Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Why Did She Do This?

Qi Shu Xian had once ridden out onto battlefields; tracking and hunting were familiar tasks for him. Once he reached the scene, he followed the faint wheel marks left behind, tirelessly searching until he finally discovered the bandits’ hideout.

Yet, when he arrived, he was met only by flames and the gleam of blood. The vast lair had been burnt completely, leaving nothing but ashes and ruins. The ground was littered with severed limbs and mangled bodies, the sight unbearably gruesome.

Qi Shu Xian’s expression darkened to its coldest. Could someone have found this place before him?

He swiftly commanded his subordinates to comb the wreckage inch by inch.

“Your Highness, we’ve discovered two hundred thirteen fresh corpses and about eighty older skeletons.”

“Any… survivors?” Qi Shu Xian still held onto a faint thread of hope.

But his men shook their heads.

Closing his eyes briefly, he asked once more, “Among the fresh corpses, were there any women?”

“None.”

Qi Shu Xian exhaled quietly, relief easing the tension in his heart. Soon, they identified most of the bodies as scattered bandits who had somehow gathered into an unusually large gang.

Ordinarily, bandits of this sort would limit themselves to robbing passing merchants. How dared they lay hands upon the royal family and nobles?

Lady Han and Han Ming Rui might have been taken elsewhere—their fate possibly unrelated. Yet, Sheng Zhi Wan’s involvement was unmistakably real. According to her guards, the bandits had known exactly who she was before the attack.

Thinking of this, Qi Shu Xian’s fists clenched tightly. “Keep searching! Even if you must turn this mountain upside down, you will find the Princess!”

“Yes, Your Highness!” The imperial soldiers quickly dispersed again.

Qi Shu Xian did not care who had destroyed these bandits first, burning their hideout into rubble. He only wanted to know where Sheng Zhi Wan was, if she was safe or—

But even after searching through every inch until the sun rose high, there was no trace of Sheng Zhi Wan to be found.

It was a soft sound of weeping that finally roused Sheng Zhi Wan. As her eyes opened slowly, two tear-swollen eyes greeted her.

“Ting Lan?”

“Oh! Princess! You’re awake!” Ting Lan sobbed uncontrollably. “Princess, are you still in pain? How could you risk yourself like that? It’s all because this maid is useless! If I were useful, you wouldn’t have sent me away…”

The more Ting Lan thought, the sadder she became.

When they’d gone to buy osmanthus cakes, both she and An Zhi had been knocked unconscious by Shang Hang Yu’s people. The An Zhi and Ting Lan who appeared afterward were actually disguised agents.

“Enough, let the Princess drink some water first.” An Zhi was calmer than Ting Lan, bringing over freshly warmed tea. She knew her mistress surely had a plan, that she’d done it to protect them.

Still…

As Sheng Zhi Wan finished her tea, An Zhi suddenly spoke, “Princess, this maid wishes to learn martial arts from Miss Xiu He.”

Xiu He was the woman who had masqueraded as An Zhi.

Sheng Zhi Wan blinked, momentarily surprised, but before she could respond, another “An Zhi” entered softly. “Has the Princess awakened?”

“Yes.”

“Perfect timing, it’s time to change your medicine,” said Xiu He as she stepped closer. Only then did Sheng Zhi Wan notice a familiar porcelain bottle in her hand.

“Gold Scar Healing Balm?” Sheng Zhi Wan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Xiu He looked surprised. “How did the Princess know?”

“Let me see.” Sheng Zhi Wan took the bottle and gently traced her finger across the bottom. Indeed, there was a faint crack.

“Where did this medicine come from?”

Xiu He hesitated briefly. “Master purchased it recently at the Rare Treasure Pavilion auction.”

Sheng Zhi Wan was speechless.

[Using my medicine to earn silver—Qi Shu Xian certainly knows how to scheme well!]

“Where is your Master?”

Sheng Zhi Wan’s injury was on her back. When Ting Lan saw the wound, tears threatened again, but she held back, not wanting to disturb the treatment.

“Master is next door. After I finish dressing your wounds, he’ll come see you.”

Sheng Zhi Wan said nothing more until the dressing was complete, then asked An Zhi and Ting Lan to wait outside.

Neither knew Shang Hang Yu’s true identity, so he appeared before Sheng Zhi Wan still wearing the ghostly mask.

Stepping into the room, his gaze lingered briefly on her injured back before settling on her pale face. His slender fingers rubbed gently in thought.

“How did you get hurt?”

“Just a small accident,” Sheng Zhi Wan brushed it off, more concerned with another matter. “How long was I unconscious?”

“Not too long, a little over six hours.”

“How is it outside?”

“This morning, rumors began spreading of your abduction by bandits and disappearance overnight,” Shang Hang Yu paused, his eyes behind the mask deepening thoughtfully. “Combined with Lady Meng’s recent storytelling, you surely know the consequences. Why would you do this?”

He could not understand it.

How deeply Sheng Zhi Wan cared for Qi Shu Xian—no one knew better than him. She had willingly clipped her own wings, bowed her proud head, all for Qi Shu Xian. Yet now, she risked everything. Wasn’t she afraid this would truly push Qi Shu Xian away?

Or perhaps…

Had her trust in Qi Shu Xian reached such depth that she believed, no matter the circumstances, he would always stand firmly by her side?