"Master, our carriage is just up ahead," the guard reminded Shen Xiabai, seeing him prepare to sit down for a rest yet again.
Shen Xiabai looked forward and saw a winding path leading up the mountain. Going up from here, they could leave the bottom of the cliff.
He gave a slight nod and continued walking forward.
"There are people nearby," someone suddenly said, looking at a light in the distance.
Shen Xiabai looked over, then turned his head to glance behind him, his brows furrowing slightly. The image of the little girl crying and whimpering inexplicably surfaced before his eyes.
He ordered, "Go and inform the Cui family."
"Inform them of what?" the guard asked, his mouth faster than his brain.
Shen Xiabai shot a cold glare over, and the guard immediately shrank his neck back.
"Inform them that this official is not dead."
"Yes," the guard cupped his hands in acknowledgment and jogged toward the light.
After that person left, another servant with a bit more tact lowered his voice and said, "Master, that Miss Cui doesn't seem to have caught up."
True, considering her sickly appearance from the start, looking as if she might breathe her last at any moment, it was already incredibly difficult for her to force her body to keep up for this long.
He fancied himself somewhat clever, thinking he had understood his master's concealed intentions.
Unexpectedly, he was met with a cold glare. "Are you very kind-hearted?"
"Then why don't you go back and carry her on your back?"
"..." The guard's face stiffened, and he shook his head vigorously. "That's not what this subordinate meant."
His master had stopped to rest eight hundred times along the way simply because he was tired and wanted to rest, nothing more.
He thought to himself, and once Shen Xiabai withdrew his gaze, he very quietly slapped his own mouth.
He just loved to show off.
The corners of Shen Xiabai's lips twitched slightly. Thinking about how the woman might act relentlessly if she saw someone come back for her, he gave a soft snort.
Her thick skin was simply outrageous; who knew what kind of things she might say next.
"Up the mountain." He lifted his foot and stepped onto the small path without hesitation, leaving the bottom of the cliff.
Cui Yunchu had followed all the way and was already so exhausted she could not even crawl. She lay sprawled on a rock, panting heavily, her vision going black in waves, completely lacking the energy to even curse at anyone.
She inched forward bit by bit. A moment later, she suddenly remembered something and mimicked Shen Xiabai's actions, placing her fingers in her mouth.
However, she tried several times and could only produce a muffled, faint sound, making her feel quite discouraged.
But she was never one to admit defeat. Leaning against the rock, she adjusted her fingers over and over again, until finally, she actually managed to produce a sound.
The person who had already reached halfway up the mountain suddenly heard the noise, paused his steps, and turned back to look in the direction the sound came from.
This time, none of the guards dared to speak.
Shen Xiabai suddenly gave a soft chuckle. "She learns quite fast."
But that was his way of responding to his subordinates; master and servants had long formed a tacit understanding of this method of transmitting information. Would the Cui family be able to understand it?
The guards looked at their master's obscure smile and only felt their scalps go numb and goosebumps rise.
The area around Cui Yunchu was dead silent. Aside from the sound she blew, there was nothing else. It was pitch black, and even the chirping of insects and birds had ceased.
Her heart clenched tightly as she dragged her body and slowly retreated backward.
Whether they were immortals or ghosts, she prayed to them all in her heart.
"If I can make it out of here alive today, this humble girl will definitely do many good deeds and donate more incense money."
"Auntie, ancestors of the Cui family, you must protect me."
Her voice was dry and choked with sobs, but her vision slowly began to blur, and her head grew so heavy it felt numb.
In her daze, she seemed to see someone rushing toward her. The person looked somewhat familiar but was very blurry; she could only determine it was a man.
"Save me, save me... I'll do anything you want, I'm willing to pledge myself to you in marriage."
She reached out to grab the approaching figure.
Xiao Yi's footsteps halted instantly, and he did not take another step forward.
"Prince," Eunuch Liu said softly, "we finally found her, but Eldest Miss Cui looks seriously ill."
If Second Miss saw Eldest Miss Cui in this state, who knew how hard she would cry from heartache.
It's just...
He carefully raised his eyes to check his Prince's expression.
