it ourselves."

Although it seemed the Prince of Jing's Heir cared deeply for her second sister, he did have a heart condition after all; it would be troublesome if he overexerted himself.

Qi Shuo fell silent for a moment, then quickened his pace in dragging the men.

Behind him came Lin Chan's heavily suppressed whisper: "Second sister, is the Prince of Jing's Heir really okay like this?"

Qi Shuo: "..."

With someone else carrying the heavy load, Lin Hao and Lin Chan found things much easier. Lin Chan had a belly full of questions for her sister, but due to Qi Shuo's presence, she had to keep them bottled up. She spoke of the two men: "Second sister, do you think these two were targeting the Prince of Wei?"

"Most likely."

Lin Chan shook her head slowly. "I can't quite figure it out. The Prince of Wei is just a leisure prince; what is the benefit of dealing with him?"

There was no competition between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Wei, and there was even less reason for anyone else to provoke the Emperor's precious son.

"I can't figure it out for a moment either."

Qi Shuo suddenly spoke up. "I received news that the Crown Prince's left hand cannot grasp objects; it is effectively useless."

Lin Hao and Lin Chan's faces instantly filled with surprise.

Lin Chan wondered if the Crown Prince, feeling threatened by the Prince of Wei because of his useless left hand, had caused today's events. Lin Hao's heart was even more turbulent.

In her past life, the Crown Prince who acted as regent had a perfectly fine left hand!

Just like her teacher entering the palace, this was another event that differed from her past life.

"We shall discuss this in detail later." Qi Shuo cut off the topic, stopping his steps and pointing to a direction. "If we go this way, we should encounter the people searching for you very soon. I will circle back to find you after you have reunited."

Lin Hao nodded. "Mhm."

Qi Shuo dropped the two men on the ground and quickly vanished into the vegetation.

Lin Hao and Lin Chan each took one man and walked in that direction.

Compared to Lin Hao, who found it relatively easy, Lin Chan struggled with the shorter man. Before long, she was panting heavily and covered in sweat.

For the first time, she felt regret. "If I had known, I should have been like my second sister and practiced martial arts with Grandfather."

Lin Hao, meanwhile, thought of the dissatisfaction she had seen in her father's eyes when she practiced horse stances as a child.

She didn't care.

The physical hardship allowed her to pass the long, silent hours, and she could hear her grandfather's hearty laughter.

Lin Hao's silence made Lin Chan realize her mistake.

She shouldn't have mentioned Grandfather; her second sister's feelings for him were exceptionally deep.

"Second sister, is that the sound of footsteps?" Lin Chan changed the subject.

Lin Hao also heard the messy, hurried footsteps.

With the wind blowing and the grass low, they could see a group approaching from not far away.

"Eldest sister, just hold on a little longer." Lin Hao accelerated her pace while dragging the burly man.

A sharp-eyed person in the group cried out in surprise, "Look over there! Are those the two young ladies from the General's Manor?"

Many people looked over at the sound, some hesitating, "No way, weren't they kidnapped by villains?"

These two young ladies clearly had freedom of movement; they were just walking a bit slowly.

Wait!

As the sisters drew closer, the crowd saw the people being dragged on the ground.

Two men—one with a black cloth covering his face, and the other whose cloth had fallen off somewhere, revealing his true face.

These were... the villains who kidnapped the two ladies of the General's Manor?

The crowd looked at one another in bewilderment; because the scene was so bizarre, they momentarily forgot to speak.

Qi Huan happened to be in this group. Watching the sisters, his words became tangled: "Lin—Lin—"

Lin Hao's eyes reddened, and she showed a look of immense relief. "Thank goodness, we finally ran into someone! Are you here to rescue us?"

The crowd's expressions were complicated.

They were originally, but looking at the situation, it seemed unnecessary...

Qi Huan was extremely curious. "Second Miss Lin, they wouldn't happen to be the ones who kidnapped you, would they?"

Right at that moment, the burly man woke up.

"You brat—"

Lin Hao struck him in the back of the neck with a hand-chop and nodded to Qi Huan. "It's them!"

Good morning.

(End of Chapter)