After leaving the Holy King's Mansion, Shen Lixue inquired her way here. Baozhai was the tenth shop she had ever visited, and it was also the largest jewelry shop in the capital. She had high hopes for it. Once inside the shop, Yan Yue opened her oil-paper umbrella and walked quickly to the counter, getting straight to the point: "Shopkeeper, have you ever heard of Jade Glazed Glass?"
The shopkeeper, about fifty years old, with a medium-length beard and a kind face, stopped working on his abacus, looked up at Shen Lixue, and frowned slightly: "Yu Liuli, I've heard of it before. It seems to be a kind of medicine. If you're looking for medicine, you should go to a pharmacy!"
"The pharmacy doesn't have it. I'd like to ask the shopkeeper if there's any connection between Jade Glaze and Jade?" The shopkeepers of the previous nine shops had never even heard of Jade Glaze, so Shen Lixue couldn't get any answers from them. Fortunately, the shopkeeper of Baozhai was knowledgeable and knew about Jade Glaze, so she naturally wanted to ask him for clarification.
The shopkeeper stroked his beard: "I've heard people say that jade glass comes from the finest jade mountain, where the essence of heaven and earth is concentrated, and the spirit of jade can bring the dead back to life if consumed. As for other things, I don't know!" He was a jewelry shop owner and knew everything about jewelry, but he was not an expert in medicine.
"Thank you, shopkeeper!" Shen Lixue was a little disappointed that she hadn't gotten any useful information. She politely thanked him and left Baozhai.
When she left the Holy King's Palace, she specifically sought out the Ghost Doctor of Southern Xinjiang to inquire about the Jade Glaze. He knew that the Jade Glaze was produced in Jade Mountain and knew its shape, size, and color, but he did not know whether it had a close connection with jade.
What exactly does the mysterious and unpredictable jade glass look like?
Under the scorching sun, Yan Yue opened her oil-paper umbrella again to block the sunlight: "Miss, don't get sunburned!"
"Thank you for your hard work!" Shen Lixue's smile was somewhat bitter. Even the manager of Baozhai Store didn't know about jade glaze, let alone the managers of other small shops. She couldn't keep wandering around these small shops; she should find some knowledgeable people to ask.
It's very close to Zuixianlou Restaurant here, and it's almost lunchtime. I'll go there and see if I run into anyone I know.
Shen Lixue turned around and went to the left. Yan Yue followed closely behind, holding an oil-paper umbrella. At the end of the street on the right, Ye Qianlong mounted his horse and rode steadily forward, going in the opposite direction from her.
Ye Qianlong rode his horse slowly, and before he knew it, he had arrived in the desolate wilderness. The surroundings were empty, and there was not a single person in sight. Gusts of wind blew by, the leaves rustled, and an invisible killing intent quickly spread.
"Who goes there?" Ye Qianlong's gaze sharpened, and he called out in a low voice.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!" Dozens of men in black emerged from the trees, surrounding Ye Qianlong. Their aura was fierce, their faces grim, and their long swords were already drawn, the sharp blades gleaming with a chilling light.
A man in black descended from the sky, his eyes, visible through a black mask, gleaming with a chilling light, coldly staring at Ye Qianlong: "Leave your heart behind!"
"Dongfang Heng doesn't want my heart!" Ye Qianlong said softly, a hint of disappointment in her clear eyes.
The man in black sneered: "As the Azure Flame War God, if Dongfang Heng were to dig out the heart of an innocent person for his own life, he would be a coward who clings to life and would be ridiculed. Therefore, he will not openly take your heart. People are selfish and do not want to die. Dongfang Heng is a noble and admired Azure Flame War God. He is unwilling to give up his wealth and honor and cherishes his life even more. Therefore, he ordered us to dig out your heart!"
Ye Qianlong's gaze remained indifferent. The man in black spoke with great passion, spittle flying everywhere, but he didn't react much. He glanced at the men in black around him and asked, "Who are you people?"
The man in black's gaze sharpened. A gentleman had turned into a villain. Dongfang Heng was despicable and shameless, putting on an act. Ye Qianlong should be furious, so why was he so calm? "I am a subordinate of Prince An, sent by Prince An to take your heart."
"Are you really Dongfang Heng's subordinates?" Ye Qianlong stared at the man in black for a long time before slowly asking this question.
"The real deal?" The leader of the men in black was very dissatisfied with Ye Qianlong's reaction and had no intention of saying anything more to him. With a flick of his wrist, a long sword that gleamed coldly was instantly drawn, its tip pointing directly at Ye Qianlong. He said coldly, "Kill Ye Qianlong, take his heart!"
"Yes!" The guards shouted, brandishing their longswords and thrusting them fiercely at Ye Qianlong.
