As soon as he finished speaking, Zi Mo appeared out of nowhere, bowed his head, and respectfully reported, "Your Highness, I have found out that Ye Qianlong has been staying at Ruyi Restaurant, but for some unknown reason, he left in a hurry a quarter of an hour ago..."
Ruyi Restaurant! Dongfang Heng didn't speak, but something was rapidly gathering in his dark eyes.
Calculating the distance from Ruyi Restaurant to the alley, and considering the time the man in black appeared, Shen Lixue concluded: "The man in black I just saw was Qian Yelong!" Having stayed at Ruyi Restaurant for so many days, his sudden appearance tonight must mean something is up.
“Let’s follow him and see what he’s up to.” With that, Shen Lixue grabbed Dongfang Heng’s arm and ran forward.
Dongfang Heng did not back down, letting Shen Lixue pull him forward quickly. When he saw Shen Lixue's fair little hand tightly gripping his arm, a beautiful smile appeared on his lips.
Zhuang Kexin and Ye Qianlong rode in a carriage, speeding through the capital. Ye Qianlong sat at one end of the carriage, his eyes clear and silent. Zhuang Kexin sat at the other end, her eyelids heavy, also silent. The entire carriage was so quiet it was almost oppressive, almost suffocating. In their silent confrontation, the carriage rounded one bend after another, finally arriving at their destination.
The curtain opened, and Ye Qianlong jumped down first. Looking at the empty space, the joy in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a deep gloom. He looked back at Zhuang Kexin, who was slowly getting off the carriage, and said angrily, "Where is Lixue?"
"Chen Lixue is not far away, come with me!" Zhuang Kexin's leg injury had not yet healed, so she walked very slowly, her long hem dragging on the ground, leaving a clear trail.
Ye Qianlong didn't ask any more questions and followed closely behind Zhuang Kexin, walking slowly forward.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhuang Kexin and Ye Qianlong arrived in front of a building with the words "Prison" written above the gate.
"Li Xue is here?" Ye Qianlong frowned deeply. The prison gate was dilapidated, and the guards were fat, lazily half-closing their eyes as if they were half asleep. From a distance, the place was a mess. Li Xue would be in a place like this: "You're not lying to me, are you?"
"I'm not lying to you!" Zhuang Kexin shook her head and smiled gently. "Shen Lixue isn't here, but there's someone in the prison who knows her whereabouts. Find him and have him take you to see Shen Lixue!"
"Who is that person?" Ye Qianlong asked expressionlessly. As long as he could see Li Xue, he didn't care who took him.
"His name is Mu Zhengnan." Zhuang Kexin's bright smile carried a chilling coldness. Her purpose in coming to the prison was to destroy Shen Lixue, Mu Zhengnan, and the seemingly simple yet complex man in black in front of her.
Zhuang Kexin stood in the shadows, watching Ye Qianlong knock down the guards and storm into the prison. A pang of sadness shot through her heart, and for a moment, she felt a pang of jealousy towards Shen Lixue.
The greatest happiness for a woman is to be admired and cherished by an outstanding man. The man in black, unafraid of power and danger, bravely stormed the prison just to see Shen Lixue. This shows that he truly loves her and cherishes her in his heart. Although the man who is devoted to her is a fool, his foolishness is stubborn and also quite endearing...
Ye Qianlong stormed into the prison, causing chaos among the guards who swung their swords at him. Ye Qianlong ignored them, and with a series of sharp palm strikes, the guards instantly fell to the ground.
Ye Qianlong calmly and steadily walked along the path, Zhuang Kexin's instructions ringing in his ears: "Mu Zhengnan is locked in the innermost cell. Once you go in, turn every corner you see, and you'll see him soon. After finding out his name, cut the lock on his cell door, follow him, and you'll see Shen Lixue!"
In the dark and damp innermost part of the prison, Mu Zhengnan lay on his side on the dirty hay, his eyes glazed over and unfocused. His white prison uniform was unrecognizable, his hair was disheveled, and his stubble covered his chin. From a distance, he looked like a decadent middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, a far cry from his former dashing and debonair self.
"Guards! Someone has broken into the prison!" A commotion arose in the distance. Mu Zhengnan's dull eyes suddenly lit up. He sat up abruptly, rushed to the prison door, and anxiously looked outside. Was it someone sent by Shen Yingxue?
"Bang!" After a loud crash, several prison guards were sent flying, and a man in black appeared in Mu Zhengnan's line of sight. He instantly stood in front of him and said coldly, "Are you Mu Zhengnan?"
The black-clad man's icy eyes were like millennia-old ice, instantly freezing anyone who looked at him. Mu Zhengnan stared blankly at him, an overwhelming chill spreading through his entire body. This man was truly terrifying. Was he here to save him, or to kill him?
