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Mo Yan's horse was quite frightened and galloped wildly for a long distance, carrying her along the rugged mountain road. She was jostled and tossed about by the horse, barely managing to steady it. Worried about Zhao Yu, she tried to urge the horse back, but the horse was too frightened to move, no matter how hard she pulled. Left with no other choice, she abandoned the horse and hurried back on foot.

Author's Note: Happy Qixi Festival!

Chapter Sixty-Four

She could still hear shouts and the faint roar of a tiger in the distance, which made her increasingly anxious, fearing that Zhao Yu had met with misfortune.

Upon returning to their destination, the tiger had vanished. Xiao Guanyin knelt beside Xiao Xin, anxiously trying to wake him. A circle of guards surrounded them, all watching Xiao Xin nervously, unsure if his life was in danger. Other guards remained on alert, wary of the tiger's next attack. The wounded were bandaging each other's wounds...

Mo Yan's gaze searched through the crowd again and again, but she still couldn't find Zhao Yu's figure.

"Where is the princess? Where is the princess?" She stepped forward and grabbed a Song Dynasty guard, asking. The man had been thrown from his horse by the frightened horse and had injured his arm. Mo Yan was holding his injured arm, and he was wincing in pain.

The guard first pushed Mo Yan aside before struggling to say, "The princess's horse was startled... They have already gone out to look for her."

"Which direction did they go?" Mo Yan asked anxiously.

The guard shook his head with a stern face. "It was too chaotic at the time; no one could see clearly."

"...Then...then you said they've already gone out to look for her, which direction are they looking in?"

The guard pointed east and west: "People are going to both the east and west."

"Not enough, not enough. What if the princess went in another direction...? She's not familiar with this deep mountain forest." Mo Yan bit her lip, turned to Xiao Guanyin, and respectfully bowed, saying, "Princess, the princess's whereabouts are unknown. May I borrow a few people to search for her in the forest?"

Xiao Guanyin stared anxiously at Xiao Xin, completely ignoring what she said.

"Princess!"

Mo Yan raised her voice, knowing it was inappropriate, but she was forced by the situation. Several Liao guards nearby glared at her fiercely, but she pretended not to see them. She couldn't command these men, so she could only ask Xiao Guanyin to speak.

"Princess! Princess!" she cried, her voice rising higher and higher.

Xiao Guanyin raised her head and glared at her angrily: "What do you want? Is it more important than my brother's life?"

"The princess is missing! I need people to search for her everywhere," Mo Yan said quickly. "Could the princess send a few guards..."

"you……"

Although Xiao Guanyin disliked Zhao Yu, she knew that if the Song princess were to suddenly encounter an accident, Yelü Hongji would certainly be unable to explain himself to the Song Kingdom. Moreover, Zhao Yu was traveling with them, and all sorts of suspicions would inevitably fall on her, leaving her with no way to defend herself. In a flash, she thought of many things and then said to the person beside her, "A'Tuo, take a few people and go with her."

Mo Yan was overjoyed. She glanced at Xiao Xin on the ground, took a few steps back, and whispered, "Is he still alive?"

“Of course I’m alive,” Xiao Guanyin replied angrily.

Mo Yan smiled and stepped back, muttering, "...Good fortune will bring you great wealth and honor..." Even after she had gone far away, you could still hear her say, "...May you have many sons and grandsons!"

Xiao Guanyin cursed under her breath and continued to observe her brother's expression. Although Xiao Xin still had breath, he showed no signs of waking up, so it seemed that waiting any longer was not a solution.

"I have to send my brother back to the camp." Her mind was in turmoil. "But what about Brother Chaci? I have to send someone to tell him. Can the princess be found? What if she can't?" Suddenly, all these things fell on her shoulders, leaving her completely overwhelmed in this chaotic situation.

Xiao Xin, lying flat on the ground, let out a low groan.

Everyone was overjoyed. Xiao Guanyin hurriedly bent down and called out, "Brother! Brother! Can you hear me?"

After the previous heavy blow, Xiao Xin's eyes were bloodshot and swollen, almost unable to open. He barely managed to open a small slit and saw Xiao Guanyin's eyes filled with tears. He asked in surprise, "Why are you crying?" He tried to sit up by supporting himself with his hands on the ground.

The guards beside him hurriedly helped him up, and he sat half-upright on the ground.

Xiao Xin looked around, his gaze finally landing on Xiao Guanyin. He asked in confusion, "Where am I? Sister, what are you doing here?"

"Brother, how could you forget? We're out hunting in Fuhu Forest."

"Hunting?" Xiao Xin asked, puzzled. "Why would I bring you along on a hunt?"

Xiao Guanyin patted his head and asked worriedly, "Brother, did you hurt your head? We came out with Brother Cha Ci, have you forgotten?"

Xiao Xin shook his head: "I only remember that His Highness just gave me a dagger inlaid with cat's eye and a hairpin to you. How come you suddenly came to Fuhu Forest?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Guanyin was on the verge of tears: "Brother, that happened the year before last. You didn't really fall and lose your mind, did you?"

"What happened last year?" Xiao Xin asked blankly.

Xiao Guanyin let out a long breath and shook her head urgently, saying, "This won't do. Get up quickly. We need to hurry back to the camp and find the imperial physician to take a look." She gestured for the guards to help Xiao Xin up. Xiao Xin was swaying and couldn't stand steadily, so they had to help him onto the horse's back so he could ride with a guard. This way, he could lean against the guard to rest.

She also sent two people to inform her brother Cha Ci, while leaving two others to wait for Zhao Yu and those who had gone to find him. After making the arrangements, she escorted her brother to the main camp.

Unaware that they had returned to the main camp, Mo Yan was still searching for Zhao Yu's whereabouts in the dense forest. The hoofprints on the ground were crisscrossed and without a clear direction, making it difficult to tell where Zhao Yu had been taken by the horses.

"Please don't let anything happen, please don't let anything happen!" Mo Yan repeatedly chanted in her heart, regretting that she should have jumped off the horse without hesitation when it was startled, instead of letting it carry her so far.

As darkness fell, there was still no trace of Zhao Yu. She had no choice but to return to her original spot. The groups that had searched in other directions also returned one after another, all without success. They also heard that Xiao Guanyin and the others had abandoned them and returned to the main camp. Although they didn't say it aloud, the Song guards all looked rather grim.

The last four to return were Liao people from the Iron Cavalry Battalion, and they, too, found nothing.

The sunlight gradually dimmed and then disappeared through the gaps in the trees, as the heavy night pressed down on everyone.

"We should return to the main camp to report first," someone suggested. The people here were all of similar status and position, and besides, no one dared to claim they had the final say on such a significant matter.

Mo Yan immediately objected: "The princess has already returned, there's no need for us to make this trip again. Besides, the emperor and the prince aren't in the main camp, so even if we went back, it probably wouldn't be of much use. We should continue searching in the vicinity."

“But it’s already dark! It’s difficult to find someone in these deep mountains, let alone at night.” The one who spoke was A-Tuo, whom Xiao Guanyin had sent to accompany Mo Yan to search for Zhao Yu.

Mo Yan looked at him coldly: "We can light torches at night."

“Young lady, don’t talk such big words.” A-Tuo sneered, “In these mountains, jackals, wolves, tigers and leopards lurk. Even a hunter with thirty years of experience would never dare to say that he can walk through the forest at night, let alone you and me. If we’re not careful, we might not be able to find anyone and even lose our lives.”

Atuo was a Liao man who had visited Fuhu Forest several times. Hearing his words, the other Liao men nodded in agreement, seemingly unintentionally. The Song guards nearby, however, couldn't help feeling a little uncertain.