Hua Jiuye also rushed over via a side path. She had been summoned by Huangfu Mi before leaving. The Emperor was still unconscious, and only Hua Jiuye's presence could put people at ease.
Fortunately, the emperor was only unconscious due to the poison of the datura, and there was nothing seriously wrong with him. After carefully taking his pulse, Hua Jiuye prescribed a medicine, and Huangfu Mi took the prescription to get the medicine.
Naturally, he brought Meng Wan along. He hadn't had a chance to talk to her in the rush of their escape, so now that they were alone, he wouldn't let the opportunity slip by.
So he took her hand and went out the door on his own.
The south of the city was indeed desolate, with thatched houses and low walls everywhere you looked. Such a place was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Meng Wan sighed, thinking that it was the perfect place for them to hide.
But... "How long must we hide like this? When will my older brother be able to get back?"
"It's really hard to say. Although we sent someone to deliver a message early this morning, there has been no response from the other party. We can only wait now, there's nothing else we can do." Huangfu Mi held Meng Wan's hand tightly, observing the surrounding situation as she spoke softly.
Meng Wan nodded slightly, but then asked, "What about Fifth Brother? Did you tell him you were going to wait here?"
Huangfu Mi nodded: "He was responsible for covering me and my father. He should have escaped by now and we'll meet up in the village."
Only after hearing this did Meng Wan feel at ease and stop talking. She simply followed behind him, carefully heading towards the clinic outside the village.
Getting the medicine was no problem. The clinic staff quickly prepared the medicine from the prescription written by Hua Jiuye. Huangfu Mi and Meng Wan didn't linger. They took the medicine, paid the money, and hurriedly returned home.
But as soon as they reached the door, they saw a squad of guards, each with a sword in hand, searching the upper bunk next door.
They were clearly searching them, and they were holding portraits. Upon seeing this, Huangfu Mi and Meng Wan hurriedly retreated.
"Doctor, is there a back door?" he asked.
Seeing his flustered expression, the doctor, though unaware of what had happened, still pointed towards the back of the clinic. Upon seeing this, Huangfu Mi quickly thanked him, then grabbed Meng Wan's hand and ran towards the back door.
The back gate was closer to the village, so the two of them found a horse-drawn carriage and headed straight for the village.
"Quickly, the search party will find this place soon, let's go."
Huangfu Yi and Hua Jiuye helped the emperor into the carriage, but Meng Wan hesitated: "If we leave like this, what if Fifth Brother comes and can't find us?"
Huangfu Mi nodded slightly, he hadn't thought of that: "Then why don't we leave some coded messages along the way, and go inside to see if there's any rice in the houses?"
Meng Wan nodded, went inside, filled a cloth bag with rice, and then hurriedly boarded the carriage.
The carriage traveled very fast along the way. Huangfu Mi drove the carriage, while Hua Jiuye ground the medicine into powder inside. There was nowhere to decoct the medicine at the moment, so she could only grind the medicine and take it with water.
They didn't know how long they had been running, but they stopped when they saw a river. They fetched water to mix with the medicine and gave it to the emperor. They also scattered some rice under the tree roots around the emperor before getting back into the carriage and continuing their journey.
Meng Wan, however, was not without worry, "Fifth Brother hasn't arrived yet, could something have happened to him?"
Indeed, according to the previous agreement, they should have come out to meet by now, but they have been delayed for so long and there is still no sign of them, which is really worrying.
Before Huangfu Mi could say anything, they suddenly heard the rustling of leaves and bushes on both sides. Meng Wan turned her head and saw two groups of people rushing towards them from the left and right in the bluestone alley. Upon seeing this, Huangfu Mi pushed Meng Wan onto the carriage and said to everyone, "They've caught up with us. We have to hurry. Everyone, sit tight."
Huangfu Yi panicked upon seeing this situation. He took out a dagger from his pocket and handed it to Meng Wan, who was standing to the side. Then he lifted the curtain and sat down next to Huangfu Mi.
"Seventh Brother, what should we do later? Should we fight head-on or outsmart them?"
Huangfu Mi glanced at him, then whispered something in his ear. Huangfu Yi nodded slightly, drew his sword, and stared intently at the people.
"Princess, don't worry, the Prince will definitely lead us out of here."
Inside the carriage, Hua Jiuye peeked out from behind a corner of the window and then whispered words of comfort to Meng Wan.
Meng Wan, however, had a deep frown on her face and even forgot to feed the emperor his medicine. She was just looking out the window with a worried expression.
The enemy outnumbers us. Although she only has Huangfu Mi's skills, she is still outnumbered. Will there be any problems if we fight like this?
Thinking this, the worry in his eyes deepened. He lifted the curtain a crack in the window to observe the situation outside. The man in black was already approaching, but Huangfu Mi and Huangfu Yi remained motionless. Could it be...?
Sure enough, the two men shouted "Giddy up!" and the carriage sped off. The carriage was extremely fast, and the three people inside were jolted violently.
The men in black hadn't expected them to return like this. Seeing the horses galloping straight towards them at great speed, they dodged and cleared a path for themselves.
As Meng Wan watched them get further and further away, the tension in her heart subsided for a moment. She lifted the curtain and said, "Luckily you were smart, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Rarely receiving such praise from Meng Wan, Huangfu Yi raised his chin and said with a smug smile, "We are brothers working together, and our strength can break metal."
Huangfu Mi gave him a helpless look: "Don't brag now. We've only managed to escape temporarily. Who knows what will happen next!"
Upon hearing this, the group paused, exchanging worried glances.
This situation is serious, and we really need Meng Junheng's army. Otherwise, with just a few people and a small number of guards, how can they possibly stand up to General Gu's thousands of troops?
They frowned slightly, but said nothing more, simply driving the carriage at breakneck speed, heading off on their way.
---
That night, the group arrived at a town called Longtanpo. Although it was almost evening, the streets were bustling with people, just like during the day.
However, the group had no interest in appreciating the scenery. After disguising themselves, they rested at an inn, left some clues, and then waited for Huangfu Yu and his group to arrive.
They waited and waited, but Huangfu Yu didn't come. Instead, Puyang came looking for them in the middle of the night, following the trail of white rice he had left behind.
"Sir, something terrible has happened!"
Huangfu Mi was startled and quickly went to greet him: "What's wrong?"
Puyang stood up: "Fifth Master has been captured, and all the men he brought with him have been wiped out. Only one of my men escaped."
The moment those words were spoken, everyone in the room was startled. The entire army had been wiped out, and Huangfu Yu had even been captured.
They looked at each other, speechless.