"Speak quickly, are you really Mu Zhengnan?" Ye Qianlong grabbed Mu Zhengnan's collar tightly through the iron bars, his eyes flashing with cold light. Mu Zhengnan's neck was being strangled, making it hard for him to breathe. The air in his lungs was getting less and less, and his chest was getting more and more uncomfortable. He subconsciously nodded: "I am Mu Zhengnan!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Mu Zhengnan felt his collar loosen, his breathing became smooth, and he collapsed to the ground, his body limp and powerless. Tiny specks of powder floated before his eyes. Mu Zhengnan looked up and saw that the large iron lock that had bound him had turned into powder in Ye Qianlong's hands.
Who is this person? How can he be so powerful? Mu Zhengnan's eyes were filled with shock.
"Let's go!" Ye Qianlong glared at Mu Zhengnan, not noticing the shock in Mu Zhengnan's eyes. He was in a hurry to see Li Xue and didn't want to waste time with Mu Zhengnan.
"Thank you!" Mu Zhengnan opened the cell door and strode forward along the road.
He threatened Shen Yingxue to send someone to help him escape from prison. He thought she would at most send a third-rate expert to drug the prison guards and take the opportunity to rescue him. He never expected that she would find such a powerful person who would directly rush into the prison to rescue him.
Although Shen Yingxue was despicable and shameless, she was still a person of her word. I will take the escape route she arranged. With such an expert protecting me, I will be safe!
Mu Zhengnan and Ye Qianlong left the prison and moved quickly. By the time the soldiers from Shuntian Prefecture arrived after receiving the news, the two had already disappeared. The Shuntian Prefect gritted his teeth and roared in the direction where the two had disappeared: "Chase them!" Daring to snatch people from his prison was a trap and a provocation. He would never let the two leave unharmed.
On a small building not far away, Zhuang Kexin quietly peeked out, watching the large entourage led by Shuntian Prefecture chasing after the fleeing enemy. She raised her lips in a cold smile, knowing that a good show was about to begin!
Meanwhile, Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng followed closely behind the man in black, running all the way. After an unknown amount of time, they arrived at a field. The surroundings were empty, without a single person in sight, and there were no trees. It was just a barren land with unknown wildflowers and weeds growing on the ground.
Dongfang Heng looked around without speaking, his obsidian-like eyes rippling with subtle waves, as if he had guessed something.
Where is he? Where did he go? Shen Lixue searched everywhere but couldn't find Ye Qianlong. Her cold gaze swept over the flat surroundings, and suddenly a thought flashed through her mind: "Dongfang Heng, we..."
"Li Xue, Li Xue!" A familiar call suddenly rang out, and Ye Qianlong's tall, slender figure in black instantly appeared in front of Shen Li Xue. His eyes were clear and his handsome face was filled with a lovely smile: "You're really here. They didn't lie to me!"
Smiling joyfully, Ye Qianlong quickly reached out to grab Shen Lixue's sleeve. Dongfang Heng's gaze sharpened, and he quickly pulled Shen Lixue behind him: "Crown Prince Qianlong, please have some self-respect!"
"It's you again!" Ye Qianlong reached out and grabbed nothing, his clear eyes filled with anger as he glared at Dongfang Heng: "Why are you clinging to Li Xue?" Last time, Dongfang Heng took Li Xue away because of this, causing him and Li Xue to be separated. He grabbed her sleeve only because he didn't want her to disappear again.
"She is my fiancée!" Dongfang Heng looked at Ye Qianlong and answered coldly.
“Fiancée!” Ye Qianlong frowned, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue, muttering, “You two are no different from anyone else…”
Dongfang Heng stared directly at Ye Qianlong, his gaze sharp, and the temperature around him instantly dropped.
Shen Lixue rubbed her forehead. Ye Qianlong didn't understand the meaning of "fiancée" and thought that a fiancée was different from others.
"Qianlong, what are you doing here?" Shen Lixue stood beside Dongfang Heng and noticed that his body temperature was getting lower and lower. She knew that he was angry. The most important thing was to find out what happened to Ye Qianlong and then leave so that they could live in peace.
"I've come to see you!" Ye Qianlong replied happily.
Dongfang Heng looked at Shen Lixue, and she actually called him Qianlong again!
"Come here to see me!" Shen Lixue frowned. Last time Ye Qianlong came to Wanhua Tower to find her, he was tricked. This time, he came here to see her, and he was most likely tricked as well.
"Who told you I was here?" Shen Lixue's cold eyes narrowed slightly; something was amiss.
“He brought me here!” Ye Qianlong pointed to Mu Zhengnan, who was standing there dumbfounded.
After Mu Zhengnan was released from prison, he ran wildly along the route arranged by Shen Yingxue. Sure enough, he did not encounter any danger. Just as he was feeling happy, he suddenly saw Shen Lixue and Dongfang Heng. He was about to warn Ye Qianlong to avoid them when, unexpectedly, Ye Qianlong took the initiative to run up to them.
"Mu Zhengnan!" Shen Lixue exclaimed in surprise, her clear, cold eyes turning icy. Mu Zhengnan was covered in dirt, his hair disheveled, and he looked extremely disheveled, but she still recognized him: "Weren't you in the Shuntian Prefecture prison?"
"I'm the one who saved him!" Ye Qianlong lowered his head, like a child who had done something wrong, carefully observing Shen Lixue's expression: "You don't like him?"