It wasn't really surprising that the imperial court couldn't find them.
After Chi You led the two into the dense forest that day, they were pursued by the imperial soldiers.
They were chased to the edge of a cliff. With no way out, they clung to the vines hanging down the cliff face and hid on the mountainside until they heard the soldiers leave before climbing back up.
However, the mountain was filled with pursuers. The old man had said the roads down the mountain were few, and they were all blocked, making it impossible for them to descend.
As a temporary measure, the three of them avoided the pursuers and headed deeper into the mountains. They found an extremely narrow cave and stayed there for several days, nearly starving to death.
They only emerged after the number of imperial soldiers on the mountain decreased.
The old man led the two down a very secluded path. By then, the searching soldiers were no longer at the foot of the mountain, and they managed to leave the city smoothly.
After leaving the city, they hurried in the direction of the Southern Border.
But there were soldiers everywhere. They could only travel west along the deep mountains and old forests, mostly traversing through the mountains. When they were hungry, they hunted; when they were thirsty, they drank from mountain springs.
They traveled before dawn, not knowing the day or the night.
However, by continuously walking in the mountains, they couldn't reach the Southern Border. They had to descend the mountain and head towards Lingnan.
The two disguised themselves as farmers and farmers' wives, weaving through the small paths. Sometimes, they would encounter pursuers, but with such disguises, the soldiers paid them no attention.
One day, as they passed a small town, Xia Yun remembered Chi You's instructions. He glanced at the panting person beside him, handed her water, and spoke.
"A Wu, you wait outside the city. I'll sneak in to handle something."
Hearing this, Chi You looked at him with her large, clear eyes, confused. "Brother Yun, what are you going into the city for? You'll be caught."
They had mostly traveled on mountain roads and paths, never entering a city.
Xia Yun also didn't want to enter the city. The checks everywhere were very strict; it was too risky.
But this small place had the fewest soldiers, and the searches were not that strict. The matter she had entrusted him with still needed to be done, and he had to help her.
"I need to deliver a message. Otherwise, even if we reach Yue Guan, we won't be able to pass. We'll be stopped."
He had to enter the city to deliver the letter that Chi You had given to her confidant, to find someone to rescue her.
"Then I'll go with you."
Xia Yun shook his head. "I'll be out quickly after delivering the letter. You wait for me here."
Taking her with him would make them easily discovered. He could get things done quickly and come out alone.
Hearing this, Chi You tightened the bundle on her shoulder, nodded.
"Then hurry."
Xia Yun pulled her a little way into the mountains, stroked her head, and gave her a few more instructions. After telling her to wait in place, he left alone.
From this small hillside, they could see figures a hundred miles away. Chi You watched him enter the city, then squatted down, hiding on the small hillside in the mountains, waiting obediently without moving.
Since escaping from Shangjing, the two had relied on each other, constantly traversing the mountains and forests. She had become much more accustomed to it.
Recently, the temperature in the mountains had dropped, and it was very cold all around.
She didn't know how long she had waited. She was so sleepy that she was dozing off. Hearing the chirping of various insects nearby, she vaguely woke up a bit.
Looking up, the sky was almost dark.
Chi You quickly stood up and looked around. There were thorns and weeds everywhere, not a single person in sight.
Her heart suddenly became flustered. She leaned out to look in the direction of the city gate. It was dark, and the city gate had already been closed.
It had been so long, and Brother Yun hadn't come out yet. Had something happened to him?
The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became, but she had no other options and dared not run around blindly. She was so anxious that her forehead was starting to sweat.
The surroundings were empty. The wind blew, but there was no sound at all.
Chi You stared at the moon overhead. It was past midnight, and there was still no sign of him. She couldn't wait any longer and wanted to go to the city gate to look.
But suddenly, a twisting pain returned to her stomach, so severe that she fell directly to the ground.
She bit her lip tightly, clutching her stomach and rolling in pain. She was afraid of being heard, so she didn't even dare to make a hissing sound, her pained face turning red.