In the Holy King's Mansion, Dongfang Heng clutched his chest, enduring the sharp, stabbing pain in his heart. Large beads of sweat gathered on his forehead. Suddenly, a red light shot straight into the sky, and his handsome face turned deathly pale in an instant. Ignoring the pain in his chest, he threw off the covers and got out of bed, urgently saying, "Someone, prepare the horses! Let's go to the woods outside the city!"
That light just now was a distress signal from the Zhan Wang Mansion's secret guards. In the entire Qingyan, only Shen Lixue had secret guards from the Zhan Wang Mansion by her side, and something had happened to her.
Zi Mo entered the inner room and looked at Dongfang Heng, who was clutching his chest, pale-faced, and swaying as if he were about to collapse. He couldn't help but advise, "Your Highness, please rest well. This humble servant will go and rescue Princess Li Xue and make sure she returns unharmed!"
"No, I want to go myself!" Dongfang Heng waved his hand to stop Zi Mo. He didn't have much time left to be by her side. If she was in danger, how could he ignore it? "Quickly prepare the horses!"
Just as Shen Lixue arrived at the entrance of Zuixianlou and was about to go in to see if there were any familiar faces, a guard emerged from the shadows: "Princess!"
Shen Lixue was taken aback: "Weren't you supposed to be protecting Ye Qianlong back to Xiliang? Why are you back?"
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince summoned us halfway there, saying he had something to discuss. Taking advantage of our inattention, he knocked us unconscious. When we awoke, the Crown Prince was nowhere to be seen!" The guard's voice was low and somber. As secret guards, to be tricked and knocked unconscious...sigh...
Shen Lixue's gaze sharpened. Ye Qianlong had knocked out the guards and left alone. What was he up to?
"Are the other guards alright?"
"Your Highness, we are all safe and sound. We have returned to inform you that the other three have gone to search for Crown Prince Ye!" Ye Qianlong's disappearance is a matter of great importance, and they cannot hide it from Shen Lixue.
Suddenly, a barely visible red light flashed across the sunlit sky, and Shen Lixue's expression changed slightly: "It's a distress signal from the Dark Guards; they're in trouble!"
The bodyguards can turn invisible and won't get into trouble. The only reason they sent out a distress signal is that they found Ye Qianlong, and Ye Qianlong is in trouble that they can't handle.
The guard carefully examined the area and respectfully said, "Princess, it's in the direction of the woods outside the city!"
A cold glint flashed in Shen Lixue's clear eyes: "Full speed ahead to the woods outside the city!" She wanted to see who was plotting against Ye Qianlong again.
When Shen Lixue arrived at the woods on the outskirts, the fight there had reached a fever pitch. Most of the men in black were injured, corpses were scattered everywhere, blood flowed like a river, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.
Ye Qianlong and his three bodyguards were all injured to varying degrees, and they were holding long swords as they dealt with the black-clad men who were rushing towards them.
The leader of the men in black, while attacking Ye Qianlong, shouted hoarsely, "Brothers, we can't let Prince An down! For Prince An's sake, we must kill Ye Qianlong, rip out his heart, and restore the Azure Flame War God to his former state!"
Shen Lixue's gaze sharpened. Did the men in black mean that Dongfang Heng had sent them to kill Ye Qianlong and take his heart? Dongfang Heng was definitely not that kind of person!
This man in black is framing him!
Shen Lixue understands Dongfang Heng, but others may not. When the man in black shouted like that, everyone would think that Dongfang Heng was afraid of death and secretly sent his subordinates to steal Ye Qianlong's heart. How despicable!
The battle was exceptionally fierce. Whether it was Ye Qianlong, the guards, or the men in black, everyone was fully focused. Two men in black with sharp moves attacked Ye Qianlong. The leader quietly moved behind Ye Qianlong and, taking advantage of his momentary lapse in attention, stabbed his back with a sharp longsword.
"Qianlong, be careful!" Shen Lixue narrowed her eyes, and was about to swing her long whip when a sharp gust of wind suddenly swept over and hit the man in black, sending him flying three or four meters away.
Shen Lixue was startled and looked up. Dongfang Heng, dressed in white, stood quietly under a big tree, his face pale, his aura sharp, and his sharp eyes coldly watching the fighting crowd.
"Stop!" Dongfang Heng's deep voice was infused with inner strength, startling everyone. They instinctively stopped fighting and looked at the newcomer, instantly shocked: "Prince An... Prince An!"
Seeing that things were going badly, the leader of the men in black took advantage of the crowd's momentary daze and turned to run away.
Shen Lixue smiled coldly, flicked her long whip, tightly wrapped it around the man's ankle, pulled him into the air, and then slammed him hard in front of Dongfang Heng, causing him to scream in pain.
"How dare you slander Prince An! You're incredibly audacious! Let us see who you are!" Zi Mo squatted down, reached out and pulled off the black mask from the man's face. Instantly, a familiar face came into everyone's view...
---Aside---