The two of them traveled downstream on a warship. The vast ice cave had been completely broken open by the soldiers, and the unfathomably deep seawater surged in, carrying with it a biting cold wind.
A man in a snow-white robe stood silently on the bow of the ship, facing the sea breeze. His deep crimson pupils were like a winter abyss, chilling and devoid of any warmth.
His face was very pale, and he exuded a deathly, sickly aura that sent shivers down one's spine.
Tantai Ye and Li Qiongyu exchanged a glance and leaped over.
"You're out here wearing so little, are you trying to die?!"
Tantai Ye held a golden, intricately patterned black cloak and threw it onto Xiao Chizhan as he approached.
Seeing him just gazing at the sea, completely unmoving, Li Qiongyu raised an eyebrow, walked over, and draped it over him, tying the sash.
Xiao Chizhan had always favored wearing white to conceal the ferocity within him. His sudden appearance in black lent him an indescribable terror.
His handsome features were tinged with a gloomy coldness. The black sable fur on his hood brushed against his face in the frigid wind, making him appear indifferent and terrifying.
The aura around him was like that of a demon from hell, chilling to the bone.
He said nothing, his expressionless gaze fixed on the icy sea cave. His half-closed lashes veiled his crimson eyes, making his emotions unreadable.
The cold wind howled. Spread across the ice sea, which stretched for tens of thousands of zhang, were the armies of Daliang and their warships. They were breaking through the ice, and the boundless deep sea crashed and pounded against the hull, the waves turbulent.
Tantai Ye observed him for a few moments, his eyebrows slightly raised.
"Below this sea cave are all sorts of man-eating fierce beasts. She won't survive easily."
Silence. The surrounding air was somewhat frozen.
The man on the bow of the ship said nothing, his eyes fixed on the unfathomably deep sea cave.
"Cough—"
Li Qiongyu coughed lightly, cupped his hand to his mouth, and signaled Tantai Ye with his eyes.
Tantai Ye understood his meaning, and a flicker of darkness crossed his stern face.
He narrowed his eyes, carefully observing Xiao Chizhan, feeling increasingly uneasy.
He had expected this man to throw a tantrum or go mad, but he was too calm, so eerily calm that it made him feel an inexplicable unease.
He hesitated to speak the words they had agreed upon earlier.
"Chizhan, you should go back and rest. I'll dispatch more men, and we will definitely find her."
Li Qiongyu chimed in, "Yes, look, your wounds have reopened."
This man possessed the most formidable martial arts among them.
The other day, when he had stopped him from falling into the sea, he had been accidentally stabbed by him. When Tantai Ye and he had wrestled for the saber, they had fumbled and bumped into the blade, causing a lot of blood loss.
Now, blood was seeping through the bandages on his wounds and dripping down.
Xiao Chizhan remained silent, his expression terrifyingly calm.
Seeing his lack of reaction, Tantai Ye narrowed his eyes and cautiously added,
"So many people have been searching day and night for several days and nights, but the sea cave is too vast. I fear even deploying more troops would be futile."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Chizhan's eyes, as deep and dark as the sea, finally showed a slight ripple.
"Dispatch the Qilin Army. We want to see her alive, or her corpse!"
His hoarse, dry voice sounded in the frigid wind, suffocatingly chilling.
Tantai Ye frowned, "Is it not too hasty to dispatch the Qilin Army at this critical juncture?!"
The Qilin Army was their most valiant and skilled fighting force, adept at naval combat—
Naval combat?!
He suddenly seemed to realize something. His eyebrows shot up as he looked at the indifferent Xiao Chizhan, who showed no expression. After a long pause, he said,
"You were unconscious for several days. Bei Qi has now sent troops to attack Xuanwu Pass in Daliang, attempting to negotiate terms with us. The Qilin Army is currently all at Yuehan Pass. Are you sure you want to summon them?"
Xiao Chizhan said nothing. His back remained straight, his eyes cold as he gazed into the deep sea cave. The black cloak on his shoulders billowed in the wind, making him appear even more chilling.
Seeing this, Tantai Ye licked his lips, pulled out a token from his person, and threw it to the deputy general behind him.
"Go tell Xia Han to dispatch twenty thousand men from the Qilin Army."
"Yes, General."
Xiao Chizhan stood on the bow of the ship for a long time, his crimson eyes as dark as a deep pool, colder than the ice surface.
Clad in black robes, his pale lips were tightly pressed together. In the moonlight, his skin exuded an almost sickly pallor. The surrounding cold wind whipped the hem of his robes, making him appear gloomy and terrifying.
Across the entire sea cave, soldiers in armor were busy breaking through the ice. The unfathomably deep seawater churned with waves. The sea cave, ten thousand zhang deep, was dark and ominous.
Li Qiongyu stood by his side, and they remained there until nightfall.
Under the moonlight, waves of people came and went, but no trace was found.
This was akin to finding a needle in a haystack!
Tantai Ye could not bear to watch and urged them to return first.
But Xiao Chizhan remained silent, his gaze fixed on the cold, desolate sea surface. His tall figure was like a statue, barely moving.
The bleak and desolate moonlight cast upon him, making his black robes appear chilling and dark.
"You're bleeding."
As Li Qiongyu turned his head, he saw the blood seeping from the corner of Xiao Chizhan's mouth, an刺眼 sight.
Hearing the voice, Xiao Chizhan's gaze on the sea surface flickered back. He casually wiped the blood from his lips with his fingertip, his expression indifferent.
Seeing him like this, Tantai Ye's suppressed anger surged. He kicked a plank of the ship and strode away.
"Stay as long as you want, I don't care anymore."
He leaped onto another warship and ordered it to set sail.
As he left, Tantai Ye could not resist looking back at that warship.
In the moonlight, the man stood tall on the bow of the ship in his chilling black robes. His demonic, handsome face showed no change in expression, and the hint of blood at the corner of his mouth was horrifying.
He coldly withdrew his gaze and entered the ship's cabin.
Upon returning to the temple, Tantai Ye ordered all the battle reports to be presented, and he worked until the middle of the night.
The dim candlelight flickered in the dim room, emitting soft crackling sounds.
After an unknown amount of time, he looked up at the sky outside. It was already the fifth watch.
Exhausted, he leaned back, closed the official documents, and called out, "Ying Yi."
"General."
The door opened, and a person strode in.
"Have they returned?"
Ying Yi respectfully replied, "No, they are still at the ice cave."
Hearing this, Tantai Ye frowned deeply.
Xiao Chizhan's state was truly bizarre. He had never seen him like this in all these years.
"His Highness has been in a coma for so long and has not eaten. He is now in the ice cave, and his body probably cannot last much longer."
Tantai Ye leaned back in his armchair, a sinister glint flashing in his narrow eyes.
"Go call Rou'er."
"Yes."
Lan Murou had finally fallen asleep but was woken by the knocking outside. She quickly put on her clothes, got out of bed, dressed, and walked out.
"Ying Yi? What's wrong?"
Ying Yi stepped back a few paces, his eyebrows lowered, and respectfully said, "The General wants you to come over."
Hearing this, Lan Murou's palms trembled. In the middle of the night, was he going to torment her again?
Seeing her silence for a long time, Ying Yi urged her again.
"I know."