At some point, her stomach started to ache inexplicably. The pain that spread from her limbs made her feel like she was suffocating. When she couldn't bear it anymore, she would faint.
Someone going up the mountain spotted her lying in the grass and walked over to pat her face.
"Hey, girl, wake up."
She had passed out and made no sound. The person looked at her for a few moments, then dragged her up and down the mountain.
After Xia Yun entered the city, he went to the place for delivering messages. However, there were too many people inside, which delayed him for some time. By the time he wanted to leave the city, the city gates had already been closed.
He didn't dare to stay in an inn, so he found a place to make do for the night.
The people of the Blood Corpse were everywhere, following even the slightest clue to find leads. Liu Rongruo learned of the two's whereabouts while at the Imperial Palace's Military Affairs Office.
"You mean they've reached Shuzhou?"
Bai Ze said, "Yes. The Prince sent a message saying their trace was found in a small town below a county in Shuzhou."
Liu Rongruo's face turned cold. "Were they captured?"
"The local government has already sealed the city gates, and the entire city is being searched."
"Prepare the horses."
Bai Ze looked at him in surprise as he stood up, grabbed his robe, and walked out, quickly following him.
"Is Your Lordship going to Shuzhou?"
Liu Rongruo said coldly, "What do you think?"
"----"
Shuzhou was a long way from Shangjing. Even on horseback, it would take seven or eight days.
Liu Rongruo couldn't wait. He first rode to Qizhou, then took a boat down to Shuzhou. He didn't sleep along the way, traveling day and night.
When he arrived in Shuzhou, the Prefect of Shuzhou Commandery, along with all the officials in the city, were waiting at the city gate.
From afar, they saw several figures galloping towards them on horseback.
The Prefect, Gao Yan, had been promoted by Liu Rongruo. His superiors had informed him that the Prime Minister would personally come to Shuzhou today, so he had been waiting there since early morning.
With a neigh, the horses stopped.
All the officials knelt down and shouted in unison.
"Your subordinate greets the Prime Minister."
Liu Rongruo tightened the reins and lowered his gaze. "Were they captured?"
Gao Yan's face was ashen, and his body, prostrate on the ground, trembled with fear.
"Replying to the Prime Minister, that day, we did capture a man in the city who closely resembled the man in the wanted poster. However, in the middle of the night, people broke into the prison and abducted him."
A chilling aura emanated from above. Gao Yan's eyes flashed with fear, and he quickly added.
"This man was highly skilled in martial arts and did not seem to be from our Central Plains. I suspect he is from the Southern Border. We have already pursued them."
Liu Rongruo's anger was almost irrepressible. He looked down at the kneeling crowd.
"So, you caught the person, only to have them escape?"
The crowd was terrified and cried out in unison, "Your subordinate is in fear, please spare my life, Prime Minister."
Liu Rongruo's hand gripping the reins turned pale with anger.
"Was he the only one?"
"Yes, he was the only one."
Upon hearing this, Liu Rongruo's eyes flashed with an unreadable expression. He seemed lost in thought, and the surroundings were eerily quiet.
After a moment, a voice came from above.
"Using Shuzhou as the boundary, search the nearby villages and towns."
The crowd, not understanding his intention, hurriedly and anxiously replied, "Yes."
Bai Ze immediately understood his Lordship's intention. Xia Yun had entered the city alone, leaving A Wu outside. A Wu had looked like that during the day. The people they had dispatched had no news of her. She must have gotten lost while waiting in that place and was definitely still within Shuzhou's territory.
Xia Yun and the others had escaped from the city and would definitely be looking for someone nearby, certainly not having left the Shuzhou area yet.
If they were looking for A Wu, they would surely reveal their tracks.
If they captured these people, they wouldn't be afraid that Chi You wouldn't show herself.
Perhaps, they would be the ones to find A Wu first.
"Post a notice, offering a reward of one thousand taels of gold for her capture."
Gao Yan quickly took the portrait of the woman handed to him by Liu Rongruo and said respectfully, "Yes."
As long as there was money, why worry about people not reporting information.