"A'li only left for half the night, and she returned before dawn."
Fu Long's words, though Feng Ye Xuan had already guessed them, still caused his heart to ache anew when he heard them spoken aloud.
He asked in a hoarse voice, "Ever since she returned that night, she's been like a different person, hasn't she?"
Fu Long met his gaze and finally nodded.
Feng Ye Xuan sat on the chair, propping his forehead with his elbow.
Fu Long was not very familiar with him, but they had known each other for quite some time; he had known this God of War Prince for over a decade.
In all these years, he had never seen the Prince appear so powerless and distressed.
He had thought A'li had changed, and he himself seemed to have discovered something gradually. At this moment, his pain was the heaviest and most immense.
But in front of Feng Ye Xuan, he suddenly realized that his own pain was not even a tenth of Prince Xuan's.
He must be both furious and panicked right now.
The questions he couldn't figure out, after talking with Prince Xuan tonight, he had finally understood completely.
Fu Long was also utterly helpless.
"Your Highness, if we rashly arrest her and interrogate her, I fear... it will implicate A'li."
But there were some things he dared not say.
Was there a possibility that A'li had already... Everyone knew that if the roots are not removed, the grass will grow again in the spring breeze.
That person could even take A'li's face; how could they possibly let A'li live?
Fu Long's heart also felt a jolt of pain!
But he didn't want to face this question.
Let's just assume A'li was still alive.
"Your Highness, leave this matter to me. I will go to Long Teng Kingdom and search again with Zi Yue."
He regretted it deeply now.
Too foolish! If Prince Xuan hadn't reminded him tonight, even with suspicions in his heart, he wouldn't have known how long it would take before he dared to face this issue.
A'li was not A'li; it wasn't that her temperament had changed, but that she was completely, from beginning to end, a fake!
"However, Your Highness, Chu Qian Li's face is real. I've tested it several times."
At first, he suspected it was a disguise.
He had tried everything: falling into water, getting rained on, accidentally scratching her face. But that face wouldn't fade or change. Even when he accidentally brushed it with a branch once, it had a faint bloodstain.
Although, under his carefully controlled strength, it was only a very shallow wound, it was undeniably a real wound that bled.
It was precisely because of this that Fu Long had felt deathly guilty and dared not doubt Chu Qian Li's identity any further.
"Your Highness, although we firmly believe she is not A'li, her face... Your Highness, I don't believe it's possible for two identical people to exist in this world."
This matter was preposterous! It had to be handled with extreme caution.
"This King has already instructed his fifth brother to search for Wu Chen Zi. Perhaps, Mr. Wu Chen Zi will have a solution."
For any strange occurrence in the world, there were always origins and legends. Ninth Uncle, with his vast knowledge and understanding of ancient and modern times, might know how to change a person's face.
"Your Highness..."
The words "changing faces" instantly tore Fu Long's heart to shreds.
If, indeed, A'li's skin had been peeled off alive...
His large palm suddenly pressed against his chest.
Pain!
Just thinking about it made him breathless with pain.
Looking at Feng Ye Xuan again, he remained expressionless, quiet, even calm.
But his eyes!
Fu Long finally understood why Prince Xuan exuded such a deathly aura tonight.
It was because his eyes no longer held any trace of sunlight!
Was he also afraid that A'li had already...
Feng Ye Xuan suddenly stood up and said calmly, "Even if she were an A'li without a face, this King would still want her alive!"
As long as she was alive, she would always be his A'li.
No matter how she changed, he would protect her, dote on her, and love her for a lifetime!