If Second Miss knew that today's incident was the Prince's doing, the consequences would be even more unimaginable.
And... the Prince wasn't speaking. Could it be...
"Does the Prince mean to let Eldest Miss Cui go back, or..."
He raised his hand and drew it across his neck, making a throat-slitting gesture.
Speaking of which, Eldest Miss Cui really had a tough life; surviving a fall from such a height.
Xiao Yi cast a cold side-glance at Eunuch Liu. "If you ever mention another word about this matter, watch your tongue."
"Yes, yes, yes." Eunuch Liu immediately lowered his head, a chill running down his spine.
Then he heard Xiao Yi continue, "Besides, what benefit is there to this Prince if she dies, other than making Yunfeng sad?"
A useless good-for-nothing whose death couldn't even provide any value; why should he go out of his way to make Yunfeng unhappy?
Eunuch Liu voiced his agreement, thinking to himself, then what is the meaning of you standing still and even stepping back?
"You, go carry her on your back." Xiao Yi pointed a finger at Eunuch Liu.
"..."
Eunuch Liu looked around; there were guards present.
Then, he pointed at himself and asked uncertainly, "Prince, do you mean this servant?"
As a castrated man, his physical strength was exceptionally poor compared to ordinary people.
Xiao Yi nodded, a hint of wicked amusement hidden in his eyes.
"Didn't you hear Eldest Miss Cui say she would pledge herself in marriage to her savior?"
This master's ability to pester people had made Xiao Yi concede defeat for years, utterly convinced of her prowess. Now, he wouldn't dare to get involved in the slightest.
Eunuch Liu's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Xiao Yi stood with his hands behind his back and continued, "Don't harm our brothers. You go. When she wakes up, she definitely won't pester you."
Eunuch Liu gave a couple of forced "hehes" and said with a stiff face, "The Prince is... wise."
Eunuch Liu stepped forward and laboriously hoisted Cui Yunchu's body onto his back.
Ever since his roots were cut that year, his body had been somewhat weak. He hadn't walked for long before he was completely exhausted, terrified of dropping the master on his back.
He could only say bitterly, "Prince, this old servant... really can't carry her anymore."
If he dropped her and something bad happened, he wouldn't be able to explain it to Second Miss and the Cui family.
However, Eunuch Liu's protests were ignored. The entire group followed their Prince's intentions, staying far away.
Finally, at a distance not too far from the group, torches illuminated half of the cliff bottom, and the leading young woman rushed toward them at top speed.
Xiao Yi curled his lips. "Yunfeng..."
But he watched helplessly as the young woman brushed past him and rushed toward Eunuch Liu behind him. "Eldest Sister, Eldest Sister, are you okay? How are you? It's Yunfeng, I'm here to save you. Say something to me, please say something?"
Cui Yunfeng's face was incredibly haggard, her eyelids long swollen from crying, and her voice hoarse beyond recognition.
Xiao Yi, "..." He silently withdrew his hand, his brows furrowing slightly, and the gaze he directed at Cui Yunchu held a bit of jealousy and dissatisfaction.
Eunuch Liu slowly set Cui Yunchu down. Cui Yunfeng reached out a trembling hand to check Cui Yunchu's breathing.
Her entire body was tense, not even daring to blink.
She told herself in her heart that being able to find her, whole and intact, was already a great blessing.
"Rest assured, she is still alive," Xiao Yi offered comfortingly from the side.
Cui Yunfeng had also just felt the faint breath beneath Cui Yunchu's nose. Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, she collapsed onto the ground. The tension that had kept her strung tight for the past two days suddenly snapped, and she burst into uncontrollable sobs.
"Eldest Sister," she threw herself forward, embracing the unconscious Cui Yunchu. "If I couldn't find you, I would have ended my own life in atonement."
Eunuch Liu's eyelids twitched fiercely as he silently glanced at Xiao Yi beside him.
Xiao Yi's expression remained perfectly calm, but the hands hidden within his sleeves slowly curled, clenching tightly into his palms.
He then ordered his men to notify Tang Qingwan and the Crown Prince, who were also searching the bottom of the cliff.
